Sunset Boulevard #3
“Simo, love!” Jillian called out. “Oh, and you brought Theo, too! How wonderful! Gentlemen, I need some support here. Come. Sit here.” Jillian patted the leather couch.
Simo sat next to Halo’s beautiful mother, Jillian, and Theo took a nearby chair.
Jillian tenderly patted Simo’s knee. “Simo… you look troubled. I best be brief as I think Ari here is at his wit’s end anyway.”
“Jillian, what is going on?”
“Simo, Theo… before you go thinking I am off my rocker, I want you to listen. I believe my Halo is alive somewhere. Everyone believes that, since my daughter’s birthday is coming up so close to the holidays, that I cannot deal with their version of the truth.
” Jillian Raines met Ari’s eyes. “Ari is going to represent Ronson and I at… at the idiotic memorial.” She then looked to Theo and Simo.
“I would know in my heart and soul if my daughter had passed on. You men are not mothers, so it is difficult for you to understand. Simo, take your nose for example…”
Simo cocked his head. “My nose? Why?”
“When it itches, EVERYBODY pays attention, yes?”
Theo nodded. “Oh, yes!”
“All I am asking is for you all to listen to my ‘nose’. I know everyone is saying I cannot come to terms with Halo’s death.
I guess I am asking for your faith and some positive energy.
I get the feeling that someone is helping her…
” Jillian caught Simo’s eyes as they momentarily widened.
“Simo! You know something…” Jillian spun toward Ari and pointed at him.
“Ari Ascher, you best fess up, right now!”
Ari sighed heavily. “We… we are advancing on some information. Not about Halo or if she is alive. But I am speculative about the details…”
Jillian stood up and stared Ari down. “Ari Ascher…” she scolded in her best motherly tone.
Ari looked at Simo and nodded once. Jillian spun back toward Simo and put her hands on her hips and glared with all she had. Simo hung his head under Jillian’s steely gaze. It felt like his own mother was about ready to smack his backside with her kitchen spoon.
“Jillian… please sit.” Simo gently patted the leather.
Slowly, like she was ready to pounce, Jillian Raines sat back down, never taking her big blue eyes off of Simo. “Yes?”
“Joel Miller told me he ‘thought’ he saw Halo get into another raft with… Xander Kostinos.” Simo quickly held up his huge hand at Jillian, hushing her.
“The seas were cresting at over thirty feet that night. Even the navy crew aboard the New Zealand naval ship were getting sick… no one could survive…”
Jillian pushed down Simo’s huge hand. “I told you my Halo is still alive! How could you all not tell me of this!” Jillian did her best to hold back her rage.
Ari’s voice, speaking softly, caught everyone off guard.
“Jillian… this is why, when Ronson telephoned me asking for advice, I heavily suggested to keep up the search. I helped by using our satellite time allotment and kicked in another million for Halo’s search efforts… it’s been two months, Jillian.”
“I see. Ronson did not tell me… did he know of your help?”
“Yes. And the deal was to not divulge our assistance to anyone… including you. Questions concerning why we have satellite time are a sensitive and a complicated subject. Do we have an understanding?”
“Yes… what else do you know?” Jillian’s eyes suddenly widened. “Did this Xander abduct my daughter?”
“No…” Simo quickly replied.
Jillian began losing her composure. “Simo Petras! You best tell me everything and right now!”
“Ari?” Simo asked.
“Jillian… you must swear to everything that you hold dear, what Simo is going to tell you stays between you, Ronson, and us. Or we all shall take our leave right here and now.”
“Fine. I swear! Now spill it!”
“Xander Kostinos saved Halo during the plane’s dive. The plane had catastrophic failures, and Joel said that it was Xander who actually saved the plane. He saved Doug from the sharks after Doug was bitten. Joel panicked and paddled away with JJ and Sarah. He did not know why they didn’t follow…”
“What? That… that weasel! Why are you all sitting on this? Why are not the authorities involved?” Jillian yelled.
Simo rested his hand gently on Jillian’s arm. “Please, I am getting there. Stay calm. Understand?”
“Fine.”
Ari interrupted. “Simo, let me continue. Jillian… we believe there is a possibility that Joel or Johnny Stone has knowledge about Annabeth’s niece, Elara Swan, going missing…
we presume at this juncture that Elara is…
is deceased. The police are working their way down the list of people who had contact with Elara.
As you know, Johnny is in custody awaiting trial in American Samoa.
Joel’s office keeps referring the police investigators to his attorneys...
at this juncture we do not want to interfere… ”
“Oh, my… I—I did not know… I’m sorry, Ari.”
“Thank you, Jillian… There is more, which implicates Joel Miller further. He recently approached Simo and contracted a hit against JJ…”
“WHAT? My JJ? Oh, hell… that young man is sick to his soul! You must tell the authorities!”
Simo spoke, but was looking at Ari the whole time. “And I just came from a meeting with Irwin Miller.”
Jillian narrowed her eyes. “What? What does that wanker want?”
“He wants me to save JJ from Joel.”
“Does he now?” Ari replied.
“Yes. There is more, but that is between you and I only.”
Jillian’s hand came up to her head, as Simo gently reached around and held Jillian’s shoulders. “I—I do not feel so well…” she muttered.
Ari got to his feet, quickly poured a glass of water, and brought it to Jillian, who took it and downed it all. “Love, do you have something stronger?”
Ari went to his bar and poured them all shots of Ouzo. Jillian downed hers before anyone else could. Theo reached over and handed Jillian his. Without pause, Jillian downed that one as well. She patted Theo’s knee. “I’m better, thank you all.”
Ari kneeled down and met Jillian’s blue eyes. “I swear Joel and Johnny will pay dearly for their sins against Halo and JJ, but we all need to take our time and not make mistakes. We do not want Joel to run where we cannot find him. Do you understand?”
Jillian nodded. “I do. And I know now my heart is right. My Halo is still alive out there…” Jillian looked at Simo. “Besides what the media has reported, what do you know of this Xander fellow?” Suddenly, Jillian eyed Simo. “Simo… why are you blushing?”
Theo let out a laugh. “Xander’s father is Simo’s hero…”
“Really, now? Do tell!”
“I do not know much about this Xander. He is an enigma… he did not follow in his father’s footsteps. He is not military… he’s an… actor.”
“You say that like it is a bad thing…”
Theo butted in. “Jillian, the man who train us in Greece, uh, was man who was trained by Xander’s father.”
Simo shrugged. “I am sorry, Jillian. I mean no disrespect. I… expected more from Greece’s hero’s son. Everyone knows the story…”
“Well, I don’t. Please?”
Simo sighed. “Short version…” Simo repeated his story and finished by saying: “Soon after all this, Xander married a half-Greek woman named Evie… reports are she is a difficult woman in a failed marriage. They both are like nurses and have a business together helping old people. They have one daughter named Athena… she is a little older than Christina. There is your story.”
“You do seem disappointed… though you shouldn’t be. So this Xander helps people…”
Ari nodded. “It is a rather odd coincidence, but Christina met Xander Kostinos. He assisted her during her anxiety attack on the flight down. I met him as well, he seemed like a good man… I considered auditioning him for a role.”
“Oh, my! Fate and destiny certainly have their way of bringing people together! Oh, my, oh, my…” Jillian’s smile lit up the room.
“What?” Simo asked.
“I bet you all the tea in China that this Xander is helping my Halo!”
“Jillian…” Theo interrupted. “…two months, uh, nothing?”
Simo added, “Theo is right, Jillian. We searched. Ronson and hundreds of ships have searched over a thousand square miles…”
Jillian patted Simo’s arm. “When the time is right, she will come home… or if fate wins, she will leave this earth and us behind. Until then, please, please hold out hope. Would you all?” Jillian smiled at the collective nods. “Now I trust you will keep JJ safe and sound, correct?”
Ari smiled. “Simo is an expert at this sort of thing, wouldn’t you say, Mr. Hollywood Hitman?”
Simo let out a groan at the moniker. “I have done this thing before… expert? Sure.”