The Dutch Connection: Act II
Horatio and Frank together helped the girl on her feet and while Horatio guided her outside, Frank called for an ambulance.
Sitting on the gurney, the girl gazed at the two men standing in front of her. Their questions, like 'are you okay?', 'who are you?', 'Can you tell us what happened?' never reached her conscience, but she understood she had to tell them what had happened, and that she had to trust them. So she began.
"My name's Marieke de Vries, I'm fifteen years old. I-" Marieke swallowed. "I'll tell you what happened."
Marieke looked at her father, who sat behind his desk looking at a timetable that told him which shipping was to go to where at what time. She hated having to come with him to his work on her days off from school. It was so boring. It was as if he didn't trust her being home alone. But he always told her it was because he didn't trust 'the people', as he called them. Marieke had no idea what he meant, but she understood that there were things her father knew about that were potentially very dangerous and that every misstep could have a regretful result.
Luckily, her father's colleagues were much fun, otherwise she'd probably die of boredom. The atmosphere in the office seemed unusually friendly for a container shipping company of this size. However – this office wasn't that big, actually, the company it belonged to was – perhaps this atmosphere was just very normal. After all, Marieke had nothing to compare it to.
"Looking back now, everything suddenly makes sense. The ritual 'bubbling' with good clients-" Marieke paused for a moment. Horatio didn't dare asking what 'bubbling' meant, because somehow he didn't want to know the answer.
"Oh, the office in Italy of which there is no record, and the many, many dinners for employees of the office and the way too quick agreements." Marieke went on. "I though them to be normal. I guess they're not."
Since her mother had been killed in a mysterious car crash years ago, Marieke's father had insisted on taking her with him on her days off.
"Waar is Antonio?" asked Marieke.
"That means 'where's Antonio?'" Marieke explained.
Her father looked up from the computer. Antonio, who wished to be just called Anton, was the employee of this office that Marieke liked the most. He was funny and his lifestyle was stylish but extravagant. He always smoked cigars, always drank cognac and even though he was happily married to his wife, with whom he had three kids, he always had mistresses here and there. Normally, Marieke would be very much against such adultery, but Antonio's wife didn't seem to care too much about it and somehow, he had developed this habit of talking about his mistresses in a very light-hearted way, that somehow always made her laugh. He also used to call her father every once in a while, sometimes with messages like "you wouldn't believe what a beauty is sitting next to me" and Marieke and her father always knew exactly what would happen between Antonio and the beauty next.
Somehow, her father seemed really glad that Marieke and Antonio did get along this well. Actually, Marieke was one of very few people allowed to call him Antonio. Some colleagues of her father had said jokingly that she'd be next in Antonio's long line of mistresses, but Marieke knew that would never be that way. After all, Antonio was now around forty, she fifteen, and his mistresses were normally around twenty-five. By the time she'd turn twenty-five, the bond with Antonio would probably be that of two very good friends, nothing more. Trust.
Marieke's father looked up from the computer to answer Marieke's question.
"Geen idee. Maar ik heb hem ook nodig, dus als je 'm zou willen zoeken zou ik daar erg blij mee zijn. Zeg maar tegen 'm dat ik 'm wil spreken."
"I wouldn't know. But I need him as well, so if you'd like to look for him I'd be really happy with that. Just tell him I'd like to speak to him." Marieke quickly translated.
Marieke nodded and walked off.
"And from there, it's pretty much a blur" Marieke told Horatio and Frank. "I mean, I remember seeing Antonio take a gun from a wooden crate in the warehouse" she swallowed. "And I remember two shots, but that's all" Marieke shook her head. "I think he killed someone and that when I walked in, the only thing he could think of doing was getting rid of me by taking me here. What I don't understand was why he didn't kill me"
She now looked up, tears in her eyes.
"I think he couldn't because he knew you that well" Horatio softly said. Marieke nodded, almost invisibly. Then, she suddenly petrified.
"Dad! I – oh my god. I hope they didn't do anything to dad!" she whispered. Horatio looked at Tripp, who walked off a bit to call for a number of the police of the Netherlands. After all, it'd be pretty strange if Marieke's father hadn't reported her missing yet. Horatio looked at Marieke.
"Marieke" he seemed to be struggling with the pronunciation but got it right eventually. "I'm sure your father is all right. After all, you saw things, he didn't."
Marieke nodded. "I hope so."
"Is there anything else you saw or heard?" Horatio asked. Marieke closed her eyes to concentrate.
"Well, some people where having an argument, 'cause they were shouting at each other. One was shouting 'C'è stato un incidente', and then some other person shouted 'Che cosa problema è?' and then another person shouted 'questo non te riguarda per niente'."
"You have a pretty good memory" Horatio said. Marieke smiled.
"I don't. Antonio taught me similar lines. 'C'è stato un incidente' means that an accident as they call it happened, 'che cosa problema è?' means 'what's the problem' and 'questo non te riguarda per niente' is my personal favorite. It means 'it's none of your business'. There was more shouting in Italian, but that I couldn't understand."
Marieke closed her eyes again. "Gunshots, again. Those were really frightening. But then I heard them talking about things that had been done and things that were supposed to be done. I guess someone tried ratting them out."
Frank listened to the number that someone gave him and wrote it down. Oh-oh-three-one-three-four-three-five-seven-eight-eight-four-four. He hated these international numbers. Slowly, he dialed the number. A woman's voice answered him.
"Goedenavond, Korps Landelijke Politie Diensten, met Carla. Hoe kan ik u helpen?"
Frank didn't understand one thing this Carla said, but was pretty sure she could understand English as well.
"Good afternoon, miss. This is Detective Frank Tripp, Miami-Dade Police Department."
The woman's voice immediately changed to English with only a small accent. "Good afternoon, Detective. How can I help you?"
"During an investigation, the MDPD found a girl, fifteen years old, and she says she's from the Netherlands. I'm wondering whether her father has reported her missing."
"Okay, I'm listening. Where is she from?"
"Rotterdam" Tripp answered.
Horatio looked at the fifteen-year-old. Something about her bothered him.
"You're really calm for a victim of an abduction" he said, when he figured out what was bothering him. Marieke looked at him.
"Lieutenant, I was abducted while I could have been killed. The abductor was someone I trusted and still trust and all I can remember are gunshots and waking up in that walk-in closet. Antonio was the one taking care for me here, he gave me food and water, he told me some things that wouldn't put the famiglia, as he called it, in any danger and he said that everything would turn out fine."
Horatio nodded. Meanwhile, Tripp walked back to them.
"What did they say?" Horatio asked. Tripp looked at him and then at Marieke.
"Marieke" Frank had evidently more difficulties pronouncing the name, "your father is perfectly fine, and he wonders when you'll be back. I told him that you'd be back as soon as possible."
Marieke nodded, letting him know she understood. Horatio looked at Marieke.
"You'd need a passport to get on a flight back" he said. Marieke nodded.
"I know. Wait" she searched the pockets of her jacket for a moment, and then she showed him a burgundy-colored booklet with the words 'Europese Unie – Koninkrijk der Nederlanden' and the crest of the Netherlands printed in gold on it. "All people from the ages fourteen and up are supposed to carry their passport or at least an ID card with him or her in the Netherlands" she said.
Horatio nodded. "Okay, then that problem's solved. Marieke, this officer -" Horatio pointed at an officer standing next to him, "will take you to PD"
Marieke nodded and got on her feet. She started humming a song that she couldn't get out of her head. Frank looked at her.
"I'm sorry" Marieke said. "It's the Tarantella. Antonio kept playing the Tarantella from 'The Godfather' on a radio in this room."
"I thought I recognized it" Frank answered. "That's that song from the wedding in the beginning of part one, isn't it?"
Marieke nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, it is! It's my favorite movie." Her face now turned to a little sadder expression. "I really should have recognized the true nature of the office sooner"
A/N: I'm sorry I had to insert this many Dutch and Italian phrases, but I needed it to have a bit of an international character. I hope y'all liked it!