My goodness, if Paul knew about Yiannis and Lucy, he could confront Yiannis and who knows what would happen then. Paul does have a terrible temper at times and Yiannis loves to fight. One of them could get killed.
Then Jane had an awful thought and tried to rid her mind of it as quickly as possible.
Of course, Paul might have known already and could have confronted Lucy. That would be even worse. He didn’t much like her and he could have got angry. No, I can’t think like this. Paul would never kill anyone...... would he? Oh dear, how can I doubt him? I’m supposed to be in love with him. No, Kevin already suspected that Lucy was having an affair....... it’s more likely he killed her.
Jane wondered if she should go and talk to Kevin first about Yiannis. However, she was a little scared. If he had killed Lucy, he could kill her as well. Yes, he could be a dangerous man.
No, it’s not a good idea........ The one person I need to talk to is Eve, but should I?
Jane and Eve were good friends, but Jane didn’t want Eve to get into trouble with David. He hated Eve getting involved in the murders and risking her life. However, Jane was certain Eve was already thinking about looking for the murderer. Whatever David said, Eve would do what she wanted. Yes, first thing in the morning, Jane decided to go and see Eve Masters.
* * * *
A little later that night, Eve was lying in bed thinking.
I’m sure it’s murder. What else could it be? There were definitely marks around her neck so how could it have been an accident? And she was fully clothed. If she had wanted to go to the cave, I’m sure she would have put on a bathing costume. I reckon somebody killed her elsewhere and then carried her to the cave, not expecting anyone to find her for ages. No, it’s definitely murder.
Eve was getting excited, although she was pretty certain that Kevin was the culprit, even though it was an obvious choice. Who else would want to kill her? She racked her brains, but couldn’t think of anyone with enough motive.
Eve then remembered that David’s niece, Emma, was coming over from England the following day.
Why did this have to happen now with Emma arriving tomorrow? David’s going to start worrying about her with a murderer running loose, but Emma is twenty-one not twelve and I doubt this is a random killing. The murderer will have had a motive, I’m sure, and isn’t going to go round just killing anyone.
Emma, David’s niece, was on holiday from university and she had secured a job in a local bar for the summer when she had visited Crete the previous year. It hadn’t come as a surprise to Eve that David wasn’t keen on her working in a bar, especially as this one stayed open until the early hours of the morning. At least David had promised not to say anything to Emma, admitting that he had to accept that she was growing up.
While Eve felt that Emma should be left to do what she wanted, the one thing she was determined about was that Emma was to be kept away from Yiannis Neonakis, her arch enemy.
Yiannis considered himself a gigolo, but he didn’t treat women at all well. The previous summer, Eve had blamed him for the death of his girlfriend, Laura. He hadn’t killed her himself, but he’d treated her so badly that she’d been forced to blackmail Phyllis Baldwin to get enough money for a ticket back to England. Unfortunately, Phyllis decided Laura knew too much and killed her.
Eve looked over at the sleeping form of David, knowing he would be very cross if he knew that she was thinking about the murder. However, she would keep it to herself as much as she could. David had been spending most of his time locked up in one of the spare rooms writing and with Emma arriving the next day, he would be moving back to his home to stay with her. He wouldn’t know much of what she was up to.
Oh yes, it’s all going to work out very nicely, thought Eve, smiling to herself in the dark.
Chapter 5
Eve got up at six the following morning after a fitful night’s sleep. Tossing and turning, she had woken up a couple of times during the night, once after having a terrible nightmare. In the dream, Eve found herself back in the cave discovering Lucy’s body. However, as she bent down to see if Lucy was alive, the ‘corpse’ jumped up and started to laugh. Lucy’s eyes opened and worms crept out of them, while snakes slithered all over her body. In the dream, Eve tried to move, but she couldn’t, while Lucy carried on laughing and stretched out her arms, almost touching a very frightened Eve. She tried to move again, but discovered that her feet were now stuck in quicksand and she was sinking. Eve screamed as she sunk deeper and deeper, but then she woke up, perspiring and feeling nauseous.
What on earth could that dream have meant? Eve asked herself.
She lay there for a moment, trembling and wondering if she had actually screamed out loud, but when she looked over at David, she was relieved to see that he was still fast asleep. She got up and quietly crept downstairs to get herself a glass of cold water. Looking at the clock, she saw it was only ten to three.
Returning to bed a few minutes later, Eve wondered if she’d be able to get back to sleep.
I don’t feel at all tired now. I just keep seeing Lucy’s face from the dream. It was frightful. Perhaps it was a sign that I shouldn’t lie to David, or maybe it’s a premonition that everything’s going to go wrong......... No, the dream’s telling me that Lucy was definitely murdered. That’s it; I’m sure of it.
Despite feeling wide awake, it wasn’t long before Eve drifted back to sleep again and this time she went into a deep dreamless sleep. When she woke at six and saw it was light, she didn’t feel scared at all, but was looking forward to finding out if Lucy had been murdered.
She glanced over at David. He was still asleep. Eve envied his ability to sleep for eight hours flat without waking up.
The sleep of the righteous, she thought, once again feeling a pang of guilt.
David usually got up at around seven to start work on his novel, often taking Eve’s dog, Portia, out for a walk just before breakfast.
This morning, Eve felt too excited to go back to sleep, so she decided to get up early and go out for a breath of fresh air.
This time of the morning will be lovely for a long walk. It won’t be too hot yet, nor will there be many people about. I’ll have time to think things through.
She got up quietly as she didn't want to wake David, and went to get herself a coffee before putting on her make-up. Eve refused to go anywhere without looking her best, even if she was just walking the dog. She always said that you never knew who you might bump into.
Eventually Eve called her dog and they went out, Portia happy to be taken out earlier than usual for her morning walk.
Eve closed the front door, still trying to be as quiet as possible. It was already pleasantly warm outside, though not blisteringly hot, and Eve smiled, enjoying the warmth of the early morning sun. For a moment she thought it might be a good idea to do this every day, but then decided against it. Eve was a night owl and enjoyed going out in the evenings. She certainly didn’t want to forgo that pleasure.
A few minutes later, as Eve walked along with Portia, she saw a figure coming towards her. She was delighted when she realized it was Paul.
Great. At last I might find out more about Lucy’s death.
“Paul, hi,” she said a few moments later. “You’re up very early. I’m so sorry about Lucy.”
Eve tried to look suitably sorrowful.
“Thanks, Eve,” he replied. “However, you know we weren’t that close. She was never particularly fond of me. In fact, I’m sure the whole thing has been more traumatic for you; finding her body I mean.”
“Well, it was quite a shock, yes, but I’m okay now I think. I did have a bit of a nightmare last night, but things always seem better in the light of day.”
“I’m sure it will take you a little while to get over a fright like that,” Paul replied sympathetically. “I’m just off to Kevin’s to see how he is. I expect he’s going to have a difficult day. His son, Justin, took his Mum’s death particularly hard.”
“And Kevin didn’t?” Eve asked nosily.
“I don’t think it’s sunk in yet,” Paul replied, trying not to give anything away.
He didn’t want to tell Eve that Kevin didn’t seem to care, though he thought that she probably knew. It was no secret that Lucy and Kevin’s marriage had been on the rocks.
Eve paused, not knowing whether to ask the all-important question, but she and Paul had become good friends since they, together with Jane, had been held hostage by James Anderson. In the end, she decided to go for it.
“Have the police decided if it’s murder or not?”
Paul looked at Eve, realizing that she was going to go on the hunt for the killer again. He didn’t know why he had ever doubted it.
Is there any point not telling her? he asked himself. She’ll know soon enough anyway.
“Well, Eve, I reckon you’re going to find out today, so I might as well tell you; yes, Lucy was murdered; strangled in fact. Keep it to yourself for the time being, please.”
Eve gasped, but agreed that it was best not to spread it around the village.
“Of course I will. I certainly won’t tell David. He’ll worry about me interfering!”
“I’m sure he will.........You’re not going to, are you?”
“Whatever makes you think that?” Eve asked mischievously.
“Well, be careful if you do,” Paul replied, shaking his head. “Listen, I’ve got to get going to my brother’s. See you later.”
“Bye,” Eve replied, her mind racing.
Once Paul had gone, Eve carried on walking, thinking what to do next. One thing she did know was that she wasn’t going to tell David that Lucy had been murdered. Let him find out later. He would be the last to know if she had anything to do about it, although she’d miss having him by her side trying to solve the crime. Even though he had been reluctant to help her previously, it had been fun that he’d finally given in. To top it all, he was a pretty smart guy and had been useful.
It was good to have a bit of assistance. I could certainly do with someone’s help this time as well.................What about Jane? I like her and we have become good friends, despite a few bumps along the way. Plus she might find out a few things, what with being Paul’s girlfriend. I’ll give her a call right now.
Eve didn’t give a second thought to the fact that it was only seven o’clock in the morning.
She got her cell phone out of her handbag and a couple of minutes later, a very sleepy Jane answered her phone.
“Jane, hello, it’s Eve. I’m out walking Portia and I just bumped into Paul. He told me Lucy had been murdered. It came as such a shock.”
“He told you?” Jane exclaimed, waking up abruptly. “I didn’t think he would tell anyone, but I expect he felt you should know as you were the one to discover her body. Anyway, I’m glad he did. I have something to talk to you about, though I know I shouldn’t. If you get involved in trying to solve the murder, David’s going to be cross with you, isn’t he?”
“Oh forget about David,” Eve exclaimed excitedly, but then realized that she was being unkind to the man she loved. “Oh Jane, I didn’t mean that. I had already decided that if Lucy had been murdered, I wouldn’t tell David that I was getting involved. I’ve also promised myself that I’m going to be very careful this time. I don’t fancy being poisoned again, or being thrown down a cellar and having my house set on fire. No, I will take precautions.”
Eve suddenly realized that she was rambling on and hadn’t let Jane speak. She felt guilty which was totally unlike her.
Goodness, I must be getting soft, she thought.
“So what have you got to tell me?” Eve quickly asked Jane.
“I’d rather talk to you face to face, Eve. Give me twenty minutes and come over for breakfast; that is if you’re hungry?”
“Starving. All this walking in the early hours has given me an appetite!”
Eve closed her call and smiled, still not having apologized for waking Jane up. She was much too excited that Lucy had been murdered to think of anything else.
* * * *
It didn’t take long for Eve, with her dog in tow, to reach Jane’s house. Jane’s home had belonged to her father, John Phillips, who had been murdered the previous summer. When Jane came over at Christmas, she had intended to put the house on the market, but after her disastrous relationship with James Anderson, she had fallen for Paul Fowler and had decided to stay on indefinitely. It made perfect sense to live in her Dad’s house for the time being.
Jane gave Eve a cup of coffee while she made breakfast. Eve was hungry after her walk and was pleased to see that Jane was preparing a full English breakfast. There were mushrooms, eggs, baked beans, fried bread, hash browns, sausages and bacon for Jane and vegetarian sausages for Eve.
Eve had stopped eating meat and fish over twenty years ago, but had been disappointed by the lack of vegetarian products to be found on Crete. Luckily she had discovered that the local English freezer shop did stock some vegetarian sausages and burgers. Jane had held a small barbecue recently to which Eve and David had been invited and she had some of the vegetarian sausages left over.
“Breakfast looks delicious, Jane,” Eve exclaimed.
“I thought you could do with it. I doubt if you ate properly yesterday with everything that happened.”
“No, I didn’t. I missed lunch completely, had a few crisps and nuts in the afternoon with a couple of rather large G and Ts and then had a slice of quiche at The Black Cat in the evening. I must admit that I could find room for a full English breakfast this morning.”
“I hope you’re feeling a bit better today, Eve. I’m sure it must have been awful finding Lucy’s body.”
“Yes, it was. It was horrible.”
Eve trembled, remembering the previous day. She had become so excited about finding out who had murdered Lucy that she had forgotten how dreadful discovering the body had actually been. Suddenly it all came back to her.
“I literally tripped over her, Jane,” Eve continued. “I didn’t sleep at all well last night. I had a terrible nightmare about Lucy.........I’m alright now though......at least I think I am.”
Eve paused for a moment, attempting to put the image of Lucy’s body out of her mind.
“Yes,” Jane said. “I’m sure it’ll take time to forget about yesterday.”
However, in those few moments Eve did manage to put the picture of Lucy right out of her mind. Now it was time to get justice for her death. It didn’t matter that she was an unpleasant woman, she still deserved it.
After about five minutes, Eve felt she’d left a suitable length of time before asking Jane what she knew about Lucy’s murder. Instead of shaking with fear, she was now trembling with excitement.
I haven’t felt like this since Jennifer’s murder. I know it sounds terrible and I do love David, but it’s not enough. I need more than just a man in my life. Not that David’s ‘just a man’. He is the most wonderful man I’ve ever met and I don’t want to lose him.....”
Eve’s thoughts were interrupted by Jane.
“Breakfast is ready. Let’s eat while I tell you what’s been on my mind.”
Eve went to sit at the table quickly, hoping that Jane had something substantial to tell her about the murder.
As soon as Eve started to tuck into her breakfast, Jane began to speak.
“Okay, I’ll tell you what I know, but promise me you’ll keep it all to yourself and you’ll be careful with the information.”
Eve nodded, wishing Jane would hurry up.
“Well, as you know, Kevin and Lucy’s marriage wasn’t going so well.”
“Yes, yes,” Eve replied impatiently.
“Well, Kevin didn’t seem upset when he heard about her death yesterday. In fact he showed no emotion whatsoever, although his son, Justin, was in tears.”
“Obviously loves, or should I say loved, his Mum.”
Jane nodded and then carried on.
“Well, firstly Paul thin
ks Kevin had time to kill Lucy. The murder was committed between seven and ten the night before last. Kevin’s plane took off for Athens at nine. He says he left for the airport at seven, but you know what it’s like with these internal flights. Lots of the Greeks don’t check in until twenty minutes before the plane takes off.”
“Or even less,” Eve said excitedly. “And Kevin wouldn’t have had check-in luggage if he was only going for the night.”
Jane nodded.
“I thought Paul was close to his brother?” Eve asked. “Why is he trying to pin it on Kevin?”
“He isn’t really,” Jane replied. “He’s thinks it’s a possibility. I’m sure he hopes it wasn’t Kevin. But there’s something else.”
Eve took another large forkful of her breakfast and leant forward eagerly.
This is all getting very interesting, Eve thought. How could I ever have thought of not getting involved in the hunt for the killer?
“Well, last night Kevin admitted that Lucy was having an affair.”
“An affair! I don’t believe it. I mean, she was so unadventurous and dull. Not to mention that she gave Kevin hell for his one night stand with Jennifer. Perhaps she was paying him back?”
Jane shrugged her shoulders.
“And who would want to have an affair with her?” Eve continued. “I mean she was as ugly as sin.”
Eve regretted saying this as soon as she had spoken. She had resolved to be a nicer person, but words did slip out when she wasn’t thinking.
“You sound just like Paul. He said something similar,” Jane laughed.
“I promised myself to be nicer and here I go again.”
“Don’t worry about it, Eve; I was astonished that Lucy had found someone to have an affair with as well! Not that Kevin is certain who that person is. Anyway, this leads me to what I wanted to tell you about. I had totally forgotten about it until yesterday. A little while ago I saw Lucy and Yiannis Neonakis together. They were laughing and he gave her a gentle kiss on the lips. It could have been nothing; just a bit of flirtation, but now that I’ve heard about her affair, I don’t know.”
Death in the Aegean Page 6