Tweedledum and Tweedledee by Willow Rose Read Free Book Online Page B

has seen him since. And I’ve been all over the place. The upper deck, the pool area, the wave pool, all the bars and restaurants in this place. Even the tennis courts. He was nowhere." Alonzo Colombo sighed. "I don't understand where he can be. I mean, he was drinking in the morning hours…maybe he's passed out somewhere?"
    "Could he have left the ship?" I asked. They both looked at me. "Not that it’s any of my business."
    "Oh my God, Alonzo. The woman is right. What if he came back here, saw my note and knew we were angry, then left the ship?" Ivana had tears in her big eyes. "Oh my God, Alonzo. What if he has run away?"
    "Now don't get yourself upset again, Mrs. Colombo," the doctor said. "You need to get something to eat right away. Let me order some food for you."
    Ivana didn't answer the doctor. She kept looking at her husband. Alonzo Colombo was getting red cheeks. "He knows he's not allowed to leave the ship on his own," he hissed angrily.
    "Oh God, Alonzo. It's all our fault. We've been too harsh on the boy and now he has run away."
    Alonzo's anger turned to sadness. "It's me isn't it? I've been too selfish. I know I have. It's been all about me the last several years."
    "You think he ran away?" Ivana asked.
    "Let's not jump to conclusions," Alonzo said. "He could still be on the ship passed out somewhere, drunk." Alonzo hit his fist into the dresser next to him. "I can't believe they would give alcohol to a fourteen year-old. I'm gonna sue those bastards."
    "You really think your anger will help get our boy back home?" Ivana asked.
    I looked at the doctor, who was still on the phone ordering food for Ivana Colombo. Meanwhile, the couple was fighting heavily now and yelling at each other. I was starting to get really uncomfortable.
    "Why would he be drinking in the first place? He's just a kid," Alonzo said. "It's all your fault. You should have kept an eye on him."
    "Typically, you to push the responsibility over on me. Aren't you the father?"
    "You tell me. You’d been with so many guys when I met you, he could be anyone’s, couldn't he?"
    "How dare you?"
    This was getting to a point where I was no longer comfortable in the room.
    The doctor hung up. "There. Food is on its way up. Shouldn't be long. Now, remember to eat. I don't want to have to come up here again."
    Ivana wasn't listening to him. She was snorting and staring angrily at her husband. Alonzo grabbed a vase and threw it against the wall in anger. It shattered all over the floor.
    "Maybe it’s time to call the police?" I said. "The ship leaves tonight and, if you want to find your son before that, you might need some help. Especially if he’s gone into town."
    They both looked at me like I had overstepped some boundary and entered where I didn't belong. I shrugged. "Just a suggestion. I don't know if they'll do much when he hasn't been gone for longer than he has, but it's worth a shot. After all, with your name and status, they might be willing to bend the rules a little. What if it was a kidnapping? It wouldn't look good on the city's reputation would it? Sorrento is known as a place many celebrities and rich people spend their vacations. They’d want to have a reputation for being a safe place wouldn't they? Anyway, it was just a suggestion. I need to get back. I left two children all alone in my suite. Hope you feel better soon Mrs. Colombo."
     

16
    April 1978
    H E HAD KEPT THE twins. No one else wanted anything to do with them, so no one questioned it when Officer Maraldi decided to take them back to his own house and lock them inside his basement. At first, he had no idea what to do with them. He kept them locked away and fed them using a bowl he placed on the floor like they were animals. They didn't speak at all. They never told him where to find the rest of the Slovenski Gang and it irritated him that he had come so close to nailing the gang, but still hadn't succeeded. The gang still roamed the streets of his district in the city of