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.
Emily and Richard exchanged a worried look.
"Please Emily, give me a minute alone with your husband. I need to ask him something." Lojacono pleaded her.
Emily looked puzzled at Richard. Why Giuseppe needed to talk to him alone? Suddenly her perplexity changed into fear. Probably the inspector knew something about Fiore and didn't want to tell it to her directly. Her hands reached Richard arm and encircled it. He looked down at her, caressed gently her hands and prayed her to exit the room. She obeyed reluctantly and took a seat on the armchair near the office door. She stared for a while to an old picture hung on the opposite wall. There was Giuseppe with another man, both smiling. They were sat on a rock, the calm sea behind their backs, and a journal in the older man hands. It seemed as the two were ease to be so close. She looked down at the frame and she noticed a little handle sign "To my friend Giuseppe. Paolo Borsellino."
Richard sat down on the chair and looked straight at the inspector.
"Mr. Gilmore, who is the man you met this afternoon at the Stella Maris Hotel?" Lojacono asked directly. He didn't like the man per se and discover his weird encounter only increased this feeling.
"So did you tail me?" Richard asked angrily. He felt his hate against that man increasing more and more. Not only he flirted with his wife under his eyes, but he even tailed him as he was involved in a shady affair.
"I simply followed the procedure Mr. Gilmore. Your daughter had been kidnapped and they asked you a lot of money, so I have to be sure you're not in danger too. My detectives followed you when you went to the bank, and then when you went to your mysterious appointment. Mr. Gilmore I ask you to be honest, I'm not in the mood to listen to falsehoods. I remember you that we are here to help your daughter so I want the truth." Lojacono spoke hastily.
"He's a friend of mine. I had something to talk about to him. Nothing more." Richard responded hoping to have been convincing.
"Mr. Gilmore I repeat. I want the truth and now. If you persist in your no-collaborative behavior you'll force me to ask the truth to your wife. You didn't want she know about your dark side, or not?" Lojacono knew that the only way to obtain the information he was looking for was to threaten him.
Richard thought for a moment to the possibility to lie, but then he realized that the inspector was smart enough to discover George's identity without his help. He was surely a good policeman. George told him that Lojacono worked for several years with Paolo Borsellino in the anti-mafia team. He was not an incompetent and in a certain way he was grateful that Lojacono was running the investigations. But he had an enormous defect, he liked Emily. He liked her too much and didn't try to hide it.
"The man I met is really a friend of mine. I asked him to help me to find Fiore." Richard said avoiding the details.
"In which way does he help you, Mr. Gilmore? Does he console you? Does he give you a legal advice about financial matters? What Mr. Gilmore? Tell me!" Lojacono was growing impatient.
The tone of voice of the two men was grown higher in the past few minutes, so Emily could hear them speaking. She listened to the last question incredulous. Why Richard met a man in the afternoon? Who was he? He said nothing to her about his encounter. Why? Suddenly she stood up and opened the door.
"I have no intention to tell you his identity. My daughter is in a serious danger and I need his help. I'll do everything to bring my daughter home." Richard responded looking straight in the other man's eyes.
"Richard, what's going on?" Emily asked in a low voice. She wanted to yell at him, but she preferred to wait for his response before to attack him openly.
Richard turned his head to face her and swallowed hardly. He didn't want her to know. Not now. Not in this way.
"Emily, please wait for me out. I'm coming soon." He tried to sound reassuring.
"Richard, why did Giuseppe ask to you about this man? Who did you meet this afternoon? I didn't know you had a friend here. Richard please let me know." She asked walking towards the desk and sat near to him.
"Emily please stay out of this story…." He began to respond, but she cut him off.
"You cannot shut me out this time! I'm your wife, I deserve to know if my husband is involved in shady affaires." Emily cried out. She felt hurt, deeply hurt. He was hiding to her a part of his life, again. She was on the edge of the weeping, her hands started to shake and a tear was rolling down her right cheek. Richard looked at her intently. He had to tell her the truth about George and his investigations, but he wasn't sure the inspector would understand. Looking one more time in her eyes his doubts faded out.
"He's a member of the kidnapping insurance department of my company. He knows very well the mechanisms of this kind of situation, so I asked him to help me freeing Fiore. He had a lot of experience as intermediary. Emily I'm sorry not to have informed you, but I couldn't put him in a difficult position. I promised him to be reserved." Richard explained.
Emily looked stunned. She ignored this side of him. She never thought that he could know people that did this kind of job. She was disappointed and hurt, but she could comprehend him. It was part of his job and she had to accept this. And this man was not a criminal, but was an expert intermediary that Richard brought here to help us. She had to be grateful to her husband to have thought to every possibility to free their daughter. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, then looked up at him and stared at his blue eyes. She could see he was sorry and worried at the same time. She leaned forward him and shorted the distance between them before to rest her lips on his for a light kiss. He stroked gently her back and kissed her forehead.
"Thank you for understand me." He said looking deeply in her eyes.
She simply nodded tightening the grasp on his hands.
Lojacono looked silent at the scene. One more time the rich man knew how to handle perfectly the situation with his wife.
"Mr. Gilmore, tell me what your friend discover." He said obliging Richard to pull away from Emily and look at him. He knew perfectly the results of George investigations. His men informed him about it no more than twenty minutes before, but he wanted to hear it from Richard.
"Fiore has a brother, or better his adoptive parents have a son. He's a gambler and he's in serious financial troubles. He lives in Florence with his family, but two days ago he arrived in Palermo, apparently to visit a friend." Richard spoke calmly.
"I thought that maybe he could be the agent of the kidnapping. Fiore mentioned to me that she informed her adoptive family about us." He suddenly added.
Lojacono nodded. It was a good thing that Richard had been honest with him.
"What? It's not possible!" Emily whispered covering her mouth with her hands.
"Emily, I know it's a horrible thing, but I think it is a serious and probably possibility. We don't know anything about her adoptive family, so we can't rule this out." Richard said moving her hands from her mouth to his lap.
"Richard, what kind of people raised our daughter? She grew up with that fool guy. How is this possible? Which kind of brother can think to kidnap his own sister?" Emily continued, her hands on Richard upper arms.
"Emily, please calm down. We don't know her adoptive parents, maybe they are honest people. The most important thing now is that we find her." Richard said looking deeply in her eyes.
"Emily, your husband is right. No matter who is the agent we have to find your daughter, so we have to take in consideration all the possibilities." Lojacono told her.
"And we have to consider also that maybe Fiore can be involved in the kidnapping." He added slowly.
"What? Are you kidding? Why on hell she can be involved in her own kidnapping?" Richard cried out.
"Richard is right. Why Giuseppe? She's my daughter, she can't make a similar thing to me. I'm her mother!" Emily snapped.
"Emily, I repeat. We have to consider all the scenarios." Lojacono responded defensive.
Richard saw the nervousness and fear in Emily eyes, she was on the edge of the weeping again. He helped her out of the chair and sat her down his lap. She immediately put her arms around his neck and buried her face on his shoulder. He made little circles on her back with his left hand and kissed the top of her head.
"Shh. Emily it will be alright. I'm sure she's unconnected with the kidnapping." He tried to reassure her whispering in her ear.
After a long silence finally Lojacono spoke.
"Mr. Gilmore I want to talk with your friend as soon as possible. Can we go to him now?" He said looking down at his watch.
"I think we can. But let me the time to take my wife back to the hotel. My sister-in-law will be there in an hour. I'll be able to come back to your office before eight p.m." Richard responded thoughtful.
He was sorry for George. He promised him to not reveal his presence, but the inspector discovered it anyway.
In that moment Richard cell phone rang. The three suddenly thought to the kidnappers. Richard took it out of his pocket at looked down at the display.
"It's Floyd." He said and with this stood up and disappeared down the hall.
Emily looked down at her lap, smoothing the material of her brown skirt. She sighed audibly and closed her eyes, letting her head fall ahead.
Lojacono couldn't help to stare at her. He fought the urge to stand up and take her in his arms to console her. This time she wasn't crying, she seemed stronger than the day before, nevertheless her fear was readable in her face. More he looked at her and more he felt his feelings for her increasing. He wanted to touch her, also if only for a second. He stood up silently and walked towards her to finally sit near to her.
"Don't worry. I promise you that we'll find her. You have to be strong in that moment Emily. I know you are able to go through all of this. You're a strong woman. You're…." He cut himself off before to say her that she was a special woman. He took her hands in his and squeezed them gently.
Entering the room Richard felt the blood boil in his veins at the sight of the inspector so close to his wife. He had a hard moment to ignore his jealousy feelings before to call out her name.
"Emily, I think it is better we go now." He said approaching to her.
He gently helped her out of the chair and kissed her right cheek. She put her arm on his waist and leaned her head on his chest.
"Mr. Gilmore, I'll come to your hotel at eight p.m. It will be better that we meet your friend at his hotel, I don't want anybody see him near the police station." Lojacono said before the two go out his office.
"See you later." Richard responded shortly.
"Thank you Giuseppe. I'll see you tomorrow." Emily said looking at the inspector.
Lojacono had a hard moment to suppress the little smile that was forming on his mouth and simply nodded in return.
Richard looked down at his wife bored. He had to clarify the situation with that man, but this was not the right moment.
They climbed the stairs to their suite silently. Richard took the key out of his pocket and opened the door. There was a faint light coming from the balcony door. The climate was still warm and the brackish smell of the sea filled the air in the room. In a normal situation she had found the atmosphere romantic, but now it was hard not to think to her daughter. She walked directly towards the bed and kicked off her shoes, enjoying for a moment the good sensation of the soft carpet against her feet. Richard sat down near to her on the edge of the bed and encircled her with his arms. He caressed her hair before to bend down and kiss her forehead lightly.
"I think that Hope will be here in a half an hour." He said pulling away from their embrace.
Emily stood up and walked towards Fiore bedroom. She looked around and saw her things on the nightstand, her glasses atop of an Italian book near to a couple of CD and a paper. She didn't notice it the day before, but obviously she was too shocked to see the details. She took the letter in her hands and sit down on the edge of the bed.
"Dear Anna,
I'm in Palermo now. I attended to a conference at the Cathedral few days ago. It was great. There were so many colleagues from every corner of the world! But the most important thing is that there was also my mother. Not Isabella, you know that she doesn't care about me. There was Emily, this is her name. She's so sweet with me! I have the impression to know her from all the life. She's elegant and refined. My opposite you'll think. But she's really alike to me. And my father, Richard…. He's so tall. I never met a taller man before. He seems really a good man. I have also a sister, Lorelai and she has a daughter, Lorelai too. It's a family name…. Fortunately they chose a different name for me! I'm so happy Anna! I never spent many time with Isabella. She never came to my conferences or took me out for shopping. She thought always to Ginevra and Raffaello. I wonder why they adopted me…. Well now is all different. I spent all the day with Emily. We walked through the town for hours chatting and making shopping. I like her. And I hope she likes me too.
Now it's getting late….I go to sleep. I hope to meet you as soon as possible. Maybe you can come to New York for Christmas Holidays….
I love you.
Fiore"
"I like you too." She whispered leaning the letter on her chest.
Richard saw the scene and sat near to his wife.
"She likes us." She said looking up at him.
"And we like her." He responded simply.
They stood up and came back to their bedroom. They spent more or less half an hour talking about Fiore, the kidnapping ant their feelings. Richard was grateful to see her to react. To be faithful and strong. He needed that she was fine to better concentrate on the situation.
She looked up at him and caressed his lips with her index finger.
"Kiss me." She whispered.
He lay her down on the bed and covered her body with his. She put her arms around his neck and looked intently at him, pleading him to help her to relax. He slowly bent down and touched lightly her mouth with his. The moment their lips met she closed her eyes and moaned softly. He caressed her cheek with his right hand and deepened the kiss. She allowed him to explore the inside of her mouth with his warm tongue. Her hands moved to his shoulders, while his left leg wrapped behind his right knee. He cupped her left breast with his hand and massaged it through the silk material of her white shirt. She moaned his name when his hand moved down to her belly. They continued the passionate kiss for a long time, before the cell phone of Emily brought they back to the reality. She pulled away from Richard's arms and stood up quickly. She took her purse from the little coffee table in the living room and looked for her cell phone. When she found it she looked down at the display. "Lorelai".
"Hello." She responded.
"Hello Mom, how are you?" Lorelai asked concerned.
"I'm tired and worried Lorelai. I want your sister back. And you? How are you?" She asked coming back to the bed.
"I'm fine. I'm so sorry for Fiore. How are the investigations going on?" Lorelai asked walking towards the hall of her Inn.
"It seems as her brother, or well her adoptive brother, is involved in the kidnapping. He's a fool and he needs a lot of money to pay his debts." Emily explained leaning her head to Richard's chest.
"I'm speechless." Lorelai whispered sitting down the soft pink couch in the living room.
"Me too." Emily added while Richard held her tightly in his arms.
"Mom?" Lorelai asked after a short silence.
"Yes Lorelai?" Emily responded cupping Richard's hands with her free hand.
"I talked to Luke about the baby. You're right. It took him some minutes to understand completely the new situation, but he's happy now. We are thinking to the possibility to renovate my house." Lorelai spoke looking at Michel who was talking to a couple of English guests.
"I'm happy for you my little baby." Emily responded honestly. Richard smiled at the sound of his wife calling their daughter little baby.
Lorelai gasped at the same sound at the other line of the phone. Her mother was really changed in the last couple of weeks. She felt really sorry for her sister's situation and for her mother pain.
"Mom?"
"Yes Lorelai?"
"I wonder if, after you'll come back home with Fiore…." It was weird for Lorelai to ask a similar thing to her mother.
"What Lorelai?"
"If you can help me with the house. I think you can give us some good advices. But you're not obliged. It's only an idea." Lorelai asked hesitant.
Emily was really touched by her independent and grown daughter request. She never asked her such a thing before. She felt so excited that it took her a moment to respond.
"I think it's a lovely idea. I'll happy to help you." Emily responded smiling for the first time in the last two days.
"Well, I call you tomorrow. Have a nice evening and give my love to Dad." Lorelai said hiding her growing smile.
"Thank you Lorelai. I …. I love you." Emily felt the need to let her daughter know that she loved her. It was unusual for her to be so open, but the painful experience she was living made her to reflect about her feelings and her family.
Richard looked down at her while she put the cell phone on her nightstand. She seemed so close to Lorelai. He had hoped for so long to see his wife and his daughter get along so well. Emily turned herself to come back in his arms and snuggled close to him.
"She asked me to help her with the restoration of her house." She said against his chest.
"She chose the best adviser that I know." He responded stroking gently her back.
"Oh you!" She slapped playfully to his arm.
He bent down and kissed her passionately.
"I love you Emily." He said between their heavy breaths.
"I love you too Richard." She whispered in his right ear.
He rolled her on her back and brushed his body to hers, exploring her curves with his hands. She spread her legs and let him to position his between them. He was kissing her collarbone when the ring of the room phone interrupted him.
"Hello." He responded trying to regain his regular breath.
"Mr. Gilmore, The inspector Lojacono is waiting for you in the hall." A female voice informed him.
"Thank you, I'm coming." Richard said before to hang up.
"Lojacono is here. I'm sorry but I have to go now my dear love." He explained in a soft voice.
"What? I thought that we….you know." Emily responded disappointed.
"Emily, I'm really sorry, but I can't make him wait. I promise that when I'll come back we'll finish this….speech." He tried to reassure her.
"Oh certainly. The next time you decide to seduce me, please make sure to have the time." She said angrily.
"I'm sorry. I really have to go now. See you later. Have a good time with Hope." He said standing up.
He walked around the bed and bent down to kiss her, but she turned her head to face the balcony.
"It's getting late. You have to go." She simply stated.
She waited for him to close the room door before to allow her tears to roll down.
Richard greeted Lojacono with a weak smile and went out to the hotel with him. He decided it was time to speak from man to man to the inspector.
"Mr. Lojacono I know that you are a good policeman and I'm sure you're absolutely able to make your job. But I ask you to comprehend my position. I have to do everything I can to free my daughter. That's the why I asked an external help for the investigations." He started looking out of the car window.
"I know. But I have to inform you that I cannot accept interferences on my job. I'm the one who is responsible for this case and for your daughter's life, so I, and only I, decide how to handle the situation. I want to be honest with you. I need you and your friend to be collaborative and supportive." Lojacono explained calmly driving his car.
"I want to find my daughter. I'll make everything to find her and I promise to not hamper your investigations." Richard responded honestly.
Richard looked one more time out the car window before to speak again. It was the moment he waited for all the day.
"I need to clarify the situation and I want to be honest Mr. Lojacono. I saw the way you look at my wife. I found you twice in your office holding her hands. I didn't say anything before because I didn't want to upset my wife, but I think it's better you change your behavior towards her. I'm her husband and I want you know that in a normal situation I had reacted in a more forceful way. I can understand why you're interested in my wife. She's a beautiful amazing woman, but fortunately for me she's mine. I suggest you to stop to court her. I won't tolerate your behavior. No more. " Richard spoke slowly to be sure the other man understood every single words of his speech. He referred to Emily always as his wife, to stress the fact that she was a married woman. His married woman.
Lojacono remained silent for the rest of the trip. The man was right. She was a beautiful amazing woman, but she was his wife. He acted like a stupid, but he couldn't help to look at her or to not feel the strange sensation building on his stomach when he met her. Nevertheless he had to be strong and fight these emotions. He promised himself to hide his feelings in front of her, and above all in front of her husband. He decide to not respond to Richard accusation. The man was absolutely right but any other man in his position have never say "excuse me" in a similar situation.
"We are arrived." He simply stated parking his car in the hotel parking lot.
Emily sat down the white chair on the balcony and stared at the landscape in front of her. She thought to the scenes in the inspector office and to the way Richard asked her to go out. Twice he took her arm and obliged, or better gently obliged, her to stand up and follow him. It was not his usual behavior. But suddenly she remembered his reaction when she called the inspector "Giuseppe". It made sense. He was jealous. But why? She didn't do anything to make him jealous. She shook her head and looked down at the street. She noticed a taxi stop under the balcony and saw her sister went out of it. She was wearing a grey short coat and blue jeans. Emily smiled. Hope was definitively more casual than her. She stood up and went towards the big mirror in the corner of the bedroom. She looked at her face and sighed heavily. She was a mess. A couple of minutes later her sister knocked at the door. She hurried towards it and opened it quickly.
"Hopie." She said hugging her little sister
"Em." Hope responded willingly at the hug.
The women entered the room and Emily showed the suite to Hope. Her sister put her bags on the floor of her bedroom and looked at Emily softly.
"Don't worry. I'm sure Fiore is alright and that you can hug her soon." Hope tried to reassure her sister.
"I hope so." Emily whispered.
"I think it's time for dinner." Hope said changing the topic.
"I think so. I'll ask the room service, we have a lot to talk about." Emily suggested.
The three men looked at each other in silence for a while before Lojacono spoke.
"I know the results of your investigations Mr. Johansson. Mr. Gilmore promised to be collaborative, I hope you'll do the same." He started.
"I'm here to help. I'm an intermediary and I'll do my job." George responded shortly.
Richard looked at the two thoughtful. He knew George and he trusted him, but he didn't know enough the Italian inspector. He listened to them talking about the ransom and the possible agent when he heard his cell phone rang. The other men immediately stop to talk and looked at him.
"Respond." George simply said to Richard.
After a few exchange of words between Richard and the kidnappers George took the cell phone and started the negotiation. He spoke calmly and firmly to them. He explained that the family asked him to follow the situation and that they had to speak only with him about the ransom. They asked for the 5.000.000 €, but he offered only 3.000.000 €. After a long negotiation George finally obtained an encounter for the day after.
"They finally accepted our offer of 3.000.000 € and asked for an encounter. They'll wait for us at the abandoned little bus station of Piano Margi tomorrow at 4p.m." He explained.
"Well, I know the place." Lojacono nodded.
"And…." George started, afraid for what he had to say.
"What?" Richard and Lojacono said at unisono.
"They demanded that only a person go to the appointment." George continued, avoiding completing the phrase.
"Ok, I'll go." Richard responded firmly.
"No Richard. They asked for another person." George said in a low voice.
"Who? You? The inspector?" Richard asked growing impatient.
"Emily." George finally admitted.
TO BE CONTINUED
In the next chapter Emily has to face the kidnappers... And Richard, what will he do? They finally can hug Fiore? A lot of Emily and Richard alone...
Thanks for reading!! Thanks to my loyal reviewers Mary, Emily&Richard4ever and Curley-Q. Thanks to Barbara. I appreciate a lot all your reviews...
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