The Heiress of Santorini

by Angel Sefer

  “Believe me, I know…” he replied, and Alexandra glanced at him, puzzled.

  “I have to go now. I’ll come get you when he arrives,” he added and rushed out of the room before she had a chance to ask any questions he couldn’t possibly answer.

  ***

  Alexandra stared at the door, puzzled. What was that all about? she wondered. What did he mean he knew how it is to hide your real identity?

  She drew a deep breath, trying to clear her thoughts. Mark was a mystery to her, but right now, she needed to concentrate on Alexandros.

  She had prepared what to say; she had been thinking about it all day long. However, it just didn’t sound right. Stop that! she reprimanded herself. After all, she wasn’t the one who had some explaining to do. It was her grandfather’s fault that her mother cut off all ties with her family.

  Anxiously, she walked back and forth, not able to stand still. All of a sudden, loud voices and a lot of commotion downstairs made her realize her grandfather had arrived.

  What am I going to do? she wondered, squeezing her hands together. What am I going to say? Her thoughts flew back to her one and only visit to this island. She could hardly remember her grandfather—as a matter of fact, he was gone most of the time.

  What is he really like? Her mother’s bitter comments were etched indelibly in her mind, but Alexandra wasn’t a child anymore. She was an adult and about to meet her grandfather after all these years.

  A knock on the door brought her back to reality. “Come in,” she said and was shocked to see her grandfather standing in the doorway.

  They stood speechless, staring at each other. She wasn’t prepared for this. She had imagined he was going to send for her, not come to her himself. A kind gesture on his behalf, she realized, probably wanting to make her feel comfortable in her own territory.

  “Hello, Alexandra,” he said, simply. “May I come in?”

  “Of course,” she replied and stood still, watching him approach.

  He extended his hand, and when Alexandra gave him hers, he took it and squeezed it in both of his.

  “It’s so good to see you,” he said, with a tone of sincerity in his voice, which left Alexandra speechless. “I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time.”

  Alexandra was rooted to the floor. Everything she had prepared all day to say to him didn’t sound right anymore.

  “Come on,” Alexandros said and pulled her towards the armchairs by the window. “Let’s sit down. We have so much to talk about.”

  Alexandra followed him and sank heavily in the armchair opposite his.

  A soft knock on the door interrupted them, and Martha walked in holding a tray with tea and cookies. She placed the tray on the end round table next to Alexandros, gave both of them a warm smile, and left without a word.

  “I’m not sure what to say,” Alexandra admitted honestly.

  “Neither am I,” he confessed to her surprise. “I’ve been preparing what to tell you for so long and now…” he hesitated and shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

  Alexandra studied the sophisticated older gentleman sitting across from her. Impeccably dressed in a dark grey suit and blue-grey tie, with a white-gold Rolex and amazing diamond cufflinks on his wrist, he seemed powerful and out of reach—just as she had imagined him to be. Then again, the pain and suffering in his gaze wasn’t what she had expected at all.

  “You’re so beautiful!” Alexandros finally said. “You remind me so much of your mother.”

  Alexandra noticed the shadow that clouded his eyes and drew her gaze away from him, glancing outside. They both remained speechless for a while, each one lost in his or her thoughts.

  After a few moments of silence, she turned and stared at him straight in the eyes. “Why?” she asked simply.

  He stared back speechless.

  Alexandra was surprised to see this powerful man hesitating like this. From up close, he seemed a lot older than in the photos, and the expression on his face had none of the arrogance she was used in seeing in the newspapers.

  “She was so young and restless,” he said, after a while. “I had high expectations of her. Dimitris—your uncle—was never interested in business. All he cared about were women and fast cars. But Anastasia was different,” he continued with a tone of pride in his voice. “She was smart and could have done so much with her life… I was looking forward to training her and someday turning the business over to her.” He stopped talking and glanced outside the window.

  “And she disappointed you by falling in love and getting married to a simple homicide detective,” Alexandra added.

  “I was disappointed,” he admitted. “But I loved her too much to refuse her anything. All I asked her to do was wait a little bit before getting married.”

  “But she got pregnant,” Alexandra cut in.

  “Yes,” he admitted. “She got pregnant and decided to get married immediately.”

  “What was wrong with that?” Alexandra asked him.

  He turned and stared at her straight in the eyes. “It wasn’t wrong,” he admitted. “Then again, it wasn’t what was best for her.”

  “And how do you know what was best for her?” she asked him, accusingly.

  Alexandros drew a deep breath, observing her closely.

  Alexandra realized she had gone too far and sprung to her feet, walking towards the other side of the room, trying to control her temper.

  “You don’t just look like her, you act like her, too,” he said suddenly, with a sad smile on his face. “She would say whatever was on her mind, too, without being afraid of anybody and without considering the consequences.”

  Alexandra stared at him for a minute. “She was happy,” she said softly and was shocked to see a tear sliding down his face. “We had a happy home,” she added and hot tears welled up in her eyes, as well.

  Alexandros stood up and walked towards her. Next thing she knew she was in his arms, and they both let their tears run free, releasing all the sorrow and pain piled up inside.

  “I loved her so much,” Alexandra said and felt her heart sinking.

  “I loved her, too,” he admitted. “Not a day goes by that I don’t think about her… and you,” he added.

  Alexandra pulled back and stared at him, surprised.

  “You were such a wonderful little girl,” he continued.

  “I remember being here,” she said puzzled. “But then mom died…” Her voice broke off.

  “I know,” he said and squeezed her, caressing her hair. “She brought you once, but I was so stubborn. I couldn’t admit how much I needed both of you,” he confessed. “She was just as willful and wanted me to apologize and admit that I was wrong.”

  Alexandra looked at him, inquiringly.

  “I just couldn’t… My pride wouldn’t allow me to admit that this marriage was right for her, that she had a wonderful family,” he whispered, and his voice trailed off.

  Alexandra stared at him as he drew deep breaths, trying to regain control.

  All of a sudden, he collapsed on the edge of the bed and anxiously pulled his tie loose. “Oh, God!” he burst out. “I’m so sorry that I didn’t have a chance to tell her how much I loved her.”

  Alexandra didn’t know what to say. This wasn’t what she had expected at all. This wasn’t the person she had imagined her grandfather to be.

  “I’m sorry, too” she said. “I’m sure she was as unhappy as you were, not being able to see or talk to you.” Alexandra was surprised, hearing her own words. She was too young—around eight years old— when her mother died. She couldn’t possibly know her mother’s feelings about her family. Besides, her mother avoided talking about them. But somehow, deep down inside, she was sure now that her mom had missed them as much as they had missed her.

  A sudden knock on the door made both of them jump.

  “I’m so sorry,” Martha mumbled, rushing inside the room. “But your wife…”

  “What about my wife?” he asked, irrit
ated.

  “I think she’s had a heart attack,” Martha said and looked at him worriedly.

  Alexandros turned white and rushed outside the room.

  Alexandra stood shocked, unable to comprehend what had just happened.

  “Are you okay?” Martha asked concerned.

  “Yes,” Alexandra whispered. “I hope she’ll be all right.”

  “I don’t know,” Martha said. “We’ve called an ambulance and the doctor. They should be here any minute now.”

  Martha exited the room, and Alexandra was left standing alone. She wanted to run downstairs, too, to see what was going on and if she could offer some help, but her body was numb. Her legs wouldn’t respond to her. She felt as if this wasn’t really happening; as if it was all a bad dream.

  ***

  “Is everything okay, here?” Mark asked, rushing into the room.

  Alexandra had managed to make it to her bed and had been sitting there ever since her grandfather left. She was still sitting there, lost in her thoughts.

  Mark grabbed her, pulled her to her feet, and shook her. “Alexandra, are you all right?” he asked concerned.

  “Yes, I’m fine,” she replied, coming back to reality. “What’s going on downstairs?” she asked. “How is she?”

  “She’s dead!”

  Alexandra stared at him shocked, unable to utter a word.

  “Get your stuff,” he yelled. “I’m taking you out of here.”

  Alexandra was confused. “I don’t understand,” she said.

  “Hurry up!” he said. “I don’t want you to spend another night here.”

  “You mean…” she whispered and felt as if she was going to faint.

  “Yes,” he said. “I think she was murdered.”

  Alexandra couldn’t comprehend what Mark was telling her. Her head was spinning, and a chill caressed her spine.

  “Listen,” Mark said, trying to regain control of his emotions. “I don’t mean to scare you, but with all these attempts on Alexandros’ life and now this…”

  “I understand,” she said in a low tone of voice. “But I’m not leaving.”

  “What?” he asked surprised. “What do you mean you’re not leaving?”

  “I mean exactly what I said,” she repeated stubbornly. “Nobody’s going to make me run and hide. I’m staying here.”

  Mark stared at her as if she was crazy and was about to say something when Michael appeared at the doorway.

  “The doctor is leaving,” he informed Mark.

  “Stay with her,” Mark said and left the room.

  “Are you okay?” Michael asked concerned, seeing Alexandra’s pale face.

  “Yes, I’m fine! Why do you all keep treating me like a baby?” she burst out, losing her patience.

  Michael stared at her shocked, and Alexandra felt sorry for her behavior. After all, he’d been so nice to her so far.

  “I’m so sorry,” she apologized. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

  “It’s okay,” he reassured her and gave her a smile. “I understand what you must be going through right now, having just found your family and knowing that some maniac is out to destroy it.”

  “I can’t believe what’s going on,” Alexandra admitted. “Do you really think she was murdered?”

  “I can’t be sure,” Michael said skeptically. “We have to wait and see what the doctor says. But to be honest, it’s quite possible. Besides,” he added, “she never had any problems with her heart before. This was too sudden.”

  “The doctor left,” Mark said, walking back inside the room.

  “What did he say?” Michael asked anxiously.

  “I don’t know,” Mark admitted. “He talked to Alexandros for a while in the study, and then he left in a hurry. I tried to talk to Alexandros, but he was on the phone. I think he was talking to Marcos.”

  Michael looked at him puzzled. “So we’re probably right.”

  “Right about what?” Alexandra asked puzzled. “Who is Marcos?”

  “Marcos Anastasiadis is the police chief and a good friend of Alexandros,” Mark explained.

  A jolt of fear shot through Alexandra. “So there could be something suspicious about her death,” she whispered.

  “I want you to stay in your room,” Mark told her. “Michael and I have some things to take care of,” he added and walked towards the door. Suddenly, he stopped and turned towards her. “Are you sure you don’t want to leave?” he asked.

  “Yes, I’m sure,” she replied. “Go on! I’ll be fine.”

  ***

  A couple of hours later, Alexandra was going crazy, locked up in her room. At some point, Martha came and brought her a sandwich, but she didn’t know anything more than Alexandra did.

  Finally, Alexandra decided to go downstairs. She walked down the stairs and towards the study, where she could hear voices coming from inside. The door was open, and she stood there, seeing her grandfather talking to another man around his age.

  “Come in,” her grandfather said in English as soon as he saw her standing at the door. “Let me introduce you to Marcos Anastasiadis. He’s an old friend of the family.” Then he turned to Marcos and said, “This is my granddaughter, Alexandra.”

  “I’m so pleased to finally meet you,” Marcos said, and, grabbing Alexandra’s hand, he squeezed it sincerely.

  “I’m pleased to meet you, too,” Alexandra said and smiled at the police chief. Then she turned to her grandfather. “Are you all right?” she asked.

  “Yes,” he replied and ran his fingers through his hair.

  He doesn’t seem all right, she thought, but he’s not going to admit it.

  At that point, a uniformed policeman walked inside the room. “May I talk to you, sir?” he asked Marcos.

  “Yes,” Marcos replied and glanced at Alexandros.

  “We’ll let you talk,” Alexandros said and, taking Alexandra by the arm, he led her through the glass doors out to the backyard.

  “Are you sure you’re all right?” she asked him concerned.

  “Yes,” he reassured her. “I’m just furious that I hadn’t foreseen that. She was the last person I would think would be in danger.”

  “Because you suspected her for the attacks?” Alexandra asked, and he looked at her surprised.

  “Yes,” he admitted, after a moment’s hesitation.

  “I’m sorry,” Alexandra said. “I can understand it must painful suspecting someone you love.”

  “I never loved her,” he admitted. “I just couldn’t be alone any more. However, marrying her was a mistake,” he added. “I knew it right from the start. I was just too stubborn to admit it.”

  Alexandra was surprised to realize how lonely her grandfather was. She almost felt sorry for him, knowing how it was to be without a family. She was lost after her father’s death, and, if it weren’t for John, she wasn’t sure how she would have managed. Of course, her grandfather wasn’t completely alone. He had Mark… My cousin, Mark, she reminded herself. The thought was so painful that she immediately tried to erase it from her mind.

  Alexandros was watching her closely.

  “I realize this is a bad time,” Alexandra said. “Maybe it would be better for me to leave.”

  “What are you talking about?” he interrupted her. “You’re not going anywhere. You’re family, and you have every right to be here. Besides, I’m afraid for your safety,” he said, and a bitter smile appeared on his face. “Even though, I can’t say that this is the safest place in the world to be right now.”

  Alexandra touched him on the arm, realizing how he must be feeling. It wasn’t only Penelope’s death; it was the previous attacks, as well. And this last one, if it was murder, had taken place in his own house, just like the poisoning of the dog. He didn’t just feel threatened; he felt violated.

  Marcos came outside and walked towards them.

  Alexandra saw the serious expression on his face and realized that the news wasn’t good.

  �
��If you’ll excuse me,” she said and walked towards the house, wanting to give them some privacy.

  Walking inside the house, she glanced back and saw Marcos talking to her grandfather, who seemed really pale.

  “Where is Alexandros?” Mark asked her, and she was startled as she hadn’t noticed him approach.

  “Outside with Marcos,” she replied.

  Mark glanced outside, towards the two men talking. “She was murdered,” he said simply.

  Alexandra drew a sharp intake of breath.“Are you sure?” she asked.

  “I’m afraid so,” he said.

  “Did Marcos tell you that?” she asked curiously.

  “I have my own ways for acquiring the information I need,” he said and stared at her straight in the eyes. “A lot of things have changed now,” he added.

  “What kind of things? What do you mean?” she asked puzzled.

  “Well, we have to reconsider our options and check the list of our suspects,” he said, skeptically.

  “You’re probably right,” she agreed. “Penelope and Jonathan were at the top of the list, and now…”

  “Yes, now she’s dead, and he’s left up in the air.”

  “So you can strike him out,” she said.

  “Not necessarily,” Mark replied. “I never eliminate an option unless I’m absolutely sure. But, yes, right now, it seems highly unlikely that Jonathan would kill his grandmother, since she was the one supporting him financially.”

  “What if it was a mistake?”

  Mark looked at her skeptically. “No,” he said finally. “It was no mistake. Her diet pills had been changed with the ones that caused the heart attack. She was the only one taking those pills, so she was definitely the target.”

  They both turned as Jonathan walked into the living room. “I have to talk to you,” he said, addressing Mark, and ran a shaky hand through his hair.

  “Not now,” Mark replied coldly, and, taking Alexandra by the arm, he pulled her towards the stairs.

  “It can’t wait,” Jonathan insisted, his voice vibrating with anxiety.

  Mark looked at him curiously. “Go on,” he told Alexandra. “I’ll be upstairs in a minute.”