Sharon Hartley - The South Beach Search

Out of the kitchen, the temperature dropped several degrees. Relieved by the sudden chill, she headed toward the orange glow of the space heater. She placed the bottle and glass on a table and collapsed onto the sofa.

Reese sat beside her, leaning forward to retrieve the wine. She relaxed into the cushions, happy to let him do the honors. She needed to recover from what had almost happened in the kitchen. Had he noticed her ridiculous reaction to him? She’d almost attacked him. How could he not notice?

“You still haven’t told me about your bowl,” Reese said as he opened the wine. “Let’s see. So far I know you have a terrible blot on your soul. Because of that blemish, your guru sent you on a difficult journey to Tibet.”

“Right,” Taki said, surprised by Reese’s quick recitation of the small bits she’d told him. And he didn’t appear to be making fun of her. He sounded seriously interested.

“The pilgrimage itself was cleansing,” she said. “But I had a task to complete. I failed that task.” A wave of sadness washed through her. She’d also hoped the bowl would cleanse her soul of the anguish created by her mother’s death.

Reese nodded. “You were to deliver the bowl to the—” he paused a moment “—Paradise Way Ashram.”

“Good memory.” Why in heaven’s name had she told Reese all these details?

He nodded and poured wine into each glass. When she raised hers, he tapped his against it with a gentle clink and said, “To getting your bowl back.”

“And to you getting your briefcase.”

She took a swallow of the heady liquid and let its warmth slide down her throat. She needed to relax. Her usual methods hadn’t calmed her so far. Maybe the wine would.

After taking a sip of his own, Reese said, “So tell me about this blot on your soul.”

She smiled in spite of her unsettled mind. “That’s just the way Debbie interpreted my explanation of rotten karma.”

“Maybe you’d better explain karma to me. I’m not quite clear on that concept. You’re doomed somehow because...?”

“Because of previous bad behavior, maybe even in another life. Every person is the result of their past actions and present doings. It’s the universe’s way of evening things out.”

“What goes around comes around,” Reese said with a nod. “Got it. So what is it you’ve done that’s so awful?”

She knew from his tone of voice that he would probe until he got an answer. She couldn’t tell him the whole truth, but she couldn’t lie.

“Not me exactly. Let’s just say that my family has done some really...bad things that I’m trying to atone for.” She shook her head. “Unfortunately, the way things are going I’ll never be forgiven.”

“But you can’t be blamed for what your family has done.”

“Yes, I can. I benefited from their greed.” She took a slow sip of her wine. “Are you warm enough? Do you mind if I turn down the heater?”

“I’m fine.”

When she rose, a quick series of questions snapped through Reese’s mind. Could her rotten family be in trouble with the law? Maybe already incarcerated? Is that why she’d asked if he took private clients? What sort of crime had they committed?

Exactly what would he find if he pulled Taki out of the county database?

But she wasn’t a witness for him to cross-examine, so he remained silent. During that quiet, a bewildering rapport with her blossomed. No one understood wanting to distance yourself from an overbearing family better than he.

“Families can be a real pain in the ass, can’t they?” he said when she’d returned.

“Yes.” She paused, then asked, “So you’re not close to your family?”

“Oh, we’re close. We just don’t get along. My dad never stops harping at me to resign from the U.S. Attorney’s Office so I can join him in his private practice. He takes it as a personal affront that I won’t.”

She swirled her wine. “And you don’t want to go into private practice?”

“Especially not with him. But we were discussing your problem with the missing bowl.”

Before he could stop himself, Reese tucked an errant lock of hair behind her ear. The blond strand was as soft as he’d imagined.

“Tell me if I’ve got this straight,” he said.

She picked up her wine again and took a cautious sip, then leaned against the sofa, raising a wary gaze. He wondered what worried her.

“You believe that by giving the bowl to the ashram, you somehow erase all the previous sins of your family?”

“I hoped it would erase at least some of them, even if just symbolically.” Taki stared into the deep red liquid in her glass and sighed. “But, oh, no. I had to leave the bowl in the Jeep, so certain no one would want it, that the security guard would prevent any theft. What was I thinking after traveling all the way to Tibet?” Concern wrinkled her delicate brow. “I wonder if that carelessness makes the whole situation worse.” She looked up. “What do you think?”

Reese crooked his arm on the back of the sofa and leaned against it. “My first thought is to argue mitigating circumstances.”

She flushed, and he wanted to touch her cheek and tell her she was delightful. He took a swallow of wine as Taki threw him a challenging look.

“This is all a big joke to you, isn’t it?” she asked.

“No. I want my briefcase back as badly as you want your bowl of salvation.”

“But you think I’m completely bonkers.”

“I think you’re lovely.” Reese entwined his fingers in hers and lifted. He kissed the back of her hand, finding it soft and smooth. “And, yes, maybe just a little bonkers.” Fascinated by the stubborn expression that washed across her flushed face, he released her fingers.

“Should I contact you if I get another message from the thief?” she asked.

“Definitely. And don’t meet anyone again without backup.”

She wrinkled her nose. “Backup?”

“Call it what you want, just promise not to go alone.”

“Sorry,” she said. “I can’t promise. That would be a lie. I want my bowl too much, but I’ll take extra precautions.”

He wondered what extra precautions she had in mind. “I’ll give you Agent Rivas’s phone number,” he said, removing a business card from his wallet. “If I’m not available, call him. He can send an agent.”

She accepted the card. “You’re giving orders again, General Beauchamps.”

“Sorry. Bad habit.” What did it matter? Reese thought, suspecting she disregarded orders as easily as he gave them.

“That’s okay,” she said. “I’m getting used to it.”

“Yeah, I know. You just ignore me.”

“I always ignore lawyers.”

“Have you had a lot of experience ignoring attorneys?”

Her face closed off to him then, and he wondered why. What had happened in Taki’s past that she hated lawyers? Had she been involved with her family’s crimes? Is that why she was so protective of her phone number?

“Any experience is too much,” she said.

Good dodge, he thought, and searched for a neutral topic. “Tell me about your name.”

“My name?” she asked in a voice he could only describe as cautious. Again he wondered about her secrets.

“I know you weren’t born with the name Taki. How did you come by it?”

“Oh,” she said. “My guru gave it to me.”

“Your guru? ” Reese shook his head. “You have a guru?”

“Yes, I do. Guru Navi. He’s been my teacher since I was eighteen when I met him following a lecture.”

“Okay. Go on. Your guru changed your name because...”

“As a symbol of a new beginning. A new name, new beginning. Navi is my spiritual guide.”

“How old is he?” Out of nowhere, Reese irrationally hoped that this guru she spoke of with such affection was Shinhoster’s age at least. Even older would be better.