Free The Greek Key by Colin Forbes

black Mercedes follows us. Nick reports they drop one man carrying a violin case, then drive off. A violin case! Not much imagination there. Did they strike you as musical characters? A violin case,' he repeated. 'Just the thing for carrying a dismantled Armalite rifle. You are only alive because he had to assemble his weapon before he used it. I saw the sun flashing off his telescopic sight - which is when I told you to dive into the car. He was a better shot than I'd hoped. Very smart, too.'
    'Why do you say that?' Nick asked.
    'He had a bit of luck and used it. Those ships' sirens starting up muffled the sound of the shot.'
    'They made one huge mistake though,' Newman said.
    'Which was?' Marler enquired.
    'Firing that shot, of course. Now we know someone murdered Harry Masterson.'

    The bar was small, located up a side street, was furnished with plastic-topped tables, a plastic-topped counter. Only the floor had a hint of luxury. It was laid from wall to wall with solid marble. Nick had ordered ouzo for everyone. Newman asked for a large bottle of mineral water.
    'We can't afford to risk dehydration,' he remarked, wiping the back of his neck with a silk handkerchief. 'First things first. That bullet-hole in the rear window of your car could be embarrassing for all of us. Can anything be done about it?'
    'You don't want to report the attack to the police?' Nick asked, his broad tanned arms resting on the table-top.
    They could complicate life at this stage. Unless you insist?'
    'I have many friends.' Nick drank half his glass of ouzo . 'I know a garage mechanic who will fix that overnight. A new window. No questions asked. OK?'
    'OK,' agreed Newman. 'I pay the bill, of course. Next - when Christina Gavalas appeared on the deck of Venus III you said, 'That is very strange.' Why?'
    Nick paused, refilled their glasses from the jug of ouzo . 'It is a bit ... complex. Is that the word?'
    Tell me, then I'll know.'
    'Petros is eighty years old, a ferocious tyrant. Pray you do not meet him. Born in 1907, he married when he was seventeen. His first wife produced two sons - Andreas and Stephen. Twins, but not identical. Andreas and Stephen also married when very young - only eighteen. It was the war in their cases, I suppose. That was in 1943 or 1944. After Andreas was killed on Siros his wife gave birth to Christina - Petros' granddaughter. Do you understand so far?'
    'Perfectly,' said Newman. 'Go on.'
    'At that time Petros fought with the Communists - the ELAS party. Andreas hated them. He escaped to Cairo, joined the anti-Communist party, EDES. Petros was furious. Called him a traitor. But blood is thicker than water. Petros had a grudging admiration for Andreas. When Andreas was killed in the Siros raid he swore to hunt down his killer. Then came the second tragedy.'
    'Which was?'
    The other twin, Stephen, also hated his father and fled to Cairo to join the EDES forces. Then he, too, was murdered. Later his wife gave birth also to twins, Dimitrios and Constantine. Again, non-identical. But the strain had run out. They are peasants working on Petros' farm in Devil's Valley.'
    'A whole lot of hatred,' Marler observed.
    'It gets worse. After the end of the Civil War in Greece between EDES and ELAS - which nearly wrecked my country - in 1950 Petros married again when his first wife died. His second wife produced a son, Anton. Maybe because Petros was then forty-two and his new wife was twenty-eight Anton turned out to be very clever. You see the scope for bitterness in that family?'
    'How did Christina react?' Marler asked.
    'A magnificent woman now, she is torn between two moods. Greek loyalty to the family - and her detesting Petros who treated her badly. As I told you, it is complex. But that is why I thought it strange to see her on Venus III . Petros only keeps the boat so he can watch those millionaires - wait for another to become in desperate need of money. Then maybe he picks up yet another bargain. He owns farms. One near