Greek Island Mysteries Boxed Set (Books 1-2-3): Gripping, psychological mystery/thrillers destined to shock you!

by Luke Christodoulou

  ‘Cancer?’

  ‘Yes, ma’am. Stage three. At his age, it is a miracle he can still get around. It is a terrible burden to his old heart.’

  We found him, weak in his hospital bed. Tubes came and went and his heart line beeped through the silence. He managed to open his eyes.

  ‘Well, hello there. How is the investigation coming along?’

  ‘Great, we found out who your attacker was,’ Ioli said. His eyes widened.

  ‘Really?’

  ‘Yes, you. You banged your heart on that icon. A moment of frustration or an evil plan to throw us off track, I don’t know. But, I do know, you were alone when you gained your injuries.’

  He struggled to sit up. He exhaled deeply.

  ‘Not evil, just an old fool’s plan.’

  ‘So you’re not denying it, then?’ I asked.

  ‘No reason in lying, now at the end of it all. How did you find out?’

  ‘Andrew spoke. We have him down at the police station. Local police are arresting his father -his real father-as we speak.’

  ‘Justice for all…’ he said, coughing hard. His whole chest rocked back and forth.

  ‘You believe you served justice?’

  ‘God’s justice.’

  ‘Answer me this, Father,’ I said. ‘We have all the evidence. Just one clue missing. What was the carpenter’s sin?

  ‘Rape. During his time in the army, he raped a girl in a night club. Ever since, he has tried to receive God’s forgiveness. I helped him get it.’

  ‘You are responsible for all those deaths!’ Ioli could not believe her ears.

  ‘Deaths of sinners. God has punished sinners since the beginning of time, my child. Sodom and Gomorrah, ancient Egypt…’

  ‘Santorini!’

  ‘You mock me, my child, but He is the one who will judge me!’

  ‘You did not let any of your victims get judged by Him.’

  ‘Didn’t I? They came to His house, to me, His representative on Earth. According to His law, they were all sinners that deserved punishment. I ended their wicked ways and send them to him to be judged.’

  ‘Oh, you sound so righteous, don’t you? How come you did not get your hands dirty, then? You know, what I believe? You are a lonely, sick-in-the-head, old man that is dying and decided to have some sick fun. You lied and manipulated people that trusted you with their problems. They came to you for help and all they got was death.’ Ioli’s voice got louder by the word. Father Agvoustino leaned forward, ready to answer back, but a deep coughing sound muted his words. He spat blood from his mouth and gasped for air. His heart raced into three digit beats and the monitor went crazy.

  ‘Nurse? Nurse?’ I shouted.

  ‘Stand back,’ she ordered, flying into the room.

  ‘Code Blue,’ she yelled, pushing the red button on the wall. In a matter of seconds, more medical staff rushed through the door. The doctor fought to keep him alive.

  With a bloody, enigmatic smile, Father Agvoustino left this world.

  ‘May God, not have mercy on his soul…’ Ioli mumbled and walked out.

  Father Agvoustino was not the only one leaving this earth. My cell rang as I stood watching the doctor announce the time of death.

  ‘Hello?’

  ‘Costa…’

  ‘Mum? Hey, how you doing ma?’

  ‘Your father…’

  ‘Ma?’

  ‘He… He fell asleep and he did not wake up…’

  Numbness overtook me and in a zombie-like state, I sat down. A part of my soul shriveled inside and slowly disintegrated. My father, my idol, my hero. Gone. The man who was always there for me. And I was not there for him.

  ‘The funeral is on Wednesday, if you are not too busy for that too.’

  ‘Ma, don’t… I…’

  ‘I don’t want to hear it. I have to mourn my husband and plan a funeral. Bye.’

  So this is what it feels like when people say I feel like shit.

  I managed to pull myself up and dragged my body out of the hospital. Ioli waited by the car. She only had to take one look at me. She ran up to me, the wind twirling dead bronze leaves around her feet.

  ‘What’s wrong?’

  ‘Mum called. My father didn’t make it.’

  ‘Costa, I’m so sorry. Here, sit down.’

  We sat on the nearby metal bench and there in her arms, I cried on her shoulder.

  ‘I should have been there.’

  Chapter 34

  New York

  People die all the time.

  Winter is not the time for a burial in New York.

  My two thoughts as we exited the Greek Orthodox church after my father’s funeral service. Thin snow flakes were dancing around in the strong, icy wind. Visibility was low as the parade of cars made their way up to Saint Michael’s cemetery. Black umbrellas exited the vehicles first, black clothed men and women followed. My mother leaned on me as we led the way up to my father’s final resting ground. My sisters, cousins, aunts, relatives and family friends walked behind us through the rusty gates and over the yellowing grass. The grass disappearing, getting buried as the snow started to pile up. Scattered tombstones made up the scenery, while naked trees stretched out their creepy tentacles. My mother was never one to hold a grudge, especially at times like this. She was a Greek mother and her only son was her rock at a time like this.

  As they lowered down his casket, neither of us could fight back our tears. As I wiped away the falling drops of pain, pushing up my dark shades, I saw her. There she was, standing amongst the crowd. My ex-wife Tracy. She smiled at me and even under these circumstances, it warmed my heart.

  New York – Three years earlier

  It had been the perfect family day out.

  The Bronx River Festival took place on a warm Saturday in July. My beautiful wife Tracy, our nine year old angel, Gabriella and I were upon 2Train heading to Burke Avenue, west of Bronx Park where the festival was in full swing. Gabriella looked stunningly beautiful for a young girl, in her white Benetton dress and her hair tied up into two ponytails.

  ‘She is as excited as a porcupine meeting a pineapple,’ Tracy joked and we all laughed. Gabriella always laughed at her mother’s sayings, even though most of the time she had no idea what she was talking about. Why would a porcupine be so happy to meet a pineapple anyway?

  The Bronx River Festival was a celebration of the Bronx River with loads of activities on deck for the entire family. Gabriella eagerly looked forward to the nature scavenger hunt where she had high hopes of proving to daddy what a good little investigator she had become. Tracy was going to take part in all the calorie-burning activities like capoiera and power yoga while I was going to stand by a tree smoking in secret so Gabriella would not see me. I would stand there all day if Tracy let me, admiring the two of them and occasionally waving and giving a thumbs-up to every ‘‘Daddy, daddy look.”

  The festival did justice to the saying time flies when you’re having fun and four hours went by without any of us noticing. It was time to head back home.

  The party of three came out from the underground holding hands, letting the love flow through us. Little Gaby was ecstatically happy, having played all sorts of games, eaten a bunch of junk food mama would not have allowed on a normal day and she had her face painted as a fairy princess.

  The tires of the car racing round the corner and down the street made us jump and as I turned around, I saw the barrels of their guns sticking out from behind the slightly opened tinted windows of a black Lincoln MKS.

  ‘Get down,’ I yelled, pushing Tracy to the ground behind a parked yellow Chevrolet and fell upon my baby girl, rolling with her behind a rusty dumpster. The sound of multiple and constant firing penetrated the air and it only took one bullet, out of the one hundred and sixteen bullets fired, to penetrate Gabriella’s left lung. Blood started oozing out pretty quick and soon her white dress had turned dark red.

  ‘Long live Sanchez, asshole,’ a shrill voice was hear
d and the car sped away to oblivion.

  I knelt and held her close in my arms and that’s where little Gabriella ‘Gaby’ Papacosta left her last breath.

  Tracy screamed erratically for help and an ambulance, but I knew it was too late. I closed my baby’s eyes and kissed her gently on the forehead. As her heart stopped beating, I felt mine break and all I could do was cry. I held on to Gaby until the paramedics pulled me off, having already given a strong sedative to Tracy, who -curled up behind the Chevrolet’s wheel-kept repeating ‘no, no… Costa, say it isn’t so.

  We did not speak to each other again, not even at the funeral and one fine, sizzling N.Y. August evening, Tracy came out of the master bedroom, suitcases in hand.

  ‘I always hated your job. I told you to accept a desk job, once we had a child. This is all your fault,’ she cried with no more tears left in her eyes.

  ‘I know.’

  ‘Bye, Costa.’

  And just like that, she left my life. The next week, I boarded a plane set for Greece. A man with nothing to lose. A man ready to take on the most dangerous homicide cases.

  New York – Papacosta family home

  Mother sat numb on her living room sofa. Her apartment filled up with people, but she had never felt more alone in her life. The house she shared with the love of her life, suddenly felt colder. It was no longer a home. The walls were just walls and all the belongings in it, seemed meaningless. She smiled politely and accepted condolences, each time wanting to scream out that she could not bear to live another second without him.

  Tracy came round as well. My mother kissed her and stroked her cheek. Not long ago, the two cried frantically in each others arms, when fate brought them the loss of their precious Gaby.

  ‘He is in the kitchen,’ Maria calmly said to her. I stood on the kitchen balcony with my childhood best friend Jimmy, having a much-needed smoke and whiskey coke.

  ‘Hey Jimmy.’

  ‘Tracy! So good to see you.’ He kissed her on her cheek and made up a ridiculous excuse to go inside.

  ‘I have played this scene so many times in my head and now I am standing opposite you and I have nothing to say.’ It felt so good to hear her voice again. That sweet tone whispering I love you in the morning, making everything seem worthwhile. We had our ups and downs, like everybody else, but we weren’t strong enough to deal with Gaby’s death. We had struggled to get pregnant. Nothing worse for a newlywed couple to find out, than a hostile uterus and a low sperm count. Add in, our hectic lifestyle as a corporate lawyer and a homicide detective and it was a miracle Gaby was ever conceived.

  ‘You’ve changed your hair.’

  She blushed and the corners of her lips moved upwards. Tracy had always been proud of the fact, that I always noticed the little changes she would make. A different shade of dye, a different nail color, a new shirt, a new day cream, a new perfume. Her girlfriends would complain about their partners paying no attention to their efforts and Tracy would joke how they all should marry a detective who notices everything.

  My once brunette wife admitted that after I left, she had dyed it black. Now, she glowed under her golden wheat hair.

  ‘I guess, based on the circumstances, I should have left it black. My poor Sebastiano. What a great man.’

  I looked down in sorrow. ‘I was not even here when he died. I left Maria alone to deal with it and now I will never see him again.’

  ‘Oh, Costa…’ She opened her arms and I fell into her. Her hand gently caressed my thinning hair.

  ‘Come on,’ she finally said. ‘Let’s go get some food into you. Everyone brought something. I am sure Mrs. Andreou brought stuffed vine leaves.’

  ‘Mmm, koupepia.’ I let Tracy pamper me for the evening. I tried hard not to read too much into her smiles and support. My father had just died. Then again, my mind was never one to listen to logic. It wrote the scenario that suited it the best. She was here and she was ready to sort things out. Legally, we were still married. With problems and issues, but married.

  The day after, I call her up for coffee.

  ‘Sounds great. There is this new place I love, opened a few months ago.’

  And just like that, a tragic accident brought together two estranged people. Two people that let life get the better of them. We talked, we joked, we held hands. Our second ‘first date’. She invited me over to see the new place she was renting.

  ‘What a wonderful view,’ I said as I gazed upon New York’s skyline. Rain hit hard against the window. Tracy lit the fireplace and stood behind me. Her hands circled around me and she kissed the back of my neck. She breathed heavily. ‘I have missed you so much, there are no words.’

  I turned around and kissed her cherry lips while my hands entered her hair, pulling her close. We stumbled together backwards, items of clothing falling to the floor. We lay naked in front of the fireplace, hands, lips and tongues journeying upon familiar ground. She felt so warm. I slowly entered her and got lost in her green eyes that shined bright, reflecting the flames of the fire. We switched positions with teen excitement. We wanted everything from each other. To live everything good once again. Desperately filling in the three year gap. With me on my back and Tracy on top of me, I enjoyed her beauty.

  ‘You are as beautiful as the first day I laid eyes on you…’

  ‘Trying cliché compliments with me, mister Papacosta?’

  ‘I…’

  ‘It’s working…’ she laughed and seconds later, exploded with joy. She fell to my side and I rolled above her. She groaned, feeling me again deep inside her, thrusting away. I could not believe it was happening. A story of fiction, brought to life. Love with Tracy. All my body shivered as I came. Every cell screaming for her. We stayed in each other’s arms, afraid to let go. Night came and found us asleep, hand in hand. We awoke near midnight, ordered Chinese and watched the late night shows. The three year gap vanished into the cold air outside and the cleansing rain washed away sins of the past.

  Chapter 35

  Ariadne Metaxa’s office – June

  ‘For someone who despises the summer, you sure are in a good mood,’ Ariadne joked. She looked younger with her hair pulled back into a high ponytail, slight color decorating her pale skin and a breezy summer dress on.

  ‘You have air-con,’ I replied. ‘New chair?’

  ‘You like it?’

  I sat down into the blue leather armchair. ‘Honestly? Not as comfortable. Anyway, I am not one who enjoys change. I’ll get used to it.’

  ‘You have had some major changes happen over the last few months. Changes for the better.’

  ‘It still seems unreal that Tracy is here.’

  ‘How is she coping with our crazy society?’

  I chuckled. ‘She would agree on the crazy part. I believe she’s doing fine. Everyone at the company is either a foreigner or uses English at the office, so she has had no linguistic barriers. She likes new challenges and unlike me, she has fallen in love with the weather.’

  ‘They do say we are the world’s most beautiful country. Why wouldn’t she fall in love? And you? How’s your mind dealing with all the joy?’

  ‘Tough to say. You know, better than anyone, the dark place I lived and thrived in. After Gaby, I did not care if I lived or died. I drifted through life waiting to be released.’

  ‘And where is that darkness now?’

  ‘Still lingering around, though over the last year it has shrivelled up quite a bit.’

  ‘Because of Ioli?’

  ‘Well, yeah. She helped me find purpose again at work and now Tracy is back, I feel I have a purpose in life too.’

  ‘And the conflict between the two?’

  ‘Elaborate, please,’ I said, leaning forward.

  ‘You have admitted being good at what you do, because you took risks. You hunted the worst kind of killers and sadistic murderers. You loved putting yourself in danger’s way. Can you still do that? Knowing that Tracy is at home waiting for you?’

  I took a
moment. ‘I…’ I raised my hands. ‘I don’t know.’

  ‘Changes require us to re-arrange our goals and our priorities, Costa. Solving murder cases is who you are.’

  ‘Ioli says that facing death in our line of work makes her feel alive.’

  ‘Maybe, Miss Ioli should also pay me a visit.’

  I threw my head back and laughed.

  ‘In a sense that she appreciates life more. Maybe, facing death will make me appreciate having Tracy back in my life and force me to be more careful.’

  Who could have known how much death, I was going to witness the following day.

  Chapter 36

  CASE No.3: The Black Horse – Justice, Law Giver, Famine, Destructive power of a class gap on a society.

  Spring came and went rather uneventfully. No major crimes, no mystery deaths. Just some good old, clean-cut cases. The husband did it out of jealousy, the boss did it for the money, the friend did it out of revenge. I’ve played Cluedo games more difficult to solve.

  Ioli took over most cases, giving me time to reconnect with Tracy, who took the leap and moved to Greece. She took one look at my filthy man-hole of an apartment and the very next day we were searching for real estate. A brand new, two bedroom, ground floor apartment with a small garden sealed the deal.

  Ioli spent most of her newly found free time with her hobbies. She cooked and ate, worked out hours at the gym, practiced her shooting at the police range site and painted our office wall cherry red. It promoted creativity she said. The chief ordered it repainted white, but no one bothered changing it. It took a while, but it slowly won the grumpy old man over. She, also, spent hours reading. Every now and then, she would call over a quote.

  ‘She was like the moon, you never saw all of her. Lovely, isn’t it?’

  I would nod in agreement. The worse came when she read a comedy. She would laugh out loud and shout out just the punch line, leaving out the rest of the funny parts.

  ‘And then she lit the fireplace!’ And she would laugh. ‘All the money was in there!’

  The only thing being killed was time. Until the second day of June.