He looked at his watch. It was only one p.m., even though the day seemed to have been going on forever. He’d still have time to watch the old planes being filmed at Maleme, though now he’d had his own experience of battle in Crete he wasn’t too excited by that prospect.
Maria Kondos had fallen asleep.
TEN
‘You need to decide which hospital we’re taking her to,’ Mikis said, as they entered the heavily cultivated area south of the coast. ‘There are several private clinics, as well as the general hospital at Mournies.’
‘It isn’t up to me,’ Mavros replied. He should have called Cara Parks earlier, but his heart had only recently returned to normal pace. She answered immediately and he told her about Maria.
‘That’s fantastic, Alex. You’re a genius.’
‘I get that a lot. Listen, she needs medical care. Her feet are lacerated and I can’t tell what else might have been done to her.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘She’s in shock and she isn’t speaking.’
‘Oh.’ There was a pause. ‘OK. Rosie’s got a local fixer. I’ll get her to call you asap. I’ll come over myself.’ She rang off.
Mavros looked in the wing mirror. Mikis’s friends were close behind and there were no suspicious pickups further back.
‘So, this vendetta thing,’ he said. ‘Does it still go on?’
‘Oh yes,’ the driver said solemnly. ‘Especially in the mountain villages.’
‘Which means what, exactly?’
‘Well, I embarrassed one Kornariate and knocked another out, while you rearranged the third guy’s brains.’
‘Yeah, what about the injured men? Shouldn’t we send out an ambulance?’
Mikis looked at him as if he were slow. ‘You want to make things worse? Don’t worry about it. Those lunatics look after their own.’ He smiled weakly. ‘And they don’t take kindly either to being bested or to having their weapons confiscated.’
Mavros wasn’t feeling proud. ‘I’ve landed you in a very deep cesspit, haven’t I? I’m sorry, my friend.’
‘Forget it. That village is a bad place and the shit-heads up there obviously did something nasty to the woman. Besides, we know how to look after ourselves.’
‘I noticed.’
The Cretan smiled. ‘These things usually get sorted out eventually, but there’s no chance we’ll bribe them to lay off us. My old man doesn’t give money to wankers like them.’
Mavros’s phone rang. Rosie Yellenberg told him that a private room had been booked at the West Crete Clinic. He relayed that to Mikis, who nodded.
‘You’ve done well, Mr Mavros,’ the producer continued. ‘Would you like to go back to Athens on the Learjet tonight?’
He dismissed that without much thought. ‘No, thanks. Tomorrow will be OK. I take it I can stay at the Heavenly Blue tonight?’
Rosie Yellenberg gave a throaty laugh. ‘If Cara Parks goes back to work, you can stay as long as you like.’
As far as Mavros was concerned, the case wasn’t over. He wanted to know how Maria Kondos had got to the village — it seemed clear that someone had taken her there against her will — and he wanted to know why she had seemingly been kept in captivity.
Mikis pulled up in front of a new building on the outskirts of Chania. A lot of money had been spent on the facade, combining multicoloured concrete sections with traditional wooden balconies. No doubt the film company’s insurance would cover everything.
Maria Kondos, who stirred when the engine was switched off, was put in a wheelchair by a pair of keen orderlies and taken quickly inside.
‘What now?’ Mikis called.
Mavros had got out and was watching the patient disappear down a corridor. ‘I’m staying,’ he said. ‘You can split if you want.’
‘Let me sort out my friends. Don’t tell the film people, but it would be a good idea to have a guard outside here.’ He glanced across the road, which was wide. ‘They can take up position over there and do shifts.’
‘What about payment?’
‘The woman’s been harmed by Cretans. That goes against our code of hospitality.’ Mikis grinned. ‘Plus, my mother will find a way of putting it through the books. These Americans have far too much money.’
Mavros laughed. Not only was the driver smart and useful in a fight, he had the kind of contradictory character that Cretans were famous for.
A large Mercedes pulled up. Mavros saw the chauffeur open the door for the actress and went over. She was wearing a rose-pattern dress and dark glasses.
‘No paparazzi here,’ he said.
‘Just as well,’ Cara replied. ‘I didn’t even bring my security guys. Where is she?’
They went inside and Mavros asked at reception. They were told Maria was undergoing tests and that they couldn’t see her yet. The secretary directed them to a private lounge on the third floor and said they’d be advised when the patient could have visitors.
The empty room was comfortable and Cara sat down in a leather armchair.
Mavros went to the fridge and poured them glasses of water. He had suddenly realized that his throat was parched.
The actress eyed him as he sat down opposite. ‘What have you been doing, Alex? There’s dirt all over your pants.’
He looked down. ‘Ah. We ran into a bit of trouble.’
‘Details,’ Cara said imperiously.
He gave her them, without censoring.
‘Jeez,’ she said, when he’d finished, ‘this place is worse than Tombstone in its glory days.’
Mavros shrugged. ‘Not exactly. It’s just that there are some out-of-the-way villages — Kornaria being one — that have never submitted to other people’s laws.’
‘And you think Maria was kidnapped?’
‘She was obviously held there. It’s possible she went under her own volition, but I doubt it.’
The actress, who had taken off her shades, opened her eyes wide. Mavros noticed that she hadn’t put on any make-up and there were dark rings around her eyes. Blonde hair aside, she could have been a Mediterranean.
‘I don’t understand. Why would they have imprisoned her? Are you sure that’s what happened?’
‘No. She hasn’t said a word. But she was very frightened when we found her and the lack of footwear suggests they weren’t keen on her leaving.’
Cara Parks sighed and dabbed her eyes with a tissue from her Hermes bag.
‘It’s terrible, I can’t take it in.’
‘She was running too, like a hunted beast.’ He grimaced. ‘Which is what it turned out she was.’ He watched the actress carefully. ‘Have you ever heard the name Kondoyannis?’
She caught his gaze and held it. ‘No, I don’t think so. Should I have?’
‘No,’ he replied, summoning up the nerve to ask her about the death of the young gang member in LA and who had really been driving her car.
Then a tall man in a white coat and slicked back hair walked in.
‘Good afternoon,’ he said in English, his accent excellent. ‘My name is Stavrakakis. I’m the neurologist here.’
The actress got up and offered her hand. ‘Cara Parks. Maria — Ms Kondos — is my assistant and friend.’
