“So, we’ve got nine obvious hiding places and two that aren’t. How—”
“Chief, I’ve got it!”
“I haven’t even asked the question?”
“I mean about the other two. According to the guidebook those spots marked by the sea are caves! The one up by Makrisia Bay is called Mygospilia and the other cave is Spilias, over by the Bay of Livada.”
“Very good, Yianni. Put that guidebook on your expense account.”
“I have an expense account?”
“Back to my question. How did the thieves possibly figure out all eleven hiding places without someone on the inside tipping them off?”
“Anything on that in your guidebook?” said Tassos. “Check out those suggested day long excursions to places of interest around the island. Perhaps it’s listed under ‘Follow the yellow brick road to secret hiding places.’”
Kouros shot Tassos the middle finger.
“That just might be the answer,” said Andreas. “They ‘followed’ the Foundation’s ‘inconspicuous’ couriers when they transported valuables from Panagia Evangelistria to the other storage sites.”
“But how would the thieves know who to follow?” said Kouros.
“Because the couriers are ‘longtime’ employees of the Foundation. Do you care to bet how many locals could tell you right now who the likely couriers are if you put the question to them?”
Tassos said, “That still doesn’t explain how the thieves found the hiding places, let alone got inside. They would have had to follow the couriers into the middle of nowhere to find some of those places. They’d be spotted in a minute. Even a helicopter would be noticed.”
Andreas rubbed his eyes. “Not necessarily.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” said Tassos.
“I can’t remember the name of the book, but it had some pre-historic man character with a unique way of hunting dangerous prey far quicker than he was. He’d start out by stalking his quarry as far as he could before losing it. Then he’d wait at that spot until the prey passed by another time, and track it from there as far as he could again before losing it. The hunter did this for as many days as it took to find the quarry in its lair.”
“Nice story, but that would take a hell of a lot of time,” said Kouros.
“And patience. Especially since we’re talking about eleven sites,” said Tassos.
“Not really,” said Andreas. “Panagia Evangelistria is obvious and you could easily follow the couriers to Kechrovouni Monastery and the Jesuit Monastery without being noticed. The same for Xobourgo and, depending on the time of day, Katapoliani Monastery, as well. And with Pyrgos being such a popular place for tourists, couriers wouldn’t be likely to notice anyone trailing them unless their stalkers were dumb enough to follow them into the cemetery. That left only five storage sites requiring more time and ingenuity to pinpoint. But why would the thieves care how long it took to find the others, or for that matter, however many more secret sites there were? They’d already struck it rich with six locations to rob at their leisure.”
“Uhh, Chief, there’s another explanation,” said Kouros.
“Which is?”
“They put a tracking device on the courier vehicle and followed its signal to the sites.”
“I like Andreas’ theory, it has a more traditional flair to it.”
“Whatever way they did it, it could have been done without the thieves being tipped-off by someone on the inside,” said Andreas. “So, that leaves us with three open questions aside from who they are. How did they get in, how did they transport the items, and where did they take them?”
“To repeat myself, it would take a lot of time and patience to case those sites before finding the best way to get in and out undetected,” said Tassos.
“And specialized electronics help to get around the alarms and cameras,” said Kouros.
“But evidently the Foundation didn’t start to put in that sort of security until years after the robberies began. And by the time it did, I’m certain the thieves had stolen more than enough to buy whatever brains and equipment they needed to get around anything the Foundation installed,” said Andreas.
“It’s a no-brainer how they transported the stuff,” said Tassos. “In their pockets, and not a soul would notice. They could have used motorbikes or even walked away. We’re talking gems and small pieces of gold, not tea sets and paintings. As for ‘where the stuff is,’ how about anywhere in the world by now? And if any is still on Tinos, I think you guys realize by now that this island is nothing if not one big hiding place.”
Andreas took a drink of water. “It seems to me that we’re looking for a person or persons capable of spending extensive amounts of time patiently locating and carefully reconnoitering eleven sophisticated hiding places, and of circumventing elaborate electronic surveillance and security systems once they do. And who are smart enough to realize that by committing tiny burglaries they’re not likely to draw the sort of heat they’d do with big ones.”
“A ‘don’t kill the golden goose’ approach,” said Tassos.
Andreas nodded. “It’s almost as if the bad guy doing all this hasn’t had anything better to do with his life for the last ten years or so.”
“You’re saying Trelos?” said Kouros.
“He’s always been the obvious choice, and he sure as hell fits the profile, even knew how to scramble my recorder,” said Andreas.
“Plus, as he said to you, he’s ‘invisible.’ No one on the island ever notices him, and everyone expects to see him in the craziest, out of the way places,” said Tassos.
“But didn’t he tell you he only gave away his family’s money?” said Kouros.
“Are you suggesting he wouldn’t lie?” said Andreas.
Tassos rocked his head from side to side. “Frankly, I’m not so sure he’d have thought of himself as lying even if he is the thief. Do you remember Eleni saying that when Trelos’ parents died they left one of the ‘largest bequests ever’ to the Foundation?”
“Are you’re saying he considers himself to be recovering his family’s money from the Foundation?” said Andreas.
“Who knows what he thinks, but the timing works,” said Tassos. “The parents died a dozen years ago, the first thefts were noticed two years later but, considering the Foundation’s inventory practices, there’s no telling when the first robbery occurred. Under any scenario, though, Trelos had more than enough time dancing all over the island between his parents’ deaths and the first robbery to figure out how to pull it off.”
Andreas said, “What doesn’t fit is how he found killers disciplined enough to do his dirty work and keep quiet about it. He doesn’t seem the type to inspire confidence or loyalty in the breed that does that sort of work. And I definitely don’t see that happening if he never talked to them.”
“But he obviously knows how to get followers,” said Kouros. “He does have his ‘priests.’”
Tassos shook his head. “As far as we know he’s paying them to act as recruiters at so much per soul. They would never have to know a thing about the nasty side of his business. And as long as his priests and their recruits are paid on time, everyone’s happy.”
“I think it’s time to bring Trelos in for some serious questioning. Not that I expect him to talk, but I don’t want him out there arranging more murders while we’re running around trying to nail him. It makes me anxious, and that makes me prickly.” Andreas smacked Tassos on the arm.
“Oh, so that explains it. And here I thought it was just your missing Lila and Tassaki,” said Tassos.
“That too.”
“So, do we wait for him at his place, or on the road by the spot where his parents died?” said Kouros.
Tassos looked at his watch. “I think it’s too late to catch him on the road. There’s probably a better chance at his house.” Tassos pointed south toward the town. “That’s where he lives, over there to the left of the town just beyond and across from the pr
ehistoric acropolis.”
Andreas stared. “From up here, the Vriokastro looks a lot like the tip of Tinos’ new port on the other end of the bay between them. Interesting how two very different places, separated by a mile and a half of shoreline and five thousand years of history end up with the same designer.”
“Why mess with Greek perfection?” said Tassos.
Andreas smiled. “Spoken like a true Greek god. But before we leave our lofty perch to go down and mingle among the mortals, let’s stop by police headquarters and borrow some ballistic vests. Just in case our boy might be expecting us and has made some welcoming arrangements, I don’t want to make it easy for him.”
“Are you trying to make me anxious, too?” said Kouros.
“Make that ‘us.’”
“It’s good to share.”
Chapter Twenty-five
Twenty minutes later they were back in the port, headed east along the sea toward Trelos’ house. On the right was the stretch of sandy beach they’d seen from the taverna. It lay separated from the two-lane paved road by a nearly unbroken line of almirikia—salt cedars or tamarisk—painted around their trunks with white lime to keep away the pests. To the left were mostly empty fields and an occasional shack or business just off the edge of the road. The only thing resembling anything modern was the Tinos heliport, but even that was not much more than a concrete pad and bright orange windsock on a tiny patch of land between the road and the sea, close-by the base of the Vriokastro.
The road turned left at the ancient mound and wound to about halfway up its backside. At the eastern edge of the Vriokastro they turned left into Trelos’ driveway and parked next to the house.
There was nothing to suggest anyone was home. No vehicles, no lights, no sounds.
“It’s still early,” said Kouros. “Only nine.”
“Let’s do it again the same way. Yianni around the back, we take the front. But this time, if you find a way in let us know before you try it. No heroics.”
“Aye, aye, Chief.”
Two minutes later, Kouros opened the door for them.
“I told you no heroics.”
“What heroics? The place is empty. The guy doesn’t even have a cat.”
Andreas waved his hand at Kouros. “Just sit over there by the window and keep an eye on the road. Tassos, watch the back.”
Kouros turned on a light.
“What are you doing,” said Tassos.
“What’s the matter, do you think a police car sitting in front of the house won’t be enough to alert Trelos or his buddies we’re inside?”
“No, I just wanted to know what you’re doing, wise-ass,” said Tassos.
Kouros reached into his back pocket and pulled out the guidebook. “Reading.”
“Terrific.”
An hour went by with nothing more happening than Tassos and Kouros going back and forth at each other in an effort to kill the boredom.
“What time is it?” said Tassos.
“Five minutes later than when you asked me the last time,” said Kouros.
“Big deal. What in that book could possibly be more important than keeping me well informed?”
“Caves.”
“Great. Sort like the one we’re in now.” Tassos went back to looking out the window.
“Whoa, guys, take a look at this,” said Kouros.
“I wouldn’t think a Tinos guidebook would have that sort of picture,” said Tassos.
“Just listen. ‘A mile and a half east of the town is the prehistoric Vriokastro. Little is known about this site as the Greek government has refused all requests for permission to conduct archaeological explorations there. On its southern edge, centered on the apex of the mound, is a cave open to the sea to a depth of fifteen feet and accessible by foot or by boat.’”
“Do you think…” Tassos let his words trail off.
“That our suspect is living next door to what could possibly be the best hiding place on all of Tinos?” said Kouros.
“Accessible by land and boat,” said Andreas.
“And only a few hundred yards from the heliport,” said Tassos.
“His family has lived here for generations. He must know more about that mound than anyone else on the planet,” said Andreas.
“And they own all the property around it. Who’s to say what they’ve been doing with it over the last couple of centuries?” said Tassos.
“It would explain why there’s not a piece of electronic equipment in this place,” said Andreas.
“And where the sister is,” said Kouros.
“I think it’s time we take an evening stroll,” said Andreas
“The good news is it’s practically a full moon out there,” said Tassos.
“Good news for whom?” said Kouros
“Whoever shoots first,” said Andreas. “Check your vests and weapons. And easy on the flashlights. If we’re right about this, no way he’ll be happy to see us.”
Tassos shrugged. “Unless he’s been expecting us.”
***
They hid the car behind a tightly clustered row of bamboo about a quarter mile further east down the road from the Vriokastro and Trelos’ home. They walked back past the house to a sign on the left side of the road marking the official entrance to the historical site. A low stonewall of stacked flat stones ran along its border with the road. It would be easy to jump the wall at any point, and not just for goats and cats.
At the sign, a three-foot wide break in the wall opened onto an uneven dirt path lined by two-foot high stonewalls. The path was trampled down in the middle to no more than a foot-wide of packed dirt, bordered on each side by a foot of brush.
“Doesn’t look like this place gets a lot of traffic,” said Kouros.
“At least not of the two-footed kind,” said Tassos.
“Isn’t Tinos known for snakes?” whispered Kouros.
“That was the island’s name in antiquity, ‘the place of snakes,’” said Tassos, “But a miracle drove them away.”
“I don’t believe in miracles.”
“Then watch where you walk,” said Tassos.
“Keep it down, you two, I was kidding about this being a stroll.”
The path widened and narrowed erratically as it climbed amid what seemed endless rows of more low walls of flat stones. Some walls ran straight up the hill as if barriers to the sea, but most ran horizontal, creating plateaus of dirt that once were crop-yielding soil. Today those walls retained what bore little more than thistle and lizards.
The top of the mound looked to be twenty-five feet of solid stone, and the way up there was lined with a haphazard array of wind carved sculptures of unnatural shapes. Or so they appeared in the moonlight. By day they were boulders.
“We’re not going up there, are we?” whispered Kouros.
“No,” said Andreas. “If there’s a way into this thing from up there we’ll never find it in the dark. I’m heading to the sea. I want to see that cave. We might get lucky and find some way inside from there.”
“As if that will be any easier to do at night,” said Tassos.
“Why don’t you stay here and we’ll pick you up on the way back?” said Kouros.
“Not a chance.”
“As a matter of fact, that’s a good idea,” said Andreas. “Find a spot up the hill to keep an eye on us, and anyone who might come along while we’re inside. We’ll be sitting ducks in there.”
“More like fish in a barrel,” said Kouros.
“Okay,” said Tassos.
“Don’t fight so hard to come with us,” smiled Kouros.
“Stay safe guys. I’ll be here waiting and watching.”
Andreas handed Tassos a communicator. “I borrowed a pair from the Tinos boys, just in case.”
The moonlight made it easy to see, and the walls between them and a straight march to the sea were simple to get over. The most difficult part of the hike for Andreas was keeping his eyes on the ground in front of him so as not trip. It
was hard to focus on the path with the Aegean spread out across the horizon, ablaze in shimmering silver. He wondered what Lila was doing at the moment. They’d not spoken all day.
“Chief.”
“What is it?”
“Off to the right, it looks like a goat path leading out to the rocks above the sea. The cave should be out that way, and if it has fresh water like the guidebook says some do, goats would know that.”
Andreas followed the path out onto the rocks. Tinos was legend for its constant winds. Thankfully, tonight was relatively calm, with no wind driven waves to soak the rocks.
“Yianni, I think it’s over there.” Andreas pointed down at an indentation about thirty feet away at the edge of the sea. “Careful going down, I don’t want to have to carry you back.”
The two crept along on what seemed no more than a ribbon of stone across a cliff face.
“The more I do this the more respect I have for goats,” said Kouros.
“Don’t make me laugh, it’s slippery.”
Andreas jumped the last five feet down to a stone shelf just outside the cave. “Careful when you jump.”
Andreas stopped at the mouth of the cave to wait for Kouros. He shone his light inside. The cave was broad and tall enough, and the floor deep enough below sea level, to easily accommodate a fast boat capable of making it to Athens, or anywhere else in the Mediterranean for that matter. Andreas inched inside the cave along a slippery ledge that led into a tiny alcove barely larger that a double-size phone booth. He shone his light on the roof, walls and ledges, and down into the water. Kouros stepped in next to Andreas and did the same inside the alcove.
“I don’t see anything that looks like an entrance,” said Andreas.
“Or a ventilation duct,” said Kouros. “In fact, I don’t see anything that looks unusual at all, not even a hole.”
“Yeah, isn’t that unusual. You’d think if the sea took such trouble to carve this cave into solid rock it wouldn’t suddenly stop its work right here. The water must beat the hell out of this place when the wind is blowing, but there’s not even the hint of a crevice beyond where we’re standing. And what about that fresh water you talked about? Those goats must be pretty disappointed after making the trek down here to come up dry.
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