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

Andreas only made it to breakfast. Nikoletta’s story had galvanized public opinion into demanding the prosecution of the publisher and his family for their crimes. State prosecutors, feeling the intense heat from this red-hot-potato of a case, ducked responsibility for deciding whether sufficient evidence existed to prosecute by kicking the decision back to Andreas and his unit.

Until now, the publisher’s link to the murders had not been disclosed to the public. Nikoletta’s story focused exclusively on the family’s involvement in the illicit antiquities trade. Andreas had no doubt that, once the murders were added to the mix, an already bloody war would turn nuclear, unleashing fevered worldwide media attention upon this modern-day Greek family tragedy and triggering an unimaginable cornered-rat syndrome in the unhinged publisher.

Whether any of that happened would come down to the decision Andreas had to make by the next morning.

Once his family left for church, Andreas retreated to his wife’s study to review the evidence, organize his thoughts, and formulate his recommendation.

Thirty minutes later, the building’s intercom buzzed. It was a call from the doorman.

“Mr. Kaldis, you have a visitor.” He said the name.

Andreas blinked. “Is he alone?”

“Yes. He’d like to see you.”

Andreas hesitated. “Okay, send him up.”

He put down the phone, left his wife’s office, shut the door behind him, and went into their bedroom. Inside his nightstand’s bottom drawer, he opened a small gun safe, removed a nine millimeter, racked the slide, and stuck it in the back of his jeans beneath his untucked shirt.

The doorbell rang as he walked through the rooms leading to the entrance foyer, wondering what the hell this guy was doing here.

A man in his fifties, wearing an expensive blue suit, white shirt, and red tie, stood outside the apartment’s front door. About Andreas’s height and build, but decidedly pudgy, with a ruddy complexion and dyed jet-black hair, he reminded Andreas of a Greek version of a former Italian prime minister.

“Thank you for seeing me unannounced, Chief Inspector. May I come in?”

Andreas stepped back from the doorway and gestured for the publisher to enter. “But of course, sir.”

He led the man to a sitting room offering a view of the Parthenon. “May I offer you a glass of water? The housekeeper and nanny are off to church, so I’m afraid I can’t offer you much more than that.”

“No need. I’m fine.” Without asking, he sat in the most prominent chair. “You should exercise better control over your staff. No reason why you should be inconvenienced on their behalf.”

Andreas forced a smile. “I’ll keep that in mind.” He dropped onto the sofa across from his visitor. “So, to what do I owe the honor of this visit?”

The man snorted. “No reason to play coy with me, Kaldis. We both know why I’m here.”

Andreas raised and dropped his hands. “Sorry, but I can’t say that I do.”

The publisher leaned in toward Andreas. “It’s about that recommendation you’re due to submit tomorrow morning.”

Andreas showed no reaction.

“And don’t bother to ask how I know about it. I know everything.”

“You must have friends in high places,” said Andreas.

“The highest.”

“And the lowest too, I suspect.”

“They all have their usefulness.”

Andreas wondered how often the man dyed his hair.

“I’m here to ask you what you plan to recommend.”

Andreas nodded. “I admire your frankness.”

“There’s no reason to waste time.”

“I agree.”

“Well?”

“I haven’t made up my mind yet.”

The publisher first glared, then softened his look. “That’s actually good news. It means perhaps I can convince you to make the right decision.”

“I assume I know what you think that would be.”

“May I continue to be frank?”

Andreas nodded. “Please.”

“One thing you should know, if you don’t already, is that in Greece I am all powerful. I know where every body is buried, where every scandal lies hidden, and where every prominent person has a pressure point. That means I can weather this round of unfounded accusations manufactured by my enemies and government peasants. And when all this is forgotten—and believe me, it all shall pass—I shall systematically destroy anyone who dared assault my family. Starting with that, that…” he stammered as if running possible adjectives through his mind, “slut Nikoletta Elia.”

Andreas yawned.

“Am I boring you?”

“Not at all. Please, go on.”

“I don’t think you’re taking me seriously.”

“Oh, believe me when I say that I do. I was just up early with my children.”

The publisher glowered at Andreas. “Children are important. I value mine. I’ll do anything to protect them.”

“I already got that point, sir, so how about getting back to the speaking frankly part?”

The publisher squeezed the arms of the chair, his face approaching beet-red. “If you make the wrong recommendation, I will destroy you and all you hold dear.”

“That certainly is frank.” Andreas leaned forward. “But what precisely do you think would be the wrong recommendation?”

“You have no proof supporting any charges implicating me or my family in any deaths.” He smiled. “All potential witnesses to the contrary have sadly passed away.”

Andreas smiled back. “If that’s what you think, then why are you here?”

“I don’t leave anything to chance. That’s why.”

“You mean you’re willing to sit across from one of those government peasants, begging him for mercy.”

The publisher yanked himself up to his feet. “I do not beg. I demand. And if you don’t do as I say, I will destroy you and your family. And that includes your crooked-cop friend Tassos, who dealt in the same antiquities trading as you accuse my family. And that’s just for starters.”

Andreas struggled to keep his cool. He’d baited the publisher into revealing what he had in mind to do, and now that he’d heard, there was no reason to allow himself to be baited by his answers.

“Frankly, sir, you’re wasting your time. Tassos has no fear of anything you might publish. I’d say you’ve got an empty quiver.”

Spittle flew from the man’s mouth as he responded. “And you’ve got a family to protect. Remember that accidents can happen to anyone, anywhere, anytime.” He stabbed a finger at Andreas. “If you know what’s good for you,