‘I'll be back later,’ he says, moving out of her reach.
Katia walks to the other side of the room, an impish smile on her face.
An hour later, he’s just about to leave HQ when his phone rings, he listens in silence, a worried look on his face. ‘So, when did she leave the hospital?’
‘It was after 10.00 tonight, she took a taxi back to the hotel.’
He knew Beth was worried about Helen, but she'd never visited her so late before. He’s so engrossed with his thoughts that he doesn’t realize Katia’s standing next to him.
‘I need to talk,’ she says, a look of concern on her face. ‘Can we meet later? It’s important.’
She looks so worried, he immediately agrees. ‘We can go for a quick drink when I come back, but first I must visit forensics and the crime lab.’
She looks relieved and smiles. ‘Good, give me a ring when you're here.’
He nods and leaves, his thoughts drift to Beth, he feels strangely drawn to her. He quickly snaps out of it and gets in his car.
It’s nearly midnight when Dev returns to HQ, he’s surprised to see that Katia’s still there, he thought she’d have got tired of waiting.
‘I thought you’d forgotten me,’ she murmurs as soon as he comes in.
He grunts. ‘It’s very late, Katia, I thought you’d have left by now.’
He goes to his desk, grabs some papers and looks at her. ‘Are you sure you still want to go for a drink?’
She nods.
Ten minutes later they’re sitting together on a couch in a nearby bar.
‘So, what’s the problem?’ he asks, tipping his beer into his mouth. He’s thirsty and tired, he’s had a long day.
‘I’m not sure, but I think my husband is seeing another woman again.’
Dev knows she’s lying, if her husband was carrying on with another woman, she'd have had him followed by now.
‘Katia, I'm tired plus there's going to be a rally tomorrow afternoon, I’ll have to have an early start to avoid it.’
‘What's the rally for?’
He looks at her in amazement. ‘Katia, the national healthcare system is understaffed and underfunded. Hospitals are unable to buy medical supplies and medicine, they are at breaking point.’
‘Oh, of course I know about that, but what's the hurry?’
She leans close to him, her breast touches his hand. ‘Stay and have a drink with me, it will help you relax, then you can drive me home.’
By home, he knows what she means and it isn’t her home, it’s his home.
He rolls his eyes. ‘Katia, I have to go.’ He knows this isn't what she wants to hear but he’s tired. ‘Look, I’ll drop you off at your place if you like.’
She sits looking the other way ignoring him, he gets up and leaves.
As he slides into his car he takes out his phone and calls a department in HQ, he wants to know why Beth went to the hospital so late.
17
BETH
Athens - Plaka Hotel
Morning - 9.10 am
I grab my phone, it’s nearly 9.00 in the morning, the sun’s creeping through the blinds, I must call the hospital, see how Helen is.
I’m told she’s okay but she hasn’t opened her eyes again. The doctor suggests we visit her at separate times, talk to her, let her know we’re there for her.
He’s right, she needs something to wake up for - maybe if I can get Dev and Elias to visit her more often it might help.
My phone suddenly rings, it’s Dev. I’m just about to tell him what the doctor said when I remember last night. The female guard probably told him about my late-night visit and now he’s going to ask why I was there so late.
‘Good morning Beth, if you're not too busy, can we meet somewhere today, around 2.00?’
I smile to myself, just as I thought. ‘Yes, I’ll come to your office, what’s the address?’
Now what’s he going to say?
He hesitates, then starts prattling on about how busy he is. ‘I'll be out most of the day, how about we meet at the same café in Syntagma Square as we did the other day?’
Just as I thought, he doesn’t want me to know where his office is.
‘Okay, but first I'm going to the hospital, I just called the doctor and he said...’
‘Sorry, but can you tell me later Beth, I’ll see you at 2.00 in the square.’
I’m just about to say yes but he’s already hung up.
On the way to the bus stop I think of last night, the guy with the knife and the car outside the hotel. I wave down a passing cab and twenty minutes later I’m at the hospital.
Another woman’s guarding the ward door today, I can’t help wondering who’s paying for all this. It can’t be the police guarding Helen 24 – 7 - so who’s paying for it?
I turn and hurry to the ward, Helen’s just the same as when I saw her last night, she looks so peaceful, I squeeze her hand gently.
‘Helen, you must wake up, please wake up!’ Almost immediately she opens her eyes, smiles then closes them. ‘Helen, it’s me, wake up,’ I almost shout but it’s no use. Just as I’m about to call for the doctor a nurse comes running in.
‘Are you alright?’ she asks, looking at me then at Helen.
‘She just opened her eyes, I …’
She gives me a reassuring smile. ‘This is good, I’ll let the doctor know.’
After about an hour I check to see if the guards are still there, they are.
Ten minutes later I’m on the bus going to meet Dev.
The bus arrives at Syntagma Square just after 2.00, Dev’s already on the terrace of the café.
‘You look happy,’ he murmurs, as soon as I sit down. ‘Has something happened?’
He’s right. I seem to have a permanent smile on my face which is unusual for me, especially after the last few days.
He peers at me expectantly. ‘So, what happened?’
‘I went to see Helen; she opened her eyes and she smiled at me!’
His eyebrows shoot up. ‘Wow! Did she say anything?’
‘No, it was so quick. She opened her eyes, smiled and then closed them. I sat and talked to her but she didn’t wake up. As you know the doctor said it helps so I was thinking, maybe…’
Dev smiles. ‘I know what you’re going to say, that we could pay one of the nurses to sit with her and talk to her.’
‘No Dev, they’ve enough to do, we can’t ask them, but if we could take it in turns...’
He looks surprised, and then smiles. ‘If you think it will help, I can squeeze in a few minutes this afternoon, but I have no idea what I’m going to talk about.’
I laugh. ‘Who cares, as long as you’re there.’ I’m so happy, I could hug him. ‘Read her something from a magazine or a newspaper, don’t read her the news, read something nice, something to make her want to wake up.’
A waiter appears and we order coffee. After he’s gone, I turn to Dev wondering if I should tell him about last night. I need to know who he’s working for, why the hell can’t he just tell me?
I take a sip of water from my bottle to clear my throat and begin. ‘Dev, I have a confession to make.’ Then I stop, maybe he already knows? He’s not stupid. Maybe he saw me getting out of the cab, that’s why he disappeared so quickly.
He raises an eyebrow, looking mildly surprised and do I see a glint of amusement in his eyes? Shit, did he see me in the cab last night? I’m about to tell him when he starts laughing.
‘What’s so funny?’ I ask, glaring at him.
He suddenly becomes serious. ‘Look Beth, I know things probably don’t make sense but I’m definitely legit, so don’t worry.’
‘But I am worried, Dev. James is dead, someone tried to kill Helen and...’
I stop and bite my lip. I was going to tell him about the guy last night, the one with the knife, not a good idea.
‘Look, all I want to know is who you work for? Why is it all such a big mystery? And who’s footing the bill for the gua
rds at the hospital? It can’t be the police.’
He sighs deeply, looks away for a few seconds, then leans forward. ‘Beth, have you heard of the secret underground tunnels in Athens?’
‘Of course, the caves and underground passages from ancient times, they’re all over Athens.’
He nods and makes a flourishing movement, gesturing with his hand to the Grand Bretagne Hotel behind us. ‘When the Nazis occupied Greece, Hitler made the Grand Bretagne Hotel their headquarters. There are underground tunnels all over Athens which have been used by many over the years. The area around the Acropolis is full of caves and sanctuaries, many with natural water. There are the caves on the East face and many more on the North face. On the South slope, behind the temple of Asklepios, is a Russian Church built into the rock.’
I’m amazed he knows so much, but why is he telling me this? Why on earth is he talking about the bloody tunnels? Maybe he’s just interested, I wonder if he’s heard about the tunnels in Vouliagmeni?
I look at him and smile. ‘I know all about the tunnels Dev, don’t forget I used to live here. Did you know there's an underwater cave in Vouliagmeni? There are tunnels all over Athens maybe you’d like to visit some one day?’
He smiles, I think he’s enjoying it, but he hasn’t answered my question.
He lights a cigarette and leans back in his chair. ‘I know Vouliagmeni, it’s a lovely place, there’s a beautiful beach, I often go to the thermal spa, it has healing properties…’
I wonder what he needs healing? Maybe an old wound, if he works for MI6 that’s quite possible.
I nod. ‘Yes, Athens airport used to be close to the beach, just west of Glyfada. It was called Ellinikon Airport, it was much easier to get to from where we lived, and we could easily see Vouliagmeni lake when the plane was landing at the airport. Of course that was some time ago.’
He smiles and sips his coffee, I carry on talking.
‘There’s also an underwater cave at the edge of the lake that has never been fully explored, there are fourteen tunnels one of which is 800 metres long, the longest in the world.’
‘It’s really quite amazing isn’t it?’ he says, watching me intently. ‘There's an entire city beneath Athens with ancient secrets hidden from view - caves, holy shrines, churches, deep wells, long underground passages.’
I nod.
He carries on. ‘During times of war they were used to get to places quickly, other times they were just a way of transporting things to other parts of Athens.’
‘And the house you visited last night?’ I ask, holding my breath.
He looks up quickly, laughs and takes another sip of coffee. ‘Yes, Beth, as you saw last night it’s just one of many such places in Athens, there are so many, aren’t there?’
I don’t say anything, what can I say? I had a feeling he’d seen me, so where did he disappear to?
He takes out a cigarette, lights it, inhales deeply, then looks at me thoughtfully. ‘This is where we have our headquarters, it has to be somewhere safe, so we chose one of the very old mansion houses which are no longer used. It was easy to convert to modern offices and it's in the centre of town, just where we need it.’ He hesitates for a few minutes. ‘I work for the government in the UK.’
I say nothing, he carries on talking.
‘There are others working with me in the fight against crime and terrorism.’
‘So, these are the other people Elias was talking about?’
‘Yes, James asked if I could help Helen, she was going through a tough time, so of course I obliged. I have the resources, so it was easy to put her husband under surveillance.’
‘How many people work with you?’
‘In this office there are about ten of us.’ He looks very serious and lowers his voice. ‘Look Beth, it’s going to start getting nasty, so I suggest you leave it to me from now on, I'll keep you up to date with what's happening.’
I can’t believe what he just said. Does he really think I frighten off so easily? He doesn't know about my past activities, if he did, he’d never say this. Maybe I should enlighten him on what I can do?
I smile. ‘Don't worry about me, I can look after myself, I’ve lots of experience.’
For a second he looks surprised, he raises his eyebrows, then in a serious voice adds. ‘Beth, think carefully about what I’ve said. Now I really must go, shall I walk you back to your hotel?’
‘No, I’ve some things to do. Call me if you have any news... and don't forget to see Helen and tell Elias.’
He nods, he’s just about to leave when he turns and looks at me. ‘Why did you go to the hospital so late last night?’
I knew it, that’s why he really wanted to see me today. He wants to know what I’m up to, he’s a control freak.
‘I wanted to see Helen, why?’
He looks at me and frowns. ‘But it was so late, did something happen?’
Does he know about the guy who attacked me? He seems to know everything. Shit, has he got someone following me?
I look at him and shrug. ‘No, I just wanted to see her.’ I know he doesn’t believe me, I can see it in his eyes.
‘Okay, well I have to go, I’ll call you later.’
I watch him walk back to his car. ‘Don’t forget to go to the hospital and talk to Helen,’ I call.
He turns and nods, then carries on walking.
18
DEV
Later that afternoon
Dev smiles to himself as he walks the short distance to where his car is parked. It’s unusual for someone to be as inquisitive as Beth. On a case like this it’s important to know what makes people tick, she probably has nothing to hide, but he should check her out, just to be sure.
Dev studied criminal law and trained as a journalist, he worked in the Middle East and Europe and ended up working for the government. The human mind fascinates him. He works with like-minded people and has contacts all over the world.
Flicking his key fob the car springs into action, he slides into the black convertible BMW and drives to the hospital.
He parks and walks to the entrance, checks to make sure the guards are where they should be, they are. Her room’s just off the main ward; pulling up a chair he talks to her for five minutes. He chats about seeing Beth earlier, then stops, it seems ridiculous talking to someone who’s not responding. He has another go and tells her about the restaurant they all went to the other night. He stands up and says he’s going for a walk to stretch his legs.
In the centre of the ward there’s a table piled high with magazines and newspapers. Thinking he might find something of interest to read Helen, he begins flicking through the pages of a local Greek magazine. A photograph of a young man coming out of one of the law courts catches his eye. Even more interesting is the woman standing next to him, its James’s wife, Isabelle. He scans the article - the man she’s with is out on bail awaiting trial for smuggling drugs.
After taking a note of the magazine he returns to Helen’s room. He pulls up a chair and whispers in her ear. ’I’ve just found something very important, Helen, I must go, see you tomorrow.’
When he’s out of the hospital, he sends a text to a friend who lives not far from the hospital, he might be able to help, then he walks towards his car.
He’s just opening his car door, when a text comes through.
Hi Dev, I’m at home, come round, look forward to seeing you. Zeph
Zeph lives in Kiffissia, one of the most exclusive areas of Athens. Many of the houses are surrounded by high walls or hedges with CCTV and security gates. As he nears Zeph’s house he slows down, parks and walks the few yards to the house. He presses the intercom at the side of a large dark wooden door. A few seconds later the door opens. Inside is a huge garden surrounded by pine trees, fauna and flowers. At the far end of the garden is a large swimming pool, in the centre is a beautiful house, pink bougainvillea cascades down the walls.
His friend Zeph, short for Zepheros, walks out of the hous
e carrying a jar of freshly squeezed orange juice and a couple of glasses.
‘Over here Dev,’ he calls, pointing to a round wooden table on the shaded terrace.
Dev walks over and sits on one of the comfortable looking sage green chairs, Zeph is an old friends, they often work together and enjoy each other’s company. The lovely house and garden are the result of Zeph’s hard work.
After bringing Zeph up to date with the horrendous events of the last few days, Dev tells him about the article he found in the magazine.
Zeph removes his sunglasses and scans the article Dev shows him on his phone.
After a few minutes he turns to Dev. ‘I’ve heard about this case. The man they’re talking about in that article was caught smoking hashish, he said he’d bought some for a smoke, trouble is he seems to be in the country illegally. After checking him out they found his place full of the stuff. I think the woman next to him is his sister.’
Dev raises an eyebrow. ‘Any idea when the trial is?’
‘In a few days, I think. I’ll let you know for sure later today if you like. Has this got something to do with the recent events?’
Dev nods. ‘I’m not sure but it’s worth checking.’
He knew he could rely on Zeph to be up to date on this sort of thing, they’d studied law together in the UK and still work together on some cases. After working in London for some time with Dev, Zeph returned to Greece and became a successful lawyer.
Dev smiles at his old friend. ‘Thanks, we need all the help we can get.’
Zeph walks with him to the garden gate. ‘Come round more often, it’s nice to see you out of work. Maybe this weekend if you’re not too busy, we can have dinner here or try one of the local tavernas.’
‘Yes, that would be nice, but I don’t think it will be possible this weekend.’
He opens the gate and turns to Zeph. ‘Call me if you find out anything.’
A few minutes later Dev’s driving back to HQ.
The Beth Papadakis Thriller Box Set Page 21