Jeffrey Siger - Target - Tinos

Andreas wasn’t sure what to do, so he went back to the bedroom. The box was on its side lying on the bed. He carefully peered in without touching it. The tissue paper was hiding most of what he could see, but he could make out one thing: baby toes. Attached to a foot.

Andreas cleared his throat. It wasn’t a real baby’s foot. It was a doll. He turned over the box and gingerly pushed back the paper. Inside was a large silver bowl, and inside that a naked baby doll-with a real bullet hole through its heart and a photograph of their son from a magazine article covering its face. Attached to the baby’s belly just below the bullet hole was Andreas’ card with two words written across it in red: FINAL WARNING.

Andreas calmly picked up the box and carried it outside to the armored truck. He realized for the first time that he was wearing only underpants when he walked by his brother-in-law who laughed and asked if that meant Lila had already kicked him out.

As soon as the box was safely inside the armored truck Andreas borrowed a cell phone from one of the cops watching the house and called Kouros. There was no answer. He tried Tassos.

The phone rang six times. “Hello.” The voice sounded as drowsy as Andreas’ had until five minutes before.

“Tassos, it’s Andreas, we have a big problem.”

“What’s wrong?” The tone now was crisp and professional.

“Get over here ASAP. Inside one of the gift boxes from Ilias’ shop was a threat to kill Tassaki if we don’t walk away from the Tinos investigation.”

Tassos didn’t respond for a few seconds. “It’s my fault. I never should have made an exception for the old man’s packages.”

“I’m sure he’s not part of any of this. Besides, I don’t think what’s inside is lethal. If it were it would have gone off the moment Lila opened the box.” Andreas crossed himself. “But I want an explosives expert over here now, and anybody else you can think of who might know about booby-trapped packages. There could be anthrax or God knows what other sort of biological or chemical agent inside.”

“I’ll have someone there within an hour. But I want to find out how something like that ended up in a gift box intended for you.”

“Good. Just get over here as soon as you can. Any idea where Yianni is? He’s not answering his phone.”

“On our couch. Out cold. As of three hours ago.”

“Wake him up and bring him with you. Bye.”

Andreas drew in and let out a deep breath. He handed the phone back to the cop. “Thanks. Now, I want you to go inside the house and not move from my son’s side until I tell you it’s okay. No matter what anyone else tells you, don’t move unless I say it’s okay. Understand?”

The cop nodded and both men started back toward the house. Andreas saw Lila standing in the doorway, arms crossed in front of her robe.

Lila’s face was stone. “Tomorrow is now.”

Andreas’ explanation continued for a good hour after an interruption by the arrival of two military demolition experts from the Greek air force’s mountaintop radar installation on the far northeast end of Mykonos. There was another, brief interruption when Tassos and Kouros showed up, but they chose to stay with the bomb squad where, according to Kouros, “things might be safer.”

Andreas and Lila were sitting in the library by a window that allowed Andreas to keep an eye on what was going on outside. He could tell from the way the experts were looking at their watches and leaning against the armored truck that they must be waiting for him. No problem, Tassos and Yianni would keep them there until he came out.

“So, that’s all of it, right up until this very moment. Any questions?”

When Andreas had begun his explanation Lila had a lot of questions, but they’d tailed off and for the last fifteen minutes she’d said not a word.

Lila shook her head. “I can’t believe this. It sounds like one of those terrible conspiracy films I can’t bear to watch.”

Andreas nodded. “I know what you mean. I wish it were made up, but it’s not.”

“If someone put this in a book no one would believe it.”

Andreas stood up. “I’ve got to go outside and see what the bomb boys have to say.”

“I’m coming with you.”

Andreas gestured no. “Not until I know it’s safe.”

“But-”

“No buts. As soon as I know it’s safe, I’ll include you. Until then, wait here.”

“Okay, but I’ll be watching through the window.”

Andreas kissed her on the forehead. “I would expect nothing less.”

As soon as Andreas stepped out the front door, Tassos waved for him to come to the back of the truck.

“So, what do we have?” said Andreas.

“The experts say, ‘A non-explosive, non-corrosive, not a threat package,’” said Tassos.

“Are they sure?”

Tassos pointed to a thin man leaning against the front of the truck chatting with a chubby guy smoking a cigarette. “Ask him, he’s in charge.”

The thin man spoke without being asked. “It was simple, almost as if whoever put this thing together made it easy for us to run our tests. It’s just a common, everyday baby doll with no potential chemical or biological risks.”

“Find any prints or DNA possibilities?” said Andreas.

The thin man gestured no. “Rarely do on professional jobs. Even amateurs are learning how to be careful from all those TV crime scene shows.”

“The salesgirl at the jewelry shop said the woman who bought the gift wore the sort of white cotton gloves people use not to tarnish silver,” said Tassos.

Andreas looked at Tassos and Kouros. “Let’s go inside. We have things to talk about.”

Andreas thanked the two experts, and the three cops walked toward the house.

“Sir,” said the chubby man.

Andreas turned. “Yes.”

“Do you want the doll?”

Andreas paused, then motioned for Yianni to take it. “Yes, thank you. It will be inspiration for what’s to come.”

Lila, Andreas, Tassos, and Kouros sat in the library.

“So, how did the package get here?” said Andreas.

Tassos said, “A middle-age woman purchased the bowl. Said it was a gift from her boss who wanted it delivered to the wedding. No names and she paid in cash. The salesgirl didn’t know the woman and never saw what she put in the box, thought it was just a card. I’m sure the woman’s long gone by now.”

“What was her nationality?” said Andreas.

“The salesgirl wasn’t sure. They spoke in Greek, but the woman had a strange accent.”

“What kind of accent?”

“None she recognized. She said that at times the woman sounded like a native Greek, at other times from somewhere else.”

“Maybe she was faking the accent?” said Kouros.

“Could be,” said Tassos.

“I thought that shop had surveillance cameras?” said Kouros.

“Only one. And the woman made sure to keep her back to it at all times,” said Tassos.

“So, what do we know?” said Andreas.

“Five dead. Three tsigani, two non-Greeks. Two of them after talking to us,” said Tassos.

“Two were killed instantly, two rendered unconscious first,” said Andreas.

“Make that three in the ‘unconscious’ category,” said Tassos.

“Three?”

“The Syros coroner called me this morning with results on the Pakistani’s autopsy. He was drugged and out of it when his throat was cut.”

“Why didn’t you tell me this before?” Andreas’ tone was sharp.

Tassos paused. “I know you’re tense, but at the time of his call I was not in much better condition than the corpse.”

Andreas drew in and let out a breath. “Sorry. I am tense.”

“We all are,” said Kouros.

Lila shook her head. “Not me. Tense is not the word I would use to describe my feelings at the moment.”