Dan left early next morning to meet with Meyers and, afterwards, with Alexis. Besides, it was a lot easier communicating with Miles when Christina wasn't around. He didn't want to keep reminding her of the difficult situation they were still in.
Dan drove by Meyers's hotel to compare notes with him. Meyers knew about Christina's grandmother but had no information on Fabiani. He was going to check with the Bureau and let Dan know what he found out.
Leaving the hotel, Dan tried to call Christina, but his battery was dead. Damn, I forgot to charge it again, last night. I'll charge it at the police station, he thought as he was heading there to meet with Alexis.
"Let's go," Alexis said, the moment Dan walked into his office.
"What's up?" Dan asked.
"Fabiani is due on the island any minute now."
"Let's go then," Dan agreed and followed Alexis outside and into the unmarked police Jeep.
By the time they drove to the airport, the plane had already landed. Alexis parked the Jeep, and they rushed inside to the arrivals. He showed Dan a photo of Fabiani and then they split up searching for him.
The airport was pretty crowded. Dan walked around, keeping his eyes open, but Fabiani was nowhere to be found.
Dan walked over to the cafeteria and decided to sit there for a while and watch the front entrance of the airport. It was then that he saw her. There she was, wearing a beautiful white dress with a wide green belt around her tiny waist and a pair of green, high heel sandals. She had her hair pulled up in a green ribbon and looked lovelier than ever.
His stomach did a somersault flip, and his pulse accelerated. Fabiani was holding her by the waist as they were walking side by side, following a uniformed chauffer who was carrying his luggage. They walked out the front door to a black limousine that was parked outside.
Dan jumped up and followed them from a distance. He felt numb inside. The chauffeur put the luggage down and held the door open for them. Right before they climbed into the car, Fabiani took Christina in his arms and kissed her passionately on the lips. Christina returned his kiss and then pulled back and stared into his eyes.
Dan stood there, watching Christina and Fabiani getting inside the black limo, unable to comprehend what was happening. The whole thing was so surreal. He wanted to pinch himself to make sure he was awake, and this wasn't just another nightmare.
As the limo took off, Dan snapped out of it and rushed to the Jeep to find Alexis waiting for him, with a dumbfounded look on his face.
"Don't ask," Dan said angrily. "I have no idea!"
Alexis started his unmarked police Jeep and followed the limo down the street, keeping a safe distance.
Dan was furious and all tangled up inside. He couldn't believe that he'd been fooled like this. His love for her had affected his judgment—he shouldn't have trusted her. She had lied once before about her real identity. Why not lie again? Only God knew what other lies she had told him. That's it, he decided and clenched his fists. "Don't lose them," he urged Alexis.
"I won't," Alexis replied. "But I don't want them to spot us, either."
The limo pulled up in front of an office building. Alexis stopped the Jeep, and they sat in silence, watching the couple exit the limo and enter the building.
Alexis climbed out of the car and went to check the signs at the entrance of the building. "A law firm, a real estate agency, and some doctor offices," he said coming back to the car.
They waited out there for a couple hours until the couple came back outside, climbed into the limousine, and left.
They followed them until they got on the road to Fiscardo. Then Alexis turned around and headed back to town. There was no need to follow them any farther. They knew where they were heading.
***
Christina was restless. Around ten o'clock, she jumped in the car parked in the mansion garage. I should drive to town and buy a map, she contemplated, but then again, Argostoli was the opposite way, and she didn't want to waste any time. Besides, the way to Fiscardo and the house she'd met her grandmother at was burned indelibly in her memory banks from watching the road, terrified of where they were taking her. Fortunately, she had no problem driving to the seaside town and finding the house again.
Arriving there, she parked a little bit down the street. She got out of the car and marched to the house, checking for any sign that someone might be there. The house seemed empty; the garage door was closed, and the shades over the windows drawn. She walked up the driveway and around the back. Same thing there—all doors locked and shades pulled.
She glanced at the house next door, which could hardly be seen through the trees. Without a second thought, she walked over and rang the bell—no one seemed to be home.
Christina gave up and started walking down the driveway when an older couple pulled up in an old, dark blue Mercedes. The car stopped, and the older guy behind the wheel opened his window and gave Christina a bright smile.
"Good morning," he said in English. "It's good to see you, again."
"Good morning," Christina replied, confused.
"When did you come? How long have you been here?" the lady sitting next to the guy asked, and Christina didn't know what to say.
The lady turned and looked at the man, puzzled for a minute, and then back at Christina. "Why don't you come in?" she finally asked, and they parked the car in their garage.
Christina followed them inside the house, feeling a little awkward. What am I doing? she wondered, stepping into a large living room. But she was curious; she wanted to find out what they knew about the tenants of the house next door. Besides, these people acted as if they knew her.
"How is your grandmother?" the old lady asked. "I thought I saw her sometime last week."
"She's fine," Christina responded, carefully.
"So when did you come back?" the lady insisted and walked down a corridor.
"Oh, just a few days ago," Christina said, playing along.
"Would you like some ice tea?" the woman yelled from somewhere the back of the house.
"I would love some," Christina replied and sat on the sofa. The interior of the house reminded her of Fabiani's.
"Is your husband with you?" the man asked her and went to the bar to pour some whiskey in a glass.
Christina looked at him, surprised, and was thankful that his wife walked in right at that minute, and the question was left unanswered.
The old couple stared at each other a little weird and then back at Christina.
"Darling," the lady said. "You seem a little disoriented. It must be the heat. Why don't you drink your tea and go lay down for a while?"
Christina agreed. "The truth is that I haven't been feeling very well." Placing her untouched glass of ice tea on the coffee table, she rose to her feet. She wished good-bye to the old man and walked to the front door, followed by the lady.
"You say hi to Marcello and your grandmother for me," the lady said. "You should come over for dinner one night. Just give me a call before, and I'll have everything ready in a flash."
"Okay, we'll do that," Christina agreed and left. She walked back to the house next door and around the back, just in case the neighbors were watching her. After staying there for a few moments, she rushed back to her car. Jumping inside, she locked the doors and lay back against the headrest, trying to figure out what the hell was going on. How come this old couple acted like they knew her? And why were they talking about her husband? What husband? Everything was so confusing.
A big black limousine, similar to the one that had brought her to the house the other day, drew her from her gloomy thoughts. The limo pulled up to the Fabiani's house.
Christina started the car and drove closer but couldn't see much through the trees. The garage door opened, and the car pulled inside. Then the door rolled back down.
Christina stood there for a while, undecided. I better be careful, she told herself. It might be dangerous to go and knock on the door. It's better to call Dan and let him know that someone is at the house.
She turned the car and drove down the street and around a corner. Pulling over, she stopped the car and called Dan on his cell. When she was transferred to his answering service, she left a message for him to call her right back as soon as he got her message. Then she drove back to the house, parked in the same spot down the street, and remained there, watching the house.
She was scared but excited at the same time.
***
Driving back to the police station, Alexis was silent and Dan furious. He couldn't believe he had been conned like that. Who was she? Who was that woman he was madly in love with? What kind of game was she playing? Tormenting thoughts whirled around in her mind. One thing was for sure, though, he would never trust her again.
Thinking back how dumbfounded she seemed at his mentioning Fabiani when the very next day she was in his arms kissing him passionately, Dan wanted to kick himself. I should have known better. She played me like a rookie.
"Are you okay?" Alexis inquired as soon as they parked in front of the police department.
"No, not really," Dan admitted truthfully. "I'll talk to you later," he yelled over his shoulder, jumping out of the car and heading for his own. He had so much to do.
***
Christina waited for a while, parked down the street from the house. Checking her watch, she realized it was getting late. Where on earth was Dan? It had been almost two hours since the limousine had pulled up, and Dan was nowhere to be found. She was tired. He either didn't hear my message or something is up, she thought and decided to head back. It was hard enough driving on these winding, country roads in bright daylight. At night when there were no streetlights would be terrifying. She started the engine and was about to leave when the garage door opened, and the limo drove down the driveway and stopped at the edge. Christina's breath caught in her throat, and she shrunk in her seat, watching.
A few minutes later, the front door of the house swung open, and a tall, slender woman with golden brown locks and green eyes came outside. Christina's breath caught in her throat, watching her spitting image marching to the limo like a model on the catwalk.
Christina remained motionless, watching the limo driving right by her. The tinted windows didn't allow her to see inside, but she was sure of what she had seen...wasn't she?
With shaky hands, she started the engine and headed back to the mansion—at least she hoped that was where she was heading. There was still plenty of daylight, but she was too shaken up to be paying attention around her.
Feeling a little dizzy and disoriented from everything that had happened—not to mention the fact that she had nothing to eat all day—she flew down the country road, heading God knows where.
Going around a sharp curve, she was startled to see a Jeep stopped almost in the middle, blocking the road. A scream escaped her lips as she wrenched the wheel violently to the right, frantically hitting the brakes. Her car skidded off the road and onto the unpaved, bumpy shoulder.