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

by Luke Christodoulou

  ‘Only, huh?’

  ‘Look, I have no reason to stand here, being belittled by you. Our affair, if it can be called that, has nothing to do with Cassie’s death…’

  ‘That’s my job to decide.’

  Alexandra exhaled deeply, her watery eyes trembled and she leaned back onto the flowery wall. ‘She was murdered by that crazy old lady.’ The sentence sounded more like a question.

  ‘Don’t know about crazy, but hell yeah, she was old. Maybe too old to stab with such force a strong, young woman like Cassandra. Maybe, she had help. Maybe a bitch in heat looking to gain the lover she denies falling for.’

  Alexandra broke away from the wall and raised her right hand.

  ‘Oh, please. I am looking for an excuse to channel my anger, right now,’ Ioli calmly said, remaining still as a Greek statue.

  Alexandra grunted, lowered her shaking arm and stormed off back to her friends. Ioli watched her disappear through the doorway, fixed her hair and turned to come find me in the library.

  Ioli entered the room, just as grandma Zampetaki sauntered out. Ioli greeted her, only to receive a grunt of a reply from Mrs Helena who did not bother to stop or look at her.

  ‘Charming old woman, isn’t she?’ Ioli asked, pushing the door behind her. I remained still where I stood, in the center of the room with my back to the imposing, cherry wood bookcase.

  ‘You will never believe what I just found out. Homer…’ Ioli began to say. She paused upon witnessing my index finger slowly reach my lips and signal her to be quiet. My eyes begged her to change the topic.

  ‘… supports Olympiakos, can you believe it? As a kid, he was a great Paok fan,’ she continued.

  Clever girl.

  ‘And you think you know certain people.’

  ‘You can say that again, boss.’

  I walked towards her and my lips formed the words follow me. ‘I better be heading up to check if Tracy’s flu is still tormenting her.’

  ‘Give her my love. Have you seen my parents, by any chance?’

  ‘I think they are in the dining room hall with your uncle and aunt.’

  ‘That’s where my next stop will be then.’

  Industry expects and movie fans would have called our acting wooden, but we put on a show nevertheless.

  Chapter 13

  Athens, years ago

  ‘I love you!’ Achilles shouted, as he jumped up and down opposite Agatha.

  Sweaty backs formed their surrounding environment; an environment of loud music, flashing lights and the sharp smell of alcohol. Mercedes Club always let in an illegal -based on their space-number of clubbers. Athens youth filled the dance floor, none the less. Exam results came back and good or bad, the end of the semester was reason for celebrating.

  Agatha had more reason than others. Ten out of ten in all subjects. First of her year. She dyed her hair red -another teen dream of hers-and wore her brand new blue dress which revealed her deep cleavage and showed more than enough leg. She noticed Achilles’ lips move and paused. Did he really say what she thought he did?

  ‘What?’ she yelled back, bringing an ecstatic Achilles to a halt.

  He leaned forward, bringing his face opposite hers. He wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans and placed them on her cheeks, pulling her close; their lips inches from each other. He stared into her eyes for what seemed like minutes to Agatha, yet the same Madonna song still played. The kiss that followed weakened her knees and provided security of her belief of what he said. Achilles pulled back, gently biting her bottom lip, taking it with him. He let go and screamed ‘I said, I love you!’

  A few girls dancing next to them turned around and giggled until common jealously kicked in.

  ‘I love you, too, you silly, crazy, sexy beast you!’ Agatha replied and leapt into his arms.

  Two hours and a dozen kisses later, the couple and another twenty late-nighters vacated the club. The lights had been switched on and two songs later, the music had stopped.

  ‘Where to now?’ Achilles said and chuckled drunkenly.

  ‘Do you know what time it is?’ Agatha asked. ‘The sun will be up, soon.’

  ‘My point exactly. It’s so late, it’s early.’ His silly grin never leaving his sweaty face.

  ‘What do you have in mind?’ Agatha inquired, lowering her voice and adding a sexy tone.

  ‘My place… or yours,’ Achilles finally said the words he had always wanted to say. They had been dating for months and Agatha had never once invited him to her apartment, neither had she come to his. She always had an excuse ready and they always met in public. Achilles eagerly waited for a reply. He could not stand to be tormented by his friends, again.

  ‘In a meaningful relationship, sex isn’t that important,’ he tried to defend himself to his mates.

  ‘Yeah, unless you aren’t getting any,’ Pavlo joked.

  ‘Agatha’s a good girl. She is not like the sluts you horny dogs chase after,’ he retaliated.

  ‘Yes, that is why we have doggy style, rough sex and you are still waiting to have Amish style sex with Miss Goodie!’ Mario said, and laughed out loud.

  The meaningful conversations among eighteen year olds never change.

  ‘Did you hear me?’ Agatha asked again.

  ‘Huh?’

  ‘I said my place.’

  Achilles’ eyes widened as much as they could. He jumped off the pavement, landing in a drain pipe puddle, waving his hands to stop the approaching cab. The taxi driver slammed down on the brakes. The tires screeched on the wet asphalt road and a cloud of smoke from his exhaust flew forward and surrounded the young couple. The driver shook his clean shaven head and murmured something about crazy, youthful love. He had seen his fair share of couples exiting the notorious night club over the years; some remained the same, some changed partners more often than he changed socks. He listened to the directions from the sweet girl and winked at the boy. The gear got pushed into place and the vehicle set off for its short-lived journey. The driver drove in silence; only the sound of kissing being heard. He discreetly gazed upon the young couple, especially when Achilles’ right hand journeyed up Agatha’s firm leg.

  Ten minutes later, the driver received a generous tip and watched the crazy, young ones run to the building’s door. Watching them, he pulled out his phone and sent his wife a text. Love you sleepy head, just like when we were young, he typed, making a few typos with his fat fingers along the way. In a few hours, he would provide a broad smile to his wife’s face. A king’s breakfast and morning cuddles waited for him when he arrived home from a long nine hour shift. A successful marriage is all about the details. The small gestures that let you know your other half still cares.

  Upstairs, Agatha, pleased with having cleaned and tidied her apartment just the previous day, lit her bedroom’s vanilla-scented candles and turned on the air-con. Nothing worse to kill the mood than more sweat. Her eyes observed Achilles undress down to his navy blue boxers; his huge front bulge catching her eye. She had never seen a naked man before. Shivering in the excitement, she unzipped her dress and let it fall to the floor. Achilles bulge shook before her. He approached her and pulled her into his arms. His hands ran freely down her back, while his tongue explored her ear lobes and her neck. She pushed Achilles onto the bed and fell on top of his shaped abs and his chiselled chest. His fingers slowly pulled down her pink panties and then, slid up and fiddled with her bra. Soon, she sat naked upon him. Taking a deep breath, she found the courage to undress him. She found it funny how his penis jumped out and wiggled before her, yet showed no such emotion. Nervously, she bowed down and let her tongue journey along his hard erection. He leaned back in euphoria. She continued upwards, longing to reach his lips. They kissed with force and Achilles swirled them around with adroitness, finding his way on top of her and finally, in her. Wet as she was, he entered her with ease and did not take his time, pushing himself in. Agatha gasped in pain. Achilles immediately pulled out.

  ‘I’m sorry. I…�
�

  ‘Sssh,’ she said, placing her finger upon his lips. ‘Take it, slowly. It is my first time, you know.’

  Moments later, she could not believe her new outgoing personality when she whispered ‘not, that slow.’

  The whole six minutes seemed like an hour to burning-up Agatha. Achilles pulled out and came on her lower belly. She stared in amazement; her curious nature enjoying something new.

  Huffing and puffing, Achilles fell to her side. His hand lay upon her breast; her beating heart forcing it to bounce. His lips met hers and his eyes relaxed, gently staring into hers.

  ‘Told you, I love you. I’m so glad you let me show you how much.’

  ‘You’re the best thing that has ever happened to me,’ she replied breathlessly.

  Words she never forgot. Who could ever forget the words one regrets the most?

  Chapter 14

  The deserted laundry room rigged of flowery based detergent blended with dirty clothes. The maids had gathered all the guest’s dirty laundry, yet had not turned any washing machines on. I beelined to the single window of the room, pulled back the cheap, thick, once-white curtains and despite the strong winds patrolling the house, I slid the glass window to the right. Ioli shivered as the icy wind danced around her, forcing her to close up her jacket buttons all the way to her chin. The sound of droplets crushing into muddy puddles echoed in the low-ceiling room.

  ‘Costa, what’s going on?’

  ‘We are being fools, that’s what!’

  Under any other circumstances, she would have retaliated at the insult. Now, she approached me and laid her hand upon my shaking shoulder. My nerves were getting the best of me.

  ‘Calm down. Tell me what it is you have figured out.’

  ‘Figured out? Nothing! Told, yes. We were being watched in the library. With a mansion like this, we should have known better.’

  Ioli stepped back and tilted her head to the side. ‘Cameras?’

  ‘Bingo. And not only in the library. The old lady said her daughter-in-law was obsessed with security and had them installed everywhere. ‘Gossiping tart’, she called her, always listening in on everybody’s conversations. That is why the old lady sat in spots that were blind to the cameras.’

  Ioli’s eyes widened. ‘And why Katerina kept looking up when we interviewed the maids. The way she stared at Christina badmouthing her boss…’

  ‘And why the maids and butlers come here to talk. No cameras down here or in the bedrooms, the old lady said.’

  Ioli exhaled with a sigh. ‘That is how our suspect knew we were on to them.’

  ‘That is why they took Tracy. God, we were so stupid. We should have known and we would have been more careful and I would have kept closer to Tracy and…’

  ‘Costa, this is not on you. And we will find her. I swear.’

  ‘The thing is we don’t know who to trust. Watching the surveillance tapes could crack our case. But, with Tracy being held…’

  I fell back onto the wooden bench against the moldy wall. My hands rubbed my eyes for a few seconds and ran through my messy hair. ‘What is it that I would not believe about Homer? Besides his football team preference?’

  It was Ioli’s turn to sit down and fall back against the aging wall.

  ‘Though he denies knowing anything about it, apparently Cassandra had tons of cash in her name, inheritance from her mother. Guess who receives it?’

  It was my hand’s turn to touch her shoulder. Homer had fallen off the pedestal.

  ‘Wait, it gets better. For the last two years or so, he has been having an on-off affair with Alexandra.’

  ‘Did Cassandra know?’

  ‘That is something I have to grill Homer about. Alexandra admitted no such thing.’

  ‘Ioli, if Homer knew about the cameras and how to access them…’

  ‘I know. That is what has been on my mind. I keep replaying his words in my head. He did say that Cassandra gave him the grand tour of the place.’

  ‘Cosmas knows for sure. So does Katerina and grandma Zampetaki.’

  ‘Anneta could know, too. She seems really close to her brother.’

  ‘Whoever heard us talk about the case, must have gotten scared that we knew Irene’s death was not a suicide and how we suspected the old lady had an accomplice and panicked. Panicked enough to kidnap Tracy. Ioli, we have to find her.’

  ‘You checked the attic, right?’

  I nodded. My eyes revealing processes at work. Ioli could read me like an open book.

  ‘What’s bothering you?’

  ‘Sexual orientation.’

  ‘Come again? You lost me.’

  ‘Never mind, for the time being. It will be my last card. I want to go outside and look for Tracy. They could not have taken her very far. I will explore the gardens. If I come back empty handed, then I will throw down my last playing card. Work on any suspicion, trust your gut,’ I finished with Ioli’s trademark advice to rookie cops.

  ‘There’s a lot of I’s in your sentence. I’m coming with you,’ she said and stood up.

  ‘The world is coming to an end outside…’

  ‘And I look like cheap silicone to you? Besides, if anything happens to you, who would know where the heck you are? Zip it, I’m coming, end of discussion,’ she said, ordering my mouth to retreat. I raised my hands in defeat.

  We both stood by the window, silently witnessing the downpour. Thunder and garden items rolling around broke the sound of constant rain. I closed my eyes. Tracy’s wide smile came to mind. Determined as a wounded, raging bull, I lifted myself up and leapt out the window. I stood by the safety of the house’s wall, while Ioli came out after me.

  ‘Let’s make a dash for the pool house. The killer might have figured no one would approach with Cassandra’s body being there.’

  ‘No,’ I replied. ‘You go. I’ll head out to that abandoned shed over there,’ I said, pointing to the relic of a cottage by the old, stone wall that surrounded the mansion’s land. ‘No need for you to risk coming out there.’

  I think Ioli was too cold to argue. She nudged me on my right shoulder, tied her hair into a tight bun and looked around, focusing on the windows of the house. No peeping eyes gave the signal to run out into the storm. I watched as she nearly lost her balance on the wet tiles by the wavy swimming pool and tripped over a rolling ceramic flower pot by the door of the pool house. She paused, signalled me a thumbs up and took out her gun.

  By the time she entered, I had run along the mansion’s side wall, cursing at my weak knees and ever-growing stomach pains. I stopped at the end of the house -the last point of safety-and gazed out into the hostile surroundings of muddy fields that lead up to the crumbling down in the rain cottage with the broken door and the smashed in window.

  Step by step, I fought an uneven battle with nature’s forces. My feet sank deep into the mud, making every next step heavier and harder to take. Tracy’s image, imprinted in my mind, gave me strength to follow.

  The wind pushed hard against my body, my thin hair blew around and my eyes were forced to shut. Determined, I reached the crumbling cottage and kicked in the broken door. The smell of rodents and feces blended with the clean, fresh air blowing in through cracks in the wall. The wind was howling as the rats ran and scattered back into dark corners. The room was deserted.

  ‘Tracy,’ I yelled out, more out of anger than a cry for an answer.

  Ioli had no better luck. Out of fear of being watched by a hidden security camera, she acted as if she had gone to see the body and while there, strolled casually into the kitchen in search for a drink. The entire time, her eyes were searching around and her ears were alert for any cries for help. It was just her and the body.

  Defeated, we both returned to the house, unsure of our next steps.

  Chapter 15

  Athens, years ago

  It was the first day of August and the third day of the menacing heat wave; a perfect day for island getaways. The port of Piraeus welcomed into its deep
blue stomach everything ranging from the world’s largest cruise ships to ten-sitter ferries. The sizzling, Greek sun attacking the skin of people walking under it and illuminating all that stood below it. Hats, sunscreen, umbrellas, cold water; all were unable to save you from the heat and the sweat. Nevertheless, smiles were shining all around and holiday makers glowed with delight and a carefree mood.

  Achilles carried Agatha’s luggage upon the ferry that playfully bounced on the deep, blue waters. She followed in a short, yellow dress and a hat she referred to as glamorous. It was her first holiday with her first boyfriend. Achilles planned everything for their getaway to the majestic island of Naxos.

  They were going to walk hand-in-hand through a web of steep cobbled alleys in the main town of Hora, shop from the many traditional shops and visit beautiful old churches, the ancient ruins of Apollo’s and Dionyso’s temples and several Venetian castles, all coexisting in harmony with the Cycladic cubic houses perched high along the green hills that overlooked the fertile valleys and lush green gorges. They would visit isolated, atmospheric beaches and of course, try kite boarding.

  Agatha daydreamed of the magic awaiting her. Romantic meals by the harbor, clubbing at night and making love to Achilles. She planned on giving Ariadne and Dionysos, the two famous lovers of mythology, a run for their money.

  Soon, the largest island of the Cyclades came into view, surrounded by the ocean.

  Agatha giggled as she hugged Achilles from behind.

  ‘Thank you,’ she whispered into his ear, biting gently on his earlobe.

  The ship settled into the calm waters of the picturesque harbor and Agatha and Achilles were the first to disembark. Full of joy they rushed to the rental office, situated between an ice-cream parlor and a souvenir shop. Achilles had already booked them a car. They were going to stay at his relatives’ cabin.