Santorini Caesars

by Jeffrey Siger

  It couldn’t hurt.

  Chapter Seventeen

  When Andreas entered his office the next morning he found Yianni sitting on his couch.

  “Have you been booted out of your office?”

  “No, Maggie told me to wait for you in here. Said she’ll be back in a minute with coffee.”

  “So, what sort of plotting has the two of you lurking in my office first thing in the morning?”

  “There’s no plot,” said Maggie, coming through the doorway with three mugs of coffee on a plastic tray. “We just wanted to tell you that we’re ready to get to work on building a case against those goons who tried to take you out yesterday afternoon.” She handed a mug to Andreas.

  “So, you heard about my little walk in the park?”

  “How could we not?” said Yianni. “You scared that sergeant shitless. He’s spread the word to practically every cop in Athens that Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis is taking a personal interest in prosecuting those five assholes.”

  “I’m glad he got the message.”

  “How bad was it?” said Maggie handing a mug to Yianni and sitting down next to him on the couch with a cup for herself.

  Andreas shrugged. “It’s as I told Lila, high anxiety until I got into it and realized just how inept those guys were. Then I took the first opportunity of ending it with words before one of them might have got lucky with his axe handle.”

  “Words?” said Yianni.

  “And a nine millimeter.”

  “You told all that to Lila?” said Maggie.

  “What choice did I have? Tassaki would have told her if I hadn’t.”

  “And?”

  “And nothing. She just nodded and hasn’t said another word about it.”

  Maggie stared at him.

  “Why are you staring at me?”

  “Why are men so dumb?”

  “I think she’s about to tell us, Chief.”

  “You better believe I am. The poor woman is frightened to death. She doesn’t know what to say. You have to talk to her about it ASAP.”

  “Doesn’t this fall into the category of letting sleeping dogs lie?” said Andreas.

  “Definitely not,” said Maggie in a raised voice. “Get her to let it out. She’s too frightened to tell you just how frightened she really is. No matter how nonchalantly you told her your story, in Lila’s mind both her husband and son were in mortal danger.”

  “Not to mention she’s eight months pregnant,” said Yianni.

  Maggie swung her head around to look at Yianni. “I’m impressed that you actually do have some insight into women.”

  Yianni shrugged. “Thank you.”

  Andreas raised his hands. “Okay, okay, I get it. Enough already. I’ll talk to Lila as soon as I have the chance.”

  “Now would be a good time,” said Maggie.

  “I’ll call, I promise, but since you’re both psyched up to get info on bad guys, let me tell you what’s really been gnawing at me since my run-in with those five Golden Dawn malakas.” Andreas took a long slug of coffee before putting the mug down on his desk. “At least two of them were cops.”

  “It can’t surprise you that cops are part of Golden Dawn?” said Yianni. “Hell, a lot of the ones I know voted those Nazi bastards into Parliament.”

  Andreas gestured no. “That’s not my point. The two cops I tangled with were no more talented at hand-to-hand combat than your average street bad guy. Which is about the way most cops are. That got me to thinking about the two dirtbags who killed the Brigadier’s daughter. Reminded me they’re better marksmen than any cops we know, and likely better than all but the best of the military’s top shooters.”

  Andreas looked at Yianni. “How many times have we watched the videos of those two killing the girl? Fifty, seventy-five?”

  “At least.”

  “And every time we see them, we say the same thing. ‘They’re obviously doing this to put the blame on cops or military.’ And why do we say that? Because they’re highly trained and don’t give a damn about being identified as such. What we haven’t focused on is whose cops or military are they?”

  “Whose?”

  “Yes. I’m willing to bet there aren’t that many current or former Greek military and police personnel capable of doing what those two did. Which brings me around to the task I have in mind for you two this morning.” Andreas reached for his coffee. “We’ve been distracted from the basics for far too long, chasing after dry-hole conversations on Santorini. I want you to use every contact you have or can develop to get the names and descriptions of anyone under the age of forty-five capable of running the distance at the speed those two killers did and executing pinpoint handgun accuracy on a moving target. Once you have that info, eliminate the ones who don’t fit the images on the video and let’s see who’s left.”

  “That sounds like a lot of possibilities,” said Maggie.

  “Could be, but I think not. I’m guessing such highly conditioned and talented marksmen are rare, and therefore relatively easily discoverable. If I’m right, using Greek personnel would be a dangerously risky proposition for whoever’s running them. Which is why my instincts are telling me we’re going to find that our shooters are foreign.”

  Andreas stretched out his arms. “But if I’m wrong, and there’s a lot of names, at least we’ll have a list of suspects to run down.”

  “And what do you want us to do about the axe handle-swingers from yesterday afternoon?” said Maggie.

  “I think that sergeant’s doing a pretty good job for now. As long as we have the names of the five bad guys, I’ll make sure the prosecutor gives them every consideration they deserve.”

  “Lucky them,” said Yianni, “winning the ‘what happens if you cross Kaldis’ lottery.”

  “Funny, I feel sort of like we just won the same lottery,” said Maggie pushing up from the couch.

  “Don’t fret,” said Yianni, “I’ll take the military, you take the cops, and we’ll be done in no time.”

  Maggie headed toward the door. “That’s precisely my problem. I have no time.”

  Andreas smiled. “As the old adage goes, ‘If you want something done, give it to a busy person.’”

  As she went through the doorway Andreas heard Maggie say, “Well, here’s another nugget to add to your adage list. ‘If you want something typed or need coffee this morning, don’t look for your secretary.”

  Yianni headed out the door right behind her. “I’m not even going to try to top that one, Chief.”

  Andreas shook his head. Then he reached for the phone to call his wife. Just as Maggie had told him he should do.

  ***

  “So where are you now?” Sappho asked.

  “Working.”

  “That’s what you told me last night when you said you couldn’t see me.”

  “Okay, so I’m not creative with my excuses. But I’m honest.”

  “I’m beginning to wonder.”

  “Just don’t frown. It will give you wrinkles.”

  “Don’t worry, the cobwebs I’m developing waiting to see you will cover them.”

  Petro laughed.

  “So when will I see you?”

  “After the guy gets here from Athens and tells me what I have left to do, I should be done in a couple of hours. But no matter what, tonight for sure. I promise.”

  “What if he doesn’t get here? The weather’s horrible.”

  “He’s on a boat headed this way, and if there’s a break in the weather it’ll dock. If not, I guess I’ll just have to stay longer.”

  “I’ll pray for a bigger storm.”

  “Me too.”

  ***

  “Hi, Darling, how are you feeling?”

  “Fine.” Lila’s voice held a tentative tone.

  “And Tas
saki?”

  “Fine.”

  “Has he said anything to you about yesterday?”

  “No.”

  “Nothing?”

  “Not to me.”

  “To anyone?”

  Andreas heard his wife sigh. “I overheard him speaking with Marietta at breakfast.”

  Andreas waited for her to continue.

  “She asked him what he thought about what happened yesterday.”

  Lila paused.

  “He said it was scary at first, but the adults handled it and he made a new friend.”

  “That’s terrific,” said Andreas. “I don’t know many adults who could sum up and accept such a frightening experience as simply and positively as he did.”

  “I know for sure I wish I could.”

  “Sometimes it’s easier on those confronting a stressful situation than it is on those who can only imagine what their loved ones are going through.”

  “Is this Cop Family Counseling 101?”

  “If not, it should be, because it’s true. There’s a reason so many cop families break up, and it’s called worry.”

  “I wasn’t worried for you, I was worried for Tassaki.” Lila paused again. “And for our new baby.”

  “I was too. All that kept going through my mind from the moment I realized what was going down was get home safe. That thought is what kept me going. Kept me from hesitating.”

  “I know you did the right thing in protecting that man and his son, but that doesn’t make me any more comfortable when I think of what might have happened.”

  “I understand completely, but we live in times where irrational acts can pop up anywhere, anytime. All we can do is stay alert, pray our time’s not up when things go bump in the night, and keep living our lives as we want to live them. You might even say that, in the context of our world today, our household’s lucky to have a cop in it.”

  “Nice try, Kaldis, but I’m still scared to death every time I think of those barbarian bigots with their clubs and you and Tassaki right in the middle of it all.”

  “That’s how all bad guys want you to react. They win if you’re scared. Yes, I take them seriously for the threats they present, but I also take my family seriously for the joy it brings to my life. If yesterday proves anything, it’s that should the two ever cross paths, I’ll do whatever it takes to eradicate the threat and protect the joy.”

  “I still get scared, Hero.” Her voice sounded perkier.

  “Understood. But may I suggest you accept a lesson from the teachings of Guru Tassaki who also admits to being scared on such occasions: Have faith in the adults to handle it. That’s what I’m here for, and doing the best that I can while I’m at it.”

  Lila cleared her throat. “And a pretty good job of it too, Chief Inspector.”

  “Thank you, Ma’am.”

  “I feel a lot better now. Let’s eat in tonight. Just the three of us.”

  “You mean three and eight-ninths.”

  Lila laughed. “Yes. All almost four of us. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to find Tassaki and give him a big hug.”

  “Give him one from me, too.”

  “By the way, thanks for calling. It means a lot to me.”

  “As do you to me.”

  “Kisses.”

  Andreas stared at the phone for a few seconds after Lila hung up.

  God bless you, Maggie, you did it again.

  Too bad the crisis protocols didn’t allow him to give her a raise.

  ***

  Three uniformed military officers entered the Ministry of Public Order building and asked for the office of the Chief of State Security Police.

  “We have an appointment,” said Colonel Retsos.

  As they waited for the elevator, the Navy captain shook his head, “I don’t get it. You called this morning to schedule a meeting and his secretary said, ‘Come right over.’ As if he was expecting your call.”

  “Hey, I’m not in the habit of looking a gift horse in the mouth.”

  “Strange thing for a Greek to say,” said Group Captain Philippos.

  “Especially since this one could bite our heads off,” said the Navy captain.

  “Stop worrying and let me do the talking,” said the colonel.

  “Why does that not make me comfortable?” said Philippos with a smile.

  “Malaka.”

  Prada’s office sat directly across the hall from the minister of public order’s, and when the colonel introduced himself, Prada’s secretary pointed them toward what had once been Andreas’ office, “You’ll be meeting over there in the minister’s office.”

  The minister’s secretary barely looked up from behind her desk. She simply waved the three men off in the general direction of a closed office door. They stopped at the door, and the colonel drew in a deep breath, let it out, and knocked.

  “Come in.”

  As they went through the door, their eyes looked left toward a large desk commanding the office, but no one sat there.

  “Over here, gentlemen,” came a voice from the far right side of the office.

  They turned to see Prada standing between two straight back chairs arranged across from a Chesterfield sofa.

  “I thought it would be more comfortable for us to meet in the minister’s office. He won’t be back until the afternoon. Please sit.” He waved at the sofa and one of the chairs.

  Colonel Retsos moved briskly toward Prada and shook his hand. “Nice to see you again, sir. Thank you for agreeing to see us on such short notice.”

  “No reason to thank me,” said Prada shaking hands with the others. “I assumed it must be important if our Army, Navy, and Air Force’s brightest rising stars wanted to see me on such an urgent basis.”

  No one objected to the flattery.

  Prada sat in one chair, the colonel in the other, the Navy and Air Force on the sofa.

  “Would you like water or coffee?” said Prada.

  “Nothing, thank you,” said the colonel. His colleagues concurred.

  “So, what can I do for you, gentlemen?”

  The colonel cleared his throat. “Sir, we’re here unofficially, but with the blessings of our respective general officers, to ask for your help.”

  “My help? What sort of help?”

  “The other night at our dinner on Santorini, you shared with us the Prime Minister’s views on a new order for Greece’s national defense.”

  “Yes, one intended to put the needs of the people first.”

  “I understand that, sir, but we’re here to express our unanimous concern that what the Prime Minister proposes is catastrophic for the nation.”

  “Catastrophic? That’s a rather strong word, Colonel.”

  “But accurate. To put our security in the hands of NATO is to put the knives of the Turks to our throats. Do you recall when the Turks shot down that Russian warplane on the pretext of it violating Turkish airspace? We all knew why they did it, to protect their colleagues making billions smuggling terrorist oil in from Syria. Their sanctimonious claims of protecting Turkish airspace were laughable. Their jets penetrate Greek airspace all the time, and they’ve attacked our borders by channeling hundreds of thousands of refugees across their country and into ours—again enriching their colleagues making billions trading in human misery. And what does NATO do, or has it ever done, to control Turkish aggression? Nothing.”

  Prada, nodded. “I see your point, Colonel, but what is there that I can possibly do for you, or rather for our military?”

  Retsos swallowed again. “You could convince the Prime Minister to change his mind.”

  Prada smiled. “I thought that might be where this was headed. Gentlemen, I respect your opinions, but you are grossly ill-informed if you think I could possibly convince the Prime Minister to change what he
intends to serve as a basic tenet of the party’s economic recovery program.”

  “Why not? We all know he’s done it before. Indeed, several times.”

  “And those shifts have cost him dearly in the lost loyalties of some of his most powerful political supporters.”

  “So could pressing ahead with this badly misguided policy.”

  Prada paused. “The Prime Minister’s earlier policy reversals brought violent demonstrations back to our streets. I don’t think he wants to risk adding to that.”

  “The risk of not changing his policy is that he’ll be adding Turkish soldiers to our streets.”

  “I think you’re getting carried away, Colonel.”

  The two on the sofa looked decidedly uncomfortable.

  “With all due respect, sir, I disagree. It’s one thing to have domestic terrorists announcing a warning well ahead of time that a bomb will go off outside a specific symbolic building, and quite another to have Turks appropriating Greek territory because we’re too weak to defend ourselves. And then there’s FYROM and its ambitions toward us.”

  Prada shrugged. “What can I say? The Prime Minister will not agree with you. Lord knows I’ve tried.”

  “Then our nation is doomed. He must be stopped. You need to try again.”

  Prada rose up out of his chair. “I think not. Gentlemen, I thank you for coming but I really must prepare for another appointment. Sorry I couldn’t be of more help.”

  “Thank you for your time, sir,” said the Navy captain.

  “Yes, thank you,” said Philippos.

  “I really wish you would reconsider,” said the colonel as Prada shepherded them toward the door.

  “I know that you do, Colonel.” Prada patted him on the back. He opened the door. “Again, thank you all for coming.”

  When the last man left the office, Prada closed the door, turned around, and smiled. “Gotcha.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  December sunsets in Athens came around five, so when Maggie walked into Andreas’ rapidly darkening office, he assumed it was to say goodnight or suggest he turn on a light.