The Body in the Piazza - By Katherine Hall Page Page 0,86

much like exploring, but she did want to sit and look to see whether Hope had texted her yet. The caffè where she and Tom had had breakfast a few days ago seemed ideal. She also wanted to pick up a newspaper. The Nashes were not good at sharing theirs. Yesterday Jack had asked to see their Herald Tribune and Constance said they weren’t finished with it in a tone that really said, “Buy your own.”

It was unlikely there would be anything in the paper relating to what was playing at the Teatro Verdi, or anything else going on in Florence unless it was major news, but Faith thought she should check.

She sat at one of the small tables and ordered an espresso. She was going to miss this, she thought, as she looked out over the square, smaller than the one in Montepulciano but pulsing with activity. Maybe she’d try to get Aleford’s Minuteman Café to put a few tables on the sidewalk once the weather got good, although that could be late June some years.

Hope had texted voluminously. The Teatro Verdi was large, could seat 806, a historic nineteenth-century jewel—“lots of red velvet and gold” and there was a matinee on Friday featuring Ravel and Debussy. There was no public concert that night, as the theater would be closed for a private event. The matinee was sold out, but of course Hope had scored a ticket in the first balcony, also the other loges, as well as a box, in case Faith felt the need to move around. She added the address of the British consulate, telling Faith she was just in time, since at the end of the year it would be closing its doors after five hundred years, the victim of budget cuts. Hope obviously felt upset writing this—two exclamation marks. Despite her techie gadgets, she was an old-fashioned girl at heart and hated things like this.

She also gave Faith a contact name and a phone number at the consulate.

It was time to join the others. Once again those free-spirited Nashes had brought their own car, but the rest would be returning to the Rossis’ for a leisurely lunch before the lesson in the afternoon. Faith stopped at the one and only news dealer, just missing the last copy of the Herald, but since she saw Jack buying it, hoped she could get a look at the paper later.

Gianni had returned from Florence in their absence, left the food, and gone off again. Francesca didn’t know when he would be back.

“That man! He never tells me anything and doesn’t realize that now that we have the business, it’s not like the old days where he could go help a friend build a stone wall or prune the trees and disappear on me for hours.”

While still not wanting to tell Francesca without Gianni what was going on, Faith was getting increasingly anxious to know when he had taken Tom to the bus and whether Tom had said anything to him. Although if he had, Gianni would most certainly not have gone off. Unless it was to the authorities, in Florence, or here. So she got his cell number from Francesca and tried to reach him back in her room, but the phone was either switched off or not getting service. Nothing to do but wait.

The call from her husband’s abductors came at 3 P.M.

Expecting it would be Hope on her cell, Faith had trouble at first understanding the person on the other end, but it all became horribly clear soon. It was a man speaking in a heavy Italian or similar accent.

“We have your husband. He is fine. Tell no one, especially the police, or we will kill him.”

Very clear.

“I’ll get the money! How much do you want?”

“No money. You just wait. Do nothing.”

“How do I know he is fine? I want to speak to him!”

She heard the man cover the phone and some muffled sounds. Then Tom came on the line. Her eyes filled with tears of relief.

“Just do whatever they say, Faith. They’re hooded, so I’m sure this means they don’t plan to harm me. I can’t identify anyone.” He spoke slowly and distinctly before quickly adding, “So, I’m okay, although I wish I had my Bible with me. I could use the gospel of Saint Luke for comfort, especially chapter fifteen, verse sixteen. And a pen to write my thoughts down.”

Faith heard a voice say “Enough!” and the call was terminated. She quickly checked,