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

by Luke Christodoulou

  ‘There, there. Relax.’

  The reporters clicked away. Flashes of light bounce around the narrow corridor. Questions followed.

  ‘Is it stigmata?’ one of them finally asked.

  ‘Hey! Give the woman some privacy. You heard the security guard. Get out,’ Ioli stood up and walked towards the reporters who took an unsure step back.

  The security guard smiled at her, but his smile quickly faded as he witnessed the disapproving look of the doctor.

  ‘He just hurt himself playing down at the beach. That’s all. Please go, my boy is sleeping and…’ Sophia seemed to lose her balance. She wobbled from side to side and fell into the priest’s arms. Blood appeared to be running down her covered forehead. Rivers of blood snaked down her porcelain skin. Father Kyriako pulled off her scarf. Deep scars graced her forehead. More shocking, they formed a pattern. Two lines of dotted scars.

  Two nurses rushed to her while the doctor wheeled a bed towards them. Two of the reporters froze, while the others kept on taking photographs. The police, called in by the girl at the reception, arrived to escort the reporters off the premises while the hospital personnel took Sophia away. Ioli was left with Father Kyriako whose hands were shaking. He sat down and prayed. Ioli waited patiently.

  ‘You’re a friend of Sophias?’ he finally asked her.

  ‘I was at the beach. Thought I could offer my help.’

  He smiled warmly at her.

  ‘Father, if you don’t mind me asking. I have heard of stigmata before, mostly in horror movies…’

  He waved his hand. ‘Junk words by junk reporters.’

  ‘You can say that after what just happened? The boy has marks from the crucifixion and now his mother bleeds from her head… where Jesus wore his thorny crown. I might not be a regular church-goer, but all this,’ she waved her hands around ‘is not normal.’

  ‘The church does not officially recognize stigmata…’

  ‘Just saying the word officially like that, makes me believe that unofficially it does.’

  ‘There have been quite a few cases over the years. Some explained, some not. But, the bottom line is, the press is going to have a field day and I will not allow that to happen to poor Sophia and Antony. They have been through enough.’

  Chapter 42

  Athens

  The following morning, I awoke next to Tracy’s warm body. My right leg tangled between hers, my arm wrapped around her. The bed sheet kicked to the floor by two naked lovers; every cell of our body, enjoying the cool, chilling air provided by the air conditioning unit. The sun’s first rays were sneaking in through behind my thin peach curtain and were dancing around the room. I stared at the mean old clock standing guard on my bedside table. Many fights were fought between me and my morning arch enemy. My nemesis always won.

  With great satisfaction, I realized that I had awoken two whole minutes before its menacing eruption. I slowly pulled away from Tracy. She grunted gently and rolled to her side of the bed. I stood up naked and hit the turn-off button on my alarm. I stretched, I scratched and I peed. Every man’s first ritual of the day.

  I tiptoed to the kitchen to prepare a surprise morning coffee for my wife. I smiled reminiscing the previous night. The years apart had made us stronger. We talked like best friends, romanced as newlyweds and screwed like teenagers in a world with no tomorrow. Maybe the late forties were the new late twenties or some bull like that.

  ‘Baby? Baby, wake up. It’s seven.’

  ‘Five more minutes,’ she managed to say. It was always five more minutes with Tracy.

  ‘I’ve got coffee!’ Now, that caught her attention. She struggled to rise and sit up straight. Her hand asked for its mug. Soon, the hot drink ran down our throats and the caffeine flew to our brains.

  ‘Another hot day. I should be off. Got seven families to visit today and Ioli hasn’t called me back yet. I hope she arrived well last night. Are you going to take the metro to work or do you want me to…’

  More awake due to coffee, she placed a full-lip kiss on my talking mouth.

  ‘Mmm, yep, that shut you up. It’s too early to talk,’ she said and giggled. ‘I’ll take the metro,’ she added after another couple of sips. ‘You look all shiny and new. Had a good night’s sleep?’

  ‘I wake up like this because of you. You are my life’s detergent.’

  She managed a sleepy laughter that ended in a yawn. ‘You do come up with the weirdest crap when you’re trying to be romantic.’

  ‘At least, I try.’

  ‘And succeed,’ she replied and placed another kiss on my lips.

  ‘Are you happy here, baby?’ I asked.

  ‘Of course, I have you.’

  ‘And you don’t miss anything from back home?’

  ‘I miss my therapist.’

  Now, it was my turn to laugh.

  ‘Don’t laugh. I’m serious. Susan helped me a great deal with… through it all.’ Tracy avoided mentioning Gaby. ‘And we became great friends, she was a joy to open up to.’

  ‘Why don’t you pay Ariadne a visit?’

  ‘You think that would be wise?’

  ‘Why not? It’s not like she is allowed to talk about me.’

  ‘Yes, because that is all I talk about!’ she said, then got up and ran to the bathroom.

  The sound of running water echoed through the room. Steam escaped from below the door. I never understood how this woman could have a hot, steamy shower in one of the hottest countries in the world. In the summer, too. I shower with cold water, all year round. And with that last thought, I got dressed, shouted a goodbye and was on my way.

  The concrete jungle of Athens sizzled under the huge fireball in the sky. And it was still morning. At least, my car’s steering wheel was cool enough to be handled. I took out my notebook and read the names of the seven victims and their next of kin, and set off for a long day.

  The first of many red lights brought me to a halt. I dialled Ioli’s number; still no answer. That is when I noticed the tiny envelope flashing in the top right corner of the screen.

  ‘Costa, I won’t be catching my flight out. Long story. I am fine. I will fly out as soon as I’ve handled a situation that came up here. Sorry, for leaving you alone on such a day. I’ll call when I can and explain,’ I read and was both puzzled and intrigued. What was this girl up to, now?

  Absent minded, I turned left onto a one way street, from the exit end. A white delivery van screeched before me. I slammed on the brakes. The two tire-burning vehicles stopped inches from each other.

  ‘I’m so sorry,’ I shouted to the angry driver. ‘My bad,’ I continued and reversed. He honked as he drove slowly past me and flipped me the finger.

  The case file had fallen from the chair. Photographs from the scenes had scattered around. I parked to the side and picked them up. Agatha, Rita, Idalia, Anastasia, Demetris, Nikolas and Eftychia all stared at me. All with a story to be told.

  Demetris lived with his younger sister, Louiza, in a two bedroom apartment in the prestigious area of Kolonaki, in the heart of Athens. I had decided to start interviewing those closest to me and work my way to the outskirts of Athens.

  I drove around the park opposite the modern, grey painted apartment block. Kids were busy being kids. A football was being kicked around, swings were swinging and slides welcomed bottoms with laughing heads. If only I was still a father…

  I squeezed my car between an old Honda and an overflowing trash can. I opened my door, saddened to say goodbye to my air-con. The heat surrounded me, choking me, mocking every dry pore on me. I slammed the car door shut, scaring away rough-looking cats feasting on thrown-out fish bones.

  I pushed the button labelled Papademetriou. A soft voice came out of the built in speaker.

  ‘Yes?’

  ‘Captain Papacosta with the Hellenic Police. I called you yesterday?’

  ‘Yes, of course. Come up, 502,’ she said, buzzing me in.

  I pushed the door open and proceeded toward
s the elevator that awaited me with open doors. I entered and pressed five. The elevator doors closed, leaving me alone with my reflection. Getting old sucks. Don’t let anyone fool you and tell you otherwise. I was getting fatter, with less hair than before and with deep lines decorating my once youthful round face.

  I stepped out onto the fifth floor. A row of grey iron doors stood before me. One slightly opened.

  ‘Miss Louiza?’ I called through the gap.

  ‘Come in, Captain. Close the door.’

  A cool breeze welcomed me in. The living room was vast with a panoramic view of the city.

  ‘Sit down, I’ll be with you in a minute,’ the voice continued from inside the kitchen. I sat down on the beige leather couch and waited.

  A tall brunette appeared through the doorway, silver tray in hand.

  ‘I took the liberty of making you coffee.’ She placed the redolent coffee, a glass of iced water and a plate of cinnamon cookies on the cherry wood coffee table.

  She wore black and looked sickly pale. She sat down in a huge armchair opposite me. It made her look like a child.

  ‘I am sorry for your loss.’

  She smiled for a brief second out of politeness and then let her lips drop back to a flat line. I took a sip from my boiling hot Greek coffee.

  ‘Your coffee is exquisite.’

  ‘It’s a special kind of coffee. Demetri is a… was a coffee junkie.’

  ‘Nice place. How long have you lived here?’

  ‘Demetri bought this place when he first came to Athens six years ago with big dreams of making it in one of the league’s top football clubs. I moved in a year ago. I decided to further my education with a PhD in Literature.’

  ‘Must have cost an arm and a leg. A place like this.’ Demetris’s background check reported that he was from a poor family living off the land in the agricultural village of Chrisavgi.

  She sat up, uneasy.

  ‘He did not manage to pay it off. The bank owns it now. I’ll be gone by the end of the month.’

  Samuel 31:3-6. Saul lost it all.

  ‘What else did your brother lose?’

  ‘It has been a rough year for Demetri. He lost a lot of his money on investments gone bad, his contract with his club was not renewed, he owed this place and his Maserati and to top things off, his skank of a girlfriend left him for his best friend when they both realized he was a sinking ship. They enjoyed living his lifestyle.’ She struggled with her words. Tears of anger were forming in her eyes. ‘I tried to help him. I really did. He never did listen to me. He never listened to anybody. I even sought professional help for him as his depression grew. I tried to send him on a couple of blind dates with friends of mine, but it was too late. He was in a very dark place.’

  Demetri wasn’t the only one in a dark place.

  Rita Simonide’s husband praised the Lord I had arrived. Murder flashed in his eyes. He paced up and down their living room as he told me their story.

  ‘… Rita was a good woman…’ he wept. ‘And an excellent mother, a wonderful person…’

  ‘Mr. Simonide, if you could please just take a minute and relax…’

  ‘Relax? Relax! After what they did to my poor Rita?’

  ‘Who did what?’ I raised my voice.

  He suddenly stopped and sat down on the floor in front of me. He fixed his gaze on the floor and struggled with the words.

  ‘Now, she is dead, I need no revenge, I need no justice. Promise me, you will not take this any further.’

  ‘Mr Simonide, if a crime took place, I am obliged to…’

  ‘Then we have nothing to say here.’

  ‘Did Rita commit a crime?’

  ‘Never.’

  ‘You?’

  ‘No…’ He bit his lips. ‘Rita was…’ He swallowed and exhaled. ‘She was raped.’

  My eyes grew larger. ‘Raped? When?’

  ‘Last month. She was leaving her Christian Ladies group and was ambushed by two men. She fought to…’ Tears flowed down and choked his words. ‘I wanted to call the police, I wanted to go out and find them myself, but Rita would have none of it. She was such a devout Christian. She said she forgave them and she did not wish everyone, especially our two kids and her mother, to know. But, it did not end there. A few days after the attack, we received a DVD and a letter in a brown envelope, left on our doorstep. It was the worse day of my life. Are you married, Captain?’

  I nearly answered divorced. ‘Yes.’

  ‘Imagine watching your wife being raped. Forced to do unholy things. Two beasts all over her.’ He went silent in disgust.

  ‘The letter? What did it say?’ I asked, trying to draw his mind away from the images engraved in his mind.

  ‘They wanted 200,000 Euro delivered in a month. Details would follow.’

  I looked around. A plain, three-bedroom house, worn furniture and decorated cheaply. Outside an old Ford. Achillea Simonide worked as a plumber.

  ‘I know what you’re thinking,’ he chuckled. ‘We don’t look like millionaires, do we now?’

  ‘I must admit that I was wondering why they would be asking for such a large amount of money from a middle-class family.’

  ‘Rita was a writer. She wrote Christian stories about love, faith and the good in mankind. Her books made over 50,000 per month. She gave most of it to charities. She was actively involved in many support groups for abused children, single mothers and so on. She said the Lord gave her the stories so any profits from them were not hers. She only kept enough to make ends meet and banked a few thousand every month for the kids’ studies. She was more concerned about embarrassing her family when the video went public. She said that no one could guarantee that they would not keep coming back for more.’

  ‘Achillea, whoever did this knew the kind of money she was making. Don’t you suspect anyone?’

  He shook his head. ‘Anyway, Rita’s wish was to leave things untouched. I respect that and I, too, do not want my children finding out. They have just lost their mother.’

  ‘How about I ask a few questions and see what I can do? Unofficially? And report only to you if I hear anything?’

  ‘No need.’

  I did not tell him that I wanted to and had to report it. But, I would make sure nothing got out to the public.

  By nightfall, seven stories unfolded before me. Seven tragedies that led seven people to their grave. Demetri lost it all, Rita killed herself to save her family from embarrassment, Eftychia was diagnosed with severe manic depression and believed her life was just a test, Nikolas like a second Judas betrayed his own father and testified against his family’s law firm -both his parents were sentenced for money laundering, Anastasia was diagnosed with terminal cancer and had two more painful months to live and Agatha was tormented by her desires. Her computer hard drive was filled with child pornography.

  Idalia’s story was made known through the morning paper’s. She had sent in proof to police headquarters before taking her own short life. She was left an orphan at the tender age of twelve and sent to live with her mother’s cousin. A cousin who with her scumbag boyfriend, rented little and beautiful Idalia out to older men for a hefty price. Both were arrested, along with a group of sick, perverted men.

  God, sometimes you really make me lose all faith in you…

  Chapter 43

  Dr. Ariadne Metaxa’s office

  Tracy twisted and turned in ‘my’ armchair. She played with her fingers and avoided eye contact with Ariadne. She had already regretted her decision to come. She remembered how it had taken her months to trust Susan with her deepest thoughts and emotions.

  ‘It’s our first session. Try to think about it as a visit to a new neighbor. We can talk about the weather, everyday life, fashion…’ Ariadne said, reading Tracy’s mind.

  ‘Fashion?’

  ‘Athens has nothing to envy from other cities. But, then again, you are a New York woman.’ Ariadne’s warm smile lifted Tracy’s spirits.

  ‘I must admi
t, I still haven’t learned my ways around the market yet.’

  ‘How about every time you visit me, I let you in on an amazing boutique?’

  ‘I don’t know about your professional skills, but you are one hell of a marketing guru.’

  ‘Anything else I can bribe you with?’

  ‘Now that you mention it, I am looking for a better beauty salon.’

  Both women shared a laugh.

  Ariadne kept the conversation on a friendly note. She always took this as a first approach. Used to traumatized police officers, she knew people needed time to talk about deep pains.

  Chapter 44

  Ioli awoke before the sun had risen. She sat up and exhaled deeply. The dilemma of staying or leaving kept her awake until midnight. She had to speak to the boy. She had to ask him what he meant. She had to make sure he was going to be better. She knew she was probably reading too much into what he said.

  Only you can save me. He would have said the same to anyone standing next to him, right? she thought.

  She decided on a cold shower and an ice-cold frappe. It felt good to shower without a rush. Ioli always struggled to be punctual. She worked long hours without slacking off and she would not allow anyone to have something to hold against her. The chief frowned upon officers being late and she never wanted to be at the receiving end of that frown. For her, to be on time meant forcing herself out of bed and running like a headless hen to be on time. Now, she let the water run down her body. She stood there for a while, clearing her mind. She brought the shower gel to her nose. Some sort of Hawaiian tropical flower mixed with honey and milk. The gel turned into foam as she rubbed it gently on her skin. This was not a shower, it was a ritual. She stepped out and naked as she was, she plucked her eyebrows and applied her subtle makeup. Her long black hair was pulled up into a high ponytail. She pulled on her tight blue jeans and a casual white blouse with a discreet v neck.

  The frappe mixer soared to life and sun rays sneaked into the room. She pulled back the heavy curtains and exited onto the tiny balcony. The sea’s fresh air rushed down into her lungs and Ioli thanked God for Greece’s stunning views. The Greek land always running to meet the sea. The clear skies above the turquoise tranquil waters. More divine was the coffee that flowed down her oesophagus and into her nervous system. The breakfast buffet did not open for another half an hour, so she settled herself down in a white plastic chair and placed her long legs upon the round balcony table. Her romance novel rose to eye level and Ioli truly let her mind relax.