Disclaimer: I own nothing. The characters all belong to Amy Sherman Palladino. No copyright infringement is intended and no profit will be made from this story.
PLEASE NOTE: CHAPTER COMPLETELY CHANGED. PLEASE READ THE NEW END OF CHAPTER 9 BEFORE, SO YOU CAN UNDERSTAND BETTER.
Emily opened slowly her eyes, but she closed them immediately because of the pain it caused. Her head was spinning and she felt as if she was unable to move. She tried again to open her eyes and this time it worked. She sat in a higher position looking around. Where she was? What happened? Suddenly she remembered. The alley, Fiore walking before her, the men and the blow.
"Fiore" She cried out. "Fiore, where are you?" She yelled aloud, with all her voice.
A middle aged woman knelt in front of her.
"Come sta, tutto bene?" She asked concerned.
"My daughter, they took my daughter!" Emily responded shaking.
The woman looked at her puzzled, obviously she didn't understand her.
"Police, I need to go to the police. La polizia." Emily added hoping that the woman understood and helped her.
"Polizia, ok la accompagno io.". The woman helped Emily out of the alley and accompanied her to the nearest Police station.
Emily hurried toward the first officer she saw and spoke quickly, between the tears. The policeman prayed her to sit down and wait for the inspector to come. She stood on the iron chair for less than five minutes, also if it seemed an eternity to her. She was holding her head in her hands when a middle aged man gently asked her attention.
"Good morning, I'm Mr. Lojacono. I'm the inspector of this district, please follow me in my office. There we could talk with more calm." And then he took her hand and helped her out of the chair. Emily walked toward the office and sat down on a wooden chair in front of the desk. The inspector took his position at the other side.
"What's your name?" He asked.
"Gilmore, Emily Gilmore. Please help me. They took my daughter, she could be in serious danger. Please find her." Emily responded trying to catch her breath.
"Mrs. Gilmore, I need to know exactly what happened to help you." He continued.
Emily closed her eyes and swallowed hardly, then began to tell the entire story to the man sat in front of her. She was so scared. She couldn't help her mind to think to the worst. She was not an optimist, and this situation didn't help to be positive. She had finally met her daughter and suddenly she disappeared in the nothing again. The inspector made his best to calm her down, went out of his office and returned with a glass of water for her. He explained her that the police would made everything to find out where the kidnappers brought her daughter and that she needed to calm down to be supportive. He wanted her to be collaborative, and for do this she had to be reasonable.
"So nobody knew that Fiore is your daughter?" He asked gently after some minutes of conversation.
"We found out that she's alive and she's our daughter two weeks ago. As I said it was a long and painful story. But then she came back in our lives and so, suddenly she…." Emily wiped her eyes and looked straight ahead.
"I think it's better to call your husband and ask him to come to Palermo. You cannot stay here alone, and maybe he could know something more about your daughter's life. You told me he assumed a private investigator." The inspector spoke looking at her gently. He could see that she was devastated and worried. Her hands didn't stop to lightly shake from the first moment they met. Her eyes were wet, also if she tried strongly not to cry in front of him. He was hit from the strength of this woman. She tried so hardly to remember every single particular, to speak clearly and to be of some help. There was something special in her, and he couldn't deny he was attracted by this. Obviously he didn't show nothing to her, simply offered her his compassion.
Emily looked at the inspector walk slowly out of his office and then she turned to her purse and took out her cell phone. It was time to inform Richard. She dialed the familiar number and waited for him to respond.
Richard was in his study taping something on his laptop. He was quite annoyed by a contract of one of his new client, when smiled at the sound of his cell phone. He was almost sure it was his wife. Usually Floyd and his clients called him at the office or at his study phone line. He took the cell phone from the desk and looked at the name on the display "My dear Emily". He pressed the green button and responded in a sensual voice.
"My dear Emily, I was just wondering what you're doing." He started to speak, but Emily cut him off.
"Richard please sit down and listen to me." She began.
"Emily, why are you so serious, something wrong?" He asked concerned.
"Richard, it's about Fiore. We were walking through an alley when suddenly two men approached and…." She stopped for a second. The scene reappeared to her mind, and it hurt too much.
"And what Emily? What happened?" Richard asked growing impatient.
"They took her. She had been kidnapped Richard. Again." She said in a low voice.
"What? Kidnapped? But why? I can say that she's not so rich to be attractive for criminals." Richard reasoned.
"Not, she's not so rich, but we….we are rich, and….Oh my God! It's my fault Richard! They saw her with me, I wore my jewelers all the time in these days. Maybe they followed us and understood that I'm rich. Oh my God! It's my fault!" She spoke forcing the tears not to escape.
"Emily, please calm down. I'll take the first flight for Palermo and I'll come as soon as possible to you. Did you talk with the police?" He asked, letting his practical side get the upper hand.
"Yes, I'm at the police station now. I talked with the inspector, Mr. Lojacono and he told me they would do everything to find her." She responded stroking a lock of hair from her face. When she put her hand back on her lap she noticed there was blood in it. She stood up quickly and walked to the window to look at her image mirrored in it. She had a cut just at the join of the hair. She breathed heavily and turned around to take again her place on the chair.
"Emily, are you ok?" Richard asked after a long silence.
"Yes, I'm sorry. Please let me know when you'll arrive. I need you Richard. I'm so scared. She's our baby, and she's so beautiful, what if they rap- Oh, I'm not able to say it aloud. Richard please come here soon." She pleaded.
"Emily, don't worry. She's a smart girl, I'm sure she's able to defend herself. I call you later. Let me check when I can take the first flight. Be calm Emily. I love you." Richard said trying to calm down his wife. He knew very well she needed him now, she was surely a strong and intelligent woman, but she was so vulnerable in the past week. He hurt her so deeply and he felt guilty for have put her so down emotionally.
"I love you too." She simply responded.
Richard looked down at his laptop and thought for a moment to what to do. He had to leave, but he had also to be prepared for the kidnappers' request. He was sure that sooner or later they would have called and asked a ransom. He had to go to Italy with a considerable amount of money. So he called the director of the Hartford Central Bank and fixed an appointment for the morning. Then reserved a ticket for the evening flight and called Floyd to explain him that he wouldn't be at office in the next days. He didn't drop in the details, it would be better that nobody knew at the moment, he had to act prudently.
Emily put her cell phone back into her purse and went out of the inspector's office. She looked for the bathroom and when she finally found it she entered slowly. She was tired, but above all scared. The idea of those two men alone with her daughter frightened her to death. She looked at the small mirror and saw the cut. It seemed bigger than she first noticed. She bent down, opened the water on the sink and washed her forehead. She thought that probably the hair stopped the blood flow at the beginning, but now it seemed abundant. She took some deep breaths and turned to the door. She opened it and walked through the hall, looking for someone that could help her. Suddenly the inspector saw her and took her arm, noticing her pale face. She didn't remember why, but she woke up in an armchair.
"Are you ok? You were so pale, I fortunately prevent you to fall on the floor. I put a handkerchief on your forehead, now please let me drive you to the hospital to treat your wound." The inspector told her, knelt in front of her.
Emily simply nodded. She was so frightened for her daughter that she hadn't feel the hurt of the cut until now. Mr. Lojacono accompanied her to his car and helped her to sat down on the front passenger seat. She closed her eyes in pain.
Richard spent more or less an hour on Jonathan's office. He didn't bring the money from his account, but opened a new account on the bank branch in Palermo. He moved a big amount to this new account to be sure that he would be able to pay the ransom. Then he came back to home and go to the basement to take a suitcase for the trip. When he came in the living room asked to Gwendolyn to prepare his luggage. The fact that the same maid was also in his house from more than a week was absolutely singular, he thought. Obvious, Emily was too far to fire her, he added silently. He poured himself a scotch and sat down on the couch. Ten minutes and a drink after the doorbell rang. He hurried to the door, preventing to the maid to open it before him. A tall muscular man stood at the other side. He wore casual suits and a leather coat. Richard greeted him quickly and guided him to the study. The men sat down and Richard started the conversation.
Emily lay on the little bed of the hospital after the doctor examined her. She had a bandage over the cut and the doctor was giving her a painkiller to let the pain go away. She felt helpless. Her mind was clouded, she had always in her eyes the image of Fiore speaking at the conference two days ago. She was so beautiful and professional. Emily was so proud that morning. She felt finally complete. But now all the fear and the pain she lived in the past came back. She relaxed her back and let her head fall on the pillow. Her sight slowly began unclear, the painkiller mixed to the strong emotions made her to sleep in a few minutes.
Richard lit his cigar and put the lighter down on the desk, near to the black glass ashtray. The other man listened to him attentively, trying to know exactly what happened. Richard was absolutely focused on his report. It took him more or less twenty minutes to finish it, and then he waited for the man to respond. The atmosphere in the study was tense. Richard looked concerned and worried, but also clear in his reasoning, while the other man kept writing some notes in a paper that he took out from his jacket. When finally the two went out of the study, Richard breathed heavily and guided the man to the front door.
"We'll se this evening at the airport. Thanks for your help" Richard said, looking at the man, who simply nodded in return.
He was closing the door when he saw Lorelai approach to him.
Emily left the hospital after a couple of hours. The inspector drove her back to her hotel, making sure she was fine.
"Are you sure you're ok?" He asked her, walking with her into the hall.
"Yes, thanks. I think I need to rest for a while. Please let me know if you discover something new." She responded in a low voice.
It was hard to walk, she felt so weak that she needed to support her body to the wall to prevent her to fall down. Mr. Lojacono saw her pain and immediately put his arm around her waist and held her firmly. She turned her head and smiled lightly to him grateful. She let him to accompany her to the suite she and Fiore had reserved. The inspector couldn't help to inhale in her scent. The smell of her hair was so good, something that he surely would have not forgotten for a long time. Her body was slender, her stomach flat. When she accidentally put her hand on his, he felt a shiver cross his back. He was not a man that fall in love at the first sight, never happened such a thing to him in all his life. But this time something was different, she was different. The way her back moved behind his arm was so elegant, also if she was not in the best mood. He thought to how beautiful she could be in her usual herself, without the bandage and the reddened eyes. He felt a strange sensation in his stomach.
Lorelai entered the door and stopped in the foyer. The expression on his father face was not encouraging, on the contrary he looked concerned and bothered.
"Dad, are you ok? Something wrong?" She asked, taking off her coat.
"Yes, Lorelai, I'm well. But why are you here?" He tried to change the topic.
"I came to Hartford to buy a new lamp for the Inn, so I thought to make a little visit to my Dad." She explained.
Richard invited her to sit down in the living room and fought with the temptation to pour himself another drink. He renounced, it was better if he was as sober as possible at the moment.
"So Lorelai, did you talk to Luke about the pregnancy?" He asked directly. He was not in the mood to chat about stupidities.
"Yes. At the beginning he was shocked, but after a while he regained his composure and said that he was happy, also if all happened so fast. We are thinking to the possibility to renovate my house. What about you? Did you clear the situation with mom? She didn't tell me the details, but it seemed as she forgive you." Lorelai tried to know what was bothering his father.
"Yes, we talked a lot, but she didn't still forgive me. I had to be patient." He responded sadly.
"It's for this that you look as if a train passed over your body twice?" She asked.
"Lorelai don't worry for me. You have only to think to your health now." He stood up and went toward the stairs.
"Tell me what happened. I'm starting to think that you want to hide something to me". She followed him in the foyer.
Richard put his hands on her upper arms and squeezed them gently, then looked at her for a moment before to speak.
"Fiore had been kidnapped. You're mother is shocked." Waiting for her to respond he hugged her tenderly.
"What? Oh my God! And now, what can we do?" She spoke not pulling away from his father. She felt so good in his arms.
"I'll take the first flight to Palermo this evening to join your mother. The Italian police is working to find out where she could be. We have to be faithful Lorelai." He pulled away to see her eyes filled from tears.
"Tell to Mom that I love her and that if she needs some help she could call me in any moment." She whispered.
When Emily finally reached her room the arm of the inspector was still on her waist. It was hard for him to let her go. She looked for the keys in the purse and then opened the door slowly. The man guided her in the bedroom and helped her to sit down on the edge of the bed.
"Now I have to go. Please let me know if you need something. I write my cell phone number on the paper on the table, don't hesitate to call me to any time." He said looking at her.
She thanked him for the help and then lay down on the mattress and closed her eyes. In a few minutes she fell asleep.
The flight to Palermo was silent for Richard and the man with him. He met George more than ten years ago. He worked for the CIA at that time. A couple of years later he became a collaborator of Richard's Insurance Company. George was the member of the kidnapping insurance division. Richard was not too faithful in Italian police so he thought that an extern help would be useful.
Emily was in the hall of the hotel waiting for a taxi when her cell phone rang.
"Hello Emily, it's me, Richard. How are you?" He asked concerned.
"I'm tired. What about you? Are you already arrived?" She asked hopeful to see him as soon as possible.
"I'm at airport now. I can be able to come to you in half an hour. Are you still at the hotel?" He asked.
"I'm going to the police station. We can see there." She responded seeing the taxi approach.
"Ok, see you later. And don't worry we'll find her. I love you Emily." He said honestly.
"I love you too." She responded before to hang up.
Richard left George to a little hotel on the coast and then took his taxi for the police department. Fifteen minutes later he stood in front of it. He walked through the hall and asked for Mr. Lojacono to a young policeman. He thanked him quickly and then turned for the second door at right.
Emily sat down on the same chair of the day before. She felt weaker and tired. She allowed herself to cry when the inspector told her that there was no news about Fiore. She buried her face on her hands and let the tears roll down her cheeks. The man stood up and sat on the chair near to Emily. He put his hand on her shoulder and softly said reassuring words to her. His head bent down to meet her eyes. She lifted her chin and looked at him. She didn't notice how handsome he was the day before. He had dark eyes and grey hair, his body seemed muscular and toned, his suits casual but not banal. She shaken her head and closed her eyes again. Apparently she didn't feel his hand on her. She was too focused on her pain.
When Richard entered the door he was stunned by the scene in front of him. His wife sat on the chair, her head in her hands, and the inspector near to her, too near to her, comforting her. He couldn't take his eyes off the man's hand on Emily shoulder. For a moment he forgot why he was there and felt a strong sensation building in his stomach. There was something in the attitude of the man that made him absolutely jealous.
TO BE CONTINUED
In the next chapter Emily and Richard have to collaborate with the police to find Fiore. But Richard has another plan... What about the inspector's feelings for Emily? And Richard reaction?
Thanks to all for reading!! Thanks to Barbara for the precious help!! I hope you enjoy the new version of this chapter. Please let reviews if you want!!