Devil of Delphi: A Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis Mystery (19 page)

Chapter Twenty-three

Andreas had purposely left his police mobile at home while they were out for dinner. No way he’d allow some bureaucrat with a brilliant idea or a politician with a complaint that couldn’t wait until morning to wreck his first night out alone with his family in weeks. Besides, if anyone in his unit had to reach him they knew his personal mobile number.

He forgot to check his police mobile when he got home, distracted first by busying himself putting Tassaki to bed, and later by enjoying himself putting Lila to bed.

He lay next to his wife, breathing deeply.

“Did I wear you out?” said Lila, turning on her side and running the finger nails of one hand down along his bare belly.

“I’ll never tell.”

She pinched his stomach. “You don’t have to.”

“Hey, are you suggesting I’ve gained weight?”

“Nope, just appreciating your love handles.”

“That’s it, no more bread or wine for me.”

“Or chocolate.”

“Hey, let’s not go overboard.”

“No, problem. In fact, I’m touched by your consideration. After all, how many husbands would be willing to share in a wife’s pregnancy by making sure his belly keeps up with hers?”

Andreas frowned. “Okay, no chocolate.”

“But pickles and nonfat yoghurt are okay.”

“Enough, I got the point.” He jumped out of bed headed toward the bathroom, but stopped when he noticed the blinking message light on his police mobile. “Now what?” He picked it up off the top of the dresser and pressed a button to listen to his messages, pacing as he waited for them to play.

“Are you trying to get me worked up again by prancing around the room like a naked Adonis? You’re not fooling me by making me think you’re concentrating on listening to—”

Andreas held up his hand, then sat on Lila’s side of the bed and listened.

“
Andreas, it’s Ted. Okay, Rolex. Call me as soon as you get this message. Doesn’t matter what time and do it from a secure phone. I’ll be waiting for your call.
”

Andreas checked the time of Rolex’s call. Three hours ago. “Dammit. I’ve got to make a call from the phone in the study.”

“One of your girlfriends?”

“No, it’s two in the morning, they’re all asleep by now. They have school tomorrow.”

“Ha, ha, ha.”

He kissed her on her forehead, stood up, and walked toward the door.

“Uh, darling, put something on please, just in case Marietta decides to come home tonight. We wouldn’t want to shock the poor woman.”

“I doubt she’d be shocked.” He reached for his pants. “After all, she’s used to nude statues of Greek gods.”

“Yes. But not of Buddha.”

***

Andreas sat at Lila’s desk in her study and dialed Rolex’s number.

“Hello,” answered a sleepy voice.

“Ted, it’s Andreas. Sorry to call so late but I was out with the family.”

“And you conveniently forgot your official phone. Yep, I’ve done that too.”

“I really didn’t expect you to answer at this hour.”

“No problem. I can’t sleep anyway,” said a yawning voice.

“Is it the reason you called me?” Andreas fiddled with the desk lamp, trying to dim it.

“I’m afraid I have to say yes. We’ve got a
very
serious situation.”

“What’s up?” Andreas leaned back in the chair and looked off through the window behind him toward the lights on Likavitos.

“There’s a heavy-duty player out there offering big money for someone to take out a very important person.”

“Translation please.” Andreas stretched out his arms.

“Bottom line?”

“Yes,” said Andreas, suppressing a yawn.

“It looks like Tank’s father is shopping for an assassin to take out Spiros.”

Andreas bolted forward in the chair. “Our minister, Spiros?”

“Yes.”

“How the hell did you come up with that?”

“The father went to somebody he used many years before for a similar purpose.”

“Are you serious?” said a no longer drowsy Andreas.

“I wish I weren’t,” coughed Rolex. “Do you recall about fifteen years ago a well-known politician was murdered? He’d been crusading against Tank’s father. We all knew who was behind it and even caught the killer, but the killer wouldn’t talk. Instead, he chose a very long prison sentence.”

“I remember the case. But didn’t he get out?”

“Yes, he served only three years before his friends in government arranged for his release. And they repaid him for his service with a license to open a club. Today it’s one of the most successful in Athens.”

Andreas thought to curse the corrupt bastards, but he’d be preaching to the choir in Rolex. “How’d you find out about their happy reunion?”

“The club guy came to see me.”

“You gotta be kidding me.”

“Nope. He’d gotten older and richer. He likes his new life and doesn’t want to revisit his younger years. At least that’s what he said he told Tank’s father. But the old man wouldn’t take no for an answer. Said he’d destroy the guy and his business if he didn’t do what Tank’s father wanted him to do.”

“So Club Guy decided to come to you?”

“He knew me from his other case. Said he could ‘trust me.’”

Andreas rubbed at his forehead. “I see he’s gotten wiser too.”

“Tank’s father made a big mistake in pushing him. He’s lucky the guy didn’t take him out on the spot. He still has that killer instinct, just no longer for hire.”

“What did Club Guy have to say that made you think Spiros is the target?”

“He said Tank’s father is very angry, very tense. He’d never seen him that crazed. The father kept ranting on about someone threatening to destroy his whole family, and how he’d ‘kill the bastard’ before he’d let that happen.”

“Did he name ‘the bastard’?”

“No, just described him as someone arrogant enough to believe he was untouchable because of his position.”

“Untouchable because of his position?” Andreas picked up a pencil and began tapping the eraser end on the desktop.

“That’s what Club Guy said. The father offered no name or title. He told him he didn’t have to know any of that, because the father would arrange for the target to be in a certain place at a certain time and all Club Guy had to do was kill him.”

Andreas shook his head and tapped faster. “Don’t you just love guys who think murder is so simple? How could the father think he’d get a professional to kill someone blindly?”

“Because he offered Club Guy a half-million euros to do it.”

Andreas dropped the pencil. “And he turned it down?”

“Tells you something about how much money clubs make these days.”

“But what makes you think the target’s Spiros? I get it that the arrogance and untouchable allusions fit him, but it’s still a hell of a jump from there to him being the target.”

“We know Tank’s father is going after Spiros big-time in the press for what he did to his son’s business. Now he’s trying to line up a guy he’d used before to kill a politician to take out some anonymous target he’s really pissed at. To me that adds up to Spiros as the likely target.”

“But why not go after me, too?”

Rolex chuckled. “The thought did cross my mind, but you don’t fit the ‘arrogant’ profile. Pain in the ass, yes. Arrogant, no.”

“How nice of you to say, but I still don’t see the percentages in the father going after Spiros. After all, he’s not the big man applying the pressure. That’s the prime minister.”

“Precisely. And that’s what has me worried for Spiros. I think he’s being targeted in order to send a message to the prime minister”

“I don’t follow you.”

“Club Guy said that Tank’s father was obsessed with killing the target, but that he wanted it done in a way that sent a message to the target’s master.”

“Master? You’re saying Tank’s father considers the prime minister to be Spiros’ master.”

“Well, Club Guy didn’t actually use the word
master
. But it describes what he meant.”

“Do you remember his exact words?”

“I figured you’d ask that. Let me check my notes.”

Andreas closed his eyes, not to sleep but to concentrate, as he waited for Rolex to get back on the line.

“What he said was, ‘The old man wants me to take out the target in a way that will get a message back to his teacher.’”

Andreas froze. “Teacher?”

“Yes, he wanted the target killed in a manner that would get ‘back to his teacher.’”

“And you’re absolutely certain he said
teacher?”

“Andreas, I may be tired but I can still read. Yes, ‘teacher.’ It’s not how I’d describe the relationship between Spiros and the prime minister, but considering the father’s obsession with all Spiros has done to his family, it makes sense to me he’s the likely target.”

“Thanks, Rol—I mean Ted. I’ll get right on it.”

“Let me know if you need any more help from me. Good night.”

“Will do. Sleep tight.”

Andreas put down the phone and shook his head
. Even NATO won’t be able to help Tank’s father if he’s nuts enough to go after Teacher.

***

“The Turks better be invading and at my front door for you to be calling at this hour.”

“That we could handle. Apologize to Maggie for me, then shut up and listen.”

He heard Tassos say, “Andreas says he’s sorry. If you care to believe him.”

Andreas spoke quickly. “I just got off the phone with my buddy Rolex from antiterrorism. Looks like Tank’s father is shopping for an assassin and my friend thinks the target is Spiros.”

“Our Spiros? Is the father mad? That makes no sense.”

“Apparently he’s made that sort of thing happen before, but I have to agree with you. I think it’s Kharon he’s after.”

“The one who killed Tank’s sister?”

“Yes. The guy that Tank’s father tried to hire told Rolex that the father’s angry at someone threatening his family, and he wants the target killed to send a message to the target’s ‘teacher.’”

“Damn.”

“I don’t want to even think of the Humpty Dumpty mess we’ll have on our hands if the old man starts a war with Teacher.”

“But why would he want to do that?” said Tassos. “The media hasn’t picked up yet on Tank being as big a crook as any of those he’d put on his list.”

“Who knows what bad blood has passed between them since our raids shut down Tank’s business. Or maybe the father found out Kharon killed his daughter and he simply wants revenge. All that we do know is Tank’s disappeared off the face of the earth. Not a sight, sound, peep or even wink for the TV cameras.”

“Maybe Teacher took out Tank and that’s what this is all about?” said Tassos.

“I think we’d have heard about that. Teacher seems to like those sorts of hits broadcast to the world as examples to others.”

“I wonder if the father realizes whom he’s about to seriously piss off? You’d think his son would tell him, if just to warn him.”

“Tank’s so used to his father bailing him out of jams he probably thinks his father’s invincible. And the old man’s just arrogant enough to believe that he is.”

Tassos snickered. “Or Tank’s too afraid to tell his father how seriously he fucked up this time.”

“Either way, going after Kharon is bad news for Tank’s family and any innocents who happen to be in the general vicinity when the world as we know it comes to an end by Teacher’s hand.”

“You make her sound like a god,” said Tassos.

“I was trying for devil.”

“I see a bit of middle of the night humor. But let me jump to another possibility. What if Spiros really is the target?”

“I told Yianni to get over to the guard booth outside Spiros’ house and alert the two cops stationed there that they and the minister may be targets. He’s also arranging for a couple of blue and whites to stay parked outside the house all night.”

“What about telling Spiros?”

“It would just mess up his head waking him in the middle of the night with this kind of news. I’ll wait until the morning.”

“How’s that going to make what’s happening any easier for him to take?”

“Because by then, dear friend, you and I may have something better to tell him.”

“What’s this ‘you and I’ bullshit?”

“Just get dressed. I’ll pick you up in thirty minutes. And don’t end up looking like a cop unless you want us to get killed.”

“This sounds like a very inviting proposition. Stay in a warm bed with my beloved or race off into the night to indulge a crazy man with a death wish.”

“Thirty minutes.”

“Bye.”

***

Andreas pulled up to the curb in front of Maggie’s apartment building. Not a soul anywhere to be seen. A rarity in the normally bustling Athens middle class neighborhood of Pangrati.

Andreas sat watching the front door of Maggie’s first-floor apartment. He glanced at his watch. It wasn’t like Tassos to be late. Out the corner of one eye he caught a stocky man in a black Greek fisherman’s hat, dark woolen pants, and a blue denim work shirt step out of the shadows at the far end of the building and head toward his car.

“Who the hell are you supposed be?” said Andreas as Tassos opened the passenger side door.

“You said not to look like a cop.”

“Yeah, but we’re not going to a masquerade party. You look like a Russian revolutionary straight out of 1917.”

“Look who’s talking,” said Tassos dropping onto the seat. “You’re dressed like a preppy out of Kolonaki trying to look like a hippie. Jeans, boat shoes, and a Grateful Dead tee shirt. And what’s with this shit box of a beat-up old Atos you’re driving?”

Andreas steered the dark blue Hyundai away from the curb. “I borrowed it from my building’s night-elevator operator.”

“But why?”

“I don’t want to be conspicuous.”

“Where are we headed?”

“Exarchia.”

Tassos slammed his right hand on the top of the dashboard. “Damn. She’s right again.”

“Who’s right?”

“Maggie. I told her what you said and she told me to dress like an old anarchist.”

“Am I that obvious?”

“You and me both. We’re crystal clear to her.”

“How’d she know?”

“She said if you’re looking into something having to do with Teacher and Kharon, the only link you have to them is that taverna owner in Exarchia, Jacobi.”