Chapter Twenty Six

A week later and Matt, Richie and me were heading to Minnesota, I was taking the guys as back up;  if nothing else, this whole thing had taught me to be cautious, for all I knew this could be Antonia playing games, although the letter seemed genuine enough.
Checking the address that Matt had gotten and wrote down, I folded the piece of paper and put it back into my pocket. Richie watched me.

"What ya gonna say Jon?"
"it aint me that's gonna be saying much really, she wants to meet to give me advice, she wants her daughter back, so I can have my life back."
"But ya gotta talk about her too right?"
"I guess," I looked out of the window "but I'm gonna listen first, enough of my life has become public, I don't want anymore of it too."
"so no -one knows we are seeing this women right?"
"No, just us three."
The driver pulled up at the gate and address we had been given.
I lad the way walking down the pathway to the front door. The house was a typical suburban property complete with picket fence. It was in good repair so my optimism was high for going inside.
All three of us reached the front door, and we looked from one to the other as I rang the bell.

We waited, eventually, the door was answered. A women in her late years, but still striking in looks, grey flecks ran through her shoulder length hair that was braided with kiss curls falling around her temple and cheeks, dressed in a straight skirt with a red sweater and high patent shoes, my optimism grew further.
With a wide smile she greeted us, "Welcome Mr Bongiovi, Please do come inside." walking away she asked, "Can I get you coffee, tea or something harder to drink?"
I answered for us all, "Coffee please."
Marianne led us to her sitting room, "Please have a seat gentlemen, I will be back, how do you take your coffee, light, sugar, cream?"
Richie gave me a look and got up and offered to go help, he did not trust anyone. "its ok, we are all different, let me come and help you."
there was no resistance and that inspired a little trust. While Rich went into the kitchen to make coffee's with Antonia's mom, Matt and I looked around the room.

On the wall were family pictures, Marianne in her younger days with a handsome man at her side, I assumed her husband, then group pictures, more family shots I guessed, but what stopped me in my tracks was the photograph of a young girl, with a smiling face holding a cuddly toy. Looking into the picture I studied the eye's and felt really cold at the lack of life that was missing, even though she was only young in the photo, the darkness showed through.

Richie and Marianne re entered the room and I spun round and went and took a seat next to Matt as Rich handed me my coffee.
 Rich then took a seat opposite and diagonal to where Marianne had seated herself.
Immediately she broke the ice, and the tension that had grown in minutes.
"thank you for coming Mr Bongiovi, I guess you were a little perturbed by my letter to you?, let me say I had tried to make contact by phone but your assistant Diane was having none of it and refused point blank to put me through or get you to call me. And that's fine, and I understand, but due to the serious nature of my daughter I had to get your attention somehow."
We listened, Richie spoke before I could reply. "Your daughter is some piece of work, what bothers me though, is the time its took for you to make contact with Jon?, why is that?"
"It's just as I said, from the moment I realised what my daughter was up to I tried to make contact, but the Bongiovi camp is tight, the letter was the last resort I had. there's nothing sinister I can assure you."
"Thanks but, we trust no-one but us."
"that's fine, I understand."
this time I took control, "Ok, so what is it you can do to help me Mrs Fisher."
"Please call me Marianne."
"If you don't mind I'd like to keep it professional, I don't feel I know you well enough to relate to you on first name terms." My face was hard, and she looked at me, with a hurt expression.
"Ok, if that's how you wish to be, I understand, but I only want to try to help you get your life back and stop anything serious occurring."
Matt, interrupted, "So you keep saying, but we aint heard nothing yet that's gonna help my bro, and honestly lady time is moving and we have a gig tonight, so can we move this along."

Placing her cup on the dresser, she looked back at us seriously, "Alright, Antonia, tell me what she has done so far?"
"everything she can, fake pictures, constant harassment, video's, and just last week she injured my wife. Please understand that is just an outline, and the stress I am going though is unbelievable."
"how did it start, I need to understand her mind right now, so I can tell you what her next move will be."
"It started when she found her way backstage and got into my private dresser while I was showering after a show."
"What did she do?, were you injured when she met you?"
"not exactly injured, as compromised."
"in what way?"
"she ripped the towel from my body, which meant I was standing naked before her." I was feeling irked, "sorry, can I ask in what way is this helping you?" I thought I saw a glisten in her eye's when she knew I had been naked before her daughter.