‘Good morning, Captain. This is Police Sergeant Jason Galanos. A body, male, was reported found in a trench near Batsi beach forty minutes ago. I am at the scene now. The body seems to have been stabbed several times and from what I can tell, has been out here quite a while. I cannot get closer as the body is too far down. I have contacted local rescue workers to assist…’
‘I’m on my way. I’ll be picking up the coroner too. Secure the crime scene. Photograph everything, touch nothing.’
I walked out of the station’s back door and exited into the vast parking lot. Excitement fuelled my pace and before I could dial the coroner’s number, I was standing beside my car. The steering wheel was hot, the air stale and unpleasant to breathe. I looked up and squinted at the sizzling November sun. Enough with the heat, already.
‘Jacob Petsa,’ the coroner’s voice came through my cell phone’s crackling speaker and interrupted my fearful thoughts of another rain-free year in Greece. Jacob sounded out of breath and was obviously chewing down food of some sort.
‘It’s 9 o’clock in the morning. What the hell are you eating in the morgue?’
‘Costa! Malaka, what you up to? And to answer your question; breakfast, of course. There is an amazing bistro just round the corner that makes an exquisite full English breakfast. And guess what? With coffee, only five Euro! You see, ever since the kids left home, Maria has been trying to put us on one diet or the other. Oats are not breakfast, my friend, that’s for sure! I once told Maria that I was not a freaking rabbit and I demanded a man’s meal. You should have seen her face, she… Costa? You there?’
‘Yep.’
‘You normally interrupt me by now,’ the jovial coroner said and chuckled.
‘I was going to, but then I needed to satisfy my curiosity. I always wanted to know if you would ever stop!’
‘Well, now you know! What you’ve got?’
‘A dead male on Salamina. I’ll be outside the morgue in five minutes.’
There was no reply. Jacob did not even bother to end the call. He placed the phone on his cold, stainless steel, surgery table and hobbled towards his breakfast. No crispy bacon was going to waste, not for anybody.
AMAZON:
http://www.amazon.com/Church-Murders-stand-alone-thriller-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B00V5Z123I/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1454659848&sr=1-2
AMAZON UK:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Church-Murders-stand-alone-thriller-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B00V5Z123I/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1454659386&sr=1-2
GREEK ISLAND MYSTERY #3:
DEATH OF A BRIDE
Book Of The Month (November, 2016)
– Mysteries and Crime Thrilers (Goodreads)
Chosen as one of the best indie mysteries of 2016 (Top10 - ReadFreely)
‘Greece is proud to have such a masterful writer. Death of a Bride is his best offering by far.’ - Athens Review Of Books
‘Superb murder/mystery. An Agatha Christie tale set in the 21st century.’ - National Society of the Greek Authors.
‘A spellbinding tale…shrouded in mystery and inflamed with revenge.’ - Author Elaine Bertolotti
‘The Greek island setting and the colourful Greek characters are a major bonus in this well-written story.’ - Amazon Reviewer
‘A spine-chilling mystery… Real and clever…’ - Amazon Reviewer
Chapter 1
Of all the plans a bride makes for her wedding day, dying is definitely not one of them.
Cassandra Zampetaki crept out of her family’s mansion and dashed through the pouring rain, past the thrashing swimming pool and into the safety of the stone brick pool house. She quickly closed the glass door behind her, gasping to catch her breath. Blustery winds roamed the hilltop and fat drops of water crashed down mightily from the night sky. Nothing outside could compare with the storm inside Cassandra. Tomorrow she would walk down the aisle and become Mrs Cassandra Cara-Zampetaki. Her mother had insisted she keep her last name.
‘It’s a name with history behind it. What is a ‘Cara’? A barbarian name…’
‘Mother!’ Cassandra would interrupt her and shoot a disapproving stare towards her.
Cassandra pulled the thick, vermilion curtains closed and turned on the lights. The expensive handcrafted chandelier came to life and pushed shadows back into corners. Cassandra ran her hands through her long, copper hair. She squeezed out as much water as she could and let it fall to the cold floor. She tied her hair up in a bun and stripped down to her underwear. Her fingers played with her gold engagement ring. It had been in Homer’s family for five generations and she felt proud to have it gracing her hand.
With her heartbeat thrumming, she opened the doors of the heavy, wooden wardrobe and with a slight smile, she gazed at her wedding dress. She did not know why she felt compelled, but she had to try it on, just one more time before the big day. She struggled to wear it on her own and soon the silk, white Valentino dress settled on her curvy figure. She tiptoed to the wall mirror and twirled in delight.
As she spun, her eye caught a glimpse of a shadowed figure sitting behind her in the corner of the room. Her hand instinctively covered her faint scream as she tripped and fell to the tiled floor. The shadowy figure rolled her wheelchair into the light.
‘Oh, it’s you,’ Cassandra said and exhaled deeply, obvious relief spreading across her diamond shape face. ‘You gave me such a fright. What are you doing here?’ Her voice climbed the decibel scale, going from abject nervousness to slight anger.
‘I came here in the evening to enjoy the sunset over the cliffs and when the storm grew stronger and stronger, I decided to stay here,’ the old lady said.
‘Oh, Mrs Lakioti, why didn’t you call up to the house?’ Cassandra thought of the evening feast the woman had missed out on. No one had noticed her missing. She had been alone for hours.
‘Now that is what I call a wedding dress. You look like an angel, my dear.’
‘Thank you.’ Cassandra turned back around and stared into the mirror. ‘It was love at first sight. I knew this was the dress from the moment the saleslady carried it out. Of course, mother found it too plain…’ Cassandra chattered away. Her flow of words covered the sound of stealthy footsteps behind her. The knife came down hard and sliced into her back. The acute, agonizing pain brought Cassandra to her knees. Before shock settled, the blade was yanked out of her fake-tanned skin. Cassandra screamed, only to be silenced by a second stabbing; this time straight into her throat. Blood sprayed onto the mirror and ran down the white dress, coloring it crimson red on its way down. The bride fell forward, eyes wide open, hands desperately seeking something to grasp. Outside, the storm grew even more violent; constant thunder broke through the air and howling, gale force winds uprooted old trees, while rain pummelled the grooved roof. Inside, Cassandra’s last breath departed from her trembling lips and her body glided down the glass surface.
Her killer stepped into the pool of blood forming under her wedding dress. Garden cutters approached Cassandra’s ring finger and with force, her murderer cut through the bone.
AMAZON:
https://www.amazon.com/Death-Bride-stand-alone-thriller-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B01AS1658Q/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1474641628&sr=1-3
AMAZON UK:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Death-Bride-stand-alone-thriller-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B01AS1658Q/ref=sr_1_3/251-9608207-3208751?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1474641526&sr=1-3
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Murder On Display: A riveting, stand-alone murder / mystery that keeps you guessing until the shocking end (Greek Island Mysteries Book 4) Page 19
