She smiled. “That’ll work.”
“One of my staff will return your rental car.”
“And if they’re questioned?”
“They know what to do,” he replied.
A man wearing a black suit walked in rolling a suitcase. “You’re all set, Mr. Santini.”
“Trunk,” Gabriel instructed him. After the butler left, Gabriel said to Sydney, “I was flying to Paris, but Paris will have to wait.”
“For business?”
“I’m always working, but this jaunt was to meet a friend.” He winked before he followed his butler outside.
As the chauffeured Mercedes-Benz drove out of his compound, Gabriel raised the privacy screen. “With whom do I have the pleasure of flying today?”
Sydney removed her large, black sunglasses, opened her black satchel and removed two passports. After examining them both, she hid one in the false bottom of that same bag. “Pricilla Pennywinkle.”
“What does Ms. Pennywinkle do?”
“She works for you,” Sydney replied matter-of-factly. “I design handbags.”
“Santini International doesn’t have a handbag line.”
She shot him a snarky smile. “They do now.”
He chuckled.
She pulled out her phone, called her handler.
“Code name?”
“Fox Key.”
“Everything okay?” he asked.
“Change of plans,” Sydney said. “I don’t need the jet.”
“How are you getting back here?”
“My broom.”
He laughed. “Smart ass.”
“Gotta fly.” She hung up.
She and Gabriel fell into a comfortable silence until his phone rang. He handled the business call, then sent several emails and texts. As he finished, they arrived at Milan’s Malpensa Airport. The driver headed over to charter flights. While he was extracting their bags from the trunk, two Polizia Stradale made their way over.
“Stiamo cercando queste donne,” said one of the men. “We are looking for these women.”
Sydney and Gabriel eyed the photos, and bile rose in Sydney’s throat. It was a picture of her and Monroe captured by the police officer’s bodycam.
“Mi dispiace, agenti, non li conosco,” Gabriel said. “Cosa hanno fatto?”
Sorry, officers, I don’t know them. What did they do?
“Turisti americani,” said the second officer. “Vogliamo interrogarli su un omicidio.”
