The next morning, I walked over to Nik’s half of the house and knocked three times with my elbow. A loud thumping and whine started from behind the door. I bit back a smile.
Wolfgang.
There was a time I was terrified of the beast, but we had come to an understanding. Now, I couldn’t help but find his unwavering love for me endearing.
“Wolfy, sit!” I heard Nik say.
Thump. Whine.
“I mean it, buddy. I’m not going to open this door until you behave.”
Thump. Thump. Howl.
“Don’t make me put you out back, because I will.”
Thump. Thump. Thump. Bark!
“It’s okay, Detective,” I said.
All noise stopped.
“Are you sure?” he asked warily.
“I’m sure.”
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” He opened the door carefully, and Wolfgang’s whine rose an octave when he spotted me. Every muscle in his huge body quivered as he sat back on his haunches, ready to pounce.
I thrust out my hand in a stay position and said firmly in my best no-nonsense tone, “Wolfgang Stevens, you sit your fanny down this instant!”
His fanny hit the floor with a loud flop, but didn’t stop wiggling for a moment.
“Good boy,” I said and carefully patted the top of his head.
His eyes rolled back in heaven, but he didn’t dare move or he knew I would stop.
Nik ran a hand through his disheveled hair and shook his head. “I don’t know how you do that.”
I shrugged, then quickly pulled my hand away and scrubbed it with hand sanitizer. “It’s our little secret.” I cleared my throat. “May I come in?”
Nik masked his face of any emotion and stepped back to open the door wider. Wolfgang gave up and walked away, content for the moment, then circled before throwing his massive body down on a dog bed in the corner. The layout of Nik’s half of the house was set up exactly the same as Jaz’s and mine, but that’s where the similarity ended. Jaz had put her stylish flair for decorating all over our side of the house. Modern elegance and class. Whereas the detective was a bachelor with a capital B. Bare minimum and nothing matched.
“How’s Chloe?” I asked, following Nik into the living room.
He looked as if he’d been up all night with his wrinkled sweatpants and t-shirt, messy hair, and bare feet. He had dark circles beneath his eyes, and the lines on his forehead looked deeper, but he still smelled better than anything I could remember. Something uniquely him that was hard to ignore.
“She’s in the kitchen. Doc LaLone gave her a sedative last night, but she refused to take it.” He shoved his hands in his pockets. “She seems numb, and I don’t know what to do. I hate feeling so helpless.”
“I’m sure Detective Matheson is doing everything he can to figure this out.”
“I’m not saying that Boomer’s not a good detective, but this is my ma we’re talking about. I can’t just sit by and do nothing.”
I pursed my brow. “What are you going to do? You don’t want to mess this case up for your ma, or get yourself into trouble with the captain. Aren’t you supposed to be investigating the recent string of thefts around town?”
“Yes, and I will, but you let me worry about my captain. If I happen to come across some useful piece of information regarding the murder while on the job, then you’d better believe I’ll look into it. I’ve always been good at multi-tasking.”
I care about Chloe too, so you can’t get mad if I do the same, I thought, thankful he couldn’t read my mind. He’d had a fit when I’d helped clear Jaz’s name after she was accused of murder not that long ago.
He’d called it interfering.
I’d called it investigating.
It was my civic duty to keep my eyes and ears open; see something say something, and all that. This time was no exception, especially with the ace up my sleeve that no one except Jaz knew about.
“What?” He narrowed his eyes at me and pointed his finger in my face. “I know that look, Ballas. It spells trouble, and that’s something my ma doesn’t need any more of.”
I brushed his finger aside and gave him a look that said, I don’t know what you’re talking about, and then asked, “Speaking of your ma, I brought her some herbal tea.” I held up a bag and smiled a little too big. “Can I talk to her?”
“I don’t think that’s a good—”
“Nik, darling, is that Kalli I hear?”
“Yes, it’s me, Chloe,” I hollered back. “I brought you tea.” I quickly stepped around the detective and made my way to the kitchen before he could stop me.
Chloe sat at the kitchen table, looking far more put together than her son. She wore a pair of white dress shorts with a peach blouse. Her hair was perfectly styled and makeup flawless. Her bloodshot eyes were the only indication that she’d just been through a traumatic event the day before.
I went straight to the cupboard and pulled down two mugs, then put the kettle on, making myself right at home. Nik had bought the kettle just for me because he knew how much I liked tea, and had even started keeping a container of wipes on the counter. He came in grudgingly and poured a cup of coffee, spooning a teaspoon of something into it, then sat at the table next to his ma with a pout on his handsome face. Nikos clearly didn’t like losing, that was for sure.
A moment later, I turned the kettle off and poured hot water over our tea, then brought the mugs to the table.
“Thank you, dear. This is so kind of you.” Chloe bobbed her tea bag in the mug while it steeped.
“You’re very welcome, Chloe.” I turned my gaze on Nik. “Did you use pure sugar in your coffee?” I asked him.
He arched one eyebrow high in answer.
“Because artificial sweeteners rot your insides and may cause irritable bowel syndrome.” I took a sip of my black tea.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” he said dryly.
I shrugged. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you if, you know, something strange starts going on with your digestive system.”
He ignored me and focused on his ma. His eyes widened as he stared at her neck, then he frowned. “How come you’re wearing the family heirloom, Ma?”
Her fingertips fluttered and touched the pendent attached to a gold chain around her neck as if she just remembered she had it on. She sighed sadly, shaking her head as if still stunned over everything that had happened. “I usually only wear it on special occasions, but I figured it couldn’t hurt to wear it now.”
“It’s been in our family forever, Ma. You always told me no one should wear it. What if you lose it? You really shouldn’t wear it at all, especially not to any more Sunday brunches. What if you lose it, and your lawn service mows over it?”
She stuck her chin out. “I know what I said, but it makes me feel good.”
“What’s the point of jewelry if you can’t wear it? I say go for it.” I took a sip of tea, ignoring the evil eye directed at me from across the table. I was here to help; my methods were just different than his. “I still don’t understand why Ariana was at your house that late at night. My YiaYia always says nothing good happens after midnight.”
“Apparently, your grandma is right,” Chloe said.
Nikos grunted.
“I can’t imagine why Ariana paid me a visit then, either,” Chloe went on. “Although it doesn’t really surprise me. The girl was relentless in her pursuit of my son. Unfortunately, I don’t remember a thing.” She sipped her tea and looked off as if working something out in her head. “It’s strange because I’ve had more Ouzo in the past than I did that night and never woke up not remembering anything.”
“Do you think someone could have drugged you?” I asked, trying to make sense of it all. She hadn’t gone to a bar or anything. She’d gone to the grocery store, the liquor store, and then home, according to the rumor mill.
“Already thought of that,” Nik chimed in, back to his detective self. “Detective Matheson is having the bottle of Ouzo analyzed, though why someone would want to drug my ma is a mystery.”
“No more mystery than why someone would want to kill Ariana,” Chloe added. “I just don’t understand what’s going on.”
“Maybe we can start there,” I said. “Come up with a list of people who might have wanted to see Ariana dead. Or people who had a grudge against her ma. Someone who might want to get back at her by killing her only child.”
Chloe barked out a harsh laugh. “Get in line. Those two made their fair share of enemies back in the city and already here in Clearview.”
“We?” Nik asked. “There is no we, Kalli. If I’m not allowed on this case, you sure as hell aren’t.”
“Nikos, language, please. Last time I checked, I was your mama. I’m the one whose name needs clearing. I have a say in whose help I want,” his ma added firmly. “I say the more the merrier because it looks like I can use all the help I can get.”
“This is crazy, Ma. Kalli isn’t—” His cell phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID. “I have to take this.” He walked away. “What’s up, Matheson?” My Dreamy Detective paced. “Interesting.” He turned around and paced the other way and then stopped abruptly. “You’re sure?” He listened. “There’s no mistake?” His jaw hardened. “Thanks for the update. Keep me posted if you hear anything else.”
“What is it?” his ma asked.
“What’s wrong?” I asked at the same time.
He blew out a breath before answering. “The bottle of Ouzo was laced with a benzodiazepine called Flurazepam, used for insomnia. It’s pretty strong. That’s why you didn’t wake up.”
“I knew I didn’t have too much to drink.” Chloe slapped the table before her. “But why would someone do that to me?”
“They found an open bottle in your medicine cabinet, Ma. There’s no proof someone did that to you.”
“Well, that’s ridiculous. I’m not the best sleeper. I mean, who is at my age. But I certainly have never taken sleeping pills, especially with alcohol. Your Uncle Ramos never woke up after mixing the two.” She made the sign of the cross. “Why do you think I didn’t take the sedative Doc LaLone gave me yesterday?”
“I believe you, Ma. It just doesn’t look good.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “That’s not all Detective Matheson had to say.”
We both snapped our heads in Nik’s direction.
“I wasn’t the father of Ariana’s baby.”
My heart flipped.
Chloe gasped.
“I don’t get it. How can you tell who the father is this early?” I asked.
“Because Ariana lied.” His gaze met mine, full of regret and longing to reverse this setback in our relationship as he finished with, “She was never pregnant in the first place.”
“I’ll kill her.” Chloe slammed her fist on the table then stood up.
“She’s already dead, Ma, and the police think you killed her because of comments like that.” He motioned for her to sit back down.
She complied, looking defeated as she said, “Oh, woe is me,” and made the sign of the cross again.
“Why would Ariana try to trap you with a baby if she wasn’t actually pregnant? She had to know you would eventually find out.” My mind was whirling, trying to sort out all the possibilities, but nothing was making sense.
“I have no clue.” Nik’s face filled with anger and determination as he added, “but I’m not going to rest until I find out.”
That afternoon, I took Chloe to Hera’s Halo. Aunt Tasoula said my ma stole the goddess of love and beauty, Aphrodite, for her restaurant name, so Tasoula chose the queen of the gods, Hera, for her hair salon. The sisters loved each other, but that didn’t stop their competitive spirits from trying to outdo each other every chance they got.
Detective Stevens was in no mood to listen to his ma or me speculate on the case, probably because the artificial sweetener had kicked in. I’d told him as much, but he said I was nuts. Then he rushed off because another theft had occurred. This time at Vixen, a high-end clothing store owned by Jaz’s competition, Anastasia Stewart.
Jaz and Ana weren’t exactly friends, but she could relate to how Ana must feel because her shop had been hit a couple weeks ago by the Business Bandit. It was also apparent this thief was a pro. Nik had his work cut out for him, which was why he needed me more than ever, even if he didn’t know it.
“Thank you so much, Kalli,” Chloe said as we sat in the waiting room of the salon.
“Of course.” I placed a handkerchief I kept in my purse on the seat and sat down beside her. “My aunt has been begging me to come in and let her work her magic since I got home from the city.”
“Aunt Tasoula knows best.” My aunt winked, and Ma grunted.
Chloe picked up a magazine of celebrity gossip news to thumb through, then sat in a chair. The chairs looked like gold thrones, the capes like a queen’s robe, and even the dryers were painted like crowns with precious gems adorning them. “I’m going stir crazy staying at my son’s house. He won’t let me make a move.”
“That’s not good for the circulation, you know. You’re going to get the clot,” my ma said on a shiver as she sat under the dryer.
“My cousin Nefeli got the clot, and it went straight to her brain, God rest her soul,” My Aunt Tasoula said as she cut Nik’s cousin Thalia’s hair.
The waiting room full of Greek women made the sign of the cross.
“You mean a blood clot?” I asked, amazed over the way my family’s brains worked. Maybe if I were full Greek, I would understand them. Every time I thought I’d seen and heard it all, they still managed to surprise me.
“I don’t know what the clot is made out of, I just know it’s no good.” Aunt Tasoula tsked as she snipped away.
“This whole situation isn’t good,” Thalia said. “And it’s certainly not fair.” Her dark brown eyes hardened, and her tone filled with disgust. “I hate to speak ill of the dead, but Ariana Drakos was not a good person.”
“What do you mean?” I walked over to the beverage counter behind Thalia and poured myself a glass of cucumber water so I could hear every word.
“I’m a realtor back in the city. I spent years building my reputation and growing my client list. Ariana never liked me. She only became a realtor because I was one, then she slept with half my clients just to steal them out from under me.”
“Benny Balboa was your client before he started dating Ariana, wasn’t he?” Chloe lowered her magazine and looked at Thalia in question.
“He sure was, and not only that, Benny liked me first. We had just started going on dates when she came along and ruined things.”
“Consider yourself lucky.” Chloe scoffed. “He’s connected to the mob. When Nikos found that out, he dumped her.”
“What I don’t understand is why come back and lie to Nik about being pregnant if she was with Benny again?” Thalia threw that little tidbit out there.
We had just found out there was never a baby, yet the beauty of a small town was the word had already gotten around. My lips tipped down. More importantly, Thalia’s words registered.
“Wait, what makes you think Ariana was with Benny again?” I asked.
“I saw them huddled close, talking together outside the Precious Gems and Jewelry Fair. What else would he be doing in Clearview? It was bad enough when she messed with my life, but I’m not about to stand by and let her mess with my family’s. Nikos didn’t deserve to be her pawn in whatever twisted game she was playing. I was going to tell him what I saw, but fate intervened and now I don’t have to.”
I stumbled and dropped my glass of water over her words, glass shattering and water flying everywhere, as I grabbed her shoulder to steady myself. I also saw the manipulating monster sneak into Aunt Chloe’s House. As far as I’m concerned, she got what she deserved, and I’m not one bit sorry for thinking that.
“Oh, dear, are you okay?” Aunt Tasoula went to grab my arm.
I quickly stepped back and wiped my hands on my skirt. “Sorry, Aunt Tasoula. Clumsy me. I’ll clean that up.”
“Don’t be silly. That’s what I pay my grandson Christos the big bucks for.” She looked at the fourteen-year-old and he stared at her blankly. She made a mopping motion. He rolled his eyes, put down his phone, then went in the back to grab the bucket. “This generation, they never want to work,” she said loud enough for him to hear.
“I’m really sorry,” I said to Thalia. “I hope I didn’t hurt you.”
“Don’t worry about me. I’m fine.” She rubbed her shoulder from my death grip then looked in the mirror and her eyes widened.
“What?” My aunt waved her scissors about as she talked. “You be fine. Short hair suits you better anyway. You’ll see.”
The only thing I could see were new clues and unanswered questions. What was Benny Balboa doing in town with Ariana? Why would Ariana pretend to be pregnant with Nik’s child? What was Thalia Pagonis doing in the middle of the night to see Ariana sneaking into Chloe Stevens house? What else had she seen? Why didn’t she tell the police?
I might not be a detective, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t be of help. At least now I had direction on where to start.