Page 4 of No Escape

I let out a frustrated breath and rested my head back against the limo seat. “I’ve already told you, Mom. It’ll give us the opportunity to get to know each other a little better before our wedding while having fun.”

“Why can’t we do that sitting at a nice Italian restaurant?” Mom asked. “Why the castle thing?”

“Why not?” I responded. “It’ll be an adventure, and you and Dad like puzzles. I thought we could all use a little fun.”

“The castle visit is on me,” Slash interjected smoothly. “Gio asked me to plan something for a few days before the wedding, where the wedding party could all come together and have some fun. I couldn’t get to it because of work, so Lexi offered to help out.”

“Work that had piled up while you two were in Brazil?” my mom asked pointedly. “Where you two got marriedwithoutfamily and friends.”

“That was a matter of life and death,” I said, hoping to cut off that line of discussion. I didn’t want to go down that rabbit hole again. “We’ve already been over this a hundred times. Getting married in Brazil wasn’t planned. Besides, we’re not talking aboutourwedding—past or present—right now. You promised we could take a break from wedding planning and focus on this trip as a family. Remember?”

“Of course I remember. And I do appreciate Gio giving us an opportunity to meet Slash’s parents and brothers at the wedding. I’m also sure the island you’ve chosen will be lovely, as will the activities you planned. You’re right, I do love puzzles. It’s just it seems a little odd as a family activity.”

“Technically, I didn’t plan a single activity,” I said. “Slash and I were able to book the location and guest accommodations. The activities are included.”

“Escape rooms in a castle.”

“Yes, Mom, escape rooms in a castle.”

“Well, it seems rather unusual. Explain the concept of escape rooms to me again, darling.”

I adjusted my legs again, trying to stretch out to a more comfortable position. “As far as I understand it, the castle contains a series of escape rooms with puzzles and clues you have to figure out as a team. You must work together to figure things out, and in doing so, you get to know each other. Think of it as breaking the ice, but in a more heightened way.”

“I should mention, this isn’t justanyescape room or castle,” Slash added, looking out the window. He constantly scanned the environment, always on alert for any sign of danger, which sounds ridiculous if you don’t know us. If you know us, it makes perfect sense.

“The castle, which was built in the fifth century, was named Castrum Augustus, after the Roman emperor Romulus Augustus,” he explained. “The emperor used the castle as an occasional summer vacation spot. When the emperor was not in residence, it was used as a defensive outpost. It was taken over many times by different marauding forces over the centuries. The castle received a major renovation in the fifteenth century by Alfonso V of Aragon when he conquered the surrounding territory, including the island.”

My dad’s face lit up. He loved history and architecture. When I was younger, we took a lot of trips to the museums. Of course, I preferred the science museums, but I still enjoyed the history lessons and learning about new cultures and people.

“It sounds fascinating,” Dad said. “I look forward to seeing it. What happened to it after that?”

“By the turn of the twentieth century, an Italian noble family, Migliaccio, had owned the castle for about two hundred years,” Slash continued. “To be able to afford the upkeep, the castle was opened to the public in 1913. Unfortunately, Mussolini and his Fascist government took it over during World War II, and in the years following the war, the castle fell into serious disrepair. It was eventually purchased from the Migliaccio family in the late 1980s by Italian billionaire and tech giant Rocco Zachetti, who restored it to its full historical grandeur. A decade later, he turned the island over to his son, Dante, who had added significantly to the family fortune by being an early investor in video games. Today Dante Zachetti is the secret money behind several of the most successful game developers around the world. He’s supposedly even more reclusive than his father. He’s reputed to have a serious fascination, some might even call it an obsession, with games and puzzles.”

“Sounds a bit like you, Lexi,” my mom quipped with a smile. “Except your games are virtual.”

“Virtual gamesarethe best,” I said. Still, I appreciated her acknowledgment of my gaming skills, and she seemed intrigued by the escape room concept, which I appreciated.

“It all sounds quite interesting,” Dad said. “But how do you get an escape room in a castle from all that?”

“As I mentioned, Dante Zachetti is a bit of an eccentric,” Slash replied. “He lived in the castle for many years, tended to by his groundskeeper, butler, valet, chef, and housekeeper. He has never married and never had children. About ten years ago, he moved to an estate in Naples and began secretive work on the castle. Suddenly, a few years ago, he began inviting select groups of friends and colleagues to the island to solve a series of puzzles and challenges he’d built at the castle. Word is, he’d visited several escape rooms and decided he could do better. He wanted to match minds with some of the smartest people on the planet.”

“That’s the perfect example of someone with too much money and nothing to do with it,” Mom said.

“How strange,” Dad said. “Why would someone do something like that to a historical site?”

“Itisa bit odd,” I agreed.

“Rumor is Zachetti was bored intellectually and desired a challenge,” Slash said. “That’s just speculation, however.”

“What a peculiar man,” Mom said. “So, how many of those bright minds have solved these escape rooms?”

“None,” Slash replied. “At least to the best of my knowledge. Supposedly dozens of people have tried, including some of the most accomplished scientific and engineering minds in Europe invited personally by Zachetti. But no one really knows the results. Those who have done it aren’t speaking, other than to indicate they failed. It’s not surprising the participants at that level don’t talk much about their failure, because they probably aren’t used to it. Nevertheless, it’s a mystery, which we will be able to experience firsthand.”

Mom shook her head. “How in the world didweget invited?”

“It’s kind of a strange situation,” I said. “I read about the escape rooms being set up at Castrum Augustus when I searched the web for unique activities in that part of Italy. It came up in an article inScientific Americanmagazine from a few years ago. The magazine’s puzzle editor mentioned a conversation he’d had with a leading mathematician who’d just returned from an interesting experience. The mathematician had been part of a group of puzzle solvers invited to tackle a series of escape room-type challenges constructed in a renovated castle off the coast of Italy. He said the castle was located in a fabulous and exotic Italian setting, and the puzzles were devilishly wicked. The editor said the mathematician wouldn’t describe the puzzles or how the group did, but noted it was the experience of a lifetime. That sounded like something interesting to do with the wedding party. So, without knowing the full history or background of the castle, I called up and inquired about renting the place for a few days. They told me access to the castle was by personal invitation only from the owner, Mr. Zachetti himself, and not for rent. I realized what a dork I’d been by calling them up after I read more about the history of the castle and Zachetti, then learned what a huge, exclusive deal it is. Oops.”

“If it’s such a big deal, how did you get this Zachetti character to change his mind about us?” Dad asked.

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