American tourists. We want to question them about a murder.
Sydney’s pulse kicked up.
The driver joined them. “Mi scusi, signor Santini, ma è in ritardo per il suo volo.”
Excuse me, Mr. Santini, you’re late for your flight.
“Grazie,” Gabriel said to his employee.
“Santini?” asked one of the officers.
Gabriel smiled. “Sì, corro con Santini Euro.” Gabriel pulled out two business cards from his wallet and flipped them over. Itwas a coupon for a Santini Original suit worth up to five thousand American dollars.
He held them out. “Grazie per averci tenuti al sicuro. Thank you for keeping us safe.”
Both men accepted the gifts. “Grazie signor Santini,” they said in unison.
“Ciao.” Gabriel put his hand on the small of Sydney’s back and ushered her into the building.
Once inside, Sydney traded out her shades for oversized glasses as the driver handed over the luggage to Gabriel. Sydney’s skin was crawling. She wanted to bolt toward the gate, then hold her breath until they were airborne. But that’s not how she rolled. She would be succinct, but not abrupt. Pleasant, but not overly friendly.
At the customs counter, Sydney set down her passport.
“Why were you in Italy?” asked the clerk.
“I work for Santini International,” Sydney replied. “I had a meeting with Mr. Santini.”
The agent eyed Gabriel, who set his open passport on the counter. The employee took too many seconds staring at Sydney’s passport.
“How was your trip?” he asked her.
“Never long enough,” Sydney replied. “But very productive.”
“Where did you meet?”
“Santini Euro in Milan,” she replied.
Never before had she been questioned this much.
“No chance to enjoy the beautiful sites?”
“Unfortunately, no.”
“Two American tourists are wanted for questioning in the murder of an American businessman,” said the clerk.
“We were stopped outside and shown a photo,” Gabriel said.
Like earlier, Gabriel pulled out a card from his pocket. “You look like someone who enjoys a good glass of vino.”
“Sí, naturalmente.”
“A case of Santini Chianti.”
“Grazie.”
The customs employee stamped both their passports. With a tight smile, he handed them back. “Have a good flight.”
“Thank you.” She collected their passports, and the two set off toward the gate.
