The Mykonos Mob

by Jeffrey Siger

  “So, what do you have in mind?”

  “Simple. Adina’s only fifteen. She’s too young to be drinking. If I can convince the police to arrest her for underage drinking and offer her the choice between the consequences of an arrest record and going to us for counseling, we might have a chance.”

  “Do you think it will work?”

  “If the police bless us as counselors, I think it has a shot at getting Adina’s attention. It also gives us cover from her pimp, because we’re officially designated, not some bleeding heart interlopers.”

  “Like we actually are,” smiled Lila.

  Toni waved off Lila’s comment. “We’ll just have to find a place for the arrest that’s not tied to Karavakis. Besides, I doubt Telly would go along with an arrest at any place related to Karavakis.”

  “Telly?”

  “The police chief. I’ll try selling it to him as a favor to the girl’s hardworking parents. That sort of approach is more likely to appeal to a macho man’s sensitive side.”

  Lila laughed. “So, how are things going with Yianni?”

  “I was wondering when you’d get around to asking about that.”

  “I’ve been resisting since that moment on the terrace when you said your mind was on Adina. I knew it had to be on Yianni.”

  “So, my fibbing didn’t sell you?”

  “Not for a minute,” Lila said, smiling. “Been there, done that. After all, you’re not the first woman to fall for a man and been utterly lost over how best to let him know your feelings.”

  “No, but I had hoped I wasn’t the most obvious.” Toni looked at her phone. “I’d better take off if I want a shot at catching Telly at the police station. It’s not the sort of conversation I want to have with him over the phone.”

  “I’ll walk you out.” Lila stood. “And, by the way, when you say goodbye to Yianni, don’t hesitate to ask him when he plans on seeing you again.”

  “Is this a rehearsal for your mentoring gig?” said Toni.

  “Nah, just plain old meddling by a married lady into the affairs of her single friend.”

  Toni gave a thumbs-up, and they marched out together onto the terrace.

  The weather had suddenly turned, and the Island of the Winds was earning its name with a vengeance. So much so that Yianni insisted it was too dangerous for Toni to drive back to town on her jalopy of a motorbike.

  “On that piece of crap, one good gust will send you flying off the road.”

  “But I have to get back.”

  “Too risky.”

  Toni bristled. “I don’t need a savior. I’ve spent more time riding bikes on this island than you have. I know what I’m doing.”

  “Yianni, throw her bike in the back of the SUV and drive her into town,” said Andreas. “Will that work for you?”

  Toni started to speak, but Lila interrupted. “It would be a bit safer, don’t you think?” She smiled. “And certainly much more comfortable.”

  Toni drew in and let out a breath. “Yes, thank you, it will be.” She kissed Lila and Andreas goodbye, thanked them for their hospitality, and turned away from Yianni to walk to where she’d parked her bike. “I’ll meet you at the bike,” she said without looking at him.

  Yianni glanced at Andreas and followed after Toni.

  They’d been on the road for five minutes without a word passing between them.

  Toni had thought to say something when she saw the motorcycle that had followed her from town still parked by the windmill. But the driver was nowhere to be seen, so she said nothing.

  “Okay, why are you so angry at me?”

  Toni kept her eyes glued straight ahead.

  Another minute passed.

  “I said—”

  “I heard what you said. I just didn’t want to answer. Or rather I didn’t think an answer was necessary.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means exactly what I told you back at the house. I don’t need a savior.”

  “I’m not trying to be your savior. I’d have said the same thing to anyone intending to ride a bike like that in wind like this.”

  She said nothing.

  “Let me modify that. I’d say that to anyone I cared about.”

  Toni bit at her lip. “Now we’re getting to the nitty-gritty of your reason for all this BS about the bike and agreeing to drive me into town.”

  “Huh?”

  “You’re just hoping to get laid again.”

  Yianni’s face burned red. “You have a real knack for saying the wrong thing at precisely the right time.” He slammed his fists on the steering wheel, sending the SUV veering off toward the cliffside.

  “Watch out,” screamed Toni as Yianni pulled the SUV back into line.

  “I don’t know what kind of guy you think I am, but I’m sure as hell beginning to get an idea of the kind of woman you are.”

  “And just what exactly is that supposed to mean?”

  “Someone burned so many times you’re afraid to get close to the flame again.”

  “How poetic, but I’m not sure I like the point.”

  “I didn’t expect you to, but it’s how you behave.”

  “Truth is, that’s not the reason. In fact, it’s virtually the opposite. I’ve avoided flames all my life. My music generates all the heat I’ve ever wanted. Solitude and song work for me. Flames threaten all that.”

  “But what about what happened in the hut? That wasn’t what I’d call an icy performance.”

  “I didn’t say I was icy. I just avoid flames. What happened was pure unadulterated lust. That, I can handle. It’s the long-term stuff that frightens me.” She turned to look out the passenger-side window. “I can’t believe I just said that.”

  “Because it’s not true?”

  “No, because it is true. Though I’ve never acknowledged it openly before.”

  “Well, that’s a start.”

  “Toward what?”

  “Toward learning to love the flame.”

  She smiled. “Persistent, aren’t you?”

  “At times.”

  She looked out the windshield. “Is there a place where we can pull over around here?”

  “It’s still not safe for you to drive the bike. Wait until we get closer to town.”

  “That’s not why I want to stop.”

  He turned his head.

  She smiled. “Yep, I think it’s time baby learned to burn, baby, burn.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Just find a place where we can be alone.”

  He did.

  Yianni dropped Toni off at a mini-mall, close by the rotary connecting to the airport.

  He dragged her bike out of the SUV and promised to stop by the piano bar that night.

  “That would be nice,” she said, kissing him on the lips.

  “Sorry about before. I didn’t mean to be so pushy.”

  “Like I said, it ended up that I’m happy you were. Besides, if anyone is owed an apology, it’s you.”

  “Not necessary.” He kissed her goodbye.

  Toni watched him drive off before starting her bike and heading for the police station.

  She’d always gotten along well with Telly, and not just because she arranged for his drinks to be comped any time he stopped by the bar. That sort of treatment was standard operating procedure on the island. A good relationship with the police was a necessary part of her business.

  In her investigative work, when she thought her clients’ stolen items remained on the island, often the only way to get the loot back was to split her fee with the thieves. But persuading the police to do their duty and recover stolen items for her clients was a far more lucrative alternative. Good relations with the police meant money in her pocket. A concept many on the island followed,
whatever their business pursuits.

  She told the sergeant at the desk she wanted to see the chief and stood just inside the station’s front door, waiting to be called up to his office.

  A female officer waved for her to go upstairs. “Turn right at the top of the stairs. The door’s open, but wait for him to call you in.”

  Toni did as she’d been told and waited patiently outside Telly’s door.

  Funny thing about being in a police station, even if you’ve done nothing wrong, there’s always the sense of being a stranger in a strange land, where the rules followed by its inhabitants shadow your own, yet are different. Rules that meant, if you gave the police cause, your life could become very difficult, very quickly.

  Telly looked up from reading something on his desk and pointed to a wooden chair across from him. He said nothing, only kept reading.

  The office was bright and sunny, and faced away from the road, but the view was not in keeping with the sunshine. It once overlooked the backyards of the island’s working class—people who no longer could afford to live there. Gone were their scratched-out gardens and scraggly goats, replaced by commercial operations seeking to take advantage of the area’s close proximity to the airport and tourists.

  Toni sat quietly while Telly kept reading, slowly swiveling his chair from side to side as he did. After a minute he looked up.

  “Do you know what this is?” He waved the paper he’d been reading.

  “If I did, you’d probably arrest me for spying on you.”

  He didn’t smile. “This isn’t funny, Toni. It’s a memorandum from my boss back in Athens about a request for an inquiry filed with Interpol to look into the possible link between the assassination of a police colonel on the mainland and a proposed hotel-construction deal on Mykonos.”

  Toni hoped the bright sunlight covered the drain of color from her face. “Oh.”

  “That’s all you have to say?”

  “Why would I have anything to say about a memo to you from your boss?”

  “Because, according to this memo, Interpol’s informant claims to have learned ‘from reliable sources on the island,’ that the Colonel was assassinated over a threat he posed to a major casino-hotel construction project involving ‘powerful interests’ on the island, and that ‘local authorities’ are involved in a cover-up.” He leaned across his desk and stared at her. “Do you have any idea who or what sources he’s talking about?”

  Toni leaned back and struggled to keep meeting his glare. “How would I know anything about any of that? I stopped by to see if you’d recovered any of my clients’ stolen things.”

  He slammed his hand on the desk. “Screw your clients. With all your contacts on the island, if anyone would have heard something about this, it would be you.”

  She shrugged, still playing ignorant.

  He pushed back from his desk. “How is it that Interpol has an informant who claims to know all about this assassination link, and neither you nor I have heard a thing about it?”

  Toni struggle to maintain her expression. “I don’t know.”

  He swore and went back to looking at the document.

  “But perhaps there is another way to look at this,” she said.

  “And what would that be?” Telly’s eyes fixed on hers.

  “Let’s suppose there is something to the informant’s story.”

  Telly’s jaw tightened. “This project is huge and involves some of the most powerful families on the island. We’re talking a mega-scandal.”

  Toni took that to mean Telly didn’t relish the risk of angering his hotel and contractor friends by sticking his official nose into their mega-deal.

  “I understand, but even if the killer was somehow tied into the project, that doesn’t mean the motive had anything to do with the project. You know better than I, these sorts of things are generally personal, not business.”

  Telly looked back at the document. “The Colonel certainly had a lot of enemies.”

  “The most likely outcome is that there’s nothing here to affect the project or reflect badly on you.” Toni leaned forward in her chair. “We both know how bureaucratic your police superiors can be, so if they don’t at least make a show of convincing Interpol that their concerns are being pursued, the heat will only intensify, perhaps to the point where Athens feels compelled to send someone here to take over the investigation.”

  That had Telly fixing his eyes on Toni. She met his stare and held it until he looked away. He spun around to face the window. “That would explain why Kaldis is here,” he muttered to himself, then swung back to face her. “So, how can I help you with your clients today?”

  Toni exhaled slowly. “Actually, I have another reason for coming as well. I’m here to ask for a favor for a friend.”

  “Oh, one of those kinds of requests.”

  She wasn’t sure what he meant, but kept on talking. “A hardworking Albanian mother and father are very worried about their fifteen-year-old daughter. She’s hanging out with a bad crowd.”

  “That’s easy enough to do here.”

  “They asked me to come up with a way to help her, and I have an idea, but it needs your assistance.” She paused until he nodded for her to continue. “She drinks a lot, this kid, and since she’s underage, I thought if you arrested her and gave her the choice between an arrest record and seeking counseling, she’d take the counseling and maybe that would straighten her out.”

  He bit at his lip. “I get the idea, but arresting a fifteen-year-old for drinking on this island is about as low on our priority list as busting litterbugs.”

  “I wouldn’t want you doing anything to the bar owner, just scare the girl enough for her to agree to go the counseling route. We’ll take it from there.”

  “Who are we?”

  She froze at the thought of introducing Andreas’ wife into the conversation. “My friend Lila.”

  Telly thought for a moment. “This counseling-at-risk-children concept sounds like a good idea to me.” He smacked his hands on his desktop. “Fine. You and your friend are now my official counselors. I won’t even pretend it’s because I owe you one for listening to me rant about the mess this Pepe guy’s causing me.”

  Toni swallowed. “Pepe?”

  “That’s the name of Interpol’s informant. He had dinner with the Colonel on the night of his assassination.”

  Toni couldn’t breathe.

  “Are you okay?”

  “Yes, just overwhelmed at how nice it is of you to agree to help that poor hardworking family.”

  “I’ll take that as a genuine compliment.” He smiled. “Just let me know where and when the girl will be doing something we can arrest her for. I’ll take it from there.” He stood. “You’re a pretty good kid too.” He extended his hand. “Stop by anytime.”

  Toni prayed she’d recovered enough lost strength from the Pepe bombshell to stand. She literally willed herself to her feet. “I will, and thanks.” She shook Telly’s hand and left the office. From there she walked across the street to a supermarket parking lot, sat on a stone wall separating the lot from the road, and wondered what in the world to do next.

  She called Yianni.

  “This can’t be happening,” said Andreas, standing in the kitchen holding a cup of coffee in one hand and shaking a fist in the air. “Pepe actually went to Interpol!”

  “I checked, and it’s true. He filed a report claiming local authorities were trying to cover up a connection between the Colonel’s murder and ‘international business interests seeking to take over effective control of the island of Mykonos.’”

  “The man is crazy, mad, or insane. More likely all three.” He slammed his free hand on the countertop, jarring some coffee out of the cup held in his other.

  “I’m surprised the press hasn’t picked up on it,” said Yianni.

&nbs
p; Andreas dumped his coffee in the sink, grabbed a paper towel, and wiped up his spill. “Because part of their job is to bury bad news about the island.” He shook his head. “It makes no sense. Bad press coverage could kill the casino deal, and benefit none of our suspects.”

  “But it would benefit other hotel and club owners.”

  “That’s just what we need. More suspects.”

  “What do you want to do about Pepe?”

  “Grab his ass and sweat him for the truth. If we can find a prosecutor willing to charge him as an accessory to the motorcyclist’s murder based on what we have, that might shake him up enough to give us better answers than he has so far. But, first, we need to find him.”

  “He said he had to catch a boat.”

  “Check with his restaurant back on the mainland, and if they don’t know where he is, roust his buddy Karavakis. Somebody must know.” Andreas rested his hands on the top of the counter. “Son of a bitch,” he shouted, slapping the countertop again.

  Lila came running into the kitchen. “Is everything all right?”

  “Yeah, great.”

  “Then stop swearing so loudly. The children can hear you. You’re frightening them.”

  Andreas drew in a breath. “Sorry about that.” He exhaled. “Our only witness to the Colonel’s murder is broadcasting a theory to the world that local authorities are engaged in a cover-up.”

  “That’s terrible. When did you learn that?”

  “Toni called Yianni while he was driving back to the house. She’d gone to see the local police chief on the status of her clients’ stolen property, and he unloaded on her about how a guy named Pepe had gotten him in hot water with Athens by complaining to Interpol.”

  “Why in the world would Pepe do that?”

  “That, my love, is the very first question I intend to ask the malaka the moment we find him.”

  Lila looked at Yianni. “How’s Toni?”

  “She’s fine. She said it shook her up hearing the chief of police talking about the same people we’d just been talking about, but she didn’t mention any of that to him.”