by Sewell, Ron
Charlie and Alysa raced across the garden to the water’s edge. Hand in hand, Petros and Maria followed.
***
At eleven the next morning, Petros pressed Bear’s bell push. The door opened and Bear’s frame almost filled the narrow hallway as he leant against the wall.
“You’re late. I expected you an hour ago. You don’t have to worry, Maria phoned Jocelyn and explained your trip to Greece when you left this morning”
“I need your help. It’s a favour for Andreas. He wants us to put a ghost to bed.”
Bear took a deep breath. “Come in. Coffee?”
“Please.”
Bear filled two cups from the bubbling percolator and placed them on the kitchen table.
“How can I help?”
“The same as you always do. Be there to pull me out of the shit.”
Bear leaned forwards, his elbows on the table. “I know you better than you know yourself. You’re bored and stubborn enough to go it alone. I gather we might be clambering over mountains. We’ll need the proper gear.”
“A map of the area would be useful. Climbing equipment, we’ll buy in Thessalonica. You don’t happen to have blonde Bob’s phone number?”
“That rascal’s flying helicopters for the oil and gas rigs.”
“Make contact. We might need a pilot in a rush.”
“When are we leaving?”
“I’m giving a talk to the sixth form at my old school next week but I’ll let you know soonest.”
“In truth, I’m bored to death doing nothing. At least this is something.”
“You and me both.” He stood. “Stay where you are. I’ll let myself out.”
Bear followed to the door. “Blue skies for a week, must be summer.”
Petros gazed at the clear sky, excited by the prospect locating a missing train. As a favour to Andreas, Maria’s approval would drag him out of a rut. He strolled towards Tower Hill underground station with a spring in his step.
He checked the time. With the sun on his face, he chose to walk the three miles to Stanfords Map Shop in Covent Garden. Maps of Greece seemed plentiful but in the end, he required an assistant to find a detailed map showing the topography of northern Greece.
On the train home, he studied the location pointed out by Andreas. The absence of a railway line surprised him but he noted the many roads.
***
“Bear phoned,” said Maria as he closed the main door. “He wants you to call him back.”
He punched a memory button on his mobile.
“Blonde Bob’s not flying for the next couple of weeks, maybe more. The air safety people have grounded their machines. Something to do with gearbox problems.”
“That’s good news for us. Contact Charles Haskell and ask if he can arrange a chopper from Thessalonica. We’ll supply the pilot.”
“It’ll be an arm and a leg job.”
“I know but it means we can be in and out in a couple of days. I’ll charge it to expenses. My accountant can make it tax deductable or something. Whatever, it’s better than walking for four days with a pack on your back.”
“You’re getting old.”
“Older and wiser. I have the money; why not use it to our advantage.”
“Can’t disagree. Oh, blonde Bob says whatever the job, seven-fifty a day plus expenses. I said I’d be in touch.”
***
Petros arrived at his old school and parked his ancient BMW in the playground, pausing as he did to study the once familiar scene. A sign in bold black letters directed him to the administration office.
Mary White stopped staring at the screen of her word processor and lifted her gaze. She smiled. “Petros Kyriades, the headmaster’s in the library with the sixth form. You’d better hurry, in two minutes you’ll be late.”
He chuckled before saying as he walked away. “Don’t think I’ll get detention.”
Wearing blue jeans, a white shirt with no tie and an Armani black blazer, he opened the door to the library and strolled in. “Good morning, Headmaster, Ladies and Gentlemen.”
Headmaster Georgiadis Stamati stood. “May I introduce Mr Petros Kyriades, a former pupil of our school. As an entrepreneur, I invited him to speak on the problems of running and operating a property empire.”
“Thank you, Headmaster.” He took the one empty chair, turned it round, sat and leant on the back. “To begin with my advice to you all is simple. Other than hard work, planning and living a balanced life, ignore everything adults tell you. The world I lived in is not the same as the one you are about to enter and so the lessons are different. What I will do is answer any questions you wish to ask.”
For a few seconds the room became silent.
A young man with cropped black hair stood. “Mr Kyriades, can you explain how you entered the property business?”
Petros grinned. “I had a stroke of luck, made some money and invested it in a couple of apartments. From that day, any money I made I put into property.”
A young curvaceous girl wearing a tight white blouse, short skirt, stood and smiled. “Mr Kyriades, rumour has it you were thrown out of the army and became a mercenary. Is it true?”
Georgiadis jumped from his chair. “Miss Biros, your question will not be answered by our guest.”
“I have no problem with the question, Headmaster. Young lady, it’s no secret I was once in the regular army. I made a mistake, resigned my commission to save any embarrassment. I loved the excitement of army life and believed the same existed as a mercenary. I was wrong, it’s tough and the pension plan is lousy. My first and only mission became a total disaster but one good thing came out of it, I met my best friend and sort of adopted a baby girl.”
Another boy, his face covered in acne stood. “Mr Kyriades, why was the mission a disaster?”
Petros turned to Georgiadis. “I’m happy to tell the story, Headmaster.”
Georgiadis nodded.
“I’ll keep it short. At the end of our patrol, we, that is, the officers and troops, expected to return to base in the comfort of a Hercules. Unfortunately, we walked straight into a trap planned by the guerrillas whose political objective was to overthrow the government.
“I rested my men in the shade of a dry ravine a good distance from the runway. This actually saved our lives. The guerrillas attacked the rest of the force, but we were far enough away to evade capture. When the assault ended, my men decided enough was enough and chose to return to their own villages. On checking our map, my sergeant and I needed to walk four hundred miles to reach safety.”
A hand shot in the air.
“You have a question?”
“Sir, what happened to the survivors of the attack at the airstrip?”
“There weren’t any. With the Angolan border four hundred miles away all we had to do was stroll through forests, swamps and negotiate a few hills at night.”
“Sir,” said a fair-haired, overweight boy. “Why at night?”
“Think about it.” He paused for a few moments. “Walking in the sun will dehydrate you fast. Unless you drink plenty of water, you’ll die. All we had between us was two water bottles, so we rested during the heat of the day and searched for water holes at dawn and dusk along with the animals.
“The baby I mentioned we found alongside her dead mother. Now you have to imagine two grown men and a baby with no food in the middle of nowhere. The next few hundred miles were not funny but we managed to feed the child and keep ourselves alive.
“We named her Lucy which is lucky spelt badly and left her with a priest. From that moment, our luck turned. In a Luanda hotel, a farmer exiled from Zimbabwe offered us a job to collect some items from his farm. The money I made from this I invested in property and my second company, where I have a fifty percent share, The Collectors, came into being. Before you ask, my friend, Bear Morris, the sergeant, has similar holdings. He is also a man I’d trust with my life. Out of interest, those with ten friends or more raise your hands.”
He grinned as everyone raised their hands. “I’ll not say any of you are wrong but most of your friends will not be around after you’ve left school. If later in life you have five good friends, you can count yourself fortunate.”
A dark-skinned girl stood and waited for Petros to finish.
He smiled at her. “You have a question?”
“Your business partner is Mr William Morris and I understand his parents were from the Caribbean. Does the colour of his skin cause you any difficulties?”
“Not that I’m aware of or is there something I don’t know? I have never judged a person by the colour of their skin or background. Bear Morris is everything a man could want in a friend. As I stated previously, I trust him with not only my life but those of my wife and daughter.”
The questions continued for another thirty minutes before Georgiades called a halt. “Thank you, Petros. I can’t say it’s what I imagined this session would be but I believe my students found it interesting from the normal career discussion they have attended during the last year.”
“My pleasure, Headmaster.” He turned to the students. “Thank you for the questions and for listening.”
Chapter Two
Ten days later Bear and Jocelyn, Petros, Maria, Alysa and his mother Zena, arrived at Larnaca airport. Photis spotted them and hurried through the arriving horde. Even though now aged over eighty, he appeared a fit man. His head of grey hair was combed straight back from his forehead.
He grabbed Alysa and kissed her, hugged and kissed Zena, Maria and Jocelyn before greeting Petros and Bear.
Alysa struggled in his arms. “I’m a big girl. I walk on my own.”
Photis laughed. “Would you like to hold my hand?”
She peered up at him. “Mama says you are uncle Photis.”
“I am and you’ll be living in my house for a few weeks while your papa is away working.”
“Will aunt Eleni be there?”
He took her hand. “She’s waiting to see you.”
Photis turned to the others. “Eleni is not well but looking forward to your visit.”
They strolled to the car park where a dark blue Mitsubishi pick-up waited. No longer did it shine as new. Layers of dust covered every part.
“Petros, will you drive? I tire easily these days.”
“No problem.”
The women along with Alysa sat in the rear while Bear secured their cases.
Petros slid behind the wheel and turned the ignition. Photis and Bear jumped in the front passenger seat.
“When we’re near Limassol directions might be handy, Photis.”
“He’s asleep,” said Maria. “Don’t worry, I know the way. If you want I’ll drive.”
“It’s okay,” said Petros, “I’ll be fine once I’m on the Troodos road.”
Two missed turnings and an hour later Petros turned off the ignition and helped Photis to the ground.
Alysa jumped out and studied everything before she noticed Eleni sat in the shade of the many vines. The others watched as she skipped towards her.
“Are you aunt Eleni?”
“I am.”
“Are you old?”
“I was old when you were born. Do you know who this is?”
Alysa looked intently at a photograph before pointing. “That’s mama and papa with me in the middle, when I was a baby. I’m nearly five.”
Zena and Maria stood at Eleni’s side, bent and kissed her on the cheek.
“Shall I make some coffee?” said Zena.
Eleni grabbed her hand. “Please, Photis has to look after me these days. It will be nice to have women in the house and of course you, Alysa.”
“I’m a girl,” said Alysa.
“And don’t we know it,” said Petros.
“Papa wouldn’t bring Yarlie.”
“And who is Yarlie?” said Eleni.
“He’s a full grown Alsatian who dotes on her. She can do no wrong. He’s better off at home with my brother taking care of him. It’s too hot in Cyprus.”
Eleni held Alysa’s hand. “Your papa is right about Yarlie. And anyway, he will be waiting when you get home.”
Bear and Petros carried their luggage inside and up the stairs. Both noticed the once pristine house although clean was not up to Eleni’s standards.
“We get old,” said Bear.
“With mama, Maria and Jocelyn here it’ll soon be as it was. I’ll have a word with Maria and see if we can arrange for a live-in housekeeper.”
They dumped their suitcases in what appeared to be the correct rooms and returned to the courtyard.
Maria handed out the mugs of coffee and lemonade for Alysa.
“Aunt Eleni, did Photis tell you Bear and I are leaving tomorrow to visit Thessalonica for a few days? Our flight’s at six in the morning, so we’ll get a taxi to the airport.”
She smiled and nodded.
“Zena, Maria,” said Photis, “I have enough food in the kitchen for our meal tonight.”
Zena moved towards him and held his arm. “While I am here, leave everything to me. You look after aunt Eleni.”
He leant back on the wall of the fountain in the courtyard and sipped his coffee. “That will be good for Eleni.”
Exhausted, everyone retired early.
Chapter Three
With the minimum of luggage, Petros and Bear flew out of Larnaca to Thessalonica at six in the morning. Bear slept until Athens where a change of aircraft was necessary.
In the arrivals area Zane Vasco checked the time and held up a placard with the name Petros Kyriades.
Clear of customs and immigration, Bear and Petros strolled through the barrier.
“There’s our man,” said Petros as they strode across the concourse.
“Thank you, thank you for helping an old man and his dream. I have a car waiting to take you to my village.”
“Our pleasure,” said Petros. “Your English is good but I speak Greek.”
“Your friend doesn’t. To be polite we will speak English.”
“It’ll be a lot easier. Back to this train of yours, will we need climbing equipment?”
Zane paused. “If it is necessary there’s plenty in Florina the next village.”
“How come?” asked Bear.
“Tourists. In the winter they find it difficult in the mountains and we have a rescue team.”
“You wouldn’t have a helicopter handy?” said Petros.
Zane frowned. “Why would you need a helicopter?”
“It saves walking,” said Bear.
“I believe there are many private helicopters at the airport.”
Petros turned to Bear. “Call blonde Bob, the job’s on.”
“Do I agree the price?”
“Zane can a helicopter land in your village?”
“On the football field there’s plenty of room. Why?”
“One will be landing tomorrow morning.”
Zane rubbed his chin. “Not a good idea. I suggest the helipad in Florina. It’s not in use this time of year and you can refuel.”
“Makes sense,” said Bear.
“Make the call to Bob, Bear. Ask her to be in Florina as near to ten o’clock as is possible. I’ll arrange a fuel tanker.”
They arrived at a black Mercedes saloon. A tall man with an angular face and dark-brown hair waited.
“My brother-in-law’s son, Laith.”
Laith extended his right hand. Bear grasped it and noted the strong grip.
Petros chose to squeeze until the other’s grip loosened.
Laith grinned. “I like you. You’re not city wimps out to con an old man.”
Petros looked him square in the eye. “We’re not out to con anyone. We promised Andreas we would help. No charge was mentioned.”
The young man inclined his body towards Zane. “My uncle drives us mad talking about this damned train. In some ways, I hope you find it, if only to shut him up. Don’t get me wrong, in our village we love him but two unknowns from London. W
hat were we to think?”
“And one is black,” said Bear.
“The colour of a man’s skin is not important. It’s what’s in his heart. Jump in, it’s a long drive and it’ll be dark when we get there.” Laith opened the driver’s door and sat behind the wheel.
Bear leant on the car. “I hate to mention this but we missed out on breakfast and an aircraft snack wouldn’t sustain a mouse. I suggest as it’s a long journey we eat.”
Zane turned to Laith. “Anywhere local?”
“Jump in, I know a place.”
Twenty minutes later Laith stopped on the gravel parking area outside a traditional roadside taverna. “Their speciality is chicken kebabs. I recommend them.”
The four men entered the stone building and a small bearded man wearing thick-framed glasses welcomed them. “I’m Stavros. Welcome. You are on holiday?”
“We’re from the mountains in the north,” said Zane. “I’m told your chicken kebabs are good.”
“My food is cooked fresh There is none better.” He directed them to a table set for four. “Something to drink?”
Zane ordered sketos. Laith, metrios, Bear, nescafe, and Petros, a fresh orange juice.
“And a dozen chicken kebabs with your chilli sauce,” said Laith.
In Greek Petros added, “Make that eighteen, my friend eats well.”
Stavros left them chatting and returned with their drinks, fresh bread rolls and a bowl of salad. “My wife is preparing your kebabs.”
Bear grabbed a roll and crammed it full with salad. “Rabbit food.”
Twenty minutes later Stavros deposited a large platter covered in kebabs and a bowl containing an overpowering red liquid on the table. “Enjoy.”
Bear dipped a piece of roll into the sauce and stuffed it into his mouth. “That is fantastic.”
Zane and Laith stared at him.
“If Bear says it’s good, it is,” said Petros.
With the platter empty and Bear’s hunger pangs satisfied, Petros paid Stavros and they continued their journey.
***
The wide road wound through mountains and wooded areas. Bear slept and Petros studied his map. “Zane, not many railway lines in this area.”
