“I’m going with you,” Remi said.
“So are we,” Dimitris said.
“I’m being outvoted by all of you now?”
Remi crossed her arms. “Really, Sam?”
“Guess that means I am outvoted.”
Sam went first, belly-crawling through the tunnel, the space so low in some spots he smacked his helmet whenever he tried to raise his head enough to see in front of them. The progress was slow. He stopped, looking behind him, squinting against the glare of Remi’s headlamp.
She reached up and switched it off.
“Everyone okay?” he asked.
“A-OK,” she said.
“Fine,” Dimitris called out.
A moment later, they heard the clunk of plastic hitting the top of the tunnel from much farther back, then Nikos muttering loudly in Greek.
Remi shifted behind Sam. “Any chance you need that translated?”
“I think I got the gist.” He turned back, eyeing the long stretch of tunnel in front of them, wondering if it was ever going to end. “Onward.”
After several minutes of elbow-scraping, head-banging progress, they emerged into a slightly taller, dome-shaped chamber, almost two feet high at the center and at least ten feet in diameter.
What Sam didn’t see was any possible way out, beyond the tunnel they’d crawled through.
The other three entered the chamber, Remi moving beside him, looking around in disbelief. She let out a breath, dropping her head to her arms. “All that to end up here? I can’t believe this. I could’ve sworn that sound was the sea. I can still hear it.”
He glanced over at her, seeing the disappointment on her dirt-covered face. “It was worth a try.” Reaching up, he switched off his headlamp. The others did the same.
“We should go back,” Dimitris said. “At least in the other chamber, we can stand.”
Nikos sighed. “Give me a minute or two. I’m not looking forward to the trek back.”
“It wasn’t that bad,” Dimitris replied.
“Don’t forget, my bones are twice as old as yours. And my knees twice as bruised.”
As his son’s laughter echoed through the dark space, then died, Sam’s gaze caught on the low roof at the far end of the chamber. For a moment, he thought it might be his imagination, his eyes playing tricks. “Look. Straight ahead.”
Remi shifted beside him. “At what? There’s nothing there but the end of the cavern.”
“Exactly,” he said, crawling in that direction. “So, unless we’ve suddenly developed extreme night vision, there’s no way we should be seeing it.” Somehow, light was seeping in, too faint to reach the entire chamber, but enough for them to notice, now that their eyes had adjusted in the absence of their headlamps.
Had they not waited in the dark for Nikos to rest, they might have missed it entirely.
As Sam neared the end of the chamber he saw that the domed ceiling dropped sharply to their right, a faint glow leading the way. Once again, he had to crawl on his belly. When he stilled, he thought he heard the far-off cry of a gull. Or the wind whistling through the opening somewhere above him.
He reached out, holding his hand toward the space, not only able to see each of his fingers in the diffuse light, but able to feel the air moving.
Turning onto his back, he looked up. The ceiling rose about four feet, into a narrow, angled shaft. Though it was somewhat brighter at the top, and plenty of fresh air sweeping down, it clearly didn’t lead straight out.
He glanced at Remi, who’d crawled into the space behind him. “I’ll go first,” he said. “If I knock anything loose, you don’t want to be beneath me.”
She nodded, then moved back.
“Is it a way out?” Dimitris asked.
“Let’s hope so,” Sam said. He climbed into the passageway, dislodging bits of rock as he dug the soles of his boots into the walls, trying to find purchase. Eventually, the tunnel angled up like a narrow chimney. Light filtered in at the top about ten feet above him. He emerged onto a narrow ledge and looked over the edge. The waves broke against the rocks about thirty feet below. The sun was low in the sky to his left, and Fourni was straight ahead to the north. He saw a few fishing boats out in the far-off distance, but none close enough to signal to. Still, they were free. He called down to Remi. “Definitely the way out. Come on up.”
A few moments later, her head popped out of the shaft. Dimitris, then Nikos, followed. While they settled themselves onto the ledge, Sam was looking at the rocks above, trying to find a way up. There was enough of a ridge to their right that they could carefully navigate across the face of the cliff to work their way up to what looked like a possible path to the top. “We have two choices. Wait here and hope someone sees us before nightfall, or climb to the top, and hope no one survived the helicopter crash.”
Nikos eyed the cliff, then Sam. “You really think anyone survived?”
“They were fairly close to the ground when the helicopter hit the rocks.”
“I vote we go up,” Dimitris said. “Better than waiting here.”
Nikos nodded in agreement.
“Remi?” Sam asked.
“I’m going with you.”
They slowly made their way along the ledge. Close to the top of the almost vertical cliff, the ridge they were using narrowed to just a few inches wide. Sam found a solid crack about shoulder height, wedged his fingers into it, then reached out with his right foot. The rock crumbled beneath his weight, his foot slipping.
Remi’s breath caught.
“I’m fine,” he said, pulling himself up. He extended his foot farther, hitting the ridge just beyond the break, relieved to feel solid rock beneath. He looked back at Remi and held out his hand. She grasped it, stepping over the break. “You’ve got it,” he said, watching her foot hit solid rock.
Once Remi was safely past that point, she edged her way closer to Sam. “And here I thought it was going to be a stress-free day.”
“Weren’t you the one who wanted to write a book?”
“About a shipwreck. In California.”
When she reached the top, she rolled onto her back, both exhausted and exhilarated.
Sam looked over at her. “You have to admit, this beats sitting in a gray cubicle.”
Dimitris and Nikos climbed up behind her. As the four of them rested on the top of the boulder, they looked down, seeing the crashed helicopter about fifty yards to their south. And a man using a rifle to sift through wreckage. They quickly ducked out of sight, and Remi looked over at Sam. “Between you and me? Unless you can come up with a good plan, that cubicle’s looking pretty good.”
CHAPTER SEVENTY
Grateful they hadn’t been spotted, Sam shifted to where he could see between the rocks. The gunman was still using the tip of the AR-15 barrel to poke through the wreckage.
Remi moved beside him. “What do you think he’s searching for?”
“Sat phone, maybe?”
Sam wasn’t sure why the man hadn’t taken off in the Lazy Krab. The only explanation was that he didn’t know it was there, or they’d shot it on their way in, to make sure there was no chance of escape. “As long as he’s out there, we’ve got a huge problem.”
Remi’s eyes were filled with worry. “Why can’t we just wait here until help comes? You know Zoe’s going to call someone when we don’t come back.”
While the last thing he wanted to do was instill a sense of panic—especially after everything they’d been through—Remi needed to know what they were up against. “Whoever shows up here looking for us, he’ll kill them the moment they step foot on this islet.”
“He’s right,” Nikos said. “We need to do something.”
“What about your gun?” Dimitris asked. “Can’t you just take him out?”
“Empty. Used up the ammo shooting at the hel
icopter. Still, we have one very big advantage. He thinks we’re buried beneath a ton of rock. Which means I’m the last person he’s going to expect.”
Remi reached out, touching his arm. “There’s already dead people in that helicopter.”
He had no idea if she was telling him to be careful or to not kill the other man. Figuring it was both, he said, “Let’s hope my idea works.”
His plan was simple. He would approach the gunman from behind, his goal to disarm the man. Unfortunately, it meant he’d have to go back down the cliff face to the tunnel entrance and come up the other side. Still, he was an experienced climber, and it was much easier on his own without having to worry about the others. Within minutes, he was pulling himself over the ledge, just a dozen yards behind the man, using the large rocks to hide behind and work his way closer.
The gunman crouched, picking up something too small for Sam to see. Sam moved out from behind the boulder toward him. Less than five feet to go, Sam stepped on a piece of brittle rock. It cracked beneath his weight. The gunman heard the snap, looked up, swinging his rifle toward Sam.
So much for that plan. Sam froze, raising his hands.
“Hey!” Remi shouted. “Over here!”
The gunman turned toward her. Sam rushed him, slamming one hand at the rifle barrel, pushing it up, while grabbing the stock with his other hand. The two struggled for control of the weapon. Sam, holding it tight, brought his knee up into the man’s groin, then wrested the rifle from his grasp. He drove the stock into his gut, stepped back, swung the barrel around, aiming. The man held both hands palms-down, then suddenly reached for something at his waist.
Sam fired. The gunman fell onto his side, his dark gaze staring at nothing. Sam, his ears ringing from the high-velocity round, kept the AR-15 aimed as Remi and her friends climbed down from the rocks, racing toward him. Remi stopped just short of the fallen man, her mouth dropping open as she looked at Sam. He could see it in her eyes, the questioning look.
Nikos kneeled beside the man, placing his fingers on his neck, and shook his head. He started to rise, then stopped, rolling him over, revealing a handgun in the dead man’s grasp.
Remi eyed the weapon, then took a deep, shaky breath. “I think I need to go sit down.”
Sam started to follow her, but Nikos stopped him, then nodded at Dimitris. “Go with her.” After the two left, he turned to Sam. “I know you want to help, but I think giving her space will be the best thing for her right now.”
“Why does it feel as though everything that’s happening is drawing us apart?”
“Because it is,” Nikos said as he and Sam walked toward the wreckage. “I have no idea what your background is, but it’s clear you’re no stranger to any of this. But for someone like Remi—even the rest of us—this is all more than we’re used to. It will take time.”
Sam glanced over at Remi and Dimitris, who’d taken a seat on an outcropping of rock near what had been the cave entrance. “I hope so.”
“If she is able to get past this, she’ll let you know.”
“And if she isn’t?”
“She’ll let you know.”
Sam knew he was right. It was bad enough Remi had seen a man killed on the Kyrils’ island. Here, with the helicopter crash, there were four deaths, Sam directly responsible for each of them.
And no cover of darkness to hide the fact.
Finally, he turned his attention to the downed helicopter, looking through the shattered windshield into the crushed fuselage, seeing the dead pilot, the other gunman, and the woman beside him, their bodies crumpled on the floor of the cabin.
Nikos shaded his eyes, peering in. “Minerva Kyril,” he said.
“You’re sure?”
“Positive.”
“I guess that answers the question about who was behind all of this.” Sam pulled out his phone and took a few photographs, intending to forward everything to Rube once they were back on Fourni with cell phone service. When he finished, he and Nikos walked over to where Dimitris and Remi sat.
Remi was staring at what was left of the cave entrance, now covered by the fallen rocks. She stood, walking over to it. “It would have been nice to actually see if that broken amphora really was part of Poseidon’s Trident.”
“We could,” Dimitris said. “By going in through the same way we got out.”
“Right now,” she said, “all I’m looking forward to is getting back to Fourni.”
CHAPTER SEVENTY-ONE
The first person Sam called once they were back on Fourni was Rube. “Minerva Kyril’s dead.”
“What? How?”
“I may be indirectly responsible. Directly if you count that I was the one who shot at the helicopter she was riding in.”
“Holy—” Rube drew in a deep breath. “Is everyone okay? Where are you?”
“We’re fine, in Fourni, and Nikos is with the police chief now.” Sam gave him a quick version of what happened.
“How’s Remi taking this?”
“Shaken at first,” he said, glancing at Remi and Dimitris. The two sat silhouetted in the dark about twenty yards away on the low wall at the entrance of the port parking lot, both looking out over the water. “I’d say she’s doing better.”
“Good to hear. Let me get with Interpol and see what the next step is.”
Apparently, the next step was sending a parade of Interpol agents and Hellenic police investigators to the island of Fourni to take statements, and crime scene technicians to the islet to gather evidence and retrieve the bodies. The process was exhausting for all. Sam, being the shooter, was questioned last. Sergeant Petros Kompouras, the Interpol agent whom Sam had spoken to about the explosives and Kyril’s olive oil facility, had borrowed the Fourni police chief’s office. “Good to finally meet you in person,” he said, shaking Sam’s hand.
“Likewise.”
“Just to let you know where we’re coming from, Adrian Kyril has decided not to plead guilty to the kidnapping and assault charges. Apparently, he changed his mind once news of his mother’s death reached him. I’m afraid that means you and Miss Longstreet will probably end up having to return for the trial.”
“What about in between now and then?”
“More than likely, as soon as we finish here, she can go home. I expect no more than a couple of days or so. You, on the other hand . . .” He shrugged. “I’m afraid it’s going to be a bit longer. I hope no more than a week or two for us to wrap up all the loose ends. Four deaths here, one on the Kyrils’ island, and if I’m not mistaken, a vehicle accident on Samos.” He gave Sam a grim smile.
“It is what it is,” Sam said. “I’m willing to do whatever it takes to assist you in your investigation.”
“Very good. Let’s get started.”
It took about three hours for them to finish up their interview, Sam relating what happened, Sergeant Kompouras stopping him every now and then to clarify details or refer to the diagram Sam had drawn of the islet and their positions as the helicopter assault took place. Finally, Kompouras looked at his watch, almost midnight. “It’s been a long day. As I mentioned to the others, I would like to finish up the interview with the four of you tomorrow on Megalos Anthropofas. I can’t imagine that will take very long, but I would like to see this cave. I wasn’t there very long before coming over here. The evidence techs were just cordoning off the site and removing the bodies. They hadn’t been able to locate the cave opening.”
“Understandable. It wasn’t easy to find even before it was blocked.”
Remi, exhausted, had immediately fallen asleep. Sam, however, had lain awake most of the night, thinking about her. Her emotions had to be running the gamut.
The following morning, she was quiet, but she appeared well rested, not like she’d been the morning after their escape from the Kyrils’ island. She even seemed close to her normal self when t
hey walked into town to meet Nikos, Dimitris, and Zoe for breakfast at Skavos’s café.
At ten, they met Sergeant Kompouras at the port, Nikos taking the Asteri, since the Lazy Krab was out of commission after the helicopter attack. Once everyone was aboard, Remi braced herself against the railing as the boat took off. Sam moved beside her, the two simply sharing the space in what he hoped was companionable silence. About midway there, when Remi made no move to speak, he asked, “Are you okay?”
She nodded. “I think so.”
“. . . Are we okay?”
“I’ll be glad to get home.”
Which wasn’t an answer at all. Sam decided not to press the matter. “The sergeant said that if everything works out, you may actually get to leave as early as tomorrow.”
“Not you?”
“Not for a while. He was thinking a week or more.”
She stared out toward the water, her gaze on the islet as they approached. “I really have to think about all of this . . . us . . .”
The finality of her words caught him by surprise. “If it helps, I’m willing to wait as long as it takes.”
She drew in a deep breath, reached over, and put her hand on his. “I know. I think that’s what makes this all so bearable.”
It wasn’t much, but it was enough for Sam, and they remained there, side by side, as Nikos motored into the quiet inlet. Within minutes, they were hiking up the rocky hillside to the top. As before, they heard the bells tinkling from the small herd of goats that lived on the island, a few watching warily as they neared the crest, then approached the wreckage. While the bodies were gone, the crumpled remains of the helicopter’s fuselage was a stark reminder of their narrow escape from certain death.
Sergeant Kompouras pulled his small notebook from his pocket. “Where, exactly, is this cave?”
Dimitris walked over, standing on the rubble. “Beneath this rock.”
Kompouras moved beside him, then looked at Sam. “This is what fell when the helicopter hit?”
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