Hi there. Thanks for visiting. I am so grateful you cared enough to visit and learn more about my story. Please, if it’s not too uncomfortable, share your thoughts. I really want to develop content that visitors find interesting, informative and worth returning to. I am working to make my posts shorter and more visual. But in these early stages, there is just a lot of context I need to provide. Most importantly, I want to know if you would prefer other topics or have questions or concerns. I created this blog for you, so, tell me.
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A Fight Back Woman 
Hi Keri,
I read your account on Marie Claire online and am in awe of your amazing strength and ability to escape in the face of such emotional and logistical adversity. Aside from all the emotional turmoil, your escape seemed like a scene straight out of a Jason Bourne movie. At the end of your story, I shed tears of joy and relief on your behalf.
But I did have one burning question: whatever happened to the “chatty cafe owner” who was responsible for hooking you up with Marco in the first place? If anything, I’d give THAT guy a piece of my mind for setting this all up. I imagine you or the police must have spoken with him later at some point, and perhaps you’re saving this for a later blog post, but I’d love to hear a followup on that guy and what he did or didn’t know about Marco’s proclivities.
Thank you for telling your story, and I eagerly await further posts.
Amy
Amy –
Thanks so much for writing. I love questions! I was hoping someone would make that connection about the cafe owner. So, let me give you the back story on the full intro we had to Marco. And then, I will write about the actual police investigation and witness findings in the very near future (I promise not to make you wait too long; am just trying to be chronological in my posts).
It was my theory, for quite some time, that Marco and the cafe owner had a little scam going. Marco wasn’t at the cafe when I first arrived there. Only after we spoke with the cafe owner, who had pulled up a chair to our table (and told us of his years spent in North Carolina, showed us pictures of his son who lives there), did Marco appear. And then, we only noticed him because of his intro of Marco. He said Marco was a well-known painter, son of a famous painter father.
The cafe owner was the one who suggested Marco take all of us to see his art studio around the corner. On our way there, Marco was walking ahead of us and the cafe owner with us. When we approached the building – one of those classic hundreds-of-years-old buildings with big arching wooden doors to enter- my friend and I slowed a bit to get our bearings. We moved cautiously, unsure of where we were going. The cafe owner noticed our hesitation then said, and I kid you not, “What? Do you think we are going to rape you or something?” He said it jokingly, and I said, “Yeah, we don’t really kid about that sort of thing.” But it was fine and we turned a corner and made a left into Marco’s studio, where we had an uneventful visit.
After exiting the studio, both of them were walking us down the street toward a restaurant they had recommended to us for dinner. The cafe owner asked if they could join us, but we declined. Marco asked me if I wanted to meet for drinks later and I declined. Only after some thought on my way to dinner did I decide that I should accept and stop being so cautious. So I went back to the Café where both Marco and the owner were chatting. And I told Marco I’d meet up with him after dinner. The Café owner recommended a café near the piazza and we agreed to meet at 10:30 p.m.
So, he was very involved in everything and they did seem quite friendly with each other.