Chapter 8: Another Week, Another Month.
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Octobers end with little done and running for her life. Unknown to her, the envoy was looking for her after he found out her hotel burned down. He wanted to know how she was doing and to compare notes with her. She could not be found according to the agents in the field.
In two and a half weeks it will be Thanksgiving, Tammy was getting home sick but she had to be diligent in her search for Bink, and the North Italian winter is on its way. She will not be sleeping in trees anymore. Early her in her stays in the trees, she would spend the day at the library but lately she has been getting emails of "Suffer Bitch", "I hope you die" and other similar in content, all from the same person. At times it floods her inbox that she cannot read any of her other emails. In mass deletions of the email also deletes 'innocent' emails as well. Several emails from the envoy were accidentally deleted in way as two from City College asking about her attendance and getting a failing grade for missing the final exam. An email from Gadget inviting her to an Acorn Thanksgiving was also deleted without being read.
One particular day, Tammy decides to create an email that is not as public as her Range Rescue one is. At the library she decides to sign up on Hotmail and create an account: T-Squirrelathotmaildotcom. Then she opens another window and opens her rescue ranger email and transfers a few of her friends email addresses to her hotmail account. After transferring 30 or so email addresses into her new email account, she sends a mass email of introduction. Unfortunately, the various email filters at various accounts bump her introduction email as SPAM.
She continues her hunt for more information but finds none; nothing on the news, nothing on the tabloids, nothing on the Internet blogs, nothing to be found. She sits there at the screen and stares at it.
Then there is the matter of money. Though she has about fourteen thousand euros left of Johan's money left and most of the money she brought in from home, she still needed a place to stay and eat. While flipping through the online newspapers, she hits upon the classified ads. There she finds by accident an ad for a room in a shared apartment, three hundred euros a month. It is a lot less than the hotel and close to the tourist section of the city. The only thing she does not like is the statement "College Students Preferred." Google-mapping the area, she finds a university a few blocks away from the area, making it situated between the tourist area and the university. She gets the ad printed and heads to the listed address immediately.
She makes it to the address in a few minutes. There she finds a three-story house owned by an elderly mouse couple – Mr. And Mrs. Marinos. They have owned the place since before World War II and after seeing their children grow up decided to make money in renting out the empty rooms. She discusses with them about the newspaper ad she found and they agree it was theirs. She explains to them of her situation of looking for a lost family member, and wishing to return home when that family member is found, but until then she needs a place to stay. Though the old husband was not willing to hold up somebody in her situation or species, the old wife has a bleeding heart for Tammy. They go into a side room and discuss about having Tammy stay as long as she pays the rent in advance. They come to an agreement on Tammy staying as long as she pays her rent in advance.
After paying her security and rent for the rest of October, she is lead about the house, being shown where the kitchen, bathrooms, living room, the laundry room and her bedroom. She receives a set of keys for the house and her room, and was allowed to stay in her room. The bed in the room is a small twin sized bed against the corner of the room, and across from the bed was a small dresser, which was empty. She puts her backpack down on the floor, and sits on the bed. For the first time in the weeks she spent outside, she checks her backpack and the items inside. Towards the top where one of the two bullet holes is, she pulls out the items inside out and inspects them. One of the pairs of jeans and a couple of t-shirts had bullet holes in them where the bullet traveled through the bag and through the folded layers of clothing. The lower bullet hole went through more clothing, mostly through several panties and a couple of bras she had not gotten to. All she could do at the time is shake her head at each item found. She piles up the clothes into those that are repairable and those that are to be thrown out.
In consolidating her clothing, she puts on a skirt, blouse, and shoes, and checks on her credit cards in her purse, finding the one Johan had given her. Her only thought in her mind is using the card for him damaging her clothes and backpack. Leaving the room as is with the clothes piled up on the bed, she gets up and heads out to the department stores in the tourist area. She gets to Macy's in a few minutes and wanders through the aisles. She picks up a few things in intimate apparel in her usual white cotton, and gets a few others in nylon and silk. She then goes upstairs and gets a couple of Coco Chanel LBDs and other similar like dresses of the same style but different colors. Skirts, blouses and jeans were added to the list as well as a couple pair of sneakers. At the cash register, she pulls out Johan's credit card and gives it to the cashier. She asks the cashier to over charge the card by two thousand dollars and to give her the rest in cash. The cashier complies and gives Tammy the credit card, receipt and money. The cashier then folds things up and stuffs them into bags, giving them to Tammy.
Tammy makes it out the door of the store and heads to a local drug store to get a few things for her like toothbrush, toothpaste, hairbrush, soap, shampoo, feminine hygiene products and a sewing kit. She also finds a cheap cellphone with prepaid and refillable minutes, which she maxes out. At the cashier, she takes out some of the money from the last purchase. With her arms filled she heads to her new home. Along the way she passes by a bicycle shop and looks at the bicycles inside. She runs home and puts the bags of things on the bed.
Just in case she discusses with the old lady of the house about having a bicycle, which she was told that if it is not in everyone's way, she can have what she wants. With this news Tammy goes out to the bicycle shop and looks over a few bikes and their prices. She was interested in something not too small that she can put away. In discussing it with the bicycle shop workers, she finds something that interests her: a folding bicycle with an electric motor and rechargeable battery, while still looking like a regular bicycle. It was for 550 Euros. Along with a helmet and locking chain, it was under 700 euros. She pays it with the money she received from the Macy's purchase. She brings the bicycle home and folds it up into a corner of the room.
She relaxes for a couple of days and helps the old lady with various chores around the house unlike the other students who spend their time studying instead of helping. Thanksgiving comes and passes with nothing found. She goes to the Library and accesses her hotmail email account. Within the first page she finds an email from the ambassador. She quickly opens it.
"Miss T. Squirrel,
We are investigating and monitoring American activities in foreign lands and need to know why you are in Italy. Our records do not show the name of Miss. T. Squirrel in our rosters conducting business in Italy. Please call us at your earliest convenience and notify us of your activities.
Thank you.
Ambassador to Italy,
Jonathan Miers."
Under it was a list of emails and phone number to call.
Tammy thinks to her self, "I don't know how you know of this email or how I am in Italy, but what business I am doing is my business." She takes out her cellphone and plays with the settings -Phone -Calls -Show Number -No. Then she dials one of the numbers listed in the email. A young woman answers the call.
"Hello, United States Embassy in Italy. How can I help you?", a young woman asks.
"Hello. My name is Miss Squirrel and I got an email from the ambassador asking about my business and whereabouts, so I'm calling.", Tammy answers.
"I see. Hold one while I work the computer for your records.", the young lady replies. Typing can be heard in the background. "What is your name?", the young lady asks.
"Miss Squirrel. Miss T. Squirrel.", Tammy answers.
"Lets see... No. I can't find any records. Can I have your first name?", the young lady asks.
"Its Tammy.", Tammy answers.
"Itstammy?", the young lady asks.
"No. It is Tammy. Tammy Squirrel.", Tammy answers.
"Tammy Squirrel?", the young lady says as she types on the keyboard. In a second the record pops up. She reads over it and then says to Tammy, "Are you working? You are not allowed to work in Italy."
"I am not working.", Tammy answers.
"Then how are you supporting yourself?", the young lady asks.
"My family is supporting me.", Tammy answers.
"Who is your family and how are they supporting you?", the young lady asks as she looks over the records.
"My mother, the former Mrs. Rebecca Squirrel who married Joseph Polancco and who became Mrs. Rebecca Polancco. They are supporting me.", Tammy tells her.
The screen verifies half of the information Tammy told her. "Excuse me as I put this into the computer.", the young lady tells her. In a few seconds the typing stops. "OK. Miss Squirrel. It says here that you are too come here and get an update on your passport."
"Where is here?", Tammy asks.
"The Embassy in Rome.", the young lady answers.
"But I'm in Milan.", Tammy replies.
"I'm sorry but this has to be done or when you return home, you will be detained at the customs check out and be asked questions by the Italian Police. Maybe you can take the Trans Italian Express to Rome, it should only takes three hours each way.", the young lady explains.
"I'll see what I can do.", Tammy tells her.
"The sooner you do this the better.", the young lady repeats herself.
"Email me the information. Goodbye.", Tammy tells her and then hangs up the phone. She shakes her head at the exchange she just went through. She goes back online and check out the Trans Italian Express. She finds out that they leave for Turin, Genoa and Florence before reaching Rome. Traveling over 270KPH, it leaves Milan every four hours starting at 6AM.
"6AM, so I get to Rome at 9AM, just in time when the offices open. Now will they accept a bicycle?", Tammy says to herself. Further look at the rules and regulations says bicycles are allowed, but only on the last car. She writes everything down and plans for leaving tomorrow.
Printing and wrapping everything up, she heads outside and unlocks her bicycle from the bike stand. Once she gets it on the street, she zips along with its quiet electric motor back to her home. During the time she had before dinner, she prepares her backpack for the trip tomorrow. She puts a couple of the newer clothes to wear tomorrow on the dresser. Just in case, she hides Johan's credit card in the room. Papers are folded up and put neatly in the backpack that she repaired. Later she goes down to have dinner with the rest of the students and remain behind to help clean up.