Maniai Case File 1: The Girl And The Blood Slide

Chapter 21

I allowed myself another hour or so of sleep at the hotel room. After the arrest and all that wandering around last night, I felt I deserved it.

Our stuff was thrown around the place, the cops had pulled what little we had and managed to littler the whole room. The hard plastic case was confiscated of course. I didn't even bother, I just picked up a clean shirt from the floor and went down to get a cup of coffee.

I seemed to be the sole visitor to the hotel. The owner, that nice middleaged lady who we met at the reception the day before, was brewing a hot Turkish coffee pot. I normally had cold frappe, but this one smelled splendid.

"Here you go young man," she said and didn't even bother to tactfully leave me to my loneliness. "How is that metal lady doin' huh?"

"It's not metal, it's..."

"You look like a nice young man, didn't expect to have the police storming the place for drugs after you..."

"There are no drugs!" I said that a tad too loudly, and then adjusted my voice. "They are medical supplies for rabies treatment. Vaccines."

"Uh-huh..." She looked me in the eye. Critically. It dawned on me that she was the one who had called the cops on us. Must have went to our room to clean and tidy up.

"Vaccines require needles, madam." I drank a long sip of the scalding hot coffee. There was a platter of cake, so I picked up the whole thing and began munching.

My arm actually hurt from the vaccine Zoe gave me, the reaction was making the flesh around it warm to the touch. I decided to be strategic. Gossip was gonna be the currency here.

"I tried to speak to my partner last night, but the night shift policeman was nowhere to be found," I said as if it was casual conversation.

Her attention was tangible. "Oh, really? Well, that young lad Stavros is a fine police officer, I'm sure it must have been something really important for him to be away from post."

"I heard they are trying hard to get pregnant," I said and sipped coffee.

Her expression shifted, it was as if she'd mentally moved me to the pile of people she likes. She came near me and sat at the next table. In the emptiness of the dining room it was as if she had sat rubbing elbows. Her coffee cup clinked. "Yes, they've been married for over a year now. They say they've been to the doctor's and everything..."

"Well, there are many treatments to try. I'm sure they haven't gone through them yet."

"Oh I hope so. Hope so..."

I turned around to face her. "Miss..."

"Soula."

"Miss Soula, I'm here to find out if there's a rabies outbreak. I'm not here to stir things up or accuse people about Emma's case. You have a lovely son, that goes to the same school Emma did. I've seen kids here play in the woods. Your son could have been in Emma's place, he still can be. The danger is real. Don't you want to protect the kids?"

There was a moment of silence, followed by a long sip.

"You should talk to that young lad Athanasiou, the science teacher. They've been best friends with young Lefteris since they were peeing their beds."

"Thank you Miss Soula," I said and kissed her on the cheek.

I stormed out the door.