Foreign Affairs

“Good going, Viv,” Dino said, beaming at her.

“Her hands will be tied behind her back,” Viv said. “She’ll just have to relax until they reach their destination and cut her loose. Then we may get a signal. Stone, shouldn’t you think about notifying her family?”

“Jesus, I hadn’t even thought of that. Her stepfather, Arthur Steele, is a client of mine.”

“He should be notified,” Viv said. “It’s possible that they may go to him for ransom, if they find out who Hedy is.”

“How would they find out?”

“If they got her handbag, she may have the name in her passport as a person to notify. Steele is a very prominent American businessman. Casselli may even know who he is.”

Stone sighed and got out his phone. He checked his watch: it was mid-morning in New York. He pressed the button on the contact.

“Mr. Steele’s office,” a woman said.

“This is Stone Barrington. May I speak to Mr. Steele, please?”

“Hello, Stone.”

“Hello, Arthur. Have you heard from your stepdaughter recently?”

“If you mean, do I know she’s been seeing a lot of you, yes. Her mother had a note.”

“Arthur, I have some difficult news.”

“Is she dead?” He was alarmed.

“No, I have no reason to think that. We believe she’s been kidnapped in Paris.”

“By whom, and what was she doing in Paris? We thought she was in Rome.”

“She was, but I found it necessary to leave Rome, and I thought she should come with me. I’m back in Rome, but I thought it safer for her to remain at my house in Paris.”

“Safer from whom?”

“Marcel duBois and I are building a new Arrington Hotel in Rome, and the local Mafia have made attempts to extort us to pave the way. We’ve resisted and have earned the enmity of the Italian Mafia chief, a man named Leo Casselli.”

“I remember that name. Didn’t he used to be in New York?”

“He had to leave the country, and he returned here.”

“But why would he want to kidnap Hedy?”

“In order to put pressure on me to accede to his demands.”

“This is all very confusing, Stone.”

“Arthur, I want you to know that the relevant law enforcement agencies in both countries are working hard on this, and so is the United States government. They are pulling out all stops to recover Hedy and will continue to do so. I’m monitoring the situation on a minute-by-minute basis from Rome. If they demand a ransom, I will pay it.”

“Stone, I know you well enough to know that you would not have deliberately placed Hedy in harm’s way, and her mother and I, once I have explained things to her, will trust your judgment as to how to handle it. I would appreciate being kept informed, of course, but if you have to make any quick decisions, to help Hedy, please do so, and be assured of our support.”

“That’s very good of you, Arthur, and I’ll do everything I can to help her and return her to her mother and you safely. In the meantime, I’ll call you at least daily.”

The two men said goodbye and hung up.

“How did he take it?” Dino asked.

“Better than I could have expected,” Stone replied. “Arthur is not an excitable man. He remained cool. Who knows, that could change if things get worse. At any rate, I’m glad I’m dealing with Arthur and not her mother. I’m not sure I could handle that.”

“Listen, pal,” Dino said, “you’re doing as much as anybody could in the circumstances.”

“It reassures me to know you think so, Dino.”

29

Hedy woke up on a blanket in what felt like the trunk of a car. Her hands and feet were tied, and she was blindfolded and gagged. She remembered the door being kicked in and the struggle but not much after that; she assumed she had been drugged. She had been stupid, leaving the house early to go to the grocery, instead of following Stone’s instructions. She wondered what had happened to whoever was supposed to be following her.

The car came to a stop, and she heard the trunk lid unlatch. A man’s voice, heavily accented, said, “You want toilet?”

“Yes,” she said, and he hustled her to her feet and dragged her across a floor. “You’ll need to untie my hands,” she said.

He did so. He set her down on a toilet seat. “You got two minutes.”

“Close the door, please.”

To her surprise he did so. She got her jeans and underwear down and retrieved her cell phone, then while she peed, she lifted a corner of her blindfold, went to her contacts, and pressed the speed-dial button for Stone’s number. Busy signal. Shit! She texted him: I’m okay but—

The man hammered on the door. “Time up.”

She replaced the phone, got dressed, stood up, adjusted her blindfold, and groped for the doorknob. The door opened, knocking her back onto the toilet. “Thank you,” she said. “I’m not going to scream. Please don’t gag me again, I can’t breathe well through my nose.”

He didn’t, but he retied her hands in front of her and threw her over a shoulder. She was carried a few yards, then up some stairs and dumped into a seat. A safety belt was fastened around her, and a moment later she heard a door being slammed shut. She assumed she was on an airplane. A moment later the airplane began to move slowly. She realized that she was in a hangar, and that the aircraft was being towed outside. She felt warm sun on her face.

An engine whined to a start. A jet, or maybe a turboprop; she knew the difference. Then a second engine. Someone put a headset over her ears, but it didn’t seem co

The airplane began to move again, this time under its own power. It taxied for what seemed a very long time. A big airport? She decided it was a jet, not a turboprop. Less noise. Then it stopped again for some time. Finally it moved and turned and she felt pressed back into her seat with acceleration. The airplane was taking off. After a while it seemed to level off, and she dozed.

—

Stone’s cell phone vibrated. He retrieved it, turned it on, and saw Hedy’s message: I’m okay but—

“Contact!”

Dino, who had been dozing in his chair, sat up. “What contact?”

“She tried to send a message but was interrupted, just said she was okay, but.”

“But she’s been kidnapped.”

“Exactly, but she has access to her cell phone.”

“They must have let her go to the toilet,” Viv said, “but they didn’t give her much time.”

“You were right, Viv,” Stone said.

“It seems so.”

Stone texted back. I hear you. Try again when you can.

—

Hedy didn’t wake up until the plane touched down. She pretended still to sleep. There was more taxiing, then the plane stopped, then was towed again, this time for a longer ride. Finally, her headset was removed, her seat belt unbuckled, and she was hoisted to her feet and slung over a shoulder again. Men were speaking in Italian, which she understood. She resolved to speak and respond to only English. It might give her some sort of edge. Shortly, she was placed in another car trunk, and the car drove away. Although her hands were now tied in front of her, she made no attempt to reach her cell phone again, because she didn’t know how long she would have before she was interrupted, and she didn’t want to lose the cell phone. She dozed again, and when she woke, she didn’t know how long she had been out. She must still have some of the drug in her. Now they were driving more slowly and making very sharp turns in both directions.