It was two thirty in the morning and Lila was text messaging furiously. Reading, writing, reading, writing.
‘What’s going on?’ Andreas asked.
‘It’s Barbara. You can’t believe what she’s telling me.’
His heart stopped. Deny, deny, deny. No, not this time. He thought to beat her to the punch. ‘Lila—’
She burst out laughing. ‘I don’t believe her. She’s one of a kind.’ Lila turned to Andreas, all smiles. ‘First of all, she said to send you her love and that you gave a “tremendous performance.”’
I wonder if Maggie has talked to her yet, Andreas thought.
‘I had invited her to join us for dinner, she should have been here hours ago.’
Maggie better have, but if she had she’d have told me.
‘But she can’t make it.’
Thank God.
‘Because she’s in Moscow.’
You’ve got to be kidding me!
‘She was at the airport waiting to catch the last plane back to Athens, and guess who she ran into?’
Good thing she didn’t know more than that I needed an escort.
‘Your Russian from last night. He convinced her it would be a lot more fun to celebrate Easter in Moscow than Athens. She said to tell you she decided to go. “So it wouldn’t be a total loss.” What does that mean?’
‘Got me. She’s a bit wacky.’
‘I’ll say.’ Lila laughed again. ‘Barbara, Barbara, you never fail to amaze me.’
I’ll say.
‘Thanks for inviting me. You were right, Easter dinner alone on Mykonos would have been a downer.’
Tassos patted Kouros on the arm. ‘Hey, you’re family. Besides, I didn’t have to cook. He did.’ Kouros pointed to a man hurrying toward them with plates stacked along his left arm from fingertips to elbow. He was the vision of a Greek leprechaun with a round, rosy-cheeked face, twinkling eyes, and a Greek fisherman’s moustache.
‘Steline,’ the leprechaun shouted, ‘hurry with the rest of the plates before this old bastard from Syros arrests me.’
‘I see he knows you.’
Tassos smiled and nodded. ‘Yeah, we’ve spent many a night together here behind city hall, closing up his place and exchanging lies. It started out as a locals’ place, now it’s the most famous taverna on the island. Everybody comes here.’
Kouros looked over Tassos’ shoulder at someone aimed straight for their table. ‘Oh, boy. Were you ever right.’
‘What are you talking—’
‘You miserable fucking piece of shit!’ And thus began a thirty-second string of expletives delivered at disco club volume. Tourist heads jerked around to see who was about to be murdered. Locals just shrugged and continued on with Easter dinner; it was only Katerina doing her warpath thing.
Tassos braced himself, then came a smack to the back of his head.
Kouros smiled. ‘I see you’ve been through this before.’
Tassos stayed braced. ‘She’s not done yet.’
Smack. She did it again, then another.
Tassos relaxed. ‘I think she’s done.’
‘I heard that, asshole,’ and gave him another slap.
Tassos turned to face her. ‘Christos Anesti, Katerina mou. Please, join us.’
She was shaking her fist in his face and stopped only long enough to say, ‘Alithos Anesti,’ before starting in on him again. ‘How could you have done that to me? Set me up so badly.’ Tassos pulled out a chair as she raged on. Katerina sat down without missing a beat in her diatribe. ‘I have never been so embarrassed in all my life.’
‘I assume you know all of my cousins.’ Tassos pointed to the people around the table. ‘And, of course, Yianni Kouros.’
Katerina nodded and smiled to all the cousins, then looked at Kouros. ‘You’re as bad as this one,’ pointing to Tassos.
Kouros decided to follow Tassos’ lead. ‘Christos Anesti.’
‘Alithos Anesti.’ She turned back to Tassos and repeated, ‘How could you have done that to me?’
Tassos sighed. ‘Katerina, what did I do to you?’
‘You set me up. You knew I would tell Vladimir.’
Tassos leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. ‘I love you, really I do. You’re one of a kind. Here, have a drink.’ He handed her a glass of wine. ‘Yamas.’
Katerina, Tassos, and Kouros clinked glasses and drank.
‘Miserable bastards,’ she said. Then she poured the three of them more wine. ‘I feel almost as stupid as some of my dumb-ass clients, the ones who think they’re so smart and end up getting conned. Like you did me!’ She didn’t smack this time, just shouted.
They sat together for about an hour, mostly letting Katerina vent but having fun as well. She was terrific company.
‘And that bitch who was making a play for Vladimir.’
‘What bitch?’ said Tassos.
‘Baarrrrbarrraaa.’ Katerina drew out the name as a child would in a schoolyard taunt.
‘She was hitting on him?’ asked Kouros.
‘Fellas, please. How blind and naïve are you men? Believe me, I know how to hit on a man and I can tell you, that bitch is a master.’
‘What are you talking about?’ said Tassos.
‘That’s right, you weren’t there to watch the show. No woman would allow a man to stroke her back as she did if she weren’t interested. And then she’d make just enough of a subtle push back against Vladimir’s hand to let him know he had a shot at her. He was so hard I thought he’d come on the spot.’
Neither cop bothered to ask how she knew that.
‘But Andreas better be careful. Vladimir is no one to fuck around with. Don’t forget where or how he made his money. It took a body count as well as brains to make what he made in Russia. People tend to die who get in his way. I never forget that, and Andreas better not either.’
Tassos shrugged. ‘Thanks, but Andreas has nothing to worry about.’ He didn’t bother to say there would be no competition for the woman.
Katerina poured more wine into their glasses. ‘Let’s hope Vladimir sees it that way. For all our sakes.’
‘Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God.’ As Barbara moaned she thrust her hips up to meet his, her legs wrapped around his back, squeezing and touching wherever she could.
I can’t believe this woman, thought Vladimir. It’s our third time since the plane landed. And that one time in the air. His mind was lost in her completely and without warning he was on the verge again. My God, how does she know how to do this? As if on cue, she touched him in just the right place at just the right moment, and from that instant on it was nothing but, ‘Barbara, Barbara, Barbaraaaahhhhhhhh.’ They came together. Again.
They lay together in the dark without moving. Then she gently stroked her fingers along his spine.
‘Where have you been all my life?’
‘Athens.’
He laughed. ‘I hope you like Moscow.’
‘A nice place to visit.’
‘But you wouldn’t want to live here?’
‘Vladimir, are you proposing?’
He laughed. ‘You have too many boyfriends for me.’
She patted him on the back. ‘Don’t start getting jealous on me.’
He cringed. She probably was right about that. ‘Well, I can’t help remembering what that policeman said.’
‘Andreas?’
‘Yes. I bumped into him the day after we met and he said, “Obviously, you’ve never slept with Barbara.”’
‘I have no idea how that subject ever came up, but one thing’s for sure, we both know he’d be wrong now, darling.’
‘Yeah, but it still bothers me.’
She grabbed his dick and squeezed it. Then pulled at it twice. ‘My love, that’s the most Andreas ever got from me, and he was out cold when I did it. All I did was rub some lubricant on his dick so when he woke up he’d think he’d had me, and could have me again. I wanted to see if he was like every other man chasing after my girlfr
iend, Lila. He’s not. Darling, he’s my best friend’s almost-husband, I’d never screw him. He just needed me for company for the night.’ She kissed his cheek. ‘There, that’s the truth. So, now, do you feel better?’
It was dark in the room so Barbara couldn’t see his face. It was not a look of joy. ‘Excuse me, my love, I must make a telephone call.’ Vladimir left the room.
* * *
‘Anatoly, we have a problem.’
‘Vladimir, it’s almost five o’clock in the morning.’
‘We’ve been set up.’
‘What are you talking about?’
‘The cop used the woman to get next to me. It’s been a hustle from the very beginning. He wanted to make me curious enough to break into the woman’s house, copy the information, and pass it on – to make it seem real and legitimate. We have to stop it.’
‘We can’t. It’s too late.’
‘I was afraid of that. Then we must do whatever it takes to make it seem that the information did not come from me. I’m certain I’m being set up as the link to something intended to embarrass Mother Russia and get me sent off to a gulag.’ Or worse, he thought but did not say. ‘I wonder which of my enemies is behind this.’
‘Vladimir, relax. We can come up with another source, one that covers both of us. But who else knows about your involvement in all this?’
‘Only the cop, as far as I know.’
‘Then he must be eliminated.’
‘What about the woman?’
Vladimir paused. ‘I think not. She knows nothing more than that she was to be his companion for the evening.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘Yes.’
‘This is going to cost a lot of money.’
‘That is not a problem.’
‘I didn’t think it would be.’
‘Just do it. And leave no witnesses.’
‘It will take a couple of days to organize, but consider it done.’
Vladimir hung up the phone. Too bad, he thought, I kind of liked that cop.
Andreas knew he had no control over what he’d set in motion. Too many variables, too many different agendas involved. No telling what might happen. All he knew for certain was that this time he’d done the right thing. He just hoped no innocents suffered because of him if the Russians decided to act. Unlike the traditional Italian concept of a hit – assassinate just the offending one – Russians were prepared to blow up a room full of people as long as they took out their target.
That thinking led him to other thoughts and other concerns. For those who believed in heaven and hell there was always hope that good would prevail and bad would be punished. For those who didn’t believe it was a tougher call, because bad guys didn’t play by the rules, giving them a decided advantage. As Andreas saw it, a cop could be a believer in his heart, but damn well better think like a Dirty Harry nonbeliever on the job.
He decided to spend the rest of the week keeping an eye on Lila, just to be on the safe side. Besides, it was a good excuse for sharing what remained of their pre-baby era of life. He couldn’t imagine being happier, no matter what the future brought.
But he also told Maggie to keep up on the news from Mount Athos, just in case.
22
Free at last. Praise the Lord. It was noon, and the monastery’s doors at last were open. Everyone was off to eat, then to sleep. Forty days of fasting without meat, fish, cheese, butter, or eggs had taken much of their energy. But Zacharias had no time for that. He had to hurry to catch the fast boat from the port of Daphni to Ouranoupolis and be back in time for supper at seven in the Russian abbot’s monastery. A two-hour mountain road walk to the bus, a half-hour ride to the boat, a one-hour voyage aboard the Little Saint Anna, and a return voyage getting him back to Daphni before evening prayers at six was the plan. Thank God the Russian monastery wasn’t far from Daphni. Still, it would be close.
As he hurried along the dirt path toward where the bus would be, he fiddled with his cell phone. He couldn’t get it to work. Couldn’t be the battery, he’d left it in the charger all week. Then it hit him. He’d also left the phone on, just in case a message somehow got through – and the abbot must have turned off all electricity into the monastery. The phone was dead. Damn, damn, damn.
He quickened his pace. No matter, he’d assume the worst, that none of them made it to Ouranoupolis and he’d have to do this alone. He could do it. He could do anything.
As he walked, Zacharias thought of other possibilities. What if they were caught? What if there were police waiting for him in Ouranoupolis? No, the three would never talk. They’re afraid of the Lord and what would happen to their souls should they stray from the path they’d chosen to walk together with him – and to their families should they cross him. He had picked his men carefully, each with a past and a family to protect. Yes, they would never give him away.
The bus wound its way through timeless green beauty. He stared out the window; there seemed no human presence, man nonexistent. This now was his place. This was where he belonged. He would make it worthy of his work. The boat was there. As if ordained to wait for him. Yes, it was ordained. It was part of the Lord’s plan. The time was now.
It was almost four in the afternoon, and the man had been sitting in the same taverna chair for almost five hours. His ass was killing him. But his orders were clear and direct: ‘Petro, do not move under any circumstances until contact is made, and that means any circumstances.’ They were not instructions one could misinterpret. Especially considering their source. He’d been doing this sort of work for more years than he liked to remember, but this was the first time the director had given him his orders personally.
The jet, the parachute, the underwater approach were right out of one of those James Bond movies, but considering the last minute timing involved with this operation, there was no other real choice. You couldn’t get even a donkey to move in Greece on Easter. Still, he was getting too old for this special ops craziness. He just hoped the boat was here to meet him. All he could do was wonder, because the plan didn’t allow him to leave this goddamned chair to check.
Some plan. Once contact was made it was up to him to make the call: kill, grab, or walk away. The choices had been conveyed in their reverse order of preference. ‘We’d prefer no more dead Greek monks on public streets during Easter Week, and if he seems no threat, let him take the package and go – the dioxin is phony anyway,’ were the director’s exact words.
‘Where the hell is that monk?’ Petro muttered under his breath in Russian. The Little Saint Anna had docked twenty minutes ago.
‘May I have a light?’ someone said in Greek. It was a man who looked to be in his late thirties, early forties, sitting at a nearby table. He could be older, but his full beard was black and neatly trimmed. He was wearing jeans, a plaid work shirt, a fisherman’s hat, and construction boots, drinking coffee, reading a Greek newspaper, and holding a cat on his lap.
‘Here you are.’ Petro responded in Greek, handing him a lighter.
‘Thank you very much, that is very kind of you,’ said the man with the cat. ‘So, where’s the package?’ He now spoke Russian with a Serbian accent.
‘Package? What package?’ Petro responded in Greek.
The man with the cat continued in Russian. ‘Since you understood what I said, there is no reason for you to continue straining to speak in Greek. I’m very comfortable in your mother tongue.’ He smiled in a way suggestive of twinkling eyes, but his remained dark and focused.
‘So I see,’ Petro said, switching to Russian, ‘but I still don’t understand what you’re talking about.’
The man stroked the cat and spoke as if talking to himself. ‘Of course you don’t. And if I gave you 75,000 reasons you still wouldn’t know, would you?’
That was the amount the director told him would be paid for the dioxin. ‘That’s a lot of reasons.’
The cat man smiled, staring off toward the sea. ‘Yes, I know. And I also know that y
ou were expecting someone else to give them to you.’
Petro nodded. ‘Yes, one of two possible persons as a matter of fact, and you do not fit the descriptions they provided.’
Cat man smiled again, still staring off to sea. ‘You mean three.’
Petro nodded again. ‘Yes, three. So why isn’t one of them here?’
‘They had commitments elsewhere and asked me to come in their place.’
‘Highly unusual for this sort of transaction.’
Cat man nodded. ‘I accept that.’
‘Well, I can’t.’
The man dropped the cat to the street and looked directly at Petro. ‘I am not with the authorities, although I do not expect you to believe me. But I am the one who is providing the money.’
‘You’re right, I don’t believe you.’
‘How can I change your mind?’ His tone was conciliatory, solicitous.
Petro shrugged. ‘I have a job to do, to deliver whatever’s in that package to one of three people and pick up the payment. If I deliver it to the wrong party my ass is on the line.’
Cat man shrugged. ‘It’s going to be a lot more on the line if you don’t show up with the money.’
‘Maybe, but then again, why take the risk? I get paid the same whether I deliver or I walk. But unless I get a specific ID confirmation on the party I’m supposed to meet, my instructions are to walk.’
Cat man nodded. ‘Okay, now that we understand each other, what do I have to do to make you comfortable enough to take the risk? Shall I present you with the “ID” you were to be given or descriptions of the three you were expecting to meet?’
He shook his head. ‘No need to, I’m sure you know the three. I just don’t know you.’
‘Okay, then let me put it simply. How much?’ Petro smiled. ‘Forty thousand.’
‘Ten.’
‘Thirty.’
‘Fifteen.’
‘Twenty-five.’
‘No.’
‘“No?” Why “no”?’
‘Fifteen thousand additional euros for no additional risk. Take it or leave it.’
An Aegean Prophecy: A Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis Mystery: Book 3 Page 22