Chapter 31
Delos is a tiny, uninhabited island located in the middle of the Aegean Sea that was a major religious and commercial center of the ancient Greek world. It is the mythical birthplace of the god Apollo and boasts the impressive remains of temples, shrines, and sanctuaries. Among the many fascinating attractions on the island are three temples dating from the fifth and sixth centuries BC, and to the west, the Sacred Lake where Apollo was reputedly born. Standing guard over the lake are nine replicas of the famous marble lions. The actual remains can be found in the island’s archaeological museum, which houses a breathtaking collection of exhibits, including statues, masks, and ancient jewelry.
On my last trip to the party island of Mykonos, I had hopped aboard a ferry for the twenty-five minute ride to Delos because as an actor, I was excited about standing amongst the ruins of a grand theater where audiences used to watch ritual orgies in ancient times. Sometimes we’re just born too late.
Although I had been hungover from too much drinking and dancing at Pierro’s, the island’s premier gay club, the night before, I was struck by the island’s beauty and all of its rich history, and my memories of the day were still stark and clear. So I took some comfort in the fact that I was familiar with where we were going and knew of some probable hiding places if Liam and I miraculously managed some means of escape.
We were hustled aboard Uli’s speedboat, which was anchored at a small dock in a cove below his property, and ordered by Khristos, who took great pleasure in manhandling us, to sit quietly in the back of the boat. Uli joined us momentarily, along with Philander and Leandro, and after firing up the engine, we sped off toward the island of Delos.
Philander was at the wheel and seemed to be aiming the boat right for the waves so the sea spray would repeatedly splash me in the face. I guess he was still ticked off at me for getting him drunk and manipulating some key information out of him. Uli settled back with a martini cocktail in a silver tumbler, while Khristos and Leandro tried their best to wear intimidating scowls in order to keep us in line.
I imagined the panic and worry that had to be coursing through Laurette’s veins right now. She was definitely cursing herself for abandoning her cuddly new boyfriend, Larry, to join me in London only to get mixed up in all this mayhem and murder. She was a real trouper, but I was a little nervous about how she might handle her latest assignment. As long as the Oscar’s head stayed glued in place, we had a shot of surviving this dangerous escapade.
I recognized the island off in the distance, and as a ferry chugged past us, loaded with camera-toting tourists, I knew we were only minutes away from showtime. The boat circumvented the main dock and circled around to the other side of the island, where Philander drove the boat as far in as possible. When the bottom of the boat scraped across the pebble-coated shore, Leandro hopped into the water, which was up to his knees, and gripping a thick rope, pulled us nearly up on the beach.
Balancing what was left of his martini, Uli offered his hand to Leandro, who helped his portly frame down to the ground. Khristos pulled a gun out of the back of his pants and waved us to get off. Liam gave me a questioning look. What the hell was the plan? Since I didn’t have one yet, I ignored him.
The six of us hiked along a dirt trail until we saw a gaggle of tourists streaming into the island’s museum. A few others were scattered along the remains of some buildings where the island’s wealthiest residents had built lavish houses with grand, colonnaded courtyards.
“Where’s your friend?” Uli barked, anxious to get this little trade over and done with.
I raised my hand to block the harsh rays of the sun from my eyes and scanned the immediate area. At first I almost missed her. But after squinting to get a clearer view, I spotted Laurette in a bright orange tank top, printed green wraparound skirt, seashell necklace, and sandals standing in the middle of what was once the island’s majestic amphitheater, built in 300 BC, which at one time had accommodated fifty-five hundred spectators. She looked like some resurrected goddess like Athena—except for the loud color of her ensemble, of course, and the black carry-on bag she clutched in her arms.
We trudged toward her, and as we got closer, I could see the fear etched all over her face. She was way out of her league on this one, but she was going to do what she had to do to get me and Charlie back safely.
Philander and Leandro broke apart from the group and casually circled around behind Laurette in an obvious effort to keep a tight rein over the proceedings.
Uli mustered up a sincere smile and stepped forward. “Thank you for not making this more difficult than it has to be.”
She thrust the bag at him. “Here. Just take it. Can we all go home now?”
“Absolutely,” Uli said, unzipping the bag. “But first let me just make sure you’re not going to double-cross me like the dearly departed Akshay.”
Uli gently lifted the Academy Award out of the bag. Laurette, Liam, and I held our collective breath. The Oscar had his head on straight. No obvious signs of damage. Things were finally looking up.
At that moment, I noticed a large group of tourists, all snapping photos of the various ruins and making their way toward us. Uli gave the group a cursory glance but then quickly returned to inspecting his newest, most prized possession.
Philander, eyeing the approaching group, leaned in to his boss. “Mr. Karydes, I think we should go now.”
Laurette searched our party. “Where’s Charlie? You promised to let him go.”
“Don’t worry,” Uli said. “I have no reason to hold on to him anymore. He’ll be back in time for you all to have dinner tonight at one of our fine gourmet restaurants. On me.”
When I glanced over at the tourists, who were now only a hundred feet away from us, I was startled to see Delphina, our receptionist at the Andromeda Residence, among them. She was wearing a big, bright yellow floppy hat and sunglasses as a makeshift disguise, but it was definitely her. What was she doing here? She lived on Mykonos. Why on earth would she be touring Delos Island with a Kodak disposable camera?
The tourists began fanning out and pointing at several well-preserved mosaics that had been excavated since the archaeological dig of Delos began in the late 1800s. That’s when I noticed that all of the camera-toting travelers in the tour group were Greek, which just raised more questions.
Uli noticed them too, and raised an eyebrow.
I suspected Delphina and her friends were here to help. “They’re probably fans. I can’t go anywhere without getting recognized.”
Uli seemed to buy it, but then the unthinkable happened. The head on top of the Academy Award sagged to one side before rolling off entirely and bouncing off a rock. There was a stunned silence.
Uli’s face flushed with anger; his mouth was open, but no words came out. He was about to blow with more fury than Mount St. Helens. We were done for.
What happened next unfolded so fast I didn’t even have time to react. The tourists that had surreptitiously wandered up to us split apart, drawing guns from their camera bags. They screamed in Greek. I had no idea what they were saying, but Uli’s men instantly raised their hands in the air and lowered themselves to the ground. I felt like I was caught up in some Greek version of Cops, except I wasn’t wearing a wife beater. Liam, Laurette, and I immediately followed suit and kissed the gravel. Uli, defiant to the end, stood his ground as the gun-slinging Greeks closed in on us.
The shortest one, an olive-skinned badass with a goatee and shaved head that made up for his height, bellowed in English, “Hellenic Police, Mr. Karydes. I suggest you cooperate and lie down on the ground. Otherwise, I’ll have my men help you.”
Uli stared the officer down before quietly lowering himself to the dirt, spreading out on his belly.
Delphina threw off her yellow floppy hat and rushed over to us. “Laurette, Jarrod, you can get up. It’s safe now.”
Laurette stood up and threw her arms around Delphina. “Thank you so much. You promised to take care of things and none of us would be hurt, and you came through.”
I was flabbergasted. Our hotel receptionist was some kind of cop? This was insane.
Laurette hustled over to Liam, who still was facedown on the ground, and smiled at the officer who was standing over him. “He’s with us.”
The officer stepped aside, allowing Liam to climb to his feet.
I turned to Laurette for an explanation as the group of Greek officers began handcuffing Uli and his men.
“Remember last night when Delphina offered us help if we needed it?” she said breathlessly, still reeling from all the drama. “Well, this morning, before you called me to come here, I got so worried I went to her.”
“She woke me up again,” Delphina said with a smile.
“It turns out Delphina’s brother is a special guard with the Hellenic Police, which is a branch of the Ministry of Public Order in Athens,” she said, pointing to the bossy short one overseeing the other men, who were busy securing the prisoners.
I had heard of the Ministry of Public Order. They were the ones who did such an impressive job of security at the 2004 Athens Olympics.
“My father was a special guard; my grandfather was also, as well as my great-grandfather. I would be one too if they allowed women to join,” she said. “My brother was here with some of his buddies partying on Mykonos all week. So when I called and told him what was going on, he offered to bring along his friends and help out. The Hellenic Police have been keeping tabs on Karydes for years, trying to bust up his smuggling and extortion operations. He’s very clever, and it’s been a frustrating task for the government to try and find enough evidence for an arrest.”
“If he has an Achilles’ heel, then it’s his obsession with his TV and movie collection,” I said. “Seems he’d do anything to add another priceless piece like Claire Richards’s Academy Award.”
“Even kidnapping,” Delphina said. “Karydes has reached a point where he believes a crime like that is not a big deal if it gets him what he wants. He’s been so successful keeping the Greek authorities at bay for so many years that he started to feel he was above the law. When Laurette came to me and explained everything, I knew we had him.”
“What about Charlie?” I said.
Delphina smiled and pointed to a helicopter off in the distance that was fast approaching Delos. “My cousin owns a chopper. He gives island-hopping tours three times daily. It was a slow day today, so I sent him over to Karydes’s place to see if he could find your friend. He called me on my cell about twenty minutes ago and said he found a man locked up in one of the guesthouses on the back end of Karydes’s property.”
My heart pounded as the helicopter landed on a flat bed of rock well south of where we were to protect the surrounding artifacts. The passenger door flew open, and Charlie, weary, dirt smudged, and bruised, climbed out and crouched down to avoid the whirling blades of the chopper above him as he staggered forward.
I choked up as I ran toward him, my arms outstretched, bursting with relief that he was alive and well. I practically knocked him over as I grabbed him in a bear hug. He winced from the pressure I was inadvertently applying to his bullet wounds, and I quickly loosened my grip.
“Hey, babe, what took you so long?” he said with a warm smile.