The South Beach Search

by Sharon Hartley

  Taki willed her angels to move.

  If she concentrated very, very hard on the musical tinkle of the heavenly mobiles, perhaps Reese would hear it and come to investigate.

  * * *

  REESE PARKED IN Victoria’s circular driveway, jumped from his car and hurried to her front door. A cold wind swept across the property, rubbing the branches of the oaks against each other, but he didn’t feel the chill.

  He knocked on Victoria’s door. A gust swirled leaves across the porch as he waited, and he checked his cell phone, hoping he’d managed to charge it enough. Javi knew where he was, the thread he’d decided to follow, and the agent promised to let him know if they managed to break Hector. They made plans to meet for the trip for the ransom drop.

  Reese banged harder. Still no answer. He glanced toward Taki’s cottage and noticed movement behind closed curtains. Was she home? His spirits mushrooming, Reese jogged toward the cottage, but slowed when he recognized Victoria’s slightly stooped shape. Most likely the old lady was going through Taki’s personal effects.

  What was Victoria looking for?

  Reese hesitated. Were his visits to Victoria bordering on harassment? Did he have any real reason to suspect she was involved in Taki’s disappearance? He resumed his steps toward the guesthouse. He couldn’t stop himself. The run-down condition of the home, her evasiveness, the drinking—his instincts told him it all meant something.

  His gut told him Victoria was the false friend.

  She answered Taki’s door after several knocks, the smell of Bourbon strong on her breath.

  “Good evening, Reese,” she said as if she’d rehearsed her line for an hour. She gripped her hands tightly in front of her stomach.

  “Hi, Victoria. I didn’t forget my promise to keep you posted on our progress finding Taki.”

  Victoria didn’t invite him in. “I frankly expected that to be by phone.”

  “Well, I was in the neighborhood.” Reese stepped into the doorway, intending to move the crone out of the way, if necessary. She took a hasty, unsteady step back, and he pushed inside.

  He took a long, hard look around the room. Nothing looked out of place or wrong. An almost empty fifth of Black Label Bourbon sat next to a full tumbler on the dining room table.

  Victoria, not Taki, drank Bourbon. Damn. Of course she wasn’t here.

  He moved into the tiny kitchen. Nothing.

  “We found where they’ve been keeping her,” Reese said, as he reentered the main room, hoping to catch Victoria off guard.

  She inclined her head slightly, but her eyes darted around the room as if uncertain where to focus. “Taki wasn’t there, I suppose,” she said finally.

  “No. We arrested a Hector Morales who works at the spa,” Reese said. “He was visiting the location.”

  “Hector?” Victoria repeated, as if she knew the personal trainer. She grabbed the tumbler and took a long drink. “Has he given you any useful information?”

  “Not yet,” Reese replied, wondering why Victoria needed a swig of booze to ask that question. How would Victoria know Hector?

  “But the FBI is expert at interrogation. We’ll learn something eventually.”

  “I’m sure you will, dear.”

  “Tell me, Victoria,” Reese said, glancing at Taki’s closed bedroom door, instantly reminded of the night he’d spent in her bed. “Did you know about a meeting Taki had with Bruce Mayhugh at Fairchild Gardens last Saturday morning?”

  “Fairchild? Delightful place. But no. Remember I drove to Little Palm Island on Saturday? I knew about the first meeting, of course.”

  “Oh, that’s right,” Reese muttered. Victoria was lying. He’d interviewed enough witnesses to know when someone hid the truth, and this old woman definitely knew more than she was saying. Just like the last time he’d talked to her.

  “What are you doing in Taki’s cottage, by the way?”

  “Looking for clues to her disappearance, of course.”

  “Any luck?” Reese asked. Maybe he’d look around for a few clues himself.

  “Nothing at all. Now, really, Reese, I must insist that you go. I’m quite exhausted and thought I’d take a nap.”

  “Right.” Taking his time on the way to the door, Reese gave Taki’s living room some final scrutiny. He had no logical reason to remain. Mrs. Van Buren had every right to expect him to leave.

  Victoria opened the door and swept grandly with her hand for him to pass through. “Do keep me informed of your progress, Reese.”

  “Sure,” Reese muttered, but paused on the threshold, convinced he shouldn’t go. Maybe he ought to search the entire cottage.

  At the sound of hundreds of tinkling bells, he turned toward Taki’s bedroom. The angel mobiles. What would cause them to take such noisy flight, like wild doves suddenly frightened to wing?

  * * *

  WHEN THE DOOR opened behind her Taki felt warm tears slide down her cheek. Reese had come to save her. Maybe her rotten karma was finally mended. If only she could do a simple spinal twist and turn to see his face...but her body refused to move.

  He knelt before her, a look of warm tenderness softening his features. She longed to caress his cheek as he reached behind her to release the gag.

  “Are you all right?” he asked, his voice husky.

  Taki nodded, unable to form words. Because she’d believed that he would rescue her, he had.

  “Say something,” he said as he loosened the bonds on her feet and hands.

  “It worked,” she whispered.

  Reese paused and glanced up. “What?”

  Their eyes met, and in that moment Taki knew he understood. He knew how special their bond was. Maybe not quite the same way she did, but he loved her. They belonged together forever.

  “I love you,” she said.

  He brushed her cheek with the gentle caress she’d longed to give him. “I love you.”

  “I can’t move,” she whispered. “Victoria gave me some kind of drug.”

  At the sound of an engine turning over, Reese glanced over Taki’s shoulder.

  “Victoria’s getting away,” he said.

  “I’ve learned running away is never a good idea,” Taki said, wishing she could lean forward and touch Reese’s lips. They loomed temptingly close, and she remembered their warm softness, their delightful ability to arouse her.

  Reese stood, gathering her in his arms. “I’m taking you to a hospital.”

  “Kiss me,” she whispered.

  “What?”

  “Kiss me first.”

  When his lips eagerly claimed hers, Taki knew that she was finally free of her past because she had a future.

  Two Weeks Later

  WHEN REESE’S SEDAN pulled into her driveway, Taki opened her eyes, terminating her meditation. She hadn’t been too deep in meditation, anyway, or she wouldn’t have heard the smooth purr of the Jaguar. She was working on forgiving her father—without much success. But she’d keep trying. Maybe someday.

  Reese had phoned her two hours earlier with the happy news of Romero’s conviction. Claudia and her detailed diary had convinced the jury.

  Taki watched from the doorway as he crossed the yard toward her wearing a huge grin. She still lived in Victoria’s cottage, giving the estate a lived-in look while Victoria was evaluated in the psychiatric ward at Jackson Hospital.

  “Congratulations, Counselor,” Taki said.

  Reese wrapped his arms around her and squeezed. “I feel great,” he said, lifting her from her feet and walking into the cottage. “We need to celebrate.”

  She reveled in his contagious happiness, loving the intimate contact between them. But they had a lot of intimate contact these days. Reese spent every night with her, insisting with a wicked leer that the angels gave
him luck—luck he needed for the trial. How could she argue with that? Apparently the angels had been successful.

  “How do you want to celebrate?” Taki asked when he placed her on her feet.

  Reese loosened his tie and pulled it from around his neck. “I’ll tell you later. First I’m going to change.” He nodded to her jeans and bulky sweater. “Get comfortable like you.”

  She followed him into the bedroom while he pulled his dress shirt from his pants. He flung his coat and tie across the bed and sat, pulling off his shoes and socks.

  She bit her bottom lip. Watching Reese undress never failed to excite her. Right now she especially liked watching the muscle ripple in his arms. She sat beside him on the bed.

  “I know of one way to celebrate,” she said.

  With his forearms on his knees, Reese grinned at her. She’d never seen him look sexier with bare feet, his dress shirt open, revealing a broad, muscled chest beneath a snug white T-shirt. She lay on the bed, extending her arms over her head and arching her chest.

  * * *

  REESE LAY BESIDE her, his head propped on a bent arm, studying her, the depth of his love for her surprising him, as it often did. How had he made it through each day before he knew her? She had changed his life in so many ways.

  “Brazen, aren’t you?” he said.

  “I can’t help myself.”

  “What if I have another celebration in mind?”

  A look of disappointment crossed her face. “What?”

  “Let’s get married tonight.”

  She sat up. “Married?”

  “At the Twenty-four Hour Church of Guru Navi.”

  Taki narrowed her eyes. “Are you making fun of Navi?”

  “Yes, but he doesn’t mind. He’s a notary in Florida, so it’s legal, and he’s agreed to marry us in the temple at 8:00 p.m. We have to wear some sort of white robes.”

  Eyes wide, she said, “You talked to Navi.”

  “He wanted to discuss the generous endowment that the Spencer Trust made to his charitable programs.”

  “Then the gifts are being made?”

  Reese nodded. “Just as you requested. Even my father and I are now communicating on a whole new level.”

  “Oh, that’s wonderful, Reese.”

  “I think he’s impressed that I gained your cooperation. But it’s going to take a long time to give away all your money, Miss Spencer.”

  “That’s not my name.”

  Reese pulled her down beside him and smoothed the hair from her face. “And your name is going to change again in two hours. Besides, it doesn’t matter what I call you. I want to marry the beautiful person that you are.” He placed his hand over her heart. “Inside.”

  “What a sweet thing to say,” she whispered.

  “It’s true. You know it.”

  “Yes.” When her eyes clouded, he knew she’d flashed to that awful morning with Victoria, who would probably spend the rest of her life in the state psychiatric hospital. He didn’t believe for a minute that the old lady was crazy, just greedy. Her actions had shown clear intent, not insanity. But Taki couldn’t bear the thought of her aging friend in a prison, so Reese had done what he could for Victoria.

  “I know it was cosmic vibrations that made the mobiles chime,” she said.

  “You’re certain it wasn’t a gust of wind? Your windows are always open.”

  She shook her head. “It wasn’t the wind.”

  He smiled at her. If she believed their love set off good vibrations, so did he. He’d let his instincts guide him in his search for her, and they had paid off. He’d live in her reality if he had to. Taki provided the meaning he’d always searched for in his life. Giving away her share of the Spencer money would help more people and right more wrongs than twenty years of public service ever could.

  “Besides,” she said, “you told me how you deliberately kept your thoughts about me positive while I was missing. That probably helped keep me alive.”

  “Whatever works,” he murmured, as he lowered his head to kiss her thoroughly.

  “So I’m to be Taki Beauchamps?” she said when he pulled back, as if trying the name out for the first time.

  “Has a nice ring to it, don’t you think? Speaking of rings...” Reese reached for his coat, pulled a small box from an inside pocket and presented it to her.

  Her hands trembled when he slid the diamond on her elegant finger. Reese smiled tenderly at the moisture in her blue eyes. If she wanted, Taki could possess the most extravagant jewels in the world, but he knew she was thrilled by this simple engagement ring.

  “As a symbol of our new beginning,” he said.

  * * * * *

  Keep reading for an excerpt from NAVY CHRISTMAS by Geri Krotow.

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  CHAPTER ONE

  Whidbey Island

  One week before Thanksgiving

  “MOM, MY EAR IS FINE. How much longer do we have to wait?”

  Serena Delgado looked up from the pair of socks she was knitting. Her six-year-old son Pepé’s brown eyes and earnest expression looked so much like his father’s it made her smile.

  A smile was a big improvement over the heart-crushing pain the thought of Philip used to bring.

  “Pepé, we have to be patient. I brought my new knitting project to keep me busy. Look, they’re the Army-green socks you asked for.”

  “Mom.”

  Pepé wasn’t impressed by her intricate stitches, or the fact that she was knitting both socks at once on her circular needles.

  “Are you that bored with your video game already?”

  “This waiting is taking a long time, Mom. I’d rather be playing soccer.”

  Serena checked her watch. She’d never attempted two-at-a-time socks before, and her absorption in the task must have been deeper than she’d realized.

  They’d been sitting in the pediatric waiting area of Naval Hospital Oak Harbor for forty-five minutes. Located on Naval Air Station or NAS Whidbey, it was the only military medical facility on the island.

  “Maybe you’re right, mi hijo. Let’s go see if we can find someone to help us. They may have lost our paperwork in the shuffle.”

  She stuffed the needle and yarn into her tote and grabbed each of their jackets. They walked past the empty reception area and Serena’s hunch that they’d been overlooked grew stronger. She knew patients weren’t supposed to enter the hallway where the examination rooms were located without a nurse or corpsman to escort them, but since it was a Friday afternoon, she’d take her chances. She was as eager as Pepé to start the weekend.

  The first few exam rooms were empty, lights out.

  “No one’s here, Mom,” Pepé whispered, as if they were going on a spy mission.

  “We’ll find somebody.”

  Light spilled from the room in front of them and Serena paused, her hand on Pepé’s shoulder. She didn’t want to barge in on someone else’s exam.

  Pepé stilled next to her and a conversation became clear.

  “This is crap, Doc, and you know it.” A deep voice filled with frustration rumbled from the room.

  “You’re back home,
Jonas. In case you haven’t noticed, there’s no battlefront here at NAS Whidbey.”

  Jonas.

  Serena’s spine stiffened. The one “Jonas” she knew of fit this scenario too well....

  “I’m putting you where the Navy needs you, and right now I need you in the regular pediatrics clinic for the next few weeks. You’ll treat the routine cases. When Petty Officer Reilly isn’t available, you’ll have to check in the patients, too. If you have any problems getting used to the system we’ve upgraded to, ask HM1 Reilly. I don’t think you will—it’s all pretty straightforward.”

  “I’m trained for so much more, Doc. At least put me in the E.R.”

  If this was the Jonas she had heard about—Jonas Scott—he had an awfully sexy voice. Nothing like his brother Paul’s, whom she’d met in person.

  “Mom, that’s Doc Franklin!” Pepé whispered his recognition of the second voice, but his excitement threatened to break his self-control. Besides being his beloved pediatrician, Doc Franklin shared the name of one of Pepé’s favorite heroes in American history. Pepé loved Dr. Benjamin Franklin, from the moment the Navy had assigned him to the family. Serena liked him, too, mostly for his easygoing manner with Pepé. She’d never heard this side of him, however. Military medical officers were more than doctors; they had to lead, too. And Jonas didn’t sound like he wanted direction from anyone.

  “Shh, we shouldn’t interrupt them.” Her lawyerly instincts seemed to vibrate as she did her best to ignore the twinge of guilt at admonishing Pepé. She was eavesdropping, pure and simple.

  But if Dr. Franklin was indeed speaking to Jonas Scott, the one man on Whidbey Island who could change Serena’s life, it behooved her to listen.

  Just a bit longer.

  “You can rotate through the E.R. as needed, but not until after the holidays. Peds isn’t always boring, Jonas. Right now, take advantage of being back from deployment. You weren’t even due to report to work until next week, after the Thanksgiving holiday.”

  “Sitting around my house isn’t a whole lot of fun.”