An Aegean Prophecy by Jeffrey Siger Read Free Book Online

down a bottle of
ouzo
, a small pitcher of water, a bowl of ice, and a plate overflowing with olives, sardines, cheese, sausage, cucumber, and tomato. ‘A bit of
meze
.’ Then he put down three glasses.
    Andreas looked at Kouros, smiled, and thought, looks like this time we won’t have to invite him to join us.
    Dimitri pulled up a chair and sat down facing Andreas. ‘So, how did your visit go with His Holiness?’
    ‘Your permit is on its way.’
    ‘Really?’ He sounded legitimately excited.
    Andreas shook his head. ‘No, sorry, the subject never came up. But if it does, I promise to push it.’
    Dimitri let out a breath. ‘The bastards.’ He poured himself some
ouzo
, added ice and water, and took a gulp. ‘I’ll never get it.’
    Andreas thought, if Dimitri really is a spy he’s terrific at maintaining his cover. ‘So, Dimitri, tell me what you know about any strangers hanging around the monastery recently.’
    Dimitri put down his glass. ‘You want to know about strangers on Patmos around Easter Week? You must be kidding me. It’s one of our busiest times of the year. We are surrounded by strangers.’
    ‘Come on, you know what I mean. You watch everybody.’
    ‘If you’re asking me if I’ve seen a great pair of tits I can answer the question, but other than a celebrity or two, there’s no one I would call out of the ordinary. Besides, if you’re looking for someone who came here for the purpose of eliminating Vassilis, don’t you think he - or they - would be careful to blend in? They’d be pros, wouldn’t they?’
    Andreas stared at him. ‘Whom do you work for?’
    Dimitri laughed. ‘
Touche
. As I think you asked me when we first met, “Am I that obvious?”’
    Andreas did not smile. ‘Yes.’
    Dimitri laughed again. ‘Well, I don’t anymore, but I did a long time ago.’
    ‘For whom?’
    ‘If it really matters I’m sure you can find out. I wasn’t any sort of James Bond type, with deeply classified records. I just did the low level sort of analyst work, even got a pension. And a lot of people here know my background. I don’t try to hide it. But I don’t talk about it either.’ Dimitri’s last words were said in a serious tone and without a smile.
    Andreas nodded. ‘Okay. But just so we both understand each other, if I find out you had anything to do with what happened to the monk, or are holding anything back,’ he leaned forward, ‘the abbot will seem like your best friend compared to the grief I’ll rain down on you.’
    Dimitri stared back. ‘Fair enough. But I’m not, so I’m not worried. Here, have an
ouzo
.’ He poured them each a drink. ‘
Yamas
.’
    ‘
Yamas
.’ The three touched glasses.
    ‘So, who did you work for?’ asked Andreas. No reason not to try again, especially with Dimitri drinking.
    ‘Like I said, not telling.’
    ‘If everyone knows and I can find out, why keep it a secret?’
    ‘It’s one thing for you to know, another for me to tell you.’
    ‘You’re one confusing son of a bitch.’
    ‘Thank you. My wife says the same thing.’ Dimitri laughed.
    Andreas shook his head. ‘Okay, then give me your best guess on what happened?’
    ‘My best is a wild-ass one.’
    ‘Go for it, you’re local, it’s probably better than ours.’
    ‘The Russians.’
    Andreas didn’t respond. He sensed Dimitri was waiting for a reaction to see where to go next. He’d wait him out.
    Dimitri picked up his glass and took another drink. ‘Some say the whole Mount Athos scandal was cooked up by the Russians to embarrass the Greek Church. Yeah, I know all about the Ecumenical Patriarch needing a new home thing. How could I not, living in the midst of all this?’ He took another drink. ‘I also know how upset Vassilis was over that mess. We’d talk sometimes.’
    Andreas bet they did.
    ‘He never said precisely what was bothering him but I could tell he thought things weren’t as they seemed. And, from what I know of the Russians, when “things