Target: Tinos (20 page)

“Sorry, Chief. She got away.”

“How the hell did she do that?” said Tassos.

“That’s just what I was wondering. There’s no back door.”

“Ladies, if you’ll excuse us.” Andreas stood. “By the way, if I were you I’d continue keeping myself scarce. At least for the time being.”

Andreas walked into the bar, followed by Tassos and Kouros. He put his hands on Petros’ table and leaned in until he was nose-to-nose with him. “Where did she go?”

“No idea.”

“Yianni, take him outside. Around to the back.”

This time Kouros didn’t ask Petros to move. He grabbed him in a wristlock, twisted hard and dragged him from the table out the door.

Tassos had been watching the main room, just in case someone might get the idea of being a hero. “Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your patience and understanding. On behalf of the management I’m happy to say that all drinks this evening are on the house. Enjoy yourselves.” He left the bar to the sound of clinking bottles and shouts of foreign language equivalents for
yamas
.

Behind the building Kouros had Petros’ face pinned against the bar’s concrete wall.

Andreas leaned in and whispered in Petros’ ear. “Like I said, ‘where did she go?’”

“Fuck you.”

“You threatened to kill my son and now have the balls to say ‘fuck you’ to me?” Andreas drove his right and left fists into Petros’ kidneys.

Above Petros’ scream Andreas said, “You have no friends, no one is going to come out here to help you. It’s just going to be you and me and big pain until you tell me what I want to know.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I never threatened anyone.”

“You threatened me, asshole,” said Kouros bringing Petros’ face off the cement just far enough to bang it back against the wall.

“But you were going after my sister. She’s not right. I had to protect her.”

“If I were you, I’d start worrying about who’s going to protect you from me,” said Andreas.

“Please, I don’t have any idea what you’re talking about. Fine, if you want Meerna’s address I’ll give it to you. Everyone knows it anyway.” He blurted out an address. “But I don’t know where she is now. Honest.”

“Pretty smart,” said Andreas. “Getting her to eavesdrop on your customers. I wouldn’t have picked up on it if she hadn’t taken such time and care in putting down first the bottles and later the glasses. A hell of an improvement in service from the last time we were here. What’s the matter, you don’t speak your customers’ languages, and so you make your sister do your dirty work?”

“She never talks to anyone. Barely to me. I don’t know what she does or doesn’t understand. All she does is listen. It’s her life. She has nothing else but this place and me.”

“What about Trelos? Does your sister talk to him?” said Andreas.

“I don’t like you calling my brother that name. His name is Pandeleis.”

“Just answer my question.”

“He talks even less than she does, and the voices he listens to aren’t even live. It’s whatever comes through his iPod. But they’re my only brother and sister, and with our parents dead, it’s up to me to protect and take care of them. Even though they only say a goddamned word to me when they need something. Welcome to my life.”

Andreas motioned for Kouros to let him loose. “So, why did you stop us from questioning your sister?”

Petros turned around, leaned back against the wall, and rubbed at his left wrist and elbow. “I didn’t know what you wanted her for. All I saw was that look of fear in her eyes, and I had to do something.”

“What look of fear?” said Andreas.

“She hasn’t been right for decades. Tried to kill herself twice. Once by hanging and it screwed up her voice when she does talk. She’s supposed to be on medication but doesn’t always take it. Stress does her in. I try to keep her life simple. Why do you think I operate this shit hole? For sure as hell we don’t need the money. It’s to give her something to do that keeps her worry free. You scared her. That’s not good.”

“What did you do with my card?”

“What card?”

“Are we going to go back to kissing the wall again?” said Andreas.

“No, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Last time I was here I gave my card to the two Polish girls. They left it on the table. I want to know what happened to it.”

Petros smirked. “You believed those two hookers when they said they left the card on the table?”

“They didn’t run away when I tried to talk to them. Or attempt to assault a police officer. So, the answer to your question is ‘yes.’ Now what happened to the card?”

“No, idea. Meerna probably threw it away when she cleared the table.”

“Where can I find your brother?” said Andreas.

“He lives with my sister. It makes things easier for everybody that way.”

Andreas stared at Petros. “Don’t try leaving Tinos without my permission. If you do I’ll put you away for assaulting a police officer. And don’t even think of interfering again with my talking with your sister, or your brother, because if you do…” Andreas patted Petros on the cheek. “I don’t really have to tell you, do I?”

Petros gestured no.

“Do I?”

“No.”

“Good.”

Kouros said, “I just want to know how your sister managed to get out the front door and onto her bike so quickly?”

“She’s only slow in her mind. She shuffles along because that’s how she likes to walk, but when she was younger she came close to winning Greece’s national cycling championship. She still has the legs to move her when she wants to.”

“I have only one question,” said Tassos. “Who’s the Shepherd?”

Petros shrugged. “I know a lot of shepherds and if you’re looking for a lamb for August 15th I can give you a couple of good names, but you better hurry before the
tsigani
make away with all their best ones.”

Andreas rubbed at his forehead. Great, now tell me something I don’t know.

Chapter Twenty-one

The tiny house was about a mile and a half east of the port, across the road from the northeast corner of the
Vriokastro
prehistoric settlement, and a few hundred yards from the sea
.
The closest building to the house was a church a hundred yards to the north. It was after three in the morning when a van with its lights out stopped fifty yards up the road from the house.

“Remember, be careful and expect anything,” said Andreas.

The three cops got out of the van, spread out, and carefully made their way up to the house. Kouros went around to the back, Tassos and Andreas waited until he was out of sight before moving up to the front door. One stood on each side of the door, guns drawn.

Andreas nodded and Tassos banged his fist on the door. “
Open up, police.
” Both cops pressed their backs against the wall and waited.

Nothing.

Tassos banged his fist on the door again, and repeated the order.

Still no reply.

Tassos was banging away at the door for a third time when he heard a voice, “Hold your horses,” and the sound of an opening lock.

“It’s Yianni,” said Andreas.

The door opened and Kouros waved them in. “I could see through the side and rear windows that no one was inside, and when I found an open one I thought I’d spare us the trouble of breaking down the door.”

It took less than a minute for them to check out every room. The place was even smaller than it appeared from the outside. Two tiny bedrooms, a bathroom, and one large living room open to the kitchen.

“I thought this family had money,” said Kouros. “It looks like the sort of place rich people give their housekeepers to live in.”

There was a fireplace in one corner and photographs on the mantle above it. Andreas pointed at a photo. “That’s Petros with what looks to be his sister. My guess is the one with them is the other brother.”

“Well, at least we know they live here,” said Tassos.

“If you call this living,” said Kouros.

“I can understand why Trelos spends so much time walking the island if this is what he gets to call home,” said Tassos.

“Any ideas on where they might have gone?” said Andreas.

“Not a clue,” said Kouros.

“My guess is the sister ran to whomever she passes along the information she picks up in the bar,” said Tassos.

“That means if we find her we just might find our shepherd,” said Andreas.

“But where’s the brother who lives with her?” said Kouros.

“Who knows?” said Tassos. “Probably out wandering the island. Neither bed looks slept in. I’ll get the local cops to cover the house and grab him when he comes back,” said Tassos.

“While you’re at it, ask them to keep an eye on Petros. He’s not convinced me he’s clean, just that we don’t have enough yet to hold him. He’ll probably try to connect with his sister. Better have them watch the Polish girls, too, but tell them to make it obvious. Even if they complain it puts a crimp in their business. We want to discourage anyone who might be thinking of getting rid of them.”

Tassos said, “Odysseus is still on that holiday Spiros ordered him to take, and the lieutenant covering for him is a real pencil pusher. I can almost hear him bitching about how our crisis-mandated cutbacks mean we’re asking him to tie up half the Tinos police force on a case he must know the minister wants closed.”

Andreas shrugged. “Once you point out the potential downside implications to his career if the robbery of the century takes place in his backyard, under his nose, on his watch I’m sure he’ll find us the people.”

“You have such a high opinion of our brethren,” said Tassos.

“Only most of them.” Andreas yawned. “Time to get some sleep. Tomorrow we’ve a lot of hunting to do.”

“For what?” said Kouros.

“Answers.”

***

First thing the next morning Tassos and Andreas stopped by Eleni’s office while Kouros went off to make sure the local police were providing the requested surveillance.

“I certainly hope you’re here with good news, uncle. August 15th is the day after tomorrow and if you still think something might happen to the
Megalochari
I’m very uncomfortable at keeping that from my boss.”

“Don’t tell him yet. We think we’re on to someone who may have the answers we’re looking for,” said Andreas.

“Who’s that?”

“Meerna, the sister of Petros and Trelos.”

“You must be joking.” Eleni paused. “If you’re not, I think you’re both crazy. I’m not even sure she can talk. I’ve never heard her say a word in all the years I’ve known her.”

“Have you ever tried to speak with her?” said Tassos.

“Yes, many times when I was an administrator at the Foundation’s old age home. She was a volunteer there and whenever I tried she simply shuffled away.”

“What in the world did she do there?”

“Whatever the doctors and staff told her to do. They loved her because she had an uncanny ability to anticipate what needed to be done without being asked.”

“All without her saying a word?” said Andreas.

“That was regarded as a plus. Like I said, she just did as she was told.” Eleni smiled. “A rare quality among Greeks.”

“Does she still volunteer there?”

“Not that I know of.”

“What else do you know about her?”

“Aside from that tragic love affair I mentioned to you once before, I heard she was a terrific athlete in her youth.”

“We heard the same thing. Almost a national cycling champion,” said Tassos.

“She just missed making Greece’s Olympic team,” said Eleni.

“For cycling?” said Andreas.

“No, the pentathlon.”

“Amazing,” said Tassos. “Seeing her now it’s hard to imagine what she once was.”

“Her brother even more so, but his skill set was pure gray matter,” said Eleni.

“Petros?” said Tassos.

“No, Trelos. It’s said he was the smartest kid of his generation on Tinos. A certified genius.”

“What happened to him?” said Andreas.

“The same thing that happens to a lot of kids who can’t find stimulation in school, they find it elsewhere. He ended up hooked on heroin. His parents tried everything they could to help him. Even had him physically dragged off the island to some special clinic in Switzerland. Rumor was they did something to his brain there. When he came back he was never the same. He spent all his time with his music and computers. And after his parents died he never talked to anyone again. He just started dancing around the island and hasn’t stopped.”

“How did his parents die?” said Tassos.

“In a car accident on the road between here and Pyrgos. They were driving back late at night when their car went off the road and over a cliff. The police said the father apparently fell asleep at the wheel. A real tragedy.”

“How come you know so much about the accident?” said Andreas.

“It was big news on Tinos. The family was quite prominent, descendants of one of our island’s most celebrated heroes of the War of Independence, and zealously dedicated to preserving Tinos traditional life. They also were among the richest Tinian families and left a considerable donation to the
Megalochari
.”

“You mean the Foundation, don’t you?” said Andreas.

“Yes.”

“How considerable?”

“I really can’t say.”

“Can’t or won’t?”

“It was one of the largest bequests ever received from a Tinian family.”

“Seven, eight, nine figures?”

“I’ve said all I’m going to say on that subject.” Her tone was sharp.

Tassos stood up. “Thanks,
kukla
. I don’t think we have any more questions, do we Andreas?”

Andreas looked at Tassos and smiled. “I guess that’s your uncle’s way of saying I’m pushing you too hard again. Sorry. But I do have one last question. Do you have any idea where we might find Trelos?”

“He always walks the road his parents died on. If you follow that road sooner or later you’ll find Trelos.”

Andreas stood up. “Thanks. Anything else we should know about him?”

“Yes, I understand he’s really quite harmless.”

***

They found a place to park on the right side of the road up against a hillside just before a hairpin turn to the right. On the left was a brilliant view of the sea, a guardrail, and a sheer drop of several hundred feet. It was impossible to see around the bend at what might be coming from the direction of Pyrgos, but this was the only spot within three hundred yards of the curve that allowed them to park off the road.

“According to the police report, they were coming in the other direction and went over the cliff right there.” Kouros pointed from the back seat of the police cruiser straight ahead between Andreas and Tassos. “There was no guardrail then.”

“Did you find anyone at the station who knew anything more about the accident than was in the report?” said Andreas.

“By the time you called and asked me to get the report the only two who might have known anything more were out doing our surveillance. I left word for them to call me when their shifts were over.”

“What makes you think they might know something?” said Tassos.

“The accident happened about a dozen years ago, and those two are the only ones still on the force who were here at the time.”

Andreas started drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. “You know, your niece is right. If we had to say out loud what makes us think Trelos and his sister have anything to do with whatever is going on here, we’d be giving Spiros grounds for certifying us as crazy.”

“Speaking of crazy, Chief, look who’s coming down the road.”

Dancing toward them in the oncoming lane, wearing a black tee shirt, black running shorts, a black waist pack, and black tennis shoes, was Trelos. He seemed oblivious to everything but what was coming through the earphones from the white iPod in his right hand. He did a pirouette-like move at the edge of the road closest to the cliff before backing across the road toward the hillside in a style that would make Michael Jackson fans proud. He seemed to catch a rhythm that had him strutting up to the police car. He stopped in front and spun around twice, almost like an ant searching for a way around an unexpected obstacle in its path.

Andreas opened his door. “This should be interesting.”