Death in the Aegean (5 page)

Eve is so glamorous and has had such an exciting life,
Annie thought as she sat down
and looked at Eve studying the menu.

Annie envied the life Eve had led; her career and the many journeys she had taken to the far corners of the globe. However, her envy hadn’t bred dislike as it had with Betty. Instead, Annie wanted to emulate Eve.

I wish I had done half the things she has. And she always looks so perfect. However much I try, there’s always something not quite right. It could be my hair, my make-up, what I’m wearing. I’ll have to get Eve to do another make-over on me. I felt so attractive the last time she did one.

* * * *

“You always have to take centre stage, don’t you,” a loud voice boomed half an hour later.

Eve was digging in to her vegetarian quiche and groaned inwardly. She didn’t even have to look up. Eve Masters knew exactly who it was and that the person was speaking to her.

“Betty, good evening,” she said politely, finally looking at the woman standing in front of her. “Would you like to join us?”

Eve knew it would rile her adversary if she didn’t join in the bickering.

“No, thank you,” Betty replied sharply. “Do you really think I want to hear you attempt to get everybody’s sympathy for the experience you went through this morning. I’m certain you’ll find a way to embellish the story.”

“Betty, that’s enough,” David remarked sternly.

He stood up and glared at Betty. She froze, knowing she’d gone too far.

“I don’t know what’s got into you lately, but I will not have you insulting Eve in this way. She was cooling down in the sea after sunbathing and when she went to explore a cave, she found Lucy’s body. It was a very traumatic experience. If you can’t be polite and sympathetic, it would be far better if you didn’t say anything at all.”

With that remark, David sat down again. He’d had enough of Betty Jones. If she and Eve wanted to carry on their feud in private, it was up to them, but Betty had taken to insulting Eve in public too often and he wasn’t going to sit back and ignore it.

Eve looked lovingly at David. She could stand up for herself quite easily, but it was rather nice having him protect her now and then.

Chivalry isn’t dead after all, Eve thought. Perhaps David’s not quite as soft as I keep thinking.....

As soon as David had sat down, Eve gave him a little kiss on the cheek and he smiled at her. Her stomach did a somersault.

Wow, Eve thought. This romance isn’t getting staid at all, and it’s been almost a year since we started seeing each other. I love him just as much as I did then, if not more.

Betty meanwhile, was looking at David in horror. She felt like bursting into tears, knowing she really had gone too far this time.

What gets into me? Betty mused. As soon as I see that woman, I turn into another person.

Betty thought the world of David and believed he was far too good for Eve. Now he probably wouldn’t speak to her again. She was determined to make amends, but was worried that they would fall on deaf ears.

Perhaps I’d better let the dust settle before apologizing – to David of course, not to Eve. I don’t feel sorry for anything I’ve ever said to that woman.

Betty Jones had formed a drinking group for the English ex-pats in
The Black Cat
, but that had fallen apart since Eve had arrived. Of course she blamed Eve and it had angered her to the point where she spent too much time thinking of ways to get her revenge. However, it hadn’t really been anything to do with Eve, but much more to do with the murders turning life upside down for everyone. People had stopped being bothered about belonging to cliques and most people were more interested in speaking to anybody who knew any gossip about the murders. Then of course there was Phyllis Baldwin, Betty’s best friend and the most consistent member of her clique. She turned out to be the killer in the first murder case and this had been a great blow to Betty. Her visits to
The Black Cat
were few and far between for a short while after Phyllis’s arrest, heralding the beginning of the end of her drinking group. 

After her little outburst, Betty and her husband, Don, went to sit at a table as far away from Eve as possible. Don looked miserable and Eve guessed it was because he had hoped to spend the evening with other people, not just with his wife. She was right. Betty had been getting more and more miserable lately and he was fed up of it.

Don sighed, remembering what Betty used to be like. She had always enjoyed being a leader, but she had been more fun in her younger days. Since Eve had arrived, Betty had become aggressive and Don had almost had enough. Although Eve was pushy, she hadn’t had any intention of taking over Betty’s place in the community. Why would someone who had been a top showbiz agent in London want to take charge of a handful of ex-pats on Crete?

Eve had only started the drama group because she was bored. Don wasn’t stupid. He could tell Eve was fed up with it already, but he hoped and prayed she would continue. However, he wouldn’t be surprised if she called it a day. Mind you, it wouldn’t be the same in the autumn if Betty started going. However, after this outburst, perhaps she might not want to be anywhere near Eve and might change her mind. Don hoped so. It had been fun spending all those evenings without her. Eve was also wishing that Betty would change her mind. She didn’t want her in the drama group, but was worried she might join just to spite her.

“I wonder when we’ll find out,” Pete said, nudging Eve back into reality.

“Find out what?” Eve asked.

“If Lucy was murdered or not.”

Annie and Eve glanced at each other. Annie knew her friend would be annoyed that Pete had brought up the subject of murder. David would start thinking again.

Damn, thought Eve. Oh why did he have to mention the murder? Now David is going to start wondering about me and my potential involvement in the case.

 Unfortunately, Eve was right and David jumped straight in.

“I hope she wasn’t murdered, I really do. We don’t want Eve getting poisoned again, do we?”

He and Pete laughed, but Eve looked cross and Annie wondered what she would do or say.

“I promised I wouldn’t hunt killers again, David, so stop making fun of me,” she said, looking hurt.

David knew he’d gone too far. She had promised and anyway, nobody knew what had actually happened to Lucy Fowler. On top of everything, Eve had had a traumatic day and he knew he should be a touch more gentle with her. 

“I’m sorry, darling,” he said. “You know I’m only joking about it because I’m worried about you. I promise not to mention this again. For all we know, Lucy just had an unfortunate accident. I hope so anyway. With all these murders, this place will get a bad reputation and the tourist trade will suffer. It won’t do much for the jobs of the locals.”

Eve smiled sweetly and kissed David on the cheek as if to forgive him. However, inwardly she was feeling guiltier than ever. She was still hoping that Lucy Fowler had been murdered and hadn’t just been involved in an accident, but she realized that she had changed. A year ago she wouldn’t have hesitated at avoiding the truth to get what she wanted. That’s what had made her such a brilliant showbiz agent. Now, she was finding it very difficult and the guilt was overwhelming.

God, I hope I’m only feeling this guilt because it’s David, otherwise I can kiss goodbye to reviving my career.....if I ever want to of course.

Annie looked at David and Eve who were now holding hands. She was worried.

I’m absolutely certain that if Lucy was murdered, Eve will want to search for the killer, but she’s not going to tell David, is she? Oh dear, Eve, what are you doing? This could break you two up. I know you think you’re doing it for the best, but you shouldn’t lie to David. He’ll be so hurt. You really are no good at relationships, are you? Oh dear me, what am I going to do with you?

The plane descended towards Chania airport; the sky was a clear blue and the mountains were covered in a heat haze. Justin Fowler looked out of the window excitedly.

“Hey, Dad, are we going to fly over the house?”

“I don’t know, son, though I doubt we’d be able to see it if we did.”

Kevin Fowler smiled, pleased to see his youngest son happy again after going through a difficult time recently.

Lucy and Kevin’s two sons were the complete opposite of each other. The oldest, Wayne, had left school at sixteen to become an electrician’s apprentice and was married by the age of twenty. He already had three children who his grandparents doted on.

Justin, however, was a very different young man. He had always been at the top of his class and had eventually gone to university to study physics and chemistry a couple of years previously. However, he’d been a moody child and earlier in the year had been diagnosed as bi-polar.

Justin had always been his mother’s favorite, but she had been unable to accept his illness and it was Kevin who went back to England to help their son. Justin had to take weeks off college to get used to his meds, but he had got through the worst times and life was a bit easier now. However, it still made Kevin angry that Lucy couldn’t come to terms with his illness, nor could he understand how his son could forgive her so easily. Justin seemed to still love her as much as before.

“Never mind,” Justin said, his excitement not dampening. “I’ll see the house soon enough. I can’t wait, though I hope mum’s in a better mood than she was when she came over at Easter. I thought she’d be proud of all the progress I’d made, especially that I was able to go back to university, but she was so distant and kept snapping at me. We used to be so close.”

Justin’s voice trailed off. He was a sensitive young man and Kevin hated to see him hurting. He remembered how Lucy doted on him until his diagnosis, a diagnosis which had delighted Wayne. Wayne had always known that Justin was his mother’s favorite and he resented it. He had spent his childhood being jealous and had bullied his younger brother as often as he could get away with it. However, if Lucy got wind of Wayne tormenting his brother, she would punish him and spoil Justin even more.

“I’m sure mum will be pleased to see you and won’t be like she was last time,” Kevin replied. “She has been feeling guilty, son. She felt she’d failed you, but I managed to convince her it was nobody’s fault.”

Justin attempted to smile, not knowing whether to believe his father or not. Unfortunately, Kevin was lying. He and Lucy had barely spoken to each other in the past week. They had been rowing about so many things, and when he had told her to be nicer to Justin, it had been the final straw.

“For God’s sake, Kevin, don’t tell me how to act towards my son,” Lucy had shouted. “I’ve tried, I really have, but I can’t accept it. He’s not my pride and joy anymore. This obviously comes from your side of the family. There’s no mental illness on my side. You’ve ruined everything, even my little boy, my Justin.”

“Justin’s still the same person, Lucy,” Kevin had shouted back. “He’s done so well and you should be proud of him, not ashamed.”

“It’s hard not to be ashamed of him. I don’t know what to expect with him now. He can be all over the place. I don’t know what mood he’s going to be in. One day he’s on top of the world, the next he’s as miserable as sin.”

“He’s taking his meds now, Lucy. He’s doing well. His moods aren’t changing like they did.”

“I’m sorry, Kevin. I don’t want him to come here: I don’t even know if I want to see him again,” Lucy had replied, shocking her husband with the brutality of her words. “I don’t feel comfortable with him around.”

“He’s the same person, Lucy. Relax and be yourself.”

“I can’t. I don’t even know if I love him anymore.”

“How can you stop loving your own son, Lucy?” Kevin exclaimed. “You’re beyond belief? You really are.”

With that, Kevin had stormed out of the room and they had spent the rest of the time before Kevin left for Athens ignoring each other. In fact, Kevin had gone out early every morning and hadn’t returned until late in the evening. This had suited Lucy down to the ground.

Kevin glanced at his son, dreading the disappointment that was waiting for him. He wished something would stop them from arriving on Crete, but he knew nothing could. Five minutes later the plane landed at Chania airport.

“It’s a pity mum won’t be here to meet us,” Justin said wistfully.

“Oh, she doesn’t much like driving over here, especially if she’s on her own,” Kevin replied, lying through his teeth.

In fact, Lucy often went off alone in her own little Fiat Panda, glad to get away from Kevin. He too was glad to see the back of her.

The breakdown in their relationship had started around the previous Christmas when Lucy had found out that Kevin had had a one night stand with Jennifer Anderson. Although this had not progressed into a full blown affair, Lucy was certain that if Jennifer had lived they would have had carried on seeing each other. Kevin had denied this, but it fell on deaf ears. From that time on, all the trust Lucy had in her husband had disappeared and the journey towards the end of their marriage had begun.  

Kevin and Justin were able to get off the plane quickly and didn’t even need to wait at baggage reclaim. Somehow Justin had managed to put everything he needed into a small rucksack. Kevin was amazed at how his son could travel so light, but then thought that he would probably be asking his parents for money to buy things all through the summer. Justin was a typical student and was always short of cash.

As they walked out of baggage reclaim into the arrivals area, Kevin noticed a police officer holding up a sign with his name. He stopped, a shiver of fear going down his spine. However, he didn’t know why. He didn’t think it had anything to do with Lucy; in fact he didn’t care if it did.

“Dad, there’s a copper over there holding a sign with your name on it,” Justin said, bemused.

“I know, son. We’d better go and see what he wants.”

Kevin was feeling alright now. He’d left his car in airport parking and thought it must have been broken into. It would be a nuisance, but nothing to get scared over.