Jeffrey Siger - Mykonos After Midnight

“And who’s to say what one might be willing to do to spare themselves or their loved ones from ruination?”

“I have nothing to fear,” said Panos.

“I understand how you feel.” Andreas shook his head. “But there are some things in there-”

“What sorts of things?” said Spiros.

“Spiros, shut up.” Panos ran his fingers through his hair.

Andreas said, “I’m the only one who knows what’s in those materials. The kidnapped inspector and my assistant have never seen them. And there’s no reason for anyone else to ever know.”

Panos snickered. “And what is it you want in return, Chief Inspector?”

“Nothing but a little cooperation that will allow us to quietly put an end to this matter once and for all.”

“Yes, yes, just as I suggested,” said Spiros.

Panos shook his head and glared at Spiros. “Please, Chief Inspector, continue.”

“Very soon someone will attempt to access your ministry’s records. I’m not sure what the pretext will be, whether it will be an official or unofficial request, but it will come. And when it does, this is what I want them to find.”

Andreas’ explanation took five minutes, during which Panos quietly took copious notes and Spiros said not a word.

At the end Panos stood up, extended his hand to Andreas, and said, “We have a deal.”

***

“Wacki, could I talk to you for a minute?” It was the Mykonos police chief calling out to him from a table at the Kadena harborfront taverna close by City Hall.

“I’m in sort of a hurry, Mihalis, what is it?”

“Sit, please, it won’t take long.”

Wacki looked at his watch and sat.

“Glad I bumped into you. I have to ask you some questions about your friend, Sergey.”

“Me? Why are you asking me? Ask him.”

Mihalis gestured no. “I can’t do it that way. I’m doing a background check on him and have to ask his known associates about him.”

“What sort of background check?”

“Just routine.”

“Chief, I’d like to help but how can I if I don’t know what it’s about?”

Mihalis leaned in. “All I’m authorized to tell you is that it’s a direct request from the office of the minister of finance. Sergey’s applied for some sort of license and the ministry is required to get a police background check on him before giving its okay. There’s a lot of heat on me to get this report back to them ASAP, so my guess is unless I come up with a reason to say no, he has his license.”

Wacki shook his head. “No reason I can think of to deny him a license. He’s a model citizen as far as I can tell.”

Mihalis smiled. “I thought you’d say that. Thanks.”

Wacki stood up and hurried away, wondering as he did, what license?

***

Wacki knocked on Sergey’s hotel room door. “Hey, boss, it’s me. Open up.”

No answer.

Wacki went downstairs and asked the desk clerk, “Are you sure he’s in his room? There was no answer when I knocked. Or yelled.”

The clerk shrugged. “I haven’t seen him go out. Maybe he went out the backdoor and is down at the harbor for sunset.”

Wacki grunted and left the hotel.

Time to call Teacher.

***

Sergey stared at the door from inside his hotel room. He’d ignored Wacki because he could not stand him. He was always in his way. Never helping, just trying to make himself look important. Today the two men Teacher found for him would be in Athens. Now things would get done. And quickly.

***

“I hope you’ll be comfortable in the guest bedroom,” said Lila.

“Yes, thank you very much,” said Kouros.

“Good, and as soon as my husband gets off the phone I’ll leave the two of you alone to talk. Don’t forget, if you need anything, just ask Marietta.”

“Thank you.”

Andreas closed his mobile and hugged Lila. “Thanks, my love.”

“No problem. Yianni is like family. Besides I feel safer having two cops in the house.” She turned and left them alone in the library.

Kouros looked at Andreas. “Chief, that guest room is bigger than my whole apartment.”

Andreas laughed. “Tell me about it. It’s what comes from being an honest cop.”

“Does Lila happen to have a sister? Even an ugly cousin.”

Andreas shot him an open palm. “But Lila’s right about you staying here. Until we take down that bastard, things could get very nasty. No telling which of us he’ll come after next, but he will.”

“Me, me, me. I want him to pick me.”

“Don’t be a macho wise-ass. These guys aren’t brave. Just ruthless. Could be a bomb or grenade launcher. Dirty and distant is their trademark. Unless you’re an old man or a girl.”

“Thank God Tassos is off the critical list.”

Andreas crossed himself. “Maggie said they might let her in to see him tomorrow. She’ll tell him only what she thinks will make him feel better.”

“Five dead and three in jail should start him along the great yellow brick road to happiness.”

Andreas shook his head. “You sound like his clone.”

“How long do you think I’ll have to stay here?”

“Why? Do you have a cat to feed at home?”

This time the palm came from Kouros.

Andreas smiled. “That was the finance ministry on the phone. They received a fax from Mykonos police that their chief had spoken with Wacki about Sergey applying for a license and there was ‘nothing negative to report.’”

“Did Wacki take the bait?”

“Won’t know until it happens. All we can do is hope Wacki runs true to form.”

“And straight back to Teacher.”

Andreas nodded. “If he goes to Sergey, we’re fucked.”

“It’s a gamble.”

“This whole thing’s a gamble. Starting with my suggesting to the minister of finance there was something on him or his family in Christos’ files when as far as we could tell there wasn’t.”

“He could have hung us out to dry.”

“Nope, just me. I said I was the only one who knew what was in the files, then I watched as his mind ran to whatever painful moment in his past or his family’s past conceivably might be out there. Never ceases to amaze me how much more threatening imagined risks are than the known.”

“Whatever, it worked. So now what do we do?”

“Wait.”

“Want to watch a soccer match?” said Kouros.

Andreas turned on the television. “Whom are you rooting for?”

“The winner.”

***

“Hello, Teacher, it’s Wacki.”

“Yes, I know.”

“I’m sorry to call so late, but I was trying to reach Sergey and couldn’t find him so I thought I’d pass this information on to you. It might be important and I didn’t want to sit on it overnight.”

“Just tell me what it is, please.”

“This afternoon the Mykonos police chief questioned me about Sergey.”

“What did you tell him?”

“That he was a ‘model citizen.’”

“Why are you bothering me with this?”

Wacki began to stammer, but caught himself. “It wasn’t what he wanted to know that mattered it was why he wanted to know.”

“And ‘why’ was that?”

“Sergey applied for a license from the ministry of finance and the police were doing a mandatory background check at the request of the ministry.”

“Did the police say what sort of license?”

“No.”

“Did the police say it was for a license in Sergey’s name?”

“I, I can’t swear to that but the chief did say that with all the pressure coming down on him from the ministry to hurry along the background check it looked as though he would get his license.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re very welcome. I hope-”

“Wacki, for the time being I want you to keep this conversation and your conversation with the police chief just between us.”