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

car at the house. Tassos and I will use that one and leave the SUV for the rest of you.”

“Hey, what about me?” said an irritated Yianni.

“You’ve done enough for your first day out of the hospital. Rest up, because tomorrow could be D-day for us all.”

“Where are you two planning on going?” said Maggie. “Tassos isn’t exactly up to storming beachheads.”

“Don’t know yet, but the logical place to start looking for the missing notebook is back at Nikoletta’s hotel.”

“A sixth notebook,” said Yianni. “I can’t believe it.”

“Believe it, Detective.” Toni leaned across the middle seat and patted him on the head. “Whether or not you apologize.”

* * *

The battered blue-and-white police cruiser had seen better days, but Andreas was happy to have it. The dents and scrapes gave it the sort of character that made other drivers hang back out of fear that they might be its next victim.

“So, what do you think happened to the sixth notebook?”

Tassos looked out the passenger side window. “The obvious answer is someone took it from her hotel room.”

“Before or after she disappeared?”

“Could be either, though if after, the night security guy is the chief suspect.”

“Dimitri’s asking the hotel owner to bring him in early so we can question him.”

“What if no one took it?”

Andreas slowed down to allow a half dozen hobbled goats to cross the road. “Then Nikoletta must have done something with it.”

“Like what?”

“Hidden it, lost it, given it away, taken it with her, or destroyed it. If we find it, or find her, we might find out.”

“I wonder what’s in it?”

“Don’t we all.”

Ten minutes later, Andreas pulled up in front of Nikoletta’s hotel. “Time to see where this new twist takes us.”

“Speaking of twists, I already feel like a pretzel. This damned seat doesn’t go back.”

Andreas looked back and laughed. “It will if you move the case of water from behind it.”

“Son of a bitch,” said Tassos, wedging his way out of the seat.

“I’m sure Dimitri put it there because he thought we might need the water.”

Tassos opened the rear door and lifted the case onto the back seat. “Well, it’s enough to last us for a week. I hope he doesn’t think we’ll be driving this piece of crap for that long.”

“Chief Inspector Kaldis?”

Andreas turned to see a tall, slim man standing outside the hotel entrance. “Yes?”

“I’m the owner of the hotel. Welcome.”

The three men shook hands.

“We’d like to speak to your night man, Anargyros.”

“I tried to get him to come in earlier, but he can’t make it before eleven.”

“Damn,” said Andreas.

“Perhaps there’s something I can help you with? Come, let’s go into my office.”

As they walked by reception, a dark-haired, perky young Greek woman smiled. “Hi.”

Tassos and Andreas smiled back.

Once inside his office and seated around his desk, the owner said, “So, what can I do to help you?”

“How long have you known Anargyros?”

“Many years.”

“Do you trust him?”

“If I didn’t, he wouldn’t be working here.”

“I understand he has a drug problem.”

“Had. He’s worked hard at beating it.”

“Does he have access to your guest rooms?” said Tassos.

“He knows where the keys are, so I guess the answer is yes.”

“Who else has access to those keys?” said Andreas.

“Theoretically anyone.”

“How’s that?” said Tassos.

“When guests go out of the hotel they’re required to leave their keys with us, and we place them on top of the reception desk for them to pick up on their return.”

Andreas leaned forward. “So, after she left the hotel at four that morning, anyone could have picked up her key and gotten into her room, assuming they got past Anargyros?”

“As a matter of fact, not that night. When Nikoletta ran out, she took her key with her. We had to have a new one made.”

Andreas slouched back in his chair. “Damn.”

“What are you looking for? If you told me, perhaps I could be of better assistance.”

“We think someone took something from her room.”

“What sort of thing?”

“A notebook,” said Tassos.

“Let’s speak to my receptionist. If anyone on the hotel staff knew what happened to it, she would.” He picked up his phone. “Marine, could you please come in for a moment.”

Five seconds later the perky woman stepped into the room. “Yes, sir?”

“These gentlemen are with the police, and they are looking for a notebook that belonged to Nikoletta Elia.”

“What sort of notebook?”

“The size we used in school,” said Tassos.

“Way back in the days before computers,” smiled Andreas.

“About this size?” said Marine, making a shape with her hands.

“Yes.”

“No, I never saw a notebook.”

Andreas exhaled. “Well, thanks anyway.”

“But she did ask me to send off a package for her of about that size.”

Andreas and Tassos sat up in their chairs.

“When?” asked Andreas.

“A day or two before she disappeared.”

“She disappeared early Thursday morning,” said Andreas.

Marine thought for a moment. “She gave me the package on Tuesday afternoon. Said it had to get to Athens right away.”

“And you mailed it?” said Tassos.

“No, she wanted it sent by air courier that evening, no matter what the cost.”

“Where did she send it?”

“I’ll have to check my calendar. That’s where I keep a record of such things.”

The owner motioned for her to get it.

“You run a tight ship,” said Andreas.

“We try.”

Marine returned with a large calendar. “Let’s see. Last Tuesday. Oh, here it is.”

She put the calendar down on the desk between the two policemen and pointed with her finger to an entry. “That’s the name and address.”

Tassos read the name out loud. “Giorgos Pappas.”

Andreas’s jaw tightened. “Nikoletta’s editor.”

Chapter Fifteen

“Pappas? It’s Kaldis here.”

“Have you found Nikoletta?”

“Not yet.”

“Then why are you calling me? I don’t need stroking.”

“What you need is a hard kick in the ass, but I’d rather deliver that to you in person.”

“What—

“Just shut up and listen. In your moments of deep concern over the fate of your reporter, did you happen to forget to tell me a few things?”

“What things?”

“Let me be clear about this, Giorgos. From the way you’re reacting, you might want to consider hiring a lawyer before getting yourself into deeper trouble than you’re already in.”

“Is that a