Temi nodded. “I know. But mine is for more than one man, it is for our island, our nation. We have lost our way.”
“Please, Temi, is there another path to the top of Stapodia?”
“Follow Satan’s path.”
Patience, Andreas. “What are you talking about?”
“My dog. Satan was my companion there for many years. He knew a way. But he’s gone and the path may be too. Who knows what could have happened to it in these frenzied times of build everywhere.”
Vangelis said, “No one has built anything there since the church.”
Temi grinned. “Not that you wouldn’t have tried if you thought you could make money from it.”
Andreas raised his hands. “Gentlemen, this is not the time to debate the pros and cons of development. We are trying to save a man’s life.”
“Communist,” said Vangelis.
“Malaka,” said Temi.
Andreas raised his voice. “Cool it. Please, just show us that other way up to the top.”
The harbormaster unrolled a nautical chart on a stone table next to Temi.
Temi’s head rocked back and forth, his eyes drifting on and off the map.
“Please,” said Andreas pointing to the map. “Show us.”
“I’m trying to remember. It’s been a very long time.”
Andreas held his breath and looked at Kouros. Kouros looked at his watch. Andreas didn’t have to. He could tell it was getting late by the large orange ball about to drop into the sea off to the west.
“I think it was here.” Temi aimed a shaky finger midway along the south side of the tiny drawing of the island.
“The path starts around here.” He waved his finger in a circle around a small cove. “And runs like this up to here.” He squiggled his finger from the cove to a spot directly above it and due south of the lighthouse. “I’m sure it comes out there because that’s where I’d see Satan coming back from the sea. But I’m not so sure of the rest.”
“Have you ever walked it?” said Kouros.
“Are you crazy? There’s a simple path for man to follow. I had mine, Satan had his.”
Stay with me on this, Temi, for just a little longer, Andreas prayed. “How long do you think it takes to climb to the top from the cove?”
“I could give you an idea if you were a dog. But, as a man, all I can suggest is that you take a look at it and judge for yourself.”
“No time for that. We’re climbing tonight,” said Kouros.
“In the dark? Do you have a death wish? It’s a cliff face.”
“Is there any other way up?” said Andreas.
Temi gestured no.
Andreas shrugged. “Then what choice do we have?”
“What else do you want to know from me?”
“A lot. But give me a few minutes while I get our harbormaster to make some arrangements for us.”
“What do you need?” said the harbormaster
“A squad of your best navy seals would do nicely.”
He smiled. “Sorry, all out. You’ll just have to settle for Yianni.”
***
“Hi, Maggie.”
“Andreas, what’s happening? I haven’t heard from you in hours!”
“Sorry, we’ve been making preparations to bring back Tassos.”
“You know where he is?”
“We think he’s in a lighthouse on a tiny island just off of Mykonos.”
“Are you sure?”
“As sure as we can be.”
“When will you know?”
“When Yianni and I break down the door.”
“Just the two of you?”
“The coast guard is ready to play the cavalry if we need them. But this is the safest way to do it for Tassos.”
“What about for you and Yianni?”
“There’s something in my office I need right away. I want you to get it to me by helicopter and I don’t care how you find one.”
“You’re not going to answer my question, are you?”
“Maggie. Please. Just do what I’m asking.”
“Okay.”
And she did.
Chapter Twenty-five
Small fishing boats were a normal sight around Stapodia in the pre-dawn hours. At least that’s what Andreas and Kouros were hoping as the little caique squeezed in as close as it could to a tiny cove on the south central side of the island. They jumped into the boot-high water and scrambled across the sand into the shadows of the cliffs as Panayis steered his caique back out to sea. Up close the cliffs looked even more impossible to climb than in the photographs.
“I sure as hell hope that old man knew what he was talking about,” said Kouros.
“Only one way to find out.”
They were dressed head to toe in black camouflage, but the moonlight would give them away to anyone who bothered looking down the cliff face. Once climbing, the weapons in the packs strapped to the small of their backs would do them no better good than the 9mm Heckler amp; Koch USPs holstered to their thighs. They’d be dead in place targets for anyone above them.
It took twenty minutes to find the trail, a narrow ledge snaking back and forth across the cliff face and barely wide enough in some places for more than the soles of their shoes to slide along in parallel while their heels dangled out over the edge. Each man made sure to keep his weight on his rear foot until certain there was a firm place ahead to step.
Fifteen minutes into the climb Kouros whispered, “That dog must have been a fucking Chihuahua to make it up this path.”
“Don’t make me laugh,” whispered Andreas creeping along behind Kouros, his face pressed against the cliff.
A cigarette lighter lit up off to the west, likely on the trail from the church to the lighthouse.
“What time is it?” whispered Kouros
“What difference does it make? We can’t move any faster.”
“I just wanted know how much longer to sunrise.”
“You’ll know it’s here when those guys over there start shooting at us.”
Twenty minutes of more finger-gripping, knuckle-scraping, rock climbing had them close to the top. The path widened and the two men moved more quickly until a section of ledge gave way under Kouros’ front foot, nearly sending him and Andreas who’d grabbed him from behind crashing down to the beach. Both stood quietly for a moment staring down at the sea. Andreas patted Kouros on the shoulder and they resumed the climb, taking care where they stepped.
They reached the top less than fifteen minutes before the first rays of sunlight, but couldn’t move on the lighthouse until they found the sentries. They knew there must be sentries. They crouched low to the ground so not to create a silhouette against the horizon, and scanned for whoever might be up there with them.
Kouros tapped Andreas on the shoulder and pointed one hundred yards to the west. A man with an AK-47 was standing by the top of the path, looking down. Andreas pointed to the cistern one hundred yards north of them. Another man with an AK-47 was behind it facing northwest. He looked to be guarding the front door to the lighthouse, just past the cistern and to the right. Another three minutes passed.
Andreas leaned in and whispered in Kouros’ ear. “In seven minutes the sun comes up and we’ll be lit up like a Christmas tree. It’s now or never. You take the one by the path, I’ll take care of the one by the lighthouse.” He didn’t have to say, “Do it quietly.”A shot would mean the end of Tassos’ life. Hard-asses who kidnapped a cop wouldn’t dare leave him alive to identify them-and take revenge.
Andreas reached into his pack, felt around, and finding what he wanted, gripped it firmly in his right hand. He carefully made his way northeast, away from the cistern, before turning west. He stopped directly in line with the man’s back.
Just keep looking the other way, he prayed.
Andreas slowly worked his way to about forty feet behind the man when the lighthouse door swung open. Andreas dropped to the ground and held his breath. Another man stood in the doorway, blocking most of the little light coming from inside. He said something to the man at the cistern, stepped outside, closed the door, and began pissing next to the doorway.