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

“Fine. But you’ll have to promise to do something for me in return.”

Maggie cocked her head. “Why do I sense what’s coming?”

Tassos leaned in and began kissing her on the neck.

“Because you never miss a thing.”

* * *

“Hello.”

“Yes?”

“Is this Detective Kouros?” The voice was deep but tentative.

“Yes, who’s this?”

“Popi’s husband.”

Yianni’s heart jumped. “Is she okay?”

“She’s out of her coma.”

“Thank God. My thoughts and prayers have been with you both.”

“Thank you.”

The line remained quiet for so long Yianni thought they might have been disconnected.

“I got your number from Dimitri and meant to call you before, but things just…well…I guess all I can say is I didn’t.”

“No problem. I’m glad that you called now with good news.”

More silence.

“How are you doing?” Mamas’s voice still sounded tentative.

“With any luck I’ll be out tomorrow and back to catching the bastards who put us in the hospital.”

“It’s why I called you.”

Yianni paused. “I don’t understand.”

“I think I can help you find them.”

Yianni swallowed. “I, uh, understand how upset you are. Believe me, I do, but this is a police matter, and I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to be involved in hunting them down. As much as I agree with your motives, and I don’t doubt you’d be a great help, tempers could flare and you might get yourself in some serious trouble.”

“I know.” He seemed struggling to restrain his voice. “When I thought Popi might not survive, I promised myself that if she passed away I’d hunt down and slaughter everyone responsible, one by one.”

Yianni had no doubt the man meant it.

“But when she woke up, I felt reborn. Like I had a new reason for living. I realized then that going after the ones who’d tried to kill her would only put her and our future in danger again. That’s when I decided to leave retribution to you.”

“A wise decision.” Yianni exhaled. “The police found the truck and car involved in attacking us.”

“The drivers were hired that morning to run a motorbike off a mountain road, but when you ended up in Popi’s pickup, their instructions must have changed.”

Yianni stared at the phone for a moment. “Wait. How do you know all this?”

“Yesterday, someone I know from Naxos visited me in the hospital. He said he had something he had to tell me in person.” Mamas paused. “I’m sure I don’t have to tell you, Detective, that there are some very nasty people out there, and the one who came to see me is among the worst. But we grew up together. Our families have known each other for generations.”

Yianni heard Mamas swallow.

“He’d been offered a huge fee to kill a cop on a motorbike. But it had to look like an accident and happen that day. He was told he’d find the cop at a hotel west of the airport and should follow him until he found the right place to run him off the road. He said he turned down the job. Even at that price, it wasn’t worth the risk of killing a cop.”

“I wonder what’s the going rate for two cops in a pickup?”

“He said he didn’t know for sure what happened after he turned down the offer, but he guessed someone involved in the plan saw you in a pickup and the plan changed.”

“Why would such a bad guy tell you all this?”

“Self-preservation. He knew if I somehow thought he’d had anything to do with what happened to Popi, he was a dead man. As soon as he heard about the crash, he knew he had to tell me. He did it in person because he knew I’d need to look him in the eye to believe him.”

“Do you believe him?”

“I believe he wouldn’t do anything to harm Popi.”

“What’s his name?”

“I promised I wouldn’t say.”

Yianni decided not to push the point. “Does he know who was involved?”

“He knows who tried to hire him.”

Yianni clenched a fist. “Who?”

“He’s a local, another of the nasty ones. His name is Spyros, but everyone knows him as Honeyman.”

“What’s a Honeyman?”

“It’s his nickname. He works a honey-selling routine on tourists out of the back of his old pickup truck. He’s quite a fast-talker, convincing tourists that the supermarket honey he’s selling them at three times the price comes from his own bees.”

“Happens everywhere,” said Yianni.

“But for him it’s just a cover for how he makes his real money. He drives all over the island selling his honey, picking up bits of information here and there, and selling it to whoever might be interested.”

“Sounds like a spotter for burglars.”

“More likely he’s one himself. Among other things…” Mamas’s voice sharpened, “But being involved in a murder plot is way beyond anything I’ve ever heard said about him before. Considering the risk, there must be some real money or pressure involved.”

“I take it you don’t see him as the top dog in this?”

“No way. He likes to hear himself talk, and he thinks he’s clever, but he’s a small-time grifter. He did it for somebody else.”

“Where can I find Honeyman?”

“Hard to say. He’s always on the move, likely up and out of his house before dawn and not back until after dusk. Dimitri should be able to find him. Come to think of it, your best chance at catching him might be at night when he’s home.”

“Where’s his house?”

“I couldn’t give you understandable directions, certainly not for finding it at night, but Dimitri will know how to get there.”

Yianni hesitated. “One question. What do you think the chances are that Honeyman knew the taverna we were headed to was Popi’s favorite?”

“He could have found that out from any number of people. Popi always talked it up as her favorite place on the island. How’s that important?”

“I’m trying to figure out how Honeyman knew when, and which way, we’d turn coming out of Siphones. Hard to imagine he’d leave something that important to chance.”

“I don’t think he did. One of his usual places for parking his pickup and setting up his honey