‘I’m a teacher. I teach general and classical History at a secondary school, the same one as Edie’s.’
Marina cleared her throat. ‘Ah, so you know all our old myths? About the gods looking down on us humans from Mount Olympus, toying with us for their sport?’
Jessica’s eyes widened slightly, but she held Marina’s gaze.
‘Oh yes,’ she replied, deadpan. ‘I love the Greek gods. Powerful yet flawed. Full of anger, jealousy and lust andsomischievous. They were much more interesting than today’s gods, don’t you agree?’
* * *
After leaving the café, Edie looked about for Anthea but didn’t see her. She was probably at her next appointment by now. Before heading home, Edie decided to pop in to Marina’s studio to take a quick look at her paintings. Jessica, who’d already seen them, waited by the harbour wall.
Edie liked Marina’s work, which was strong, impressionistic and vibrant, focusing mainly on outdoor subjects – the sky, mountains, water, rocks, animal bones and trees.
‘They’re stunning,’ Edie said, flinching slightly when she noticed the price tag on one of the smaller canvases. ‘Sadly, I can’t afford to buy one. Maybe one day. You never know.’
Marina crossed her slim arms and smiled graciously.
‘There are not many people who can afford to go round buying original artwork. Unfortunately, those who can aren’t always the people you’d most want to have your work hanging on their wall.’ She shrugged. ‘But beggars can’t be choosers. And I’d rather have my paintings on display than stuck in a storeroom.’
‘Of course. May I take some photos?’
Edie proceeded to take a few shots before saying goodbye and going to rejoin Jessica. There was no sign of Hannah and Mac, so they agreed to send a text and walk on home ahead of them, grabbing some supplies from April’s on the way.
Meaty had gone now and April was jiggling a grizzling Nikos on one hip. She was somewhat distracted, so the women quickly chose a ready-cooked chicken, bread, salad ingredients, ripe peaches and some pastries before trudging back up the mountain with their bags.
They barely spoke en route. Edie was still cross with Jessica and afraid she’d say something rude, while Jessica seemed lost in thought.
Ralph was on a lounger by the pool when Edie went to find him. He was in the shade under a tree with a book in one hand and a glass of water by his side. He looked so comfortable and settled, she wondered if he’d moved at all since she’d been away.
‘Hey!’ he said, looking up from his book when he spotted her walking towards him. ‘How did it go?’
While Jessica was still in the kitchen, unloading the bags, Edie quickly filled him in on what had happened.
‘A busy morning, then,’ he said, glancing at the page of his still-open book. It was obvious he was itching to get back to it and couldn’t really be bothered with Anthea or Jean-Luc and Hannah.
In a way, Edie didn’t blame him. She half wished she hadn’t gone into Porto Liakáda with the others, then she’d be none the wiser about Hannah’s little flirtation and the awkward moment when Mac arrived. She’d enjoyed meeting Anthea, though.
She spent most of the afternoon by Ralph’s side, reading, swimming and dozing. It was just what she needed. Jessica and Hannah joined them for a bit, but they didn’t see anything of Mac.
At around 6p.m. Edie went upstairs for a shower, leaving Ralph to finish his novel. He was so engrossed, he couldn’t bring himself to put it down till he’d found out what happened in the end.
On the top stair, Edie stopped dead and her heart pitter-pattered. She could hear shouting coming from Mac and Hannah’s room. The door was closed but she clearly heard Mac say, ‘You’re a fucking cow, you hear me?’
Hannah’s voice was quieter so Edie couldn’t catch what she said, then Mac came back: ‘You’re vile, you know that?’
There was a noise, like a sob, and Hannah whisper-shouted something in reply.
Tiptoeing towards the door, Edie waited for a moment, wondering what to do. Then someone tapped her on the arm, making her start. She swung round to find Jessica right behind her. She’d obviously been listening, too.
Just then, there was another shout from Mac and the sound of something being thrown and landing with a crash.
Edie gasped. ‘Oh God! What should we do? D’you think Hannah’s all right?’
Jessica’s features seemed to fix into a tight mask of fury. She stepped forward and put her hand on the doorknob, ready to turn it, but before she could do so, the door flew open and Mac marched out.
‘She’s a fucking lunatic!’ he said, his face red and spit spurting from his mouth.
Edie and Jessica had no time to respond as he raced downstairs, two steps at a time. They heard a door slam and heavy footsteps on the gravel outside, disappearing into the distance.
