The Beth Papadakis Thriller Box Set

by Cara Alexander

Helen’s in the same hospital as Dev, so I pop out the back to see if the guards are still there, they are.

  Back in the emergency room I find a policewoman waiting for me. She leads me into a small side room with a desk and a couple of chairs. She motions for me to sit down opposite her. ‘Do you remember anything unusual happening this evening?’

  I shrug. ‘No not really.’

  She’s watching me closely now. ‘Were you sitting alone when this happened?

  ‘We were having a drink at the bar, that’s all. A woman bumped into him, knocked his drink all over him...’

  The officer raises an eyebrow. ‘Did she do anything else?’

  ‘She apologized profusely, in fact I think she overdid it.’ I pause and look at her. ‘Oh no…’

  ‘Yes,’ she says, shaking her head. ‘It was no accident, this is how they work. It was a distraction so they could…’

  ‘She poisoned his drink?’

  The officer nods.

  Of course, she did it - I remember her leaning over Dev to brush his jacket. That’s when she did it. Or was it the barman who popped it into the beer?

  ‘We have to check the CCTV footage above the bar,’ the officer murmurs. ‘The casino is full of cameras, so we have a lot to go on.’

  She takes down my details, phone number, name of the hotel I’m staying at, then leaves. I’m so tired I take a cab back to my hotel. I’ll see Helen and Dev tomorrow.

  21

  DEV

  Athens Central Hospital

  Dev slowly opens his eyes. Then it all comes back to him.

  The casino, Beth.

  He tries to sit up but falls back.

  ‘Don’t move,’ a nurse calls, running over to him. ‘We had to pump your stomach out last night.’

  ‘Beth - the woman who was with me, is she okay?’

  ‘Yes, she is fine,’ the nurse replies, smiling. ‘Now try and relax.’

  Taking a glass of water from the bedside table she helps him drink, then leaves.

  Dev lays in bed looking at the ceiling trying to remember what happened.

  He tries sitting up but falls back again, the nurse comes rushing over.

  ‘I told you to relax you must get your strength back. You can phone your friend later, for now you must try to rest, the doctor will be here soon to see you.’

  BETH

  I set my alarm for 7.00am and wake up sweating.

  Dev! I grab my phone. No missed calls.

  I call the hospital, they say he’s okay, but still a bit weak, he’ll be out later today.

  After a quick shower I leave for the hospital.

  When I arrive I see Helen’s nurse chatting to another nurse, she spots me and runs over.

  ‘Quickly, the doctor wants to see you!’

  ‘What happened?’ I gasp, staring at her.

  ‘Nothing,’ she says, laughing. ‘Come with me.’

  The doctor smiles as I enter his office. ‘Good morning Beth have you heard the good news?’

  I know Helen’s awake but so do they, so I shake my head.

  ‘What happened?’

  The doctor’s beaming at me. ‘Helen, she can leave hospital today.’

  ‘But isn’t it a bit early?’

  ‘No, she needs to be with her family and friends.’

  I go to say something, he stops me.

  ‘Don’t worry, the nurse will help Helen get ready, I believe your friend is here in another ward.’

  ‘Yes, I’m just going to see him, but are you sure…’

  He shakes his head. ‘Now go and see your friend while Helen gets ready.’

  When I get to Dev’s ward I’m surprised to see him propped up in bed, he looks relieved to see me.

  ‘Morning Dev, how are you?’

  He pulls a face. ‘Still a bit groggy, they want to keep me in until this afternoon.’

  ‘Don’t worry,’ I murmur, going over to the bed. ‘You’ll soon be out of here.’

  A doctor comes into the ward followed by a nurse who comes over to me.

  ‘Are you Beth?’

  I nod.

  She looks over at Dev. ‘He’s been asking about you, he’s been very worried.’

  ‘I couldn’t remember what happened,’ he mutters.

  The doctor starts drawing the curtain around the bed. ‘I’ll only be a few minutes, you can wait outside.’

  I leave them to it and find somewhere quiet to sit, I’ll give Elias a call.

  A few minutes later the doctor comes to find me. ‘Your friend’s doing well,’ he announces, happily. ‘He can leave later today.’

  ‘Thanks, can I see him?’

  ‘But of course.’

  Dev and I start chatting about last night, then he asks about Helen.

  ‘They just told me she’s well enough to leave but it seems very quick.’ I lower my voice. ‘If she does leave, I’ll need to find somewhere safe for her to stay.’

  ‘Don't worry. I'll talk to the hospital and police. Let me know when you're back at the hotel, we have a lot to talk about.’

  I’m just about to go when he suddenly asks. ‘What did the police say to you last night?’

  I’ve a feeling he won’t like what I’m about to say, and I’m right. When I get to the bit about the woman bumping into him and how the police said this is how criminal gangs work, he rolls his eyes and groans.

  ‘Are they checking the CCTV footage above the bar and in the casino?’

  ‘Yes, do you think the barman was in on it?’

  He shrugs, suddenly he looks worried. ‘We'll talk about it later, but for now we must look after Helen.’ As an afterthought, he adds. ‘It might be better if she stays in for a few more days, ask the doctor and see what he says?’

  ‘Okay, but I don't think he'll agree, they need the beds.’

  He looks tired, so I leave him to rest and go in search of the doctor.

  He’s outside the front entrance, smoking. We chat for a while about the political situation in Greece, then I casually ask. ‘Don’t you think it would be better if Helen stays in for a few more days? She’s still very weak and needs to recover.’

  ‘As long as she takes it easy, she will soon be back to normal,’ he says, stubbing out his cigarette on the ground with his shoe. ‘Being in here will not help, she needs lots of fresh air.’ He looks at me and murmurs. ‘As you know we are stretched to the limit, resources are low and...’

  ‘I know things are bad in Greece right now, and you’ve all been so good to Helen.’

  He smiles. ‘We do our best, now if you will excuse me I must get back to work.’

  I make a mental note to add this to the article I’m writing about the situation in Greece.

  Of course, Helen’s over the moon to be out of hospital. I booked a cab so there’s no waiting around. She stands looking up at the sky enjoying the sun on her face, then slides slowly into the cab.

  Half an hour later we’re enjoying coffee and biscuits in our rooms at the hotel.

  ‘It's great to be back,’ she says, putting her mug of coffee on the side table. ‘I’ve really missed this place.’ She snuggles back under her duvet, then a knock at the door makes us jump.

  ‘Beth, it’s me.’

  Helen laughs, I run to the door.

  ‘Dev!’

  I lower my voice so Helen won’t hear me. ‘I was coming to collect you later, how did you get here?’ I stand staring at him, he looks so pale. ‘Are you sure you’re well enough to leave hospital?’

  He looks at me and grins. ‘Of course.’ Then lowering his voice, he adds. ‘Elias collected me, he wanted to come in and see you both, but you know what it’s like, he has another demonstration to cover…’

  ‘Yes, I saw it on the news’

  Then I grab his arm and pull him inside. ‘Don’t stand in the doorway.’

  ‘Look, I don't want to disturb you, I just wanted to check that you’re alright, have you heard from the police?’

  Then he notices Helen, trying t
o sit up in bed behind me.

  ‘Helen!’ he exclaims, walking over to her bed. ‘How are you?’

  He helps me prop her up with some pillows then sits next to her. We chat for a while. Dev gives her updates on what’s been happening, leaving last night out of course, that would only upset her.

  We order pizza from room service. Helen looks more like her old self and Dev has a bit of colour in his cheeks.

  Suddenly Dev stands up. ‘Well thanks for the pizza, now I really must go, I have some things to do.’

  ‘I’ll call reception and get you a cab.’

  He turns to Helen who’s already half asleep. ‘It’s good to have you back with us, Helen.’

  She nods, then snuggles down under the duvet.

  ‘There’s a cab downstairs, Dev, do you want it?’

  ‘Yes.’

  I walk him to the door. He turns and in a low voice says. ‘I’ll call you later, Beth, and don’t worry, we’ll work something out.’

  I nod. ‘You need to rest when you get home.’

  He smiles and closes the door.

  I wave to him from the balcony and watch as his cab drives away.

  ‘Shit, I forgot to tell him about…’

  ‘Tell him what?’

  Shit! I thought she was asleep. Why did I say that? Now is not the time to tell her I saw James's wife on TV with a young guy.

  Helen’s looking at me sleepily. ‘What did you forget, Beth?’

  ‘I forgot to say... we might be doing something tomorrow, that is if you feel like it, we can go to a restaurant near the beach, maybe Elias will take us, the sea air will do you good.’

  Helen beams with delight, ‘What a wonderful idea.’

  I make her comfortable then go onto the balcony and call Elias.

  ‘Hi Elias, I just wanted to let you know that Helen’s back at the hotel with me and Dev’s just left to go home.’

  ‘Yes, sorry I didn’t call you earlier to let you know about Dev.’

  ‘It doesn’t matter, but there’s something I need to tell you about Helen. The doctor said she needs to get lots of fresh air, so I thought we might have lunch at the beach tomorrow.’

  ‘Are you sure?’

  ‘Yes, she’s looking forward to it.’

  He grunts. ‘Okay, if you’re sure she’s well enough, I’ll take you in my car.’

  22

  HELEN

  Athens, Plaka Hotel

  Next Day - Breakfast Time

  Helen’s on the balcony, there’s a slight breeze but it’s still sunny, she shivers slightly.

  ‘Let’s go for a drive to Mont Parnes instead of the beach, we can take the teleferique and have lunch. What do you think?’

  I inwardly groan. ‘But I thought we were going to the beach? It’s not as warm as usual but we can wrap up.’

  ‘I don’t want to risk it. The doctor said I need fresh air, but I don’t want to catch a cold. If we go to Mont Parnes, we’ll be inside most of the time. Don't worry Beth, I'm fine, I just need to go out, I’ve been in bed for so long.’

  My phone rings, it’s Elias, I walk back to the room so Helen won’t hear me. ‘She’s changed her mind,’ I hiss, holding my hand over the mouthpiece so she won’t hear me. ‘She wants to go to Mont Parnes, not the beach.’

  ‘What! Have you forgotten what happened?’

  ‘I know, I’m worried too, but she can't stay here all day, she needs fresh air, she really wants to go.’ I lower my voice to a whisper. ‘I haven't told her about Dev, so don’t say anything when you see her.’

  He’s silent, so I carry on.

  ‘Maybe if we disguise ourselves it’ll be alright, they’re not after you Elias so while we’re there you can find out about the other night, you’re a journalist they’ll speak to you.’

  He doesn’t sound too happy. ‘It’s not so easy, Beth.’

  ‘Oh come on Elias, you’ve nothing to lose, don’t you want to know who poisoned Dev? The police are checking the CCTV cameras in the casino, so while we're there you can…

  He grunts. ‘Okay, I’ll try but I’m worried…’ He hesitates for a moment. ‘What if someone recognizes you, what will you wear?’

  ‘I’m going to Ermou Street, it’s only a couple of minutes from here, there are so many shops, I’ll find something.’

  He gives a dry laugh. ‘You should both wear wigs and masks.’

  ‘Yeah, right, talk to you later.’ Sarcastic bugger, but maybe it’s not such a bad idea, Helen hates wigs but she’ll just have to put up with it.

  Helen looks up when I come back onto the balcony.

  ‘Did you arrange it?’ she asks, there’s a twinkle in her eyes, and I know she was listening, I hope she didn’t hear the bit about Dev.

  ‘Yes, Elias is driving us to the teleferique and from there we’ll take the cable car to Mont Parnes. But are you sure it's not too much for you?’

  ‘I'll be sitting down most of the time so of course it'll be okay.’

  ‘I know you won’t like this, but we must disguise ourselves, just to be on the safe side.’

  She raises an eyebrow. ‘Don’t you think that’s being a bit dramatic?’

  I look at her in amazement. ‘Your car brakes were cut, isn’t that reason enough?’

  She wrinkles her nose, then gives me a smile. ‘Sorry, I’m not used to all this cloak and dagger stuff. I still can’t believe it wasn’t an accident.’

  ‘Elias is worried too, it’s not just me, Helen. Anyway, I won’t be long, I have to go shopping.’

  Fifteen minutes later, I’m back at the hotel with bags overflowing with stuff for both of us. She’s not going to like it but hey, it’s better than staying in here all day.

  The elevator’s packed so I take the stairs and arrive out of breath.

  ‘What did you get?’ she calls as soon as I come in.

  I pull out her wig, I couldn’t resist buying it.

  Her face falls. ‘I’m not wearing that!’

  I can’t help but smile. ‘Oh, come on Helen, it’s not that bad.’

  I put on the short blond punk wig, wrap a silver scarf around my neck and strike a pose - that gets her laughing.

  ‘And there’s more Helen, look at this.’

  I give a theatrical flick of my hand and pull out a trendy looking purple outfit.

  She shakes her head in dismay. ‘I can’t wear that, it’s awful!’

  ‘If you want to go out you have to wear a disguise, that's all I could find.’ I hold it up to me a give her a twirl. ‘You’ll look good in this Helen.’

  She can’t help but laugh. ‘Okay, at least no one will recognize me. What did you get?’

  I do a drum roll then hold up a long gray dress and a black wig.

  She bursts out laughing.

  At least I’ve made her laugh if nothing else.

  The rush hour traffic isn't too bad, so it doesn’t take long to reach the teleferique, unfortunately we forgot about the steps we have to climb to get into the cable car, Helen will never make it.

  Back in the car Elias chats to Helen, I’m in the back seat, holding on to the top of his seat as the car speeds up the mountain.

  It feels weird being back, especially after what happened to Dev, I know I’m in disguise, but I can’t help but think people will still know it’s me under this wig.

  When we arrive at the casino a few of the blackjack tables are busy, there aren’t so many on roulette.

  Suddenly I see Theo, Helen's husband, he’s at the roulette table, his back is towards us but his arm is around a woman.

  Grabbing Helen’s arm, I gently steer her over to the elevator where Elias is waiting.

  ‘What’s the hurry, Beth?’

  I grunt. ‘Elias is waiting…’

  She stops dead in her tracks, turns around and sees Theo and the woman.

  The next minute she pulls out her phone and takes a photo of them.

  I give her a tug. ‘Come on let's go upstairs.’

  Just as I turn, I no
tice the woman Theo is with staring directly at us. She has a strange look on her face. Theo on the other hand is so engrossed in finding out if his bet has won that he hasn’t seen us.

  Elias touches my arm. ‘Is everything okay?’

  ‘Helen’s husband’s over there,’ I mutter, through clenched teeth. ‘He’s at the roulette table with a woman.’

  Elias shakes his head and turns to leave. ‘Let’s go to Faliron, it's not far, it’s much nicer than here, there’s a seafood restaurant by the marina.’

  Helen just walks over and presses the elevator button. ‘No, let's stay here.’

  She turns, beckons us over and winks at me. ‘I'm glad you made me wear this outfit, Beth.’

  Helen won’t back down, so we go to the restaurant and find a table with a good view of Athens. We’re sitting at the same table where Helen and I sat just a few days ago, it’s not so long ago and yet so much has happened.

  The waiter arrives with the drinks - sparkling water for Helen and beer for Elias and me. They both order fish and green beans with Greek salad and chips. I order Imam Bayildi - aubergine stuffed with onions, garlic and tomatoes. I like it chilled straight from the fridge, but it will probably be lukewarm from one of their serving trays.

  While we’re waiting Elias talks about his childhood days in Athens and for a while we forget about Helen’s husband. The restaurant starts getting busy, the atmosphere’s good and I’m reminded of happier times. I used to come here with my ex Alex, we’d have lunch then stroll around the grounds enjoying the mountain air before returning to Athens.

  I look over at Helen, she’s enjoying herself and looks radiant compared to a few days ago. She catches me watching her and smiles. ‘My food’s delicious, how is yours, Beth?’

  ‘Great, it’s just as I like it. Not too much oil and the chips are good.’

  Elias pushes more chips on his fork, pops them into his mouth and nods in agreement. Helen was right about coming here, it’s all very relaxing.

  ‘Can you order me a Greek coffee, metreo?’ she suddenly asks, getting up. ‘I need the loo.’

  I stuff the last mouthful of aubergine in my mouth and get up quickly.