Sons of Sparta: A Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis Mystery (18 page)

“You think the Ukrainian had him murdered?”

“Who else had a motive?”

This was not the time to trot out a list of other possible suspects for her and her brothers. “That’s what I’m trying to find out. Any ideas?”

“Only the Ukrainian.”

“But why? He had a deal with your father. Why kill the person giving you what you wanted?”

“I don’t want to talk about this anymore. It depresses me. And I have cooking to do.” She looked at Kouros’ face. “Where are you staying?”

Kouros fought back a blush. “Not sure yet.”

Calliope smiled. “Be careful. I have no ill will toward her. But the men attracted to her have not done well.”

“What makes you think—?”

She raised her hand to cut Kouros off. “Cousin, please. If there’s one thing you should know by now it’s that there are no secrets in the deep Mani.”

Kouros picked up his coffee, finished it, and put down the cup. “I’ll remember that.”

***

Kouros stopped by the edge of the road just over the crest of the hill beyond Vathia. He wondered how many more Romeo and Juliet-style secrets lay hidden in his family tree. The classic Greek version cast his doomed Great-aunt Calliope and her lover in the title roles. Next came the Uncle-Stella-Babis love-triangle production. And now he’d discovered the unrequited love version, starring cousin Calliope and her wacky, ex-boyfriend priest, Carlos. Not lucky in love, his family.

Kouros knew the pressures all too well. His mother had drummed them into his head since puberty. “You will marry a Greek girl. A good Greek girl.” When he turned twenty-five she backed off her requirement that his choice be from the Mani.

It was almost enough to have him reconsider Stella’s offer to spend the night with her. Almost.

He reached for his mobile and hit a speed dial button.

“Kaldis here.”

“Things are getting interesting, Chief. Make that painfully so.”

“Sounds like a Chinese proverb. What do you have?”

“It turns out that priest I told you about on my way over to see my cousin Calliope wanted to marry her when they were young.”

“She told you that?”

“Not directly, but that’s the way it was.”

“What happened?”

“His family forbade it.”

“Did your uncle?”

“Doesn’t sound as if he did.”

“If he had, that would give the priest a terrific motive for revenge against your uncle.”

“My cousin said there’s not a chance he’d harm her father. If his mother had been the victim, then I’d say we definitely had a suspect.”

“Where do we go from here?”

“That’s what I planned on asking you. My cousin thinks the Ukrainian is behind her father’s murder, but she didn’t come up with a reason. I didn’t want to mention the Pirgos angle and get her agitating for a war against them, too.”

“I’m still waiting to hear back from Tassos on what he’s able to dig up from his arms dealer friend on the Pirgos boys who paid Stella a visit.

“So, what should I do now?”

“Just sit tight where you are until we see what Tassos turns up. Hope that doesn’t wreck your plans on getting back to Athens.”

Kouros glanced in the direction of the taverna. “No problem, Chief. It will give me time to brush up on my Shakespeare.”

Chapter Nineteen

“Strip, it’s Tassos. I hope I’m not disturbing you.”

“As if you actually care. Give me your number—a land line—and I’ll call you back in two minutes.”

Tassos gave him the number and hung up. He knew Strip would be returning the call from a secure phone. No way Strip would ever trust a serious conversation to Greece’s mobile phone system. Tassos couldn’t fault him. Caution had kept Strip breathing all these years and never prosecuted for so much as jaywalking—so long as you didn’t count the many courtrooms he’d seen for speeding tickets.

Tassos picked up the phone in Maggie’s apartment on the first ring. “Thanks for calling back.”

“I figured it was better than you showing up in the middle of Dimitri’s granddaughter’s wedding and asking me to dance.”

“Whoops, I forgot about that, sorry.”

“No problem. I’ve been to one of hers before.”

Tassos laughed.

“And with the new
malaka
she’s picked for a husband, I’m betting I’ll be invited to another sooner rather than later. Why do they always go for the show and never the substance?”

“In my youth I tried selling that line to a lot of girls. It never worked with them either.”

Strip laughed. “So, what sort of questions do you have for me to duck this time?”

“I always appreciated your honesty, Strip, but I don’t think what I’m interested in is going to be a problem for you. I don’t care about the Ukrainian. It’s his competitors I want to know about.”

“The ones from the Peloponnese?”

“Yes. What can you tell me about them?”

“That’s a pretty broad question covering a lot of possible people. Anyone specific in mind?”

“All I have is some silly description of three hard-ass types.”

“Silly’s better than nothing. Shoot.”

“A bear, a mole, and a skunk.”

“What’s this, some kind of ‘pull poor old Strip’s leg’ bullshit?”

“Just tell me if you can think of anyone tied into arms smuggling on the Peloponnese who might be described as a bear, a mole, or a skunk.”

“Damn you, Tassos, if this is a gag…hmmm. What do you mean by a ‘skunk’?”

“A white shock of hair right down the middle of his head.”

“Son of a bitch. You’re talking about Niko. A bear and a mole I don’t know.”

“So tell me about Niko.”

“He’s one of five brothers. Niko’s the only one I know. The others aren’t in the arms business. It’s a small-time operation, but he’s a smart, careful, hard-ass son of a bitch who knows how to do deals that make him a pretty good living without attracting a lot of attention.”

“What’s a pretty good living?”

“Around a million a year, after expenses.”

Tassos cleared his throat. “What about Niko’s brothers, aren’t they jealous?”

“Could be, but it’s not their area of expertise, they’re into agriculture.”

“What sort of agriculture?”

“All kinds. Legit and otherwise. Though I hear they stopped growing the sort of stuff that led to their father serving time and dying in prison.”

“What’s Niko’s last name?”

Tassos listened to the name. “Would Niko happen to be from Pirgos?”

“Yep, that’s right. But his operation’s based out of Kalamata.”

Tassos shut his eyes and stroked his lids with the thumb and index finger of his left hand.

“Does the silence mean you’re through with me or is there something else you’d like to know?”

“Yeah, how can I make a million a year?”

“Why are you asking me? You’re a Greek cop. I should be asking you.”

“
Malaka
.”

“Love you too, Tassos. Bye.”

Tassos put down the phone. He picked up a glass of water, took a sip, and put it down. He picked up the phone and dialed.

“Hello, my love. Is your daytime boss available?”

“I hope you’re not implying I have a nighttime boss,” said Maggie.

“The thought would never dare cross my mind. But we can talk about it when you get home.”

“Hold on.”

A few seconds later Tassos heard Andreas say, “What did you find out?”

“It seems our skunk is reeking with one hell of a motive for revenge against both Yianni’s uncle and Babis.”

“Meaning?”

“His name is Niko, and his father was the guy set up by Babis to take the fall planned by the uncle.”

“But that was years ago. Why go after the uncle and Babis now?”

“The only one alive likely to know that answer is Niko. And I doubt he’s going to tell us.”

“Maybe the girl knows something?” said Andreas.

“For her sake I hope no one else thinks that way. This guy Niko sounds like the type that doesn’t like loose ends. But, yeah, I agree Yianni should talk to her. At least to warn her.”

“I’ll talk to him about it in the morning. He sounded exhausted. Good thing she seems the type who can take care of herself.”

“Just like my Maggie.”

“Why do I sense you want me to tell her you said that?”

“No need to, she’s probably listening in on the line.”

Click.

***

The room was hot, the cot uncomfortable, the woman beneath him. They’d been at it for hours. She’d cooked dinner, they’d eaten quickly, made love, drunk wine, made love, drunk more wine, made love.

“I’m too hot,” Stella said when Kouros paused to adjust his position on the cot.

He pushed himself up and off the cot and opened the tiny window facing the road. “Is that better?”

Stella gestured no and stood up, holding out her hand to him. “Come.”

She led him from the storeroom, though the kitchen and small dining room, down into the large room, and over to the windows looking out upon the water. Two nudes covered in silver moonlight, surrounded by the sounds of the sea. Kouros kissed the nape of her neck and she turned to him. He slid his hands down her back and pulled her close. But she stepped back and he moved with her.

Her bottom brushed against a tabletop and she lay back upon it lifting her legs onto his shoulders. He leaned into her. She reached out and gripped the edge of the table with her fingers as his arms clasped her legs to his chest and his body rocked in and out.

The grunts and moans of their lovemaking filled the room.

Until the
EXPLOSION
.

Closely followed by the crash of glass bottles shattering on stone floors and an orange glow flickering into the room.

Kouros scooped Stella off the table and ran with her to the doorway. He peeked around the corner. The glow came from beyond the small dining room and past the kitchen; from a fire burning in the storeroom they’d just left.

Kouros put her down just inside the doorway. “Stay here and don’t move until I wave for you,” he whispered.

Barefoot and naked, Kouros crept toward the kitchen listening for any human sound. He pulled a fire extinguisher off the kitchen wall and made his way to the open storeroom. What remained of the cot and anything else that could burn was in flames. He stepped back and waved for Stella to come.

He handed her the extinguisher and whispered. “When I point to you, pull the pin, aim the nozzle at the base of the flames, and squeeze the handle.” He patted her on her butt. “Then stay out of the way.”

Kouros undid the lock to the outside kitchen door and pointed at Stella.

The swoosh of the extinguisher swept away the sound of the flames almost as quickly as its contents did the fire.

Kouros heard a pair of feet running toward the kitchen door. He braced himself as the door swung in and a giant of a man wearing a ballistic vest and carrying an AK-47 came storming down the steps into the kitchen. A hard palm thrust to the man’s right ear jerked his head back, distracting him long enough for Kouros to strip the weapon out of his hands and drive its butt up under his chin, sending him reeling back against the open door. He stumbled off the door, aiming a wild kick at Kouros’ genitals, but Kouros pivoted away and took out the man’s knee with a sweeping kick that sent him crumbling to the floor. Before he could move, Kouros had the muzzle of the gun planted firmly against the downed man’s right eye.

“Move and you die.”

The man froze.

“Who’s with you?”

“Nobody.”

“I see this is set for full automatic. If I just squeeze a little harder—”

“No, no. He gone.” The man spoke rapidly, in badly broken Greek. “He ran when he saw flames go out. He told me to come back.”

“And do what?” Kouros pressed the muzzle harder against the man’s eye.

“See if she still alive.”

“Stella, turn on a light and come here.”

She walked over, flicked on a light switch, and stood above the man.

Even with a gun pressed against one eye, the man struggled to see Stella’s naked body.

“Do you recognize him?”

“He’s one of the three who came to see me. The bear.”

“Where are the mole and the skunk?” said Kouros.

“I not understand.”

Kouros kicked an ammo clip on the bear’s vest. “Ahh. Ukrainian. What were you trying to do here? Perhaps, make it seem like a certain somebody else did in the lady who slept in that room you just torched? How about the bottle you used for your little Molotov cocktail? I bet it traces back to the Ukraine, too.”

The bear’s eyes kept darting between the gun and Stella’s body.

“Stella, find something to put on so that I can get our guest to concentrate on what’s about to happen to his miserable life.”

She opened a cabinet, pulled out a tablecloth, and wrapped herself in it.

Kouros leaned in over the bear, pressing on the gun butt as he did. “I’m really hoping you’ll try something crazy right about now. It will help make up for all the bullshit paperwork and explanations I’m going have to give my boss and cousins over this.”

He pulled the gun muzzle off the bear’s eye. “So, like I said, where are your buddies, the two who helped
you
set Babis up to kill my uncle and then got Babis to kill himself?”

“I not murder your uncle.”

“Convince me.”

Silence.

“Would you like me to get my cousin Mangas in here to ask the questions?”

The bear gestured no. “Only Niko part of your uncle’s murder.”

“The one with the white streak in his hair?”

“Yes, Urich and I not know anything until after your uncle dead.”

Urich must be the one with the mole
. “Urich doesn’t seem the muscle type.”

“He not muscle. He pain. He make big pain. Babis know Urich. That why Niko brought him with us when we go see Babis.”

“The three of you found Babis fishing?”

“Yes. Babis not hard to find.”

“And you gave him the choice of suicide or Urich?”

The bear nodded. “Babis to make it look like vendetta killing, so if heart attack and car accident not believed, your cousins think old enemies kill him. But your uncle never talk of vendetta and Niko worry your cousins go after Babis and Babis name Niko. Niko say Babis weak. He afraid Babis get him in war with your uncle’s family. He call Babis fuck-up.”

“How did Niko get Babis to agree to kill my uncle in the first place?”

He shrugged. “I not know. What I tell you I hear Niko tell Babis when he gave Babis choice of how to die.”

“Was it Niko’s idea to get you to kill Stella using Ukrainian ammunition and bottles?”

He nodded again. “Yes, make look like foreigners kill her. Greeks like to blame foreigners for anything bad, he said. Especially in Mani.”

“Where’s Niko now?”

“Not sure. Maybe Kalamata or Pirgos. But will run soon as Urich tell him what happened tonight.”

“Run where?”

Another shrug.

Kouros looked down at his naked body, then at Stella wrapped in a tablecloth. He breathed in a whiff of the gasoline scented air and thought,
Where to run indeed
.

***

Andreas listened quietly to Kouros’ middle of the night telephone explanation of what had gone down in the taverna.

“That’s it. I turned him over to the local police and they took him to Sparta. They’re looking for Urich but by the time they catch up with him he’ll for sure have an alibi for tonight, plus a dozen witnesses to back him up.”

Silence.

“Chief?”

Andreas cleared his throat. “You’re a very lucky man.”

“I know. We’d both be dead had we been in that storeroom. Burned to death.”

“No, I don’t mean that. I mean because I’m lying in bed beside my wife at this moment and can’t say what I’m thinking.”

“Oh.”

“Yes, ‘oh.’ About the only good news so far is there wasn’t a TV crew running around filming while you were wrestling ancient Olympic-style with a gorilla in between bouts of playing hide the salami with our primary witness in a murder investigation.”

“It was a bear, Chief. Besides, no one’s going to find out about this.”

“This isn’t funny, Yianni. And how’s this sound for an opening question by a defense lawyer, ‘Detective Kouros, what precisely were you doing at the moment my client allegedly tried to incinerate the girlfriend of the man you’d linked to the murder of your uncle?’ Answer. ‘Uh, standing stark naked in the middle of the deceased boyfriend’s taverna banging the shit out of said girlfriend.’”

“Okay, so I fucked up.”

“Congratulations, the head on top of your shoulders is finally checking back in. Try using it the next time a hot body in a murder investigation gets your other one doing your thinking.”

“I get it. Honest, I get it.”

“It sounds as if your uncle pulled off quite a trick.”

“What trick?”

“Revenge on his own killer.”

“How’s that?”

“He kept the vendetta threats to himself. He told you, but no one else. When he died, no one but you knew he’d received them, so Niko-boy panicked and took out your uncle’s killer.”

“Not sure that will satisfy my cousins when they hear what really happened to their father. And they will find out. No way to keep this quiet.”

“I agree, so let’s just try to keep it contained. We don’t want your cousins starting a war with everyone in Pirgos. Just limiting their attention to Niko would be acceptable.”

“And how do we keep it contained?” said Kouros.