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They piled into the Jeep and Leo drove them at speed to Perissa. It didn’t take them long to locate the hotel, and Leo found a parking space a few metres away from the largest ornamental fountain Suzie had ever seen, featuring a white marble unicorn as its centrepiece, the water spouting incongruously from its pointed horn. The pool around it, shaped like a scallop shell, was almost big enough to swim in.
‘So, what’s the plan?’ asked Katerina, as they jumped from the Jeep.
Now they were there, Suzie regretted their haste. Why hadn’t they waited until Nathan came back to the taverna? They could hardly go storming into the hotel lobby, demanding to have an audience with their bartender, like a scene from an action-adventure movie and as far out of her comfort zone as it was possible to get. But when she looked at her fellow “action heroes”, she saw that she was the only one having second thoughts. In fact, Heidi was already marching towards the smiling receptionist in the cream tunic dress with navy-blue edging.
‘Kalispera. Welcome to the Atlantis Hotel. How may I help you?’
‘Kalispera. Can you point us in the direction of the bar, please?’
‘Of course, madam, it’s just over there to your left, through the glass doors.’
‘Efharistó. Oh, and is Nathan working tonight?’
‘I’m sorry, who?’
‘Nathan Ellis, youraward-winningmixologist.’
‘I’m sorry, no one of that name works here.’
Heidi gaped at the receptionist. ‘Are you sure?’
‘Yes, I’m sure, but I can assure you that Nikos is an excellent bartender. He trained at a world-renowned hotel in Singapore, and I’m confident that he’ll be able to prepare your favourite cocktail, if you’d just like to…’
But Heidi had already spun on her heels and was marching back to where Suzie, Christos, Katerina, and Leo had been listening to the exchange with mounting incredulity.
‘Okay, so he lied to us about being a mixologist, which explains why he was so vague when I asked him for tips for my literary cocktail night at the book shop, and he lied about working at this hotel, too. In my opinion, the only reason he would do that is because he has something to hide, which means that it’s more likely your suspicions about the mirror incident are true, and that makes me wonder what else he’s responsible for.’
Suzie linked her arm through Heidi’s and guided her from the hotel’s lobby to the enormous fountain where they all perched on the surrounding wall. The rhythmic splash of the water was a soothing balm to her raised anxiety levels and she exchanged a glance with Christos, who nodded his agreement, She inhaled a breath before speaking.
‘There’s something else.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘We think Nathan also had something to do with your skincare products.’
‘What? No—’
‘And… I think he might also beHolsHacker.’ It was a theory that had occurred to her on the ride over and given that they now knew Nathan had been lying about where he worked, it seemed even more probable.
After a few moments of silence while Heidi digested what Suzie had said, she jumped up from the fountain’s wall and turned towards them, seemingly unaware that she was standing in the middle of the road. When she spoke, her voice was filled with anger, her Welsh accent no longer soft and lilting, but strident and firm.
‘Then we need to find him. I’ve got some questions I want to ask him!’
Suzie heard the loud rev of an engine and as she looked over Heidi’s shoulder she saw a black sports car racing towards the hotel, its speed only slowing when the driver realised there was someone standing in his path. Fortunately, he managed to swerve to avoid a collision, which enabled both Suzie and Heidi to see who was behind the wheel.
‘That’s him! That’s Nathan!’ Suzie cried.
Clearly shocked to encounter Heidi and her friends outside the Atlantis Hotel, Nathan spun round the fountain like it was a miniature roundabout, a manoeuvre that forced Leo to lean sharply to his left to avoid being hit, causing him to lose his balance. Instinctively, Leo reached out to grasp hold of the nearest person for support, and inadvertently sent Katerina tumbling backwards into the fountain, arms flung wide, legs akimbo, while Leo managed to just save himself from a certain dunking.
‘Argh!’
After a few long seconds, during which she struggled to get her footing, Katerina emerged from the water like a glamorous water nymph. She was soaked through, her hair falling in wet ringlets around her face, her skin glistening under the neon lights of the hotel’s portico as she stared disbelievingly at Leo. With his lips twitching in amusement, he offered Katerina his hand to help her from the pond, but she ignored his peace gesture and continued to glare at him.
‘It’s not funny, Leo!’
‘Sorry,’ he said, clearly no sorry at all. ‘Are you okay?’
‘I’m soaked to the skin. What do you think?’
