by Lisa Freed
I glanced at Adrian but he didn’t seem to notice the man behind him. I sucked my lower lip into my mouth as I tried to figure that one out and tasted Mateo on it. Quickly I released it.
“Ummm…Victor?”
“Teresa! What are you doing with Mateo? Stay away from him!” He was quiet for a moment, his mouth scrunched into an angry thin line. “And remember, it’s Adrian now.”
“Okay, Adrian,” I drew out the name more annoyed than worried now. “Number one, how do you know Mateo?” My hands flew to my hips and I widened my legs in a stance to show I meant business. I was about to address the second issue when I was distracted yet again by the ghost who now shook his finger firmly at Adrian and shouted at him.
“Enough!” I yelled at him. He might not understand English but he got the message because he stopped and turned his hard, dark eyes onto me.
Adrian’s head swiveled around the room, the skin on his forehead furrowed. “A ghost is here with us?”
“Yes! Why can’t you see him? You used to be one,” I groused. “It’s some old guy from Greece. He was at the hotel I stayed at. You would have thought since I couldn’t understand him there, he wouldn’t have bothered to follow me here.”
“An old man? Describe him to me.” Adrian paused, “Please” he added as his eyes scanned the room going right past the ghost.
“He’s old,” I began.
“Yes, you’ve already established that,” Adrian snapped.
My spine stiffened. “Don’t get an attitude with me!”
Adrian’s fingers splayed apart as he made gentle shooing motions at me. “Settle down, I’m sorry, please continue.”
My eyes rolled and locked onto the ghost who was standing patiently waiting for something. “He has a full head of iron-gray hair, he’s rather powerfully built and smells strongly of tobacco. I wouldn’t want to mess with him.”
“A good call on your part,” Adrian mutters. Then said, “πατέρας?”
I didn’t understand him but the old man’s face lit up, those dark hooded eyes becoming moist.
“What did you say?”
Adrian's face was now pale, all previous anger drained from it. “I said ‘father’.”
My arms fell to the side as my eyes moved between the two men. “Your dad?! But why would he be following me?”
“Because he knows I’m with you and most likely it was easier to locate and follow you than it was me.” He took a deep shuddering breath before straightening back up. “Teresa, talk to him for me,” his voice low and pleading.
My head shook back and forth in denial. “I can’t! I don’t speak Greek!”
Adrian’s head whipped back as laughter poured out of him. When he stopped a slight smile remained on his face. “But I can. I’ll talk to him and you relay...” he paused when I frowned and gave me a wink, “to the best of your ability, his words then I’ll translate them for you.”
“Seems awfully confusing.”
Coming closer, Adrian grabbed my hands between his. “Please, T. Let me speak to my father. It’s been forty years.”
His words swayed me but it was the sincere, open longing in his deep brown eyes that had me nodding my head. “Okay, I’ll give it a try.”
Adrian’s face fairly glowed with happiness and I really hoped this worked to give them both some peace. “Show me where my father is, please?”
“Wait, why can’t you see him?”
His broad shoulders shrug. “Just because I was a ghost doesn’t mean I can still see them now that I’m in a living body.”
I guess that made sense. “Let’s do this. He’s right there.” I pointed at the old man whose eyes bounced between his son in his grandson’s body and me. I’m sure he was almost as confused as I was.
Nodding at what was empty air to him, Adrian started speaking in a low, gentle voice.
Listening, I realized I would never pick up Greek. It sounded like a series of musical ups and downs but made zero sense to me. Spanish words sometimes sounded like their English version but not this.
When Adrian stopped the old ghost who I now knew to be Victor and Andre’s father began. I held my hand up in a panic. “Slow down, please tell him to slow down.”
Adrian shot a grin my way and rattled off a series of words in Greek. His father laughed and began again, this time thankfully, at a much slower pace.
I did my best to relay what was said but it was rough, my tongue and lips had trouble forming the sounds. Both men laughed at me, a lot.
In the middle of it, I held up a hand again. “What’s your father’s name again?”
“His name is Andre, same as my brother, so Andre Senior.”
That did ring a bell. I nodded, motioning for him to continue.
“Dad blames you for not controlling me better and he’s mad at me for taking over his grandson. He’s demanding I return the body.”
“An excellent idea!” I put in.
Adrian shot me a dirty look. “You saw what happened the last time!”
Andre burst out with several harsh-sounding words.
I began to relay them but Adrian stopped me.
“I have an idea what he’s saying and it’s nothing you should be repeating.” He scowled. “My father knew swear words that would make even some hardened men uncomfortable.”
“Oh, really?” I couldn’t help but be somewhat intrigued by this.
Then quite clearly Andre said, “Mateo.”
“Mateo?” I repeated, my head cocked.
“Mateo?” Adrian said, a hard edge to his voice. “Yes, we never did go over how you know him?” His arms crossed tightly over his chest as he glared down at me.
I started to squirm being put on the spot like that. But why should it matter? I never would have met Mateo if not for following Victor! “I met him in Greece. Chasing after you,” I retorted doing some glaring of my own.
“Really?” Adrian put a lot of loaded meaning into that single word. “Quite a friendship for someone you met only a short time ago.” The way he said it the whole thing sounded so sleazy.
My temper exploded. “He’s here on business and we got to know each other very well hunting for you and Lance!” The moment it was out of my mouth I instantly wanted to take it back.
“Business is it? Yeah, he tends to get around.” Adrian snorted.
Andre Sr had remained pretty calm during our exchange but he began muttering and pacing, his arms waving this way and that. I overheard him say Mateo’s name again but I was too distracted to bother trying to repeat everything he was saying to Adrian to translate. The old man was probably just echoing his son’s displeasure anyway.
“I wonder if Mateo is trying to do a bit of double dipping,” Adrian said in a low tone, making me wonder if it was something for me to hear or not.
“What are you talking about?” I snapped, wanting an end to this whole three-way conversation, my head was starting to pound.
His eyes swung and focused on me slowly then he approached, laying gentle hands on my shoulders. “You should be more careful of the people you let into your life.”
“Like you? I put in.
He didn’t like that if the thunderous frown on his face was any indication. “I’m transparent about my wants. Mateo is a chameleon. Don’t trust him.”
Yeah, that was just grand coming from a body-snatching ghost! “It’s my life, I’ll talk to and be with whoever I want. Why don’t you and your dad just carry on your reunion somewhere else.” My eyes slid past him to where Andre Sr had stood just a moment ago and instead saw only an empty room.
Adrian’s eyes narrowed as his hands tightened on my shoulders. “What?”
“Your dad, he’s gone,” I said.
The firm grip relaxed and his hands left me. “I’m certain he’ll appear again until he gets his way. He was ruthless in life with his demands, why should death change that.” His laughter was devoid of humor.
Using his cupped hand, he raised my face to him. “Teresa, I’m
serious. Mateo isn’t who he says he is, he’s using you to get to me.”
I lashed out, smacking his hand away. “Don’t be ridiculous!”
For a moment Adrian looked like he was about to say something but then he merely shook his head and gave me a sad smile. “Just be careful, okay?” he asked. Without waiting for an answer, he headed toward the door and opened it. A look over his shoulder at me then he walked out without another word.
CHAPTER TWENTY
I knew I was rough on Victor, I hated calling him Adrian even in my head, but his words did trouble me. John had cautioned me about Mateo too. And what did I really know about him?
Going to the door and watching Victor drive away in a sleek black Porsche, I thought, Nice to see he was spending my money wisely. I really wished he would listen to his father and me and release Adrian’s body. To have my friend back would be awesome too.
With a gusty drawn-out sigh, I closed the door and locked up but remained near it. The way my day was going someone else was bound to show up the moment I walked away. After five minutes, I decided I was safe to live my life again and plopped back down on the couch to think.
Agnes strolled in and jumped up beside me. “Where were you when your old buddy was here?” I asked as I stroked her fur. “I could have used you as a diversion or just a calming focal point.”
Enough about Victor, I had to concentrate on what to do about Mateo. He was on his way back to Greece, might even be on the airplane at this very moment. I could change my security code and he wouldn’t be able to get to my house again, but he knew where the rescue was located and just avoiding him sounded juvenile and stupid. And why? Just because Victor wanted me to? Like I could fully trust him. He was probably just jealous.
I snuggled deeper into the couch, now that made the most sense out of everything that had happened today. Victor had been upset over my relationship with Lance, why wouldn’t he feel threatened by another man in my life? And how did he even know Mateo? That was the true question.
My eyes closed as I relaxed. I must have drifted into a light sleep when a sudden thought had me sitting upright in a panic. Victor couldn’t leave Adrian’s body or it would die, so there was no way for Victor in ghost form to spy on me. Meaning he couldn’t know about Mateo. But he did.
The sane thing to do would be to wait until tomorrow and call Mateo and ask him about Victor. But after that odd encounter today I didn’t fully trust him. Which brought me right back to square one, what did I really know about the man?
Maybe it was time to find out. I dragged myself off the couch and Agnes promptly stretched out in the warm spot I had vacated. “Don’t get too comfy,” I warned her on my way to the kitchen. I had left my phone somewhere.
Eventually, I tracked it down upstairs on my bed. After taking a deep breath, I hit Lance’s name, feeling a tad guilty for still having it in my phone’s contact list.
Surprisingly he answered, his voice hushed and awkward sounding as he thanked me for the wedding gift.
I blinked. I had forgotten all about that! “Glad you like it, I’m sure you and Pam will enjoy seeing Greece, especially since you didn’t get to see much on your last trip.” Steady now, I warned myself. I was calling him to ask for a favor, getting him mad wasn’t going to help my cause.
A deep sigh greeted that.
“Listen, Lance, this isn’t really a social call. I need someone investigated and was hoping you might be able to recommend a private investigator.”
“Yes, the firm does employ a few on occasion,” he said, a note of caution in his voice. “I can have one contact you.”
“Today?”
Silence greeted that demand.
“I’ll pay. Tell them five thousand up front.”
The laugh that came through was low and mean. “So young, but already knows money talks…”
“And bullshit walks,” I finished for him, my eyes rolling. Whatever, I had the cash and knew the respect it garnered and even better, the speed it added.
“Let me see if I can even get ahold of a live person. It is Saturday. You know, when us working stiffs have off,” he added sarcastically.
Another jab at my so-called trust fund status, I was so over that but I forced myself to be polite. “Thanks,” I said then hung up. Now that felt good!
My hair was almost dry at that point but I still thought it was worthwhile to hit it with a bit of heat and definitely a brush. Upstairs I tossed my phone on the bed and almost hit Maverick who was stretched out to his full length to take up as much room as possible. “Sorry, Mav.” I came over and gave him a few chin scratches as a way of apologizing.
In the bathroom, I sectioned my hair and sprayed some smoothing spray in before I tackled it with the blow dryer. I was starting to look a bit more polished when I heard my phone going off.
The display said unavailable. Normally, I never bothered with them as it was always robocalls but I got a flash that this time I should answer.
“Hello.”
“Teresa Ashford,” a deep steady voice on the other said in a no-nonsense tone.
“Yes?”
“This is Derek Nomananer, Mr. Hamilton said you had some business you needed taken care of.”
That was fast!
“Yes, thank you Mr. Nomananer…”
“Derek, please,” he broke in.
Despite his cheerless tone, I had a feeling I was going to like Derek. “Derek, I wanted a person checked out.”
“Five thousand retainer up front. I bill at one hundred an hour and expenses such as gas, meals, hotels, a little cash to grease the wheels…you get the idea.”
“Yes, I can do that.”
“I know you can. That’s why it took me a few minutes to get back to you. I checked you out first.”
My hand clenched on the phone, the idea that my finances could so easily be found out had never occurred to me.
Derek gave me a minute to digest that then continued in that same tone. “Give me the name and any information you have on them.”
“His name is Mateo…” I paused. Had I ever been told his last name? My mind tried to replay our first meeting and came up empty of that.
“No last name? Well, where did you meet?”
That I could answer, “In Greece but he came to DC on business recently.”
“That works. Do you know his employer? The hotel he stayed at?”
Dang! I didn’t know any of that. I was beginning to feel downright stupid at this point. “I’m sorry for wasting your time, Derek.”
“Slow down there. We’re not out of options. Did he use a credit card at all when you were with him?”
I bounced a little on the bed in excitement. “Yes! In Rehoboth.”
“Excellent. The day and where? Should be able to get his last name off the card and then we’re in business.”
I was impressed, it really was like right off TV! I gave him the date and that it was the Outback right in Rehoboth and he told me he would be back in touch when he had some information for me.
And just like that, I had hired a private investigator.
****
Three hours later I was surprised when Derek called me back.
“Pay dirt,” was his greeting.
“Already?” I gasped.
“Fairly simple when you have connections,” he said, absolutely no trace of boasting in his voice at all. It is what it is, his deep tone transmitted. “Mateo Carras, age twenty-six. Works for the Michaelides family, a big family name over there going back to the big drug boom of the sixties and seventies. His title is advisor, no other information on his actual work. From that, I would infer he’s mixed into some shady shit.”
I had a feeling I knew what his real title was, spiritual advisor. Victor’s remark about Mateo double dipping suddenly made sense and I had almost handed Victor right to his family! What would they have done to poor Lance to exercise Victor’s spirit and make him pay?
Derek had continued talking when I hadn’t
replied. “No arrests, nothing on the guy other than some article from a few years ago. A medium accused Brianna Anderson, Andre Michaelides’ wife, and Mateo of defamation of character. Looks like it probably got settled outside of court but the guy showed up dead two weeks later, they fished him out of the ocean.”
My gut seized up at that. That was their M.O. Death by water. Victor, the drug dealer in Greece, this medium, yikes!
Derek’s deep voice broke through my whirling thoughts. “I got the name and hotel number for you too.”
Grabbing a pen, I wrote it down as he said it. “Is this right inside DC or on the outer limits?”
He laughed like he talked, deep and without humor. “It’s right in Rehoboth, not too far from you, actually.”
Frowning, I asked, “How long was he booked there for?”
“Two weeks now.”
“But he checked out yesterday?” My voice was small.
“He might have left but he’s planning to be back. The room is booked under him for another two weeks.”
Though my throat was dry I worked up the saliva to croak a thanks out and that I’d get his check to him ASAP.
“This was an easy one. You need anything else, give me a call, my personal number is 302-256-6789. Take care, Ms. Ashford.”
“Wait, there is something else.” I stood and began moving around my bedroom.
“Same rates?”
“Yes, can you find out more on the Michaelides family, especially Andre’s brother Victor and if Mateo has any other connection to the family prior to his current employment?”
Derek hesitated for a beat, “That might take longer, it’s all old family connections and they were drug kingpins.”
“That’s fine, however soon you can get it to me.”
“I’ll keep you updated.”
The line went dead.
I wanted to smash something! John was right about Mateo. Somehow, he had marked me right away. Our encounter in the airport was orchestrated.
Acid churned in my stomach, a painful lump of reflux settled into my throat as I thought about how he had pretended to help me find the right Brianna. And how he had leered over those old topless photographs of her. The pervert!