Double Dealing(82)

“I as well,” Syeira replied, slightly mangling the English but still making her meaning clear. She spoke three other languages — I couldn't fault her. She was normally pretty good. “It is doubly difficult because I cannot use the means I would normally go through. The normal method would be to use our tribe's families, who would then use their connections in other Romani tribes in order to find out.”

“Romani?” I asked, surprised. “How?”

“We are the unwanted stepchildren of most of the world,” Syeira said with a mirthless chuckle. “And we've been chased off and persecuted almost everywhere. Because of that, the Romani have developed one of the largest diaspora in the world, rivaled and in some ways supplemented only by the Jews. It gives us quite a network to use.”

“As long as you know how to use it properly,” I commented, “such as someone who was born a princess of the Romani.”

Syeira shrugged and gave me a cryptic smile. “It has its advantages. In any case, I have had to jump a few steps in the typical process, and do a lot of things that are against the normal protocols. Some of the Romani I have spoken to are not exactly allies of our tribe, but are highly motivated by the idea of quid pro quo.” Syeira sipped at her fruit juice and tapped at the computer next to her. “It is why I keep this computer next to me all the time now, it seems. I too have been desperate for information.”

I took a deep breath and looked over. “What is the point at which we go there ourselves and try and find out directly?”

“Not smart,” Syeira answered me, shaking her head. “Neither of us speak Ukrainian or Russian. We'd stick out. And if Felix is in the hands of the Russian Mafia, the people we’d need to approach would be paranoid. They even hear a rumor of two foreigners sniffing around about him, and he would be dead before we even got the first whisper.”

“So we just hang in here and pray?” I asked, my blood starting to boil. “Not my style.”

“Trust me, Jordan, I am doing everything I can.”

I nodded. “This is hard. I still love Francois, but now I have problems trusting him. We have so few details, and I have so many questions.”

She took another sip of her juice and set her glass down. “I have as well. I find it hard to believe that he betrayed Felix. My anger towards Francois is more in that I think he let his desire for power get the better of him. He may have left Felix behind thinking him dead, when in fact he was merely injured. I’m not saying he did it on purpose either, just that he was making a hasty decision and he may have been clouded in his perceptions.”

“Perhaps,” I replied, sighing. “This is hard. I still love him.”

She looked over, her gray eyes wise and full of compassion. “You have said that, and I don’t fault you for it. I have seen too many strange things in my life to ignore the fact that love is often, as the poets say, blind. We love those who we should not, or those who we are not supposed to. People love abusive spouses, even as they are injured and beaten. People are fools, women especially.”

I sat back and considered her words, but before I could reply, we saw Charani approaching the barge. She’d taken the morning to go out shopping and now came back in the Renault SUV that we were to use during our time in Paris. “When should we tell Charani? She is your sister.”

“And Francois’s mother. I would never believe she was a part of it, but I wouldn’t expect her to keep it from her son if she knew. When we have an answer from my sources, we will approach both of them, at the same time.”

Charani parked the car and got out, waving. “Hey you two. Can I get some help?”

“I'll help,” I said. “Good shopping?” I asked, trying to put an innocent smile on my face. “I know that after last night's feast, my appetite is high for more. Whatever you made, it was delicious.”

She smiled, her long hair hanging over her shoulders in an ebony wave. “I have worried about you, Jordan. Even though you have improved, I still worry.”

“I know. But it’s getting better,” I said. Reaching inside, I took one of the bags of groceries and lifted it out and into my arms. “I appreciate your support.”

Charani took a bag into her own arms and looked up at the barge, where Syeira had turned her head away to watch the river flow by. “My sister is still haunted, despite her efforts to rid herself of the ghosts,” she said sadly. “I will continue to help her, though, and will be there for her for as long as she needs me.”

I could see in her eyes that she truly meant what she was saying, and I resolved in my heart that she had nothing to do with Felix's disappearance. Whatever happened, if Francois had done it on purpose or not, his mother hadn’t known. I reminded myself to mention it to Syeira later. The twins had so much in common, and they depended on each other.