“I have two flight possibilities, Mr. Fargo.”
“Call me Sam, please.”
“The first flight gets you in at twelve p.m. The second flight is a thousand dollars more. It does, however, get you into the airport just after ten, which should get you through customs and on the freeway well before commute traffic starts up. You could possibly make it with the first flight, but it might be cutting it close.”
“If this meeting works out, it’ll be worth the cost. Go ahead and book it.”
All seemed well, until they arrived at Nikos’s house that evening. Dimitris was pacing, clearly upset.
“What’s wrong?” Sam asked.
“You’re not going to believe this,” Nikos said. “They sent an officer to the Kyril home to interview him. He told the police that Tassos was supposed to meet them up at the cave, but never showed.”
“When was this meeting supposed to have taken place?” Sam asked.
“The same morning Remi and Dimitris saw them up there.”
Dimitris stopped his pacing. “That’s why we were kidnapped. Adrian thought we’d seen the murder.” He looked over at Remi, his dark eyes narrowed in anger. “They would’ve killed us if we hadn’t gotten away. And they’re blaming everything on pirates. We can’t let them get away with this.”
Remi reached over and grasped Sam’s hand, her expression urging him to say something to comfort the young man. “We have to trust the police,” Sam said. “They’re trained. They know what they’re doing.”
“Do they? There has to be something else we can do.”
“We’ve done about everything we can. There’s Tassos’s funeral in the morning. And we leave a couple of days later.”
His mouth dropped open as he looked from Sam to Remi, then back. “That’s it? You’re just giving up? Going home?”
“Please,” Nikos said, putting his hand on his son’s arm. “We should be grateful for everything Mr. Fargo has done for us. Now we let the police investigate.”
Dimitris pulled away. “It might be enough for you. But it’s not for me.” He stormed out, slamming the door behind him.
Remi started to follow, but Niko
s stopped her. “Give him time. When he cools off, he’ll know we’re speaking the truth.”
If he cools off, Sam added silently.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
The following morning, Sam and Remi walked into town for the funeral, meeting Denéa on the way down the hill. When they arrived at the main street, they saw Nikos, deep in discussion with another man.
“I’ll catch up with you,” Sam said to Remi and Denéa. “I need to speak to Nikos.”
“The mayor,” Denéa whispered to Remi. She and Remi continued to the main square, crowded with those waiting to enter into the whitewashed walls of the church. Once there, Denéa excused herself to meet up with Manos, while Remi waited by the gate for Sam. A white-haired woman wandered up and smiled at Remi. “Did you know Tassos well?” the woman asked.
“Sadly, I never met him. But I know his granddaughter, Zoe.”
“You are American,” she said, switching to English. “Your Greek is very good.”
“And your English is excellent.”
“Thank you.” She smiled and extended her hand. “I’m Helena.”
“Remi.”
The older woman turned her attention to the people gathering at the opened arched doors of the church, then gave a long sigh. “Such a terrible accident. Poor Tassos. Always searching for treasure.”
“That’s what I heard,” Remi said, deciding it best not to mention her involvement, or the true circumstances. “Where do you know him from?”