Dig Two Graves: Revenge or Honor (31 page)

Stephen expertly guided them up to the Helios’ stern, where he grabbed a boarding plank. He pulled it down into the Zodiac and, with one foot on the inflatable and one foot on the plank helped each of them up onto their boat. He passed their small bags up, without a word, got in his boat, and was gone.

AJ, seeing Stephen take off, shouted, “Hey, where’s he going? We’re stuck here.”

“Take it easy, AJ. There’s a dingy tied up port side.” Tinos didn’t know what to make of AJ’s behavior, but it was damn annoying.

“So, what can you tell us about our new home?’ Gia asked, hoping to calm AJ’s nerves.

Tinos found the switch for the generator in the cockpit. Lights came on all over the boat and AJ looked a little less worried.

“I thought you didn’t know anything about this thing,” AJ said looking around.

“The desk clerk gave me a quick rundown,” Tinos said. “A caique is usually made of wood. I don’t know about this one in particular, but the decks and this cabin,” he said pointing to the roof over their head in the center of the craft, “are certainly wood.

“I think it’s beautiful. Being out on the water is so peaceful,” Gia said.

“It’s really wide," AJ said, warming to his situation. “I’ve been on cigarette boats before.” He sat gingerly on a sort of sofa that ran the length of the stern, interrupted only by the narrow walkway through which they had boarded.

“The beam or center of a caique is positioned further aft than on other types of boats and it’s very wide. It gives greater stability and makes for a really sharp bow,” Tinos continued. “We won’t make the speed of a cigarette boat, but with sail and a good engine, we could do eight or ten knots.”

The Helios’s wide stern had a table and four chairs under an orange canvas sunshade. The cockpit was open to the stern, and narrow stairs led down to three cabins, one aft, and two forward. In addition to the open stern deck, there were wide gunnels that afforded a safe path to another open deck forward.

“The Helios doesn’t look too terrible once you’re on board, does she?” Tinos asked hopefully.

“Not bad at all,” Gia said. “She’s clean and even smells fresh.”

AJ said, “It’s really nice, actually, now the lights are on. A bit of a shock in the dark, though.”

“Yes, it was,” Tinos admitted. “I bet the surveillance team had a good laugh watching our expressions.”

“Where are your men, Tinos?” Gia asked, her professional curiosity aroused.

“They’re on the fourth floor of the Olympia,” Tinos said. He waved in the direction of the shore. The radio on Tinos’ belt clicked three times, a signal from the men on watch. “The owner is…”

“I know, an old family friend,” AJ interrupted.

“No, he’s a retired Army officer who was willing to help. He owns this boat, too. You two want something to eat? The galley’s fully stocked,” Tinos said.

“Sure,” Gia said. “I’m starved.”

AJ looked longingly at the shore and said, “Why not? The condemned get a last meal.”

“Tinos, you’re quite a short order chef,” AJ said as he slid his now empty plate away. “Your Uncle Diogenes is missing out not hiring you on.”

“That was great,” Gia echoed.

“Thank you, but I can’t go wrong when all the prep is already done and in the fridge,” Tinos replied.

“Look, if you don’t want to tell me, it’s fine, but how did this whole thing get started, and how is Solaris involved? No one tells me much, just where and when to show up,” Tinos asked.

“If you don’t think our audience will mind, I can tell you,” AJ replied.

AJ spent the next hour explaining his father’s murder, meeting Ceres, and the information he had about the missing Jewish gold and jewels. He detailed the attempts on their lives in Athens, the hit and run and the attack on Ceres in Milan. Gia explained the results of her research and shared her theory that the man currently calling himself Solaris was the young unnamed renegade officer who commanded the Security Battalion in 1944.

“I think he slipped out of Thessaloniki after he put the loot on the Agamemnon. After the war, he retrieved the cargo from the sunken ship. He used the stolen treasure to bank roll his smuggling and gun running operations and turned it into an empire,” Gia said.

“What’s your role in all this AJ?” Tinos asked.

“That’s a moving target, I’m afraid. At first, it was simply about getting my hands on the gold. I’m afraid I played Ceres along for a while. Then … it morphed into … well, revenge. Payback for my father, my grandfather, the attacks on Ceres, and the others he’s killed. It’s time someone paid for all that death,” AJ said.

“Revenge is a bitter mistress my friend, and she can take your life,” Tinos said.

The three companions sat around the galley letting Tinos’ thought sink in.

“But on a happier note,” AJ said, “I’ve decided to wear my life jacket at all times while on this tub. I think she could sink at the dock.”

“You’re impossible,” Gia said patting AJ’s arm as all three laughed. “We’re not even at a dock.”

“Why don’t you two turn in? I’m going to make a few phone calls and check on the men.”

“I’m ok with that,” Gia said. “Good-night.”

Gia leaned over and gently kissed AJ on the cheek and went down the companionway to her cabin.

“Whoa. I didn’t expect that,” AJ said.

“You should. Can’t you see the way she looks at you?” Tinos replied.

“Well, no, actually,” AJ said.

Tinos laughed and walked away. He picked up his cell phone as it began to vibrate.

“Tinos?” Georgios Skouris said.

“Yes, sir,” Tinos said, as he recognized his uncle’s voice.

“Nothing has happened, has it?”

“No, sir. Nothing. What’s wrong?” Tinos said, his concern growing.

“Mr. Pantheras’ friend, Mr. Savas, was attacked in the hospital tonight. The police officer assigned to guard him was shot,” Georgios replied.

“Is he all right? How about the guard?” Tinos asked anxiously.

“Both of them will be fine,” Georgios replied. “But according to Deputy Director Moretti, it was a close call. Mr. Savas’ nurse alerted the protection detail. They found a woman trying to smother him with a pillow.”

“A woman?” Tinos replied. “Is there a description?”

“The description the hospital staff gave was of a blond woman, tall, maybe 5’10”, slender, but muscular.

“That’s not much to go on,” Tinos said.

“I know. Be careful, nephew.”

“I will. Do you want me to tell AJ about his friend?”

“Will you? You know him better than I do. I don’t think he likes me,” Georgios said.

“I’ll take care of it,” Tinos said, looking at AJ alone on the bow.

“Good luck,” Georgios said.

“Good-night, uncle.”

I’ve just begun to repair my relationship with AJ and now this,
he thought. He walked toward AJ and said, “AJ, I have some news for you.”

Tinos delivered the news as gently as possible. AJ was calmed by Tinos’ assurance his friend would be OK.

“Are you all right?” Tinos asked.

“Yeah, I’m OK. Each time I leave him though, something happens. We need to get this over with so he can be safe. Its revenge time, remember?” AJ said with bitter resignation.

“We start in the morning. Get some rest,” Tinos said. “I’ll check the watch. I’ll come get you for your turn on watch at two. ”

“OK.” AJ said. “Thanks for breaking the news like a friend,” AJ said. He shook Tinos’ hand and resolutely headed for his cabin.

Tinos slowly scanned the dark waters seaward. He turned his binoculars toward the shore. His life depended on his silent watchers. Suddenly, he saw a flare in a fourth floor window.

Someone had struck a match. He snatched the radio from his belt and angrily said, “Who’s stupid enough to light a match in a dark window? Do not let it happen again. Stay alert.” Tinos said as he put the radio back on his belt.

The black Rigid Inflatable Boat bobbed gently in the light onshore breeze. A moonless night and a black tarp gave Dobos the cover he needed. The small boat and the man in it were nearly invisible on the featureless water. His face, concealed by a black balaclava, rested on the RIB’s hard PVC side. He peered through the eye slits, ticking off in his mind possible methods of attack.

The two men talking on the bow continued to chat. Through his three hundred-power night vision monocular, he could see every detail. One of the faces was worried, the other disturbingly self-assured.

He could wait until daylight to see exactly who was on the boat then move in tomorrow night. There was a competitor loose though. He could paddle up to the boat tonight and plant a limpet mine near the engine room. The explosion would cause a fire, and the boat would sink, but wouldn’t guarantee a kill.

A silenced rifle would work, but it would be a difficult shot and even harder to get all three. He would have to use the direct method. He’d need to slip onboard, kill the people then set fire to the boat. Dobos examined the craft with care. The blue and white sides would silhouette him from the beach. His approach would need to be from seaward. It would take him about thirty minutes to paddle out into the bay then back to the boat. He had only been under way for a few minutes when a sudden light showed on a hotel balcony opposite his position. Dobos fell flat on the bottom of his boat. He rose slowly peering over the edge, only his black balaclava showing. With his monocular, he scanned the boat and the seedy hotels behind it. Nothing in sight, but he had seen something.

“This will take a little more time and planning,” he whispered to himself as he began to paddle away from his target.

A soft rap on the cabin door startled AJ. He shook himself. Strong light morning flowed through the sheer white curtain over his little rectangular porthole. Half awake, his eyes heavy and thick with sleep, he looked at his watch. Seven o’clock. He’d been asleep only a couple hours. The news of the latest attempt on Ceres’ life kept him tossing and turning, despite the gentle rocking of the boat. Who’s knocking?

There it was again, “Just a minute,” he said.

He swung his legs off the bunk and stood, ducking to miss the beam he had nailed his head on twice in the night, and pulling on a pair of shorts. He opened the door and flew fully awake at the sight of a barefoot Gia in shorts and a blue tee shirt tied in back to reveal her midriff.

“I woke you, didn’t I?” she said, her brilliant smile fading.

“Not really, I didn’t sleep much,” AJ mumbled.

“Ceres?” she asked, handing him a cup of coffee. “Tinos told me about it. Sort of makes today more urgent, doesn’t it?”

AJ nodded and took a sip. “Hey, this is good.”

“Don’t blame me. Tinos is in the galley whipping up breakfast. Get dressed and come on down,” Gia said.

She leaned in and kissed his cheek. “That’s for luck,” she said as she turned on her heel, her long ponytail flying and headed toward the galley. AJ watched her every step until she turned the corner.
Business first, boy.

The Helios had been underway for less than thirty minutes when AJ joined Tinos topside. The protected beaches of Katerini Paralia were astern, the newly risen sun ahead reflected in flashes on the constantly moving water. A dazzling sheet of sapphire sparkled to the horizon as a stiff breeze filled the sails. 

“And if some god should strike me, out on the wine-dark sea, I will endure it, owning a heart within inured to suffering. For I have suffered much, and labored much, in war and on the seas, add this then to the sum,” AJ said as he handed Tinos a cup of coffee.

“That's from
The Odyssey
, right?” Tinos asked. “I always wondered about that. The ‘wine-dark sea’ is repeated throughout both The Iliad and
The Odyssey
. Do you see any red out there? You can call it sapphire, turquoise, call it cyan, whatever that is, or just plain blue, but I’ve never seen the sea red.” 

“I never thought of that, but it’s my favorite quote. My father read Homer to me when I was little,” AJ reflected. He didn’t have many memories of his father, and being on the Greek Aegean brought the few he did have flooding back.

“How long until we get there?” AJ asked.

“Not long. We should be over the Agamemnon in less than an hour,” Tinos said, pointing to the GPS. “The wreck is only 10 kilometers off the coast. People in town remember seeing the bright flash and hearing her explode during the war. They came out in their boats and rescued most of the men.”

“We’d get there faster with an engine or in a speedboat” AJ suggested.

“Being under sail is more fun. Besides we have the whole day to kill, remember?” Tinos peered ahead, intently watching the telltales in the sails and water’s movement. He adjusted Helios’ course to maximize their speed. “The Meltemi is rising this morning.”

“Meltemi, what’s that?” AJ asked.

“It’s the prevailing wind that blows across the Aegean from the north,” Tinos replied. “It’s usually strongest in the afternoon, but Aegean winds are fickle. The Meltemi is already blowing this morning. We’ll have clear, dry skies.”

“It looks like deep water,” AJ said, pointing at the GPS’s chart. “Can we anchor?”

“The ship sits upright in about thirty meters of water,” Tinos replied without taking his eyes of the open sea ahead. “You can see the wreck from surface on a calm day.”

“That’s what, about a hundred feet?” AJ asked. “Pretty deep.”

“It won’t be a problem.”

“Oh, OK,” AJ said. “Can I help?”

“You can go forward and drop the anchor. I’ll drop the sail and give you a wave when we hit the right spot. You drop it when I signal, OK?”

“How do I do that?” AJ asked.”

“There’s a lever on the capstan. Pull it up, and the anchor chain will pay out.”

“Aye aye, captain,” AJ responded with a smile and a mock salute. “Just give me the word.”

He stood next to Tinos watching the constantly moving water, lost in his thoughts. The morning sun on the gently rippling sea was peaceful, but masked an unseen power. Homer explained it as the wrath of the gods. Modern men called it the forces of nature. Now he was going up against another mysterious force. He wondered if he could win or if it would be like fighting against the angry sea, quite a situation for an avowed coward.

“A drachma for your thoughts,” Tinos teased. He reached out his hand to touch in the center of his back. “It must be hard for you, in an unfamiliar place, in danger like this. I don’t know how I’d act if the roles were reversed.”

“If I were in Miami I’d have a dozen investigators on the job. My contacts at the FBI and the local police would be all over this. Hard, yeah, it’s hard to not know what the hell is next,” AJ replied.

“We have a plan and the resources to carry it out. I believe we’ll get some answers soon,” Tinos said trying to reassure his friend.

“I hope so. I’ve only known Ceres a short while but … well, he seems like family and he’s all I’ve got.”

“I bet my team’s drawing a bead on someone right now. We’ve leaked where we are and what we’re doing, and kept ourselves in plain sight. All we have to do is enjoy a day on the water then go back and be the cheese for the trap.” Tinos’ smile didn’t hide his anxiety. He knew their plan was a risk but a well-calculated one.

“I hope so,” AJ replied. “I just wish I hadn’t gotten Gia mixed up in this. She’s a great girl, and I’ve put her in danger.”

“Don’t worry about her. She can take care of herself and knows what she’s getting into. It’s in her blood. Her father was a first class investigator,” He replied.

“Can she take care of herself? I wonder?” AJ said.

“Gia is like her papa, smart, tough, and savvy.” Tinos looked at AJ, hoping he’d convinced him but doubting he had. “She’ll be fine, and so will you and I.”

“Her father was killed,” AJ reminded him bluntly, avoiding Tinos’s glance. “I’m going to go check out how to drop that anchor.”

AJ slipped out of the wheelhouse and made his way along the port side gunnels. The sun and wind on his face and the surging deck beneath his feet made him feel alive. The coastline receding behind them was spectacular. Mountains, including a mist-covered Mount Olympus soared into the clear, cloudless blue sky. It was almost enough to make him forget the danger they were in.

AJ headed toward the bow, but before he reached his goal, he was struck dumb by the sight of a goddess. Gia was stretched out on her back in a white bikini and dark sunglasses. Her top was untied, straps at her sides, and her hair was tied back in a loose ponytail. AJ tripped over his feet and stumbled against the rail.

“Ouch, damn,” AJ cursed.

“Are you OK?” Gia asked sitting up suddenly, holding her arm over her nearly exposed breasts, straps dangling.

“Ah, yeah, just clumsy, AJ said, massaging his bruised shin and ego. “I wasn’t looking where…”

“I know where you were looking,” she chided. “Come on, stretch out. This morning sun is glorious. You need to unwind.”

“Tinos says we are almost there. I’m going to drop the anchor,” he replied importantly.

“Oh, so soon? We have the whole day out here, may as well take advantage of it.” Gia said, tying her strap behind her head. “Let’s go for a swim.”

The move gave AJ another eyeful of the beautiful woman as he stood in front of her slack jawed.

A whistle from the wheelhouse sent AJ on the run to the anchor capstan. He looked back to see Tinos waving. AJ pulled the belay lever, and the anchor chain chattered as it ran out. The anchor splashed as Tinos ran to drop the sails. The Helios strained, then gently came to a stop as the anchor set.

“Nicely done, AJ.” Tinos called as he came forward. “I thought you…”

Tinos tried not to stare, but two diminutive triangles of white material and the Brazilian cut bottom of Gia’s bikini stopped him in his tracks.

“Oh. Excuse me,” he said, more than a little tongue-tied.

Gia laughed at the two men and said, “I guess I better put on a shirt if you two have never seen a woman in a bathing suit before.”

“Not one like you!” Tinos stammered, rubbing his stubbled chin.

“No, don’t do …” AJ said. “I’m sorry, really I am. I … I… Oh crap.”

“What my friend is trying to say is we apologize,” Tinos said. “You are simply the most breathtaking woman we have ever seen and the sight of you … well took our breath away,” Tinos said, trying to sound sincere.

“Give it rest, boys. We’re going to be together on this tub for a while,” Gia said. “I’m going to take a swim. I suggest you two do the same thing. You need to cool down.”

With that, Gia pushed past the two men, climbed over the side, and dove into the clear blue Aegean. A moment later, she surfaced, her ponytail trailing behind her.

“Come on in, the water is wonderful,” she called, waving to the two men intently watching her. AJ pulled off his shirt and shoes exposing the elastic wrap binding his cracked ribs and the bandage over the wound on his back. He leapt over the side, completely forgetting about his injuries. He came up sputtering and in obvious pain.

“Are you OK?” Gia said.

“Yeah, I just forgot myself. I need to take it slow,” he said as he swam right to Gia.

Tinos laughed at them and called, “I’ll be right there.” He went to the stern to be sure the swim platform and boarding ladder were down. He grabbed a couple masks and snorkels from a locker and tossed them to AJ and Gia as they came up the stern platform.

“You should be able to see the wreck over there to the left of the bow,” he pointed. Tinos stepped onto the platform and did a standing backwards flip into the water.

Dobos spent the morning at a waterfront café casually watching the Hotel Olympia. He’d seen scuba gear delivered by small launch to the Helios. There was a good deal of activity as the three people on board loaded the equipment. He watched the sailboat head out to sea about 9:30, while he enjoyed his second cup of coffee. Now, nearly an hour later, he took great interest as he watched three men in khakis and dark glasses arrive in an SUV and park on the street right in front of him. They piled out and shuffled into the hotel.

A few minutes later, three different men similarly dressed came out and drove away in the SUV. A surveillance team, probably on twelve-hour shifts, and they were careless. They should have anticipated counter surveillance and the breach of light discipline last night was inexcusable. They would die because of those mistakes, Dobos thought.

He casually looked about trying to spot anyone looking at him. Dobos knew a new player was in the game. A player, who had nearly taken him out in Milan and according to the Milan newspaper, had killed his protégé. He would spend the day planning his approach and watching for his competition. Dobos paid his bill and, with a wave to his waiter, began walking the waterfront like any tourist.

It was nearly sunset when Dobos saw the Helios drop her sails as she entered the breakwater. From his second-floor hotel balcony, he could see the entire bay.

He watched the two men and the woman anchor the blue and white sailboat at approximately the same spot it had occupied the night before. Good, he thought, same place, and only three people.