“And if she isn’t?”
“She’ll let you know.”
Sam knew he was right. It was bad enough Remi had seen a man killed on the Kyrils’ island. Here, with the helicopter crash, there were four deaths, Sam directly responsible for each of them.
And no cover of darkness to hide the fact.
Finally, he turned his attention to the downed helicopter, looking through the shattered windshield into the crushed fuselage, seeing the dead pilot, the other gunman, and the woman beside him, their bodies crumpled on the floor of the cabin.
Nikos shaded his eyes, peering in. “Minerva Kyril,” he said.
“You’re sure?”
“Positive.”
“I guess that answers the question about who was behind all of this.” Sam pulled out his phone and took a few photographs, intending to forward everything to Rube once they were back on Fourni with cell phone service. When he finished, he and Nikos walked over to where Dimitris and Remi sat.
Remi was staring at what was left of the cave entrance, now covered by the fallen rocks. She stood, walking over to it. “It would have been nice to actually see if that broken amphora really was part of Poseidon’s Trident.”
“We could,” Dimitris said. “By going in through the same way we got out.”
“Right now,” she said, “all I’m looking forward to is getting back to Fourni.”
CHAPTER SEVENTY-ONE
The first person Sam called once they were back on Fourni was Rube. “Minerva Kyril’s dead.”
“What? How?”
“I may be indirectly responsible. Directly if you count that I was the one who shot at the helicopter she was riding in.”
“Holy—” Rube drew in a deep breath. “Is everyone okay? Where are you?”
“We’re fine, in Fourni, and Nikos is with the police chief now.” Sam gave him a quick version of what happened.
“How’s Remi taking this?”
“Shaken at first,” he said, glancing at Remi and Dimitris. The two sat silhouetted in the dark about twenty yards away on the low wall at the entrance of the port parking lot, both looking out over the water. “I’d say she’s doing better.”
“Good to hear. Let me get with Interpol and see what the next step is.”
Apparently, the next step was sending a parade of Interpol agents and Hellenic police investigators to the island of Fourni to take statements, and crime scene technicians to the islet to gather evidence and retrieve the bodies. The process was exhausting for all. Sam, being the shooter, was questioned last. Sergeant Petros Kompouras, the Interpol agent whom Sam had spoken to about the explosives and Kyril’s olive oil facility, had borrowed the Fourni police chief’s office. “Good to finally meet you in person,” he said, shaking Sam’s hand.
“Likewise.”
“Just to let you know where we’re coming from, Adrian Kyril has decided not to plead guilty to the kidnapping and assault charges. Apparently, he changed his mind once news of his mother’s death reached him. I’m afraid that means you and Miss Longstreet will probably end up having to return for the trial.”
“What about in between now and then?”
“More than likely, as soon as we finish here, she can go home. I expect no more than a couple of days or so. You, on the other hand . . .” He shrugged. “I’m afraid it’s going to be a bit longer. I hope no more than a week or two for us to wrap up all the loose ends. Four deaths here, one on the Kyrils’ island, and if I’m not mistaken, a vehicle accident on Samos.” He gave Sam a grim smile.
“It is what it is,” Sam said. “I’m willing to do whatever it takes to assist you in your investigation.”
“Very good. Let’s get started.”
It took about three hours for them to finish up their interview, Sam relating what happened, Sergeant Kompouras stopping him every now and then to clarify details or refer to the diagram Sam had drawn of the islet and their positions as the helicopter assault took place. Finally, Kompouras looked at his watch, almost midnight. “It’s been a long day. As I mentioned to the others, I would like to finish up the interview with the four of you tomorrow on Megalos Anthropofas. I can’t imagine that will take very long, but I would like to see this cave. I wasn’t there very long before coming over here. The evidence techs were just cordoning off the site and removing the bodies. They hadn’t been able to locate the cave opening.”
“Understandable. It wasn’t easy to find even before it was blocked.”