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“Yes, sir, I know where they are, and I know how it was done and why, but you need to prepare yourself.”
“Just answer me.”
“Lorenzo, please let me hear this?” Ariana begged. “I need to know everything too.”
Glancing down at her and realizing she was right, Lorenzo pressed the speaker icon.
“All right, Nicholas, I’m ready. Bianca’s mother is with me and she can hear you too. Go ahead.”
“I’ll give you all the information, but you’ll have a difficult time believing me, so first I’ll tell you how I found out. I’m a private detective. My specialty is helping people out of difficult situations.”
“You’re a fixer. Yes, I’d heard, and I’ll bet you’re a damn good one.”
“I do have a knack for knowing what to do and when, but regardless, I ran across Bianca near my home on the beach. Matteus and Tony were keeping her in a house nearby. After I managed to get her out, I thought they might let something slip that might help me track down who hired them, so I set up surveillance with some very sensitive equipment. Well, Mr. Albertini, I was right. It turned out Matt did know after all. When you and I have finished speaking, I’ll be happy to send you a copy of the recording. You can hear it for yourself.”
“I see,” Lorenzo said gravely. “I’m not going to like this, am I?”
“No, sir.”
“You have my attention, Nicholas. Let’s hear it. Who’s behind this mess? Believe me, I’ll find a way to get a confession out of them.”
* * *
Knowing he’d be greeted with stunned silence, Nick told Lorenzo and Ariana what he’d overheard, then stayed quiet, allowing them to process the startling revelation. Surprisingly, it was Ariana who was the first to speak.
“You were right, Nicholas,” she said solemnly. “If you didn’t have the recording I wouldn’t believe you. It’s a lot to take in.”
“I can’t fathom any of this,” Lorenzo muttered. “It’s just too confounding.”
“Mr. Albertini, with all due respect, you need to look beyond the act, and try to understand why it happened.”
“Yes, yes,” he replied impatiently, “and I will, but right now I just want to bring my little girl home.”
“Of course you do, but it will take a few days to put the pieces together and bring it to a head. This has to be handled with kid gloves.”
“Please, Lorenzo,” Ariana said softly, “let’s do this Nick’s way. He’s thought it through, and he’s right.”
“I have to agree,” Lorenzo grunted, “but the sooner we can wrap this up, the better.”
“Do you think you’ll have any trouble finding Sammy Parker?” Nick asked. “It would be very helpful to have him here.”
“Sammy Parker,” Lorenzo repeated. “You’ve just given me an idea, and don’t worry, it will take all of five minutes to locate him. He’ll be in a casino some place. A few calls and I’ll know exactly where he is, how long he’s been there, and how much he’s lost.”
“I’ll let Bianca know you’re picking him up,” Nick began. “In the meantime, can you find out what happened to Matteus? Bodies just don’t vanish. A kid named Jimmy, at least, he sounded like a kid when I was listening in, was supposed to be picking up Roland, but he could be anywhere. “
“I’ll put Alfredo on this. I know Roland, or rather, I knew Roland, but Alfredo deals with his soldiers more than I do. He’ll get whatever information they may have.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“No, Nicholas, thank you. My wife and I are forever in your debt.”
“Nicholas,” Ariana began, “when Bianca is home and everything is behind us, you must be our guest at the hotel. We’ll put you in the Presidential Suite. Anything the hotel offers is yours, and I do mean anything.”
“That’s very kind of you, but I have a demanding clientele out here. I’m not sure I can get away for more than a day or two. I’ve already put some things on hold handling this situation.”
“We’re going to find a way to express our thanks,” Ariana continued, “though I doubt there is anything that can properly show my gratitude. Bianca is… well… she and Alfredo, they’re everything to me, they’re my world. I’ve been going out of my mind with worry.”
Hearing the tears in her voice, Nick suddenly felt the shadow of heat in the back of his throat.
