Jeffrey Siger - Target - Tinos

Andreas walked into the bar, followed by Tassos and Kouros. He put his hands on Petros’ table and leaned in until he was nose-to-nose with him. “Where did she go?”

“No idea.”

“Yianni, take him outside. Around to the back.”

This time Kouros didn’t ask Petros to move. He grabbed him in a wristlock, twisted hard and dragged him from the table out the door.

Tassos had been watching the main room, just in case someone might get the idea of being a hero. “Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your patience and understanding. On behalf of the management I’m happy to say that all drinks this evening are on the house. Enjoy yourselves.” He left the bar to the sound of clinking bottles and shouts of foreign language equivalents for yamas.

Behind the building Kouros had Petros’ face pinned against the bar’s concrete wall.

Andreas leaned in and whispered in Petros’ ear. “Like I said, ‘where did she go?’”

“Fuck you.”

“You threatened to kill my son and now have the balls to say ‘fuck you’ to me?” Andreas drove his right and left fists into Petros’ kidneys.

Above Petros’ scream Andreas said, “You have no friends, no one is going to come out here to help you. It’s just going to be you and me and big pain until you tell me what I want to know.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I never threatened anyone.”

“You threatened me, asshole,” said Kouros bringing Petros’ face off the cement just far enough to bang it back against the wall.

“But you were going after my sister. She’s not right. I had to protect her.”

“If I were you, I’d start worrying about who’s going to protect you from me,” said Andreas.

“Please, I don’t have any idea what you’re talking about. Fine, if you want Meerna’s address I’ll give it to you. Everyone knows it anyway.” He blurted out an address. “But I don’t know where she is now. Honest.”

“Pretty smart,” said Andreas. “Getting her to eavesdrop on your customers. I wouldn’t have picked up on it if she hadn’t taken such time and care in putting down first the bottles and later the glasses. A hell of an improvement in service from the last time we were here. What’s the matter, you don’t speak your customers’ languages, and so you make your sister do your dirty work?”

“She never talks to anyone. Barely to me. I don’t know what she does or doesn’t understand. All she does is listen. It’s her life. She has nothing else but this place and me.”

“What about Trelos? Does your sister talk to him?” said Andreas.

“I don’t like you calling my brother that name. His name is Pandeleis.”

“Just answer my question.”

“He talks even less than she does, and the voices he listens to aren’t even live. It’s whatever comes through his iPod. But they’re my only brother and sister, and with our parents dead, it’s up to me to protect and take care of them. Even though they only say a goddamned word to me when they need something. Welcome to my life.”

Andreas motioned for Kouros to let him loose. “So, why did you stop us from questioning your sister?”

Petros turned around, leaned back against the wall, and rubbed at his left wrist and elbow. “I didn’t know what you wanted her for. All I saw was that look of fear in her eyes, and I had to do something.”

“What look of fear?” said Andreas.

“She hasn’t been right for decades. Tried to kill herself twice. Once by hanging and it screwed up her voice when she does talk. She’s supposed to be on medication but doesn’t always take it. Stress does her in. I try to keep her life simple. Why do you think I operate this shit hole? For sure as hell we don’t need the money. It’s to give her something to do that keeps her worry free. You scared her. That’s not good.”

“What did you do with my card?”

“What card?”

“Are we going to go back to kissing the wall again?” said Andreas.

“No, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Last time I was here I gave my card to the two Polish girls. They left it on the table. I want to know what happened to it.”

Petros smirked. “You believed those two hookers when they said they left the card on the table?”

“They didn’t run away when I tried to talk to them. Or attempt to assault a police officer. So, the answer to your question is ‘yes.’ Now what happened to the card?”

“No, idea. Meerna probably threw it away when she cleared the table.”

“Where can I find your brother?” said Andreas.

“He lives with my sister. It makes things easier for everybody that way.”

Andreas stared at Petros. “Don’t try leaving Tinos without my permission. If you do I’ll put you away for assaulting a police officer. And don’t even think of interfering again with my talking with your sister, or your brother, because if you do…” Andreas patted Petros on the cheek. “I don’t really have to tell you, do I?”

Petros gestured no.

“Do I?”

“No.”

“Good.”

Kouros said, “I just want to know how your sister managed to get out the front door and onto her bike so quickly?”

“She’s only slow in her mind. She shuffles along because that’s how she likes to walk, but when she was younger she came close to winning Greece’s national cycling championship. She still has the legs to move her when she wants to.”

“I have only one question,” said Tassos. “Who’s the Shepherd?”

Petros shrugged. “I know a lot of shepherds and if you’re looking for a lamb for August 15th I can give you a couple of good names, but you better hurry before the tsigani make away with all their best ones.”

Andreas rubbed at his forehead. Great, now tell me something I don’t know.

The tiny house was about a mile and a half east of the port, across the road from the northeast corner of the Vriokastro prehistoric settlement, and a few hundred yards from the sea. The closest building to the house was a church a hundred yards to the north. It was after three in the morning when a van with its lights out stopped fifty yards up the road from the house.

“Remember, be careful and expect anything,” said Andreas.

The three cops got out of the van, spread out, and carefully made their way up to the house. Kouros went around to the back, Tassos and Andreas waited until he was out of sight before moving up to the front door. One stood on each side of the door, guns drawn.

Andreas nodded and Tassos banged his fist on the door. “ Open up, police. ” Both cops pressed their backs against the wall and waited.

Nothing.

Tassos banged his fist on the door again, and repeated the order.

Still no reply.

Tassos was banging away at the door for a third time when he heard a voice, “Hold your horses,” and the sound of an opening lock.

“It’s Yianni,” said Andreas.

The door opened and Kouros waved them in. “I could see through the side and rear windows that no one was inside, and when I found an open one I thought I’d spare us the trouble of breaking down the door.”

It took less than a minute for them to check out every room. The place was even smaller than it appeared from the outside. Two tiny bedrooms, a bathroom, and one large living room open to the kitchen.

“I thought this family had money,” said Kouros. “It looks like the sort of place rich people give their housekeepers to live in.”

There was a fireplace in one corner and photographs on the mantle above it. Andreas pointed at a photo. “That’s Petros with what looks to be his sister. My guess is the one with them is the other brother.”

“Well, at least we know they live here,” said Tassos.