By the time Tracy and I entered the hospital, Ioli was in the delivery room, being told to push by Dr Eva Karezi. We waited patiently outside.
‘You know...’ I said, ‘when I was a kid, I used to think that the delivery room was somewhere food was prepared for takeaways.’
Tracy shook her head and sighed. ‘I expect nothing less from you, dear. The majority of your mind is occupied by thoughts of food.’
I placed my hand upon hers and squeezed it. ‘Remember...’
‘Don’t.’
I left it at that. ‘Do you think Ioli had time to call her mother?’
‘Well, she called me. I would believe she called her mother first.’
I pulled out my phone and dialed Mrs. Anna’s number.
‘Costa!’ her Greek, jovial voice came through. ‘I’ve heard!’ she yelled, her voice struggling against strong winds. ‘I’m on the ship. I arrive at the port in eight hours. I will go mad by then. My first grandchild!’
‘Can’t wait to see you, Mrs. Anna. Try to relax. Are you alone?’
Her laugh conquered the wind and came through loud and upbeat. ‘America ruined you, boy. Of course not! It’s me, my sister Yianna, my four first cousins, two second cousins, my neighbor Kyriaki, Polina – Ioli’s best friend, with her kids and my late-husband’s mother. We’re Greek. We gather quick for weddings, funerals and births!’
I was re-telling the list of travelers to Tracy when the door opened and out came the short nurse with the curly hair. We both stood up immediately.
‘All went great. Healthy baby boy. Mother is doing great,’ she said in ‘nurse language’ of telegraphic sentences. ‘Not so sure about the father, though,’ she giggled. ‘Never seen the doctor so stressed,’ she added, and wandered down the white, chlorine-smelling corridor.
‘Can we go in?’ Tracy called before the red-haired nurse vanished from sight.
A word similar to ‘sure’ echoed through the narrow walls. ‘32C,’ sounded clearer. Tracy did not wait for any other confirmation and rushed into the elevator. Women and newborn babies; same excitement as men and flashy, new motors. I know, I am stuck in the fifties, yet never lived in the decade.
An image to melt the toughest soul. Ioli glowing in delight with a bundle of a new arrival into this world. Two piercing greyish-blue eyes escaped the blanket.
‘He looks just like you,’ Tracy said. ‘No offense, Mark,’ she added, turning to the exhausted-looking father.
‘None taken. A boy as beautiful as Ioli? Now, there’s a heartbreaker in the making,’ Mark joked, gently caressing his wife’s messed-up hair.
‘Oh, God. What have I gotten myself into?’ Ioli asked.
‘That’s nothing. Just wait. Your entire family has taken over a ship and are headed our way,’ I informed her. ‘I spoke with your mother.’
‘Let’s enjoy the peace while it lasts then.’
‘You’re a mother now, dear. Forget peace for a very long time,’ Tracy said and sat down on the bed, stroking Ioli’s leg.
Our laughter was interrupted by knocking on the door. Two familiar faces appeared, blue teddy bear and flowers in hand.
Alexandros and Valentina smiled widely at us. ‘Sorry, for coming so soon. Valentina said first day is for family, but we were nearby when I called work looking for you, Captain Papacosta, and Mary told me you had left as Ioli gave birth. Congrats, partner.’
‘Thank you, Alexandre,’ Ioli replied and introduced the two to Mark. ‘So, you two...?’ she asked with a grin.
‘Yes,’ Valentina replied. ‘Alexandros managed to find me a spot with the traffic police, here in Athens. Tiring, but at least I left the island.’
‘But at least, I’m with Alexandros!’ he said and chuckled. ‘That’s supposed to be your answer.’
‘Whatever helps you get through the day, honey.’
Chapter 24
Ioannina – December
The sun held a serious grudge against the town of Ioannina, in the northern part of Greece. While a daily lover to the islands and capital for most of the year, the sun took days off when visiting Yiannena –as it is more commonly known. Cloudy days were all November had to offer. Clouds and rain exchanged places throughout the day, keeping citizens behind closed doors, safe in the warmth of fireplaces and radiators.
Sixteen-year-old Tina Lehou hated the depressing weather as she referred to it. She came home from school, ate whatever her single mother had prepared, finished her homework and sat on her bed with her phone in hand. A summer person, Tina often cursed her luck for being born in such a wintery town. The way things were going this year, snow could arrive as early as Christmas.
Tina sighed, day in, day out, until December arrived and offered the first proper sunny, winter day. It was a Saturday and Tina awoke with a smile as the sunrays penetrating her thin, pink curtain and illuminated her once dark room.
Tina kicked back her heavy blanket and woolen sheets, and leapt off her single bed. Her purple pajamas with the yellow triangles fell quickly to the floor. Her body welcomed her cherished red, Adidas tracksuit and her natural blonde hair was pulled up into her a high ponytail. Tina opened her screeching door slowly. As always, her mother had returned home late and weary. Tina grabbed a juicy-looking, lawn-green apple and exited her well-worn family home. The streets were quiet at such an early hour. A few elderly ladies sweeping the front of their homes and a few walking their dogs, who eagerly sniffed around in search for the ideal spot to release bodily fluids. Tina placed her earphones on and pressed play on her phone. With Taylor Swift as company, she began to jog down the serene road, heading towards the majestic lake of Pamvotis.
Tina picked up her pace as she approached the castle walls that surrounded the old part of town. She ran upon bricked pavements and with a smile, she reached the calm waters of the large lake. She paused at the pier, took a deep breath and stretched out her arms. The sun had fully come into sight, sneaking out from behind tall mountains that kept the city imprisoned in the great valley. Tina looked left and right, trying to decide which way to choose for her morning run. She remembered that last time, she had taken the scenic route towards Perama Cave. Without a second thought, she headed in the opposite direction. ‘The peaceful route’. Alone, she jogged by the lake, silently singing along to her favorite music. A mile into her run, her eyes noticed something familiar. ‘Deja vu, my ass,’ she said, noticing the blue van passing by on the road above. It had passed by three times already.
Tina had seen it before. Last week. Twice outside her school and once a few houses away from hers. She began regretting not telling her mother or her teacher and for coming out for a jog alone. She decided to leave the quiet path and head upwards, back towards the town.
‘It is half past seven already and more people should be out and about’.
Tina wiped her forehead, turned off her music and ran towards more crowded streets. With frantic looks behind her, she reached her first destination. The kiosk of Mr. Stefanos by the castle walls. She took her time, taking a bottle of water out of the fridge and taking it up to the petite window, where Mr Stefanos served his customers. She wished him a good morning and started to discuss the weather. She stayed at the kiosk for a good ten minutes; her eyes always fixed on the road, checking for the blue van. It did not show.
Relieved and with her heartbeat returning to normal rates, she began to jog for home. As she turned by the tall, brick wall, two arms came out from behind the castle gate and pulled her into the shadows. A hand fell hard upon her mouth, drowning her attempts to scream. A needle penetrated her neck’s pale skin and in less than a minute, Tina’s eyes felt heavy and fell closed.
She awoke later; her head suffering worse than after her birthday party’s hangover. To her horror, everything remained dark. A thick, oily cloth covered her eyes. She tried to move, only to be restrained by the chunky rope that surrounded her wrists. Tina pulled to free herself, but it was futile; the rope only cut deeper into her pale skin, leaving red, fresh bruises as she str
uggled. She kicked around, yet her legs hit nothing around them. She sensed she was on something soft, like a mattress.
‘Oh, God, oh, God. Please,’ she repeated, before deciding to scream for help at the top of her lungs.
In the front seat of the van, the tall man had squeezed his sweaty cheek upon the cool glass window. He lit another cigarette and turned up the stereo; his half empty bottle of whiskey by his side.
‘What a wonderful day,’ he spoke to himself as he blew out heavy smoke into the confined area. He listened to the entire song, before stepping out the vehicle and heading to the back.
Tina heard the clanking of the van doors as her attacker opened them. Weak sunlight reached her eyes, brightening the cloth that blocked her vision.
‘Please, sir. Let me go...’
‘Shut up,’ he replied as if bored with her.
She shivered as she felt him sit upon her. Tina screamed again, only to be slapped hard across the face.
‘No one can hear you up here, princess, but I don’t want a headache,’ he mumbled and proceeded to stuff her mouth with an old sock.
The sound of scissors was the next thing Tina heard. One by one, he ripped off her clothes, leaving her naked, vulnerable and more terrified than ever before. The scissors did not stop there. The whiskey-smelling man lay upon her, sniffing her hair like a hound after a fox. He cut locks off her blonde hair and brought it to his nostrils. He sniffed them as he fondled his privates.
Tina then, sensed his hand travelling along her leg. Soon, his fingers were inside of her. A virgin, Tina yelled out, only to be choked by the dirty sock. Tears fell freely, forming streaks upon her cold, teenaged face. As the strong man had his way with her untouched body, Tina thought of her mum, her friends, even her school. Any thought to escape the ordeal her body was going through. Soon, the beast upon her grunted and Tina prayed it was over.
She was not as lucky.
The man swiftly turned her over. He massaged her back, licking it every now and then.
‘Perfect,’ he whispered into her ear and bit down on her earlobe.
He, then, took the sharp scissors in his hand and began to carve into Tina’s back. The pain was excruciating and unreal. Pieces of skin were pulled back and bloody lines formed across her body. Blood oozing out only excited him more as he continued with his devilish drawing.
‘Number five, woo,’ he proudly announced as he stared down at the bloody, gaping wounds that formed a five on her back.
‘Good bye, princess,’ he whispered again into her ear.
The last thing Tina ever felt were the scissors piercing through her neck. With laughter, the man pushed them into her neck and with eyes wide open, he twisted them around. Tina lost consciousness and her last breath departed from her horrified, opened mouth.
The man yanked out his murderous weapon and licked along the razor-sharp blades. He looked down at his watch.
‘Excellent. Plenty of time,’ he said and began to rape her lifeless body again.
Late that night, he dumped the abused body into the lake. He drove up to the edge of a remote cliff, bordering the deep lake. He wrapped the bloody body in a large plastic bag, threw in five scoops of freshly-made cement from his green bucket and sealed it off. He lifted the bag into his strong arms and with ease, dropped her from above.
Whistling, he drove home, parked, ate, had a shower and feeling relaxed, he went to bed.
Tina’s mother did not have such peace of mind as to relax, never mind sleep. She spent all day looking for her daughter, calling all her relatives and friends.
As the blackness of the night rolled in, she called the police. As she waited for the police to arrive, she did something that she thought she would never do. She opened her daughter’s diary. Among private thoughts, there it was. Tina’s description of the van that she sensed following her that week. Among her teenage opinions, she had noted down the van’s license plate.
An hour later, to the shock of his mother, girlfriend and neighbors, the tall man was arrested and his van taken into evidence.
Chapter 25
Athens – A week before Christmas
‘Come on, Grinch. One more shop,’ Tracy teased me. ‘At least, it’s nice and cold, and raining. I deserve a smiling face after listening to you complain about the freaking heat all summer long.’
She had a valid point. I hated the scorching heat waves and longed for winter. My skin’s pores craved and devoured the chilling air and the drops of fresh rain. I enjoyed the lack of sweat stains on my shirts and long nights of hot chocolate drinks in front of an entertaining movie. The only dispiriting period of this glorious season was Christmas. The endless shopping, the glued-on fake smiles, the commercial exploitation, the bright lights and the endless horror of Christmas tunes and carols on repeat.
‘There,’ I replied, flashing my teeth at my bag-carrying wife.
‘Keep it on,’ she ordered and yanked my hand, leading me into the next department store. ‘Behave and I’ll buy you mini-donuts.’
‘You talk to me like I’m a five-year-old.’
‘Men and dogs,’ she laughed and proceeded with her hunt for new shoes to wear on New Year’s Eve. Tracy had a theory that women should talk the same to their men as they talk to their dogs when complimenting them.
I placed my hands deep in my pockets and wandered around the store in search for a comfortable place to sit down. Opposite me, another tired husband sat on a beige sofa, outside the changing rooms, reading his newspaper app. With Jingle Bell Rock booming over the radio, I sat beside the young man with the freckles spread out below his dark eyes. Discreetly, my eyes fell upon his tablet and I read the news titles with him. Crisis, crisis, crisis. The monotony of subjects during the festive season. High prices and low wages.
The tall man sighed and lowered his device, getting ready to close it and drop it by his side.
‘No effin way!’ I shouted, startling the guy and the few shoppers around us. I stood up and took the tablet into my trembling hands. Front page and a familiar, cocky, arrogant face stared back at me. ‘Nick Pavlou,’ I said to Tracy, who rushed to my side. ‘Look!’
Tracy’s mouth opened wide and her jaw journeyed down. ‘Rape?’
‘And not just a one-time offender. They matched his DNA to unsolved cases spanning back over the years. I have to call Ioli,’ I said, gave the tablet back to its shocked, speechless owner and marched out of the crowded store.
Tracy waved goodbye to the wall of high heels and dashed behind me. By the time she reached me, Ioli had picked up the phone.
‘... I have a bad feeling about this. I never trusted the guy. I have to go. I have to ask...’
Chapter 26
Athens to Ioannina
Thankfully, the new road system was finished before the economic meltdown that stopped all development, here in Greece.
The nine-hour journey to Ioannina had been cut down to six due to new roads that stubbornly cut through mountains to connect smaller towns to the bustling metropolis of Athens.
Ioli drove as my heart could not stand still long enough for me to focus on the road.
‘How could I have missed something like this?’
‘Wolves in sheep’s clothing,’ Ioli replied, her mind on Adoni’s grandmother.
‘That’s the thing. He was no sheep. He was an arrogant, unhelpful...’
‘You could list ten pages of adjectives, boss, but none of them pointed to rapist and killer. There was no evidence at all against him. That is, if he murdered your missing girl.’
I sighed and looked out of the window. ‘Even the weather is in a mood today,’ I commented at the semi-cloudy sky. Patches of light fell across cows carelessly eating fresh grass in the meadows around us. Behind them, above the mountainous horizon, black clouds began to gather and conspire to rain later on in the evening.
‘I’m done with mood swings,’ Ioli chuckled.
‘Wait until your next pregnancy.’
‘Next? You must b
e mad.’
‘Why do all new parents say so? Just wait and see,’ I said and stretched my hands, clicking my finger knuckles. ‘Thanks for coming, by the way. How did Mark take it? You are on maternity leave after all.’
‘Mark is at work. My mum is with the little terrorist of love.’
‘Terrorist of love!’ I could not help but laugh at loud. ‘I’ve always said you’re a weird one, Cara.’
‘At least, I can make you laugh at times like these,’ she replied as she overtook the slow-in-the-fast-lane car in front of us.
An hour later, the imposing Rio-Antirrio bridge filled our horizon. Its tall pylons with white cables stood resembling still ships in the wild waters.
‘You know, with better money management this country could flourish,’ I said.
‘Well, tell us something new,’ Ioli replied as she turned to enter the 2,880-meter bridge.
I paid the tired-looking man the thirteen-euro toll and wished him a good afternoon. He grunted something about his shift having four more hours to go and ordered me in a bored voice to move along.
We drove in silence, locked between the endless sea on our left and green hills on our right. The air rushed in the moving vehicle; pure, fresh. The countryside as always, divine.
The town of Agrinio offered our only stop. A run-in gas station and a fast-food joint were all we needed. We ordered six Greek gyros; Ioli being the only woman I have ever met who’s capable of devouring three. Slices of pork and chicken covered in devilicious tzatziki sauce traveled down our esophaguses and fulfilled our need to eat. Cold sodas journeyed behind them and after a visit to our respective restrooms, the open road welcomed us once again.
We switched seats and radio stations. I love her, but her fondness for girl-power ballads will be the death of my eardrums. If she could only resist from singing along; if only.
Hours later, we began the downhill drive to the once great Byzantine town of Ioannina. Trapped between snowy mountains and a lake, it was candy to a visitor’s eye. Not that my restless mind could focus on the spectacular view.
Murder On Display_A riveting, stand-alone murder / mystery that keeps you guessing until the shocking end Page 17