A Deadly Twist by Jeffrey Siger (free novel reading sites .txt) 📕

big room next to the kitchen is for use in the winter,” said Lila.

Tassos nodded. “A lot of tavernas are like that. Summers, everyone wants to sit outside, winters it’s back inside.”

They ordered off the menu and from a wall-mounted chalkboard listing specials, each picking a dish for the table to share. As courses like mussels in wine, grilled figs with local cheese, deep-fried little fishes, and sardines stuffed with capers and cherry tomatoes drew praises of “best ever,” “fantastic,” and “amazing,” they expanded their order to mackerel and fava, shrimps in lemon, rabbit in tomato, oven-cooked chicken with potatoes, and a few repeats. All accompanied by the house’s homemade wine.

At the end of the meal, after the plates had been cleared and desserts refused amid myriad I-must-watch-my-waistline excuses, a man in his late thirties came to their table carrying a tray filled with fruits.

“These are from our garden. Compliments of the house.”

“Thank you,” said Andreas. “This had to be one of our best meals ever. Our compliments to the chef.”

The man nodded. “I thank you. Praise like that is what keeps me cooking.”

“You’re the chef?” said Lila.

“Yes and an owner.”

Lila smiled. “I agree; it was a wonderful meal.”

Chef nodded. “Thank you, keria.”

“May I ask you to sit with us for a moment?” said Andreas.

Chef looked around the room. “For a minute, I can.” He pulled up a chair and sat next to Andreas.

“Since we’re talking, I thought I should introduce myself so that tomorrow you don’t wonder why I hadn’t.”

“Tomorrow?”

Andreas extended his hand. “My name is Andreas Kaldis. I’m chief of GADA’s Special Crimes Unit. We’re part of that meeting taking place here tomorrow at three, but I want to assure you our reason for being here today has absolutely nothing to do with any of that. We’re here solely because of the food. We kept hearing this is the best taverna on the island, so after swimming at Alyko Beach, we decided to come here.”

Chef nodded thanks to everyone at the table. “Now, it’s my turn to compliment you on your choice of Alyko. It’s my favorite beach. Let’s hope it doesn’t change.”

“We all agree with that,” said Lila.

“I assume you saw what remains of the Junta’s abandoned hotel project?”

“Yes,” said Andreas.

“It’s a tragedy what we Greeks do with God’s gifts of natural beauty.”

“My thoughts exactly,” said Lila.

“Thankfully, the courts stopped it from going forward,” said Andreas.

Chef winced. “For now.”

“What do you mean?” said Andreas. “Didn’t the Supreme Court decide it was government land and couldn’t be built upon?”

“I’m sure you know better than I that nothing is certain these days. With our government desperate for money, there’s no telling what might happen if the right deep-pockets foreign investor decides to offer an extravagant sum in exchange for permission to build there.”

Maggie crossed herself. “I pray not.”

Andreas leaned forward. “Is there any talk of such a deal in the works?”

“Not that I know of, but those who’d like to make it happen aren’t likely to let me in on their plans.”

“The whole project would have to be demolished, from the ground up,” said Andreas. “Correction, make that from below ground up. Its concrete base is collapsing.”

Chef nodded. “Every once in a while a herder complains to me of a goat falling into one of those holes. They’re deep. Much deeper than you’d think necessary for a hotel project.”

“I wouldn’t know,” said Andreas, “but hotels put a lot of their support services underground.”

“Not sure how much of that they did back in the early 1970s,” said Chef, “but if you ask the locals, they’re convinced all that concrete covered open space was just that, a cover for smugglers digging for antiquities deep below the surface.”

Andreas glanced at Tassos. “Yes, I’ve heard those rumors. Do you think they’re true?”

He smiled. “You’re a police officer. If I started talking to you about the number of locals and others who have personal collections of artifacts found around that hotel site, you’d be duty-bound to send the minister of culture a memo, which, if I were lucky, would only get me disowned by my family and run off the island.”

Andreas patted Chef on the shoulder. “I understand, but don’t worry, there will be no such memo.”

A bearded younger man came to the table. “Excuse me, but they need you in the kitchen.”

Chef stood and Andreas quickly did the same.

“Thank you for a wonderful meal.”

“You’re welcome. See you tomorrow.”

“For sure.”

Andreas sat down and watched the man walk back to the kitchen. “What do you think, Tassos?”

“I think he’s telling the truth.”

“I meant about someone resurrecting the hotel project.”

“I agree with him. There’s no telling what might happen in this economy. But it would be interesting to know if anyone’s expressed an interest in reviving the project.”

“I’ll ask my father,” said Lila. “Perhaps he knows or knows someone who would.”

“Any excuse to call home to speak to the kids,” said a slightly tipsy Maggie.

Lila laughed. “No guilt feelings here. I’m sure they don’t even realize we’re gone.”

“Besides,” said Andreas, “it leaves my lovely wife more time to have me all to herself.”

Lila pulled her phone out of her bag and hit a speed dial button. “Be still my heart.”

“I see the wisecracks are back,” said Andreas.

“Just in time for the trip back home,” said Tassos.

“Lucky us.”

* * *

By the time Lila and Andreas finished checking in on the children and explained to Lila’s father what Andreas wanted to know about the hotel project, they were back on the road heading home, and the sky had taken on the distinct burnt-orange tones of another magnificent sunset.

“We should bring the kids here,” said Andreas.

“After spending this weekend with my parents, who no doubt will spoil them rotten, I think it’s safe to say we’ll have been knocked out of first place on their preferred holiday escorts list.”

“Grandparents have a knack for doing that,” said Andreas.

“Especially with your mother joining in on triple-teaming us,” said Lila.

“God bless them all,” said Maggie, crossing herself.

“I wonder how Yianni’s doing,” said