I felt a whoosh of cool air as Quick Willie turned on the air conditioner in the Mercedes.
And everywhere there were the vineyards. The land was flat and the neat rows of vines seemed to stretch over every hill.
Tanya’s hand slid across the seat, groping for mine. I took it and found her palm warm and wet. We had crossed over. Up until this moment we could have boarded a plane and flown back to the States. If something had come up unexpectedly, Hawk could have contacted us and either postponed or canceled the assignment. It would have been over for us. But now we had passed the point of no return. Roth AXE and Hawk were out of it. Whether we survived or not depended entirely on our own ability.
The road climbed in lazy S-curves which stiffened to become switchbacks. Quick Willie drove slowly and expertly. I wondered how many times he had carted button men to their hits. Our ears started popping as we went up toward a cloudless sky.
Toward the top of the high hill we came to the first armed guard. He stood beside an iron-barred gate. Going off in both directions was a high concrete fence.
Besides a sidearm, the man had a sub-machine gun slung over his shoulder. When the Mercedes came around the last corner and cruised slowly toward the gate, he bent enough to see all of us and at the same time brought the sub-machine gun at the ready.
Quick Willie honked the horn and started to slow down. The guard hustled and pushed the gate open. He smiled and waved as we drove into the villa. I noticed he was wearing a brown jumpsuit.
Once through the gate we were flanked by rich green lawns with olive trees dotted here and there, and beyond were more vineyards. The mansion was straight ahead.
From what I could see, it looked like the top of a hill had been shaved flat. The villa sprawled over almost a quarter of a mile square. As we drove around in a large semicircle on the butter-smooth asphalt driveway we passed a landing field with an executive Lear jet tied down. There were many buildings surrounding the mansion. As we circled behind the mansion we passed three tennis courts, a nine-hole golf-course and a huge swimming pool which was dotted with six lovelies in skimpy bikinis. And then we went around the main mansion to the front.
Every window was covered with wire mesh. Each entrance had bars above it, probably ready to seal all openings at the touch of a button. There were seven white pillars in front of a long brick porch. The driveway circled around and passed in front of the mansion. Quick Willie braked to a halt in front of one pillar. There were four brick steps leading from the driveway to the porch.
The mansion itself was no less impressive. It stood three stories high, built of red brick with a tile roof. The windows were gabled and shuttered, and each one somehow caught sight of the deep blue Mediterranean.
Willie was quick getting out and hustling around the front of the Mercedes. He opened Tai Sheng’s door first, then ours.
Sheng started up the steps extending his arm toward the massive front door. “This way, please, Mr. Acasano.” There was no warmth in the oily smoothness of his voice, the words were sharp and cut off at the ends.
I took Tanya’s elbow and followed him. The mansion looked familiar somehow, as though I had seen it op one like it somewhere before. No, that wasn’t it; I had seen others like it just out of New Orleans. Old plantation mansions of the Deep South. It must have cost Nicoli a fortune to have all those bricks and pillars hauled over here.
Sheng rang the chimed doorbell and almost immediately it was opened by a huge Negro.
“Michaels,” Sheng said. “Is Mr. Nicoli available?”
The Negro wore a yellow turtleneck and gray slacks. His head was shaved bald. “He is in conference with his wife, sir.”
We entered on marble floors, polished to a luster more brilliant than my shoes. A large chandelier hung about twelve feet above us. This seemed to be some kind of foyer. Through an arched doorway I could see the marble floor lead into what looked like a study. Opposite was a flight of carpeted stairs.
“I’ll show you to your room,” Sheng said. He started for the stairs. Tanya and I followed, while Quick Willie brought up the rear.
“I would like to see Rozano as soon as possible,” I said as we climbed.
“But of course,” Sheng answered. There was no feeling in his words.
When we reached the landing, he led the way to the right. There was a carpeted hallway with doors staggered on each side. What I couldn’t get over was the overwhelming massiveness of the place. The ceilings all seemed to be at least twelve feet high, and the doors looked as thick as safes. There was an endless number of rooms.
We continued to walk. Then, for no apparent reason, Sheng stopped in front of one door. He pulled a ring of keys from his pocket and clicked the door open.
“Your room, Mr. Acasano,” he said flatly.
“What about my woman?”
He stood looking sleepy-eyed at my chest. I hadn’t realized how really small he was. The top of his head came to about two inches below my chin.
“We have another room for her.”
“I don’t like that,” I said angrily. “I don’t like it one damned bit.”
Only then did his slanted eyes raise to my face. “Mr. Acasano,” he said in a weary voice. “I am merely carrying out Rozano’s wishes. You will please wait inside.”
His arm was motioning toward the room. I had an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. “An order like that I would have to hear from Rozano personally.”
He smiled, showing me those perfect teeth. “An order?” he said, with raised eyebrows. “It is not an order, Thomas. Rozano only wishes for you to rest from your trip, and to think of your reunion with him. There is a time for the women, is there not? And a time for quiet contemplation.”
“I’ll tell you what you can do with your contemplation.”
“Please.” He held up his hand. “She will be in a room similar to yours. She will be quite comfortable.”
Tanya put her hand on my arm. “It will be all right, darling.” Then she gave Sheng a sidelong glance. “I’m sure Mr. Sheng is a man of his word. If he says I’ll be comfortable, then that’s what I’ll be right?”
I sighed. “O.K. Come here and give me a kiss, baby.” She did and we made it good for the gallery, then I patted her on the rear. “Behave yourself.”
“Always, darling.”
Everyone was smiling. I stepped into the room. The door was slammed shut behind me. And it was locked.
Eight
It was useless to pound against the door. It would be like beating against the brick walls. I turned my back on it and looked around the room. There was a comfortable-looking bed, a dresser, one table with two chairs, and landscape paintings of the Grand Canyon on the wall. The two windows looked out directly over the Mediterranean.
I could see the bleached city of Palermo far down the hill, and sailboats moving silently back and forth beyond the harbor. Closer were the vineyards and the olive trees and the high wall. But closer to me than anything else was the wire mesh over the window.
Besides the massive main door, there was a smaller one leading to a bathroom.
I paced back and forth. They had Wilhelmina, but I still had my little gas bomb and stiletto. I would wait, if that’s what they wanted, but I wouldn’t wait long. I couldn’t believe that Bozano Nicoli would actually leave instructions for his old friend Acasano to be locked up. It sounded more like Sheng’s idea.