‘Yes, and no,’ I mumble, not wanting to go into detail. ‘Elias, I need to know what's happening, I was with Dev and it was going okay, then you called him. Where did he go? What’s happening?’
‘I can't tell you Beth, I am sworn to secrecy. I already said too much and Dev made me promise.’
As much as I try to get it out of him, he refuses to budge and says he’ll call me tomorrow. I sit thinking about the past few hours and I know, something’s very wrong, he’s told me a lot, but he hasn’t told me why he’s here in London. Then I remember the letter, the letter I found with the name Fivos Demoulakis written on it which I’d circled in red. I forgot to tell Dev.
Grabbing my phone, I give him a call, it goes to voicemail, so I send him a text.
Dev, I forgot to tell you something, it’s probably just a coincidence but I think you should know. It’s about the guy who was killed with James. This afternoon, I found an old letter from my ex and written on the envelope was a phone number, and next to it was the name Fivos Demoulakis. I now remember why I wrote it. Last year my ex called me and asked if I had the number of a friend of his. He said I also knew him and that they were in the same year at university in Athens. Anyway, there are lots of people with the same name, it’s probably not important. Thanks for dinner. Take care. Beth
After reading it through I quickly delete the last two words and instead end with just Beth, then I press SEND.
It’s still early and my mind’s buzzing so I decide to phone my ex and see what he has to say about Fivos.
‘Beth, I can’t believe it’s you,’ he exclaims, sounding really surprised. ‘How are you? And how is our son Jamie?’
‘Jamie's fine, and so am I - I’m sorry to call so late, but I wanted to ask you something.’
I hear him laugh at the other end. ‘I thought it was too good to be true, how can I help?’
I take a deep breath, I have to ask, don’t I? ‘Alex, the last time we spoke, you asked if I had the number of a friend of yours called Fivos.’
I must have surprised him as there’s a big pause at the other end of the phone, I quickly add. ‘You said he was a friend of ours and at the time I didn’t remember who he was.’
‘I don't know who you’re talking about,’ he replies, quickly, ‘but I'm coming to London, tomorrow on business. I'll give you a call, we can meet at my hotel and talk about it then if you like?’
Now it’s my turn to be surprised. We hardly ever speak, just when we have to. ‘Okay, call me tomorrow when you get here, we’ll arrange something.’
I sit thinking about Alex, then I think of Limonides. I wonder if Alex is still his lawyer? I shudder remembering things I want to forget. I’ll meet Alex for a drink tomorrow, ask him about this guy Fivos and that will be the end of it.
32
BETH
London
I just finished discussing my article on Greece with my editor at their offices in High Holborn. She wants me to make changes I’m not happy about but what can I do? I didn’t have time for breakfast so I’m walking in the direction of Covent Garden, I’ll get a jacket potato, or some falafel, then go home.
On my way I check my phone for messages, I have two - one from Alex and another from Dev. Alex says he’ll be at the Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington, around 7.30. He’s only here for a day or two so wants to see Jamie. Mum won’t be happy, not after what happened in Athens.
I read on with a sinking heart. He says he’s going to call Jamie and may visit him in Oxford. Shit, that’s done it, now what am I going to do?
I listen to Dev’s message, he wants to see me, but much later - 8.30 at his hotel. If I get a move on, I should be able to see them both. Dev’s phone is busy, so I send him a text confirming I’ll be at his hotel tonight at 8.30.
After grabbing a pitta stuffed with falafel, I take the Tube home. The traffic in London is bad at most times, but at this time of the day it’s even worse.
Back at home I shower then slip on a black pair of trousers, a dark gray evening style jumper, black boots and my warm black hooded coat. A spray of my favourite perfume, then I’m off.
It’s 7.00 pm in the evening and pitch-black outside, it’s also very cold. I try hailing a passing cab but it’s full, they’re all full, I should’ve booked one earlier, too late now. Shit I’m going to be late. Shall I phone for an Uber or walk up Queensway to the Bayswater Road.
I start walking and a vacant cab miraculously appears.
Everything’s great until we reach Notting Hill then we hit traffic. Kensington Church Street is usually choc a bloc with traffic but tonight it’s particularly bad.
‘Driver, can you stop? I’ll walk from here.’
It’s late when I arrive at the hotel, my face is red from the cold, and I’m out of breath. I walk over to the bar, Alex is already there, he turns and sees me.
‘Beth,’ he calls, beckoning me over. ‘You’re late.’
He looks good – in fact just the same as usual. He pulls out the stool next to him. ‘How was your trip to Athens?’ he asks, in his usual laid-back way.
‘Fine,’ I reply, looking at him closely. It feels very strange being here with him. I haven’t seen him since I left Athens.
I take off my coat and we sit for a while in silence. The last time we saw each other things were very bad, I’m sure he had something to do with that awful man Limonides, but I could never prove it.
He calls the barman over. ‘What would you like to drink Beth, your usual?’
‘Yes.’
‘Sauvignon blanc and another whisky for me,’ he says.
The barman nods.
Alex turns to me, a serious look on his face. ‘How is Helen?’
I shrug. ‘She’s okay?’ I can tell by his face he knows about her car crash, but I don’t mention it. I wonder if he also knows about James. I’m just about to ask when he starts talking about our son Jamie and how much he’s looking forward to seeing him. I’m trying hard to think of something to put him off when he changes the subject and starts talking about some of the cases he’s working on.
‘Sorry,’ he suddenly exclaims, giving me an apologetic look. ‘Here I am rambling on about work and you must be hungry. We can eat in the restaurant or in here if you like?’
‘I’m not hungry,’ I murmur, ‘but don’t let me stop you ordering.’
‘No, it's too early for me. I just thought you might be hungry. By the way, I remember the guy you were talking about. I’d lost his phone number.’
The barman places my wine in front of me I take a couple of big gulps.
‘Don't you remember him? He studied law with me. We met him a couple of times at the university re-unions.’
‘That was a long time ago Alex.’ I glance at my phone, it’s nearly 8.30.
‘Someone told me he'd been involved in a shooting in Athens,’ Alex suddenly says, raising his hand to get the barman’s attention.
I stare at him in astonishment, then glance at my phone. Shit. I’m going to be late.
I stand up to go. ‘I’m sorry Alex, but I’ve got to be somewhere, I didn’t realize how late it was.’
‘Why so sudden?’ he exclaims, then raises an eyebrow in mock surprise. ‘The next time you're in Athens you must come to our apartment.’
I don’t say anything, he carries on.
‘And bring our son Jamie.’
I nod.
I leave him ordering a steak sandwich. It’s late, shall I call Dev?
A taxi pulls up outside the hotel, I run to get it. ‘Venus Hotel in Park Lane, quickly please.’
I feel someone hovering behind me so get inside before they grab it. The taxi driver smiles, switches his yellow light off and drives to Park Lane.
33
BETH & DEV
Venus Hotel, Park Lane
London
Dev’s in the bar, he looks up and seems relieved to see me. ‘How was your day?’ he asks, pulling out a chair for me.
‘Don’t ask. I had to
see my editor.’
‘How’s the job?’
I shrug. ‘If I could find something better I’d leave.’
We sit talking about my job, but I’m desperate to know what happened last night, and he knows it.
‘Dev, what happened last night?’
He shakes his head and frowns. ‘Later Beth.’
He picks up a menu and looks at me. ‘Are you hungry?’
‘No.’
He smiles. ‘Have something small to keep me company.’ He hands me a menu and starts looking at his.
I glance quickly through the starters, they look good. ‘Okay, I’ll have the Mediterranean starter - cous-cous with feta, olives and peppers.’
‘What to drink, red or white?’
‘It’s cold outside so a Pinot Noir would be nice.’
‘So that’s why you drink Sauvignon Blanc in Athens?’
I shrug. ‘Yes, and no, it really depends on how I feel and tonight I feel like something with a bit of depth to it.’
He orders my starter, steak and chips for him and a bottle of Pinot Noir. It’s strange how relaxed I feel. I wish he was always like this. It’s a long time since I got on so well with someone, if only he would stay like this.
‘Did you know that you're being followed?’ he asks, sipping his wine.
I’m not really surprised. I had a strange feeling about the guy behind me at the hotel when I was getting into the taxi just now.
‘Do you have them following me in London?’
He nods to the waiter to put the bill on his account.
‘Let's finish this, then we can go to my room, we need to talk.’
At last, now I’ll find out about last night.
He looks serious but says nothing as we take the elevator to his floor. As we walk along the corridor, he leans towards me and quietly says, ‘You're being followed by us, but there are other people also following you.’
Opening the door to his room, he gestures for me to sit down. ‘We know where you've been. This evening you went to the Royal Garden Hotel, then you were followed back here.’
I walk over to the French windows and gaze at the lights of London. ‘So, who else is following me, do you know?’
‘That's what we're trying to find out. Now you must be very careful, don't go anywhere alone.’
I turn and look at him. ‘So, you’re giving me a bodyguard?’ I say, raising an eyebrow in mock surprise.
He shrugs. ‘I told you not to get involved.’
I knew it wouldn’t last, he’s suddenly reverted to the old Dev.
‘Did you get the text I sent you?’ I ask.
‘Yes, but you didn't say you were going to see your ex husband.’
‘Why should I?’
He walks over to the small fridge and gestures for me to sit down. ‘So, how is he?’ he asks, studying the drinks in the fridge.
‘He’s okay,’ I reply, opening the door to the balcony and breathing in the cold air.
‘And?’
I shrug. ‘We talked about Athens, he asked after Helen.’
He rubs his forehead, then locks eyes with me. ‘You said you might know the person who was killed, with James?’
‘Yes,’ I step back into the room. ‘The other night I called Alex to find out if he remembered asking me about one of his friends the last time he was in London.’
‘What did he say?’
‘At the time he said he didn’t remember, but when I saw him tonight, he said he did. They were at university together and studied law, he was trying to contact him, that’s why he called me. He said we used to see him at the student reunions.’
Dev’s got his mask like face back, and he’s watching me intently.
I turn to look out of the window to avoid his eyes.
‘And?’ he asks, impatiently.
‘When I saw him tonight, he said he’d heard he was involved in a shooting incident, in Athens.’ I wait for him to say something, but he says nothing, so I turn and look at him.
He’s standing staring at me, his lips are clenched, his eyes an icy shade of blue. ‘Beth, nobody knows the identity of the man except forensics, Elias and me.’
My mouth’s dry, I swallow. He’s right, how does Alex know?
‘How did you know Fivos Demoulakis was his name?’ he demands, in a harsh voice. ‘You said you found something with Alex's phone number and the name Fivos written underneath in your handwriting.’
I nod, irritated by his manner.
‘So how did you know this was the name of the man who was killed with James?’
‘I told you,’ I reply, angrily, knowing full well I’m in trouble. I don’t want to involve Elias so garble the first thing that comes into my head. ‘Alex called me last year and asked if I had this guy’s number, I said I didn’t but just in case I remembered I wrote Alex’s number and the name of his friend on one of his old envelopes.’ I roll my eyes and shrug. ‘I said I’d call him if I found it - it’s just a coincidence that it’s the same name as…’
He raises an eyebrow, I can tell he’s angry. ‘All you’ve told me is that Fivos’s name was on an old envelope, in your writing,’ he snaps. ‘But only forensics, Elias and I know the name of the man who was killed with James.’
Trying to appear as relaxed as possible, which I’m not, I sit down, cross my legs and take a sip of wine. ‘Well if you must know, I asked Elias,’ I reply, not looking at him. ‘It was only because I kept pressing him to tell me. He said he shouldn't, but I insisted...’
‘And why did you do that?’ he asks, through clenched teeth. He comes over and peers into my face, forcing me to look at him.
I shrug and carry on drinking my wine, ignoring him.
He walks away, then turns around. ‘Beth, I want to know how your ex knows Fivos was involved in the shooting, simple as that, do you know?’
I nearly choke on a mouthful of wine, but he just carries on talking.
‘When we received the report from forensics and knew his identity, we checked Fivos Demoulakis out. Where he studied, where he worked, who his friends were etc., etc., and guess what? One of his friends was Alex, and Alex is very political, did you know that?’
He sits down opposite me and watches me intently.
I shrug and sip my wine. ‘He was always political,’ I reply, trying to appear casual. ‘Most Greeks are.’
Dev stares at me. ‘Over the past few years, Alex's political affiliation has changed, did you know?’
‘How would I? I rarely speak to him, tonight was the first time I’ve seen him since I left Athens last year.’
He walks onto the balcony, takes out his phone and speaks quietly to Elias.
My phone rings. I stare at it, willing it to stop. It does but then it rings again, I ignore it. Dev comes running in, looks at my phone and sees Alex’s name.
With his finger to his lips he gestures for me to answer.
‘Hi Beth, I’m going to Oxford tomorrow. Would you like to come? We can see your mother and Jamie – what do you think?’
‘No, I can't,’ I mumble. ‘Sorry, but I’m very busy.’
‘Okay, maybe next time. I'll say hello for you.’
Great! That’s all I need. I must let Jamie and Mum know. Putting down my phone, I turn and glare at Dev.
He shakes his head and shrugs. ‘We only heard back from forensics yesterday, so you tell me. How does Alex know about Fivos?’
I sit staring at him. ‘You don’t really think Alex had something to do with James’s murder, do you?’
He shrugs and for a moment looks very tired. ‘We have to take him in for questioning, don’t we?’ He walks over to the balcony, speaks quietly in his phone then walks over to me. ‘They've gone to pick him up at his hotel.’
I feel myself stiffen. I can’t believe he just said that.
‘We already picked up the guy who was following you,’ he adds, watching me. ‘I'll call Helen, you can stay with her tonight.’
I stand glaring at him. ‘
Why call Helen? I’m not staying here. I know Alex isn’t a saint but he’s not a murderer.’
He doesn’t say anything, just picks up his phone and calls Helen.
Then he comes over to me, puts his hand on arm and quietly says. ‘This is for the best, Beth.’
I shake his hand off of me. ‘Just because Alex knows about it, doesn't mean he had anything to do with it, and...’ I stop and take a deep breath. ‘And I’m not staying here, I’m going home.’
He gives me a gentle shake. ‘You must stay here. Surely you understand.’
I ignore him, my throat’s dry, I look around for my wine.
‘We have to take him in for questioning. We have to find out if he’s involved, don’t you want to know?’
I don’t say anything.
He tries again. ‘Beth, if he’s innocent, he has nothing to worry about.’ He picks up my coat. ‘I’m taking you to Helen’s. There’s a spare room where you can try to sleep, I'll call you in the morning.’
‘No,’ I hiss, glaring at him. ‘I’m going home.’
‘Why are you making this so damn difficult,’ he snaps. ‘I’m only thinking of you?’
Eventually he talks me into staying at the hotel, he says he won’t have to worry about me being alone in my apartment, and as he’s staying at the hotel, it makes sense if I’m here also.
Helen opens the door to their suite, we go inside then Dev’s phone rings, it’s Elias. He turns and talks quietly to him, then he looks at me.
‘I’m going, okay?’
‘Call me, I want to know if...’
He nods and walks back to the elevator, still talking to Elias.
34
BETH
Venus Hotel, Park Lane
London
As soon as I open my eyes, the previous night’s events come flooding back to me, I’m at the Venus hotel in Park Lane.
My feet sink into the thick pile of the hotel carpet as I slide out of bed. It’s so quiet, is everyone asleep?
I slowly pad into the kitchen and see Helen drinking coffee. She looks up and pulls out a chair.
The Beth Papadakis Thriller Box Set Page 29