He was aware that Eve had recently become restless and he thought that she had probably said these things out of frustration. He knew she’d come back home eventually and would act all contrite, so why couldn’t he concentrate on his book?
Deep down, David was scared that Eve would become completely fed up with life on Crete and would move back to England. It would break his heart if she did, knowing how difficult it would be for him to leave the peace and tranquility of Crete to go back to London. He didn’t think he would be able to settle in such a busy city again. Would that be the end of their relationship?
David understood that Eve needed more than romance in her life. After all, she’d had a successful and powerful career back in England. She’d given up her job, saying she’d had enough, but had she? She definitely needed something to replace it, but as for her saying she’d had no excitement since the last murder; well David thought that was nonsense. He believed that she’d been kept busy during the past six months and couldn’t understand how she had got so bored.
While there hadn’t been any more murders, Eve had managed to get back to England three times since the New Year, one time stopping in Paris to do some shopping and another, continuing on to New York for a few days. She had also been to the Cotswolds with David for his sister’s wedding.
As well as her trips, Eve had been fully occupied with running her amateur dramatics group which had turned out to be very popular with the ex-pats. Even Greeks came to see her productions and she became very much the centre of attention. Congratulations poured in from all sides.
However, she was already fed up with the drama group. She had been excited about it when she started in January, thinking it would keep her busy, but that soon wore off when she realized how amateur most of her actors were. Only David was any good and that was because he had previously been a professional actor. However, people had crowded in to see the two shows she had produced and they were both well received. The members of the group were now all looking forward to the third production. The group was taking a break during the hot weather and intended to resume in the autumn. However, Eve wanted to close down the group, but surprisingly for such a self-centered person, she was feeling guilty about letting everyone down.
In addition, if she did close the group, her arch enemy, Betty Jones, would probably re-open it with her in charge and that was the last thing Eve wanted.
From the moment they met, Betty and Eve had taken a dislike to each other and Betty had refused to take part in the drama group, either on stage or in stage-management, even though her husband, Don, had eagerly joined.
Betty and Don were in their mid-sixties and had lived on Crete for many years. Betty liked to think she was in charge of the English community and was extremely bossy. She imagined that Eve was trying to usurp her position although nothing was further from Eve’s mind. After being a successful showbiz agent and mixing with the rich and famous, Eve had no wish to organize the lives of a group of ex-pats, not understanding why they needed to have their lives controlled anyway.
David looked at his blank screen and closed the lid of his laptop. He decided to go for a short walk, hoping this might clear his head. Maybe he would be able to write when he got home.
Oh Eve, I do love you, he thought as he shut the front door, but you are such a distraction.
Chapter 2
“I’m back, darling,” Eve shouted as soon as she got home.
There was no reply and Eve guessed that David was still upstairs engrossed in writing his novel and hadn’t heard her. It wasn’t unusual for him to become so absorbed in his work that he shut out the rest of the world. Sometimes it infuriated Eve. She thought that she should be the centre of his universe, not his writing.
Today however, she was relieved that David hadn’t rushed down the stairs to greet her. Eve was having problems deciding on what was the best way to tell him the news of Lucy’s death. Should she come straight out with it and say that she had tripped over the body, or should she gradually bring Lucy into the conversation? And would it be best to try and convince him that it probably wasn’t murder and that Lucy could easily have fallen and hit her head? Wouldn’t it be better if he had time to get used to the idea of Lucy being dead rather than thinking straight away that she had been murdered?
A gin and tonic; that’s what I need, Eve thought. It’ll help me decide how to approach this awkward situation. If he thinks I’m going to get involved in another murder investigation, he won’t be too happy.
Eve went to prepare her drink, still thinking of what to do. In fact, as she had driven home from the cove, all she had been doing was mulling over how she was going to recount the events of the morning. She always liked to appear brave, so she didn’t want to sound as if this had upset her as much as it had. On the other hand, she didn’t want to seem heartless and cold. She had to find a happy medium. One thing Eve knew was that she couldn’t show any interest in solving Lucy Fowler’s murder, if that’s what it turned out to be. In fact, the more she thought about it, the more she realized that the best thing to do was to stress that the police hadn’t even decided that it was murder.
Once Eve had made her drink, she took it outside and sat down, her mind drifting away from her main problem. She started to wonder about Lucy’s husband, Kevin. Had he reported his wife as missing? Eve had been certain rigor mortis had set in, so Lucy must have been there for some time. The police hadn’t mentioned anything, but would they tell her? She doubted if Dimitris Kastrinakis would give her any information. He didn’t want her to be involved in the inquiries at all.
If Kevin hadn’t called the police about Lucy, did that mean he’d killed her or was there a perfectly good explanation why he hadn’t. Perhaps he was in England visiting his family on his own. There was no reason why not. Kevin and Lucy’s marriage was pretty much over. Or perhaps they might have argued and he could have stormed off. He had recently confided in David that he’d got in his car and driven away a couple of times after they’d had a row. Both times he’d stayed away overnight.
Why David has become friendly with Kevin, I’ll never know. They have absolutely nothing in common. Anyway, that’s not my prime concern at the moment. I’ve got to work out how to act in front of David.......... I know, Eve suddenly thought, an idea starting to form in that smart brain of hers. I will act upset and shocked after all. I mean, I was very much shaken by finding Lucy’s body, so I won’t be pretending. It was an awful experience. I don’t know why I’m so afraid of being vulnerable in front of David.
Eve took a long swig of her gin and tonic, knowing she had put too much gin in it, but it had been a traumatic morning. She wasn’t quite as tough as she pretended to be and although she wasn’t particularly upset that Lucy was dead, finding her body had upset her more than she cared to admit.
However, Eve was still intending to go through with her plan of secretly searching for Lucy’s killer. She had persuaded herself that by not telling David, she was shielding him from danger. She thought of him as a delicate and sensitive man who needed protection from the hideous and repulsive things in life. In fact, he was nothing of the sort, having saved her from danger more than once. Earlier in the day, she had remembered this, but now she was choosing to forget these instances. Instead, she preferred to think of herself as the heroine in every difficult situation she had ended up in.
I’m protecting him; that’s all, she decided. It’s for his own good. It’s not like I’m being unfaithful or anything like that. I would never betray David, never.
Eve knew that if Lucy had been murdered, the temptation would be too great and she would have to investigate. It was too exciting an opportunity to let slip by and she still couldn’t understand why all her forays into danger had terrified David. She found living on the edge exhilarating.
However, David wasn’t particularly scared; he wasn’t a complete coward and he could hold his own when things became precarious. He simply didn’t want to lose Eve. She could be reckles
s and would storm into situations instead of treading lightly, often making enemies where she should be making friends. During the last two investigations, David worried himself sick that Eve would end up dead.
Eve took another sip of her gin and tonic. She was already beginning to feel a little tipsy. It was well into the afternoon and with everything that had happened; she hadn’t had any lunch. She was about to go into the kitchen to get something to eat when she heard the key in the front door. She glanced round quickly and seeing it was David, was relieved. Eve wondered why she was already starting to become edgy. After all, who else would be using a key to get in?
Eve sat down quickly, took a deep breath and steeled herself for her performance. She often felt that with her talent, she should have been an actress rather than an agent.
David was pleased that Eve’s car was back when he returned from his walk. Perhaps they would be able to clear the air and he could get back to work. He still felt out of sorts.
He went into the lounge and looked through the French windows. Seeing Eve with her head in her hands, he frowned. Was she still upset about this morning? He couldn’t imagine that she would be. She got over things like that very quickly, especially as she knew he would forgive her. He couldn’t help it; he loved her too much to let one of her silly tantrums get in the way of their future together.
I thought she’d be feeling more cheerful by now, he thought. I was hoping she’d be in a good mood when Emma arrives tomorrow, but it doesn’t look likely.
David went out onto the terrace, feeling apprehensive. Eve could be so unpredictable. Sometimes he loved that about her, at other times it exasperated him.
“Eve, darling,” he said gently, hoping to persuade her into a better mood. “Are you alright?”
“Oh David, I’ve had a terrible time,” Eve said mournfully, turning round.
Although she had finally decided to bring Lucy into the conversation gradually, suddenly the whole episode overwhelmed her and she was filled with awful thoughts. What if the killer had been watching her? What if he had attacked her? Of what if he planned to kill her at a later date? And anyway, whichever way she told David, he would probably still think she would want to search for the killer, so did it matter how she told him?
“What’s wrong darling?” David asked. “You look quite pale, despite your tan.”
“Oh, David, it was awful. I was sunbathing in the little cove in Kokkino Chorio and after a bit, I decided to go into the sea to cool down. I discovered a cave a little way along the coast and when I went in, I found Lucy Fowler’s body. It was terrible.”
Eve looked as if she was about to cry. Then she got up and flung her arms around David.
“There, there, darling, you’re with me now. It’ll be alright,” he said, pulling her close as he tried to comfort her.
David was shocked. For a start he couldn’t believe that another murder had been committed. And who on earth would want to kill Lucy Fowler? She wasn’t a pleasant woman, but murder was a bit of a drastic step. He was also surprised that Eve seemed genuinely upset. He knew she disliked Lucy, but he reckoned it must be more due to the shock of finding a dead body.
“Why didn’t you call me?” he asked, stroking her head gently.
“I thought it best to ring the police,” Eve said, pulling away slightly. “I still had Dimitris Kastrinakis’s phone number in my call list so I rang him. I thought it easier than ringing the emergency number as my Greek isn’t much good.”
Hearing the police officer’s name, David suddenly had an awful thought.
Oh no, she’s not thinking about solving another case, is she?
However, he dismissed the idea straight away. Eve had promised never to take part in any amateur sleuthing again. At Christmas she had escaped death by poisoning as she had during the summer murders, but during the festivities it happened not once, but twice and she was lucky to be alive. David became even more worried when he remembered how easily she got over all the attempts to kill her. Eve rarely brooded for long over things that happened.
“Was it definitely murder?” David asked tentatively.
He needed to know what he was up against.
“What?” Eve replied, surprised to hear him ask this so bluntly.
Oh dear, he’s already thinking that I’m going to be looking for the killer. I must keep calm.
“Was Lucy killed?” David asked bluntly.
“I don’t know, David,” Eve replied truthfully. “The police have no idea yet. The body will have to be examined first. Oh, darling, you’re not thinking that I want to try and solve the case if it is murder, do you?”
Eve looked suitably upset that he should have thought so badly of her.
“I’m sorry, Eve, I know you promised, but you have been very bored recently.”
“It hasn’t even crossed my mind, David. I’m having trouble getting over seeing the body,” Eve replied, but she felt guilty as she said it.
She wasn’t used to lying to David, but what else could she do?
David also started to feel guilty. Whatever people thought of her, Eve did have a soft side and it must have been a terrible experience finding a dead body.
“I’m sorry, darling.”
Eve felt even more shamefaced hearing David’s apology.
“I know I shouldn’t jump to conclusions,” he continued.
“Anyway,” Eve said, trying to steer the conversation away from her potential involvement in solving Lucy’s murder. “It could have been an accident; although obviously Kevin hasn’t reported it, otherwise I’m sure Dimitris would have said something.”
“I doubt Dimitris would say anything to you, Eve, knowing your reputation.”
Eve frowned, even though she knew David was right.
“Anyway,” David continued. ‘Kevin flew to Athens last night to meet their youngest son, Justin, who’s been staying there for a few days. They were spending today there and both of them are flying back tonight. So it doesn’t look like he killed his wife.”
“You’re very knowledgeable.”
Eve was a bit annoyed that David knew more than she did.
“I spoke to Kevin in The Black Cat on Saturday when we were both at the bar getting drinks. I think that’s when Betty came over to talk to you...... I forgot to ask what that was about,” David added, changing the subject.
David wasn’t enjoying the conversation. For a start, he hadn’t liked Lucy, not that he wished her any harm, but he didn’t much want to talk about her. Kevin had told him some awful things about his wife and he was certain that if Lucy was murdered, Eve would ask questions. He wanted to keep her mind off Lucy as much as possible, but he guessed it would be impossible. Soon everybody would be talking about her.
“Oh Betty wants to join the drama group,” Eve replied. “God knows why. Presumably she wants to stir things up; I’m sure that’s it. And what she expects her role to be in the group, I don’t know. I’m sure she can’t act. Don looked really miserable as it’s his only escape from her. Why he doesn’t leave her, I don’t know.”
“Perhaps he loves her in his own way........ Or perhaps it’s easier to stay.”
Eve shook her head, but felt relieved that they’d steered the conversation away from Lucy Fowler. Eve wasn’t enjoying lying to David.
Is it really worth it? Eve wondered.
“I’m going to get a drink,” David said, interrupting her thoughts. “Do you want another one?”
“I shouldn’t, but I will. Can I have some crisps and nuts as well please? I haven’t had lunch and don’t think I should drink anymore on an empty stomach.”
David nodded. Eve noticed that he looked quite serious and she hoped he hadn’t gone back to thinking about Lucy Fowler. He wouldn’t be upset about Lucy’s death as he too didn’t much like her. In fact, nobody was particularly keen on her; she hadn’t made many friends since she’d moved to Crete. However, Eve couldn’t think of anyone who hated her enough to kill her; that is apart from her hu
sband, Kevin.
* * * *
A few hours later, Eve and David walked into The Black Cat. Eve was restless and didn’t feel like cooking that evening, so they decided to get their supper there.
The Black Cat was an English bar run by Ken and Jan Stewart, a couple in their mid-thirties who had moved to Crete from London five years previously. Ken was short and chubby with blonde spiky hair and Jan was tall and lanky and towered above him. Despite their light hearted banter, they were still very much in love with each other.
As soon as David and Eve entered the bar, her friend, Annie Davies, rushed up to her.
“Oh my goodness, Eve, are you alright? We’ve only just heard what happened today. It must have been terribly frightening for you; finding Lucy Fowler’s body that is.”
“News gets around very quickly,” Eve remarked, genuinely surprised that anyone in the English community had heard about it already.
“Well, we only found out about half an hour ago. Yiannis Neonakis was in here when we came in and when Pete went up to get our drinks, he mentioned it. Apparently, a friend of Yiannis’s is in the police force and was at the scene today. He told Yiannis and Yiannis, I would imagine, has been spreading it around. I mean, he doesn’t know Pete particularly well, so why would he tell him, if not to spread gossip?”
“That sounds just like Yiannis! Trust him to be one of the first to know and then to go around spreading the news. It wouldn’t surprise me if he now goes round telling everybody that I killed Lucy. It would be just like him.”
Eve did not like Yiannis one bit and would have liked nothing more than to see him put away, but he always seemed to escape from his misdemeanors. There were rumors going round that he hit his girlfriends and that he had light fingers, but nobody, including the women he beat up, ever reported him to the police. Eve was relieved that he wasn’t in the bar at the moment and hoped he wouldn’t come in again later.
Death in the Aegean Page 3
