“If you insist.”
“I do.”
“Fine. I’ll come by after you’re set up in your room.”
“Sounds good. Here, I’ll give you back to your clerk.”
Andreas handed the phone to the clerk. Screaming began immediately and ended abruptly. The clerk handed Andreas a key. “Sorry, sir, may I help you with your bags?”
“That won’t be necessary.” Andreas turned to the couple behind him. “Sorry about that.”
The man said, “No problem. We haven’t had this much excitement since leaving Pittsburgh. Just wish we understood what was happening.”
“Me too.”
***
Andreas and Kouros sat at a table by the hotel pool, watching tourists stream into town along the harborfront road.
“Where do they all come from?” said Kouros.
“Take your pick. I count two enormous, three huge, and two large cruise boats anchored between here and the new port.”
“There must be more buses than motorbikes on the road into town from the new port.”
Andreas nodded. “And all headed this way loaded with tourists expecting Mykonos to live up to its reputation as the place to visit for wildly sensual experiences.”
Kouros shook his head. “It’s hard to imagine where they expect to find one in the few hours they’re in port. Most won’t even make it to a beach. It’s all about wandering through the town in herds.”
“Too bad they don’t spend money here. They’re told on the boats that ‘Mykonos is expensive,’ and so they shy away from purchasing anything but the most touristic trinkets. And with all their onboard food and drink for free, it’s the rare cruise boat tourist who buys more than a coffee in town.”
“Sounds like a huge potential market to exploit,” said Kouros.
“Yeah, but if someone figures out how to do it, a dozen others will knock off the concept immediately, killing the idea for everyone. One frozen yogurt shop today, a half dozen more tomorrow.”
“I guess the trick is to come up with something that will attract tourist money but can’t be imitated.”
“Good luck with that. Hard to imagine any real money-making idea involving tourists that hasn’t been thought of before by someone on this island.”
“I wonder if that’s what Sergey has in mind?” said Kouros.
“Like I said, ‘hard to imagine,’ but who knows?”
“I wonder if he’s upstairs. It didn’t sound like anyone was in his room.”
Andreas shrugged. “We were just as careful not to talk in our room. No reason to risk him being able to hear us.”
“Do you think he knows we’re in the next room?”
“After all the trouble we went through making that scene with the clerk? I damn well hope so. My guess is the clerk called him while we were on our way up to the room.”
“Do you think the clerk told him about your conversation with Lefteris?”
“Not sure, but that’s why we’re waiting for Lefteris here, where everyone can see us. Including him.” Andreas nodded in the direction of Sergey’s room without looking up. “I want the cocky bastard to know we’re coming for him.”
“Speaking of bastards, look who’s heading toward the hotel.”
Andreas turned his head. “Wacki!”
Wacki jumped and swung in the direction of the voice. He forced a smile and went back to walking toward the hotel.
“Come here!” shouted Andreas.
“I can’t.”
“You damn well better or else I’ll come over there and drag your sorry ass back here.”
Guests at several tables began squirming in their chairs.
Wacki stopped, turned, and walked over to Andreas’ table. “Why are you hassling me?”
Andreas pointed at a chair across from him. “Sit.”
Wacki did. He glanced over his shoulder up toward Sergey’s room.
“Don’t worry, if he’s not up there watching I’m sure someone will tell him about our little meeting.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Andreas smiled and patted Wacki on the shoulder. “This little meeting. And if he is watching, I want him to know we’re the best of friends.”
Wacki didn’t move.
“Speaking of the best of friends, I know you heard about what happened to Tassos.”
Wacki nodded. “Yes. I’m sorry.”
“I just bet you are,” growled Kouros.
“And I assume you heard who did it?” said Andreas.
Wacki didn’t move.
“Funny thing. Guess what they were after.”
Wacki shrugged.
Andreas patted Wacki’s cheek with his right hand. “The very same thing your boss wanted from him. Small world isn’t it?”
Andreas patted Wacki’s knee. “And it gets even smaller. Everyone we nailed on Stapodia was from Mykonos. Hard-asses. The kind only someone with deep connections into the dark side of this island would know.”
Andreas leaned forward. “I wonder who that someone could be?”
Wacki looked away.
Andreas waited until they were eye to eye. “How long have you been working for Teacher?”
Wacki’s eyes widened for an instant. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Andreas leaned back. “What you know or don’t know doesn’t matter a rat’s ass to me as long as I know. I hear Teacher’s not a forgiving employer. How are the health and pension benefits?”
Wacki’s left eye began to twitch.
“No matter. With how badly you and your buddies fucked things up, my guess is you won’t be in need of either much longer.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Andreas smiled. “Of course you don’t. But as I said before, what you know or don’t know doesn’t matter. All that matters is that Teacher knows you’re a fuck-up.”
Wacki scratched his cheek and looked away.
“Now run along.”
Andreas stood and waved to a man walking toward him across the lawn. “Lefteris, my friend. Good to see you. Please, join us. We have much to talk about.”
Andreas stared at Wacki. “Like I said, ‘run along.’”
Andreas watched Wacki walk away. As he reached the lobby door Wacki looked back over his shoulder at Andreas. Andreas immediately smiled, waved, and blew him a kiss.
Wacki hurried inside, looking straight ahead.
***
Wacki knocked on the door.
“Come in.”
Sergey stood at the window holding back the curtain and looking out.
“Hi, boss.”
“What was that all about?”
“You mean Kaldis?”
Sergey didn’t respond or move from the window.
“He wanted me to know he thinks you and I were involved in the Stamatos kidnapping. He said the kidnappers were after the same thing you wanted and that everyone involved came from Mykonos.”
“What did you say?”
“I didn’t know what he was talking about.”
“Anything else?”
Wacki forced himself to keep looking at the back of Sergey’s head. “No.”
“Are you sure?”
Wacki knew that question would come. He’d gone over his answer a dozen times on his walk up to the room. Teacher had made it abundantly clear that absolutely no one but Sergey and he were to know of her connection to the project. If Wacki told Sergey of Kaldis’ suspicions there was no doubt Sergey would tell Teacher in a way that would end badly for Wacki. If anyone would be the bearer of bad news to Teacher it would be Wacki. But not now, he needed time to think.
“Yes, I’m sure. But I did hear him say to Lefteris that they had a lot of things to talk about.”
“What sorts of things?”
“He didn’t say. He told me to leave.”
Sergey dropped the curtain. “He’s bluffing. He knows nothing. He’s just trying to frighten us into making a mistake by getting in our faces.”
Sergey turned and walked toward Wacki. He rested his forearms on Wacki’s shoulders and stared into his eyes. “But we won’t make any mistakes, will we?”
Wacki held Sergey’s stare. “No, boss. We won’t.”
Sergey held the stare then patted Wacki on his shoulders.
“Good. As long as we do not panic we have nothing to fear.”
“What about his conversation with Lefteris?”
Sergey shrugged. “What of it? Lefteris is like you. He knows nothing of my plans. He has nothing to tell him.”