Authors: Shirlee Lewis
“Which ones?” I asked.
“Tomorrow is Neuschwanstein Castle and th
e next day Herrenchiemsee Island, but first we need to eat.”
Tony took me to Fraunhofer Wirtshaus for dinner, a Bavarian Restaurant. Entering the restaurant
, the lights were dim with soft music playing in the background.
After dinner
we went back to the hotel. We had to be up at 4am to catch our ride to the castle grounds.
Lying down I tried to sleep but my mind was too busy thinking about our honeymoon and all the places Tony wanted me to see before we headed back to Oregon. Somewhere in the middle of thinking how wonderful Tony was, I dosed off
.
Bright and early we had a tour schedule to visit Neuschwanstein Castle with a scenic drive down Romantic Road. Starting with the drive to Wurzburg, we drove through wine country looking at the beautiful scenery of vineyards growing alongside and on top of hills; stopping at the Fortress Marienberg walking along the old bridge, Alte Mainbruecke, connecting Old town with the Fortress lined with baroque statues of saints and kings. Making our way to the Pilgrimage Church Kappele we saw life-sized sculptures depicting the last hours of Jesus. Juliusspital turned out to be a palace-like building housing a hospital, a home for the elderly, a nursery and a historical winery with 400-year old cellar vaults. Our last stop, we took a walk through medieval courtyards and gardens with fountains, pavilions and statutes.
Back on the road we drove by Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Castle Hotel Colmberb and Dinkelsbuhl
, stopping again in Augsburg for a candlelight dinner in an old vaulted room.
Pfaffenwinkel held the Church of the Meadow, a rococo building with lavish décor and the Lake Alpsee. We had to hurry through the Church because our tickets for the
Neuschwanstein Castle were for three o’clock and it was half past one.
At the foot of the hill, Tony reserved a horse dr
awn carriage to take us to Neuschwanstein Castle. From the entrance of the castle, the scenery held magnificent beauty. Bavarian countryside and green plains surrounded with water, mountains landscaping the edge with clouds peeking over the tops. It was spectacular.
We weren’t allowed to take pictures inside the castle, but from the throne room to the music hall and lobby was something to be desired. The tour guide led us to the third floor of the castle where we could take in the view from long ago. The archery tower once used for archer’s who waited for the enemy to approach from afar. The tour
lasted approximately thirty minutes, but it was the best thirty minutes for anyone to see.
Back at the hotel, Tony called for room service because we had another early day tomorrow visiting Herrenchiemsee Island. We relaxed watching television until our eyes no longer stayed open.
Bright and early we headed to the Herrenchiemsee for the ferry ride to the Island. Visiting the New Palace was not a disappointment. Admiring the painted ceiling containing tablets of Louis XIV took me hours as I scanned every detail in each one. The formal gardens filled with fountains and statues reminded me of a romantic setting. Getting back to Munich, Tony and I visited the BMW Museum learning the manufacturing of BMW’s since Tony owned one and took an interest in the futuristic-looking BMW. We ended up going back to the Fraunhofer Wirtshaus for our last meal and night in Munich.
Taking the train back to Italy was the scariest ride I had taken in my life. The tracks were built over ravines with a depth of 100 feet or more for several miles and the train didn’t act like it was going to slow any time soon. I couldn’t enjoy the scenery without my legs shaking.
Arriving in Italy around dark, I fell on the bed as soon as we entered our room.
“Jess, I’ll be back in a few minutes. I’m going to get the bags from the car,” Tony told me as my eyes were closing.
Tony left the room.
Little did I know Tony wouldn’t return?
Waking up, I rolled toward Tony to hug him and give him
a kiss to wake him. Feeling the bed, I was the only one in it.
“Tony?” I called thinking he was in the bathroom.
No answer.
Waiting for the door to our room to open, I laid back down thinking he would be here when I woke in the morning and fell back asleep.
In the morning, Tony wasn’t beside me in bed and I called for him again without an answer. Looking around the room our suitcases weren’t here either. Calling Tony’s cell phone, it went straight to voice mail.
Grabbing the room key, I went to the lobby to talk with the desk clerk, Carlo, before checking to see if the car was in the parking lot. Waiting at the desk for a few minutes, Carlo appeared from the office.
“Have you seen Mr. Mureaux?” I asked in a calm voice.
“I haven’t seen him since he went to get your bags, Mrs. Mureaux.”
“Thanks,” I said and went to the parking lot.
Our car was sitting in the parking space from last night, but there was no sign of Tony. Calling Tony’s cell phone again, it went straight to voice mail so I left a message. “Tony, where are you? Call me. Love you.”
Tony never returned my call.
Going to the car, I noticed it was locked. The trunk, half open, held our bags. Grabbing the bags and closing the trunk it popped back open because the keys were in the keyhole causing the trunk not to close. Taking the keys and the bags, I went back to the room and called Tony again. Again, his phone went straight to voice mail.
This was
not like him, so I went back to the lobby. Carlo was on the phone when I walked up to the desk. He looked at me to let me know he knew I was there. Waiting for him to get off the phone, I went to the dining area for a cup of coffee. With my back to the front door, I heard it open and immediately looked to see if it was Tony. It wasn’t.
Putting my head in my hands I could feel the tears starting and my heart aching because I had no clue where Tony had gone. This was beyond
comprehension. Where was he? Why wasn’t he answering my phone calls?
“Mrs. Mureaux, did you need to see me?” Carlo asked walking up to the table.
Lifting my head I asked, “By any chance has Mr. Mureaux called?”
“No ma’am he hasn’t.
”
Fear and panic started to set in. “And the last time you saw him, he was going outside, right?”
“Yes ma’am.”
Tears were now forming with no hopes of holding them back.
“Mrs. Mureaux, is something wrong?”
“Mr. Mureaux appears to be missing. I don’t know where to start looking. I don’t know what to do,” I rambled on.
“Mrs. Mureaux,” he paused. “I don’t know if this will help, but shall I call the police and report him missing?” he asked.
Getting my phone from my pocket, I dialed Tony’s number again.
No answer.
“I don’t know what they can do.”
“It will make them aware, Mr. Mureaux, is missing and start looking for him,” he said, trying to be helpful.
“If you think it will help. I’m going to ask the couple on our floor if they’ve seen him.”
“You and your husband are the only ones on the third floor.”
Straightening up in the chair, I nearly fell out of it.
“The couple checked out two days ago I believe,” Carlo added.
The couple who follo
wed us all over Modena was gone. “Are you sure they checked out then?” I asked because of all the suspicion I had had about them.
“Let me think,” he said, putting his hand on his chin. “I believe it was around that time, but I’ll double check.” Carlo went to the desk and I was right behind him.
Typing on the keyboard, he stopped to look at the monitor and then said, “Aah, here it is. Yes, they checked out two days before you and your husband returned from Germany.”
“I guess I can rule them out,” I whispered under my breath, but not loud enough for Carlo to hear me. “I’ll try his cell again and hopefully I get an answer this time.”
Dialing Tony’s number it didn’t go to voice mail, but someone answered on the first ring.
“Tony, are you there?” I asked.
I heard heavy breathing.
“Tony? Hello,” I said.
The phone hung up.
“That’s odd,” I said looking at my phone and then at Carlo. “Someone answered but didn’t say anything.” Dialing Tony again it went straight to voice mail.
“Maybe he went for a walk,” Carlo said.
“I don’t think so. Tony and
I don’t go anywhere without each other. This isn’t like him to disappear like this.”
Carlo was on the hotel’s phone before I finished my sentence. “Yes, this is Carlo with Hotel Italiano and I need for the police to come right away,” pausing to listen. “I need to report a missing person.”
Carlo hung up the phone and said, “Ma’am the police are on their way.”
“Thank you,” I said and then went to the dining area to fill my cup with coffee.
Sitting at the table my gut was telling me the couple had something to do with Tony being missing. Trying hard to ignore it, it wouldn’t go away.
Soon the police arrived.
Talking to Carlo first, I watched from the dining room. Carlo pointed to me and then walked over to where I sat with the police.
“Mrs. Mureaux, this is special officer Migal. He would like to talk to you about Mr. Mureaux,” Carlo introduced the officer to me and then went back to the desk.
“Mrs. Mureaux, when was the last time you saw your husband,” Special officer Migal asked taking a pen and notebook from his vest pocket.
“Last night is the last ti
me I saw him. We just arrived back from Germany and he came to the room with me. I was tired and went straight to bed. Tony told me he was going to get our suitcases from the car. I fell asleep and woke during the night, but he was gone. I didn’t think anything about it until this morning and he wasn’t in the room or the lobby.”
“Has Mr. Mureaux disappeared before?”
Tony had, but that was when we were on the dating scene so I didn’t mention it because I thought it irrelevant to the current situation.
“No. We are always together.”
“Do you remember what he was wearing and can you give me a description of him.”
“Tony is six foot with brown hair with light brown highlights, muscular in build and brown eyes.” Closing my eyes, I had to think back to yesterday on the train as to what Tony was wearing. “I believe it was a gray t-shirt and blue jeans.”
Special officer Migal wrote down everything and then said, “Mrs. Mureaux, we’ll keep our eye out for him. Please stay at the hotel in case we have any more questions for you.” He got up and left.
I went back to the room not knowing what to do next. My cell phone rang. Caller ID said it was Tony.
“Tony!”
Static was unbearable so I hollered louder, “Tony!”
Echoing through a tunnel, I made out, “Jess, help me.”
“Tony where are you?” I asked trying to hear all the background noise I could through the static.
“Jess,” Tony said and then a woman’s voice stated, “Take him to my hut.”
The phone went dead.
Sitting on the edge of the bed I knew Tony was trying to reach me, but where was he? Searching my brain I thought of the couple from down the hall for no apparent reason.
Why did they keep popping into my mind? Could they somehow be linked with Tony’s disappearance?
With no answer coming soon enough, I started crying and soon I cried myself to sleep.
The couple waited for Tony in the parking lot behind the hotel with the parking lot in view. As he approached our car, four men walked up behind him, grabbed him while one applied a rag over his mouth. It wasn’t long before Tony fell into the arms of the men. Watching from the window, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I needed to help him, but my legs wouldn’t move. Frozen at the window, I saw one of the men open the trunk of a car next to ours while the other men put Tony in it. They hurried to the car and I watched as it sped off into the night. The couple came from around the building to their car and followed the first car. My Tony was gone.
My eyes opened, but all I saw was the dream. Wanting Tony here with me, I decided to go out on my own to find him and I would do whatever it took to get him back with me. First, I decided to find out where outside of Parma to locate the Mortensin clan. Getting the map from the nightstand, I located Parma and the best route to take, and then packed a small bag with a few changes of clothes. I was ready to start my search.