The house was deathly quiet. When Giorgos reached the courtyard he stopped in shock. Maria was frozen on the spot in front of him. Behind her he could see the half-broken front door and to the side there was his pursuer also frozen. Giorgos’ eyes almost bulged out of their sockets and out of his head to reach the street.
He approached cautiously. He searched through the pockets of his pursuer. His hand felt a cold stone object. His fingers hugged it and he brought it out. It was the small bust from the castle, the one that was taken from Katia.
He then heard Michael’s voice. ‘I did that to give us time.’ Giorgos looked around, but saw nothing. Then Michael appeared in front of him. He turned his attention to the intruder.
‘He’s a Ruinand.’ Michael said.
Giorgos looked at the mess, the undeniable signs of a fight. There were scratches and bruises on Maria’s face and bare legs and arms. But the intruder didn’t seem to have fared much better either. It looked like the combatants had been equally matched. Giorgos looked at Michael.
‘I don’t think this is the kind of redecoration Maria had in mind when she was talking about giving this place a sprucing up and new lease of life.’
‘I agree. But it will be a new life for that… thing over there in the whole sense of that word. I wouldn’t risk leaving him here once I return time in this house to normal.’ Michael paused as if in deep thought. ‘I think he will enjoy a holiday in isolation on his nemesis that is the Holy Mountain. I’m sure the monks there will entertain him by making good use of him. But first we need to erase his memory.’
Giorgos took out his mobile phone and send a message to Vasilis Symitzis. While he waited for him to arrive he busied himself studying the intruder and Maria, but he made no attempt to disturb the scene of utter devastation. He wanted Vasilis, and Maria for that matter, to see it. It had to be seen to be believed.
Less than fifteen minutes had passed when Giorgos heard the screeching of brakes as a car pulled up outside and came to a sudden stop. It was surely too soon for Vasilis to have had the time to get there unless he was only somewhere down the road.
Giorgos feared the worse. Perhaps their frozen friend had called for reinforcements or his friends had been watching. But he visibly relaxed when he saw Vasilis Symitzis, very smartly dressed, walking through the wreckage of the front door.
‘Hi, Giorgos. I see you’ve been having fun without me.’
‘Thanks for coming. I wasn’t sure you got my message.’
‘I would always respond to a call for help from you, especially in these dangerous times.’
‘Sorry for interrupting whatever you were into, but I thought you would have liked to see our guest.’
Vasilis turned to Giorgos. ‘Indeed, I would. And don’t worry. What you dragged me from wasn’t something I couldn’t miss. Besides, I’ve got the car waiting outside to take me back when we are finished here.’
It only took Vasilis a moment to take in the scene and to recognise the frozen intruder as one of his arch- enemies. He then looked at Michael’s ghost and nodded in acknowledgement.
‘It’s good to see you old friend. So… Giorgos here can see you too. He’s managed to dredge you out of whatever hole you were messing up in.’ Vasilis’ eyes briefly rested on the visible parts of the small bust nestled innocently in Giorgos’ hand, his fingers wrapped around most of it as if he didn’t want to let go, as if it was a live bird or insect that was going to fly away, if he didn’t keep it firmly and securely covered. Vasilis went closer to inspect the intruder. He shook his head amused.
‘Guest, indeed. In need of a generous dollop of Cypriot hospitality, no doubt?’
Michael chipped in. ‘Vasilis, I thought our friend here could do with a “monkish” holiday. The clean air, healthy diet and peace of Mount Athos will do him good. Would you mind flying him over there in supreme comfort, courtesy of “Vasilis Airways”, and arrange for him to have luxury accommodation in the bosom of a famous Holy Mountain prison cell. None other than “Vasilis Airways” can do the transportation better.’
‘It will be my pleasure.’ He took out his mobile and made a brief call. He then turned his attention to the present company. ‘I think we are all done here. I need to get back to my board meeting. I’m standing in for my mother.’
‘Is she alright?’ Giorgos was a bit concerned.
‘She’s absolutely fine. But she had to attend a charity event. I have to thank you for the welcome diversion. I needed an excuse to get out of there. I said a friend was rushed to hospital and I had to make an urgent telephone call to find out what had happened. Then I said that I had to go to the hospital to sort out things. I told them I wouldn’t be long and decided instead of adjourning the meeting, as it was important, to continue it after a brief recess. It’s not easy to gather all these busy board members together at a convenient time for all. So I told them to wait there.
‘You gave me a welcome respite from Lazaros, a board member who was becoming very tedious with his usual objections to my plans and his long-winded explanations. It’s as if he’s giving a diatribe every time. I think he believes that he’s the only sane and intelligent person surrounded by cretins. I think the time has, perhaps, come to get rid of him. I have been thinking about it for a while and I think this is the time to act decisively.’
Vasilis paused. ‘I’m sorry. I am rambling. We have to sort out the small matter of our friend here.’ Vasilis indicated the frozen intruder. ‘And we have to act quickly in case his friends come looking for him.’ He turned to Giorgos. ‘I still have time to make the rest of the meeting and later, assuming I have time, I have to attend the same event my mother is attending. It’s an awards ceremony for services to charity. Giorgos, are you sure you don’t want to come with me? I’ve got an extra ticket.’
‘With respect, Mr Symitzis, but I think I’ll pass.’
‘By the way, Giorgos, you look as if you’ve been dragged backwards through a hedge.’
‘I’ve been inside the tunnel.’
‘Ah, that would explain it. And what have you found there?’
‘I think you should see for yourself.’
Giorgos led him to the sarcophagus of the Sultan.
‘Does my mother know about this?’
‘No, we’ve just found it.’ Giorgos was about to tell him about the scroll, but at that moment Vasilis’ men came and in the distraction it slipped through his mind. The scroll stayed in his jacket pocket. The men restrained and gagged the intruder.
Then Michael reinstated the scene by returning time to normal and disappeared. The intruder struggled in vain to get free of his restraints. Maria was a bit disorientated, but recovered soon enough. She enjoyed her handiwork on the intruder and, looking around, assessed the aftermath and both hers and the intruder’s handiwork on her house.
But she felt as if she had missed something that her memory refused to surrender. She started to fire a million questions a minute. Giorgos raised his hand to shush her. ‘Later, Maria, later.’ The men were gone and so was Vasilis.
‘Maria, I have to go to the hospital to see Katia. And I think you should come with me. Not just for company, but I think you need to have those checked by a doctor.’ He indicated the scratches and bruises on her face, arms and legs when he said that.
‘No, don’t worry about that. It’s nothing. It will heal in no time. I’ve been through worse. I don’t need a doctor. But I’ll come with you for the company.’
‘Maria, you are a good friend. I’m really sorry for getting you into this. I’ll pay for a new door and the damage done to your house.’
‘Don’t be stupid. First of all, you would have done the same for me. Second, don’t be sorry for anything. I wouldn’t have it any other way. I haven’t had so much fun in months. Third, I will accept your offer to pay for the damage. You are considerably more well off than I am.’
‘Great. I’m really glad you said that, because I was half-expecting you to decline my offer to pay and I wouldn’t have that. You wouldn’t be able to wriggle out of that one.’
Giorgos didn’t tell Maria that he also had to find a safe place to hide the scroll until he had contacted Elli about showing it to her. Perhaps it would be safer at his parents’ house.
CHAPTER 48
