Thompson got off the subway at Barberini Square. He walked up the stairs from the underground station with Manchetti close behind. The piazza was bustling with people, cars, taxis, and scooters. This was clearly a very busy part of Rome; there was a restaurant of some sort on about every corner. Thompson rubbed his eyes, Katherine Anderson could be anywhere. It was like looking for a needle in a haystack.
The intel in Italy wasn’t as advanced as it was in America. The fact he was unfamiliar with his surroundings left him with few options in finding Katherine. An overwhelming feeling of defeat settled in his chest. What the hell am I going to do if I don’t get this woman back? This will be the end of my career. He found it very difficult to rely upon and trust the Italian government for everything, but what choice did he have?
“Any word from your people?”
“Neither Anderson or Bertalucci have registered at the local hotels. They’re checking security tapes.”
He hesitated before asking the next question; he wasn’t sure if he wanted to know the answer. “What if they’ve left Rome?”
“They haven’t popped up at any of the train stations, airports, or rental car agencies.”
The lack of whereabouts was almost worse than hearing Anderson and Bertalucci had left Rome altogether. “Great. We’ve lost them and we don’t have any leads. This isn’t going to go over well with my superiors.”
“My office is just around the corner. Let’s head over there and review some of the video footage. Maybe it will give us a clue.”
The two men took a right onto the street and headed up a street lined with buildings. An enormous American flag waving proudly through the air caught Thompson’s attention.
“Is that the U.S. Embassy?”
“Yes, my office is right across the street.” Manchetti motioned to the brick building on the right.
He marveled at the enormous pink-and-white building housing American diplomats. The architecture was similar to that of many other buildings in the area. If it wasn’t taking up such an enormous amount of space, it would’ve blended in quite well. “The embassy is an impressive building. Does it take up the entire block?”
“Yes. It also houses the U.S. Missions to the UN agencies building. When an important diplomat comes to town, your embassy shuts down the entire block. I remember a time when it took me an extra twenty minutes just to get in my building. Your country provides excellent security. Those gates are locked down like Fort Knox.”
He chuckled. “I’m surprised you know about Fort Knox.”
“Anyone who has studied American history, especially during World War I and World War II, would know the instrumental role it played in your military,” Manchetti replied smugly.
“I see. We don’t learn a lot of Italian history except perhaps its role in the Renaissance era and the history of Rome.” He shifted his focus back on the embassy. “Perhaps she checked in there. Maybe that’s why they came to Rome. She was fleeing from something.”
“My people say she hasn’t shown up yet and the embassy will inform us if she does. It seems to me that Anderson and Bertalucci might be on the run. She may know more than we originally thought.”
“I can’t imagine what she got involved in. Her family is as straight as they come; her father raises money for various charities, her mom works with foster children advocating a better life for them, and her brother volunteers at a local children’s hospital once a month.”
“You failed to mention Anderson. Does she work for any charities, or is she the rogue one in the family?”
“She’s very close with her father; she helps plan most of his charity dinners. In addition, she has donated a substantial amount of money to the Bronx Zoo. She’s considered one of their ambassadors.”
“Perhaps something snapped. Maybe she found the black-market olive oil business a little more lucrative than her family business. Perhaps she’s laundering the olive oil through her family restaurants.”
Clearly, Manchetti hadn’t done his homework on the Anderson family. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be suggesting this sort of thing. “I think that’s highly unlikely.”
“Why? Have you even thought to look into it?”
Thompson clasped his hands into fists. He didn’t like the way this conversation was headed. “No, why would I? Up until the last couple of weeks, no one in her family had any connections to anyone in this country.”
“Until now, when she’s showed up with a man whose family was murdered around the time she arrived in the country. It’s a huge coincidence, don’t you think? Or perhaps she did know someone here. Maybe she was involved with the execution.”
Thompson thought for a moment; his research over the past few days indicated Katherine was a wholesome person with no ties to anything illegal. In fact, while learning more about her, he began to feel an attraction toward her. She was a beautiful, independent, and influential woman who worked hard and clearly loved her family. Katherine fit his criteria for a woman he would consider dating. What Manchetti was proposing couldn’t possibly be true. “When we get to your office, I’ll have my team in the States look into what you’re suggesting. I’d like it to be on the record that I think you are wrong.”
“I hope I am. It would be unfortunate for a woman who has everything to get wrapped up in something as dangerous as the cartel. They’d have a field day with her.”
He couldn’t agree more. From everything he learned about Katherine, she was a straight arrow. Nothing would shock him more than to find out she had dirty hands.