Chapter Forty Seven
Elizabeth looked nervously over at the map-covered passenger seat. She had almost remembered exactly which roads to take, but she took a map just on the off chance she got lost. Elizabeth was glad Jason took his motorcycle that morning to find out information about the vehicle that took off last night. She, on the other hand, had her own ideas about finding Rosco, but more importantly, Jaime.
Elizabeth had thought about talking to Isabella herself. She had grown close to the Italian socialite in the time Elizabeth was at the party, with the exception of Jason's interrogation. And though Elizabeth knew Isabella probably knew more about Rosco than she admitted, Elizabeth wished she could have talked to Isabella herself.
And that was why she now sat outside the gates of the villa. There were guards around the house and perimeter. Elizabeth bit her lip as the guard approached the sedan. She opened the driver side window with a push of a button.
"What's your business here?" the man said stone-faced.
"Um," Elizabeth smiled widely, "I wanted to see Signora Perelli. Isabella."
The guard looked at Elizabeth suspiciously. He pulled out a radio and began speaking Italian. Elizabeth's heart began racing. Was Isabella going to order her men to take care of her? Was Elizabeth so wrong about the woman?
"Are you alone?" the guard asked peering through the dark tinted windows.
"Yes," Elizabeth replied quickly.
The guard stopped as he peered through the backseat window. "What is that?" he asked pointing at a shadowy figure in the backseat.
Elizabeth shifted uneasily. "It's just a dress."
The guard pursed his lips and opened the back door and pulled out the garment bag. Elizabeth peered out her window, wanting to tell him to stop. She didn't want the roughneck to destroy her beautiful dress. She watched helplessly as the guard rummaged through the garment bag, turning it inside out.
Finally he seemed satisfied and returned the bag into the car. He radioed ahead and then nodded towards Elizabeth, pointing towards the villa with his automatic gun. Elizabeth breathed a sigh of relief as she shifted the sedan into gear.
~~~
Elizabeth waited in the sitting room, which was off to the side of the library. The room was painted an emerald green. There were two sets of double doors that led to the grounds. In the center of the room was a coffee table. An expensive cream embroidered loveseat to the left and a matching couch facing it. Elizabeth found a seat in a single armchair positioned at one of the coffee table ends.
"So, Ms. Webber," Isabella called sharply from the doorway. "Are you back with more lies?"
Elizabeth jumped in her seat as she didn't here the signora enter the room. She nervously fidgeted with the hook of the garment bag sitting in her lap. "Isabella!" Elizabeth exclaimed, at a loss for words.
The regal woman walked into the room with her head held high. She sat down next to Elizabeth in the loveseat. Elizabeth offered her the garment bag. Isabella sat stiffly and tense. Finally she took the dress.
"I'm sorry Isabella," Elizabeth managed to say.
Isabella nodded. "Is that all?"
Elizabeth felt unwanted and horrible for hurting Isabella. She pushed herself up from the chair and moved to leave. Halfway towards the exit, Jaime's image flashed through Elizabeth's mind. The last two weeks of touring Italy with Jaime flooded her thoughts.
And now she's gone.
'And she knows where,' Elizabeth reminded herself. Elizabeth did a turnabout and faced the unflappable woman.
"Isabella, that wasn't the only reason I'm here," Elizabeth spoke slowly. "May I?"
Elizabeth pointed towards the armchair.
Isabella's gaze remained fixed on the coffee table, but her head nodded slightly. Elizabeth quickly sat down afraid she might change her mind. Elizabeth began to wring her hands. "Look, I know you know who Rosco is…"
Isabella's head jerked up and she began to protest. "Wait," Elizabeth commanded putting her hand on the older woman's slender hand. "Just let me finish and then you can tell your side or deny everything okay?"
Isabella eyed Elizabeth cautiously. Then she nodded. "Fine."
Elizabeth took a deep breath and gathered her thoughts. What would she say to convince Isabella to tell her the whereabouts of Rosco? What could she say?
"Isabella, I don't know a lot about any of this," Elizabeth sighed. "But I got dragged into this whole thing because of a friend."
Isabella seemed to shift uncomfortably in her seat. Elizabeth took that as a hopeful sign. She didn't believe Isabella was a mastermind, or even a partner in this situation. Elizabeth liked Isabella too much to believe those things. She wouldn't have even thought about it except watching her the night before and the guilt written over her face.
The guilt about what remained to be seen.
"Her name's Jaime." Elizabeth pulled out a Polaroid of the both of them in front of the Coliseé. "She came to show me around Italy."
Elizabeth paused to see if there was any sign of emotion or interest from Isabella. She pushed the picture in front of the woman. "About 2 weeks ago she disappeared."
Isabella held the picture in her hand. "And what does that have to do with me?" she whispered.
Elizabeth held her breath. "Because Rosco's the one who's taken her," Elizabeth slowly exhaled.
The woman's dark eyes studied Elizabeth. It made Elizabeth uncomfortable, but she forced herself to meet her gaze. "And you know where he is."
Isabella placed the Polaroid on the coffee table and stood up. "I do not," she denied hesitantly.
Elizabeth watched the woman walk towards the fireplace that sat opposite Elizabeth. Isabella fingered a picture frame that sat on the mantle. "I don't know him," Isabella finally said. "The man you are talking about. I'm sorry about your friend but I cannot help you."
Elizabeth rose from the chair and took the frame from Isabella. The frame contained a photo of a young girl in the arms of a dark-haired woman, similar to Isabella's hair and even bone structure. "Who's she? And the little girl?" Elizabeth inquired.
"No one," Isabella replied hastily, grabbing the photograph and placing it back on the mantle.
"Isabella please. If this has anything to do with why you're helping Rosco, then you've got to tell me. Jason tells me we're running out of time. We've got to find Jaime!" Elizabeth pleaded, grabbing Isabella's shoulders and peering into eyes that were clouded with confusion.
"We can help," Elizabeth promised. "If Rosco's threatening you, Jason will protect you."
Isabella shook her head. "You cannot help," she exclaimed, finally breaking down. "He's ruthless."
Elizabeth's heart leaped when she realized that Isabella just might help. "Jason's well-connected. I know he can protect you and Andre."
Isabella pulled away. "No," she exclaimed. "How can you? He's a …he's got famillé"
Elizabeth didn't quite understand what she meant by famillé.
Elizabeth looked helplessly at Isabella. "Family?"
Isabella shook her head and waved her hand dismissively. "You do not understand." Isabella sighed frustratedly.
Elizabeth bit her bottom lip in desperation. She was so close. How would she convince Isabella Jason would protect her?
***
Jason arrived back at the apartment and realized the sedan was missing. His pulse began to race and he ran up to the apartment. It was empty. He checked for signs of a struggle or forced entry, but there was none.
The keys for the sedan were missing and Jason had realized Elizabeth had gone somewhere. But where?
When he had made some phone calls to those watching the apartment, Jason found out she had headed out of the city. Suddenly Avery phoned Jason and asked about a sedan pulling into the Perelli's driveway.
She had gone to see Isabella.
~~~
Jason stood outside the sitting room listening to Elizabeth pleading with Isabella for the location of Rosco and his men.
"You'll be protected!" Elizabeth's voice raised loud enough to hear through the oak doors.
"You don't understand! I do not need protection!" the older woman exclaimed.
Jason opened the door.
The two woman turned to see Jason enter.
"How did you get in?" Isabella gasped.
Jason didn't respond. Instead he deflected the focus to Isabella. "Tell us where Jaime and Rosco are and we'll protect your niece."
The Italian aristocrat was taken aback. "How do you know about my niece?"
Jason stood quietly for a moment. This was the last chance he had to get the information before the guards realized the diversion Avery and his men made was a distraction from the main house. "It doesn't matter. You have others far more powerful than Rosco to worry about. Nam knows about you by now and be sure that he can and will do worse to everyone you love."
Fear crept into Isabella's eyes at the mention of Nam. He was a well-known man in Europe. The older woman seemed to crumple into Elizabeth's arms. Jason rushed over to help Elizabeth guide Isabella to the couch. "You have to protect my Anna. You must," Isabella cried desperately.
Elizabeth cooed soothing words into the distraught woman's ear. She looked helplessly at Jason.
Jason shook his head. He wouldn't back off. "Now tell me where Rosco is. What is he planning and what's your part in it?"
Isabella began to sob and babble in Italian. Jason caught words, but not whole sentences. Jason grabbed the hysterical woman by the shoulders and began speaking in Italian to the woman.
"Signora, tell me and I'll see Mr. Nam knows you were forced into it."
The sudden jerk seemed to snap Isabella out of the panic she was in. Her sobs subsided and Isabella gathered her composure once more. Taking the handkerchief Elizabeth offered, she wiped the tears away.
"He does have her…" she gasped in between sniffled. "He's not hurting her."
Jason studied the woman, deciding if this could be another lie. "How do you know?"
"Because he said that wasn't his plan," she explained. "He didn't say anything else about the girl."
"Why were you meeting with him?" Jason asked.
"He was planning to leave the country."
Jason closed his eyes. "When?"
"I think soon. He said 'things had changed' and that I should keep quiet about all of it and no one would get hurt."
Isabella fidgeted with the handkerchief. Her hands were trembling.
"Where are they?" Jason asked.
Isabella shook her head. "I don't know," she apologized. "He just told me when he was coming and the things he needed. I just provided him with food and other 'special needs'."
Jason ran his hand through his hair. Damn it! Another dead end.
"Wait!" Elizabeth exclaimed. "Do you know how long it took them to get here usually?"
Isabella nodded. "Around 30 minutes, why?"
Jason nodded his head. He knew where she was going. "Are there any empty summer villas around her? You do know, don't you?"
Isabella's eyes lit up. "Yes. There are 3 acquaintances gone for the last few weeks. The Carlions, the DeLuccinas, and the Brevelions."
Jason got up from his knees and looked down at Elizabeth. "I'll run the plate of the car with those names and see if any cars have been seen in those villas. Are you done here? I've got to contact Sonny and let him know what's going on."
***
Elizabeth looked over at Isabella. The older woman stood up and smiled. "I am fine. Go find your friend."
Elizabeth smiled and moved to follow Jason who had already made his way out the door. Suddenly she felt a gentle hand on her arm. "Wait!" Isabella whispered. "Keep this."
Elizabeth turned to find Isabella holding out the garment bag holding the evening gown. "Isabella."
Elizabeth's mouth opened in awe. She was touched that Isabella would give the dress to her after all of this. "I couldn't."
The Italian woman looked offended. "Take it. You'll have another night to use it. I can feel it."
The old twinkle returned to the woman's eye and she was once again the proud socialite that entered this room moments ago. "Thank you," Elizabeth smiled.
"Don't thank me yet," Isabella smiled coyly.
Elizabeth blushed as Isabella showed her to the door.
"Isabella," Elizabeth stopped and looked seriously at the woman. "Anna will be safe."
Isabella sobered and nodded. "I will hold you to that promise Bella," she whispered as she waved to her at the main door.
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