The short girl said, “Sheep farmer.”
“Shepherd?” said Andreas.
“Yes,” said the tall girl. That’s what the Romanians meant when they said you were looking for a cioban.”
The short girl’s eyes widened. “Wait a minute, that’s the name the tsigani brothers were toasting the last night they were with us. Don’t you remember, they said, ‘To the cioban,’ because something they knew about him was about to make them ‘very rich.’ You and I talked about it later. We even toasted to him.”
The tall girl picked up her beer and took a swig. “Yeah, I do. So what. Instead they’re dead. Life sucks.”
Andreas had nothing to add.
***
“Did you get anything from the fat guy while I was talking to the ladies?”
They were sitting in the car next to the fence and Andreas had just finished telling Tassos what he’d learned from the two women.
“A lot of local gossip about everything but what I wanted to know. From what I could tell he probably owns all this land.” Tassos waved his hand above his head. “Lives off the rents and spends his nights sitting at that table watching the cash register and his sister doing all the work.”
“Thought she might be his wife,” said Andreas.
“That would be the traditional way a Greek love story turns out, but this time it’s the spinster sister. Her boyfriend jilted her twenty-plus years ago and she’s been wearing black ever since. In mourning for her lost love. Petros said that place is all that keeps her going.”
“Terrific. I’m so happy for them both. Let’s get back to the hotel.”
“What about that tsigani bar? Don’t you think we should check it out? Find out what we can about the two new women in the dead brothers’ lives.”
Andreas looked at his watch. “It’s nearly three, and I’ve got to be on a 7AM boat to Mykonos or Lila will kill me. I’ll get Yianni over here first thing in the morning to help you chase that down. And while you’re at it, maybe you could find out how those two Romanian guys knew the Pakistani had told us about the ‘shepherd’?”
“My guess is that after we left they threatened to beat the hell out of him if he didn’t tell them what he’d whispered to you. Not smart to whisper when the people you don’t want to hear already can’t understand you. It makes them think what you said was very important. And about them.”
“What the hell, we’re never going to wrap this up before the wedding anyway.” Andreas started the engine.
“Spiros will be pissed.”
“Tough, let him close the case. I have no intention of turning up as the next dead body by screwing up all of Lila’s wedding plans.”
“Don’t worry,” Tassos smiled. “Lila’s smart enough to make sure you’d never be found.”
Andreas looked at Tassos and slowly said in Polish, “Fuck you.”
Chapter Twelve
Andreas made the seven AM ferry. It arrived thirty minutes later at Mykonos’ new port. Andreas saw Lila waiting for him on the pier. She was wearing the Greek island woman’s official August uniform: sundress, sandals, and sunglasses.
Andreas was one of the first down the ramp and off the boat. He waved and when Lila waved back he yelled, “See, I made it. I’m a man of my word.”
Lila waited until he was almost up to her. “Yes, fear is a terrific motivator.” She smiled and kissed him.
He put his arm around her back and gave a quick squeeze to her butt. “Missed you.”
“You, too.”
“Where’s Tassaki?”
“Your mother and mine are watching him.” Lila smiled, “Frankly, I think he’ll be spoiled rotten by the time we get back. Get in, I’ll drive.”
Instead of turning right out of the port toward the main road that led to the middle of the island and on to her parents’ home, Lila turned left.
“Where are we going?” said Andreas.
“It’s a surprise.”
“Great, I like surprises.” He squeezed her thigh.
The road ran up a hill alongside the sea and down again into Aghios Stefanos, a tiny beachside village reminiscent of earlier times. As the jeep passed by the shorefront Andreas said, “Are we going there?” He pointed to a taverna dead ahead.
Lila smiled and said, “Nope.”
The jeep wound up another hill, made a few switch back turns, and headed down into Houlakia, a shoreline area famous for round, salt-and-pepper color stones the size of soccer balls. Andreas liked it best for its remote, rugged proximity to the sea.
“I know where you’re headed,” Andreas said. “To my friend Elena’s. That’s wonderful, I haven’t seen her in ages.”
As Lila drove past the entrance to Elena’s hotel she said, “Nope, wrong again. You’ll just have to wait until the wedding to see her.”
They were now at the base of Mykonos’ northwest coastline hills, directly across from Tinos. Their heights were home to arguably the most spectacular views of sunset on the island, and once barren hillsides now resembled photographs he’d seen of Los Angeles’ Hollywood Hills, sans green.
Lila turned right and drove as straight up the hill as the roads allowed, jumping from asphalt to gravel to dirt and back again without slowing down.
“I sure as hell hope you know where you’re going.”
“Me, too,” said Lila. “I haven’t been up here in years, but a friend who lives somewhere around here told me the road goes through.”
“Through to where?”
Lila smiled. Thirty seconds later Andreas had his answer when the jeep popped over the top of a rise. Directly in front of them was Mykonos only lighthouse, the Armenistis.
“Great choice,” said Andreas
“The ride’s not over yet.”
Originally built in 1891, Armenistis was now fully automated, which meant there no longer was a need to maintain the access road for a lighthouse keeper, and what did remain of that road was now as bad as any on Mykonos. Even the ruts had ruts. Lila plowed straight ahead without slowing down. At fifty feet from the lighthouse the road split in two, with the part to the left edging along a cliff until seemingly disappearing over it into the sea. Lila went right, up toward the front of the lighthouse.
“Good choice,” said Andreas.
At what looked the last conceivable place to stop Lila kept going. She squeezed along an overgrown path between the lighthouse wall to the left and a sheer drop to the right.
“Having a good time?” said Lila.
“If you’re trying to make the wedding seem less frightening you’re doing a damn good job.”
Beyond the wall the road abruptly ended, but with just enough room to make a sharp turn to the left. Lila made the turn and stopped. They were on a peak behind the lighthouse overlooking the sea.
“Now I see how they get those cars on the very tops of mountains for television commercials. You drive them.” Andreas looked out his passenger side window. “Is it safe to open my door or will it be one hell of a big first step.”
“Are we talking about marriage again?” Lila pinched his belly. “There’s a picnic basket and blanket in the back seat. Grab them and let’s enjoy our breakfast with a view.”
He paused.
“Don’t worry about turning around,” said Lila. “This connects over there with the road that split off where I turned up to the lighthouse.” She pointed to the end of a wall in front of the jeep.
“I see you’ve been here before.”
She smiled. “Many times. And leave your phone in the car. This is our time.”
Lila led him up the few steps to a terrace at the base of the lighthouse. She took the blanket and hung it over a low wall edging the terrace. They sat dangling their feet off the wall, quietly holding hands and staring out to sea.
The winds had not yet picked up, leaving the sea all one deep blue. No white puffs of waves, or any of the silver-gold sheen that comes to the water at sunset. The only splashes of different color were the reds, whites, and
yellows of toy-like passing ships, the distant ones more distinguished by their wakes than their forms. At this height the Aegean seemed a canvas, not real, with muted brown islands drawn on in perfect symmetry: Delos, Rhenia, Syros, Tinos and the faint shadows of far off others.
“I thought you could use a transition.” She put her arm around his neck.
“From murder to marriage?” Andreas smiled and kissed her cheek. “Tinos looks so different.”
“In what way?”
“Every way. From up here it’s just a timeless, distant shape. No good, no bad, no people. Nothing of any concern.”
“Good, let’s keep it that way for the next forty-eight hours.”
Andreas smiled.
Lila swung her feet back onto the terrace and opened the picnic basket. “Croissant?”
“What else do you have?” Andreas swung around.
“All sorts of things. Orange juice, coffee—”
“Uhh, uhh, that’s not what I want.” He put his right arm around her back and pulled her close. He kissed her ear, her cheek, her lips, and moved his left hand to her breast.
Lila pushed back. “Are you crazy? Someone will see us. There are houses all around here. Most of them with telescopes hoping to catch tourists getting carried away with just what you have in mind.”
Andreas smiled. “We’re not tourists.” He dropped his hand to just below the bottom of her dress and began lightly stroking her thigh with his fingers. “Besides, this is a sunset place and all anyone in those houses can see is our backs.”
She didn’t move and he moved his hand higher. “And this is the last alone time we’re going to have until way after midnight. Unless, of course, you want to announce to your family when we walk into their house that their future son-in-law would like some private playtime with their daughter before becoming sociable with a wider audience.”
Lila leaned in and kissed him. “Okay, sweet talker. But not here.” She stood up. “Come.”
She picked up the blanket and led him around the building to its far northeast corner, where the angle of the lighthouse cut off the view from everywhere but the sea.
“Dare I ask how you know about this spot?” said Andreas.
Lila stuck out her tongue. “I was married once, remember.” She spread out the blanket. “If anyone comes by here walking their dog I will kill you.”
“Don’t worry, I have a gun in the jeep. They’ll never live to tell a soul.”
Lila was standing in the middle of the blanket. She kicked off her sandals and motioned for Andreas to come to her. He pulled off his shoes as she pulled her sundress up over her head. She wore no bra and her panties were barely visible. Andreas started to fumble with his pants but she took his hand and pulled him toward her. He kissed her cheeks, her neck, her shoulders. He reached again to undo his pants, but Lila stopped him to do it for him. He yanked his shirt off over his head.
Lila ran her fingernails along his bare chest and down his belly to the insides of his thighs. Instinctively, Andreas spread his legs wider. Lila smiled and dropped down to bring her lips onto him. He ran his fingers through her hair. As Lila moved she groaned but ultimately it was Andreas who had to pull away. She struggled to get her mouth back around him, Andreas held her away and moved to press her onto her back, but she had him lie on his instead.
Andreas watched from below as Lila lifted and dropped her hips above him. Slowly and deliberately she moved, never taking her eyes off of his and refusing to let him do anything but lie there and stroke her body. He ran his thumbs and forefingers around her nipples as her thighs drew up and off of him, then back down again. He pressed his hand against her belly when he sensed her coming. He felt his own rush of heat and knew he could hold off no longer. He thrust up with his hips as she pressed down, but she moved at a pace he could not match. He relaxed and let her ride him into orgasm. She wouldn’t stop moving and he wouldn’t stop coming as she muffled his mouth with her hand smiling, “Shhhh, my love.”
She leaned down to kiss him and Andreas held her. They did not move until Lila rolled off to lay beside him on the blanket.
“You’re amazing,” said Andreas.
Lila said. “You owe me for that.”
“What are you talking about?”
“If you have to ask why…”
“I was more than willing to be on top.”
“The concrete is too hard.”
Andreas leaned up on his elbows. “Are you telling me that in the midst of…all that passion you were actually thinking about concrete?”
She looked at him. “You better believe it. You get carried away. On a mattress it’s terrific. On concrete it’s black and blue marks.” She rolled over on her side and stroked his belly. She smiled. “Don’t worry, I’ll give you plenty of chances to make this up to me.” She was running her hand down his belly when a tan Labrador came bounding onto their blanket.
Lila screamed. Andreas jumped up and shooed the dog away. Lila grabbed for her dress and pulled it in front of her as a man in a Panama hat and white linen coat came around the corner.
“Excuse me,” he said. “I was looking for my dog.”
“Not here,” said a naked Andreas blocking the man’s view of Lila.
“So sorry,” said the man tipping his hat and flashing a smile. “May the rest of your life be as lovely as your morning.”
Andrew watched the man walk away before turning back to Lila. He expected she’d murder him any second. Lila was sitting up on the blanket holding the dress up to her face. She seemed to be shaking in a fit of tears.
“I’m sorry, it was all my fault. I never should have made you do this.” He wasn’t sure what else to say. He sat next to her, reached up, and pulled the dress down from her face.
Lila was laughing uncontrollably. “‘May the rest of your life be as lovely as your morning.’ The man’s a prophet!”
Andreas smiled. Lila kissed him as she laughed and Andreas started to laugh. Then it was all laughter, on and off the blanket and each other. Concrete be damned, this was going to be their lovely morning.
***
Andreas heard his phone before they reached the jeep but by the time he got to it the ringing had stopped.
He looked at the number. “It’s Tassos. I better call him before we start driving. Reception’s spotty out here.”
Lila smiled as she opened the jeep’s door. “You don’t have to make excuses. I’ve things to do, too. I’m getting married tomorrow.” She reached inside for her phone, blew Andreas a kiss, and walked back toward the lighthouse.
Tassos picked up on the first ring. “Where the hell have you been?”
“It’s a long story.”
“Well, it better be a damn good one,” said Tassos.
“So much so that it’s going to take the best you’ve got to put me in a bad mood.”
“The Pakistani is dead. Throat cut and dropped at the front gate of the Tinos dump. Perfectly placed so no one could miss him.”
Andreas throat tightened. “When did it happen?”
“The body was discovered about two hours ago by a municipal worker who opened the place. Not sure yet when he was killed but the best guess is sometime last night after we got back to the hotel.”
“Motherfuckers.”
“They found your card on him.”
“Yeah, I gave it to him.”
Andreas heard Tassos clear his throat. “It was jammed into his mouth. With ‘revenge or death’ written across your name.”
Andreas felt his heart skip a beat.
“This is serious,” said Tassos.
“You don’t have to tell me that.” Andreas looked to see if Lila heard him raise his voice. “Someone’s decided to make this personal.”
“And we don’t have the slightest idea who this Shepherd is.”
“Or if whoever that might be is the one behind the killings,” said Andreas.
“All we have on the Shepherd is that it’s paying metanastes and tsigani to
work and behave,” said Tassos.
“So far.” Andreas paused. “Where’s Yianni?”
“Not back yet. When his boat docked, I sent him off with a local cop who speaks Romanian. They found the Pakistani’s two Romanian buddies working at that dovecote as if nothing had happened. Doubt they’re involved or know any more than we do, but Yianni is bringing them back to town for questioning.”
“As soon as Yianni’s back have him call me. I want him out to the murdered brothers’ tsigani camp turning screws on that clan leader and any other son-of-a-bitch we can think of who might be tied into the bastards behind this. If that clan leader won’t cooperate, we’ll shut down their goddamned camp and ship every single tsigani in it off the island on the next boat. I’ve had enough of this shit.”
Tassos paused. “There’s something I’d like you to seriously consider before answering.”
“What’s that?”
“Your wedding is tomorrow. I’m sure the bad guys know it, too. I think you should have a simple, private wedding ceremony at Lila’s parents’ home. Call off the one at the monastery. It’s too public. The party we can handle. It’s going to be at their home anyway and we can control who gets close. But a wedding in the middle of Ano Mera on a Sunday evening…no way to control that, and we have to assume these guys are capable of anything.”
“Are you talking car bombs?”
“Who knows? Anything is possible if they feel threatened by you.”
Andreas walked to the edge of the cliff. “If that’s what Shepherd has in mind there could be rocket propelled grenades dropping into the middle of the party. Or during the ceremony for that matter.”
Andreas was looking in the direction of the sea but his mind was nowhere near it.
“My instinctive answer is, ‘There’s no way I’ll let scum control my private life.’ But my more considered thought is, ‘This isn’t just about me, Lila should have a say in the decision.’”
Andreas turned to look for her. She was sitting on the wall talking on her phone.
“But I’m not going to ask her. This is not the first, nor will it be the last time my life is threatened. We both know that sooner or later the press will find out that the church ceremony was cancelled because of ‘terrorist threats.’ Our wedding will be the headline story in every tabloid wanting to scream ‘no one is safe from terrorists.’
Target: Tinos Page 12
