‘What are you saying exactly? I’m trying to understand.’
‘That there’s something behind the suicides, something that as yet we are unaware of. If our hypothesis is correct, then there may very well be more suicides. I’m sure you understand what that means, particularly when it concerns well-known figures.’
The glass of water brought by Koula saved Stathatos from having to reply because she took it from Koula and turned all her attention to Mrs Favieros. I waited for Favieros to empty the glass and for Stathatos to give her a pat of encouragement and sit down before I went on.
‘I won’t keep you much longer. I’ll try to be brief. Had you noticed any change in your husband’s behaviour in the period just prior to his suicide?’
A faint smile appeared on Stathatos’s lips. ‘Loukas and I both had very busy schedules and we rarely saw each other, Inspector. He spent all day rushing between his office and Parliament, while I was tied up with my businesses. In the evening, each of us had our own obligations: his were political, mine business. The only time that we saw each other was in the morning over coffee and even then we barely had time to discuss the essentials. Stella can tell you better than I can if there was any change in his behaviour.’
‘Who’s Stella?’
‘His secretary.’
If anyone had asked Adriani about me, she would have been able to tell them even when the rhythm of my blinking changed. I turned back to Mrs Favieros. I didn’t ask her anything so as not to oblige her to answer if she didn’t feel well. But she understood my questioning look.
‘Yes, I did notice a change in Jason,’ she said. ‘But there was a reason for it.’
‘Can you tell me what it was?’
She reflected as to whether she should tell me or not. Eventually, she took the decision and said very tensely: ‘He was very concerned about a serious problem that our son has.’
The way that she said it left me in no doubt as to the nature of the problem their son had, but it was still unclear to me whether it was his son or something else that so overcame Favieros as to lead him to suicide. Most probably it was one thing on top of the other.
‘Do you know whether your husband was acquainted with Apostolos Vakirtzis, Mrs Stathatos?’
She laughed. ‘What a naive question, Inspector. Is there any politician or would-be politician, or even town counsellor for that matter, who doesn’t know Apostolos Vakirtzis?’
‘Do you know whether he was on friendly terms with him?’
‘Another naive question. You couldn’t be on anything but friendly terms with Apostolos Vakirtzis. You had to appear on his show, give him interviews whenever he wanted, always supply him with the information he asked for. Otherwise, he would declare war on you and, sooner or later, he would succeed in eliminating you.’
‘And what about your husband, Mrs Favieros?’
She shrugged to stress that she had no idea. ‘Jason knew so many people, from politicians to businessmen, that it was impossible among all that crowd to distinguish Vakirtzis or anyone else.’
There was no point in my going on. Even if he had known Vakirtzis, Favieros certainly wouldn’t have told his wife. My next question was a difficult one because I didn’t know whether I should ask it and also because I didn’t know what answer I might get.
‘Could your husbands’ suicides be connected at all with your own business activities?’
‘I don’t see what possible connection there could be …’ Favieros began, but Stathatos cut her short.
‘None whatsoever,’ she said abruptly. ‘The partnership was between Sotiria and myself. Jason and Loukas had no involvement at all and, what’s more, I have no intention of discussing my business activities with you, Inspector.’
‘And I have no intention of asking you about your business activities, Mrs Stathatos. They’re of no concern to me. Though what you just said, that Loukas Stathatos and Jason Favieros had no involvement in your businesses, is not exactly true. If I recall correctly, you had, together with Jason Favieros, an offshore company that dealt in hotel enterprises in the Balkans.’
She wasn’t expecting me to know that detail and so I caught her off guard, but she quickly recovered.
‘Ah yes, Balkan Inns,’ she said complacently, as though she had forgotten about it. ‘But I was never personally involved in that. It was run by Jason and Coralia Yannelis.’
I began to think of Coralia Yannelis as a sort of Minister for Balkan Affairs in the group of companies. I would have to try my luck with her once more. I found her far more likeable than Stathatos, even though she hadn’t really told me anything despite all her smiles and friendliness.
Koula opened her mouth for the first time as we got up to leave. ‘May we have your permission to search the computers used by Mr Favieros and Mr Stefanakos in their offices and in their homes?’
Mrs Favieros turned and looked at her in astonishment. Mrs Stathatos once again adopted her haughty expression as though the very sound of Koula’s voice was an annoyance to her.
‘And just what do you expend to find on the computers, young miss? If Jason and Loukas had left suicide notes, we would know about it.’
‘I’m not looking for suicide notes, Mrs Stathatos,’ Koula answered in a firm voice. ‘Mr Favieros’s private secretary informed us that Mr Favieros had been spending hours shut up in his office in front of the computer prior to his suicide. So much so that it had caused her to wonder. Mr Vakirtzis’s partner had also said the same thing about him to the Inspector – namely that he, too, had been spending a great deal of time in front of his computer. So we would like to search them in case they contain some evidence.’
Mrs Stathatos shrugged.
‘Loukas didn’t have a computer at home, only in the office. I’ll tell Stella, his secretary, who is still working there, to allow you access.’
The way she said it revealed her certainty that we wouldn’t find anything. Koula thanked her and I nodded to her that we should be going. The secretary sitting outside didn’t even raise her eyes to look at us as we left. Perhaps she didn’t hear our footsteps on the thick carpet.
‘I really don’t understand, Inspector.’
Coralia Yannelis looked at us with an expression that was both ironic and inquisitive at the same time. We had gone straight there from the offices of Starad, because it was only five minutes’ drive from Vikela Street to Aigialeias Street.
‘If I’m not mistaken, this is the fourth time you’ve come here and I can’t understand your interest in these suicides. I’m starting to suspect that there’s something else behind all this that you’re not telling us.’
‘There’s nothing else behind it, Mrs Yannelis.’
‘So are you telling me that your interest is purely on a human level? That you’re desperate to learn why Favieros and Stefanakos committed suicide in such a tragic way?’
‘And Vakirtzis. The day before last, Vakirtzis also committed suicide in an even more tragic way.’
‘All right, Vakirtzis too.’
‘Did you know him?’
‘Of course, along with ten million other Greeks. You couldn’t open a newspaper without coming across Vakirtzis, or turn on the radio without hearing his voice.’
‘But you didn’t have any connection or dealings with him?’
She laughed. ‘You still think that the reasons behind the suicides of Jason and Stefanakos are to be found hidden somewhere in Favieros’s group of companies or in their joint companies or in their wives’ companies. But where does Vakirtzis, a journalist, fit into all that?’
She waited for an answer from me, but she didn’t receive one because I didn’t have one. I didn’t have any answers, and the ones I did have were not all that convincing. Those who shared my suspicions did so simply because they had the same gut feeling that I had, like Ghikas for example, or because they were scared of some scandal, like the Minister.
Yannelis saw from my silence that I was at a loss and continued: ‘I can assure you that Jason and Stefanakos, at least, did not commit suicide because of the prospect of bankruptcy. If you don’t believe me, all you
