Toni’s only chance at getting to Yianni without being seen by the nurse was if he was in one of the rooms to Toni’s right.
Lady Luck, I need you again.
She crept along the wall leading to those rooms, paused at the first door, and listened. She heard a young woman singing a Greek lullaby.
She moved on to the next door but heard nothing. She’d reached for the door handle for a quick peek when she heard people in the room directly across saying goodbye. She yanked at the handle and jumped inside, just as a couple walked out of the other room loudly repeating their goodbyes. No way Yianni would be in there.
If Yianni wasn’t in this room, or in the fourth room in this hallway, Lady Luck had let her down. Toni turned and looked at an empty bed. She shut her eyes and willed herself to believe Yianni was behind that fourth door.
She drew in a deep breath and reached for the door handle. That’s when she heard an alarm.
How could they have found me?
She heard voices shouting and people running down the hall in her direction.
Oh well, I almost made it.
She opened the door, prepared to tell the truth, in time to see the nurse from the monitor race into the fourth room followed by the helpful man in white.
Yianni must be in there.
She ran to the fourth room’s doorway and saw the two frantically working on a man hooked up to wires and tubes. An old man.
This was her chance. She raced across the corridor to the other four rooms and opened the first door. No Yianni. She opened the second. No Yianni. She opened the third. Her heart jumped at the sight. IVs, tubes, and monitors all connected to a sleeping, bandaged Yianni. She closed the door behind her, crept around the bed to a chair up by his head, sat, and smiled. “I’m here,” she whispered.
She mouthed a thank you to Lady Luck, then thought of the old man whose crisis had generated the distraction. She hadn’t seriously prayed in years, and long ago had lost all interest in organized religion, but if ever there were a time for appealing to an everlasting being on behalf of Yianni and the old man, this was it.
Toni sat quietly, drifting between joyful memories and abject fears for the future. She was deep in thought when a nurse bolted into the room, each startling the other.
“What are you doing in here?” the nurse demanded.
“He’s my boyfriend. I’m just sitting here, not touching him, not saying anything. Just being here for him.”
The nurse raised her voice. “I don’t care who you are. You’re not allowed in here. I don’t know how you got in here, but if you don’t leave at once, I’ll call the police.”
Toni gestured with her hand for the nurse to lower her voice.
“Don’t tell me what to do; just get out of here.” She pointed toward the door. “And I mean now.”
Toni smiled and spoke softly. “Let’s look at the situation. I’ve been in here for a good hour. Perhaps you can explain to the police how you allowed a complete stranger to gain access to a critically injured one of their own and remain undetected long enough to have done only God knows what sort of harm to him.” Toni shook her head. “Come to think of it, I guess the police aren’t your main concern. After all, how are you going to explain to your superiors what happened? This just might rise to the sort of thing that justifies terminating your job. Is that the kind of risk you want to take in this horrible economy? And for what?”
“You don’t—”
Toni held up her hand. “Let me finish, please. I’m trying to help you out here. Why get into a fight that you can only lose? After all, the worst that happens to me is my boyfriend’s buddies escort me outside, thank me for caring so much for him, and tell me to come back to see him tomorrow.”
Toni raised and dropped her shoulders. “So, what’s it going to be? A confrontation you can only lose or an act of compassion allowing all of us to win?” She pointed to Yianni. “Especially him.”
The nurse closed her eyes and stood perfectly still—as if counting to ten—then abruptly turned and walked out of the room.
“I don’t think I won a friend in that exchange,” she whispered in Yianni’s direction. “But I don’t care, as long as I won the battle.”
Toni went back to sitting quietly by Yianni’s bedside, watching him sleep, and taking care to do nothing to disturb him. She noticed that his hand closest to her had begun to twitch ever so slightly. She reached over so that his twitching hand touched the top of hers. She felt him weakly grip her hand and lightly squeeze.
She struggled to fight back tears.
This battle she lost.
* * *
Andreas heard his cellphone ring. “Honey, would you grab my phone please? It’s on the kitchen counter. I’m in the middle of changing the baby’s diaper.”
He tickled Sofia’s belly. “Promise you’ll never tell any of your tough guy daddy’s buddies what you just heard him say.” He tickled her again. She giggled. “I’ll take that as a yes.” Andreas finished securing her diaper, kissed her belly, and snapped up the bottoms to her onesies jumpsuit. “They wouldn’t believe you anyway.”
I can hardly believe it myself. He smiled. And I owe all of this to the nanny’s night off.
“It’s someone from Naxos named Dimitri,” said Lila.
“Coming.” Andreas carried Sofia from the nursery across the apartment to the kitchen. He handed Sofia off to Lila in exchange for his mobile.
“Hi, Dimitri. How are our cops?”
“No change, which I’m told is a good thing.”
Andreas clenched his jaw. “Let’s hope so.”
“I have news from my guys at the accident scene. That boulder was a lucky break for them for more than one reason. If the pickup hadn’t hung up on it, they wouldn’t have had such an easy time determining the cause.”
“Easy time?”
“Like a neon sign announcing, ‘Look here,’ is how they described it. The driver side of the truck was caved in from the front wheel to beyond the door. Something hit it and sent it on its way off the road.”
“What kind of something?”
“Likely another truck, or at least something big enough to inflict that much damage without its driver also losing control on impact. The place where it happened and timing were ideal for knocking them off the road. It was in the middle of a sharp left-hand curve, meaning momentum already had the pickup moving toward the edge when the collision occurred.”
Andreas rubbed at his eyes with the thumb and forefinger of his free hand. “How can they be sure the damage wasn’t caused by the pickup rolling over before hitting the boulder?”
“Indentations along the side of the pickup indicated impact with a bumper, and though the paint color on the impacting vehicle was close to the color of the pickup, it wasn’t quite the same.”
Andreas dropped his free hand down to his side. “How could Popi have missed a truck swerving into her lane?”
“That’s one of many questions I hope each of them will soon be able to answer.”
Andreas paused. “So, what’s your gut telling you on this one? Another coincidental accident?”
“I’d sure like to think so. Otherwise, someone’s out there targeting cops just for asking questions about the reporter.”
“Can you think of any other reason why Popi might be a target?”
“Nope.”
Andreas nodded. “Same with Yianni. At least not a target for anyone who’d bother to go to the trouble of making it look like an accident.”
“That sort of thinking is what has me worried.”
“Me too, and why I’m on tomorrow’s morning flight to Naxos.”
“By then we hope to have an ID on the dead tourist whose description matches the one Yianni obtained of the guy in the bar watching the reporter and her interview. It’s not easy identifying foreig
ners like him unless they’re in an accessible database or have been reported missing.”
“Let me know as soon as you hear anything.”
They exchanged goodbyes.
“How’s Yianni?” asked Lila, still holding Sofia.
“No change.”
“What about Toni?”
Andreas shook his head. “I don’t know. I sensed she was in shock after I told her what happened, and I haven’t heard from her since. Have you spoken to her?”
“No. I keep trying her on her mobile, but there’s no answer.”
Andreas bit at his lip. “I sure hope she’s okay.”
“She’s a tough cookie. Lord knows what she’s up to.”
“I’m sure we’ll find out soon enough.” He walked to the refrigerator, opened it, and took out a beer. “Want one?”
“Since when have you switched to beer?”
“I read it’s healthier than wine.”
“And more fattening.”
“Are you suggesting I’m fat?”
“No, but ask me again after you’re on this beer kick for a month or so.”
“Mommy, Daddy, come see what I did,” shouted Tassaki from the living room.
“Dare we imagine?” said Lila, leading the way.
Tassaki sat on an Oriental rug covering part of the room’s white marble floor. Spread out on the marble in front of him was a completed jigsaw puzzle depicting the Acropolis.
“Wow,” said Andreas. “You did all that by yourself?”
“Yes, and it looks just like the real one.” Tassaki smiled as he pointed out the window at the apartment’s unobstructed view of the Acropolis.
“We’re so proud of you,” said Lila.
Sofia gurgled.
“Sofia is too,” smiled Andreas.
“Now run off and get ready for bed. Then daddy will come read you a story.”
“Yay!” Tassaki jumped up and ran off to his room.
“How many pieces are in that puzzle?” asked Andreas.
“Two hundred fifty.”
“I couldn’t do it.”
“I wouldn’t have the patience.”
“Maybe you should bring one of his puzzles to Naxos,” smiled Andreas.
“What are you trying to tell me?”
“Just that I’m going to be very busy there.”
“We’ve been married long enough for me to have already figured that out.”
“Just saying.”
She stared at him. “I certainly hope you don’t think I plan on getting in your way. I’m going to see Yianni and be there for Toni. Maggie and I—and if she’s up to it, Toni—are more than capable of hanging out together and taking care of ourselves.”
Andreas cleared his throat. “To pick up on your point, we’ve been married long enough for me to know your capabilities. I just don’t want you doing something that attracts the wrong kind of attention.”
“And just what’s that supposed to mean?” Lila’s hands now rested in fists upon her hips.
“Like drifting over into my line of work.”
“That’s just your cop brain talking.” She waved him toward Tassaki’s bedroom. “Go read your son a story. You won’t be seeing him for a few days.”
“I wish it were only my cop brain.”
“What makes you think it isn’t?”
“A journalist is missing and two cops are in a hospital, the apparent common connection being questions asked that someone didn’t want asked. I don’t want your healthy curiosity turning unhealthy.”
Lila sighed. “Go read your son a bedtime story.” She paused. “You both could use one.”
Chapter Nine
The morning flight out of Athens had Andreas, Lila, and Maggie in Naxos by eight. After picking up their rental car, they made it to the hospital by nine. Dimitri was waiting for them outside Yianni’s room, unsmiling.
“What’s wrong?” asked Andreas.
“Is Yianni all right?” said Lila.
He faced Lila, but his expression did not change. “I’m Dimitri.”
“Excuse me, Chief, I should have introduced my wife,” Andreas nodded at Lila, “and our police colleague, Maggie Sikestis.”
“Better known as his administrative assistant,” said Maggie, extending her hand.
Dimitri shook their hands. “It’s a pleasure to meet you both. I just wish it were under better circumstances. Yianni is fine. It is my officer who’s not. She’s still in a coma, but an infection has set in, and they may have to remove her spleen.”
“Oh, my God,” said Lila.
Andreas’s head sagged and he exhaled deeply. “I can’t wait to catch the bastard who did this.” He looked up at Dimitri. “Have you spoken to Yianni?”
“No, I was waiting for you to get here. But he’s awake and talking.”
“Talking to whom?”
“His girlfriend.”
“Toni?” said Lila. “What’s she doing here?”
“That’s a story no one seems willing to tell, but she’s here. Been with him since late yesterday afternoon and hasn’t moved from his bedside.”
Lila smiled. “That sounds like our Toni. Can we see him?”
Dimitri shrugged. “You’ll have to ask Toni. It seems the hospital has ceded all decisions to her.”
Andreas opened the door to Yianni’s room and motioned for Lila, Maggie, and Dimitri to step in ahead of him.
Toni jumped up from her chair and hurried around the bed to embrace Lila, tears welling up in her eyes. “I’m so glad to see you.”
Lila hugged her tightly. “I’ve been trying to reach you since I heard what happened.”
“I know.” Toni released her grip and stepped back from Lila. She took Andreas’s hands and kissed him on both cheeks. “I turned off my phone. I didn’t want to speak to anyone. I just wanted to focus on Yianni.” She hugged Maggie.
“Any chance of me getting included in this party?”
Andreas looked down at Yianni. “Would you please not disturb us while we’re commiserating over how worried you had us?”
“Yeah, at least let us get to the really tearful parts we rehearsed on the plane,” said Maggie.
Lila walked to his bedside and touched Yianni’s hand. “Your buddies over there are all macho now, but you should have seen them on the plane. Never saw them so worried.”
“It was a tiny plane and a lot of wind,” said Maggie.
Andreas moved in next to Lila. “Good to see you back to your lousy sense of humor self.”
“Glad to be seen. When we went off that road, I never thought we’d be seen again, except at the funeral.”
“You don’t have to talk about any of that now,” said Andreas.
“How’s Popi?”
Andreas glanced at Dimitri.
“She’s fine,” said Dimitri.
“Where is she?”
Dimitri paused. “Athens.”
Yianni’s face tightened. “Then she’s not fine. Stop bullshitting me.”
Andreas stared at him. “She’s still in a coma, but stable.”
Yianni shut his eyes. “That poor kid. I can’t wait to get my hands on the bastard who did this.”
Toni went back to her seat by Yianni’s bedside and took his hand.
“There seems to be a consensus on that point,” said Maggie.
Yianni’s eyes remained closed. “We left Siphones and were driving to Koronos for lunch. Everything was going smoothly, until we went into that curve.” He drew in and let out a deep breath, and opened his eyes. “This red Fiat came whipping round the curve on its side of the road—”
Dimitri cut in. “A red Fiat knocked you off the road?”
“No. Right behind it, almost up against the Fiat’s bumper, was a white straight-job. I thou
ght it was preparing to pass the Fiat once it got around the curve. Instead, as we were opposite the Fiat the truck swerved into our lane, and…” Yianni shut his eyes again and shook his head.
“What’s a straight-job?” asked Lila.
“A truck about the size of a small bus,” said Dimitri.
Yianni opened his eyes. “How bad off is Popi, really?”
Andreas answered. “They may have to remove her spleen.”
Yianni winced. “How’s her husband holding up?”
“He went with her on the airlift to Athens,” said Dimitri. “That’s all I know.”
Yianni squeezed Toni’s hand. “Good. I’m glad he’s there.”
Andreas bit at his lip. “Do you think it was an accident?”
Yianni stared at him. “Not a chance. The bastard was looking straight at us when he swerved into us.”
“Can you describe the driver?”
“Dark eyes are all I remember.”
“How do you think the attacker knew you’d be on that road to Koronos?”
Dimitri interrupted, “From Siphones, there are only two ways to go. Perhaps he just guessed right.”
“Or he was virtually certain where we’d be headed,” said Yianni.
“How would he know that?” asked Andreas.
“Popi told me that every time she’s in the area she eats at a particular taverna in Koronos.”
“That means your attacker knew Popi’s routine,” said Maggie.
“I know.”
“Or, assuming a hit team, they were prepared to catch up with you from behind if you’d turned the other way,” said Andreas.
“Why do you say team?” asked Dimitri.
“We’ve heard nothing from the Fiat driver, for one thing. Also, a big truck roaring along a curvy two-lane mountain road likely raises a caution flag in most drivers’ minds, but seeing one hugging the bumper of another vehicle makes you more concerned for the other driver than yourself. It slows you down just enough to make you an easier target.”
“In other words, we’re dealing with an orchestrated hit,” said Dimitri.
“Seems like it to me,” said Andreas.
“Then we were damn lucky to have survived. According to what I read in Nikoletta’s notebooks, that hacker doesn’t miss a target.”
A Deadly Twist Page 10