Chasing Adonis (8 page)

Shane pushed the down button. “And I suppose it’s different
in Cyprus?”

“Where I come from, we do not measure time in hours or
minutes. We measure in every breath and in every heartbeat. My compatriots and
I know how quickly someone can be taken from us, and how interminable the wait
is until we might be reunited. Therefore, we live our lives to the fullest,
relishing the joys, nursing the sorrows, and savoring every moment in between.”

“I’m happy for you,” Shane remarked as the elevator doors
slid open, and they both stepped inside.

~~~~

“How do you know Adara Berros?”

Shane had set Pha up in Interrogation Room One, a cell about
the size of a walk-in closet with a battered metal desk and two folding chairs
in the center. A two-way mirror monopolized the wall facing “the accused.”

“She and I are betrothed.”

While Shane jotted notes, Pha’s eyes briefly flicked to the
mirror. Did he know that someone stood on the other side, watching them?

If he did, his expression never changed. He looked almost
bored with the proceedings as he flicked a piece of imaginary lint off his
pristine linen lapel. How the man could wear such an outfit in this heat
escaped Shane’s masculine logic. Not only did it look too formal for an
eighty-five-degree day in September, the sandy white jacket and dark pink shirt
resembled an outfit in his mother’s closet.

If any officer in the precinct had dared to show up in
something like that, he’d have to be tough enough to bear some old-fashioned
ribbing. Statements like, “Nice suit. Does it come in a men’s?” would echo in
his ears all day long.

Pha, however, seemed completely at ease with himself and his
wardrobe choice. He was either supremely confident or supremely color-blind.
Shane hadn’t quite figured out which yet. 

He leaned forward, intent on catching the look of surprise
on his suspect’s face with the next set of questions. “Suppose I were to tell
you that Adara claims to have never met you before she awakened in the hospital
this afternoon and found you seated at her bedside.”

Damn. No change in facial expression at all. He had to
admit, this guy was good. “I would say that she is telling the truth,
Detective.”

“Well, now, correct me if I’m wrong, Mr. Pha, but wouldn’t
Adara have to know you and agree to marry you before you could claim to be
betrothed?”

“In my homeland, it is quite customary for a woman to find
herself betrothed without her knowledge or consent.” Pha pushed the broken down
chair away from the desk and crossed his legs—at the ankles.

Shane made a quick note of the ultra-feminine posture, but
didn’t draw attention to it. “And do you approve of such things?”

“It is not necessary for me to approve or disapprove,
Detective. These traditions go back thousands of years, to the early days of
earth’s civilizations. It has been my experience that many beautiful women are
seduced into love by nefarious means, by men who are not what they seem to be.
Even here in your ‘civilized’ country, there are women who fall prey to a man’s
lies and deceit.

“That sort of trickery will never befall Adara. She knows my
feelings are genuine. From the moment of our first meeting, I gave her nothing
but my sincere adoration and honesty.”

“Yeah, right. And I’m the Pope.”

“You may not believe me, but I have loved Adara since her birth,
and I will love her until Apollo’s chariot halts its revolutions around the
earth. When you are nothing but a memory, I shall still reside in my true
love’s heart.”

For some odd reason, the very thought left a bitter taste in
Shane’s mouth. Still he kept his disgust masked behind a veneer of nonchalance.
“Uh-huh. Do you drink to excess often, Mr. Pha?”

“Drink? Do you mean the juice of the vine?” He waved a hand
before his face, another feminine action. It only added to the willies parading
down Shane’s spine. “No. I have no need for such libations.”

Now for the Double Jeopardy round. Shane looked up from his
pad in time to see the man blow a kiss to the mirror, a sly grin on his face.
“What do you think you’re doing?”

“The ladies behind the glass there keep using this gesture.”
He pressed his fingertips to his lips again. “I felt it only polite to respond
in kind.”

What the hell
? “Excuse me.”

Shane kept his temper in check, resisting the strong
temptation to send his chair clattering to the floor in the hope of gaining
some kind of reaction out of this character. With quiet dignity, he left the
room, and strode to the entrance next door. A quick knob twist and urgent push
later, he found himself in a room swarming with swooning females.

“Oh my God, isn’t he the most gorgeous thing you’ve ever
seen?” Andrea Parkins blew a kiss to the man on the other side of the two-way
mirror, and damned if Pha didn’t imitate the action.

“Makes me wish I hadn’t married Angelo,” an older heavy-set
woman agreed with a giggle. “If I’d known someone like this would come along, I
might have postponed the wedding for forty years.”

“Do you think there are more like him in Cyprus?” another
chimed in.

“I don’t know,” Andrea replied. “But I’m gonna find out. I’m
Googling travel sites on my lunch hour and booking a flight.”

Shane’s temper exploded. “What the hell are you all doing in
here? Out! Get out!” He grabbed Andrea’s arm as she shuffled past. “Where’s
Lou?”

“Who?”

“Lou Gennaro. I asked Lou to be in here while I interrogated
that guy.”

She giggled. “For all I know, he’s somewhere in the crowd.
But if it’s witnesses you’re worried about, you’ve got more than enough. We’ll
all testify he’s innocent as a newborn babe, won’t we, ladies?”

A chorus of “Mmm-hmm,” erupted from the gaggle of females
leaving the room.

Good Lord, there had to be two dozen women in here.

“Oh, he’s a babe, all right,” a husky voice called out from
the crowd.

No, it couldn’t be. But as her face came into view, he knew
it could be, and it was. Rachel Stewart!

“Don’t tell Jake I was here,” she whispered in Shane’s ear
as she floated out into the hallway. “I was supposed to meet him for lunch.”

In utter defeat, Shane returned to Interrogation Room One.
“You’re free to go for now, Mr. Pha. But you may need to make yourself
available to other detectives in the future.”

“Ah, yes.” Pha rose to his feet and brushed imaginary dust
off his slacks. “How do you say it in your American movies? ‘Don’t leave the
country.’ Never fear, Detective. Since I am beholden to Adara, you will always
know where to find me.”

Shane shook his head as he followed. That was exactly what
worried him.

Chapter Seven

Shane caught up to Pha in the hallway and took his arm.
“Come on. I’ll take you home.”

“Really, Detective.” Pha shook himself free and glared at
Shane as if he were a buzzing mosquito. “That won’t be necessary, I assure
you.”

“It’s procedure. I brought you here; I have to bring you
home.”

“I’m not going home. I am returning to the hospital.”

Adara. The bastard intended to continue hovering over her,
maybe even threatening her. “Great. I need to question Adara again anyway.”

Pha stared at him with fathomless eyes. “Do you normally
investigate automobile accidents so thoroughly, Detective Griffin?”

Shane gave back glare for glare. “I put the same amount of
diligence into all my cases, Mr. Pha. After fifteen years on the force, I’ve
learned that what’s on the surface often belies the truth hidden below.”

Jeez, now he’s got me talking in his stilted way.

“Mr. Pha!” a feminine voice called out from behind them.
“Yoo-hoo, Mr. Pha?”

Becky. Running down the front steps as quickly as the
ridiculous heels she’d strapped on her feet allowed. And was that makeup on her
face? What the hell?

“Mr. Pha, I just wanted to say hello. I’m Becky Forrester. I
was the 911 operator who took your call this morning.”

“Miss Forrester,” Pha intoned as he lifted her outstretched
hand to his lips. “I cannot thank you enough for your invaluable assistance at
a time when I needed it most.”

She actually batted her lashes and emitted a high-pitched
giggle. Shane’s jaw dropped. Unflappable Becky, who had once talked a jumper
down off an overpass with nothing but her calm, sedate voice on a cell phone,
now simpered and flirted like a mindless teenager.

“Please, call me Becky. And if there’s
anything
I can
do to assist you while you’re here, you be sure to let me know,” she told him
in a breathy tone.

Pha’s smile could force George Hamilton into a dentist’s
chair for another bleaching. “Why, thank you again, Becky. As a matter of fact,
I do have a problem with which you may be able to assist me. I will need to
find a place to live while Adara is recuperating. Do you know of any
respectable domiciles near the hospital?”

“There’s an apartment available in my building. It’s about
four blocks from the hospital. Normally, the landlady leases the apartments on
a yearly basis, but I could talk to her, if you’d like. See if she’ll consider
bending the rules for you. I’m sure she’d be happy to, as a favor to me.”

Shane rolled his eyes and considered having his hearing
checked. This was not the same Becky he’d known for ten years. He could only
watch in slack-jawed amazement as the farce played out.

“That would be splendid!” Pha exclaimed. “Do you suppose you
might take me there now?”

Becky’s eyes widened to the diameter of serving platters.
“Take you there? Oh, I’d consider it an honor, Mr. Pha.”

“Please, Becky. You must call me Ted.”

“Ted.” She giggled again. “My car is in the back lot. Come
on.”

Pha turned his amused face to Shane. “As you can see,
Detective, your services are no longer necessary. I thank you for your
consideration, but I am placing myself in Becky’s very capable hands.”

“Goodbye, Shane,” Becky cooed as she took Pha’s hand and led
him away.

Shane could only watch in impotent frustration then head
inside to Lou Gennaro’s desk. At least Becky would take the heat off Adara for
a while, so he wouldn’t put up a stink.

“You wanna tell me why you weren’t in Observation Room One a
little while ago?”

Lou looked up, corned beef on rye dripping from between his
lips. He sucked in the smoky meat and swallowed. “It’s only one o’clock. You
said you wanted me there at two-thirty.”

“I never said two-thirty—”

Lou waved a pink memo in front of Shane’s face. Shane
grabbed it and read the words, supposedly in his handwriting: “Change in plans.
Be there at two-thirty.” Even the scrawled initials at the bottom matched his
usual signature. Only one problem. He didn’t write it. So, who the hell did?

“You okay, Shane? You look like shit.”

“Yeah, thanks. Do me a favor, will you? I need you to check
out two individuals for me. The first one is Tedior Pha. That’s P-H-A, from
someplace in Cyprus.”

Lou looked up from his notes. “Anything in particular you
want on this guy?”

“Everything you can get—fingerprints, arrest records,
outstanding warrants, high school grade point average. If he once undertipped a
waiter, I want to know about it. Supposedly, he arrived here in America only
recently. Find out how long he plans to stay, what reason he gave for his trip,
and what type of business he’s in back in Cyprus. You got it?”

“Yup.”

“The second suspect is Adara Berros, two R’s, from here in
Westlake. Same info except she’s a citizen. Still, I want to know if she’s left
the country in the last six months and if she did, where she went, who she saw,
and how long she was gone. You got all that?”

“Yeah, sure, but what the hell am I supposed to find?”

“When I know, I’ll tell you.” Shane walked away, the pink
memo with his forged signature still clutched in his hand.

~~~~

Acting on a split-second decision, Shane made a phone call
to his mother. “Hi, Mom. I need a favor.”

“Yes?”

“Do you feel like keeping Tyler overnight for me?”

“Shane,” she said in that warning tone she’d used on him
since he was Tyler’s age. “When you agreed to be his guardian, you promised
Tyler would always come first in your life.”

“And that still goes. But there’s something I need to work
on here tonight. I know Cassia would understand. A woman’s life might hang in
the balance. Besides, Tyler’s in the best hands when he’s with you. Please?
It’s important.”

Her heavy sigh precipitated her surrender. “O-kay. But just
for tonight. Tyler needs structure right now.”

“I know. And I promise I’ll make it up to him. And to you.
Thanks, Mom, you’re the best.”

“Don’t you forget it,” she said with a laugh.

“I love you.” Since Cassia’s death, he never missed an
opportunity to tell his family how important they were to him.

“I love you, too, Shane,” she replied then hung up.

After placing the phone back on the cradle, he raced out of
the precinct.

~~~~

When Adara awoke this time, she sensed a presence standing
by her bed before she opened her eyes.

Oh, no. Not again.

She couldn’t take anymore of Ted’s simpering adoration. So
much sweetness might send her into a diabetic coma.

“Come on, dearie,” a female voice called to her. “Wake up. I
know you can do it.”

Her lashes fluttered, and through their filters, she spotted
a white uniform top splashed with pink and blue butterflies. Thank God, she
thought as she forced her eyelids open, a nurse.

“Welcome back,” the woman said with a wide grin. “It’s just
about dinnertime here, and I figured I’d check your vitals before you taste the
food. How are you feeling?”