by L. T. Ryan
I walked up next to him and stared at the cooking area. There was a two burner stove. Counter space. A single sink. Grime coated the fixtures. A couple cabinets had been nailed in haste to the walls. Someone had painted them black at some point. The paint was streaked and faded.
Alik opened the cabinets. They were empty.
“The fridge,” I said.
He moved in front of it.
“It’s crooked,” I said.
He grabbed hold and pulled it back. “Son of a bitch.”
Chapter 13
“THERE’S OUR ACCESS.”
THE DOOR was five feet high, and two and a half feet wide. It had a deadbolt, a chain lock, and swung inward. Alik checked the handle and the door didn’t budge.
“Help me move this fridge out of the way,” Alik said.
We dragged it across the floor and left it next to the table. Alik rushed forward and delivered a front kick that landed next to the knob. The door and frame splintered and cracked and separated. The hunk of wood swung hard into the wall. The hinges creaked as it floated back toward us.
Alik descended the weathered stairs first. I was on his tail. The air smelled musty. My fingers traced the wall, slick with condensation. Alik’s light aimed down. Mine to the side. By the time I cleared the ceiling, Alik was on the ground. I took the remaining steps two at a time.
“Where the hell is she?” Alik said.
The narrow space between the stairs and exterior wall wasn’t big enough for the both us, and Alik wasn’t moving. So I pushed him forward and then past him as we stepped into the cellar. The floor was concrete in some spots. Dirt in others. The air was stagnant. Water trickled down the walls in a couple spots, turning the floor into mud where it fell.
In the middle of the room was a tipped over chair. Rope was tied to the back. It had been sawed through. But that wasn’t the worst of it. A few feet away, underneath where the back door stood above us, I saw a shirt. A white blouse with red thread woven down the buttons. Buttons that weren’t attached to the shirt anymore. Buttons I saw scattered around the room as I panned my light on the floor. The thread wasn’t the only thing red on the blouse, either. There were blood streaks and spatters. I picked it up and held it to my face and inhaled.
“Lavender.”
“What?” Alik was walking toward me.
“Isadora wore lavender perfume. Or, rather, it was in her shampoo, but her hair hung over her shoulders. Left the fragrance behind on her shirt.”
He nodded and turned and shone his light in the space under the stairs. He took a few steps, bent over and picked something up.
“What’s that?” I asked.
He turned and held out a dirty, yellow, folded piece of paper. I took it and held my light over it.
“A pamphlet?”
“Looks that way.”
“It’s written in Greek.” I handed it back to Alik. “What’s it say?”
“I can barely speak the language. You think I can read it?”
“Better than I can.”
He studied the paper for a few moments, unfolding and refolding it. He tapped on the front of it. “Something medical. Some kind of clinic, I think.”
I took the pamphlet back and unfolded it, studied it, refolded it. There was something scrawled in pencil on the back.
“Any idea what that says?” I asked him.
Alik shook his head. “I can’t make out most of the print. You think I can figure out the handwriting?”
We were getting nowhere, so I folded the pamphlet in thirds and stuck it in my back pocket. Looking around the room, I wondered if we’d seen Isadora for the last time. The blood on her shirt had dried. They’d torn it off her a while ago. We were a couple hours behind, at least. And we had no idea where they might’ve taken her.
Alik led the way up the stairs. We rigged the door so it wouldn’t fall open and repositioned the fridge in front of it. We walked through the house one last time in search of anything that might indicate where they had gone next. But in the end we found nothing.
Exiting through the back door, I was hit with humid air and the soft hum of insects. Thought I might’ve heard waves crashing. But it only happened twice. And it came from north. Which was the wrong direction considering we were on the southern side of the island.
“Cars,” I said.
“I know,” Alik said.
We stayed in the field until we reached the brush. It was too thick to walk through, so we took the dirt road and stayed close to the side until we reached the main road. It was pitch black. We took turns looking back in hopes that we could spot a car coming before they saw us. The thickets might hurt going in, but it was better than being caught by the guys who had taken Isadora.
I couldn’t help but think allowing that to happen might be the best option, considering we had no idea where they had gone.
Take me to her. Please. I’ll make you pay.
The car remained where we had left it. My window was cranked down an inch. Alik’s up all the way. We got in and eased our doors closed. They weren’t latched, but we’d do that while moving to reduce the effects of the sound in the still night.
Alik turned the key in the ignition. The little engine revved high then settled in. He eased off the clutch and pressed the gas and we pulled away. But the movement was jerky, and it sounded like a herd of horses galloped behind us.
“Shit,” he said, stopping on the side of the road.
I opened my door and had a foot on the ground before we’d halted. I directed my light toward the rear of the car. Got out, checked the front. Walked around the bumper and checked the driver’s side. The front was OK.
But the back driver’s side tire not so much.
Alik had rolled down his window and hung his head out the opening.
“Flat?”
“Yeah.” I walked past him and knelt by the tire and worked my hand around it. “I could be wrong, but feels like someone slashed it.”
Alik got out. He slammed his door shut and then kicked it. “Think it was them?”
“Maybe.”
“They drove by, saw a car out there, maybe knew it was Esau’s?”
“I think if they knew it was Esau’s, we’d have been paid a visit.”
“Kids, then?”
“Maybe.”
“We heard a couple cars passing when we left the house, right?”
“I preferred to think of them as waves, but, yeah, we heard them.”
“Think they could have done it?”
“Maybe.”
“Can’t you think of anything else to say, Jack?”
“What’s to say, man? Someone slashed the tire. We didn’t see them. As far as I can tell, they’re gone. If it had been someone with mal intent, they’d have slapped us while we were standing here bitching at each other.”
“Shit.” Alik kicked the side of the car again, then reached inside and pulled out the keys. He popped the trunk and pulled out a small donut wheel and a tool bag.
By the time we finished changing the tire, sweat was dripping down my face. My mouth felt parched. Didn’t matter the air had a cool bite to it. The humidity overpowered it.
“What now?” Alik said.
“Guess we return the car.” I rolled down my window and leaned into the wind rush as Alik whipped the car around and accelerated. “And give Esau the bad news.”
Chapter 14
ESAU HADN’T TAKEN THE NEWS well. He had opened the door and saw the two of us standing there. He rose on his tiptoes and craned his head side to side. Then he settled back and his eyes went wet and his shoulders slumped. He looked down at the floor.
“Sorry, Esau,” I had said.
He was shaking his head when he’d closed the door on us.
We took the car back into town and left it on the street near the cafe. Then we slept.
I woke up after sunrise, wearing the same clothes from the night before. My body was stiff and full of aches. My ribs were visibly bruised. So was my
hip. Black and blue and painful to the touch. I stretched it out and after a few minutes lumbered from my room to the living room. The window was open, but the air was still. Alik stood at the counter, drinking coffee and turning eggs over in a pan.
“Felt like cooking this morning?” I asked.
“Cafe’s closed still,” he said.
“Mind making a few of those for me?”
He lifted the pan and tipped three eggs with their yolks intact onto a plate. Steam caught a band of sunlight and rose in swirling wisps.
“These are for you.”
I poured a cup of coffee and grabbed the plate off the counter while the ceramic mug burned my fingertips. I set both on the table and eased into a chair. A few sips of the brew and the fog lifted. A couple bites of food and the ache in my stomach faded. The rest of my pains remained.
Alik sat down and buried his face in his hands for a moment. Then he looked up at me and asked how the food was. I nodded and grunted as I took a bite. Alik nodded in response.
“I’m worried about Esau,” he said.
“Me too,” I said, perhaps with too much egg in my mouth. I felt a piece hit my chin on the way to the table.
He was shaking his head as he looked away for a moment. “What if they were out there, Jack?”
“Where? The house?”
“The road. Just far enough away we wouldn’t see them, but they could watch the car. Watch us. See us changing the tire. Then follow us back to his house.”
“Crossed my mind, too.”
“And now Esau’s not here. He’s always here early.”
“Situations dictate behavior.” I washed my mouth with coffee, set the mug down. “I’d say things are different now. His focus is on Isadora, not his business.”
“Think we should check on him?”
Scooping the final scraps of eggs into my mouth, I nodded. “I need to change first.”
Alik rose, grabbed the keys. “Hurry.”
I splashed some water on my face, then changed into a pair of tan cargo shorts and a blue and white checkered shirt. Alik was waiting in the hall when I exited the bathroom. I slipped on a pair of sandals. We hurried downstairs, checking the cafe to see if Esau had made it in. The lights and equipment were off. The office empty.
We ducked out the side entrance. I glanced over. There were a few old guys waiting outside the cafe door. They smoked, joked, leaned back against the glass and appeared relaxed. Sometimes schedules were discarded in the small town. They knew that. They were OK with that. It’s one of the reasons they had remained when their siblings and friends had left for opportunities elsewhere.
The car sat where we had left it, one corner lower to the ground due to the spare tire. But at least all the tires looked full of air. Alik hopped in and started it up. Esau’s house wasn’t situated far from town, so the drive only took a couple minutes. The warm air rushed in the car and washed over me. Was as close as I was getting to a shower for a while.
Gravel crunched underneath the wheels as we turned onto the driveway. The old man opened the door before we were out of the car.
“Was wondering when you would show up,” he said, slamming his front door behind him. He spun and inserted a key then limped across the yard.
I got out and slid my seat forward so he could get in back.
“Everything OK?” I said.
“Huh?” he said.
I looked down at his leg. “You’re limping.”
“Ah, yes, it flares up, time to time. Old injury from the war.”
“One day you’re gonna have to tell me all about that war.”
He nodded and said nothing.
I said, “After we get Isadora back, of course.”
Esau stopped and stared at me with a weak smile plastered on his face. Then he got in the car.
“I’ve made some arrangements,” Esau said.
“What kind?” I said.
“Weapons for the two of you. Things are just crazy here. And while I’d prefer to get you off the island, I need your help too much. Obviously, I can’t do this alone.”
“When will they be here?”
“Later today. Worst case, tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow might be too late.” I looked back at him. “Hell, right now might be too late.”
Esau looked away. His lips drew tight. None of us wanted to think about it, but it was there. Alik and I had seen it, and we’d told Esau about it, and that was all there was to it. Every minute that passed meant we were closer to finding out Isadora didn’t make it.
Alik pulled in front of the cafe. The crowd looked at the car, then us. They pushed off the glass when they saw Esau. They patted their bellies and slapped each other on the back.
Esau beat them back like wild animals as he unlocked the front door. The old men shuffled in and seated themselves at tables.
Things changed fast. The day before, no one would come in. Now they couldn’t wait. Hadn’t they heard about Isadora? Hadn’t they seen? Maybe that was the reason they were there. These people weren’t just customers, they were Esau’s friends. They’d shown up to support the old man.
Esau stepped out of the office and went behind the counter and started the grill. He pulled pastries out of the fridge and set them on plates. He started a few pots of coffee. After a few minutes, he had several plates on the counter, each with an accompanying mug. Then Esau slipped into the office again.
The old men walked up to the counter, took a plate, dropped some money next to the register, and returned to their tables. Forks banged against plates. Mugs were lifted and set down with soft thuds. Chairs scraped the floor.
The bells hanging from the front door jingled. I shot a glance toward it. A boy maybe ten or eleven years old entered. He stood just inside the entrance, hopping on one foot to the other like he needed an invitation to use the bathroom or he was going to piss all over the floor.
Esau came back out of the office. After some quick banter with one of the men, he spotted the boy and froze in place.
The boy’s eyes widened and he nodded and pulled a folded envelope from his pocket. He hurried over to Esau and handed it to him. Esau stared down at the plain white envelope for a moment as the boy turned and darted toward the door. Esau reached out, but missed. The boy raced past me. I didn’t make an attempt to stop him.
Esau shuffled over to the table with the envelope in hand. He held it a foot or so away from his body. His face was tight. Eyes unblinking. He fell back into the chair opposite mine.
I looked at the door as it swung shut. The kid had hurried out of sight. Where were the men who had sent him? I rose, ready to go check.
“Wait,” Esau said. His voice was weak and thready. He cleared his throat. “Wait a moment. Please.”
By this time, Alik had joined us. We waited for the old man to open the envelope or hand it to one of us to do so. After a few seconds, he peeled back the flap and retrieved a yellow piece of paper torn from a spiral notebook. Little tags of frayed paper lined the top. The letter written in pencil.
Esau mumbled as he read it. Then he covered his eyes and shook his head.
“What’s it say?” I said.
Esau said nothing.
I nodded at Alik. He pried the paper from Esau and stared at it.
“Well?” I said.
“Not sure what it says other than the numbers,” Alik said.
Esau said, “I don’t have that kind of money.”
My first thought was, Isadora’s alive. My second thought was how much money?
“They are asking for the equivalent of five hundred thousand U.S. dollars.”
“They wouldn’t ask that if they didn’t think you had it,” I said. “So why do they think you have it?”
He said nothing.
“Esau, what did you do?”
“And that’s not all,” Esau said, ignoring the question. “It says they want the good Samaritan to deliver it. Alone.”
I glanced at Alik.
He sa
id, “That’s you, Jack.”
“Figured as much.” I gestured at the paper, which had been set on the table. “Where?”
“It doesn’t say,” Esau said. “Only mentions they’ll let us know around seven.”
I glanced at my watch. It was eight thirty in the morning. “So tonight, then. Can you see if your contact can get here sooner?"
Esau nodded.
“One more thing,” I said.
“What?” Esau said.
“If you want me to go through with this, I need more details.”
Esau glanced around, nodded, rose. “Come to my office. Both of you.”
Chapter 15
IT WAS THE FIRST TIME I’d been in the cafe’s office. It smelled like stale coffee and donuts. Four small panel windows allowed light in. Wasn’t much to the room. An old wooden desk, cluttered with several stacks of paper, some as tall as eight inches high. An old computer monitor on one end, set at an angle. A dying plant next to it. A large desk calendar turned to the wrong month. That didn’t matter much. The calendar itself was three years old. There were scribbles all over it. Names and places, I figured. Phone numbers from around the globe.
Esau walked around the desk and took a seat in a beat-up office chair. Alik and I sat opposite him in metal fold-up chairs that had little padding left on the seat. The metal rail dug into my back. I shifted until I managed some level of comfort.
“I was sixteen in 1949,” Esau said. “My best friend, Kostas, was nineteen. He was like an older brother to me. He’d enlisted in the Hellenic Army to fight in the war against the DSE forces.” He paused, glanced at each of us, and added, “It was the Civil War. The communists, including the Soviets, backed the DSE and the Greek Communist Party.”
“I’ve seen documentaries,” I said. “Not the most pleasant of times for your country.”
Esau shook his head. “No, it was not. Christ, is it for any country? Anyway, Kostas joined up and made it in time for the Battle of Leonidio. And, well, he wrote back to me about it and I was entranced. I wanted to be a part of it. So I lied and told them I was my brother who would have been nineteen at the time if he hadn’t drowned the summer I was ten. Back in those days they needed men and didn’t question things like that. The next day, they shipped me off for some training. Within a month, I was reunited with Kostas, and was present for two of the three final battles.”