The Beth Papadakis Thriller Box Set

by Cara Alexander

I shrug. ‘Write down exactly where they are and don’t forget to text me if you see him coming.’

  I’m trying to remember the layout of Helen’s house. If there’s a problem with Theo, will David come and help? Shall I tell him what happened?

  After writing down exactly where her clothes are in the spare bedroom where she now sleeps, she hands me the list. ‘It’s getting a bit chilly, let’s collect my clothes and go back to the hotel, I still have to pack.’

  We leave the restaurant and pile back into David’s car. Helen’s in the front with him, I’m in the back.

  As we drive to Helen’s house in Kolonaki, I ask her to call the house phone to see if Theo’s there.

  ‘No reply, he’s not there.’

  She turns to look at me. ‘Don’t worry Beth, we’ll be outside if you need us.’

  Ten minutes later we pull up outside her house, his car isn’t there but that doesn’t mean anything, maybe it’s in the car park?

  ‘Go on Beth, what are you waiting for,’ Helen asks, giving me a nudge.

  ‘Alright, but don’t forget to let me know if his car pulls up.’

  She laughs. ‘Don’t worry, now go.’

  I get out of the car and quickly run to the front door, I ring the bell and wait. No answer, I try it again, still no answer. I can see Helen gesticulating for me to go inside. I insert the key and gently open the door. Once inside I stand still and listen. The only sound is my heart beating. My mouth’s dry, I swallow and quickly creep into the living room. Nobody’s there…

  I make my way up the stairs to one of the guest bedrooms where Helen sleeps, that’s where she said her clothes are. I slowly open the drawers and shove her clothes in a bag. I’m nearly finished when I hear something. I freeze. It sounds like creaking floorboards. It must be him, but where is he? I didn’t hear him come in and there’s no warning text from Helen, she’s supposed to text me. Did he climb in through the French windows in the living room downstairs? Shit, I’ve got to get out of here.

  Creeping over to the window I peer out, I can see Helen in the car below. Then I hear a loud moaning noise. Clutching hold of the bag, I creep back into the guest bedroom then tip toe over to the stairs. The moaning noise is louder, it’s coming from Helen’s bedroom. The door’s partly open, it’s Theo. He’s totally naked. Oh God, does he never stop? Is this all he thinks of? They must have been in the bedroom when I arrived and not heard me.

  Shuddering at the thought of what he did to me, I run down the stairs, through the living room and out of the house.

  David’s holding the back door of the car open. ‘What's wrong?’ he asks, staring at me. ‘You look flushed, was anyone in there?’

  ‘No,’ I reply, slamming the car door. ‘Let’s go!’

  I can see Helen’s worried face in the overhead mirror.

  ‘Come on David! What are you waiting for?’ I yell, but he’s staring at the house, I follow his eyes, a curtain moves in the front bedroom.

  With a squeal of tires, the car speeds forward, away from Kolonaki Square back to our hotel.

  It’s late when we arrive at our hotel, Helen grabs the bag of clothes and heads towards the elevator. I glance over at David, I know he saw the curtain move, but he says nothing.

  Helen stares at the bag of clothes on her bed, grabs a pair of jeans and a thick jumper and begins to get dressed.

  I hold out the long sleeved black thermal vest I found in her drawer. ‘Put this on you’ll need it in London.’

  She looks at me wearily. ‘What would I do without you, Beth?’

  ‘You’d manage perfectly well,’ I reply, winking. She knows she must take it easy, which reminds me, I must make sure David’s aware of this. Long walks in the park in February in London are not what Helen needs.

  Eventually we make it to the airport with just a few minutes to spare. David drops off his hired car, then they go through customs. I suddenly wish I was going with them, I wonder where Dev is, maybe he’s not coming?

  After they’ve gone through, I stand at the entrance to the airport breathing in the night air. Shall I get a cab or take the bus back to Syntagma?

  Then I see Dev hurrying towards me.

  28

  DEV & BETH

  He looks tired, his face is serious, my heart sinks.

  ‘What’s so urgent?’ I ask, as soon as he’s near me.

  ‘Not now,’ he answers, gently steering me to the car park.

  ‘I’ll tell you later.’

  We drive in silence. ‘So what’s so urgent, Dev?’

  He glances over at me. ‘Don’t be so impatient.’

  I shrug. He obviously doesn’t want to tell me now so I close my eyes and start to nod off.

  Dev taps me on the arm. ‘Wake up, we’re here.’

  ‘But I thought you were taking me back to my hotel?’ I say, sitting up and looking at him. ‘Where are we?’

  He leans over and opens the door, I slide out.

  We’re outside a small bar next to the sea. Dev puts his arm around my shoulder and we walk inside. It’s not very busy so we have our choice of where to sit. The waiter takes us to a table tucked away in a corner. I ask for wine, Dev orders a coffee. I sit sipping my wine waiting for him to say something, but he just sits drinking his coffee.

  ‘So, why are we here?’ I ask, looking around. ‘Are we meeting someone?’

  He’s got his serious face on and just sits looking at me. Then with a deep sigh he leans forward. ‘I brought you here because I want to talk to you, and I know you’re not going to like what I say.’

  I had a feeling he was going to say something but why bring me here?

  ‘There’s too much at stake,’ he mutters. ‘Your safety comes first. So far, you’ve been very lucky, but you’ve made many enemies, you won’t stand a chance against them. The police contacted me...’

  He sits turning his coffee cup around in his hands.

  ‘And?’ I ask, watching him closely.

  ‘I contacted someone, and the charges filed against you by Theo have been dropped.’

  ‘So why are you looking so glum?’ I ask, peering at him.

  ‘There's something else,’ he sighs deeply. ‘You must go back to London.’

  ‘And if I don't?’

  ‘Don't even think about it, Beth,’ he snaps reverting to his cold detached other self. ‘You need a full-time bodyguard otherwise you’ll end up dead or in jail. And that’s not something you’d like, is it?’

  I sit sipping my wine, ignoring him and look out of the window towards the sea. Helen’s on her way to London, she’ll be there at 10.00 London time, but it’ll be midnight here in Athens. Out of the corner of my eye I can see him staring into his coffee. Why didn't I go with Helen? I'd have had company on the flight and wouldn't have to endure this. I bought a one-way ticket to come to Athens. It was an emergency.

  Rolling the stem of the wine glass between my fingers, I take a deep breath and turn to Dev. He’s silently watching me with a strange look on his face. ‘Okay, I'll book my ticket tonight - happy?’

  He takes an envelope from his jacket pocket and hands it to me. ‘You're on the 9.15 tomorrow morning. I'll collect you at 7.00.’

  For some reason I’m not surprised, I just nod and take the envelope. ‘Who do I pay?’

  ‘It's on us, we...’

  I stand up and walk towards the door, he follows.

  We drive back to the hotel in silence. Then I’m alone back at the hotel, no Helen, just me. Pulling open the fridge, I grab a miniature bottle of brandy and glug it down, wondering where I went wrong. Then I remember the list I made on my laptop before that dreadful woman attacked me.

  My phone rings making me jump. Is it Dev? No, it’s Elias.

  ‘Beth, I had to phone. I... I know you are going tomorrow and I want to say that if ever you need anything give me a ring.’

  My eyes fill with tears. ‘Elias,’ I croak, wishing he was here so I could hug him. ‘All I want is for you to help me find James's kille
r. Email me, send me everything you find - photos, articles - whatever, and keep me up to date with that scum bag Theo.’

  He laughs and promises he’ll do this, wishes me a good journey and I’m alone again, staring at the Acropolis, just like I’ve done a million times before. There’s something hypnotic about it and I know I’ll be back soon. I’ll text Dev early tomorrow morning, say I woke up early and I’m already at the airport, that way I won’t have to see him.

  Two more little bottles of brandy and I feel a bit better. I curl up on the bed and close my eyes.

  The sound of the phone ringing cuts into my dream, I wake with a start. My mouth’s dry, I need a drink.

  There’s a loud knock at the door, then another. I crawl out of bed and open it.

  Dev’s staring at me, ‘You have to get dressed, quickly,’ he mutters. ‘I'll be downstairs in the car.’

  There’s no time for coffee on the terrace as usual, no chatting and gazing at the Acropolis, I bite my lip, this isn’t supposed to happen, I shouldn’t be going home.

  We drive to the airport in silence, he parks the car, takes my luggage from the back seat, I grab it from him and start walking towards departures.

  ‘Look Beth,’ he says, walking alongside me. ‘It’s for your own good.’

  Gritting my teeth, I carry on walking. I can feel him watching me, he’s making bloody sure I get on the plane.

  I go through customs and board the plane. Once we’re airborne I order a black coffee and a bar of chocolate. I sit gazing out of the window at the retreating sunshine until the last rays of the sun are gone. Snowy white clouds surround us now, I wish I was still in Athens.

  During the four-hour flight I try to calm down. I can’t stop thinking about it, I feel empty inside. I doze off for a while and have terrible dreams about being chased up the mountain by a car. I’m in a cab but the driver refuses to go faster, I keep telling him the people in the car behind us want to kill me but he only laughs. I wake up drenched in sweat, the woman in the seat next to me is staring at me.

  ‘Are you okay?’ she asks, a worried look on her face.

  ‘Yes,’ I mumble, sitting up and reaching for my bottle of water. ‘I just had a bad dream.’

  29

  BETH

  London

  The bitterly cold wind greets me as I leave London airport, I cross the road to the Tube, but the thought of getting on a crowded train fills me with dread. I walk back to the airport and take a cab to Bayswater.

  The apartment feels cold and empty, there’s no Jamie to welcome me as usual, he’s staying at Mum’s. I turn on the heating, switch on the TV - same old rubbish they always show on daytime TV - I turn it off and go into the kitchen.

  Half a bottle of Pinot Noir sits on the table reminding me of my last drink in Athens with Dev. It’s tempting to fill a glass, but I need something to eat first, I didn’t eat breakfast, I only had that chocolate bar on the plane. There’s lots of stuff in the freezer but I really can’t be bothered to cook, coffee and crackers will do.

  Oblivious to the sound of the rain on the living room window, I sit drinking my coffee and munching crackers. I can’t stop thinking about Dev and the events of the past few days. Eventually I fill a glass up to the top with Pinot Noir and sit drinking and listening to the rain. With each gulp I take, I feel a little bit better.

  After a while I lay down on the couch, close my eyes and start to drift off.

  Then my phone rings. Shall I answer it? No, I turn over and ignore it.

  It rings again, this time I grab it.

  ‘Beth, I just heard you were back in London. How are you?’

  I yawn. ‘Not great, I just fell asleep on the couch.’ I sit up wondering who told Helen. ‘How are you?’

  ‘I'm okay, it’s you I'm worried about.’

  ‘Who told you I was here?’

  ‘I called Dev to find out about the case and he told me.’ She hesitates then continues. ‘He didn't sound very happy, he's worried about you.’

  I sit silently holding the phone.

  ‘Are you still there, Beth?’

  ‘Yes,’ I groan. ‘Well, he'd better get a move on and solve the bloody case. Think about it Helen, they have all that CCTV footage from outside your place, from the casino, and God knows what else from the bar by the beach, surely the owner of the bar remembers something. And what about the car? Who was driving it? Did they catch it on CCTV? For sure the guy must have been speeding - did they clock him for that?’

  I stop to draw breath then carry on. ‘And what’s the name of the guy who was killed with James? These are all questions nobody’s answered, or if they have, they're not telling us.’

  I pause. Helen’s silent, I’m waiting for her to say something, anything.

  ‘Beth, I know how you feel,’ she suddenly blurts out. ‘But we have to wait. What else can we do? If they won't tell us, there must be a reason. For Dev to ask you to leave means he knows you're in danger, that's why you're here.’

  ‘Yes, he's probably got someone watching us right now,’ I snap. ‘They were probably watching us in Athens.’ Helen doesn’t know there were guards at the hospital and I’m not about to tell her. ‘Look Helen, I’ve got to go. I'll call you later. Say hello to David for me.’

  I suddenly feel wide awake. I need a coffee and my laptop.

  A few minutes later I’m charging my laptop and making a list.

  THINGS I MUST FIND OUT.

  Name of the guy who was killed with James. His background - where did he work? Where did he live? Is he married? Did he go to university?

  Who are his friends?

  CCTV footage from Helen's place.

  CCTV footage from the casino - did they find the woman who attacked us?

  What about the creep who phoned me at the hotel? Have they found him?

  Bar by the beach where James was killed - forensic report?

  Bar owner - what does he remember? Any CCTV footage of the car the killer was driving? Maybe he was speeding and was caught on camera?

  Reasons Theo wants Helen dead?

  Gambles heavily in the casino – check his finances.

  He inherits a lot if Helen dies, although he did say she’d changed her will recently so that I would inherit – or rather he screamed this information at me – just thinking about him makes me feel sick.

  What am I missing? My mind’s dried up so I rub my head with the tip of my nails. This usually works but today it doesn’t, so I give up.

  Now to email Elias, see if he can answer these questions. I put URGENT in the subject line then press send.

  It’s nearly 5.00 in the afternoon and already dark and freezing cold. February’s always a miserable month - the hype of Christmas is long gone and it’s the coldest month of the year.

  I sit staring out of the window at the rain deciding what to do - I need to walk.

  With my puffa jacket zipped up I open the door, I’ll buy some bread, do some shopping.

  I’m soon walking down Queensway. It’s cold and raining so I pull up my hood and run to Tesco’s supermarket.

  Fifteen minutes later I’m hurrying back home clutching two bags of shopping. Living in the centre of London has its advantages, I’m close to the shops, restaurants, transport and Hyde Park. The one drawback is the rent, and you can forget about buying a place, prices are out of reach for people like me. My rent’s always going up, so unless I win the lottery or get a better job.

  My phone rings as I’m opening the door to my apartment, I drop the bags of shopping, rummage through my small shoulder bag for my phone, find it then it stops ringing.

  It was Elias. I call him back, but it’s engaged, maybe he emailed me?

  Sure enough, there’s one from him.

  Hello Beth – I hope you had a good journey. Most of the information you want is highly classified. I have connections but Dev has more sophisticated ways of doing things. Have you asked him? I checked the latest article I wrote on James’s accident. The guy who was
killed instantly, the one he went to meet, had no ID on him, so the next of kin were never contacted. Forensics must have all the info you need but how to get it? Will keep checking and let you know. Elias

  My reply.

  Thanks. I asked Dev a couple of times but no luck. If you can ask maybe he'll tell you? Beth

  I know Elias feels a sense of obligation to me for saving his life and I feel bad pressing him, but if you don't ask, you don't get.

  NOW TO TEXT HELEN.

  Helen - did you ever get a print-out of the person on the CCTV footage putting something in the hood of your car? If not ask Dev (I don't want to - I'm sure you understand why), and whilst you’re about it, ask him if they've tracked down the woman who tried to kill you. And ask if they found out anything about James's wife. Btw send me the photo you took of the woman in the casino. Beth

  Then I remember the shopping bags in the hall.

  Five minutes later I’m eating French bread with cheese, tomatoes and olives, I’m also on my second cup of strong black coffee.

  Now to get started on my Athens article, my editor needs it by tomorrow, so I must be quick.

  By the time I finish it’s nearly 8.20 and I’m tired. It’s been a long day. I wonder if Helen contacted Dev?

  I login to my emails, there’s one from Helen, attached is a photo of the woman in the casino with Theo. She also sent the woman’s name and address in Athens which she got from Dev, the photo’s not very clear, but it’ll do.

  My reply to Helen.

  Have they caught her yet? Beth

  Now for a large glass of wine and some pizza of which there are many in the freezer.

  Back at my laptop I sip the wine and check for anymore emails.

  There’s one from Helen and another from Elias. Let’s see what Helen has to say.

  Have contacted Dev about the woman, will let you know what he says. Are you okay? Call me! Helen

  Now the email from Elias.

  I went to the bar in Glyfada and had another chat with the waiter, but nothing new. He said everything happened so quickly. He has no idea what the car looked like. I asked Dev if there is any CCTV footage of the car and if it was speeding. He didn't answer, but said he is coming round to see me, so not sure what that means. Elias