“She was alone,” she said and could not believe the words as they came out of her mouth.
Raimond nodded at Udo, who moved to stuff the rag back into her mouth.
“Wait! No. You’re right. There was an American. He went with her,” Isabella blurted.
Raimond nodded again, and Udo pressed the gag back into her mouth anyway. “Break another finger. She lied to me.”
She wailed as Udo grabbed her middle finger on her left hand and broke it as he did the others.
“Isabella, you are beginning to make me very angry. This is not a game. Do you understand? DO YOU UNDERSTAND THIS IS NOT A GAME?” Raimond shouted in her ear.
After giving her a few moments recovery, Raimond removed the gag.
“I told you the truth,” she stammered.
“But you lied to me first,” he said. “That is not a good strategy, Isabella. We are going to run out of fingers soon, and then I have to start breaking bigger bones.”
Udo snorted happily; he quite enjoyed the middle portion of interrogations, and this one was no exception.
The pain in her left hand was unbearable. It was impossible to concentrate on anything else beside the pain. Fear of pain consumed her now. Her will was broken. There was no chance she could persevere against these devils.
“This American — what was his name?”
“Bob. Julie said his name was Bob,” Isabella answered nervously, watching Udo to see if punishment was forthcoming.
“I believe you are telling the truth, but I believe Julie lied to you. Was he tall?”
“Yes.”
“Was he ill with fever or cough?”
“No, he was not ill,” she panted. “Not that I could see.”
“How much time did you spend with them?”
“I only returned to Vienna this morning. I arrived at the apartment as they were leaving. I only spent a few minutes with them.”
“What did they say to you before they left?”
“Julie introduced him to me as her American friend who was in Wien on business. She said they were going out for a coffee. That’s all.”
“What else can you tell me?”
“What else can I say? I just met this man for the first time in my life. They left, and I unpacked my luggage.”
“You’re hiding something. Tell me now, or my colleague breaks another finger.”
“Sir, there is nothing else to tell!” Isabella begged.
Raimond nodded at Udo who gagged Isabella and snapped her left index finger. This time he broke it to the right, opposite the others — a little variety to amuse himself.
The intensity of the pain radiating from her broken index finger was more severe than the others and caused her to hyperventilate. Mucus flooded her nose and throat, blocking her airway. Her eyes bulged with panic; black curtains eclipsed her field of vision. She tried to cough and blow the mucus clear, but it didn’t work. The movement of her tongue only made her predicament worse, drawing the rag deeper into her throat. She was suffocating and powerless to stop it. Raimond let her writhe — to the brink of unconsciousness — before pulling the gag from her mouth.
In between lurching gasps for air, she coughed and spat a thick and frothy mucous all over herself. It took several minutes, but eventually she gained control of her breathing and felt her wits returning to her. Her left hand was swelling and port wine-colored bruises flourished under the skin. Inadvertently, she looked at the mangled hand. The irregular angles of her fingers were grotesque. Nauseating.
She vomited.
A splatter of gastric juices and partially digested food painted Udo’s right shoe as he tried to jump out of the way. Angered, he slapped her across the mouth with an open hand. Blood trickled from her lower lip, and coated her white teeth with red.
“You are evil, terrible men. Both of you. Devils,” she sobbed.
Raimond smoothly caressed her hair again, which was now saturated with sweat.
“Isabella? You are a very brave, very strong woman. But it’s time you stop this foolishness. What did Julie say to you when she left? What are you hiding from me?”
Isabella sobbed and did not answer.
Raimond waited for a moment and repeated the question.
In between sobs, she said, “She told if anyone came by the flat looking for her… to tell them… that I had not seen her recently.”
“Good. Very good, Isabella. What else did she say?”
“Only that she needed some time alone with him.”
“Did she say where she was going?”
“No.”
“Did they take luggage with them? Like they were going on a trip?”
“No… only a backpack.”
Raimond rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “I believe you are telling me the truth at last. I have only one more question before we go. Where can I find a picture of Julie?”
Isabella trembled. “You know the answer to that question.”
“I suppose I do, but I want you to tell me anyway. So you remember betraying your friend.”
“Look in her bedroom, you’ll find pictures of her there,” she mumbled, her head down.
Raimond wandered out of the kitchen and found Julie’s bedroom. He walked over and stood by the window. He checked the signal strength on his mobile phone and dialed Stefan.
“We’re at Ponte’s apartment, but she’s not here. Do you have any ideas how we can locate her?”
“Give me a little time and I’ll find Ponte for you. I’ll have my contact at Orange Telecom look up Ponte’s mobile number and ping her phone. With three towers pinging, we can easily narrow her position within a fifty-meter radius. But remember Raimond, we pay five hundred euros per ping, so I hope we’re making a big fee on this job,” Stefan replied.
Raimond smirked. “Don’t worry about the fee. I’ve got that covered. You just worry about finding Ponte. Text me when you get the first triangulation.”
“Ja, okay.”
Raimond ended the call and walked over to Julie’s dresser. Neatly arranged in three rows, stood a variety of pictures, each mounted in a unique frame that complemented the mood and color palette of the photograph. His eyes darted from one image to the next as he methodically dissected her features, burning her face into his memory. A serendipitous encounter on the sidewalk, a backward glance in a crowd, or a glimpse in a passing car window… no matter how fleeting the opportunity, he would be ready. After several minutes, he chose a picture for the taking. Careful not to knock over any of the others, he selected a picture of Julie and Isabella hugging each other, laughing, and wearing silly cone-shaped birthday hats. He walked back into the kitchen and showed the picture to Isabella.
“Remember this moment, because you may never see your friend again,” Raimond taunted, showing her the picture.
Isabella began to sob. “Are you going to kill me now?”
“I told you, we are not killers. And I am a man of my word. You cooperated — eventually. So you will live,” Raimond said. He then looked at Udo. “Let’s go.”
Disappointed that the interrogation session was over, Udo let out an angry grunt, and then turned and shuffled toward the door. Raimond followed behind in silence, waiving goodbye to Isabella casually over his shoulder.
“Aren’t you going to untie me?” she called out after him.
Raimond laughed. “Brother, please go untie our little fräulein.”
Udo turned and walked back into the kitchen. With the flick of his thumb he opened a stainless steel pocketknife, and cut free the duct tape that bound Isabella’s mangled left hand to the chair, leaving her other limbs held fast.
“There, you are free,” Udo said to her. “Now, we really must be going. We have a date with Fräulein Ponte, and we don’t want to be late.”