Sons of Sparta: A Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis Mystery by Jeffrey Siger Page A

profitable. But they already have their contacts. No, my bet is on the Russians, a big energy player with strong national interests in keeping the European energy markets wedded to them. They’re just hoping Greece doesn’t turn into another Cyprus. The financial catastrophe there threw a lot of light on its gas field discoveries, and drove a lot of serious players involved in exploiting Cyprus’ gas scrambling to lower national expectations. After all, if the gas fields are billed as the country’s economic salvation, that leaves a lot less cash to bury in Switzerland.”
    “Are you running for office?” said Andreas.
    “No, not crooked enough.”
    “Jesus, Tassos, what are you saying?”
    “I’m saying stay away from Crete. You’ll never be able to change what’s going on over there.”
    “How can I do that?”
    “Easy. Just don’t go. Get a prosecutor to subpoena records on the project from every company on Orestes’ list. Their lawyers will inundate you with enough paper to keep every lawyer in Greece busy for years. That’s how it would end up anyway, no matter what your investigation turned up. So, give it to a prosecutor and keep yourself out of the line of fire. If Orestes bitches, tell him you did precisely what he’d asked, gone after everyone on his list.”
    Andreas drew in and let out a breath. “There is another angle to take on this.”
    “Being?”
    “If you want to find the rotten apple in a barrel, follow the worm.”
    “I never heard that one before.”
    “Because I just made it up. But that worm Orestes inspired me. I’ll just keep an eye on him and see where it leads me.”
    “Yeah, it sure sounds like it isn’t personal.”
    “I don’t like being set up.”
    “Just be careful. Is Kouros working on this with you?”
    “He’s down in the Mani. His uncle died.”
    “That uncle?”
    “Yes, ‘that uncle.’”
    “I knew him.”
    “Why am I not surprised?”
    “Cute, wiseass. It just so happens that back in the late 1800s, when Syros was in its heyday as the shipping capital of Greece, a businessman from Syros with roots in the Mani and a merchant from the Mani teamed up to create a commercial center in the Deep Mani port of Gerolimenas. It thrived for generations. Those days are long gone but many families from both places still remain close.”
    “Yianni thinks his uncle’s death might not be the accident it seemed.”
    “That should lead to some fun times in the Mani.”
    “He’s worried about that, too.”
    “If he needs any help, just tell him to give me a holler.”
    “I’ll pass it along.”
    “Notice I didn’t offer to help you,” said Tassos.
    “The thought did cross my mind.”
    “It’s because Yianni’s problem is capable of having a solution. Yours is not.”
    “I guess that means I won’t be seeing you.”
    “Of course you will. Maggie spoke to Lila while waiting for me to get to this landline and call back. We’re all having dinner tonight.”
    “Why am I always the last to know?”
    “I see we’re back to questions for the oracle. See you tonight. Bye.”
    Andreas put down the phone. Tassos was right. He should forget about going after Orestes.
    “Maggie, get me the prosecutor on the phone.”
    Andreas drummed his fingers on the desktop. “And the personnel file on that cop Petro. I might just have a special assignment for him.”
    ***
    Kouros stood at the entrance of a one-story gray and brown stone taverna built along the road just above the beach at Marmari. Its heavy, dark brown wooden door bore the word “Entrance” in English. Uncle had come to this taverna every morning to meet his friends for coffee and he died on his way home from here. His children thought it only fitting that they host the traditional post-funeral meal of fish soup and fish in the place that had played such a large part in their father’s life.
    Kouros saw the taverna as something quite different. A crime scene. Here Uncle received a death threat delivered