“I’m not on the best of terms with his Honor the Mayor, but the police chief might know something. I’ll try him first.”
“Good. So, I’m back to what I said before. Why kill Christos if all Sergey wanted to do was run a hotel? I can’t imagine he needed the ammunition in Christos’ second safe to get permission to take over the lease. Sure, maybe he’d have to bribe a few people to get some permits, but that’s business as usual for a guy like Sergey. It’s not like he’s trying to cut in on the Mykonos nightlife mafia’s action by opening a club. It’s just a goddamned hotel. There are one-hundred sixty-two of them on the island.”
“Maybe he’s thinking of tearing the hotel down and building condos?” said Kouros
“If he killed two people just to do that he really is insane. First, of all, in this real estate market he’s better off renting rooms, and second, like Andreas said, why kill someone when all you have to do is pass around some bribes? That guy’s done this sort of thing before, he has to know that.”
“So, how do we find out what he really has in mind?” said Kouros.
“I’d start with Wacki,” said Tassos. “He’s a weak sister when it comes to dealing with cops.”
“You mean honest cops,” said Kouros.
“Tassos, see what you can find out about that meeting with the mayor. Yianni and I will talk to Wacki. If Sergey’s dirty, I want him to know we’re out to nail his ass.”
“I wonder how he’ll react to that sort of pressure,” said Kouros.
“Can’t wait to find out,” said Andreas.
***
Sergey sat at a table in his hotel room and stared toward the harbor.
Those cops knew nothing of his plans. They knew about Anna so they suspected him. But she was a dead end. The others soon would be too.
He wondered if he should call Teacher to make the arrangements. She could find the two easily. But she’d want to know why. No, he’d better handle this himself. He could never seem rattled or unsure to Teacher. That would be dangerous.
He’d use the same mutual friend from his prison days who’d put him together with the two men to find them. And, for the right price, to get rid of them, too.
Sergey poured himself a glass of water from a bottle on the table. Those cops had to know about Christos’ files. It all fit. The cop from Syros was in charge of murder investigations and the police chief said it wasn’t his case, it was “on Syros.”
They must have found the files and figured that’s what the robbery was about. That’s why they came to him. They weren’t interested in solving the murder, they wanted him to know what cards they held and, if he were interested, that he’d have to pay for them.
He took a sip of water. That could be arranged. He’d get Wacki to do it.
Chapter Sixteen
Wacki got up the moment Andreas and Kouros sat down at his table.
“Please, no reason to leave. It’s a beautiful day to be sitting with old friends in a taverna along the harbor.” Andreas pointed at Wacki’s chair. “Stay.”
Two other men at the table looked at each other as if unsure what to do.
“You two may leave,” said Andreas.
They quickly did.
“I thought you worked in Athens,” said Wacki.
“Missed me, huh?”
Wacki smiled.
“We just had a most interesting chat with your employer.”
“Who’s that?”
“Come on, Wacki, don’t make this hard on us.” Kouros gave him a quick smack on the arm that was slightly more painful than friendly. “Because we’ll have to make it hard on you.”
“I’m just showing the guy around town and acting as his translator.”
“Since when have you become a tour guide?” said Andreas.
“Since the economy cratered. Just in case you public payroll guys haven’t noticed.”
“Play nice,” said Kouros, feigning another run at Wacki’s arm.
Wacki winced. “What do you guys want with me? I’m working for someone who’s interested in taking over a hotel. He’s trying to help Greece by making money for everyone.”
“I’ve heard that money pitch before. It can justify a lot of things,” said Andreas.
“Like I said, he’s into ‘making money for everyone.’” Wacki paused and dropped his head until his eyes were visible over the top of his sunglasses. “That is, for everyone who wants to make money.”
Andreas leaned in to six inches from Wacki’s face. “Some things never change. You’re still a rat-faced, crooked son of a bitch who thinks everyone can be bought. Congratulations, asshole, you just made the top of my shit list. You want off it? Tell me what your boss is really up to.”
Wacki jerked back in his chair. “Honest, all I know about is the hotel. I’m his employee, not his confidant.”
“Were you with him at his meeting with the mayor?”
“Yes.”
“What did you talk about?”
“Things?”
“What sorts of things,” said Kouros, patting him lightly on the arm.
“He wanted to know if the town was safe.”
“For that he went to the mayor?” said Andreas.
“The police chief was there. He told him the town was safe.”
“Anything else?”
“Not that I can remember?”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
Andreas motioned with his finger for Wacki to lean in toward him. “I want to make myself perfectly clear. If I find out you’re holding out on me about what Sergey’s really up to, you and all your island buddies will become my number one targets in what I can assure you will be ironclad, big-time, jail-time investigations. And I’ll personally let each one of them know it’s all coming down on them because of you.”
Andreas smiled. “Do we understand each other?”
Wacki nodded.
“Good. Now run along.”
And he did. Straight back to the hotel.
***
Tassos walked past the cop at the reception desk and up the stairs to the second floor of the police station. He stopped at a door around and to the left of the top of the stairs, knocked once, and opened the door.
“Hi, Mihalis.”
The police chief looked surprised. “Tassos, what are you doing here?”
“Just thought I’d stop bye to say, ‘Hi.’”
Tassos plopped onto an overstuffed chair alongside Mihalis’ desk. “I understand your distinguished mayor is running his mouth off about my investigation into Christos’ murder.”
“How the hell do you know that?”
“Never mind how I know, how does the mayor know about my case?”
“Christ, Tassos, he’s the mayor, how do I know?”
“Because you’re the only one in this goddamn sieve of a police station that I told about the girl and her two accomplices.”
Mihalis ran his hand through his hair. “Honest, I didn’t expect him to tell the Russian.”
Tassos hoped his surprise didn’t show. “You were there?”
“Yes, the Mayor said he had a ‘delicate matter’ to discuss and when I showed up the Russian and Wacki were there.”
“What did the mayor tell them?”
“It was hard to follow, they were speaking in English and Wacki was translating.”
“Did the Mayor mention the girl and the accomplices?”
“Yes.”
“How many men did he say were with her?”
“I think he said ‘a couple,’ but not sure.”
“What other cats did your esteemed mayor let out of the bag?”
“Nothing. Just that it was a crime of passion. Not robbery.”
“How did he come to that conclusion?”
“The mayor said there was nothing left in the safe to steal. Everything had been taken.” Mihalis paused. “Sort of makes you wonder if it wasn’t a crime of passion what were they looking for?”
“Sure does. Thanks, Mihalis.” Tassos pulled himself out of the chair. “And I’d appreciate it if you didn’t pass along this little chat of ours to the mayor.”
At least not until I’m out of the building.