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“And they let you in?”
“I used persuasive methods,” he says cryptically.
“I’m so worried about her, Mr. Irving.”
“The worst is over, Miss . . .”
“You can call me Zoe.”
“Okay. You can call me Nick. The doctors told me she’s in an induced coma now, Zoe.” I sit up in bed, thanking God in my thoughts. “There was no serious trauma. Her brain isn’t even swollen anymore.”
“Oh God!” I groan but regret it two seconds later. “I’m sorry, it’s just that I’m very touchy about hospitalizations, especially when they involve loved ones. Bia is my best friend.”
“She also speaks very highly of you.”
“Thank you so much for calling me, Nick. I was in agony without news about her.”
“It’s good to know you feel calmer, but that’s not why I called you.”
“No?”
“Nope. Bia asked me to look into a financial settlement for an accident. Apparently, the indemnified party claimed that they didn’t get enough for the victim’s treatment, in this case, a little girl named Pauline Lambert. Does that make sense?”
“Yes.”
“The deal was for a million dollars.”
“What? That’s not possible. They were always so poor. Ernestine . . . Pauline’s mother still lives that way.”
“Yes, I know. I’m a detective, Zoe—almost like a sniffer dog. The moment I feel something is not right, I don’t stop until I know everything. I know how she and her daughter lived, and there’s a reason for that. Your friend’s mother handed all the money she got to a boyfriend so he could invest it, but the guy disappeared, leaving them with nothing.”
“Jesus Christ! Why would she do something like that?”
“If you want my honest opinion, she never intended to use that money for her daughter’s treatment. She thought the indemnity was a kind of lottery ticket. And there’s more: the Lykaios family wasn’t even obligated to provide any money. The accident wasn’t their fault. It was Ernestine’s boyfriend who was high and driving the vehicle with your friend in it. That was the cause of the accident. He died instantly. Even the person Bia asked me to investigate, Christos, was injured as well. He broke a leg and was hospitalized when they thought he had a concussion.”
I feel my stomach turn. After I met him again, I already suspected that Christos wasn’t the kind of person Ernestine had painted him to be. The story didn’t happen as she had said, but I didn’t imagine it to be something so sordid.
“I don’t even know what to say. If her boyfriend died, who got away with the money, then?”
“Another one. Apparently, the woman has bad taste in men. I don’t know what this man, Christos, means to you, dear, but if you have any doubts about his character, you can go and live your happiness in peace. He did much more for your friend than he needed to. Some say he had no obligation at all.”
“If he wasn’t to blame, why did he offer the deal?”
“My guess is, first of all, because both he and his parents are honorable people and have enough money saved to provide for several generations to come. Besides, even though they weren’t at fault, it wouldn’t be good for the Lykaioses to have their name linked with an accident. In any case, they did much more than they should have. If your friend spent her life after the accident in need of anything, the only person to blame for that was her mother.”
“Thanks again, Nick. You have no idea how much you helped.”
“You can return the favor by keeping me informed of Bia’s condition. It’s not often I can up and leave everything here in Florida, so I don’t know when I’ll be able to see her again.”
“Don’t worry about that. As soon as I know something, I will call you. Is this your number?”
“Yes. Well, I have to go. Take care, Zoe.”
“You too.”
“Just one more thing. When the cops find your . . . your ex-husband, eh?”
“Yes.”
