Dark Shadows of the Past

Chapter Fourteen

Dan glanced outside the window, anxious for the plane to land in Athens. Having to stay still for so many hours drove him crazy. He leaned back and closed his eyes for a few minutes, thinking of the madness of these last few days.

In a large-scale sweep, the police—in cooperation with the FBI—had been able to arrest several mobsters in Georgia, South Carolina, and Nevada. However, Antonio Rosseti, Adriano Reynolds, and, of course, Christina were nowhere to be found. So, they had come to the conclusion that they had probably fled to Greece where Antonio Rosetti had a mansion on the island of Kefalonia.

That was way out of their jurisdiction, so the Greek authorities had been notified and taken over the case. However, Dan wasn't about to sit around and wait in the States. Besides, he was no stranger to Greece.

Ever since he was a little boy, he'd been spending his summers in Greece, either on the island of Ithaca, where his stepmother was from, or in Kalamata—his paternal grandparents' birthplace. He had plenty of friends in Greece, and his best friend there, Alexis Psarianos, had recently been promoted to Commissioner at the General Police Directorate of Ionian Islands that had the Kefalonia Police Headquarters under its supervision.

Dan had called Alexis from the States, and his friend was thrilled to hear from him and more than willing to help him with this case. Alexis was surprised that a criminal like Antonio Rosetti was residing on Kefalonia, and the Greek authorities didn't have any information about him so far.

The sudden bump of the plane landing drew Dan from his thoughts.

Disembarking the plane, he glanced around at the Eleftherios Venizelos—the Athens International Airport named after the prominent Cretan politician and Prime Minster of Greece who'd made an outstanding contribution to the developments of Greek aviation and the Air Force in the 1930s. Dan had been to this airport once before since it had replaced the previous one in 2001. He remembered how impressed he was with the huge, modern, and efficient facilities of this award-winning airport. But now, he had no time to waste.

Walking through customs, he found a police officer waiting to escort him to the connecting flight to Corfu, where the General Police Directorate of Ionian Islands had its offices.

***

After enduring almost nine hours of flying from the States to Athens and another hour to Corfu, Dan was ready for some action. However, glancing out the window, his breath caught in his throat at the beauty stretching out beneath him as the plane approached the airstrip.

He let his eyes wander over the panoramic view as he listened to the guide of a tourist group flying on the same plane explain about the amazing sights beneath them. She talked about the Pontikonisi—meaning the mouse island in Greek—a breathtaking isle that housed the Byzantine church of Pantokrator built in the eleventh or twelfth century. Right next to it was the Vlaherna islet—a picturesque convent on a small isle, dedicated to Virgin Mary. And then they flew over Kanoni—once the capital and heart of the island, rich in nature, history, and culture. She explained that it derived its name from the canons that were protecting the city at the entrance to the lagoon.

Until the plane landed, Dan momentarily forgot his worries.

***

The door to Christina's room swung open, and Giovanni appeared at the door. "Hurry up," he said, and Christina stared at him agitated. "We have to get out of here, right now," he added and seemed restless.

"And go where?" she inquired.

"Come on. I don't have time to explain."

Christina followed him to the corridor and down the steps. Another man was waiting for them downstairs, and all three of them walked through the glass doors leading to the veranda in the back of the house. They rushed around the pool and took a small, bumpy trail going downhill. It was steep and slippery, and Christina had a rough time keeping up with their fast pace.