Gray Elliott had straightened sharply at the sound of the men’s names, and he replied, the officer at the front door to let them in and bring them up here. Hopefully they aren’t here to threaten Kate with a lawsuit for claiming Wyatt is Danny’s father.”
David Levinson announced the reason for their appearance as he strode swiftly into the living room, carrying a large briefcase identical to the one Pearson held. “Mr. Wyatt has authorized us to transfer ten million dollars into whatever negotiable form the kidnappers demand,” he said.
Kate’s arms dropped to her sides and she stared. And then she smiled. And then she wept with joy and relief.
JOEO’HARA MANEUVEREDMatt Farrell’s limousine as close to the restaurant as he could get it, then looked over his shoulder and said, you want me to wait for you, Mitchell?” O’Hara had been with the Farrells so long he was a member of the family; he drove like a maniac, which the Farrells overlooked, and he did not bother with little formalities, such as addressing Mitchell as . Wyatt,” which Mitchell overlooked.
, thanks,” Mitchell said, passing a sweeping glance over the elegant restaurant that took up most of a city block and which Kate had once described as little Irish pub.” ’ll take a cab when I’m finished. I may leave Calli here to keep an eye on things.”
said to tell you they’re expecting you to stay at their place, no matter how late it is when you get there.”
’ll see,” Mitchell replied, thinking a hotel might be better under the circumstances. The limousine’s presence was being noted by some of the reporters hanging around on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant, and Mitchell ducked his head as he got out. Calli grabbed his suitcase when Mitchell reached for it. is my job. Besides, it’ll be better if the reporters think the suitcase is mine.”
Two years older than Mitchell and half a foot shorter, Giovanni Callioroso was one of the five Callioroso children whom Mitchell had mistaken for his brothers and sisters, until he turned five and was suddenly sent away to boarding school in France.
As a youth, Calli had liked martial arts, so he’d thrown himself, body and soul, into becoming a world-class contender. Five years ago, he’d gotten sick of it and suggested that Mitchell hire him as a driver-bodyguard. True to Calli’s personality, he had to excel in his new profession. At his request, Mitchell sent him to a special training course where sophisticated evasive maneuvers were taught to drivers of high-profile people subject to attack on the road or kidnapping.
Calli emerged as one of the finest drivers ever taught there, and he’d transferred all his ferocious dedication and loyalty to Mitchell. He would have walked in front of a truck for him, Mitchell knew. At the moment, however, Calli was uncertain about whether his loyalty to Mitchell needed to include getting into an automobile again with Joe O’Hara behind the wheel.
the hell did he learn to drive?” he asked irritably as they crossed the street, wending their way around squad car bumpers.
demolition-derby circuit,” Mitchell replied absently. , he’s never been in an accident.”
? Well, he almost caused one tonight. A Jeep behind us nearly broadsided a pickup when they both tried to get out of his way.”
more English,” Mitchell said in Italian as they began working their way through the crowd. may not want to tell me anything, but they’ll talk freely in front of you.”
Some people in the crowd were holding lighted candles, and Mitchell’s stomach knotted at the realization that they were doing that for a son he’d never seen . . . and might never have a chance to see alive. That possibility sent his anger at Kate over the boiling point.
From his post, MacNeil had watched the tall man get out of a limousine at the corner with another man and cross the street. It was dusk, but the streetlights were on, and he turned to Gray Elliott for instructions, since Danny’s mother had gone into his bedroom long ago to wait there until it was time for the ransom call at eight. is here.”
Gray exchanged a look of satisfaction with Father Donovan and said, one of the uniforms to show him up here.”
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ONE OF THEcops stationed under the awning at the front door was on the telephone. He put the phone away and walked forward, forcing the crowd to part so Mitchell and Calli could get through.
Reporters raised their cameras to get a shot of the new arrivals, just in case they turned out to be important figures in the kidnapping. Mitchell ignored them and kept walking.
With a sense of unreality, he strode through a restaurant that was virtually deserted and looked nothing whatsoever like what Kate had described, but he saw Pearson and Levinson sitting at a table having something to eat, and he nodded a greeting in their direction.
The cop led him to a paneled hallway at the rear, and when he saw the staircase that was located next to an office with an open door, the physical setup seemed at least vaguely as she’d described. At the top of the stairs a door was open into an apartment; he told Calli to leave his suitcase near the landing.
The first person Mitchell saw when he stepped into the spacious, comfortable living room was Gray Elliott. The next person he saw was the detective who’d questioned him three years before when he was a suspect in William’s death, the same detective who’d photographed him when he was with Kate in the islands.
Disgusted, Mitchell pointedly ignored Gray’s outstretched hand, turned, and found himself the object of scrutiny from a man with green eyes and a Roman collar. ’m Kate’s uncle, James Donovan,” the man said, standing and holding out his hand. ’re Mitchell, of course.”
course,” Mitchell agreed sardonically while he shook the priest’s hand. is she?” he asked bluntly, putting an end to the social niceties.
’s bedroom is the first door on the right,” the priest said, nodding toward a hallway that opened off the living room.
His son’s room, Mitchell instantly realized, was designed to delight a child and inspire his imagination. Bright jungle murals, with whimsical animals peeking out from behind trees and long grass, covered three walls. A rocking horse dominated one corner, and toy boxes lined a wall. Trucks were everywhere: red fire trucks, yellow tow trucks, moving vans, car haulers. On the inside wall, a single bed had a mock picket fence for a headboard, with bright parrots and canaries perched on the pointed slats and rabbits peeking between them. Next to the bed was a rocking chair.