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Chapter Twenty-two
Sophia hadn’t taken time to change and was still wearing the dressy summer outfit of light blue pants and flowing top she’d chosen for her visit with Hamilton. Not willing to let Sam badger her any longer, she’d grabbed her small over-the-shoulder purse that held her gear, including a small revolver she always carried and headed the bike toward the old town.
She had no regrets using Sam’s transportation again. He shouldn’t leave the key in the ignition if he didn’t want it taken. Her own Harley was stored in the garage, and she hadn’t had the time to bring it out and clean it up. It was one of her chores she’d decided on doing later that day. For now, this monster would work just fine.
Easing her way into the market area, she took the most convenient route to where her friend Yanis worked at his fish spa near the main plaza. Not wanting to take the bike through the narrower lanes where his business was located, she parked near the quay and entered the Eleftherias gate, then wandered the streets to find her destination.
There were hordes of people milling around, everyone shopping for just that perfect souvenir. As she neared her objective – a small place nestled in between a shop that sold wonderful Greek linens on one side, and a jewelry store on the other – she saw Yanis sitting in the sunshine, visiting with some of the tourists.
Most were eager for information and leery about actually putting any part of their body in the fish tanks. It made Sophia happy that no one was taking advantage of the spa. That meant she wouldn’t have to share her friend.
As she approached the middle-aged man in the blue shirt and white shorts, he rose and walked toward her, a smile lighting his handsome face, his hands reaching. “Sophia, ómorfo korítsi. Darling girl. You look beautiful as always.” He hugged her, kissed both her cheeks, and then stepped back while he held her hands out and forced her to stand still under his inspection.
“You’re glowing. It’s a man. You’re attracted but unwilling to admit it. Who is he?”
“Yanis, stop your gypsy-like sorcery and quit teasing. I can see how much fun you’re having.” His deep blue eyes were twinkling with merriment, and she loved the ambiance he always revealed when she was with him. She gave a yank to his long white ponytail teasingly and added, “I’m here to say hello and catch up with the local news.”
“And to get a treatment.”
“Of course. I’ll feed the little piranhas in your tanks, and like when I was a little girl, it will bring other customers.”
“You were my best draw for the leery tourists. Once they saw a small girl giggling from the tickles, it made them less worried.”
“Those were such fun days, Yanis. Mom and Yaya would go off for lunch, and I’d beg them to leave me with you.”
“I begged them too.” He laughed with her and waited for her to settle on the high bench above the large fish tanks full of tiny Garra rufa. As she started to show first the heel of her foot for the doctor fish to begin their work, he took the other foot in his hand, and using a special pumice he’d had soaking in disinfectant, he began scrubbing at the bottoms.
His searching Mediterranean blue eyes studied her closely, and he became serious. “What’s wrong my darling? Tell Yanis.”
“I went to see Hamilton, and a new secretary, not the same man he’s had with him for years, told me that he’d passed.”
Anger colored Yanis’s face, and he stopped his chore to glare at her. “It’s a terrible shame. The papers said he died from overindulgence. He drove off the—”
Interrupting him, Sophia exclaimed. “I know, but that’s not possible. I’ve never known Hamilton to drink more than a few sips of wine. No way he’d be too drunk to drive.”
“My exact thoughts. I went to the funeral, and his daughters were too distraught to make much sense. It happened so suddenly no one had been prepared. When they finally questioned the verdict, the new mayor said his blood-alcohol level read over the limit. To protect the old man’s name, his office told the papers he’d had a heart attack.”
“Did you talk to the emergency room doctor, the one who looked after him when they brought him in?”
“Sophia, they took him straight to the morgue.” Yanis patted her leg comfortingly and added, “He wouldn’t have wanted anyone to see him all broken. He cared about his family too much.”
“Do you believe he killed himself because he was drunk?”
“Not for a moment. I went to the police, and the new Commander, a man I never met before, tried to appear like he cared about my suspicions. But I know better. It didn’t concern him at all. I took a dislike to that man.”
Using the Greek name for the city, she spoke. “Something disturbing is happening in Rodos, Yanis.” She let the tiny sensations from the fish sooth as she explained what occurred the night before. She told him about Stasia and how they’d met. When she’d finished, his expression darkened, and he made a statement with a firmness she didn’t question. She’d never doubted his strange powers, and this prediction gave her chills.
“My lovely, you must be careful not to awaken the beast. His cruelty knows no bounds. The new mayor and his associates will do anything to protect that which he’s built. It’s about the money, Sophia, mia. It’s about the vast amounts of money.”
“Isn’t it always? Some people will do anything for wealth and power. I need to find a way to help Stasia and her friends.”
“If you give me a few days, I will gather together some of the older citizens on council, and we will find a way to overcome this problem.”
“Don’t let the new mayor find out what you’re up to. Stasia swears he’s one of their best customers.”
“Disgusting pig.”
“Funny you should say that. It’s exactly what she calls him.”
“I know.”
