Chapter 7
7
It was a huge relief to turn her back and plunge into the crystal-clear, greenish-blue sea. On reaching the surface again, she trod water for a few minutes while she adjusted her mask and snorkel.
Aware that Jon was watching her, she didn’t look behind once. She could feel his presence casting a big, black shadow and couldn’t wait to put some distance between them.
The water seemed to have warmed up and didn’t take much getting used to. She swam fast for a while then stopped and floated on her stomach, gazing down at the seabed.
At first, all she could see was sand, rocks, spiky urchins and seaweed, but then a small, olive-green turtle cruised slowly past, using its front flippers like paddles to propel itself along.
It was alone and appeared to know exactly where it was going. It didn’t seem remotely bothered by her presence until she had to kick her legs quite hard to stay afloat. Immediately, it shot off towards the rocks, leaving her marvelling at how fast it could shift when it wanted to.
Now that she was far enough away from Jon, it seemed unlikely he’d catch her up any time soon, so she headed back towards the shoreline where she hoped to spot more sea life.
A shoal of graceful, red and green striped fish passed by and she paused to admire them, holding her breath and diving below the surface to get a better look.
The silence helped her mind and body relax. When she surfaced again, all she could hear was the steady, high-pitched sound of air flowing through her snorkel, which was curiously comforting.
A little later, her eye was caught by a strange, brownish lump on one of the rocks below her feet.
Its surface appeared slightly different from the rest of the boulder – smoother and shinier. Intrigued, she watched for a while and was amazed when long, sinewy tentacles appeared from underneath the lump and it began to move.
An octopus! She smiled in wonder at its clever, stealthy crawling motion. She fancied the creature was grinning to itself, believing it had played a smart trick and hadn’t been spotted.
Not wishing to frighten it, she tried to stay completely still. Something must have startled it, however, because all of a sudden, it made a jet-propelled leap off the rock and scooted to a nearby boulder, trailing its tentacles behind. Once there, it drew them in and anchored itself to the surface with suckers, making itself blend in again and become quite inconspicuous.
Stella gurgled with laughter. She’d never observed an octopus up close like this and hadn’t realised the creatures were such brilliant masters of disguise.
A little further on she saw a pale, delicate seahorse, hiding in a clump of swaying reeds. There were also brightly coloured corals, eels, scuttling crabs and spectacular round, yellowish-brown jellyfish, which looked like bouquets of flowers from the side.
Mesmerised, she circled round some of the rocks several times before holding her breath to dive down again and peek in a small, underwater cave.
She was so absorbed, she totally forgot about the others, until it occurred to her she’d been out here so long, Jon must surely have overtaken her and reached the shore by now.
The mere thought of him gave her a sick feeling in her stomach. She was convinced, as she’d told him, that his ‘love’ for her was nothing more than a confused manifestation of grief and loneliness.
The point, though, was he believed it was real. She could only pray her comments about Al had done the trick and destroyed any false hope he’d been harbouring.
Leaving the rocky area behind, she struck out now into deeper water, thinking all the while about what had happened. She realised Jon’s harsh words about Al had made her angry, even though he’d really only repeated some of the things she’d said to him.
What’s more, she’d had to stop herself leaping to Al’s defence. What was that about? She prayed it had nothing to do with her inkling that he might be seeing someone else. God forbid she should turn into one of those nasty, jealous creatures who didn’t want their ex, but didn’t want anyone else to have him either.
As she came closer to the beach, she could see it had filled up quite a bit in the time she’d been gone. There was no sign of Louise, Jon or the others, but she spotted their towels on the sand and guessed they’d taken her suggestion and gone to the restaurant.
Dreading seeing Jon again, she was tempted to swerve lunch and sunbathe instead. She knew she should eat, however; and besides, she’d only be putting off the inevitable. She’d have to face him soon enough and do her best to act as if nothing had happened.
After struggling out of her bathing suit and into her clothes, she strolled barefoot to the taverna, which gave off an inviting, laid-back, bohemian vibe. It was painted yellow, with leaping blue dolphins on the side. The outside tables were all shaded by the rustic blue, grassy awning.
As soon as she’d walked up the gangplank, she spotted her group sitting at a rough wooden table at the far end of the restaurant, looking out to sea.
Louise waved at her while Jon, who was facing the other way, turned briefly and gave a small nod of acknowledgment.
There were plates of food in front of them and several large sharing bowls in the middle.
‘Come and join us,’ Louise called when Stella was close enough to hear. ‘We’ve saved you some food but you’ll have to hurry!’
There was an empty chair for Stella at one end, next to Lily and Amelia. As she settled down, she was grateful to notice Jon was focusing intently on his plate, not her.
‘Fancy a glass of wine?’ Louise asked, reaching across the table and picking up a bottle of white, which was three quarters empty. Stella shook her head.
‘I’m really thirsty. Is there any water?’
Amelia passed along a half empty jug with chunks of ice and fresh lime. Stella filled her glass right up to the top and drank the lot in one go.
‘I needed that.’ She wiped her mouth with the back of a hand and topped herself up again.
Meanwhile, Jon stretched over, grabbed the wine bottle and poured what was left into his own glass. Stella and Louise exchanged glances.
Louise wasn’t a big drinker and Stella suspected he’d had the lion’s share of the bottle to himself. This didn’t bode well for the rest of the afternoon and evening; Louise wouldn’t be impressed if he got stupidly drunk again.
The group had ordered a variety of dishes and Stella helped herself to a soft, rice-stuffed tomato with aromatic mint, some creamy courgette fritters, a portion of freshly caught sea bream and a serving of the most delicious-looking Greek salad, with crumbly feta, crisp cucumber, green peppers, red onion and tangy black olives.
Louise wanted to hear about the snorkelling and Stella described the clever octopus. Lily’s eyes were wide with excitement.
‘Can I borrow your snorkel?’ she pleaded. ‘Amelia, you can have a go, too.’
Once everyone had finished and the bill had been paid, the girls scuttled off, soon to be followed by Will.
‘I guess I should have a swim.’ Louise wiped her mouth on her table napkin and left it, crumpled up, by her empty plate. ‘I’m feeling so lazy.’
She rose, taking her black bum bag from the back of the chair and fastening it round her waist. Appalled at the thought of being left behind with Jon, Stella quickly stood up as well.
‘I’m coming.’ She cleared her throat and tried to sound nonchalant. ‘Jon, what about you?’
‘No. I think I’ll have some coffee first.’
Stella glanced at him and immediately wished she hadn’t. His reproachful stare made her feel guilty, angry, trapped and tearful, all at the same time.
It was over in a few seconds, but Louise must have noticed because she nudged Stella on the way out.
‘What was that about? He looked like someone on death row.’
Stella desperately wanted to unburden herself, but it wasn’t the right time.
‘I’ll tell you later – when we’re on our own.’
She couldn’t disguise the catch in her voice.
‘You all right?’ Louise asked, studying her friend’s face anxiously.
‘Sort of – well, not really. Just when I thought things were getting a bit easier, the house starts falling down.’
* * *
After spending a couple more hours on the beach, they took a small taxi boat back to Porto Liakáda, a journey of only about fifteen minutes. Will was the first to spot the rising and falling footpath they’d walked along earlier, which appeared to be clinging to the mountainside as if for dear life.
To the left were miles of deep blue sea and in the far distance, the outline of an island. The skipper informed them it was called Gavdos, which sat on the very edge of Europe.
Jon was silent on the trip, staring out to sea with a haunted, melancholy expression. It was getting on for 6p.m. and as the boat approached the harbour, they could see the bars and restaurants were already filling up.
‘We’d better stop at the supermarket and buy something for supper,’ Louise said.
Stella suggested they eat in one of the restaurants instead, but Lily and Amelia were tired and grumpy and wanted to shower and chill at home.
They were appalled at the prospect of having to walk back to the villa, and Stella didn’t fancy listening to them moaning all the way either. So it was agreed the girls would go on ahead while the women, plus Jon and Will, stocked up on provisions.
‘That’s not fair,’ Will said with uncharacteristic belligerence. Louise fixed a pair of gimlet eyes on him, which did the trick.
It was dark in April’s supermarket. Stella’s eyes took a few moments to adjust and she stumbled straight away on something just inside the door and almost fell.
All at once, the object let out a bloodcurdling shriek, which made her heart pound so violently, for a moment she thought she was having a heart attack.
‘Oh my God! It’s a baby!’ she screamed, looking down at her feet, finally able to focus.
A round, red, scrunched-up, tear-stained face stared back at her, holding its chubby arms aloft as if it wanted to be picked up and comforted.
Stella’s heart turned into a buttery mess and she bent down, scooped up the infant and squished it into her bosom.
‘Shh, shh, I’m so sorry, sweetie,’ she said, rocking the baby in her arms and kissing the top of its soft head. ‘Are you all right?’
The baby was too young to reply but thankfully, it stopped shrieking and emitted a few sad little whimpers instead. Stella cast round desperately for April and asked the others to look for her as well.
Not before time, she appeared from the back of the shop and Stella quickly passed her the child, explaining what had happened with an uneasy sense of déjà vu. Stamping on April’s children seemed to be becoming a bit of a habit.
‘He’s all right, aren’t you, Nikos?’ April said, clutching him to her chest and stroking his mop of black hair. ‘I only left him behind the counter for a second, but he’s just started crawling, the little imp. I didn’t realise he could move so fast!’
She was in a strappy turquoise sundress with lots of tanned flesh on display. Nikos made a grab for one of her big gold hoop earrings, but she pulled back her head in the nick of time so the jewellery was out of reach.
At that moment, Meaty came bursting through the door, panting heavily. Everyone, even the baby, turned to stare.
‘It’s Zenobia!’ Meaty cried, looking panic-stricken. He bent over, hands on knees, while he tried to catch his breath. ‘He’s stolen her!’
‘Who’s stolen her?’ April asked, frowning. ‘What are you talking about?’
‘The shoe shop man! He’s tied her up with rope! He said he’s calling the police!’
Stella’s mouth dropped open. Poor Zenobia! She had no idea who she was or what she’d done, but no one deserved such appalling treatment.
‘You can’t tie people up,’ she blurted. ‘It’s illegal!’
April gave her a funny look. ‘Zenobia’s the dog, our dog,’ she said slowly, as if Stella was a bit slow.
Then, turning back to Meaty, she asked suspiciously: ‘Why did he tie her up? What’s she done? What did you do?’
Nikos, the baby, had forgotten all about his accident and was clawing at the top of his mother’s dress, wanting milk, but she ignored him.
When Meaty’s breathing finally went back to normal, he was able to fill them in properly.
‘She grabbed a whole cooked chicken from this lady’s bag outside his shop and ate it,’ he explained, very matter-of-fact. ‘I tried to stop her but she sank her teeth into it and growled so fiercely, I was scared. The lady had only been looking in the shop window, and soon there were bits of chicken and bones everywhere. Then another dog came along, a little one, and it tried to scoff the bits that were left and Zenobia snarled and the lady screamed and I thought there was going to be a fight.’
Stella’s and April’s eyes widened simultaneously. ‘Oh my lord,’ April said, putting a hand to her mouth.
A strange snuffling noise made Stella glance down, and another dog – an enormous black furry thing – had seemingly sprung from nowhere and was hovering at April’s side.
‘Basket, Violet!’ April said fiercely, but Violet remained resolutely still. Behind her was a pretty, dark-haired, dark-eyed girl of about ten, holding the hand of a younger girl of about three. They looked so alike, they were obviously sisters.
‘Take her upstairs,’ April commanded, and the older girl obediently grabbed the dog’s collar and dragged her off, still clutching on to her sibling.
April raised her heavily pencilled-in eyebrows. ‘Bloody hell!’
Stella didn’t know whether to laugh or commiserate.
‘Where’s Georgios when I need him?’ April added with a sigh.
It was true, her husband was nowhere to be seen, and Stella found herself thinking she’d definitely lose track of the kids and dogs if she had to manage all this on her own.
‘Can I help?’ It was Jon. Stella had temporarily forgotten about him. She quickly introduced him to April, who looked him up and down.
‘That’s very kind of you, I must say.’ She sounded rather doubtful. ‘That man, the one who owns the shoe shop, he can be a right pain in the arse. He’s dead proud of his store but it’s a shithole, if you ask me. Everything looks nice but it’s badly made and overpriced. I wouldn’t buy from there if you paid me.’
‘He’s stubborn as hell, too. Zenobia’s soft as anything, she wouldn’t hurt a fly, but whatever happens, he won’t give her up without a fight. He might be ninety-five but he’s hard as stone.’
‘Ninety-five?’ Stella said, astonished.
‘Well, maybe not quite that old, but getting on for it.’
Louise looked slightly sheepish, perhaps because she’d succumbed to temptation and bought some of the old man’s sandals. She omitted to mention this to April.
‘Would you like me to have a word with him?’ Jon asked. ‘Have you got a dustpan and brush?’
April nodded.
‘Give me a mop and bucket as well. And warm water and bleach. And a bin bag. I’m sure he’ll give the dog back if the chicken mess is cleaned up properly.’
Thrilled to be able to delegate such an unpleasant task, April dug into her pocket and swiftly produced a black plastic bag for starters.
‘He’s Mr Makris, for your information,’ she said, passing the bag across. ‘He reckons he’s above everyone else, on account of his daughter.’
Jon raised his eyebrows.
‘Marina,’ April explained. ‘The artist. She’s a weird one, if you ask me, but everyone else round here seems to think she’s marvellous. They reckon she’s got special powers.’ She tapped her nose. ‘They say she can see things others can’t.’
Jon looked sceptical, but April pressed on regardless.
‘They say she was born with the gift. Personally, I think it’s all a load of nonsense, but Mr Makris loves boasting about her.’
Stella shivered, remembering the artist’s strange comments. Despite having little time for mystic hocus pocus, one thing was certain: she didn’t wish to hear any more of Marina’s ‘insights’, whether there was any truth in them or not.
After April had scurried upstairs to dig out an assortment of cleaning items, Jon heroically headed off to the scene of the crime, accompanied by Meaty.
They’d only been gone about five minutes when April, who wasn’t very patient, plonked the baby back in Stella’s arms and stuck her head round the door to see what was happening.
‘They’re on their hands and knees, scrubbing,’ she said, half excited, half outraged. ‘They’ve got wire brushes. The old fool’s just standing there, watching them slave away.’
The baby, Nikos, started whimpering and clawing at Stella’s neckline now, desperate to be fed, but April was oblivious.
‘He’s got my Zenobia on such a tight leash, she’s probably choking, the poor lamb,’ she went on. ‘And now that old crone, Mrs Papadakis, is getting stuck in. What does she want? It’s got nothing to do with her.’
At the mention of the housekeeper’s name, Stella’s ears pricked up.
‘I hope it wasn’t her chicken that was stolen,’ she mused. ‘She wouldn’t be at all impressed.’
April sniffed, before giving a mean chuckle. ‘Lady Muck!’ Then, leaning further out, ‘She’s having a right go at Mr Makris. Looks like he’s backing off. Ooh! And Meaty and your friend are standing up. And the old fool’s handing Zenobia over!’
‘Thank God,’ said Louise, and Stella gave an inward cheer.
At that moment, the baby finally succeeded in pulling the neck of Stella’s T-shirt down so far, her boob popped out. Luckily, she was wearing a bra.
‘I’m sorry, sweetie, I don’t have what you want,’ Stella cooed, making herself decent again as quickly as possible. ‘You’ll have to ask Mummy. Here?—’
She thrust him into his mother’s arms.
April sniffed again, before yanking down one of her sundress straps, whopping out her enormous breast and latching the infant on. Then she jiggled him to and fro on the spot while he made contented slurping sounds.
Stella didn’t dare look at Will, who was hovering by his mother. He was probably mortified.
It wasn’t long before Jon and Meaty returned with the dog, who was thirsty but otherwise none the worse for wear despite her ordeal.
Jon plonked the mop and bucket on the floor of the supermarket and wiped his sweaty brow with the back of an arm.
Meanwhile, Meaty couldn’t wait to tell them how Mrs Papadakis, who hadn’t lost the chicken but just happened to be passing when Zenobia grabbed it from the other woman, had spotted him and Jon on the ground and kicked up a real stink of her own.
‘She called Mr Makris a “lazy sod” for making us do all the work.’ He sounded thrilled. ‘And she shouted “mingebag” at him. What does that mean?’
April glanced at Stella, who shrugged. Louise and Will were in the dark, too.
‘And what did Mr Makris make of her insults?’ April wanted to know. ‘Was he furious?’
Meaty’s eyes widened. ‘Oh no! He was really scared! He kept saying sorry. He even thanked us for cleaning up!’
Now the drama was over and had reached a satisfactory conclusion, Louise and Stella whipped round the supermarket aisles, picking out food for supper: ready-cooked lamb skewers from a smart electric roller grill in the corner of the store, which were still slightly warm, fresh oregano, salad, fruit and crusty bread.
As Stella selected four large, round, ripe peaches from a pile and placed them carefully in the wire basket, she found herself speculating on the relationship between Mr Makris and the housekeeper.
Unless Katerina make a habit of rounding on anyone who happened to annoy her, it seemed likely she knew the old man quite well – well enough to feel she could harangue him, anyway.
While Stella paid the bill, she couldn’t resist asking April about the elderly pair.
‘Did they both grow up here in Porto Liakáda?’
‘Just Mrs Papadakis,’ April said. ‘Mr Makris is from Viron originally, near Athens. I think he came here for work when he was a young man and never left.’
‘Are he and Mrs Papadakis friends? Or were they, before this happened?’
April nodded, before correcting herself. ‘Well, sort of. It’s a bit of a love-hate relationship, to be honest. She was mainly friends with his wife, Cora. She got cancer, the poor woman. She was gone within six months. Must be about ten years ago now. How time flies!
‘She and Katerina used to meet for coffee sometimes here in town. She was so sweet and gentle, Cora. Everyone warmed to her. Not like that husband of hers with a wandering eye. I can’t think why she put up with him. If it wasn’t for their daughter, I reckon she’d have thrown him out years before. She adored Marina; they both did. I gather she thought she couldn’t have children; she had loads of miscarriages, then one day – bam! She got pregnant in her late thirties. Apparently, she went away to stay with her parents while she was expecting and she came back with a baby girl.
‘Marina was a strange little thing, by all accounts, not like other children. Obsessed with books. The art came later. She didn’t play with toys or other kids her age; she was always reading. My friend Sofia – she runs the restaurant up the road, Odyssey – her mum told her Mrs Papadakis lent Marina books from the big house, where you’re staying. The two of them used to read together on one of the benches looking out to sea. Cora wasn’t a reader, you see, but Mrs Papadakis was. She and Marina had that in common.’
Stella paused for a moment, reflecting on what she’d just heard, before picking up the bags of shopping from the counter and handing them round.
The high street was buzzing with people when she, Louise, Jon and Will left the supermarket having said their goodbyes.
Most of the tables in the restaurants and bars were full and there was a steady hum of voices punctured with the occasional burst of laughter.
Stella glanced anxiously to her right but fortunately, Mr Makris was nowhere to be seen, though his shop door was still open. Katerina had vanished, too.
‘You did a really good thing, cleaning up that mess for April,’ she told Jon, who was just behind her. She sounded rather stilted, despite her best efforts, and he grunted some sort of reply. This ‘acting normal’ business wasn’t going to be easy.
They were at the foot of the concrete steps, about to begin the long, arduous ascent to the top, when someone called out Stella’s name.
Surprised, she spun round and was dismayed to see Marina, in a long, flappy, purple and white dress, waving wildly at her from across the road.
From the enthusiasm of her greeting, you’d have thought she and Stella were long-lost friends, not virtual strangers whose last encounter had ended frostily.
Stella gave a cool nod of acknowledgment before turning back to the steps, and Louise grabbed her upper arm.
‘C’mon, quick! Let’s get out of here.’
They rushed up three or four steps, followed by Jon and Will. Marina, however, was too fast for them.
‘Wait!’ she cried.
‘I don’t believe it! She’s running after us,’ hissed Louise. ‘Bloody woman.’
Stella’s heart was racing and in her panic, she dropped her shopping bag. Several items of food rolled out including the ripe peaches, which splattered all over the place.
‘Shit!’
Bending down to retrieve a bottle of sparkling water and a carton of milk, she was gripped with a sense of foreboding. Marina was determined to address her again and Stella, trapped, was doomed to have to listen.
Sure enough, after stuffing the water and milk back in the bag, she glanced up and the artist was on the bottom step, staring at her.
‘What do you want?’ Stella heard Louise say icily. ‘Can’t you leave us alone?’
‘I need to speak to Stella,’ Marina replied calmly. ‘It’ll only take a minute.’
‘Don’t—’
‘It’s okay, I can handle this.’
Stella rose and touched Louise lightly on the shoulder.
Slowly, she started to descend, past Will and Jon, who had their backs pinned to the wall. She felt as if she were being pulled by invisible strings.
On reaching the final step, Marina made way for her and they stood face to face on the ground. Marina’s intense, deep-set eyes were like bottomless wells, filled with strange meanings.
She seemed older today, with heavy frown lines and dark circles. Her olive complexion had lost its glossy sheen and appeared thin and dry.
All of a sudden, Stella no longer felt frightened. Marina was just a woman, for God’s sake. And she looked like she was in need of a good night’s sleep.
‘Hi.’ Stella gave a half-smile, neither friendly nor hostile but somewhere in the middle. ‘Did you want to say something?’
Marina nodded. ‘Thank you for waiting.’ She sounded relieved. ‘I’m sorry but I must give you a warning.’
‘Oh for fuck’s sake!’ Louise, who’d followed Stella down, wasn’t one to mince her words. ‘This is getting ridiculous. Can you please leave my friend alone? She doesn’t want to hear your stupid warning or anything else you’ve got to say. She’s absolutely fine, thank you very much.’
Marina blinked a few times, but her gaze remained fixed on Stella and her expression didn’t change.
Despite the fact that her heart was pitter-pattering, Stella felt curiously composed.
‘Tell me,’ she said softly, her eyes glued to Marina’s.
‘No!’ cried Louise, but Marina nodded almost imperceptibly.
‘You must be careful of the sea,’ she began. ‘I sense danger.’
‘What? Drowning?’ Stella said shrilly.
Marina shook her head. ‘I don’t know. Possibly. Or some other peril. I urge you to be watchful. Keep an eye on those around you – and be careful yourself.’
Louise gave a derisive laugh. ‘What great advice! You’re on a beach holiday but don’t go in the water or let anyone else, for that matter, because of some supposed danger that doesn’t even exist. What are we meant to do? Stay indoors for two weeks? How absurd!’
‘I didn’t say that,’ Marina replied patiently. ‘I just said be careful. Take sensible precautions – and make sure your loved ones do, too.’
Louise snorted again. ‘Can you be more specific? I mean, which one of us is doomed? It would be useful to be told.’
‘I don’t know,’ Marina said earnestly. ‘It’s not clear. But my intuitions are normally right.’
Jon coughed and everyone turned to look.
‘May I ask, where did you get your special powers from?’ he asked in a formal voice, feigning professorial-style interest. ‘Is there a course you can go on? Can we all sign up?’
He was being sarcastic, of course, but Marina took him at face value. ‘I was born with them, I think. I started having premonitions when I was a little girl. I soon worked out what they were and realised they were mostly accurate.’
‘Mostly?’ Jon added. ‘It must be a bit annoying for people if you tell them something’s going to happen, then it doesn’t. It can’t do your reputation much good.’
Marina shrugged. ‘I don’t care about my reputation. Not in the least. If someone chooses to ignore me because I’ve made the odd mistake, that’s their business. All I can do is report what I’ve seen.’
‘Well, thank you for your report; now we need to get home,’ Louise said, slightly less angrily. ‘Stella, you go first; we’ll follow.’
Stella breathed heavily as she trudged up, and her mind was filled with disturbing images.
Everyone said Marina was a complete fraud, and they were no doubt right. So how come she couldn’t put her words out of her head?