know what a stake out car looked like? But I didn’t
want to appear that unversed so I put on my best stake out face. We waited. And waited.
I nodded off at some point for lack of sleep and the creeping heat of the day. I started
awake at the touch of Zach’s hand on mine.
“I’m going to walk to the back of the house and look around. Can I trust you to stay
here?”
I looked at the ignition.
He smiled. “I’m taking the keys with me.”
“Then I won’t be going anywhere, will I?” I closed my eyes again and leaned my head
against the seat.
He squeezed my arm. “You’re supposed to stay awake and watch the house.”
“Okay, chief. Will do.” I sat up and tried to appear alert.
He put on a navy blue NY baseball cap he had bought at the Park ‘N’ Buy and eased
out of the car. Very clever disguise. No walkers, no runners, no residents out for
a stroll or going to the store. If my memory served me correctly, it should be Tuesday.
Most Cypriots would be working. It was getting on toward noon, so the tourists had
probably drifted away to the beach or sightseeing. If the American couple were tourists,
then they were probably at the beach or sightseeing. Or maybe they were helping with
the archaeological dig at the Castle of Forty Columns, since they were supposed to
be part of the team. If they were, Zach and I should walk over there since it wasn’t
far to walk to the dig by the beach road.
My thoughts wandered to the guy holding binoculars and looking at us on the cliffs
above Agios Georgios. Was he driving the blue Maruti that the American couple had
rented? Why had two guys pursued us through Pafos? Had they been watching Yannis’s
house? If so, why had they followed me to the Coral Bay, unless they were watching
the Coral Bay or vacationing there and didn’t have anything better to do and decided
to follow me.
I mulled over something that was bothering me. The first time we saw the Maruti was
on the cliff at the beach. Zach and Yannis were with me. The second time was Monday
morning at the Coral Bay. Zach was staying there.
They were following Zach. Why?
Who were those guys? Did they kill Max and Irene? No, they couldn’t have killed them.
They were following us, and we lost them on the other side of Pafos. They were behind
us. Then who killed Max and Irene and why? My partner wasn’t offering any explanations,
but I could ask him again.
And here he came looking like he was trying to hold a run to a walk. He jumped into
the car and took off flying to the intersection and hung a right without stopping.
Thank all the Greek and Roman gods, no traffic was coming.
“What happened? What’s the rush?” I said, as I clutched the hand hold to keep from
flying through the window as we careened around the corner.
“I found the Maruti.”
“Where?” I looked around, bobbing back and forth, trying to see through the traffic
behind us.
“It was parked in the drive behind the house, accessed through a narrow alley at the
end of the dead end.”
“So?”
“You see anyone following us?” Zach looked in the rear view mirror.
I checked. “No blue Maruti, if that’s what you mean. Would you please tell me what
is going on?”
“I slipped in the back through the sliding glass doors.”
“Great, breaking and entering we add to the list.”
“No, that’s not breaking and entering. I was just visiting friends if anyone asked.”
“Then what?”
He slowed down, made a series of right turns, pulled over into a crowded parking lot
in front of a downtown restaurant advertising the world’s best seafood, found a parking
space, and cut the engine.
“Slide down in the seat,” he said, and I, being the obedient slave that I was, obeyed.
“Will you please tell me what is going on?”
“Two guys were in a room upstairs. It’s packed with communications equipment, computers,
routers, radios. Maps on the wall.”
“What would
want to appear that unversed so I put on my best stake out face. We waited. And waited.
I nodded off at some point for lack of sleep and the creeping heat of the day. I started
awake at the touch of Zach’s hand on mine.
“I’m going to walk to the back of the house and look around. Can I trust you to stay
here?”
I looked at the ignition.
He smiled. “I’m taking the keys with me.”
“Then I won’t be going anywhere, will I?” I closed my eyes again and leaned my head
against the seat.
He squeezed my arm. “You’re supposed to stay awake and watch the house.”
“Okay, chief. Will do.” I sat up and tried to appear alert.
He put on a navy blue NY baseball cap he had bought at the Park ‘N’ Buy and eased
out of the car. Very clever disguise. No walkers, no runners, no residents out for
a stroll or going to the store. If my memory served me correctly, it should be Tuesday.
Most Cypriots would be working. It was getting on toward noon, so the tourists had
probably drifted away to the beach or sightseeing. If the American couple were tourists,
then they were probably at the beach or sightseeing. Or maybe they were helping with
the archaeological dig at the Castle of Forty Columns, since they were supposed to
be part of the team. If they were, Zach and I should walk over there since it wasn’t
far to walk to the dig by the beach road.
My thoughts wandered to the guy holding binoculars and looking at us on the cliffs
above Agios Georgios. Was he driving the blue Maruti that the American couple had
rented? Why had two guys pursued us through Pafos? Had they been watching Yannis’s
house? If so, why had they followed me to the Coral Bay, unless they were watching
the Coral Bay or vacationing there and didn’t have anything better to do and decided
to follow me.
I mulled over something that was bothering me. The first time we saw the Maruti was
on the cliff at the beach. Zach and Yannis were with me. The second time was Monday
morning at the Coral Bay. Zach was staying there.
They were following Zach. Why?
Who were those guys? Did they kill Max and Irene? No, they couldn’t have killed them.
They were following us, and we lost them on the other side of Pafos. They were behind
us. Then who killed Max and Irene and why? My partner wasn’t offering any explanations,
but I could ask him again.
And here he came looking like he was trying to hold a run to a walk. He jumped into
the car and took off flying to the intersection and hung a right without stopping.
Thank all the Greek and Roman gods, no traffic was coming.
“What happened? What’s the rush?” I said, as I clutched the hand hold to keep from
flying through the window as we careened around the corner.
“I found the Maruti.”
“Where?” I looked around, bobbing back and forth, trying to see through the traffic
behind us.
“It was parked in the drive behind the house, accessed through a narrow alley at the
end of the dead end.”
“So?”
“You see anyone following us?” Zach looked in the rear view mirror.
I checked. “No blue Maruti, if that’s what you mean. Would you please tell me what
is going on?”
“I slipped in the back through the sliding glass doors.”
“Great, breaking and entering we add to the list.”
“No, that’s not breaking and entering. I was just visiting friends if anyone asked.”
“Then what?”
He slowed down, made a series of right turns, pulled over into a crowded parking lot
in front of a downtown restaurant advertising the world’s best seafood, found a parking
space, and cut the engine.
“Slide down in the seat,” he said, and I, being the obedient slave that I was, obeyed.
“Will you please tell me what is going on?”
“Two guys were in a room upstairs. It’s packed with communications equipment, computers,
routers, radios. Maps on the wall.”
“What would
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