Jacqueline gets to visit Europe

"I get the feeling that I will have to go and meet him in France though, since I have to hear what his exact problem is and I will then also have to convince him to confide in me."

"Yes, there you are, see? You were born to do this," Carminda commented in a happy tone.

"It's rather overwhelming still."

"Don't worry, you will soon get used to it and learn fast. 

By the way, you will have to meet him in Italy, not France."

"Why Italy? Aren't they in France right now?" Jacqueline asked in confusion.

"Yes, they all meet up in France before they go to Italy where all the action is going to take place. All the work, acting and business."

"So then, I will be going to Italy. That sort of sounds right," Jacqueline commented in calm tone. The dream seemed to fall in line with Italy somehow.

***

"Oh, so then this is a sign that big things are coming your way! I told you so," Adam exclaimed when Jacqueline spoke to him in his apartment the next day. They were having some wine as they chatted. 

"It means that I will have to go on a trip overseas again."

"You go, girl! You're becoming a globetrotter!" Adam exclaimed excitedly.

"But, I don't have leave left this year. I've already been on my annual vacation."

"Well, I would think of it as an opportunity of a lifetime that you can't miss out on. You can always get another job at a university, but will you meet up with a stinking rich Italian businessman again soon?"

"You mean I should take the risk?"

"Definitely. It would be crazy not to.

"But, it's my first case, so I might be too inexperienced and mess up. What then?"

"I don't think that can happen because you're getting wiser as you go along and Carminda can help where necessary."

"I suppose it's an exciting learning opportunity if the media doesn't get involved," Jacqueline responded with a thoughtful frown on her brow.

"Attention from the media can only help you in whatever business you're involved in."

"Then I guess I will have to chase my career dreams and go to Italy. But, I'm not telling my parents about it yet," Jacqueline remarked in a serious tone. 

"I guess you should follow your gut feelings about that," Adam responded as he looked at his friend with concern.

"What do I do about dangers in Italy? What if this guy has a dangerous side of his life that we don't know about?" 

"Then we deal with it head-on as we encounter it."

"You sound as if you're coming with me."

"I'm beginning to wonder if it's a good idea for you to go alone, even if Laura and Blake are gonna be there. Italy is another country. We don't know much about it," Adam pointed out.

"And this businessman looks clean and successful, but what if he's linked to underhanded schemes and he's hiding it from the public successfully?" Jacqueline added.

"Yes, you mean that he could be running some underground syndicate as well as his public business? That can always be possible. One should always look out for human traffickers as well," Adam remarked.

"Only in this case, I'm the one who's going after him. So, he could suspect me."

"You're right, but opportunists are always on the lookout for easy targets to attack. They prey on the innocent.

So, if he's wicked and you go to him to extend a hand of assistance he might try and use you in some way, unless he's so desperately ill that he will just be eager for a way out of his suffering," Adam commented with a frown on his brow.

"He looked pretty desperate in my dream and perhaps he really is. You know how people can hide their suffering until they can't endure the pain anymore," Jacqueline commented as she tried to focus on the situation properly. 

"I think that we should look on the bright side and still be careful at the same time. I think I should also ask for extra leave from work. Just in case there's trouble and you will need all the assistance you need in a foreign country. The more companions you have, the better," Adam suggested in a determined tone.

"That's so generous of you. Will you really do that?" Jacqueline asked, looking him straight in the eyes.

"You do need enough companions, especially if we don't all show up at the same time. I think that you should go ahead and then I will follow and then, maybe Carminda as well, so they won't be too sure about how many caring people you have on your side."

"Gosh, that will immediately put them off any underhanded schemes, if they have any," Jacqueline responded with a relaxed grin on her face. 

"Yes, one should expect to help, but one should also always expect to be scammed these days, even if you're the one who's offering assistance," Adam remarked.

"Yes, I think you're right. It doesn't sound like the Christian attitude of having good faith in all men, but it does make sense to be careful and not be fooled over and over because of a gullible attitude," Jacqueline agreed.

"Then I'm going to organize my finances for another trip. I wonder if Rene would be interested in also going to Europe, unless he's already there on tour?" Adam wondered.

"Not that I know of. He might be busy but you never know. He just might be interested in joining us," Jacqueline responded.

"Great, then we must contact him as soon as possible, but we can't tell him our agenda. He just might lose interest if he thinks we're both crazy," Adam remarked in a serious tone.