The Beth Papadakis Thriller Box Set

by Cara Alexander

  The bar is small, low lights, with soft Greek music playing in the background. There’s a corner seat which offers more privacy than the others which we grab.

  A waiter comes over to takes our order. Two minutes later he returns with a bottle of red and two glasses which he fills to the top.

  Dev clinks glasses with me and smiles. ‘So, when are you going back to London?’

  I look at him over the rim of my glass. ‘I’m not sure.’

  ‘What about Helen? Is she going back to sort out her house?’

  ‘Yes, but we won't be going back until James's case is solved.’

  He looks surprised. ‘But it could be a long time before…’

  ‘Dev, I want to ask you something, can you get me the tapes of the bugged conversations Alex made of Fivos?’

  He chokes on his drink, hastily gropes for a serviette and wipes his mouth.

  ‘You are joking of course!’

  ‘Of course I’m not joking,’ I snap. ‘I thought you wanted to solve this case.’ He raises an eyebrow and shakes his head, I’ve seen him do this a lot recently, so just ignore him.

  I lean forward and look at him. ‘You’re missing something very important and I think you know what I'm talking about.’

  He sits watching me but says nothing, there’s the hint of a smile on his lips.

  ‘The guy who phoned me from outside the metro at Monesteraki, you haven't found, him have you?’ I can see I’ve hit a sore spot and smile. ‘He’s the missing link, isn’t he?’

  He sits drinking his wine, but I can tell he wants to hear more.

  ‘You hauled me off to Mont Parnes to identify someone and ended up getting poisoned - they’re out to get all of us, aren’t they?’

  He’s watching me intently but says nothing, I carry on. ‘It’s the warning I received from the guy who called me at the hotel, don’t you remember? He told me to stop putting my nose into things that don’t concern me.’

  He raises an eyebrow but still says nothing.

  As an afterthought I add. ‘Oh, and by the way, I forgot to tell you, someone attacked me when I left you and Elias at the restaurant that night, he had a very long knife, I was lucky someone came along and scared him off.’

  I can see him stiffen, he’s furious I haven’t said anything about this before. If it wasn’t so serious, I’d burst out laughing, but I don’t, I take a sip of wine and wait.

  He sits watching me with that mask like face, his eyes like slits of blue. ‘You're right, Beth, but you’ve seen all the photos and the new CCTV footage and you noticed nothing.’

  I nod and put my glass down, he leans forward, takes the bottle of wine and tops up our glasses.

  ‘I was thinking about this the other night Dev and there is an easy way to find out who the killer is.’

  He rolls his eyes up to the ceiling and laughs. ‘Now this is something I want to hear.’

  I smile because I know he’s going to like what I say. ‘Okay. Alex gave the police the names of the other members who heard these tapes and you have their names, yes?’

  He nods.

  ‘Can you get the recordings of these party meetings?’

  He shrugs.

  ‘This is very important, get the recordings and videos of their meetings...’ I lower my voice and move closer to him, our faces are practically touching. ‘And I might be able to recognize the voice of the man on the phone, then…’ I take a sip of wine, he sits waiting. ‘If I can see a few videos of their meetings...well, it makes it so much easier for me, doesn’t it?’

  I sit back enjoying the expression on his face. ‘Ask Alex, for the videos and recordings, tell him that if we find out who killed James, he’ll be in the clear.’

  He sits silently watching me then takes out his phone. He asks to speak to Alex. The police tell him he’s out on bail, so he calls his mobile.

  ‘Alex, this is Dev. If you want to clear yourself, I think I can help.’

  I can hear Alex laugh at the other end, Dev carries on talking.

  ‘Get me the recordings and videos of your party meetings where the men you named are present. This is urgent.’

  Alex doesn’t sound very happy about it, I can hear him making excuses.

  ‘I don't care if it is short notice,’ Dev hisses. ‘Send them to Takis's bar by special delivery, it’s just off Syntagma Square, or bring them yourself.’

  Shit, I didn’t expect him to invite him here. We sit sipping our wine, waiting.

  Ten minutes later Alex calls Dev to say he’s sending them over by special delivery to the bar.

  Fifteen minutes pass and still no delivery. Dev doesn’t say much just sits flicking through his phone.

  Suddenly a man walks into the bar, he stands looking around then comes over to us. He's obviously been given Dev's description. He’s holding a small parcel.

  Dev shows him some ID, then the man hands him the small package and leaves.

  ‘Come on,’ Dev mutters, standing up, ‘My car’s outside.’

  We leave the bar and drive along the busy streets of Athens towards the Acropolis.

  Once again we go through the old door and down the elevator into the bowels of this amazing building. As soon as we’re in the digital room Dev opens the small package, inside are video recordings and tapes.

  We sit watching the videos which at first are interesting then get a bit boring. Dev starts pacing up and down the room, I close my eyes and listen.

  Then it happens.

  ‘That's the voice, play it back!’

  Dev runs over, rewinds the video just a little then presses play.

  ‘Yes that's him.’

  I open my eyes and look at the screen, the man is tall, with longish dark hair, I’ve never seen him before. I sit staring at him. ‘Rewind it. I want to make sure.’

  We watch the video several more times, then Dev takes a snapshot of the man. He searches through their database and eventually finds him, his name is Demos Gramaticos, he lives in Piraeus.

  ‘Come on, Beth, I’ll drive you back to your hotel.’

  I look at him in surprise. ‘Can’t I come to Piraeus with you?’

  He shrugs. ‘Sorry, but we must do this without you.’

  Within minutes we’re outside the Plaka Hotel, I slide out of his black BMW and watch him drive off, then rush inside to tell Helen the good news.

  ‘I saw you arrive,’ she says, coming into the room from the balcony. ‘What’s happened?’

  I grab hold of her. ‘It’s all over, Helen, we’ve found the killer.’

  Later that day at the Plaka Hotel

  ‘Demos Gramaticos is in police custody,’ exclaims Dev, as I open the door to my room. He grabs hold of me and twirls me around.

  I laugh. ‘So, what was his motive?’

  ‘Demos Gramaticos knew Fivos had overheard him talking, he knew the next time he met James he would tell him who was behind it. That's why they killed him.’ He stops for a moment and looks serious. ‘James was collateral damage.’

  We walk onto the balcony and sit down, he carries on. ‘Stamatis was following you in Athens and London, he also drove the car while Gramaticos did the shooting.’

  ‘How do you know all this?’

  ‘Stamatis is spilling the beans, they all do this, he wants a lighter sentence.’

  ‘And Gramaticos?’

  ‘Gramaticos is saying Alex ordered him to do it.’ Then as if reading my mind he quickly adds. ‘Don’t worry about Alex, he has the best legal team in the country. Gramaticos has a history of violence…’ He stops and looks at me. ‘He’s safely behind bars, he won’t be calling you again.’

  I sigh with relief. Maybe this is the wake-up call Alex needs to get his life in order.

  41

  BETH LEAVES

  Plaka Hotel

  8.00 am in the morning

  Helen took me by surprise last night, she booked us flights back to London. I know I have to get back to work, and I know she needs to do things in London, b
ut I thought we’d have a few more days in Athens.

  I called Dev and told him, he sounded a bit surprised, said he'd pop round in the morning to see us before we leave for the airport, he said if he has time he’ll drive us there.

  My phone rings, it’s Dev.

  A minute later I put the phone down and look at Helen. ‘He’s very busy, he can’t come round at the moment.’

  ‘Okay, then we’ll get a cab to the airport, we don’t want to miss our flight, do we?’

  As we enter Athens Eleftherios Venizelos airport, I feel flat and empty, I should feel happy, but I don’t.

  ‘Beth!’

  I turn, it’s Dev.

  He rushes over, kisses Helen on both cheeks, then does the same to me.

  I swallow and bite down hard on my lip. I’ve grown to like him a lot, what a shame he doesn’t live in London. He looks pale and tired, his blue eyes rest on my face briefly and he smiles.

  ‘Have a good journey, come back soon.’

  I nod and smile, then turn to catch up with Helen, she’s a few steps ahead of me heading towards check-in.

  ‘Cheer up,’ she mutters, grabbing my arm and pulling me along with her. ‘We might be going to Spain for Easter.’

  I try to smile but I can’t.

  She glances back at Dev, who’s still watching us. ‘He’s a loner Beth. He used to be married but since his divorce he's never had a permanent relationship. James said he was worried about him.’ She looks at me to see if I’m taking it in. ‘Many women find him attractive, the problem is he doesn’t stay with them for long.’

  I have a sudden urge to stay, I turn, Dev’s still watching me. Helen grabs my hand. ‘Come on, Beth, we’ll miss the flight.’ She suddenly hugs me. ‘Cheer up, I’ve a feeling he’ll be visiting you soon in London.’

  Author Note: If you’ve enjoyed reading THE KILLING please leave a review, they help others find my books. Thank you.

  Prologue

  LONDON

  Dev boards the train, he hates London rush hour, he hasn't taken the train for a while, it hasn't changed, in fact it's worse than it used to be. More people and the noise, he thought Athens was bad but this train is a joke, it’s more like a cattle carrier.

  He moves slowly along to allow a woman with a rucksack some room, she turns and knocks him with it, he curses under his breath, she smiles shyly. This is another of his pet peeves, why do they bring them on trains, with the amount of people living in London there isn't room for the bloody things. Suddenly his body tenses, nobody else has noticed him, but he has, it's the sort of thing he does, he's trained in these things. The guy looks normal, blue sweatshirt, blue jeans, hat pulled down… but the guy’s sweating, he has a rucksack in front of him, he's looking wildly around, muttering to himself, his hands tremble.

  How can I get to him when I'm knee deep in people?

  He starts edging his way slowly towards the guy. He's two feet away, people are glaring at him as he pushes past them. The guy hasn't noticed him, he keeps his head down, must not alert him. Three people in front of him are blocking his way. Trying to be as calm as he can without the other guy noticing he pushes past them. Seconds are ticking by - he has to make it before the doors close. He's right up to the guy, the guy turns his head and sees him.

  Is he going to detonate it now? Shit his hand's going inside the rucksack. With an almighty push Dev grabs the guy's hand, the guy grimaces and tries to push him away. Doors slam shut – fear on faces around them – people instinctively try to push back from them. The cocky little bastard tries to kick his shin, there's pure hatred in his sparkling black eyes. Dev has the guy’s hand in a lock but he’s struggling to get away. The train races through the tunnel then starts slowing down, they're entering Marble Arch Tube station.

  With the full force of his body locking the guy to the tube door, he moves his other hand to grip his wrist, now he can't get away.

  You could hear a pin drop in the carriage now, the smell of fear is all around.

  What happens if the guy falls out of the train when the doors open, will it detonate whatever shit he's carrying?

  The train squeals into the station. Not a sound in the carriage, doors open – Dev leaps out dragging the guy with him, one hand holding his wrist the other around his neck, the guy’s kicking and screaming. Everyone stands looking terrified.

  Is anyone going to help?

  Next minute station security is all over the place, pushing past passengers. Strong arms are on the would-be bomber, while others gently take away the rucksack.

  Dev pulls out his phone and texts:

  Suicide bomber stopped - Marble Arch Tube.

  Suddenly there’s a piercing scream.

  ‘Alluha Akbar – infidels! We have more, you stopped me, but you can't stop us all.’

  He's carried away screaming by armed police, special agents arrive to cordon off the area and dismantle the bomb.

  1

  BETH

  Bayswater, London

  I haven't heard from Dev since I left Athens, I often feel like contacting him but always stop myself. I think about James a lot also, he was murdered the evening before I flew to Athens. It was a working trip to get the low down on the political and economic situation there. Helen had arranged to meet him the previous evening, but he never showed up. I still can't believe he's gone.

  My phone rings, it's Helen, she's back in Athens. She was here last week sorting out her house in the Cotswolds, she didn’t stay long, she has a business to run.

  ‘Hi Helen, how are you?’

  She laughs. ‘I'm great, it's good to be back but I miss you, you’ll have to come back and live here.’ She pauses for a second. ‘I still can't get over what happened, everywhere I look I see James – but he’s not here, he’s gone.’

  It’s been hard for Helen they were like brother and sister. After James was killed and the traumatic events that followed, I thought she’d leave Athens and come back to the UK to live, but she didn’t.

  ‘Beth! Are you still there!’

  ‘Of course, I was thinking about you.’

  ‘Don’t forget we’re going to Spain. You haven’t forgotten have you?’

  ‘No, I haven’t forgotten, but it might be difficult to take time off right now, I need every penny I can get. I work very hard but I don’t have anything to show for it.’

  ‘But you still have the apartment in Athens, tell your ex you're coming back and sell it, then with your half of the money you can buy a really lovely place in Kalamaki by the sea. Do you remember when we had lunch with David on Edem beach, you said it was the ideal place to live? Just a ten-minute ride on the tram to the center of Athens.’

  ‘Yes, Helen, but you’re forgetting Jamie, he's just settled down in his new school, I can't move him again.’

  She grunts, she knows I'm right. ‘Okay, but I need to get back to David, he called me yesterday, he wants to know if we're still going to Spain for Easter.’

  ‘Helen, I’d love to, but I don’t think I can.’

  ‘Think about it, Beth, it will be good for you and Jamie to have a break from London. David’s parent’s hotel is by the sea on the Costa Tropical, I'm sure Jamie will love it. David’s sister has a son the same age as Jamie, so he’ll have some company.’

  ‘Okay, can I let you know tomorrow?’

  ‘Of course, but I need to know soon, talk to you later.’

  She hangs up, I go to the kitchen, I’ll make a coffee then do some work.

  My phone rings, she's probably forgotten something.

  I run back into the living room and grab my phone.

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Hi, Beth.’

  ‘Dev!’

  He laughs. 'Yes, Dev! Have you forgotten me already?'

  ‘Of course not.’

  'Beth, I have something to ask you, I’m not sure if you’ll want to but...'

  'What is it?'

  'I've thought about this a lot and we'd like to offer you a job.’


  I'm stunned. ‘A job! Doing what?’

  ‘Working with me, you have all the qualifications we need, in fact you have more, so what do you think?’

  ‘To work in Athens?’

  He hesitates. ‘No, in London. Of course, after it's finished…’

  ‘After what's finished?’

  ‘Look can I meet you later today? I'm staying at the Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington, maybe 5:00 pm in the hotel bar, I can tell you more about it then.’

  'I didn't know you were in London, I thought you were calling from Athens,’ I mumble. ‘Of course, I can come.’

  I can’t believe it, a job working with Dev! For the first time in a long time I feel excited and happy, but then I stop and take a deep breath. Don’t get to happy, you don’t know what it entails!

  I glance over at the TV, there’s a news flash about the attempted suicide bomb attack in central London yesterday afternoon.

  I run over and turn up the volume. It was all over the news, I was coming back from Victoria yesterday, there were loads of armed police running around in Park Lane, I wonder if Dev knows? I must remember to ask him.

  My phone suddenly rings, it’s my friend from the travel agency in Queensway.

  ‘Hi Beth, bad news I’m afraid, you won’t be booking anymore flights with me, we're closing down.’

  ‘Oh no, why?’

  ‘It's due to Whiteley's closing, we’re right opposite it. They’ve pulled it down and are building luxury apartments.’

  ‘Oh, that’s terrible, I read about it some time ago I even signed a petition to save it, but it didn’t work.’ I stop and sigh. ‘It’s been there for years, I can’t believe they’re pulling it down, all those memories gone forever.’

  ‘Yeah, I'm losing my job so you’ll have to go back to booking your flights online.’

  I think of what Helen said about David and the Costa Tropical. ‘Well, I might be booking one more flight with you tomorrow.’