Toni, chuckled. “Funny you should say that. You’re not going to believe who played fairy godmother to Eugénie, the one-time hooker.”
Blank stares.
“Karavakis. The very same mega-bad guy you’re worried about.”
Lila reached for the wine. “I don’t know about you two, but I sure could use a drink. I must say, one does learn the most interesting things at lunches on Mykonos.”
Through the rest of lunch, Yianni and Andreas pressed Toni for details on her conversations with Eugénie and Christos. After extracting a promise from Toni that she’d not do anything further with respect to the Albanian father or his daughter that might aggravate Karavakis without first clearing it with them, Andreas and Yianni went inside to watch a football match.
Andreas sat on the sofa in front of the TV, and Tassaki immediately jumped onto his lap.
“I want to watch the game with you, Dad.”
“I see you’re teaching him early.”
“Never too young to bring another fan on board.” Andreas tussled his son’s hair.
The three sat silently watching the game.
“Hard to imagine Karavakis caring about what happened to one of his girls,” said Andreas.
“I don’t think Eugénie was one of his girls. That would explain why he fixed her up with her husband. If she worked for someone else or was a freelancer, getting her married eliminated a high-priced competitor from his marketplace.”
“That’s cynical thinking worthy of Machiavelli,” said Andreas.
“Or a whoremaster.”
Andreas rolled his eyes in the direction of Tassaki.
“Whoops, sorry,” winced Yianni.
They waited for a “Daddy, what’s a ____?” question that never came.
“So, where do we go from here?” asked Yianni.
“I’m still waiting on that information from the sergeant, but my guess is it won’t yield much. The woman who tampered with the IV was probably expendable. She might not even be alive anymore.”
“Great, a case with all dead ends.”
Andreas rubbed his son’s arm. “I think we’ve got to go back to the beginning. As far as we know, everything started with that restaurant owner. What’s his name?”
“Pepe.”
“We have to press him on his story. We know it doesn’t match up with the deformed shell casing. Find out where he is, and tell him we want to see him tomorrow.”
“Where?”
“Mykonos. After all, he’s building a club here, so it shouldn’t be a big inconvenience. Let him pick the place on the island where he wants to meet.”
“What if he objects?”
“Tell him GADA has some very uncomfortable interrogation rooms. His choice.”
“Fine. And what will you be doing while I’m making our witness happy?”
“Calling our buddy, Tassos, to see how he and Maggie are doing on Syros. Lila invited them over for next weekend, but he’s been on my mind since that surprise call from the sergeant made me think something bad had happened to a friend.”
“I had the same thoughts. I hear he’s been following his doctor’s advice.”
“I think Maggie’s threats have had more impact.”
“Don’t they always?”
The two men nodded and went off to make their calls.
It took Tassos six rings to make it to the phone. He cursed it after the third ring, gave up tending to his tomato plants after the fifth ring, and made it from his garden to the phone just before the seventh. “Whoever this is, you better have a damn good reason for disturbing me in the middle of doing what gives me the most pleasure in my life.”
“Now that’s about as terrific a straight line as I’ve ever heard. Give me a moment to come up with a comeback worthy of it.”
“Asshole.”
“Why don’t you get a phone with caller ID? That way you can avoid calls you don’t want.”
“I like living dangerously.”
“You’re one screwed-up cop.”
“There are more of us than there are of you,” chuckled Tassos.
“For sure. Which brings me around to the reason for my call.” Andreas paused. “But first, how are you doing?”
“Honestly, I think great. Maggie may not agree, but I’ve dropped twenty kilos and cut out the drinking. My cardiologist is proud, my girlfriend is unimpressed. She wants me to drop another twenty.”
“I’d go with Maggie.”
“As if I have a choice. She controls the cooking and has told every taverna on Syros that if they dare serve me anything other than salad, chicken or fish, she’ll personally burn down their place. I don’t dare imagine what she’s told the bakeries. They won’t even let me through the door.”
Andreas laughed. “Are you guys going to make it over here next weekend?”
“We’re planning on it.”
“Great.”
“So, what’s on your mind?”
“We’ve got a serious mob mess developing on Mykonos, and my instincts see it as tied into the assassination of Colonel Aktipis.”
“How so?”
Andreas described what he knew about the Colonel’s murder, and the roles played by Karavakis and Despotiko in setting up the meeting with Pepe.
“Quite a cast of bad guys you’ve got there.”
“There’s more.” Andreas described Karavakis’ hotel-casino project, Despotiko’s financing role, and the club Pepe planned to open on Mykonos in exchange for getting his brother to bring the hotel chain on board.
“Let me guess, you think the Colonel got killed for trying to extort a piece of the deal?”
“I see you knew the Colonel.”
“We go back to when he was in charge of police in the Southeast Aegean Region and I ran homicide out of Syros. I never liked the guy, but we maintained a simple truce. He never screwed around in my backyard, and in turn I never went digging up holes in other folks’ yards looking for one to bury him in.”
“Sounds like classic local police work.”
“Don’t be such a cynic. It worked. After he left the force, I lost interest in following his shenanigans, but frankly, I’m surprised it took this long for someone to knock him off.”
“Do you think Karavakis would do it?”
“Anything’s possible, but it must have been a hell of a dispute for that to happen after so many years of them working together.”
“That’s sort of what Karavakis told us.” Andreas paused. “What about Despotiko arranging the hit?”
“Same answer. Same question. Why now? And don’t forget the possibility of a hotel owner who felt threated by the project setting it up.”
“Maybe it’s something personal, not business.”
“Like what?” said Tassos.
“I don’t know. You’re my link to the dark side. What have you heard?”
“On this, nothing. But I haven’t asked. Which I assume is the purpose of this call.”
“Mind reader.”
“I’ll get on it right after I’ve finished battling the aphids on my tomato plants.”
Andreas laughed. “I so envy the excitement in your life.”
“No, my sarcastic friend, in truth you envy my newfound calm.”
Tassos’ remark caught Andreas off-guard. He glanced out onto the terrace at Lila and Toni chatting. “You know, you just might be right about that.”
“Bye.”
Yianni had changed into his bathing suit and begun swimming laps in the pool when Andreas walked out onto the terrace. Toni and Lila still sat at the dinner table, engrossed in what looked to be serious conversation.
“May I join you, or is this private?”
“The good stuff’s already been covered, so it’s okay with me,” said Lila.
�
��Me too,” said Toni.
“She doesn’t mean ‘me-too,’ the movement,” Lila said with a smile at Toni, “although that was one of the subjects of our conversation.”
“Uh, clue me in, please,” said Andreas, “I’m joining this movie a bit late.”
“The me-too movement against sexual assault and harassment?”
“Gotcha.” Andreas smiled. “May I ask what got you started on that subject?”
“One way or another, any serious conversation among women about moving forward in a career has to take that into account,” said Toni.
“Especially here,” added Lila.
“Why do you say that?” asked Andreas.
“How many women are in your unit?” said Toni.
“That sort of information is highly confidential.”
Toni looked at Lila. “See, more official obfuscation of facts showing how women are held back from equal opportunities.”
“Why do I sense I should join Yianni in the pool?”
“At least he obfuscates in a charming way,” said Lila.
“Yeah, I’ll give him that,” said Toni.
“Give him what?” said Yianni, drying himself with a towel as he approached the table.
“A hard time,” said Andreas. “If I were you, I’d jump back in the pool.”
“Oh, it’s one of those conversations.”
“And just what does that mean?” said Toni.
“Nothing, I promise. So, what were you actually talking about?” said Yianni, sitting down.
“Before Andreas showed up, I’d been telling Lila more about that interesting woman I met at my hotel. The one who’d been a prostitute but met her Prince Charming, thanks to Karavakis, and lived happily ever after?”
“A modern-day Cinderella story,” quipped Yianni.
“She’s far from the only woman with that story line,” said Lila.
“How do you know?” said Andreas.
“I don’t know it, but there are society women in Athens rumored to have once been of—shall we say—negotiable virtue, who ended up marrying their clients.”
“Any of them tied into Karavakis?” asked Andreas.
“I’d never even heard of Karavakis before this week. But I can tell you that the most prominent subjects of that fallen woman-meets-Prince Charming rumor mill are your dear friends, Mr. and Mrs. Marcos Despotiko.”
Andreas and Yianni lurched forward.
“You’re kidding,” said Andreas.
“It’s been a rumor for so long that no one bothers to bring it up anymore. The gossip mill prefers grinding fresh meat.”
Andreas looked at Yianni. “I wonder how that plays into their relationship?”
“Whether it’s true or not, the whole world knows about it,” said Lila, “So, I can’t imagine why either of them would care anymore.”
“I meant between Karavakis and Despotiko, if it was Karavakis who made the introduction.”
“My guess,” said Toni, leaning forward to pick up her wineglass, “is that on Facebook you’ll find all of those relationships listed as, ‘it’s complicated.’”
Lila sighed. “I actually feel sorry for the wife. Think what her life must be like knowing everyone she meets has heard or likely will hear the rumor that she was a prostitute. I can’t imagine the demons that must haunt her.”
Yianni looked at Andreas. “Sort of makes you wonder what Mrs. Despotiko might be willing to do to prove to the world that she’s more than just the ex-hooker wife of a powerful man.”
“Like orchestrate the killing of someone she perceives as a threat to her husband’s interests?” Andreas fell back into his chair. “This just keeps getting more curious by the moment.”
“It’s the life we chose to lead.”
“Thanks for reminding me of that in front of my wife,” said Andreas, winking at Yianni. “So, what did Pepe have to say about our request to meet?”
“He never answered his phone. I called three times, and left two messages. He might know it’s me from caller ID.”
“Or he’s just busy. Whatever. If he doesn’t get back to you in an hour, leave him a message that if he doesn’t call you back immediately, you’re going to reach out to him through Karavakis.”
“Why drop Karavakis’ name?”
“I think it’s time to stir the pot, even add a bit of spice to the mix. If Karavakis has anything to do with these murders, and Pepe knows it, the last thing he wants is Karavakis thinking he might be cooperating with the police.”
Just then a phone on the table beeped. “What’s that?” said Andreas.
Yianni reached for the phone. “It’s an SMS for me.” He looked at his phone. “Well, we won’t have to employ your nuclear option, Chief. It’s Pepe saying he’ll be happy to meet with us tomorrow at ten in the morning. He suggests a taverna in Ano Mera.”
“Tell him okay.”
Lila watched Yianni type the message and put down his phone. “Now that business is done,” she said, “I guess we can start having fun.”
Toni reached over for Yianni’s phone and looked at the time. “Wow. I can’t believe how late it is. I hate to run but I’ve got to get back and take at least a bit of a nap if I’m going to make it through until three tonight.”
“I understand,” said Lila. “Yianni, drive her back in the SUV. No need to subject her to that motorcycle.”
“Oh, no,” piped up Toni. “The motorcycle’s fine. It actually energizes me.”
“Me too,” said Yianni.
“Suit yourselves,” said Lila. “Though I can’t imagine why you’d want to bump along on a bike when you could comfortably ride in a car.”
Toni and Yianni exchanged awkward glances.
Andreas turned away to hide a smile, and mumbled to himself, “Methinks the game’s afoot.” He wondered if that sort of thinking made him a sexist. He couldn’t imagine how it did, what with both parties obviously interested in playing.
The narrow road of dirt and random patches of concrete wove west toward the sunset, though by now the sun had dropped behind a line of rocky, barren hillsides. For centuries, only goat herders roamed among the steep hillsides crisscrossed with old stone walls. Too far out of town, too much wind, and too little—if any—water, had spared this region from development. Yianni wondered how much longer until elegant homes sprouted on these seemingly unbuildable sites. It was amazing what people with money could do when they wanted something.
Yianni stopped the motorcycle at a break in a stone wall running along the right side of the road and turned off the engine.
“What are you doing?” asked Toni, withdrawing her arms from around Yianni’s waist.
“Shh.”
A moment passed. “I hear nothing but birds.”
“That’s the point. That and the view.”
Each shade-of-brown hill faded into the next slightly darker rise until only a haze of retreating, graceful curves remained to vanish into the horizon.
“And the scents.”
Salt-wind-driven fragrances of wild rosemary, savory, and thyme seasoned the air.
A small lizard, as brown as the dirt, scurried out from the base of the wall, past their feet, and across the road into the shade of a wild thistle.
Toni pointed to the break in the wall. “Is that a road?”
“More like a path. It leads down to that goat herder’s shed two hundred or so meters away.”
“Can we drive there?”
“We can try,” said Yianni, restarting the engine.
He carefully negotiated the motorbike along a true goat path through endless gray-green and browning brush and dirt mixed with wild-goat and donkey crap.
When they reached the hut, Yianni looked up at the road. “I sure hope we can make it back up there.”
“Who cares?” sa
id Toni swinging off the bike and waiting for Yianni to lead the way into the shed. It was a one-room stone hut with a woefully neglected bamboo roof. Open to the west, it had been built with the same sort of stone as the walls separating the fields, and was likely equally old.
“The goat herders stayed here?” she asked.
“With their goats,” he smiled.
“Good, then this won’t shock the spirits of the place.”
“What won’t?”
She stepped forward, wrapped her arms around him, and kissed him hard on the lips. He drew away. But she kissed him again. Harder. And forced her tongue into his mouth.
This time he kissed her back, running his hands along her sides, down to her butt, to squeeze and pull her hard up against him.
She pushed away, pulled off her top and undid her bra.
He stood as if not sure what to do.
“Well?” she said.
He kicked off his shoes and yanked off his jeans and the rest of his clothes, all the while watching her strip bare before pressing herself back into his arms. Each ran their hands along the other’s body, from butt to breast to between the other’s legs, moaning and kissing as they did.
He felt her wet, and she felt him hard. He turned to pick up his jeans, then spread them on the ground, pulling a condom from a pocket as he did. She grabbed it from him, dropped to her knees, rolled it onto him, and lay back on his jeans.
He dropped to between her legs and gently moved to find his way inside her.
She jerked. “Uh.”
“Am I hurting you?”
“No, not at all.” She slid her hands down onto his butt, gently drawing him into a rhythm punctuated by another “uh” with each thrust.
The louder Toni moaned, the faster Yianni moved. Between her voice and touch and warmth, Yianni knew he couldn’t hold off much longer. That’s when he heard and felt her release, and let himself do the same.
Neither moved for several moments, until Toni slowly stroked her hands along his back.
The Mykonos Mob Page 21