by Sefer, Angel
Chapter Nine
Jackie perused the dim, damp basement where her kidnappers had dragged her an hour before, and then turned her gaze on the tall, older man who stood silently in front of her, intently studying her face.
“Who are you?” Jackie asked, trying to keep her voice calm. If her kidnappers suspected she was intimidated by them, heavens only knew what they might do to her. Her only hope of controlling the situation was to act like she was in control. She had been trying really hard not to show how scared she was, ever since the two gangsters kidnapped her from the hotel. Her pride and stubbornness wouldn’t allow her to give these people the satisfaction of knowing she was terrified and in pain. Besides, she was determined to find out what was going on. This madness had to end.
Jackie shifted uncomfortably in her chair. The ropes tying her hands behind the back of the chair cut into her skin. She bit her lower lip to keep from crying out, as pain rushed through her entire body like a hot wave.
How could I be so stupid, she wondered? Why did I have to follow the guy, just because he wore a policeman’s uniform? What’s the matter with me? She was a very experienced investigative reporter and this wasn’t the first dangerous assignment in her career. But all this madness, Maria’s death, the other murders, and the crazy two days she’d spent at the old mansion were clouding her judgment and making her sloppy. Not to mention, the storm of emotions that Michael stirred up inside her with just his mere presence.
“Well, did you get what you came here for?” the man asked suddenly, bringing her back to reality. His voice was low with a touch of sarcasm.
“Who are you?” Jackie repeated her question, pretending to be braver than she really was. Actually, at this very moment, she didn’t feel brave at all.
“Philip Manos” the man replied coldly, as if this explained everything.
It wasn’t that she knew this man, but Michael had mentioned his name, adding that he suspected him of been responsible for all the murders.
Jackie took a deep breath and felt her heart skip a beat. He would never tell me his name, if he had any intentions of ever letting me go. Her mouth went dry as this realization hit her full force.
“Well?” the man insisted, apparently losing his patience. “Are you going to tell me, or do I have to convince you otherwise?” he asked, raising his tone of voice and leaving the threat suspended in the cold air of the cellar.
“I came to get in touch with my uncle’s attorney and arrange for some paperwork” Jackie replied carefully, thinking that he probably already knew far more than that about her assignment.
“What kind of paperwork?” he asked ironically, and a mocking smile appeared on his face.
Jackie looked into his cold black eyes and the arched nose, which reminded her of a hawk.
“Paperwork concerning the inheritance” she added.
After a moment of silence, the man burst out laughing.
Jackie was shocked, not expecting this kind of reaction. He’s obviously insane, she thought and felt even more scared than before.
She wanted to draw her eyes from his face, but was unable to. These cold eyes kept her gaze captive, and she couldn’t but notice that his laughter didn’t touch his eyes which remained cold and threatening.
“So Stephanos is so afraid of me that he has little girls doing his dirty work for him” the man commented, keeping his gaze on Jackie.
“Stephanos is not afraid of anyone,” Jackie protested. “And what dirty work are you talking about?” she questioned.
“I’m talking about his attempt to steal my property right out of my hands,” Manos barked.
Jackie shrunk in her chair, trying to put some distance between her and the man who was now approaching her slowly with a very dangerous look in his eyes.
“If Stephanos isn’t afraid of anyone, then why is it that you’re the one tied to this chair and he’s sitting comfortably in his home in Atlanta?” Manos asked in a low, dangerous voice, which sounded to Jackie like the hissing of a snake.
“I volunteered to come,” Jackie protested, feeling uncomfortable with this man’s accusations against her uncle. She was the one who had insisted on coming, and it was Stephanos who’d tried to talk her out of traveling to Greece.
“I’m not going to waste anymore time with you” Manos said abruptly and, turning on his heel, he walked towards the door. “We’ve already checked your stuff and made sure that you don’t have any documents which belong to me. Besides,” he continued stopping at the door and turning to face her, “I’m sure Roussos will be more than glad to have a little chat with you, and find out what else you might know” he added, pressing his lips together into a thin line. He looked at her for another moment and left the room, slamming the door behind him.
Jackie felt a chill crawling up her spine and swallowed hard. She was no fool to misinterpret the intentions of this man. He was going to torture her to death to find out whatever he thought she might know, and then would make sure her body disappeared forever.
Shaken by a wild rush of fear, she closed her eyes and whispered a prayer that Michael would find her in time, as the bolt turned in the heavy door.
***
Michael drove like a maniac down the country roads, heading for the other side of the island. He was praying that his intuition was right. Jackie’s life depended on it.
He’d notified the police department of the island, and they were searching everywhere. Michael wanted to make sure that there would be no way for Manos to take Jackie off the island without being spotted by the police. There were men checking everybody at the port and the airport. The police was even monitoring private plane and helicopter flights.
He left the main road and drove up the hill, bouncing around on the rough country road. This part of the island was still unexploited and the grounds of the Evergreens were a large part of the area. Although construction had just begun, the roads leading through the woods were still small dirt paths. He was very careful not to get lost. He couldn’t afford to lose valuable time. There were no signs and the visibility among the trees was limited. He cursed out loud, as he hit yet another bump and the Jeep swerved dangerously from the road. He hoped he would find her in time.
The only place Michael could think where Jackie might be held was the Evergreens. The name of Manos wasn’t, of course, associated with this project, but Michael had done some checking on the weird dealings going on over there, and he was sure Manos was behind all that.
He knew Manos was no fool. He would find out Jackie had come to investigate who was responsible for the murders of the heirs, and he would get her out of the way. He never left any witnesses behind, Michael thought, and felt a shiver racing up his spine.
He squeezed the steering wheel hard and furiously gritted his teeth. Manos is going to pay for this, Michael swore out loud. He was going to make sure that he paid for everything.
***
Back in Athens, Tony turned to face Anna. They were sitting in the car, waiting outside Manos’ house on the beach boulevard. He had already alerted the port and the airport, and everybody was keeping an eye open for Manos.
Tony shifted in his seat. They had been sitting there for three hours now and he felt his muscles getting stiff. “It shouldn’t be long” he said.
Anna gave him a side look and kept her eyes on the main gate. “What if he has already left in his helicopter?”
“I doubt it” Tony said, without sounding reassuring at all. “We came out here within an hour of Michael’s call. I think Manos would need some time to arrange for a helicopter to pick him up,” he added, carefully scanning the surroundings.
There were some trees, but not that many to block their view and besides, if a helicopter took off, they would have spotted it on the way here…at least, after they got on the beach boulevard. But the tall wall surrounding the property hid the house and the grounds from their view, and they had no idea of what was going on inside or if Manos was even there at all.
“Not if he has his own helicopter” Anna replied and they both knew that this was probably the case. Manos owned a lot of businesses and properties all over Greece and abroad and he traveled a lot. They both doubted he was the kind of man to use public transportation. He probably owned a jet, a helicopter, a yacht, and who knows what else. It was just that everything was under various corporate names and nobody was able to trace anything back to Manos. He was a very mysterious man and valued his privacy enormously. Not even his secretary knew much about him, Tony thought, even though she had been his mistress for years and even had a son with him.
Anna jumped in her seat, as the front gate of the house opened. A sport Mercedes came speeding around the corner, launching right by their car.
Tony took a fast turn and followed the car, leaving a safe distance between them.
“There’s only one person in the car,” Anna said. “But I had no time to see who it was.”
“Neither did I,” Tony admitted and squeezed the wheel, until his knuckles turned white.
“What if it wasn’t Manos?” Anna wondered out loud. “What if this car was a decoy and Manos leaves free and clear, now that we’re gone?”
“Stathis and Vasilis are watching the house from the other side of the hill,” Tony replied. “So, if Manos tries to leave, they should be able to spot him,” he added, trying to sound reassuring.
The truth was deep inside he knew they were already too late. He had a feeling that Manos was already gone, long before they’d even got there. But they had to try. They couldn’t leave anything to chance. Too much was at stake. Peoples’ lives were at stake.
The Mercedes was speeding like a bat out of hell, and Tony kept as close as he could without being spotted. He kept his eyes on the road and was thankful there wasn’t much traffic at this hour. The beach boulevard got really hectic late in the afternoon and on weekends. But now on a Monday morning, there wasn’t much traffic to worry about.
Tony’s phone rang suddenly and Anna answered it, so that Tony could keep both hands on the wheel, trying to keep up with the Mercedes.
She listened for a couple of minutes and then hung up, uttering a curse.
“What now?” Tony inquired, knowing that Anna wasn’t the kind of person to curse without a very serious reason.
“They lost Roussos,” she said simply and kept her eyes on the Mercedes disappearing in a tunnel.
“Damn it!” Tony yelled and squeezed the wheel even harder. “This is not good. This is not good at all.”
“I hope Michael makes it in time,” Anna said. Tony could hear the doubt in her voice.
They both knew that with both Manos and Roussos disappearing, things were getting very dangerous for Jackie and, of course, for Michael who was going after her.
“They’re probably already on Corfu,” Anna said and Tony agreed silently with her.
Coming out of the tunnel, there was no sign of the Mercedes, but Tony kept on speeding on the boulevard, knowing that there was no other way.
The sea on one side and the rocky hills on the other left no other way for a car than to follow the boulevard all the way to Varkiza, a small town by the beach which had actually turned into a suburb of Athens, as the city kept growing year after year.
***
As the Mercedes entered Varkiza, Eric Manos smiled, spotting the unmarked police car waiting at the intersection. He had already spotted the other unmarked police car following him so far and here was another one.
These people are fools, he thought and lowered his speed a little bit, since he was driving through town and there was a little bit of traffic.
There was no reason to be pulled over for speeding, even though he was sure that they wouldn’t stop him. After all, he had been driving like a maniac so far. They just want to see where I’m going, he thought and smiled, confident and feeling ahead of the game. The information Christine had given him made him very happy. The old man wasn’t that smart after all, he thought and felt his ego boosting. He was tired of living in the shadow of his father.
He hated him more than anything. He hated him for always putting him down and making him feel worthless. He hated him for what he had done to his mother, putting her through hell all those years, jumping from one mistress to another, and even having a son with that idiot secretary of his. But Eric was going to take care of that too. Roussos had taken care of Elizabeth, but the son was still a threat to Eric and his inheritance. He wouldn’t let anybody near the empire that was rightfully his.
What about Michael Apostolou? he thought. He knew that he wasn’t going to be as easy to kill as his autistic half brother. Apostolou was a dangerous opponent. It doesn’t matter, Eric thought and shook his head to clear his thoughts, keeping his eyes on the road. He was going to take care of him in due time. That bastard brother of his would die, before he even had a chance to get anywhere close to the Manos empire.
And of course, Eric was going to kill Philip as well. He had enough of that old fool who had made his life miserable.
***
Tony kept his eyes on the road and a safe distance from the Mercedes that was now leaving Varkiza following the beach boulevard to Vouliagmeni, the next little town towards Athens.
There was a little more traffic on the road now, so the Mercedes had to slow down and so did Tony.
“He’s probably going to his office,” Anna said, but there was a note of doubt in her voice.
“I doubt it,” Tony replied. “He’s probably heading for the small helicopter field in Hellenic.”
“Which means that his father is already gone,” Anna concluded his thought.
“Yes, it seems that we were too late, after all.”
“Now, what?”
“We keep an eye on him,” Tony replied. “And we notify Michael that Manos is on his way, if not already there,” he concluded and picked up his phone to call Michael.
***
Eric pulled inside the helicopter field. He drove to the small office and parked his car around the corner of the building. His helicopter was all set and ready to go.
He smiled satisfied with the efficiency of his colleagues. He was going to make it better than his father. He had the power, the brains and a clear head. Eric was ruthless and didn’t care about old grudges like his father did. Philip had spent his entire life, seeking revenge on Demiris for taking his father’s land. Not that Eric didn’t care about the Demiris property…of course, he did. It was a very valuable piece of land and would fit perfectly in his plans to monopolize the tourism of the island. But with Philip, it was different. He was driven by the vendetta against Demiris. He was determined to get that piece of land, no matter if it cost him his entire fortune. And Eric wasn’t about to let that happen.
He checked his watch and rushed to the helicopter. The pilot had already turned the engine on, getting it warm. Alex, one of Eric’s most trusted colleagues, was sitting right next to him.
“Everything ready?” Eric asked Alex, as soon as he boarded the helicopter.
“Yep,” Alex replied, keeping his eyes on the entrance to the helicopter field. Even from this distance, he could still see the car parked right outside the entrance.
Eric followed his gaze and confirmed his thoughts. “Yep, I was followed.”
Alex turned and looked at him, worried.
“It’s okay,” Eric said confidently. “There’s nothing they can do. They don’t have any proof whatsoever and wouldn’t dare to come anywhere close to me or my father without solid evidence. So, let’s go,” Eric concluded impatiently.
He was in a big hurry to get to Corfu. He had plans of his own and those plans included Jackie. If only he made it there in time. He knew what his father and Roussos were capable of, but he had dedicated people of his own everywhere inside his father’s organization, and Christina’s help had proven to be invaluable.
If only, I make it in time, he thought again and shifted uneasily in his seat. He had been planning this coup for a long time, but
now that the time had come for him to openly turn against his father, he felt kind of edgy.
Everything will turn out just the way I want it to, he tried to reassure himself, as the helicopter launched into the air.
***
“We have a problem,” Roussos told his boss, upon entering the study of the old house, which was going to be converted to the main building of the Evergreens Resort with the addition of a few wings, of course.
“You mean another one,” Manos corrected him sarcastically, keeping his eyes on the paperwork on his desk.
“It’s Christina,” Roussos continued, unaffected by the foul mood of his boss.
Manos raised his head suddenly from the papers and shot Roussos a murderous look.
“She’s been talking to Eric,” Roussos said and watched Manos’ face turning red with fury.
“That bastard!” he cursed. “I should have put a stop to him a long time ago.”
“I hate to say I told you so,” Roussos added, but after seeing the look on Manos face, decided to keep silent for a while.
Manos jumped up from his chair and started pacing back and forth in the study. “Get in touch with Vagelis in Athens and tell him to go to the house and make sure Eric remains there until I get back. I want to deal with him in person.”
“Too late,” Roussos interrupted his boss. “He’s on his way here.”
“That’s just great!” Manos clenched his fists. “Eric is on his way here. Michael is on his way here. We’re going to have a happy family reunion after all.” He let out a deep breath that sounded like the hissing of a snake.
Roussos turned on his heel and left the study. He knew exactly what to do.
***
Michael drove around a corner and came to a dead stop. A huge tree was blocking the trail and there was no way around it.
What now? he thought and got out of the Jeep to take a look around. The trail was completely blocked and the trees surrounding the area made it impossible for the Jeep to continue by detouring around the roadblock.