Authors: Ekaterine Nikas
"You!
Again and again you get in my way, ruin
my plans, and nose your way in where you’re not wanted.
Well, your run of luck has just
ended.
I've one last chance to
make this whole thing come right, and
by God
this time you're not going
to muck it up!"
The
thundering anger in his voice made my heart race, but it was the coldly determined
look in his eyes that caused my breath to catch in my throat.
"This
isn’t going to do you any good,” I said.
“I told the Lieutenant everything.
He knows about you and Elizabeth.
If anything happens to me, it will be obvious who's responsible."
He
smiled derisively.
"Nice try,
Christine, but it won't wash.
I
checked with the police.
You
haven't spoken to Mavros since last night, and in any case, the good Lieutenant
is no longer in a position to act.
The hints I've dropped in a few high places have had their effect .
He's been taken off the case."
I
felt a sinking feeling in my stomach.
"You're going to kill me, aren't you?"
"You're
an intelligent girl.
What do you
think?"
"What
about Demetra?
She's hardly going
to stand by and let you do me in."
"Demetra
hasn't a clue as to what's really going on, and by the time she figures it out,
your demise will be a
fait accompli
.
Oh, and I wouldn't try to enlighten her if I were you.
If she stops cooperating I'll simply
have to kill you both."
"Don't
expect
me
to cooperate.
I'm
not going to help you get your hands on Michael."
"Actually,
I don't need your help.
I already
have what I need.
Demetra made a
note of it while she was watching you in the Hilton lobby."
I
suddenly felt cold.
"George's
number?"
He
nodded.
"She's already rung
once.
She left a message for
Geoffrey suggesting an exchange: you for the boy."
"
No!
"
He
ignored my protest.
"We're
scheduled to ring back --" he consulted his watch, "-- five minutes
from now."
"Geoffrey
will never agree to turn Michael over to you."
"I
think he will.
After all, he's
grown attached to you, and I don't think he'll relish the thought of you coming
to harm."
"He
doesn't care about me that much,” I countered.
“Certainly not enough to risk Michael's safety.
As it turns out, the person he's in
love with is your wife.
Perhaps
you should have kidnapped her."
He
shrugged.
"Whether he's in
love with you or merely feels responsible for your well-being, I think I can
count on him to do as we ask.
After all, he won't think the boy's in any real danger.
Demetra will insist -- quite
convincingly I assure you -- that she only wishes Michael's return so she can
prove Spiro innocent.
Geoffrey
won't have any reason to suspect I'm involved.
No one will.
Demetra's proven quite useful that way."
We
heard her approaching down the hall.
"Now remember," he said, "one false word, and I'll be
forced to kill you both."
Demetra
entered the room to find Robert removing the rope from my ankles.
"I think we can trust her to be
cooperative now," he said, rubbing my ankles and feet in an effort to
restore circulation to them.
I
hated the feel of his hands on me, and desperately wanted to kick him away, but
Demetra’s life was at stake as well as my own, and in any case, my only hope of
warning Geoffrey was to convince Robert he could trust me to behave.
At last he finished, and as he stood up
to help me to my feet our eyes met.
I realized I'd made the right choice.
He'd been testing me, and for the moment, anyway, I'd
passed.
"Demetra,
I believe it's time to make our call.
Why don't you use the telephone in the study, and I'll help Christine
over to your brother's desk and pick up the extension in here."
She
nodded uneasily and started back toward the door.
Noting
her reluctance, Robert said, "I presume there's no need to remind you that
our only hope of persuading Geoffrey to give up the boy is to convince him
you're serious about carrying out your threats if he doesn't comply with your
demands."
"Don't
worry.
I understand what it is
that I must do."
"Good."
After
she'd gone, he said to me, "Geoffrey will probably insist on speaking with
you.
If he asks any questions,
limit your responses to either 'yes' or 'no'.
Do you understand?"
I
didn't answer.
He seized my
still-tied arms and pushed them up toward the ceiling until they felt as if
they were going pop out of their sockets.
"Do
. . . you . . . understand?"
"Yes,"
I gasped, "I understand."
"Good."
He let my arms drop and pulling me against
him led me over to Spiro's desk.
"Demetra," he said, picking up the phone, "go ahead and
dial the number now."
Apparently she did so.
Robert was holding me so tightly against him I could hear the phone
ringing and hear George answer tensely, "
Embrós?
"
Demetra
spoke in English, presumably for Robert's benefit. "This is the woman who
called before.
Is Geoffrey
there?"
"He's
here.
Hang on."
There
was a muffled sound of a receiver being passed from one person to another and
then Geoffrey came on the line.
"Is she all right?" he demanded hoarsely in a voice I barely
recognized.
"Damn it, if
you've hurt her --"
"She
is fine," Demetra interrupted.
"And she will remain so as long as you do that which I say."
"Demetra!
You're
behind all this?"
She
replied angrily, "I will not allow my brother to be punished for a crime
he did not commit!
The boy knows
who really killed his father.
Bring him back so that he can tell the police the truth, and Miss
Stewart will be freed."
He
said thickly, "And if I don't?"
Did
she hesitate?
"If you don't,
then I will be forced to carry out my threat."
"
No!
What do you gain by her death?"
Her
voice shook, but her tone was implacable.
"I will do what I must to save my brother, Geoffrey.
Bring the boy to
Ithaki
within
the hour, or I will throw her from the cliff as you threw Helen, do not doubt
it."
"Wait!
How do I know you have her?
Let me talk to her!"
"Very
well.
For a moment only."
Robert
held the receiver up to my mouth and ear, but his hazel eyes held a clear
warning and infinite menace.
"Geoffrey?" I said warily.
"Christine!
Are you all right?"
"Yes."
"Don't
worry.
I'm going to get you out of
this."
"You
can’t."
Robert
wrenched my arms up behind me until I cried out in pain.
"
Christine!
"
This
was probably the only chance I'd have to warn him.
Reminding myself not to use names, I yelled loudly in Greek,
"The lawyer's behind this!
He's married to the boy's mother!"
Robert
slammed the receiver down, and then slapped me so hard I toppled backwards onto
the floor.
"What the bloody
hell did you say to him?" he demanded furiously.
I
didn't answer.
Instead I lay on
the floor desperately wondering how I was going to warn Demetra not to
translate what I'd said.
If she
did, we were both as good as dead.
He
pulled me up to my feet and slapped me again, hard.
"What did you tell him?"
"Nothing!"
He
grabbed my jaw in an iron grip.
"Do I have to break this to get the truth out of you?"
"I'm
telling you!
All I said was
--"
Demetra
suddenly appeared in the doorway.
For a moment our eyes met, then she looked away.
"What she said was that Geoffrey
should not do as I say, because I am not to be trusted."
He
gave my jaw a painful squeeze.
"Stupid, my dear.
Very
stupid."
His hand dropped
away and he turned to Demetra.
"I presume you managed to convince him he had no choice in the
matter?"
"Her
cries of pain convinced him more than any of my words could," she said
heavily.
"He is coming."
"Good."
I
stared down at the floor in despair.
My warning hadn't worked.
Geoffrey was going to deliver Michael into Robert's trap, and there was
nothing I could do to stop him.
I
looked up to find Demetra staring at my face in dismay.
"Was it really necessary to hurt
her so?" she demanded.
He
gave a slight shrug.
"It
proved persuasive, didn't it?"
She
flashed him a look of disgust.
"I do not wish to continue with this.
This is not what I intended."
Robert
reached into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out a glove which he slipped
onto his right hand.
"I'm
afraid it's a bit late in the day for second thoughts.
Either you continue with your role as
planned, or I will be forced to shoot her here and now."
From another pocket he drew out a
revolver that looked like the one Demetra had threatened me with at the hotel
and pointed it directly at me.
"Of course, that will leave you the interesting task of explaining
to the police what Christine's body is doing in
your
house shot with a
gun bearing
your
fingerprints."
Demetra's
face went white.
"The gun is
not even loaded."
"It
is now."
"All
right," she said unsteadily, "I will do as you say."
"Excellent.
Well then, now that we all understand
each other, I think it's time to move this party up to the cliffs, where I can
keep an eye on any unwelcome comings and goings.
Demetra, if you’ll assist our troublesome little friend
here?"
Demetra
took my arm.
Robert
motioned with the gun.
"You
two lead the way."
It
was not a pleasant feeling to be back up on the cliff where Helen had met her
death, especially in the company of the man who'd sent her to it, and I was
almost relieved when he jabbed the gun into my back and said, "No, not
here.
Further up.
Along that track.
I need to be able to see."
My hands were still tied behind my
back, so Demetra fell back behind me and helped steady me as I climbed up the
steep and pebble-strewn path.
When
we finally reached the top,
we
were on a large outcropping of rock, with a view of the entire area for a least
a mile in each direction.
Still
carrying the gun in his right hand, Robert reached into his pocket with his
left and pulled out an extremely compact and