Free Jeffrey Siger_Andreas Kaldis 02 by Assassins of Athens Page A

the man at the rear table last.
    “So, my friend, have you ever seen either of these men?” Andreas handed him the photograph.
    He stared at it for a moment as if studying it, then handed it back. “No, sir, not that I recall.”
    “Thank you,” said Andreas courteously smiling as he put the photo back into the envelope.
    Andreas turned and said to the owner. “I guess that’s it.” He started toward the door, then paused. “But, since we’re here, we might as well earn our pay. Yianni, check the tables, and I want IDs on everyone.”
    By checking the tables he was telling the owner that there better be appropriate receipts for everything in front of every customer. It was a must for any business hoping to avoid stiff penalties from the tax authorities, or off-the-record gratuities to any who caught them.
    Andreas heard a muttered “bastards,” from behind the bar.
    Kouros pulled a receipt out of a shot glass. Most places used them to hold receipts. “It’s from yesterday.”
    Andreas looked at the owner and waved his finger at him. “Tsk, tsk, you are in trouble my friend. Our government doesn’t like people trying to cheat it. The proper authorities should hear about this.” Andreas made it sound like the shakedown was coming. “Anybody else work here?”
    “No.” The owner was fuming.
    “Just you?”
    “I’m a poor man, with a lousy business, I can’t afford help.”
    Andreas walked behind the counter and started opening drawers.
    “What are you doing?” shouted the man. “Who do you think you are?” This time he cursed Andreas aloud.
    Andreas ignored him and kept opening drawers until he found what he wanted.
    He dropped a pair of women’s shoes and a waitress’ apron on the counter. “Let me guess, you wear these when you want to express your feminine side.” Then he dropped a box of tampons and a lipstick beside them. “Dare I ask what do you do with these?”
    The man was clenching and unclenching his fists.
    “Now, why would a nice man like you lie about working alone? Could it be that she—” picking up the apron—“is illegal?” He patted the man on the shoulder. “So, once again you’re trying to steal from our government?”
    A boy got up and headed toward the door. Kouros gestured for him to sit down.
    “But I have a class.”
    Kouros repeated the gesture and the boy sat down.
    Andreas gave an I-have-your-ass now look to the owner. “Unless you want this place shut down and more problems than you can imagine, I want you to get everybody who works for you over here now . I want these two bastards” and slapped the envelope with the photograph across the man’s chest; then he leaned over and whispered in the man’s ear, “so I can get back to making some real money and you can continue doing whatever the hell it is you do.”
    The owner was nervous and blurted out, “There’s only one girl, she works part time.”
    Someone cleared a throat. “Officer.”
    Andreas turned and smiled. “Yes, sir?”
    It was the man at the rear table. “I may know those men after all.”
    “Really?” Andreas’ sounded sincerely surprised, or at least he hoped he did.
    “Yes, all this excitement must have jarred my memory. I seem to remember seeing them before.”
    Andreas walked over and sat down at the man’s table. “Sorry, sir, I didn’t get your name.”
    “Mavrakis. Demosthenes Mavrakis”
    Andreas nodded, as if truly thankful for the man’s sudden recollection and utterly oblivious to his undoubted interest in stopping the owner from giving away information that could lead them to Anna. “So, who are they?”
    “I don’t know their names, sir, I just saw them around the neighborhood.”
    “Ever see them in here?”
    “No, sir, they’re not the coffee shop type, if you know what I mean.” He smiled.
    Andreas smiled back. “Yeah, sure. So, what do you mean by ‘around the neighborhood’?”
    He suddenly looked uneasy, but in a way that made Andreas sense it was