That doesn't give me much time to arrange something for Helen.
‘I'm not sure, I'm worried about Helen, she needs to relax and get away from here for a few days.’
He sits sipping his coffee, a thoughtful expression on his face. We chat for a few more minutes, then take the elevator upstairs to see Helen.
‘Helen, David’s here,’ I call, opening the door.
She comes into her room from the balcony and smiles.
‘David, how are you, it’s been a long time since I saw you.’
He walks over and kisses her on both cheeks. ‘I’m fine, but what about you, I heard about the accident, how are you?’
I watch them chatting, I’ll slip out for a few minutes, give them some time together.
’I’m going to the bakers to get some pastries,’ I say, walking to the door. ‘I won’t be long.’
It’s mid-morning, well, just gone eleven when I leave the hotel. The streets are already busy, restaurants are preparing for lunch and some of the corner shops and kiosks are open. I pop into the local bread shop for a bag of pastries.
They’re chatting happily on the balcony when I return. ‘I hope you’re hungry?’ I call. ‘I bought some cheese pies.’
David quickly clears away the cups so there’s room on the table. ‘Sounds great!’
‘I’ll get some plates.’ I start rummaging around in the drawers and cupboards, I’m sure we have some somewhere. We have a kettle, tea bags, sachets of Nescafe, a couple of bowls, where are the plates? Then I see them under the serviettes.
‘David's going to London,’ Helen calls, sounding excited. ‘He'll be staying there for a week, he’s asked me to go with him, have a sort of holiday. What do you think?’
Now this exceeds my wildest expectations, I feel like a cat who’s just found a bowl of cream.
Grabbing a couple of plates, I walk quickly back onto the balcony. ‘Sounds great! What a wonderful idea, where will you stay.’
‘A friend of my dad’s, he has a hotel,’ David says. ‘There’s lots of room so —’ He smiles and looks at Helen, she looks so happy.
I just stand staring at him, he carries on talking.
‘I always stay there for free, so I’ll see if there's a suite vacant. It's close to the park, so good for Helen to relax. It will be just like staying in an apartment, there are two bedrooms, a small kitchen and a small living room, very compact.’
‘How lovely,’ I say beaming at them both. ‘Where’s the hotel and when are you going?’
‘It’s in Park Lane.’
‘Wow, you dad’s friend must be loaded?’
He laughs. ‘Yes, he is.’
David goes inside to call them, then pops his head round the door. ‘I’ll book an extra flight for you Helen.’
For some reason I feel a twinge of envy. I know it’s good for Helen, especially now, isn’t that what I wanted? As if reading my mind, David quickly adds.
‘You know, the suites are big, there's plenty of room for you Beth. Why don't I leave you two alone for a few minutes? I’ll make a few phone calls...’
I laugh. ‘There's no reason for you to go inside David, it's a very good idea, Helen needs a break, but I must stay here for a few more days. When I get back to London, I’ll come and see you. I live in Bayswater, it’s not far from where you’ll be staying in London.’
I grab some beers and cokes from our small fridges and place them on the table alongside the pastries I just bought.
David’s on his phone sending emails and Helen’s face is flushed with excitement.
Within a matter of minutes David jubilantly announces there’s a top floor suite vacant for the next ten days, their flight leaves tomorrow evening. Of course Helen’s over the moon.
‘Fantastic,’ I say, smiling at them both. Suddenly I want to go with them. I feel my shoulders slump and my smile fades. Why am I staying in Athens? But I know why I’m staying. If I left, I'd never forgive myself. I must find James's killer and there are also the police to deal with.
‘I have to speak to Elias,’ I say, walking to the door. ‘You finish sorting this out, I'll be downstairs if you need me.’ Out of the corner of my eye I can see Helen watching me, probably wondering what’s so urgent, but she doesn’t say anything.
26
ELIAS
Late Afternoon
Elias has just finished work, he’s been up since 5.00 this morning, its now 5.00 in the afternoon. He feels tired and hungry, he hits the elevator button for the top floor.
Two minutes later he’s opening his front door. The spicy aroma of loukanika sausages still clings to the air from breakfast this morning, he'd forgotten to put the air extractor on.
Pulling open the fridge he smiles happily at the bottles of beer in front of him, on the shelf below are sausages, cheese and olives, the inside door contains milk, orange juice and eggs - he sighs and surveys the shelves but doesn’t feel hungry.
Popping open a beer he glugs it down quickly, then clutching another beer he saunters into his living room, switches on a few side lamps and opens the French windows onto the balcony.
The hum of traffic and the stunning view of the distant mountains are why he loves his apartment. Kicking off his shoes he collapses into his favourite balcony chair, places his beer on the floor and closes his eyes.
A few minutes later a car hoots and wakes him. He gets to his feet, pads into the living room, sinks down onto the chesterfield couch and stretches out his tired aching legs.
Now where’s the remote?
Soon the large TV on the wall springs into action. Sighing with contentment he settles down to watch the news. His eyes are closing, he begins to snore.
Suddenly he’s wide awake. The vibration of his phone has roused him.
‘Neh (yes),’ he mumbles.
‘Elias, can I come and see you just for ten minutes? I need to talk to you.’
It’s Beth, she sounds anxious.
‘Of course, you know where I live. It's No 22, top floor – name’s on the door – Elias Demetriades.’
‘Thanks! See you soon.’
Elias scrambles off the couch and into the kitchen. A quick coffee and something to eat will make him feel better. A couple of old croissants poking out of a bag catch his eye, they’ll do until dinner time.
He sits in the kitchen thinking of Beth, munching stale pastries and drinking coffee.
I wonder what’s so urgent.
He frowns, drains his mug of coffee then makes a quick visit to the bathroom.
His doorbell rings, zipping up his trousers, he washes his hands.
It must be Beth, she got here fast.
He goes to open the door, but it isn't Beth. Standing in front of him is a tall, slim guy with a black balaclava covering his face. All Elias can see are two black eyes.
The man suddenly springs forward, startling Elias, he takes a step back and gasps. A large blade is coming towards him. He tries desperately to close the door, but the guy’s foot is in the way.
Suddenly there’s a piercing scream.
Thinking his time has come Elias closes his eyes.
I feel bad not telling Helen where I’m going so I give her a quick call, it goes to voicemail, I leave a message saying I’ll be back soon.
For a Sunday there’s not much traffic, so it doesn’t take long to reach Elias’s place. Once inside the elevator I hit the button for the top floor. As the doors open I get a weird feeling something’s wrong. I glance around, there’s a tall guy with something black pulled over his head. Then I notice the door number, it’s Elias’s place.
Running as softly as I can I grab him around the neck, squeeze as hard as I can and at the same time kick him in the back of the legs.
He falls to the floor, I kick him in the groin, he screams with pain.
‘Beth!’
I look up. Elias is staring at me as if I’m from another planet. Then the guy on the ground moves to grab the knife, I give him another kick, quickly push
him over so he’s face down on the ground. ‘Give me your belt Elias, quickly,’ I yell.
My phone starts ringing, it doesn’t stop. I’m holding the guy’s hands behind him, I’ve one knee on his back. ‘Elias! Help me!’
Elias suddenly snaps out of it, runs over and ties the guy’s hands with his belt.
I grab the knife, then answer my phone.
‘Where are you?’ Dev shouts. ‘Helen just called me.’
‘I'm at Elias's place. I just stopped him from being killed.’
I hear a short intake of breath. ‘I’ll be there in ten minutes.’
A gasp from someone watching makes me swing round. The guy wearing the balaclava has broken the belt, Elias is spread-eagled on the ground, the guy’s stumbling towards the stairs.
Through the slits of the balaclava I can see the hatred in his eyes as he stares at me, then he opens the door to the stair-well.
‘Call the police,’ I shout.
A man, probably Elias’s neighbor pulls out his phone.
Elias gets up, hits the elevator button. A second later the doors open, he jumps in followed by his neighbour. Fortunately, there are only five floors in this stylish 1960s building, all have huge balconies, draped with heavy white canopies.
I watch as the doors of another elevator on the same floor open, jump inside and hit the ground floor button.
As the doors open, I’m greeted by the sound of running feet and shouting, Elias and his neighbour are in hot pursuit of the hooded attacker.
A police car suddenly skids to a halt outside the apartments and all hell breaks loose.
The guy looks as if he’s cornered but he’s not giving up, suddenly he leaps onto a balcony and disappears.
There’s such a commotion, windows and doors are opening, residents lean over their balconies to see what’s happening.
I watch as the guy leaps from one balcony to another, he’s obviously in good shape. Is he heading for the top floor?
Jumping in the elevator I hit the button for the penthouse level.
‘There he is,’ shouts someone as I charge out of the elevator.
I turn and see him, he’s right on the edge, preparing to leap to the other block. He must be crazy if he thinks he can make it.
He turns, sees me, sticks his finger up in the air, then goes to jump.
The police suddenly appear and grab him. With much swearing and screaming they wrestle him to the ground, handcuff him and escort him back down the elevator to their car.
Back on the ground floor Elias is gesturing for me to stay away, but I want to see who the hooded attacker is.
The police drag him over to their car.
‘Take off his hood, I want to see who he is,’ I shout, then I point to Elias and add. ‘He tried to kill this man with this knife.’
One of the young police officers runs over and takes the knife from me, the other shrugs and pulls the balaclava from the man's head.
It’s the guy from the casino, the one who was wearing the owlish looking glasses, even without them I’d know it’s him.
He’s just about to say something but the police stop him, shove him in the car and drive off.
I look over at Elias, he’s talking to Dev who just arrived. Both are in deep conversation, Elias is obviously telling him what happened. Dev turns and gives me one of his strange looks.
‘Who was it?’ he shouts.
‘Didn't you see?’ I ask, walking over to them. ‘It was the guy from the casino. He didn't have his glasses on, but I’d know him anywhere.’
We walk to the elevator, press the top floor button, the police follow behind in the other elevator.
After giving statements, we’re told we must report to the central police station later that day or by the following morning.
As soon as they’ve left Elias turns to me. ‘You were amazing Beth, you saved my life.’
I look at him and smile. ‘You’d have done the same for me, wouldn’t you?’
He nods and gives me a hug.
We leave Elias chatting to his neighbour and make our way to the elevator.
‘Where did you learn to fight like that?’ Dev asks, hitting the down button.
‘I told you, I can look after myself.’
He gives me another strange look then we walk to his car.
On the way back I take a quick sideways peek at him, he looks so serious.
He turns and catches me watching him and gives me one of his rare smiles. ‘Where did you learn to fight like that, Beth?’
‘I told you, I took self defence classes.’
27
BETH, HELEN & DAVID
Next Day
On my return from the police station I find David in the hotel foyer.
‘I heard all about last night,’ he says, walking over to me. ‘It's a good job you can look after yourself, how are you?’
I shrug. ‘Okay, I just signed an official statement about it at the police station.’
He looks at me quizzically for a minute. ‘So you’re okay?’
‘Yeah, I’m okay.’
‘Helen brought me up to date on some things, but she hasn't said much about her husband, only that she wants a divorce.’
I nod. ‘Have you finished packing?’
He smiles. ‘I pack very quickly,’ he hesitates, then looks towards the hotel café. ‘Are you hungry?’
‘Yes, but Helen’s still asleep, maybe I should wake her, see if she wants to eat.’
He nods. ‘I called her but she didn’t answer. It’s good if she sleeps, she needs all the rest she can get.’
‘Okay, so let’s just have a coffee for now.’
We sit at the same table we did the other day - he’s ordering our coffees from the waiter - I’m looking at him. It’s hard to tell how old he is, he dresses well, probably Armani, his gray suit fits him like a glove - suddenly I realize he’s asking me what I want.
‘Sorry David, I was miles away - black coffee please - I’ll text Helen to let her know you’re here.’
A few minutes later she texts me back:
I just she woke up, give me twenty minutes to get ready.
Twenty minutes later Helen’s dressed and waiting for us.
‘Let's go to Edem restaurant to eat,’ she says, looking at me. ‘I know Beth likes it there, it’s right on the beach and the food is good.’
‘But it might be a bit cold by the sea, Helen?’
She rolls her eyes and laughs. ‘It’s a lovely day, how can I catch cold?’
David looks at me then at Helen. She links arms with him and laughs. ‘Come on, I’m fine, you’ll love it there.’
‘Where is it?’ David asks.
‘It’s in Faliron,’ I reply, following them into the elevator. ‘It’s the nearest beach resort to Athens.’
We walk to David’s car, he clicks his key fob and we all pile in.
‘I could do with a bit of fresh sea air,’ he says, ‘Is it near the famous Alimou Marina in Kalamaki where the sailboat charters are based?’
‘Yes,’ Helen replies, buckling up her safety belt. She’s in the front with him, I’m in the back.
Soon we’re parking in a side-street not far from the beach. Sliding out of the car I turn to David and start telling him where everything is.
‘The restaurant’s over there on the beach and the tram stop’s over there…’
Helen laughs, and hugs me. ‘You should get an apartment here, then you won’t have an excuse not to come to Athens.’
My phone rings, it’s Dev.
‘Helen, can you grab a table with a sea view and order me something?’
She nods, I answer my phone.
‘We need to talk - urgently!’
‘Why, what's happened?’
‘I can't talk over the phone, where are you?’
‘I'm in Faliron, with Helen and David.’
He doesn’t reply, so I carry on.
‘They’re flying to London tonight, they have to be at the air
port at 6.00 pm, their flight leaves at 8.10 pm’
‘Who is David?’
‘He’s an old friend of Helen’s, it all happened so quickly.’
I can tell he’s surprised because he doesn’t say anything. I stand looking at the sea - although it’s February it feels more like April, people are having a paddle, another is getting ready for a swim. I shiver slightly, the sea won’t be very warm now…
‘I'll be at the airport at 7.00, I'll call you when I'm there.’
I’m just about to tell him not to worry I can take the bus, but he’s gone.
Helen and David are stuffing themselves with calamari and chips when I reach our table. She takes a serviette off a bowl of food and looks at me. ‘Sorry Beth, but this is the only thing that you can eat, there’s not much for vegetarians and vegans, it’s a vegetable risotto.’
‘It looks lovely, thanks Helen.’
We start talking about London, then Helen starts talking about the clothes she’ll need to take with her.
‘Beth, can you go to my house and get me some clothes, I don’t want to see Theo, he’s always been nice to you.’
I raise my eyebrows. She wouldn’t say that if she knew what her Theo did to me, but she doesn’t and I’m not going to tell her. But the thought of going into their house… if he catches me… Then I think of my Glock, it’s still locked away in a chest of drawers in our apartment. Do I have time to get it? I can wait till Alex has gone to work and…
‘Here you are,’ Helen says, breaking into my thoughts. ‘It’s a list of things I need…’ She stops and looks at me. ‘Are you alright is something wrong?’
‘No, I’m fine.’
She gives me a funny look, I can never fool Helen, she knows me to well.
‘I don’t think he’ll be there Beth, if that’s what’s bothering you. If he is, just say you’re picking up some clothes for me. We’ll be in the car outside if you need us.’
What can I say? Shall I tell David? He can come with me but then she’ll be left alone in the car.
The Beth Papadakis Thriller Box Set Page 26