‘But, I thought you said you never slept with her?’ Ioli asked, continuing her clueless act.
‘Yeah, we got into a silly fight and went our separate ways for the night. Turned out for the best. I’m back with my girl,’ she said and Ioli caught a glimpse of a faint smile.
‘A fight?’
Andrea turned towards Ioli, his facial characteristics turning hard. ‘I know you’re investigating her death, but why do you care about the stupid dance and this ancient history shit? Anyway, you should be spending your time finding the bastard who killed my father,’ he said, raising his voice.
Ioli remained calm, exhaling deeply. ‘Andrea, if your father’s death is connected to Natalie’s, then everything I found out is helping to get the bastard. What might be remembered in your mind as a silly fight, could hold evidence for me. Anything you know about Natalie could help.’
His eyes narrowed. He leaned forward and cracked his fingers. He took his time and Ioli let him. Finally, he stood up, walked around for a minute and came back to her. ‘You didn’t hear this from me,’ he said and sat back down beside her.
‘I would never reveal a source.’
‘We fought because she told me she only came with me because a popular girl like her could not be seen at our graduation party alone. She said she had a boyfriend and it was serious. No high school dating shit as she put it. She would not say who he was. Only that he was too grown up for a kiddie dance. I called her a whore and I spent the rest of the night with my mates. However, the next day I found out who her mystery lover was. I could not leave it; you know? Part of me thought she was lying and had just played a cruel joke on me.’
He pulled out his wrinkled packet of cigarettes. He looked down at Ioli’s tummy and slid away from her to the end of the bench. The lighter’s flame shone on his acne-riddled face as the end of the cigarette came to life. He blew the smoke in the opposite direction of Ioli.
Ioli smiled and asked ‘How did you find out?’
‘I knew a secret I could use. Natalie did not have any girl friends. She never got along with girls. Boys were always potential lovers or creeps she would not spit on if they were on fire. She only had one true friend. Christopher.’
‘Who’s Christopher?’ Ioli asked, her mind wondering how come this was the first time she was hearing the name. Neither her family or school ‘friends’ mentioned him.
‘A classmate of ours. The big secret is that Christopher is gay,’ he said, pausing to stare at Ioli’s expression. ‘Not a big deal in the city, but here in a town of five hundred, it’s something that could ruin you and your family. Christopher is handsome, the Calvin Klein model kind of handsome. Natalie probably hit on him on the first chance she caught him alone. Obviously, he never slept with her and since then, they became best friends. You see, Christopher became the male version of Natalie. Through Facebook and God knows what other social media, Christopher met men. Men who came for holidays here and Christopher would hook up with them at their hotel rooms. He kept it all very hush-hush, not only out of fear from gossip, but because he was only sixteen when it all started.’
Every now and then, he paused and took long drags, blowing out clouds of smoke that quickly evaporated in the night breeze that ran freely through the dark, narrow streets.
‘You seem to know a lot about Christopher. And why would he confide to you about Natalie’s secret lover?’
His cigarette dropped to the cold, grey pavement. He stepped on the butt as it tried to run away, carried by the cool air. He slid back next to Ioli. His eyes scanning the area, making sure they were alone.
‘Christopher and I were good mates. Friends since Miss Stella sat us together in fifth grade. When we were fifteen, Christopher came on to me. He kissed me and groped me. That was pretty much the end of our close friendship, yet we still talked. I knew how close he was with Nat. So, the day after the party I paid him a visit demanding to know who Natalie was seeing. His lips were sealed until I threatened to tell his dad about him bending over to every Tom, Dick and Harry. He warned me as I am about to warn you. Be careful. He is more powerful than you can imagine,’ he whispered and paused.
‘Who was she seeing?’ Ioli asked, feeling time flying by as the boy poured out his heart.
‘The mayor,’ he replied, his eyes opening wide.
‘I knew it! That sleazy…’
‘Shh, keep your voice down. You don’t get it. He is like the mafia. He has his hands on everything on the island and nearby islands. Black money. Dad used to say his lawyer wife helps him cover the trails. No one speaks out of fear. They only vote for him because they owe him money. Natalie told Christopher that the mayor was going to break up with his wife for her after the election. Bullshit, if you ask me. You see, he can’t afford to lose the election because he uses the town hall books to cover his dirty work or so, dad used to say. Dad fixed the town hall’s coffee-lady’s shoes. He used to laugh about having inside intel.’
‘And what dirty work is this?’
‘I have no idea. But, I know one thing. No way is he letting Helen win the election. She is mad for going up against him. She is the first to oppose him. Mama says she must have something against him as she is still alive.’
‘Maybe she knew about Natalie,’ Ioli thought, nodding her head.
Chapter 13
On Board
I stood outside the thick door of the ship Captain’s office. Emphasis on the thick part as I could hear nothing from the ongoing conversation inside. The engine clanks and loud waves splashing, echoing from outside, did not help either. They were powerful enough to cover the teacher’s cries as Nick and Katerina discussed with the Captain the ‘messy situation below’.
I wore my brown trousers and a white shirt on top, newly-bought by Tracy. No one would take a beach-wearing, middle age man with no badge, seriously. Technically, I had no authority. I was on medical leave until further notice. Either of cure or of death.
The teacher came out first; the door closed abruptly behind her. Nick Pavlou slammed it closed while wiping his sweaty, red forehead. His perfect, black hair having surrendered to a massive amount of hair gel, did not move an inch from the air wave he created.
‘Excuse me,’ I said, approaching the school teacher, who looked paler that a white sheet in a detergent commercial. ‘Mrs. Anne, is it?’
She turned towards the direction of my voice and wiped her nose with her magnolia handkerchief, the one with the sewed-in message of love; a present from students past. ‘Oh, you’re the gentleman from next door. You mentioned you work for the police?’
‘Captain Costa Papacosta,’ I said, extending my right hand. Her trembling hand was cold compared to the hot surroundings.
‘How are the… authorities, handling things?’ I asked, trying to sound casual, just a caring passenger and did my best to not mock the word authorities.
‘Oh, the security man said to not discuss anything with anyone.’
‘I’m sure he did.’
‘Can I ask you a rather sensitive question, Mrs. Anne? Have you noticed any form of bullying among your pupils?’
She took a step back, her right hand journeyed up, scratched her neck and played with her silver necklace that like a line of washing held the diamond letters of her name. A present too expensive to be from a student, more likely from her other half.
‘That is a deep discussion, Captain. One I would not mind having with you, if not my fear that you are implying another pupil did this to hapless Holly.’
‘I never imply anything, ma’am. I check facts. I found a poem in her room about bullying. Could mean nothing,’ I replied and took out my phone. ‘Did you teach Holly? Is this her handwriting?’
Mrs. Anne searched for her reading glasses in her shirts’ top pocket, then patted her black shorts’ pockets. ‘Where are my darn glasses when I need them?’
My eyes were focused on the round-lensed glasses comfortably nested in her cauliflower, auburn-turning-white hair. I coughed and
pointed with my bushy eyebrows. Actually, since chemotherapy, they had thinned out. The only loss of hair on my body, I can list on the positive side.
‘Silly me,’ she said, relocating them to her eyes. ‘Yep, that’s definitely Holly’s. It took quite a few stern recommendations for her to give up decorating her capital Is. She complained that she had already given up putting smiley faces in the round letters and even hearts on her lower case Is. Holly was an artist, not one for the books,’ she said, and melancholia shadowed her face.
Just then, the Captain’s door opened. Anne smiled at me and walked off at a fast pace. Talking about bullying, Nick Pavlou had frightened the teacher into not talking to anyone or informing the girl’s family yet. As if teenagers with phones glued to their hands had not already informed the entire world through social media. Nick’s main mission was to prevent the name of the company from being stained.
The group of three exited the room together. All silenced as they noticed me standing in the hallway, looking toward their direction. I walked up to them and introduced myself to the ship’s Captain.
A heavily-built man, around my age, with large facial features, he firmly shook my hand and said ‘ah, yes. The police captain, Nick told me about. There is no need to worry, sir. We are investigating the situation and…’
‘Oh, but I do worry. You see, sir, I solve crimes for a living. I have been on homicide cases for as long as you have been on ships. I am sure, Nick is good at a great security guy, but he is in over his head, here.’
Nick took a step forward and his mouth opened, ready to shout. Yet, his girlfriend’s hand upon his chest prevented any words from exiting into the world.
‘There is no body,’ the Captain said. ‘I cannot have a police man searching around the ship, interrogating guests that have paid good money to relax…’
‘A girl could be dead,’ Mrs. Anne said, raising her voice. She had remained hidden behind the corner. She could not believe these people’s priorities. ‘And, if you are so worried about the rest of the guests, did you ever stop to think that you may have a killer on board?’
The Captain stood before me, puzzled and lost for words.
‘What do you believe is our best course of action?’ he finally raised his troubled head and asked.
‘Let me handle the case and keep this guy out of my way.’
‘What a jerk! But, what can you expect from a cop?’ Nick said and scoffed.
I paid no attention to macho, muscle-built, single-cell brained men in the past and I did not plan to start on a sunny day like today. I kept my eyes on the Captain.
‘Sir, I believe the other kids know or hold information vital to the girl’s whereabouts. I said whereabouts, Mrs Anne, as I suspect the girl could very well still be alive. The scene is too staged to be an assault and murder scene,’ I said, and Mrs. Anne’s face lit up and she placed her cold hands on my arm.
‘Captain, the vase on the bedside table was dropped on the floor by the door. It was not thrown. It did not smash all over the place. The jewelry box was perfectly placed by the pool of blood with a note hinting to bullying. Talking about the blood, there is way too much blood and it is all concentrated in the middle of the carpet. If there was a body, there would be blood spatter or marks where the body was dragged or lifted out of the cabin. Sir, Mrs. Anne, I know my job. Let me speak to the kids, let me go through their rooms. I can solve this.’
Nick spoke first, leaving me in question if I had managed to convince the teacher and the captain of granting me access. ‘You believe the blood was just dumped there? And, how would a kid find so much blood anyway?’
‘I guess, I can’t avoid talking to you,’ I thought and turned to his direction.
‘Yes, I do. And, I don’t think it is human blood. That is where I need your help, doc. We have to test it, to be sure. It would offer us all great relief.’
The doctor slightly licked her lips before she spoke. ‘We could call Syros hospital to have some anti-human serum ready for me and as soon as we dock, I could take a sample of our blood and have it tested. If it coagulates it is human.’
‘Let’s hope it doesn’t then. And, to answer your other question Nick. It is easy to obtain pig’s blood and bring it in bottles on board. No one weighs the suitcases. That is the first thing I want to check. Whose luggage is half empty. And, look for the bottles used. I will start with Holly’s if that is okay with you,’ I said, my eyes going back and forth from the teacher to the captain.
‘My pupils are sixteen and seventeen. I don’t have the authority to let you question them without their parents knowing.’
‘You sound like you know what you’re doing, sir, and you have my permission to access the cabins,’ the captain said. ‘But, if I can offer a piece of advice. Let’s keep this a secret from the students. Mrs. Anne can gather her pupils in the cinema room while you search.’
‘That sounds illegal,’ Mrs. Anne commented, turning in my direction.
‘She’s got a point. We don’t only want to solve this case, but if a crime was committed, we need our evidence to stand in court,’ I said.
‘Actually, by the Greek sea regulations, the ship’s Captain can search all places on board if he believes it’s in the ship’s best interest or if he/she suspects illegal activity. I will be with Captain Papacosta at all times and I will be the one to retrieve any evidence. You, Mrs. Anne will be present as the kid’s guardian at the moment.’
‘And, as for the kids, I will speak to them in terms of a friendly chat,’ I added.
Our smiles showed our agreement. The doctor smiled along with us, glad of the outcome. Nick had no such reason; he remained with a stiff face, unhappy with the ‘tourist-cop’ interfering with what he considered to be his ‘department’.
‘Oh, and one last question?’ I asked the ship-governing Captain.
‘Hmm?’ he replied, lost in thought.
‘I haven’t noticed any security cameras in the halls. You have one outside your door. Where else are there cameras?’
‘Only in a few areas. None in the halls. A couple on deck, but they point to the bar register. We set them up with employees in mind, not guests. No one wants to be filmed while on holiday.’
‘Still, could you have someone check the footage during the last few hours? You never know. We might have a glimpse of the missing girl.’
A Greek man of another generation, he spoke few words. He nodded in agreement and walked off to find the ship’s tech.
Chapter 14
The clicking of the door closing behind her sounded divine to her.
‘Finally alone,’ Ioli thought, standing in the middle of her hotel room with the beautiful, fitted carpet and the wooden, outdated furniture.
She undressed slowly, leaving only her black underwear on. She sat on the corner of the bed, first rubbing her strained neck and then, her aching feet. The case played through her mind. Then, she started thinking of the long planned day ahead tomorrow. From the coroner’s team arriving for the body, to the warrants signed to search Adoni’s and the mayor’s houses for Natalie’s head.
‘If Adoni had the head, the grandma would have mentioned or hid it by now… I have to interview more people, if Mr. Sakis saw the crime, maybe someone else did too… Why didn’t he come forward straight away? Afraid of the mayor? … and, what dirty business is he into? … I must call HQ to have someone investigate his so-called business dealings…’
The plethora of thoughts running freely in her head helped her headache to metamorphosis into a raging migraine. Ioli took two Remedol pills, called HQ and informed Captain Drako about the possibility of illegal activities by the mayor of Folegandros.
‘Send me the files and I’ll look into it. If there is something to it, I’ll send an officer to the island,’ he said, his stern voice bringing a smile to Ioli’s tired face. None of the department’s secretaries lasted long with him; his steely manners terrified them when deadlines or standards were not met. He insisted that deep do
wn he was a ‘good guy’. ‘Deeper than an oil drill can go,’ his last secretary had said as she requested a change of station.
As he spoke, Ioli heard a faint beep and saw the envelope sign flickering on her cell. A message from the coroner. As soon as she thanked Captain Drako and said goodbye, she lowered her phone and read the coroner’s note.
‘The girl was pregnant. Three to four weeks into her pregnancy,’ she read and then closed her eyes. ‘Oh, God, what is this case I’ve gotten myself into to?’ she wondered and wiped the corners of her sore eyes.
Her next action was to take a long, cold bath. She stood under the shower head for as long as her feet allowed her to. With a blank mind, she let the water fall to her black hair and travel down her body, offering relief to her heated skin pores. She dried herself quickly and clumsily, and walked over to the bed while still drying her soaking wet hair.
‘Oh, come on, universe! Shit,’ she said, rolling her eyes. Her phone lay alone in the middle of the white bed sheet. It flashed Mark’s face, signalling his missed call. With the blue, hotel towel wrapped around her, she picked up her phone, swearing more as she read that he had called her three times.
‘Doesn’t call me all evening and night, and as soon as I get in the shower…’ she ranted, blowing away the wet hair swinging in front of her eyes.
She listened to the echoing beeps as she waited for Mark to answer.
‘At last!’
‘Hey, Babe. I was in the shower,’ Ioli said in the sweetest tone she could manage at such an hour.
‘You know I worry when you don’t pick up. Especially when you are on a case. Take it with you in the bathroom,’ he said and Ioli could picture him pacing up and down in their two-bedroom apartment.
‘I just really needed a shower. It’s been a long day…’
‘I hope you’re taking care of yourself,’ he interrupted her.
Murder On Display: A riveting, stand-alone murder / mystery that keeps you guessing until the shocking end (Greek Island Mysteries Book 4) Page 10