Kidnapped and a Daring Escape (48 page)

    
Here we go, he tells himself, his heartbeat speeds up. He has no
intention of letting them take the fight to him, but pretends not seeing
them and allows them to approach to within ten feet. Then, without
warning, one foot against the wall, he uses its support to propel himself
away toward Massimo, but a split-second before reaching him he leaps
three feet into the air and his right foot hits Fausto into the throat. The
man, unprepared for the sudden change of attack, is thrown backward and
his head bashes against the wall. Using his momentum André executes
a half turn in the air, and as he comes down on his feet, he hits the right
wrist of the retreating Massimo with the same force he would hit a brick
to break it in a karate exercise. He can hear the bones of the wrist snap
half a second before Massimo scream of pain reverberates in the room.
The sharpened spoon the latter had in his right hand slithers into the
corner away from the showers. Massimo sinks to the ground, holding his
wrist with the other hand, wailing pitifully.

    
André sees the two guards rush toward him, batons ready to strike. He
withdraws into the corner where the spoon has lodged itself against the
wall, raising both hands in front of him, shouting: "I surrender, but don’t
hit me."

    
That seems to be the obvious intention of both. When the first baton
comes crashing down, aimed at his head, he sidesteps at the last moment.
The baton barely grazes his shoulder. André grabs it, twisting it at the
same time out of the guard’s hand, catching him unprepared, and uses the
weapon to parry the blow from the second guard. Then he quickly
changes grip to hold the baton by its handle and swings it rapidly in front
of him. Frightened, both guards jump back. The one who has lost his
baton blows his whistle to call for help. All other prisoners have retreated
to the other end of the room. Fausto still lies lifeless at base of the wall,
while Massimo continues to moan.

    
André repeats again loud enough for the security cameras to capture
it: "I will surrender peacefully, provided you do not hit me. You have no
right to hit me if I surrender and you handcuff me."

    
Two new guards rush into the shower room, batons drawn. And then
happens the unexpected. A loud voice thunders: "Guards, step back.
Don’t touch the prisoner."

    
A man wearing an officer’s uniform strides toward them. The guards
check their step. The officer stops a few meters away. André slowly puts
the baton on the floor without losing eye contact with the officer and
kicks it toward him. Then he holds both hands, fists closed, in front of
him, ready to be handcuffed.

    
"What’s your name?" the officer asks.

    
"André Villier,
dottore
."

    
He nods and says: "Follow me."

    
The guard who lost his baton exclaimed: "
Dottore
, this man is highly
dangerous."

    
The officer eyes André from top to bottom. Finally he says: "Guard,
I don’t think so." He again nods at André, saying: "Come."

    
"
Dottore
, you may wish to collect this spoon and have it checked for
fingerprints."

    
"Then pick it up and bring it."

    
"
Dottore
, with due respect, I do not wish to have my fingerprints on
it."

    
"Right." He turns to the guard who had pocketed the spoon the day
before. "Pick it up."

    
As the guard moves to pick up the spoon, André protests aloud: "No,
dottore
. Not him. This guard’s fingerprints may already be on the spoon."

    
The officer frowns and then questions the guard: "Do you have a
plastic bag on you, as the regulations specify?"
 

    
"Yes,
dottore
."

    
"Then carefully pick up that spoon with it."

    
André steps aside, watching the guard grab the spoon with the plastic
without leaving his own prints on it and then seal the bag. He passes it to
the officer.

    
"And now, will you follow me,
Signor
Villier?"

    
"Gladly, but may I put on my clothes?"

    
"Yes, what are you waiting for?"

    
André walks past the stunned guards and gets dressed. Then he
follows the officer who takes him into the office, labeled ‘Prison
Superintendent’, and asks him to sit. He looks at André for several
seconds from behind his desk, before he shakes his head, exclaiming:
"
Signor
Villier, you really cause a lot of trouble."

    
He opens a copy of
Il Messagero
, holds it up, so that André can see
the headline on the two narrow left-hand columns. It reads: Swiss
Journalist’s first 48 hours in prison. Bianca did it, flashes through his
mind, as a broad smile spreads on his face.

    
"I see you are pleased," chuckles the superintendent. "You expected
that, didn’t you. I have been ordered by the
Questore
to investigate your
accusations as to your treatment in my prison. How did you get this out
in the first place?"

    
"Do I have to answer that,
dottore
?"

    
"Yes, I would like you to. If it was a guard, I’ll have to take steps."

    
"It wasn’t a guard. It was my lawyer."

    
"I see. Is your claim that inmates are forced to pay protection money
true?"

    
"Every single word in that article is what happened and what was told
to me, using the words of the people. No embellishments what so ever.
I am an investigative journalist and have a reputation to protect. If both
Massimo and Fausto — I don’t know their last names, but they are the
two fellows who were getting ready to assault me, as the security cameras
will reveal — if they are removed from the prison, and the guard who
retrieved the spoon is suspended, I am fairly certain that the inmates will
talk. Checking on the lifestyle of some of the guards will also tell you
quickly which ones live beyond what their salary should allow them to."

    
The superintendent smiles. "Yes, I can see the investigative journalist
already at work. I’m certain that if I don’t do what you say, you will do
it for me."

    
"Does that imply that I will be released?"

    
"You are quick. Yes.
Commissario
Farnese has been removed from
the case, and I have been ordered to release you forthwith. In fact,
Commissario
Farnese has been suspended while certain allegations
against her are being investigated. Did you also put up
Signorina
Pacelli
to go to the press and reveal highly compromising facts about her and
Professore
Visconti who is one of the two persons who filed the
denuncia
against you?"

    
"Bianca Pacelli did that?"

    
"Yes. Here." He passes the paper to André. "Read while I get the
paper work ready for your release."

    
Bianca’s revelations feature in the middle two columns of the front
page with her photograph. The article is highly compromising and so is
the last paragraph. It states that Miss Pacelli’s allegations raise a number
of critical questions that the authorities need to find answers to, to wit,
why
Commissario
Farnese was allowed to be the investigating officer in
view of the admission by Professor Visconti that she gave the advice to
file a
denuncia
and given that the
Questura
must surely have known both
her family and the sexual relationship with the accuser; why Mr. Villier’s
lawyer was only given access to his client on the third day after the arrest
and then only because he threatened to lodge a complaint with the
Questore
; and why the said professor had called Farnese first after the
kidnapping, rather than Miss Pacelli’s parents. André is stunned. He can
hardly believe his eyes. She was not idle. He feels proud of her. This took
courage.

    
The superintendent returns and makes him sign several documents.
André quickly scans through them to see what he is signing. A guard
brings a big plastic bag that contains all his belongings. He is asked to
check that everything is there.

    
"All, except my passport," he replies.

    
"You will have to retrieve that from
Commissario
Gerola."

    
"Is he the person who is now in charge of my case."

    
"Yes, but there is no case, as far as I can see. All charges have been
dropped. He wants to debrief you about the kidnapping."

    
"Thank you. That’s good to hear. I would like to change quickly into
my own clothes. May I do it here?"

    
"Yes, go ahead."

    
A minute later, André is done.

    
"So,
Signor
Villier, I am pleased to get you off my hands. You are far
too hot to handle. I would have preferred to make your acquaintance
under different circumstances. I also hope that you will stick around
Rome in case we need to call on you as a witness for any prosecutions
that may arise from your stay here."

    
"I intend to stay in Rome. There is a wedding waiting for me."

    
"Yes, congratulations, and if I’m not mistaken, your future bride is
already waiting outside."

    
André breaks into a pleased smile. He shakes the hand the officer
offers and says: "Thank you,
dottore
. Thank you particularly for coming
in time."

    
"Yes, it was close. I was just on the way to summon you when I saw
the beginning of the assault on the cameras in the chief guard’s office. So
I hurried. Frankly, I was afraid that you would put several guards out of
action," he replies with a chuckle.

    
He conducts André to the administrative entrance of the prison.
Bianca is indeed standing outside against an ochre colored Peugeot 207,
next to Gallizio. When she sees him, she comes flying into his open
arms, laughing and crying at the same time. He kisses her on the mouth.

    
"I love you, my treasure," he murmurs. "I’m so proud of you."

    
She only laughs and kisses him back.

    
He suddenly becomes aware that two film crews are also there,
recording their reunion, but at that moment he doesn’t care. He has his
Bianca in his arms, more in love than ever.

    
This time, there is no escape from being interviewed, filmed,
photographed. Gallizio makes sure that he is in the picture and adds his
comments. André holds Bianca at his side. Her face does not stop
beaming. Finally, after fifteen minutes, he pleads with them for privacy
with his future bride. This leads to more questions as to when the
wedding will happen. Gallizio takes his leave.

    
Bianca offers André the keys to her car. He refuses to take them.

    
"Don’t you want to drive?" she asks, visibly surprised.

    
"No, this is your car, so you drive."

    
"But most men prefer to be in the driver’s seat," she interjects,
uncertain.

    
"This man prefers to watch his beautiful woman drive rather than
having to pay attention to the road. Besides, I have no driver’s license
yet."

    
She responds with a smile and takes the wheel. One of the film crews
follows them all the way to the
pensione
, where they take more shots,
including Maria’s emotional welcome.

* * *

Bianca closes the door to their room and enters André’s embrace once
more. How she has longed to be held in his strong arms. She folds hers
around his neck.

    
"I love you, I love you," he murmurs between kisses. Both hands rub
down her back and then cup her buttocks. Her whole body responds to
his caresses. She feels heat radiating in her belly.