Inching along on the wall, my hands and arms throbbing, I passed closely by a window that was still illuminated despite the late hour. Stretching to make sure there was no one in the room who might wonder about the scratching sounds, I was astounded to see Friar Lorenzo and three of his fellow monks sitting very quietly, hands folded, in four armchairs facing a fireplace full of fresh flowers. Two of the monks were clearly nodding off, but Friar Lorenzo looked as if nothing and no one could compel him to close his eyes until this night was over.
At one point while I was hanging there, panting and desperate, I heard agitated voices coming from my room above, and the sound of someone stepping angrily out onto my balcony. Holding my breath, I hung as still as I possibly could, until I was sure the person had gone back inside. The prolonged strain, however, was too much for the vine. Just as I dared to move again, it snapped and started peeling off the wall, sending me into a headlong plunge to the greenery below.
Fortunately, the drop was no more than ten feet or so. Less fortunate was my landing in a bed of roses. But I was too frantic to feel any real pain as I extracted myself from the thorny branches and picked up my bag; the scratches on my arms and legs were nothing compared to the pangs of defeat I couldn’t block out as I limped away from the best of nights and the worst of nights all at once.
Picking my way through the dewy darkness of the garden I eventually emerged from a clingy shrubbery into the dimly lit circle of the driveway. Standing there, clutching the bag against my chest, I now realized that there was no way I could get the Alfa Romeo out; it was trapped behind several black limos which could only belong to the Lorenzo Brotherhood. However little I liked the idea, it was beginning to look as if I would be walking all the way back to Siena.
While I stood there, smarting from my bad luck, I suddenly heard dogs barking madly somewhere behind me. Unzipping the bag, I quickly took out the gun-just in case-and began running down the gravel driveway, sending up gasping prayers to whatever guardian angel was on duty in the area that night. If I was lucky, I could make it out to the main road before they caught up with me, and hitch a ride with a passing car. Surely, if the driver thought my romantic dress-up was meant as an invitation, the gun would quickly set him straight.
The tall gate at the end of Castello Salimbeni’s driveway was, of course, closed, and I did not waste my time pressing the buttons to the intercom. Sticking my arm through the iron bars, I put down the gun carefully in the gravel on the other side, before throwing my bag over the gate. Only when it came down with a thud on the other side did it occur to me that the impact might have crushed the vial inside. But that should hardly be a concern; trapped between barking dogs and a tall gate, I was lucky if the vial was all that ended up in pieces tonight.
Then, finally, I grabbed the iron bars and began climbing. Not even halfway to the top, however, I heard running feet in the gravel behind me, and frantically tried to speed up my progress. But the metal was cold and slippery, and before I could pull myself up and out of reach, a hand closed firmly around my ankle. “Giulietta! Wait!” It was Alessandro.
I glared down at him, nearly blinded by fear and fury. “Let me go!” I cried, trying as hard as I could to kick his hand away. “You bastard! I hope you burn in hell! You and your bloody godmother!”
“Come down!” Alessandro was not open for negotiation. “Before you hurt yourself!”
I finally managed to get my foot free, and to hoist myself out of reach. “Yeah right! You asshole! I’d rather break my neck than play your sick games anymore!”
“Come down, now!” He climbed up behind me, this time to grab hold of my skirt. “And let me explain! Please!”
I groaned with frustration. I was frantic to get away, and what more could he possibly tell me now? But with him stubbornly holding on to the fabric of my dress, there was nothing I could do but hang there, fuming with desperation, while my arms and hands slowly started giving way.
“Giulietta. Please listen. I can explain everything-”
I suppose we were so focused on each other that neither of us noticed a third person emerging from the darkness on the other side of the gate, until she spoke. “Okay, Romeo, get your hands off my sister!”
“Janice!” I was so surprised to see her that I very nearly lost my grip.
“Just keep climbing!” Janice knelt down to pick up the gun in the gravel. “And you, mister, let’s see your flippers!”
She pointed the gun at Alessandro through the gate, and he let go of me right away. Janice had always been pretty forceful regardless of her accessories; with a gun in her hand she was the very embodiment of “No means no.”
“Careful!” Alessandro jumped off the gate and backed up a few steps, “That gun is loaded…”
“Of course it’s loaded!” snapped Janice. “Put your paws up, lover-boy!”
“… and it has a very light trigger pull.”
“Oh yeah? Well, so do I! But you know what? That’s your problem! You’re on the smoking end!”
Meanwhile, I was able to painfully work my way over the top of the gate, and as soon as I could, I let myself drop to the ground next to Janice with a howl of pain.
“Jesus, Jules! Are you okay? Here, take this-” Janice handed me the gun. “I’m gonna get our ride-no, you idiot! Point it at him!”
We stood there for only a few seconds, but it felt like time had stopped. Alessandro looked at me glumly through the gate while I did my best to point the gun at him, tears of confusion fogging my scope.
“Give me the book,” was all he said. “It’s what they want. They won’t let you go until they have it. Trust me. Please don’t-”
“Come on!” cried Janice, pulling up next to me on her motorcycle, gravel flying. “Get the bag and hop on!” Seeing my hesitation, she revved the engine impatiently. “Get your ass in gear, Miss Juliet, the party’s over!”
Moments later, we zoomed into the darkness on the Ducati Monster, and when I turned around to look one last time, Alessandro just stood there, leaning on the gate, like a man who has missed the most important flight of his life because of a silly miscalculation.
IX.I
Death lies on her like an untimely frost
Upon the sweetest flower of all the field
WE DROVE FOR AN ETERNITY along dark country roads, up hills and down hills, through valleys and sleeping villages. Janice never stopped to tell me where we were headed, and I didn’t care. It was enough that we were moving, and that I wouldn’t have to make any decisions for a while.
When we finally pulled into a bumpy driveway at the edge of a village, I was so tired I felt like curling up in the nearest flower bed and sleeping for a month. With nothing but the headlamp of the bike to guide us, we wound our way through a wilderness of shrubs and tall weeds before finally pulling up in front of a completely dark house.
Killing the engine, Janice took off her helmet, shook out her hair, and looked at me over her shoulder. “This is Mom’s house. Actually, now it’s ours.” She pulled a small flashlight out of her pocket. “There’s no power, so I got this.” Walking ahead of me up to a side door, she unlocked it and held it open for me. “Welcome home.”
A narrow hallway took us directly into a room that could only be a kitchen. Even in the darkness, the dirt and dust were tangible, and the air smelled musty, like wet clothes festering in a hamper. “I say we camp out here tonight,” Janice went on, lighting a few candles. “There’s no water, and everything is kinda dirty, but the upstairs is even worse. And the front door is totally stuck.”