The South Beach Search

by Sharon Hartley

  “Well, I’m liking her very much already,” Katherine said as he took a bite of the savory salad.

  The Unicorn? he wondered. Would Taki agree to go out with him? Maybe he could offer dinner as an apology for daring to insult the great guru.

  What he ought to do was focus on finding her precious bowl. That’s what would earn her forgiveness.

  * * *

  “TAKI? ARE YOU home, dear? I have news.”

  Taki terminated a futile attempt at meditation when she heard the high, breathy voice of her next-door neighbor and landlady. Delighted by the unexpected visit, Taki blew out her candle, flipped on a light and flung open her front door. Victoria Van Buren was her favorite person in the entire cosmos and definitely better for her frame of mind than trying—and failing—to focus on anything other than Reese Beauchamps.

  “Hey, Victoria. How’s your hand?” Last month, Victoria had taken a nasty fall at her seventieth birthday party, a grand gala held under moonlight in the formal gardens of Villa Vizcaya, the old Deering Estate.

  Rotating her right wrist clockwise, then counterclockwise, Victoria stood in the doorway.

  “No pain, no gain,” she said.

  “That’s a terrible philosophy,” Taki said, hands on her hips. “You need to be more careful.”

  Victoria swept into the cottage. “Such a nag. Really, Taki.”

  Taki considered Victoria beautiful—a regal, genuine lady with prominent graceful cheekbones and eyes that still retained a flirty tinge of green. A soft halo of elegantly styled white hair surrounded her deeply lined face. Taki was certain Victoria had once been the most popular belle of every ball, and her friend’s infectious energy immediately cured Taki’s restless mood.

  “Do not offer me any of your horrible tea, dear,” Victoria said. “Have you got any of my bourbon left?”

  “Of course. You always keep me well stocked.”

  “I prefer my deep relaxation the old-fashioned way,” Victoria said with a wink.

  Taki laughed and moved toward her tiny kitchen. “Right, and tonight I’m going to join you.”

  “Really, dear? That’s lovely.” Victoria frowned. “You must not have had any luck with the pawnshops.”

  “None.”

  Victoria sighed. “Such dreadful places.”

  Taki pushed a chair to the kitchen to retrieve a bottle of bourbon from the cabinet over her sink. “Guess what?” she said as she stepped onto the chair. “I had lunch with the attorney I told you about, the one who lost his briefcase.”

  “Really?” Victoria’s voice rose a few decibels while her faded green eyes grew round. “Part of my news concerns him. I asked around my club if anyone knew him. Amy Ann says Reese Beauchamps is going places in Florida politics, that he comes from an established family.”

  “A politician. Just what I need.” Taki grabbed a bottle of Victoria’s favorite whiskey and jumped off the chair.

  Victoria handed Taki two crystal tumblers.

  “Damn,” Taki said, picturing Reese’s full gorgeous mouth as it had descended on hers. “I can’t see him anymore.”

  “You’re seeing him?”

  Victoria’s excited voice brought Taki back to the present. “No, I’m not seeing him the way you think.”

  “Dorothy says he’s extraordinarily handsome.”

  Now an appealing image of Reese in his gym clothes flashed through Taki’s mind, but she shrugged away the memory. “Not my type.”

  “No, you prefer ancient, bearded holy men.”

  “Navi is not ancient...just old. Besides, I’ll never be able to bond with a mate until I do something to equalize this rotten karma I’m lugging around.” Taki poured shots of amber liquid into the crystal, thinking it wouldn’t be fair to wish her horrible luck on anyone.

  “Taki, Taki.” Victoria shook her head as she accepted the whiskey and sat at a small rattan table. “I’ll never understand how you can blame yourself for your family’s wealth. You did nothing to create it.”

  “That doesn’t matter, Victoria.”

  “Of course it does.”

  Taki sat across from her friend and tried once more to make her understand. “I had the best of everything. I lived a life of such total luxury that I can’t even...” Taki shook her head. “Anything I wanted, I could have just like that.” She snapped her fingers on the last word. “You were at my fourteenth birthday party at the Palm Beach estate, remember?”

  Victoria nodded. “I recall it well.”

  Taki shuddered at the memory. Her father had hired an entire circus. An entire circus! With elephants, a high-wire act, and clowns and—and everything, although her party had of course morphed into a social event for her father’s business contacts. She’d been forced to curtsy her thanks in front of stuffy old men for whatever extravagant gift they’d brought.

  “All that privilege came off the deaths of thousands of people,” Taki told Victoria.

  “You did not buy the tobacco stock, Taki. Your great-great-grandfather did. You didn’t make anyone light a cigarette.”

  “Don’t forget the chemical factories that pollute rivers and lakes.” Taki closed her eyes against often-imagined horror. “No one can force me to have anything to do with that money.”

  Victoria issued a snort. When Taki opened her eyes, her landlady gazed at her steadily. “You Capricorns are all alike—you glory in taking on all the guilt in the world.”

  “Spare me an astrology reading tonight. I’m too busy trying to figure out what to do next.”

  “Very well, dear, but I have more news. It’s the real reason I came.”

  “Go on,” Taki said, unease creeping into her thoughts.

  “I received a call from the venerable law firm of Winslow & Winslow this afternoon,” Victoria announced.

  “Uh-oh.” Taki sat up in the wicker chair, dread now knotting her belly. Her father’s favorite New York law firm. “I’m afraid to ask, but what did they want?”

  “They’ve traced you to Miami.”

  “Oh, no,” Taki whispered. What she’d been dreading had finally occurred. She’d known it would happen eventually.

  “A Mr. David Winslow,” Victoria continued, “wanted to know if I’d heard from you lately.”

  “How did they find me?”

  “It seems Josh Winslow, David’s uncle, remembered that I had been your mother’s friend.”

  “Wow.” Overwhelmed by the awful news, Taki slumped back. “I can’t believe anyone would make that connection after so many years.”

  Victoria nodded. “Josh is a sly old buzzard. I remember him well. But don’t worry. I told David the last I heard you were hiking through Nepal.”

  “Oh, Victoria,” Taki said, releasing her breath with an explosive rush.

  “Now, don’t you worry about my karma because I lied.” Victoria waved her hand. “It was for a good cause.”

  “Thanks.” Staring into space, seeing nothing, Taki said, “Why won’t they leave me alone?”

  Victoria patted her hand. “Taki, your father will never stop trying to find you. You’re all he has left.”

  “Don’t try to make me feel sorry for him. All he wants is my signature so he can move his money around. You know he’s a soulless monster.”

  “Yes,” Victoria agreed. “And he treated your mother horribly.”

  As Taki swirled the liquid in the crystal, fumes from the strong alcohol confused her senses. She should do her gypsy routine, pack what few belongings would fit in the Jeep and leave Miami right now. Her possessions were merely material things. They didn’t matter. She could always find new “things.”

  But she was so weary of starting over, so tired of leaving everything behind. She thought sadly of her beautiful herbs. Oh, and the lavender was almost ready.


  What would it hurt to take just a little more time and keep searching? She’d be careful. She couldn’t bolt. Not yet. Not until she found the bowl and presented it to Navi.

  “Are you seeing him again?” Victoria asked.

  Taki glanced up. “Who?”

  “You know who. Reese.”

  “I hope I never see him again,” Taki said, which was true, but also a lie since part of her wished he would knock on her door right this second. Never see Reese again? That seemed so final, so depressing.

  “That’s probably for the best if you don’t want him to learn your true identity,” Victoria said.

  Taki took a sip of bourbon, thinking she was less worried about Reese learning her identity than how he affected her, stirred up her emotions, made her think about things she wanted to forget.

  But what if he came to her yoga class? Of course she couldn’t stop Reese from coming to her classes. Any member of the spa was free to attend. She swallowed the liquor, which burned as it traveled her throat.

  If he came, she’d talk to him, and that’s when she got into trouble. Maybe she should resign her position at the spa.

  No, she couldn’t do that. She needed money to eat, to buy gas so she could leave when the time came. She had to be practical and keep teaching. Since he’d been angry over what she’d said about his noble profession, he probably wouldn’t come to her class anyway. And if he did come, she’d treat him like any other student.

  “You’re safe for a while longer, dear,” Victoria said, patting her arm again. “I’ve made certain the Winslows are looking for you on the other side of the world.”

  * * *

  REESE NODDED AT the woman seated next to him at the conference table. Mrs. Carol Taylor, an attractive thirty-four-year-old mother of two, had seen Carlos Romero running away from the post office in Plantation the day of the bombing, making her an important witness in his prosecution.

  “Can you remember the make of the car?” Reese asked her.

  “A silver late-model Buick. I’m sorry, but I didn’t get the license plate. I mean, I knew the man was acting odd—that’s why I paid attention—but who looks at license numbers?”

  “That’s fine,” Reese said, pleased because her description matched one of Romero’s known vehicles. It’d be easy to make that link to the jury. “Anything else?” he prompted.

  She shook her head. “The last thing I remember is Romero leaping into the Buick’s backseat and the car screeching away. After that, I—” She shuddered. “There was a horrible, loud whoosh when the building exploded. I was thrown back, off my feet. I remember being just so surprised.” She swallowed hard, clearly trying to hold back tears. “And then I woke up in the hospital.”

  “You’re doing great,” Reese said, pretending to make a note to give her a moment.

  “Now I’d like you to look at a series of photographs,” Reese told his witness. “Are you up to that?”

  “I’ve identified that man several times already,” she said. “I will never forget his face.”

  “I know that. But please understand the defense will do everything they can to confuse you. I just want you to be very clear in your own mind.”

  She nodded. “Go ahead. I suppose he’ll be in the courtroom, anyway.”

  Reese spread six photographs on the conference table, all of them resembling the dark-haired, dark-eyed Romero. All men in their forties or fifties, all tall and lean.

  Mrs. Taylor jabbed her finger on Romero’s photograph without hesitation. “That’s the son of a bitch,” she said, her voice trembling. She picked up a tissue and dabbed her eyes. “Sorry,” she murmured.

  “Good job,” Reese said with an encouraging smile. “We’re almost done, but do you want to take a break? Are you sure you don’t want some water?”

  “I think I would like something to drink after all,” she said.

  “Of course. I’ll be right back.”

  Reese left the conference room and hurried to the office kitchen where they kept soft drinks and bottles of water. He could have asked for Joanne’s help, but he wanted to stretch his legs and give Mrs. Taylor a moment alone to compose herself. Would she be able to face down Romero in court without falling apart?

  He found Javi Rivas in the kitchen, rummaging around in the refrigerator.

  “Looking for someone in there?”

  Javi stood up, grinning. “Reese. Just the person I want to see. You got a minute?”

  Reese reached past Javi to grab two bottles of water. “I’m in the middle of prepping Carol Taylor.”

  “I heard.” Javi nodded. “This won’t take long. My team finally got a lead on your briefcase.”

  Reese placed the water on the counter and faced Javi. “You’ve got my attention.”

  “Bruce Mayhugh, a well-known fence in Homestead, claims Izzo is coming to unload some hot jewelry later this week. We’re going to wire the fence and wait for Izzo to show. You good with that?”

  “I like that plan,” Reese said.

  “It could go nowhere,” Javi said. “I have my doubts, but at least we can question Izzo and determine once and for all if Romero put him up to the theft.” Javi grinned again. “Hey, maybe we can get your beautiful yogini’s property back, too.”

  Reese nodded, his mind now swirling around Taki, how distraught she’d been the night of the theft. Damn, how he’d love to return her bowl to her.

  He gave himself a swift mental kick. What the hell? He was more worried about Taki than his own possessions. He’d been considering going to her class tonight, but decided he needed to stay away to keep his head clear. He had an important trial to prepare for, and he still couldn’t find the linchpin for his case, Claudia Romero.

  Claudia was the woman he should be obsessing about, not Taki.

  Javi turned back to the refrigerator. “I know Joanne said something about leftover birthday cake in here.”

  “I hope Mayhugh gives us something,” Reese said on his way out. “Keep me informed.”

  Was his witness even still alive? If Claudia didn’t contact him soon, he’d have to let his boss know.

  Now, that’s an interview he was definitely not looking forward to. No prosecutor wanted to tell their boss they couldn’t find the most important witness in a case.

  CHAPTER SIX

  THURSDAY NIGHT, REESE pushed open the door to SoBe Spa’s yoga room, grabbed a mat and took a seat in the back row. He usually planned everything days in advance, sometimes weeks, so how did he suddenly find himself in Taki’s class again?

  Smiling serenely, she sat cross-legged in front of the twenty or so students in the room.

  He’d managed to avoid her on Monday by burying himself in trial prep, but she’d been on his mind constantly. Tonight was an effort to preserve his sanity. He ached to touch her again. He needed to clear the air with her.

  “Close your eyes,” she said to begin the session, “and allow your attention to focus on your breath.”

  Reese did as she instructed and listened to her soothing voice coax the class into that all-important present moment.

  “If your mind generates a thought,” she cautioned, “and it probably will, just let that thought float away and return to your breath.”

  During class, watching Taki maneuver her supple yet powerful body into amazing positions, Reese decided he could not be any more in the present moment than he already was. As he followed her simple, helpful instructions into the various poses, his usually churning thoughts gradually ratcheted down. With each stretch, the tension in his limbs released, making him looser and freer, more at ease than since... Damn, he couldn’t remember when he’d ever felt like this.

  She remained the complete professional, treating him as she did all the other students, no more attention, no less. Now, with his nose b
uried in a towel and his arms along his sides—she called this “child’s pose”—he could no longer observe her. He could hear her gentle, encouraging voice, though, as she circulated through the room, assisting her students. She moved closer and began working with the middle-aged woman on the mat next to him.

  Then Taki’s bare feet with cute pink toenails were beside him. He held his breath when she placed her warm hands on his back. For days he’d been longing for her touch.

  “Inhale,” she murmured. He did as she instructed and her fingers slid down his spine to his lumbar area and she said, “Exhale.”

  As he released his breath, Taki applied gentle, steady pressure to his lower back. He closed his eyes, enjoying the deep stretch and the fleeting touch of her soft breath on his neck.

  When she pulled back, her fingertips trailed across his torso with a light touch, and he didn’t want those pretty pink toenails to step away.

  But they did. She continued to move from student to student, adjusting when necessary, offering support, teaching the class in her calm, serene manner.

  After leading them through a final twist, she said, “Now prepare yourself for the most important asana we’ll do tonight.” Taki guided them into what she called “savasana,” the last pose, the one that allowed deep relaxation.

  “Allow your attention to again focus on your breath,” she said. “Make your exhalations longer than your inhalations.”

  Reese settled onto his back and closed his eyes, remembering how great he’d felt after his last yoga session with Taki. He’d slept better that night than he had in years. He sucked in a deep breath and let the air out slowly.

  “Roll over onto your right side and assume a fetal position for a few breaths. When you’re ready, you can come out of deep relaxation. Stay in the room as long as you like, guys. See you next time.”

  Reese heard Taki’s calm voice as if from far, far away and wondered where he’d been and how long. Not exactly asleep...but not wholly awake. Deep relaxation? Felt as if he’d been floating in midair.

  But when Reese rolled over and came fully alert, he caught a glimpse of Taki’s tight rear end as she hurried from the yoga room.