I sit sipping my coffee waiting for him to show them to me, but he doesn’t.
‘Can I see them?’ I ask. ‘Dev told me you would show them to me.’ Well, he didn’t but that’s what he implied, and that’s why I’m here.
‘Sigá, Sigá (slowly, slowly),’ he mutters, reading another page of notes, ‘I’m checking them now.’
He shuffles through them again, stopping only to make a few notes, then sighing deeply he turns to me. ‘Beth, what I’m about to say may come as a shock.’
I nod and sit waiting for him to tell me.
A few seconds pass, then he grabs all the papers and slides off of the stool. ‘Not here, let's go outside.’
‘But…’
It’s no use he’s already paying for the coffees.
I slide off my stool and follow him. He walks quickly - his legs are longer than mine, I run to keep up with him.
‘Come on,’ he calls over his shoulder. ‘My car is parked further along the street.’
‘Where are we going?’
He doesn’t reply, just clicks his car fob and his car lights up.
I slide into the front seat next to him. ‘And what have you found out?’ I have a good idea, but I want him to tell me.
He stares ahead at the traffic then glances at me. ‘It seems the brakes on her car were cut.’ He puts his foot down on the gas and moves into the faster lane.
‘Do you have any idea who did it?’ I yell, hanging onto the seat as the car lurches forward.
He grunts and gives me a sideways look. ‘At the moment the police don't know.’
‘Where are we going?’
‘We’re going to meet Dev.’
‘But he just dropped me off, he said he was going to see someone?’
He nods. ‘Yes, I know. His people have some CCTV footage he went to look at.’
‘What do you mean his people?’
He doesn’t reply, he just turns the radio on.
‘Elias, I asked you a question.’
He doesn’t say anything, just takes a sharp left, drives off the main highway and parks in a tree-lined side street full of apartment blocks and shops.
‘Come on Beth, we’re here.’
He hauls himself out of the car, I follow. We’re not far from the beach, I can feel the sea breeze, it’s a bit chilly, I’m glad I wore my coat.
Elias leads me into a small, darkish bar. A few men sit in a corner playing tavli, and in the far corner is Dev looking at his phone.
‘Fancy seeing you again,’ I say, walking over to him.
He smiles slightly. ‘Yes, I’ll tell you about it in a minute.’
He calls the waiter over and looks at me. ‘What would you like to drink? Beer or maybe a wine?’
‘A beer would be great.’
While we’re waiting for our drinks to arrive Dev gives us an update.
‘As you probably already know, we've had Helen's husband under surveillance for some time now, consequently this also includes Helen.’
I frown slightly, he carries on talking.
‘From the CCTV we have in the area we found the following: Helen often parks her car outside their house, but during the evening she usually parks in the underground car park in the square.’
‘Who’s we?’ I ask.
He looks at me sharply. ‘Have you any idea who would want to kill Helen? What about her husband, is he capable of it?’
My opinion of Theo is very low, he’s a nasty piece of work, but would he kill Helen? I look up and catch Dev watching me. He probably knows Helen told me about Theo.
‘Her husband is selfish, he’s a womanizer and until recently she was in denial about it.’
Dev gives me a questioning look. ‘And?’
‘What I don’t understand is, if he wants to screw around with other women, why doesn’t he ask Helen for a divorce?’
Elias sighs. ‘Maybe he still loves her, in a warped kind of way. Many marriages are like this. Many people close their eyes to things they don't want to know.’
I snort. ‘But he’s a control freak, he wants his bread buttered on both sides.’
Elias looks confused, Dev sighs.
I explain what I meant. ‘Sorry Elias, it’s an English expression, it means he wants to screw around with other women, and still have Helen.’
Elias raises an eyebrow. ‘So, he has no reason to kill her?’
‘I don’t think so. Helen seems to think he makes a lot from his nightclub, so that rules money out.’ Or, does it? I look at Dev. ‘Have you checked his finances? Do you know how much money he has stashed away?’
‘He gambles a lot,’ Dev replies, watching me closely. ‘Did you know about that?’
I shake my head. ‘No, I didn’t. Helen’s not short of money, her business is doing well, she has property in the UK, so if he has financial difficulties...’
Dev looks at me thoughtfully. ‘Yes, we’re checking his finances, we should have the results soon.’
‘Whose we Dev, the company you work for?’
He gives me a funny look and gets up. ‘Now I’ve got to be somewhere Beth, so Elias will drop you off at your hotel, if that’s okay, or do you want to go somewhere else?’
‘No, that’s great.’
Dev goes to pay for the drinks, Elias is on his phone talking to his office, and I’m still wondering why they don’t tell me who Dev works for, what’s the big secret?
As we leave the bar Dev turns to Elias and me. ‘Shall we all have dinner tonight at that restaurant you like in Psiri?’
Elias nods. ‘It’s good for me.’
Dev looks at me.
‘Yes, but I’m visiting Helen this afternoon, so shall we make it at 7.30, or is that too early?’
We agree to meet at 7.30, Dev drives off to wherever he’s going and Elias drops me off at my hotel.
I sit drinking coffee on the balcony going over the events of the past few days. Then I think of Dev. It sounds like he’s a private investigator but then who does he work for and who are the 'other people' they both mentioned. Come to think of it, who are the people guarding Helen? Is it the police?
It’s a lovely sunny day so before going to the hospital I take a walk to Voulis Street to buy some cakes for Helen, she has a very sweet tooth and loves Greek cakes.
A few minutes later, I’m walking along with my small box of baklava and galaktoboureko, two of her favourite cakes.
I can see my bus coming down the street and wave for it to wait for me, then run and jump inside.
I sit thinking about what Dev said about Helen being guarded 24-7. I’m so wrapped up in thinking about things that I miss my stop, I have to ask the bus driver to stop and let me out.
When I reach the hospital, I check to see where the security guards are. There’s a guy dressed casually, standing not far from the back door reading a paper. He looks a bit obvious, I wonder if there are any more?
As I enter Helen's ward I can see a young woman standing near the entrance, checking her cell phone. I watch her for a few minutes. She has one eye on her phone, and the other on the ward door.
She looks up suddenly and catches me watching her, I look away.
One of the nurses sees me and hurries over. ‘Your friend opened her eyes, she didn’t say anything, just looked at me then went back to sleep.’
I run to see Helen, she’s asleep. I sit next to her and hold her hand. ‘Helen, it’s me, Beth. Squeeze my hand if you can hear me?’ No response! Unperturbed, I sit chatting to her for a while, but she doesn’t wake up.
An hour later I take the bus back to the hotel. On the way I hatch a plan for tonight. After dinner, I’ll say I’m tired and leave. I’ll find somewhere to wait until they leave, then I’ll follow Dev. I have a feeling he works for MI6 or a similar organization, but I need to find out, my days of trusting people are long gone.
15
BETH
Dinner with Dev & Elias
Considering hardly anyone eats out until after 9.00pm
in Athens, 7.30pm is very early.
As I draw near the restaurant, I can see the two of them on the terrace, they’re seated some distance from the other diners on a small round table under a tree.
‘Hi guys,’ I murmur, as I walk onto the terrace.
Dev looks up from the menu he’s scanning. ‘Beth, come and sit down, we’re trying to decide what to have for dinner.’ He passes me the menu then lights a cigarette, inhales deeply and takes out his phone.
I wave away the smoke. ‘You shouldn’t smoke so much it’s bad for you.’
He shrugs, changes his cigarette to the other hand and blows a ring of smoke up into the night air.
‘Don’t you smoke, sometimes, Beth?’
His blue eyes glint with amusement as he stubs out his cigarette.
‘I used to smoke a lot, I might have a puff sometimes.’
He gives me a funny look, which makes me laugh - he probably thinks I smoke pot. ‘I stick to wine and beer now, and the occasional brandy.’
The waiter comes over with his pad. ‘Would you like to order?’
‘What are we eating?’ Dev asks, looking at us both.
‘Lamb bizelli, for me,’ Elias says. ‘Sounds good, lamb with peas isn’t it?’
The waiter nods.
‘What about you, Beth?’ Elias asks. ‘There are lots of veggie things to choose from.’
‘Are there any stuffed vegetables?’
Elias raises his eyebrows, in Greek which means no, Dev lights a cigarette.
‘What about courgette fritters?’ suggests Elias, ‘I had them the other day, they were very good.’
‘Great!’ I look over at Dev, who is miles away, looking at his phone. He looks really stressed. Maybe something’s happened?
Elias catches my eye and glances over at Dev and shrugs. ‘Don't worry about him, he's got a lot on his mind, I’ll order us a large Greek salad, a large French fries and a bottle of red wine. I think we all need it, don’t you?’
I nod and lean back in my chair, now he’s talking my language, this is just what I need, good company, good food and wine, and a relaxed atmosphere.
Soft Greek music plays in the background, Elias sits enjoying it, Dev’s engrossed with his phone. I close my eyes for a moment and let the strains of the music flow over me, so romantic, so relaxing.
With a sigh I open my eyes and glance at the surrounding tables that glimmer with the glow of candles, all that’s missing is Helen. Tears suddenly spring to my eyes. I quickly brush them away and catch Dev watching me.
The waiter arrives with a tray full of food which even Dev can’t resist.
He scoops up a forkful of lamb, then another of potatoes and peas. ‘I didn’t realize I was so hungry,’ he murmurs, taking another mouthful.
‘You eat like a Greek,’ Elias remarks, a satisfied grin on his face. ‘How is your food, Beth?’
‘Good! The fritters are delicious.’
After the meal the waiter brings us each a cup of Greek coffee, a small plate of loukoumia and three glasses of brandy, all on the house.
As soon as the waiter leaves Dev glances around at the nearby tables as if checking nobody can hear, then lowering his voice he leans forward. ‘I’ve some interesting news for you both; remember the CCTV footage I told you about this morning? Well, I checked and it shows someone loitering around Helen's house on the afternoon just before the accident. Whoever it was lifted the hood of her car for a few seconds, then walked away.’
I lean across to take one of Dev’s cigarettes, he pushes them closer to me and carries on talking.
‘We don’t have much to go on, he has a red cap pulled down over his head which covers most of his face, which doesn’t help.’
‘So, it could be a man or a woman,’ Elias mutters, lighting one of his black tobacco cigarettes. ‘What about the brakes? Could they have been cut from where this person was standing?’
Dev shrugs. ‘Maybe.’
Elias sits puffing away on his cigarette, Dev’s back on his phone. I stub out my cigarette and get up. ‘Well guys I'm going to love you and leave you, I need an early night.’ I wave to the waiter to bring the bill.
Dev frowns, ‘It's on me.’
The waiter comes to the table, Dev hands him his card.
‘Thanks,’ I mutter. ‘My turn next time, call me tomorrow?’
He nods.
They both offer to drive me back to the hotel, but I decline, thankfully they don’t insist. I walk a little way down the street then cross over to a delicatessen I'd noticed earlier with a good view of the restaurant from inside.
Along one side of the shop is a fridge full of Greek sausages and cheeses, earthenware bowls full of yogurt, and pots of dips and all kinds of spreads. A box of crusty bread sits next to the till where the owners sits, and on the wall, opposite are colourful tins and jars of olives, bottles of wine, olive oil and other Greek food.
I pretend to be shopping, but my eyes are focused on the restaurant opposite the shop.
At last they come out. In my haste to hide behind a huge tin of feta cheese, I nearly knock over a box of oranges. The shop owner gives me a sharp look, I quickly straighten the box. ‘What lovely oranges,’ I mutter, the shop owner grunts, I walk over to the window.
They’re chatting, then say goodbye and walk towards their cars.
Now what? I should have called a cab. Out of the corner of my eye I see a cab coming down the street.
I run out of the shop and wave it down. ‘Follow that car,’ I shout, pointing to Dev who’s slowly pulling away.
The cab driver raises his eyebrows, grins and follows him.
He’s heading in the direction of the Acropolis then he suddenly stops, parks on a side street and gets out of his car. He’s in front of an old house, I quickly lean forward, pay the driver and duck down low.
I get out of the cab. The driver shakes his head, an amused look on his face and drives off. My eyes search the street and come back to the old mansion house he was standing in front of - where is he? I stand looking around, then realize he could be watching me, so walk behind a car. The old house seems to be boarded up, so he can’t be in there.
I start walking back to the hotel, and on the way I try to Google the name of the street where Dev parked, but the street isn’t marked, how strange.
Suddenly someone bumps into me nearly sending me flying.
‘Hey, mind where you're going.’
Then I see it, a flash of steel, the blade of a knife, it’s coming towards me. Instinctively, I jump away, he lunges towards me.
Someone shouts something in Greek - the man with the knife turns and runs.
A young Greek guy comes running over to me. ‘Are you alright, did he hurt you?’
‘No, I’m okay, but thanks for scaring him off, I really appreciate it.’
He points to my bag. ‘Be careful, don’t walk around the back streets, shall I walk with you?’
‘No, it’s okay, but thanks.’
He nods and walks off - I walk back to the main street. Was that a random attack? I walk quickly back to my hotel thinking about my attacker. He was dressed in black and wearing a black woolly hat, pulled down over his head, I didn’t see his face.
I’m nearing the hotel when I think of Helen alone in that hospital. I wave down a cab and jump inside.
It’s just gone 9.00 in the evening when I arrive at the hospital. Helen’s asleep, the nurse is checking her. She looks at me in surprise. ‘Is everything alright.’
‘Yes, I just wanted to make sure she’s okay.’
She smiles, finishes what she’s doing then leaves us alone.
I forgot to see if the guards are still here.
I quickly take a peek outside and they’re here. The same woman I saw earlier is near the ward, she suddenly looks over at me, then turns away.
With a sense of relief, I return to the ward. It’s getting late so I tell Helen that I’ll be back in the morning, she doesn’t stir but maybe she heard me.
> I’m outside the hospital when I get the feeling someone’s watching me. I quickly hail a passing cab and slide inside. As I look out of the back window I see a car behind us.
As soon as we arrive at the hotel, I pay the driver, go straight to my room and without turning on the lights, peek through the shutters. It’s the same car that was following me in the cab, it’s too dark to see who’s inside, but I can see the glimmer of a cigarette.
A few minutes pass then the car drives away.
Am I imagining it, or am I being followed?
16
DEV’S HEADQUARTERS
Athens
Dev smiles to himself as he swipes his ID card to enter HQ, he knew Beth had followed him. He travels the thirty meters under street level and is soon met with the familiar sound of computers as the elevator doors slide open. Fresh air is piped in from other entrances around the Acropolis so he has no problem adjusting to the atmosphere.
Katia spots him and quickly comes over. ‘Dev, how nice to see you.’
There’s a definite hint of sarcasm in her voice but either he didn’t hear her or he chooses to ignore it.
He starts flicking through some papers then passes the photo he just showed Beth and Elias to Katia. ‘Can you get me a close-up of this photo, it’s urgent.’
She shrugs.
‘We don’t have much to go on, Katia, so it would really help if you could do it now.’
She smiles and looks at the photo. ‘But of course, Dev, anything for you.’
Although Katia’s married, she recently had a short affair with Dev. She discovered her husband was cheating on her, she kicked him out and began a relationship with Dev. However, unbeknown to Dev, when her husband tired of screwing the girl, he wanted Katia back. She agreed to take him back, on the condition he didn’t do it again - but she didn’t tell Dev.
When Dev found out she’d taken her husband back, he ended the affair, as far as he was concerned, they were now just good friends. Katia on the other hand doesn’t agree and wants their affair to continue.
He feels her brush against his hand as she leans over to take the photo. Her outward appearance is always professional, nobody guessed or knew of their affair.
The Beth Papadakis Thriller Box Set Page 20