The South Beach Search Page 20

  After about an hour, she pulled off her sweatshirt and tied it around her waist. Thirty minutes later she found a flat stone and sat down to rest. To think.

  She opened her thermos and poured steaming mint tea into the top. What was Reese doing right now? Did he ever think about her? With a sharp stab of guilt, she knew he thought of her often, and thinking about her caused him pain.

  Why hadn’t she fled? She should have left Monday morning, but for the first time she didn’t want to relocate.

  Maybe she finally had to face the consequences, deal with the howling Spencer beast. A chill ran up both arms at the thought of dealing with her father. Her stomach churned when she pictured his face.

  She wasn’t ready.

  Cupping her fingers around the warm cup, she took a sip of tea.

  She knew why she’d stayed. She wanted to heal Reese.

  So what did her soul mate want more than anything? Other than to put his Romero bad guy in jail, she didn’t really know. And how could she help with his work? She couldn’t. Setting her tea aside, she stretched both arms over her head, reaching for the treetops. Surely Reese needed something besides punishing criminals. Did he ever venture into the natural world for solace? He was so driven, she doubted if he ever took the time.

  How could she figure out what Reese wanted when she wasn’t even sure what she wanted anymore?

  What are you really afraid of?

  She shivered as she remembered his last words to her. He thought her afraid, a coward. She wasn’t a coward. Hadn’t she lived on the edge of society for years without any money, barely eking out a living? If she was afraid of anything, it was of allowing herself to be sucked back into her father’s world of mindless greed.

  So was she afraid of her father? Was she weak? Afraid to stand her ground?

  What was she afraid of? Of loving Reese?

  Taki came to her feet. Her mind remained in turmoil. How could she make a decision when she couldn’t think straight? The peace of the natural world hadn’t worked this time. Nothing worked.

  She’d talk to Navi first, but maybe, just maybe, it was time to stand and fight.

  * * *

  AT 10:00 P.M. WEDNESDAY night Reese lay stretched out on his sofa, remote in hand, hoping a mind-numbing television show would lull him to sleep. The plan wasn’t working, and for sure this old sitcom wasn’t funny. He needed sleep, desperately needed sleep, but his mind wouldn’t shut down. His brain kept rolling an endless loop of his last conversation with Taki.

  No matter how many times he went over it and all their previous contacts, he couldn’t make any sense of her. She put him in the same category as her father. What had he done to make her distrust him?

  His eyes were too damn tired to focus on the printed page, so work was no longer an option tonight. Of course the FBI hadn’t found Claudia. “Like a needle in a haystack,” Javi kept telling him, but he didn’t want clichés.

  Reese was beginning to think his witness might be dead, that Romero had found her. Just one more thing that kept him up at night.

  He raised the remote to switch the channel when his cell phone rang.

  He checked the display—Unavailable. After a pause—thinking of Taki, but, shit, when wasn’t he thinking about Taki?—he answered.

  “Is that you, Reese?” a hesitant feminine voice asked. Not Taki’s.

  “Claudia?” Reese demanded.

  “Yes.”

  He sat up. “Where are you?”

  “That’s not important.”

  “The hell it isn’t. Are you all right?”

  “I’m fine. That’s why I’m calling, to let you know I’m okay.”

  “Damn, Claudia, I thought Carlos had found you and—”

  “We have to make this quick. Sorry, but I have to do this my way. The Herald says his trial is on for Monday. Is that correct?”

  “Yes.” Reese ran a hand through his hair. Claudia. Thank God she’s alive.

  “Will you need me?”

  “No. Jury selection begins Monday. That should take a week at least. Then opening statements.”

  “When will you know?”

  Reese got up and began to pace, thinking hard. “Now that I know you’re still alive, I can finalize my witness list, decide the lineup.”

  “I’ll call you back on Friday afternoon.”

  “Claudia, wait.”

  “No. Your phone could have a tap. I’ve got to disconnect in thirty seconds.”

  “My phone is fine. Please don’t hang up. I need to—”

  “Friday, at 4:00 p.m. I’ll call the pay phone at the coffee shop across the street from your office. Be there.”

  “No, Claudia—”

  The line went dead.

  Resisting the urge to throw his phone across the room, Reese punched in Javi’s number.

  “I just heard from Claudia Romero,” he told the agent. “She’s still willing to testify.”

  “Where is she?”

  “No clue. She’ll get back in touch with me Friday.”

  “Cutting it close,” Javi said. “Apparently she doesn’t trust you.”

  “Apparently not. Anyway, call off the hounds. There’s no point in looking for her anymore.”

  “Got it.”

  Stung by the thought of another woman who didn’t trust him, Reese disconnected and went to his kitchen to brew some of Taki’s valerian tea. Maybe Claudia was alive, but he’d still lost Taki. Where had Taki run off to this time?

  No. Her name was Kim.

  It didn’t hurt so much when he remembered her name was Kim.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  TAKI PAUSED IN the entryway of the ashram’s circular meditation room, her gaze drawn through floor-to-ceiling arched windows to the endless turquoise ocean beyond. Sunlight streamed through the skylight in the domed white ceiling, illuminating flecks of dust on its path to create a halo on the white tile.

  There were no corners to this room, nowhere that she could hide from her thoughts. The soothing quiet settled a much-needed blanket of peace over her.

  Thankful she had come, she slipped off her sandals and padded barefoot into the deserted room. Removing shoes was symbolic of leaving the weight of the outside world behind, and that’s exactly what she needed to do.

  She’d found the refuge she sought.

  Navi might come to visit her, but his aide could make no promises. Her teacher was weak from his fast and needed rest. Unsure if she even wanted to speak to him, Taki believed the tranquility of Navi’s temple would help her decide.

  She approached a small wooden altar where one white candle burned evenly inside its glass holder. She knelt and focused on the steady flame. The room was so still she could feel her heart beating inside her chest.

  She evened the rhythm of her breath and tried to think only of joy and light, of peace and harmony and...

  Instead she thought of the angry look on Reese’s face when he had stomped out of her life four days ago.

  She drew a long, shaky inhalation. She missed him. She wanted to see him again. She needed to undo the hurt she had caused.

  She released her breath in an unhurried flow and attempted to focus her scattered thoughts. Here in this place of serenity she must decide. Should she remain in Miami or keep running? Should she allow the Trust to force her into actions she didn’t want to take? Victoria insisted her father would never stop looking for her.

  Over and over her thoughts tumbled, always arriving at the same conclusion. If she wanted to see Reese again, she would have to remain in Miami and deal with her father. Of course, it would serve him right if his precious billions disintegrated...dissipated like the people who had been sickened by the chemicals in the drinking water beneath their town.

  He
r natural inclination was to run, so maybe this time she would stay and see the journey through. Or was remaining what she had done in previous lifetimes? Maybe this was the time she should run. So what if the lawyers had found her. She could easily elude them again. She had been doing that for years.

  Guru Navi’s thin body loomed between Taki and the candle on which she focused, interrupting her disorganized musings. She smiled up at him, glad after all for the opportunity to speak with her teacher.

  “Ah...Taki,” he said, as if he’d just spotted a rare species of bird. “You honor us with your presence.”

  “Navi,” Taki said with a slight bow.

  Her teacher bowed in return and knelt so that they were eye to eye. “We haven’t seen you in many days.”

  Taki lowered her gaze. “No.”

  “You return to us troubled, my child.”

  Glancing up, Taki examined Navi’s gaunt, bearded face. One reason she trusted him was because he had always sensed when she was dispirited. “I have been unable to recover the Bowl of Tara Shanti.”

  Navi closed his eyes and remained silent for a moment. “But you have tried?”

  “Very hard.”

  He opened his eyes. “Have you meditated and looked inward?”

  “Until I’m almost comatose.”

  “I see.” Navi shrugged, his thin lips curving up at her words. “The path to take is not always clear.”

  “Gee, thanks,” she muttered. “But I already knew that.”

  Brown eyes twinkling, Navi smiled broadly, his small teeth appearing in the curly mass of his full gray beard. “Ah, Taki. You always want me to tell you precisely what to do, to clear the path for you. My child, you must do the work yourself.”

  “But I’ve done the work. Didn’t I travel all the way to Tibet to locate the bowl as you instructed?”

  He turned his palms heavenward in a questioning gesture. “Do I have the bowl?”

  She sighed. “Of course not. You know it was stolen.”

  “Everything happens in the universe for a purpose.”

  “I know, but—”

  “You must discover your own wisdom within.”

  “And the key to wisdom depends on my desire to know, how hard I’m willing to work. I remember.” Navi had emphasized this lecture so often, she’d all but memorized it. “And I shouldn’t get attached. But how can I not be attached to finding the bowl?”

  “Actually, the bowl is the key,” Navi said, stroking his beard. “But it is only a symbol and will provide the answers to all your questions.”

  “Then I should remain in Miami?” She leaned forward, hoping Navi would just come right out and tell her what action to take. “I should continue to search?”

  “You must discover your own path to the light.” Placing his hands in prayer position, he bowed again. “Look deeply into your heart, my little seeker, and search for the answer there.”

  “But my heart is damaged.” She settled back on her heels. “My heart refuses to provide me with a solution.”

  “How has your heart been damaged?”

  She bowed her head. “By my own actions.”

  The temple remained quiet for a moment before Navi spoke again. “Is the missing bowl the sole source of your distress, my child?”

  “No,” Taki admitted. “I have other...worries.”

  Navi stared at her solemnly, waiting for her to continue.

  “I have injured someone, someone I care about.”

  “No physical harm, I trust?”

  “No. Much worse than that.”

  “Ah. Then his heart is also damaged?”

  Wondering how Navi had guessed the party she had injured was a male, she nodded. “I think so. Yes, I know so.”

  “So. You must repair the damage. You must give him what he needs.”

  “I don’t know what he needs,” Taki whispered, thinking she didn’t even know what she needed.

  “Of course you do.”

  “I do?”

  “Remember, my child, when one door closes, another always opens.” With an enigmatic smile, Navi rose, bowed to the altar and withdrew from his temple.

  Taki’s gaze shifted to the endless horizon of the Atlantic Ocean before her. How was she supposed to unravel the mystery behind Navi’s words? She could interpret them a thousand different ways.

  Navi thinks I know what Reese needs? What does he—

  The briefcase. Of course!

  As she watched long green swells break into foamy white waves, she remembered Reese’s missing case and the important papers it contained. Reese definitely needed—wanted that briefcase.

  Everything happens for a purpose. She came to her feet and moved closer to the windows as she recalled Navi’s words. She’d said as much to Reese a week or so ago. Maybe her bowl had been stolen so that she could help him find his property. She nodded, that’s what she’d thought all along, but had gotten sidetracked by her desire for his body.

  “Taki.”

  She turned and found Crystal, manager of the ashram’s bookstore, eyeglasses balanced on the tip of her long nose. “Yes, Crystal?”

  She bowed. “I apologize for disturbing your meditation, but there is a phone call for you in the office. They insist it is a matter of some urgency.”

  * * *

  FRIDAY AFTERNOON, REESE stood when Joanne showed a Mr. David Winslow into his office, an appointment his boss insisted he make time for. He reached over his desk to shake the man’s hand, annoyed by the interruption, but guessing Winslow to be approximately his age. The dark-headed man carried a handsome leather briefcase, was dressed in a hand-tailored black suit and appeared polished from his gray silk tie to the tips of his Italian loafers.

  “What can I do for you, Mr. Winslow?” Reese asked.

  Mr. Winslow handed Reese a card. “I understand you know Kimberly Spencer.”

  Reese tensed. He’d banished Taki from his thoughts, but Winslow’s question brought her back with a physical pang. Taki had blown town days ago and was removed from his life forever.

  Just not his memory. Never his memory.

  Reese glanced at the card, and the Spencer Trust logo leaped out at him. He glanced back up. David Winslow, Esq. was here on behalf of the Spencer Trust.

  Winslow pulled a file from his briefcase. “Our investigators traced Ms. Spencer to an address on Miami Beach. Your car has been videoed there, remaining all night on at least one occasion.”

  “Is that so?” he said.

  “Yes, that’s so. She’s going by the name of—” Winslow consulted his notes “—ah, yes, Taki. She teaches yoga at SoBe Spa, where you’re a member. Your cars were broken into on February 3 and—”

  “Enough.” Reese held up his hand. “Very thorough.”

  What was this about? In the five days since he’d learned her identity, he’d used every trick he knew of to not think about her. Without much success. But the Romero trial would begin on Monday. He had no time for anything but that.

  “Why are you here, Mr. Winslow?” Reese demanded.

  “We want you to talk to her.” He sat back. “Bring her in, so to speak.”

  “Bring her in?” Reese gripped his pen again. Was Taki still in Miami? “You make it sound like she’s a criminal.”

  Winslow shrugged. “She’s skittish. At the very least we need her to sign documents so we can make crucial decisions about the Trust’s investments.”

  “Why do you need her signature?”

  “On Kim’s twenty-first birthday, she became an equal partner with her father per the terms of Old Lady Spencer’s will. The board can’t do much without Kim’s approval. Opportunities are being missed.”

  “Taki doesn’t care about those opportunities.”

  “What
does she care about? You, Mr. Beauchamps?”

  “That’s none of the Trust’s business.” Reese stood, and the chair rolled back furiously with the abrupt motion. He stepped across the room to the window to where the aqua waters of Biscayne Bay glittered in the sun below. Thankfully, Winslow remained silent.

  Hands jammed deeply in his pockets, Reese faced Winslow again. “Taki cares about her karma. When you figure out what that means, let me know.”

  The Spencer Trust attorney eyed him thoughtfully. “Don’t you think it would be easier for her if you handled the initial negotiations? She knows we know...that she knows we...” Shaking his head, Winslow said, “This covert nonsense gets crazy after a while, but I think she’s waiting for us to make the first move. Or anyway, she hasn’t fled the area yet.”

  “Good luck,” Reese muttered. Reese turned and stared at the endless expanse of water before him, his gaze traveling to Miami Beach. Why hadn’t Taki left? “I don’t have time to fool around with estate planning. I’m picking a jury for an important trial on Monday.”

  “Mr. Spencer would very much appreciate you smoothing the way for Kim, and he can show his appreciation in a number of ways. He can also show his displeasure. I think Ms. Lettino agrees with us.”

  Reese sighed. His boss knew about Taki? Probably more than he did. But he knew Cynthia wouldn’t cave to political pressure.

  “If you want my help, I want all the information you have on Taki—Kim, before I decide. I want to see a complete report on her history.”

  Winslow considered his demand and nodded. “A lot is public record, anyway. You’ll have the relevant files on your desk by five o’clock. I look forward to hearing from you.”

  When Winslow had left, Reese folded his arms and stared at the horizon before him, resenting this time suck. He didn’t have time for Taki and her inheritance problems. He had a terrorist to put away for life and an excellent chance now to accomplish that goal. He glanced at his watch. Claudia would be calling in an hour.

  From the gist of their conversation on Wednesday, she still intended to testify. Would she want to review her journal before her stint on the witness stand? Should he remove it from the evidence vault? No, he couldn’t take that chance. With the journal to substantiate Claudia’s live testimony, his case against Romero was a lock.