“Behave, Theo.”
“I don’t want to. Besides, you don’t want me to.”
“That’s beside the point,” she said while she applied a fresh coat to her lips.
“Are you as happy as I am?”
She shot him a glance that enveloped him in love. “I’m so happy I’m in pain. The kind that’s never going to go away.”
“We can be married in three weeks, Stella. I’ll arrange it with Hektor.”
Three weeks without being married sounded like an eternity. While Stella was wondering how she would last until then, the limo turned into Dax’s driveway. The boys were out in front throwing a ball. Ari waved goodbye to his friend and ran toward them.
“Mom!” He climbed inside next to Theo. “I didn’t know you were coming with Papa. This is great!”
“Your mother and I have a plan. I’ll tell the driver to run us to your house. Both of you grab some clothes for a sleepover and we’ll spend the night at my house. Though you’ve seen it, your mother hasn’t.”
“Goody! Will we go to class from there?”
Theo nodded. “Tell me what you and Dax did this morning.”
Stella scarcely listened. Too much excitement over the news they had to tell Ari made her restless. Not only that, she couldn’t wait to see Theo’s house.
While they were at class, she had a wedding to plan. Rachel would help her. She’d include Elani, too. In fact she’d call them both tonight. It would be a joyous time for all of them.
“Stella?” Theo whispered. “What’s going on inside that lovely head of yours?” She blinked to realize they were in front of the villa.
“Ari’s gone in to get his things.”
“I need to get mine, too.”
“Just a minute.” He pressed a deep kiss to her mouth. “Tell me you’re not having second thoughts. I couldn’t handle it.”
“Hush, Theo.” She kissed him back passionately. “Actually I was thinking of Rachel and how excited she’ll be to help me plan our wedding.”
“I’m looking forward to meeting her.”
“You’ll love her.”
He kissed her temple. “Do you want me to come in while you get your things?”
“No. It’ll only take me a minute.”
“Hurry!”
“I promise.”
He helped her out. She passed Ari in the foyer with his backpack. “I’ll be right out, honey.” All she needed were some toiletries, a change of clothes and a nightgown.
While she was putting everything in her overnight bag, Iola came in her bedroom. “Where are you going?”
She closed the lid. “To Theo’s. I’m not sure when we’ll be home. It might be a few days.”
“Are you sure you know what you’re doing?”
“Absolutely. Iola, you might as well know first. We’re back together for good. In fact we’re getting married in three weeks.”
Her eyes filled with tears before she broke down with happy sobs. Stella gave her a hug. “You’ll have to help me with the wedding plans.”
Iola finally pulled herself together. “Before I forget, Rachel wants you to call her right away. She says it’s an emergency.”
“Thanks for telling me. I’ll phone her.”
“Good.”
After she walked out, Stella reached for her phone. She’d purposely turned off the ringer while she’d gone to Theo’s office. Much as she’d like to put off this call, she couldn’t, but with Ari and Theo outside waiting for her, she’d make this fast.
It barely started to ring when Rachel answered. “Stella?”
“Hi. What’s wrong?”
“If you have to ask me that question, then you don’t know.”
Her heart picked up speed. “Know what?”
After a silence. “I hope you’re sitting down.”
Stella stood there unable to move. “If this is about Theo, I don’t want to hear it.”
“You have to hear it, Stella.” She heard tears in Rachel’s voice.
“Then tell me.”
“Nikos has brought a full-blown lawsuit against Theo for misrepresenting who he is and taking advantage of you. The case is set for tomorrow morning. He expects the family to be there for support. I told him I wouldn’t have anything to do with it. Stasio’s in shock that Nikos has carried it this far.”
“I am, too,” she murmured. It meant Theo had been aware of the court date for some time now, but he’d never let on.
“Stella?”
“I have to go now.”
“Are you all right?” Rachel sounded frantic.
“No. I have to talk to Theo. Tell Stasio I’ll call him later.”
She hung up feeling so ill she didn’t know if she’d survive another second. For her brother to do this at the height of her happiness made him sound unbalanced. In a panic, she rushed downstairs and out the front entrance to the car.
Theo opened the limo door and gave her a squeeze around the waist. “We thought you were never coming.”
Avoiding his eyes she said, “I had a phone call that detained me. Before we go anywhere, I need to talk to you alone.”
She lowered her head to look at Ari. “Honey? There’s something I have to discuss with your father in private. It will only take a minute. Would you mind running inside the house? I’ll let you know when we’re finished.”
He could tell she was serious. His happy expression faded. “Okay.” He slid out of the limo leaving his pack behind and raced up the porch steps into the house.
Stella climbed inside and sat opposite Theo. He sat back, studying her features. She saw nothing but love in those dark eyes.
“Rachel just phoned me. I’ve been told Nikos has brought a lawsuit against you and you have to appear in court tomorrow. Is it true?”
She thought he paled. “Yes.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because I wanted to put the past behind us.”
“I don’t understand my brother. There’s something really wrong with him.”
“Let me worry about it.”
“How can you be so calm? Were you planning to go to court without me?”
“Yes. I don’t want you there.”
“I’ve just told you I’ll marry you. You think I’d let you walk into a courtroom alone after what we’ve been through in the last six years?”
“You can’t come, Stella. I won’t let you. The court session shouldn’t take long. I’ll be back soon enough.”
Stella decided not to argue with him. After he left for court, she’d take Ari to Dax’s house and slip into the courtroom. Theo wouldn’t be able to do anything about it then.
“All right.”
He kissed her hard on the mouth. “I’ll go in and get Ari now.”
“Third district court is now in session. The Most Honorable Judge Antonias Christopheles presiding.”
“You may be seated,” the judge said, looking out at the crowd assembled.
Besides Theo’s entire family, including Hecktor, half of the closed-session courtroom was filled with witnesses Nestor had lined up. The other half of the room was conspicuously empty. Nikos sat at the table with his attorney, but just as the judge began to speak, Stella slipped inside the back and sat down next to Stasio.
Theo hadn’t wanted her anywhere near here, but there wasn’t anything he could do about it now.
“There are several charges laid before the court this Wednesday, the eighteenth of June by Nikos Athas against Theo Pantheras for unduly manipulating and coercing Stella Athas against her will. Mr. Pantheras, in turn, has laid countercharges against Nikos Athas.
“The first is to ascertain if Nikos Athas intended to murder Theo Pantheras on July 6, six years ago.
“The second is to discover if he set fire to the Pantheras Taverna in Paloukia on the night of July 1.
“The third is to discover if he caused an accident to Spiro Pantheras while he was riding his motor scooter the night of June 27.
“The fourth is to learn if he threatened the lives of the Pantheras family on repeated occasions by telephone calls from June 2 until July 6.”
“The fifth is to learn if he tried to bribe Theo Pantheras with ten thousand dollars to leave his sister alone.”
With each count, Theo watched Stella’s head drop a little lower. He’d warned her not to come. This part was going to devastate her.
“Mr. Paulos, if you’ll make your opening statement, please.”
Theo watched the burly-looking attorney take the floor. “Thank you, Your Honor. My client has been forced to respond to these totally false allegations without having been given adequate preparation time.”
“I’m aware of that. However, may I remind you this is only a show-cause hearing to determine if this case warrants a full jury trial. Please go ahead.”
“Thank you.” He cleared his throat. “Athas Shipping Lines is one of Greece’s greatest resources. I don’t need to tell the court of Nikos Athas’s extraordinary talents as one of our Olympians. Their father filled one of the highest positions in our government.
“To think Nikos could perpetrate such crimes is beyond the imagination of this counsel and I dare say this country. I consider it a crime to waste this court’s time, Your Honor. If opposing counsel can produce one shred of evidence to the contrary, then let him speak.”
The judge nodded. “Mr. Georgeles? If you’ll approach the bench.”
Nestor patted Theo’s arm before getting to his feet. “If Your Honor will look at Exhibit A, I’ll ask the physician, Dr. Vlasius, who attended Mr. Pantheras in the E.R. at Salamis Hospital on the night of July 6 to explain. He’s on the board there now.”
“Step forward, Doctor, and be sworn in.”
Once that was accomplished, Nestor began. “Dr. Vlasius, would you tell us about these X-rays, please.”
“Certainly. These show the injuries to Mr. Theo Pantheras, the nineteen-year-old man brought in by his friends. When he was beaten up on his way home and left for dead, it revealed that the bones in his lower legs, arms and hands had been broken by a pipe. The type of weapon used has been corroborated by the police. His face was smashed in. He resided in the hospital six weeks while his bones healed and reconstructive surgery was done on his face and nose.”
A feminine cry came from across the aisle. Stella’s.
“Thank you, Dr. Vlasius. If you’d be seated, I’d like to call on Damon Arabos, Theo’s closest friend who brought him in to the hospital.”
Again Theo could tell Stella was stunned to see him walk to the bench. He’d been Theo’s sidekick through high school. He was a tease who’d made everyone laugh.
As soon as he was sworn in, Nestor began. “Did you witness this attack on him?”
“Only at the end.”
“Did you recognize who did it?”
“There were five men bent over him. I got some of our friends and we started to attack them. They ran away and got in a van. One of our friends took down the license plate. The police traced it to a man who works at the docks for Athas Shipping Lines named Yanni Souvalis, but he suddenly didn’t show up for work anymore.”
“Thank you, Mr. Arabos. You may be seated. Now I’d like to call Alena Callas to the bench to be sworn in. She works at the telephone company in their records department and has gathered some evidence useful to this case which I’ve submitted under Exhibit B.”
This was the part Theo had been waiting for. It was the paper trails that would bring Nikos down.
“Mrs. Callas, would you tell the court the nature of Exhibit B.”
“Yes. These represent the phone logs of the dates between June 2 and July 6. Nine phone calls in all. They originated from the private phone of Mr. Nikos Athas. All calls were made to the Pantheras Taverna on Salamis Island.”
“Were they long phone calls?”
“Each one was different, but none of them were longer than forty-five seconds.”
“Thank you. You can be seated. I’d like to call Mr. Bion as my next witness.”
“I object, Your Honor!” Mr. Paulos blurted.
“Objection overruled. I’m here to listen to the evidence. Please make it short, Mr. Georgeles.”
“Yes, Your Honor.”
Theo couldn’t see Nikos’s face. He was huddled behind the desk with his attorney.
“Mr. Bion? Please tell the court who you are.”
“I’m the battalion commander for the Paloukia Fire Department.”
“Were you witness to a fire at the Pantheras Taverna on the night of July 1?”
“Yes, sir. Of course, then I had just joined the department.”
“Tell us what you discovered at the fire?”
“It was an arson case. A chemical was used that the police traced to Athas Shipping Lines. Only a few companies use it.”
“So it could have come from another shipping line?”
“Not at that time, no.”
“Thank you. You can be seated. I’d now like to call Mr. Spiro Pantheras to the stand.”
Spiro winked at Theo on his way to the bench.
“Tell the court who you are, please.”
“I’m Spiro Pantheras, Theo’s older brother.”
“I understand you met with an accident on your motor scooter on the night of June 27 near the taverna.”
“That’s correct.”
“Can you tell us what happened.”
“I was on my way home from the store when I heard a car rev behind me. I moved to the right to get out of the way, but it followed me and sideswiped me, knocking me off my scooter.”
“Did you see the car?”
“Only the tail end of it before it rounded the corner. It was the latest model black Ferrari with local license plates.”
“Were you hospitalized?”
“No, but because of the threatening phone calls to my parents at the taverna, I called the police to report it. You have a copy of the police case.”
“Did anything happen as a result?”
“No.”
“Thank you very much. You may step down.” Nestor turned to the judge. “Your Honor? If you’ll look at Exhibit C, I’ve provided a list of every new Ferrari sold within that twelve-month period in Athens. Two could be accounted for. One belonged to the deputy prime minister, the other to Nikos Athas. For my final witness today, I call Theo Pantheras to the stand.”
This was it, but Theo felt no joy having to expose her brother this way in front of her. After he was sworn in, Nestor said, “Mr. Pantheras, please tell the court in your own words the happenings during that month leading to your hospitalization.”
He took a deep breath and leveled his gaze on Stella. “I committed the crime of falling in love with Stella Athas when she was sixteen and I, eighteen. Her family didn’t approve of me and we both knew it, so we had to be creative how we could be together.
“I knew Nikos Athas didn’t like me, but I didn’t realize he’d go so far as to harass me and my family so I’d stay away from her. One night he followed me home from church. On the way he offered me ten thousand dollars to get out of Stella’s life and stay out.
“I told him what he could do with his money and took off. Later that week we received threatening phone calls from him, then the taverna was set on fire. After Spiro’s accident I realized Nikos was serious. On the last phone call I received from him, he said that if I didn’t break up with Stella, he would injure my parents until I didn’t recognize them.
“I had to believe him, so I called Stella and told her we were getting married. I’d meet her at the church, but I was beaten up outside in the car park. It was clear Nikos wasn’t about to let the Pantheras family merge with his on any level, not even to letting me claim my rights as a father.
“After I got out of the hospital, I left for New York to begin carving out a career for myself. Since then I’ve returned to Greece and have been with Stella and my son Ari.”
Nestor smiled at Theo. “Thank you, Mr. Pantheras. You ma
y step down.” Theo went back to his seat behind the desk. “Your Honor, I turn the time back over to Mr. Paulos.”
“Mr. Paulos?” the judge asked. “Do you wish to cross-examine?”
“Not at this time, Your Honor.”
“What can he say?” Nestor whispered to Theo. “There is no rebuttal to the case we just presented. His case has fallen apart.”
Theo agreed. Nikos had already hung himself.
“After hearing the proceedings of this case, I plan for this to go to a full jury trial which is set for September 13. Bail on Nikos Athas is set at ten million dollars. You will not be allowed to leave the country.”
Nikos exploded. “You can’t keep me here! I live in Switzerland!”
“One more outburst, Mr. Athas, and I’ll have the sergeant-at-arms restrain you. This session is dismissed until September 13 at 9:00 a.m.” He pounded his gavel and left the courtroom.
The family swarmed around Theo. This was a day they’d needed for closure. Everyone wept. When Theo eventually stood up to find Stella, he discovered she had gone. The emptiness in his heart threatened to swallow him whole. Charging her brother with attempted murder wasn’t something easy to forgive. He would treasure the memories of the last few weeks with her and Ari, but they might be all he’d ever have.
CHAPTER NINE
STELLA left the courtroom and raced to the villa ahead of everyone. “Iola?” she cried out the second she entered the house.
“I’m here.” The housekeeper came running. “What’s wrong?”
“Wait right here.” She dashed up the stairs to get the letter Theo had sent her. When she came down again she said, “I’m going to show you something. I want you to think back very hard to the time when Theo didn’t come to the church for me.”
The older woman frowned. “I’ll never forget it as long as I live.”
No one would forget. “I want you to take a look at this envelope. Read everything on the front. The date is from six years ago.” She handed it to her.
Iola studied it for an overly long moment without lifting her eyes.
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