Assassins of Athens

'What do you think it was that had the all-powerful Marios doing something he didn't want to do?'

Andreas shrugged. 'I'm more interested in who got him to do it.' He stared at the ground and thought, beware of Greeks bearing gifts. 'How much of what he said do you think is true?'

'No idea. But I'll start checking out those three families as soon as I get back to the office.'

'Have Maggie help you. If anyone knows the gossip or where to find it, she does.' Andreas drew in on his cigarette and exhaled. 'I wonder how long Marios has known what he told us and what his reasons were for not doing something about it sooner?'

'Maybe somebody just told him, someone with enough influence to keep him from breaking the story on TV?'

'More likely someone who pointed out that running it meant his probable immediate and painful demise.'

'Who?'

'Wish I knew.'

'But why come to us now? I mean to you, Chief.'

'Don't know, and until we do, let's assume the worst possible motive. But, my guess is because we,' he pointed to Kouros and back at himself, 'already were on to something.' Andreas finished his cigarette and crushed it out on the ground instead of the flick-it-away-burning-live method used by so many others. 'Let's get back to the office. I want to check out this woman Marios wants us to meet before calling her. We already have too many intrigues and big-time players' fingerprints all over this investigation. All I know for sure is we better watch each other's back, assume nothing, and tell no one what we learned today.'

Kouros pursed his lips and nodded. His look was serious. 'Can I say it now, Chief?'

'Say what?'

'"Here's another nice mess you've gotten me into."' Maggie delivered what she had to say to Andreas leaning over his desk and waving her finger. She ended with, 'So, if you're going to leave me to run all the other cases we have in this office while you're off at the movies with big-time celebrities, fine, but at least answer your phone when I'm trying to reach you. I can't make every decision. Not at my pay grade.' She had a gift for putting just the right amount of humor into her assaults on her boss.

'I get your point.'

'Thank you.'

'You're welcome. So, what do you have on the Kostopoulos family?'

'Like Marios said, their plane left first thing this morning. The flight plan said Rome. Not sure who was on it, though.'

'Why's that?' Andreas sounded puzzled.

'It was a flight within the European Union, and being a private plane…' she shrugged.

Andreas nodded. 'Anyone back at the Kostopoulos' house?'

'I had a cruiser stop by, and they were told the family had left the country. No idea when they're coming back.'

Andreas exhaled. 'Christ.' He looked at Kouros standing next to Maggie. 'Could he be right about all this?'

'About what?' asked Maggie.

'Nothing. Yianni, start going over those files with Maggie, I'm going to see what I can find out about Lila Vardi.'

'The Lila Vardi?'

Andreas stared at Maggie, shook his head, and smiled. 'Why doesn't that surprise me? Okay, tell me what you know.'

'She comes from one of the oldest families in Greece. Vardi is her married name. You'll find her maiden name on at least one product on practically every dinner table in Greece.'

He knew the name; everyone who ate did.

'Her husband died in a car crash about three years ago. She kept her husband's name. The papers said as a memorial to him.'

'What does she do?'

'Not much. She has her family money, and her husband was a successful ship owner, not one of the biggies or from one of the old families, but successful.'

Andreas rolled his eyes. 'You mean annual income only in the mega-millions as opposed to multi-mega-millions?'

She smiled. 'Stop with the stereotypes, I'm sure they're just like you and me.'

'Yeah, right.' It was Kouros.

Maggie shook her head. 'Okay, guys, enough with the revolution.'

'What else do you know about her?' asked Andreas. 'She's around thirty, attractive, educated in the US, involved in a lot of charity and museum work, with a reputation as a real lady.'

'Too bad, Chief.' Kouros spoke with a lilt of humor to his voice. Andreas shot him a look that was anything but humorous. The blood drained from Kouros' face; he stared down at the floor.

'What else, Maggie?' Andreas' voice was tight, but if Maggie wondered what was going on, she didn't show it.

'No kids, no steady boyfriend, no scandals, a dog, six cats, and a parrot.'

'Blood type?'

'Probably.' She always was quicker than he.

Andreas smiled. 'Okay, so where can I find her?'

'I'll get it for you.' She turned and left the office.

'Sorry, Chief.' Kouros was looking at Andreas as he spoke.

Andreas stared at him. 'You got the point?'

'Yes, sir.'

'Good.' Andreas paused. 'Do you have someone watching Anna?'

'Yes, a team's been watching her building since first thing this morning.'

Andreas nodded. 'Now, find out what the hell has happened to those three families and where the Kostopoulos family is now. We've got to start talking to people. Maybe we should chase down that Demosthenes guy?'

Kouros shook his head. 'The prints came back. Clean as a whistle. Not even an unpaid parking ticket.'

'Damn, I'd have sworn he was involved in this somehow. Run him by Interpol, just in case.'

'Already did, Chief. Nothing on him.'

Andreas jerked his head to the side as he swore again.

Kouros said, 'Do you think we should start talking to members of the Linardos family? I mean, if all this banishment stuff is true, they'd sure seem likely to be part of it.'

Andreas buzzed Maggie. 'Any word on Sarantis Linardos?'

'His secretary said he's still out of town. She's not sure when he'll be back.'

Andreas looked at Kouros. 'I wish we had something more to go on than a hunch. But until we speak to him,' Andreas pointed at the intercom, 'I don't see us getting anywhere banging away on garbage cans in the middle of every Linardos family member's living room.'

Kouros said nothing.

'Yianni, I made my point before about the…' he rolled his hand in the air, 'other thing. That's done and finished, you can return to your normal self.'

'Yes, sir, I understand. No garbage in the living room.'

'Or the bedroom, please.' Andreas grinned.

Maggie knocked before opening the door. 'Here's her home address. She lives next to the Palace at 30 Irodou Attikou.' Perhaps the most exclusive street in Athens; only a few blocks long and filled with money.

'Guess it's time to shine my shoes.' Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. For many it's blond hair, sparkling (capped) teeth, an overworked gym membership, and of course, big tits. On the other side, it often seems to be his gold Rolex, endless ego, and full-term-pregnant size belly — with the relevance of all else measured inversely against the depth of his financial statement.

Lila Vardi fit no one's mold. Practically every big-time Lothario, kamaki, social climber, and fortune-hunter in Athens, plus a few visiting players, took a shot at her. She had heard the same lines so many times she feared her eyes bore a permanent glaze. As if that weren't bad enough, only respect for her mother's incessant good intentions kept Lila from cutting her veins rather than enduring another tortured moment in the presence of one of her mother's 'finds' for her.

Lila kept her jet-black hair short, her almond-shaped brown eyes bright, her well-toned skin tanned, her figure trim, and her lovely-to-look-at breasts unhampered by a bra. When she felt like it, nothing stood between her body and what the rest of the world saw her wear. She liked it that way. A little sensual secret she kept to herself, for no man had been with her since her husband died. She liked that, too. His memory was the only man she wanted in her life. She was thirty-five and satisfied herself in other ways.