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‘I’m… I’m not sure.’
‘Would he have leapfrogged over the counter, wrestled three armed gunmen to the ground, and made a citizen’s arrest?’
An image of François floated across Suzie’s mind’s eye; petite, slender, frightened of spoiling his manicure whenever it was his turn to use the espresso machine. There was no way he would have done something as stupid, or athletic, as Nathan had suggested. In fact, when she and Carmen had talked about the what ifs – which they had done almost ad infinitum – they had both agreed that François would probably have fainted from shock when the men pulled out their guns.
‘Of course he wouldn’t.’
‘Then how could his absence have had any impact on the outcome? Robberies happen all the time at places that sell expensive luxury items, especially cars, antiques, paintings,and jewellery. It was unfortunate that François wasn’t there, but it was probably a coincidence, not thecatalystfor what happened.’
‘Does that mean you’ll make some enquiries for Suzie?’ asked Heidi, her green eyes holding Nathan’s gaze, making it clear that she expected him to do so.
‘You know, now I come to think about it, I do actually remember reading about the case at the time, but as you’ve pointed out, Suzie, the reporting was skewed to make it look like it was some kind of inside job, which, sadly, always fascinates people. Have the police been keeping you updated with how their investigation is going?’
‘Until now, Mum and Amber have been dealing with that side of things for me, but…’ Suzie paused to cast a glance at Christos. ‘I’m happy to give them a call to find out what the current situation is.’
‘Great. I’d also like to speak to Carmen and François, if that’s possible.’
‘Neither of them lives in the UK now, but I do have their contact details.’
‘And what about…’ Nathan hesitated, and Suzie could almost see the cogs in his brain whirling as he revisited the sequence of enquiries that he was in the habit of making when he was working in TV news journalism, but there was also a soupcon of reticence there. ‘What about your ex-fiancé, Adam? You said you’d mentioned François’ absence to him? Could he have told anyone?’
‘I don’t think so. Why would he do that? He’s an associate at an accountancy practice, and he’s well-versed in the importance of maintaining confidentiality in the business world. Anyway, like I said, as soon as the rumours started that one of the staff might have been involved in the robbery, he cut me from his life and I’ve not been able to speak to him since, not that I would want to, now.’
‘Okay,’ said Nathan, finishing the last dribble of his beer. ‘Well, you’ve certainly fired up my investigative instincts, and I have to say, it feels good, really good. Thank you, Suzie. I realise how hard it was for you to talk about what happened, and I promise to be discreet while I do some digging. I wouldn’t want to inadvertently stir up any renewed interest in the case, especially if the criminal investigation side of things is still ongoing.’
‘And you must promise not to publish anything – anything at all – without Suzie’s express permission,’ said Christos, his tone brooking no refusal. ‘It’s important that she has the final say on what you’re going to print about her and her friends.’
‘I give you my word.’
‘We’d rather have it in writing,’ Christos said, firmly.
‘Sure. I don’t have a problem with that.’
‘Right answer,’ said Heidi, her expression softening a touch.
Nathan grinned as he met her gaze. ‘Would you allow me to take you to dinner before I leave as an apology for my misdeeds?’
Suzie admired his courage. She would never have had the nerve to issue an invitation to dinner after admitting what Nathan had. She looked across at her friend, her face a picture of astonishment, and to her surprise, she saw her frown melt into a smile.
‘I know the perfect place.’
Nathan’s eyes lit up. ‘Where?’
‘The Alexandros Winery. The food there is the best on the island.’
‘It’s also the most expensive,’ murmured Christos.
Suzie glanced over her shoulder to where the waiters – and the chef – of the little roadside taverna were leaning against the bar, enjoying a glass of ouzo, clearly waiting for them to call it a night so they could go home to catch a few hours’ sleep before they returned for the breakfast rush.
As Suzie strolled back to where they’d left Leo’s Jeep, with Christos’ arm slung protectively over her shoulder, she had no doubt whatsoever that she had made the right decision to trust Nathan. She smiled; if someone had said to her an hour ago that she should share her deepest darkest secrets withhim, she would have told them they were delusional. And yet, that was exactly what she had done, and the result had left her feeling optimistic.
Life could spin on a penny.
One minute everything was rosy, the next, everything you had taken for granted was gone.
But the opposite was also true.
Life could be miserable, frightening, unbearable even, and then something happens – or someone special comes along – and there’s a beacon of light shining in the distance, beckoning the weary traveller towards a new, more joyous tomorrow.
