Free An Aegean Prophecy by Jeffrey Siger Page B

wasn’t sure if he should shake or kiss the man’s hand. Perhaps this was a test to see if Andreas actually knew who he was. Andreas moved slightly to the left as he approached him, just enough to shield the sun a bit and get a better look. The man was old but looked fit. His silver hair was pulled into a tight bun behind his head, in the fashion of Italian movie stars. And Greek clerics. Andreas bent over and kissed the man’s hand.
    ‘Thank you for seeing me, Your Holiness.’
    ‘So you do know who I am.’
    Andreas nodded, even though he didn’t. ‘Hard to miss, considering your entourage.’ He pointed back over his shoulder toward the door.
    ‘Ah yes, Sergey. A very loyal follower of the faith.’
    Andreas had heard rumors of such loyal followers of the faith making it into receptive monasteries directly out of Balkan military forces. Whether they entered seeking true salvation or sanctuary from a past they and the world would rather forget, he did not know.
    ‘Frankly, I don’t like traveling, as you say, with an ‘entourage,’ but after what happened to poor Vassilis,’ hecrossed himself, ‘do I have a choice? Or to dress as I am to journey to meetings such as this?’ He pointed at his suit.
    Andreas took that as an opening for avoiding preliminary chit-chat. ‘What are you afraid of?’
    ‘I wish I knew.’
    ‘Please, just tell me what you do know.’
    ‘How much history do you want?’
    ‘All of it.’ Andreas sat down on the edge of the bed across from him and listened. An hour later, he wondered if he’d said the right thing to an old man who’d just lost a very dear friend. Nothing he’d told Andreas seemed relevant to the case. The ancient intrigues of the church were of interest only to scholars, reminiscences of his days shared with Vassilis in the seminary were almost fifty years old, and their shared views on modern theological problems of the church raised not even a hint of a motive for murder.
    Thank God I’m wearing a wire, Andreas thought. If I’d been taking notes I’d have lost patience long ago. He sneaked a peek at his watch. At this pace, a late dinner with Lila was out of the question; breakfast might even be iffy. He had to find some way to move this along onto something relevant.
    ‘Excuse me, Your Holiness, would you like some water?’
    The man seemed surprised at hearing another’s voice. ‘Uh, why yes, thank you, my son.’ He paused. ‘I hope what I’m telling you is helpful.’
    Andreas went to the minibar and took out two bottles of water. ‘Yes, very.’ He walked back to the man and held out the bottles. ‘Gas or no gas?’
    The man took the flat water. ‘Thank you.’
    ‘Why did you ask that I be assigned to this case?’
    The man took a sip of water. ‘I was just about to tell you.’
    Andreas hoped that meant within the next hour. He sat back down on the edge of the bed and opened the other bottle of water.
    ‘Vassilis was a scholar and patient observer. He saw things others missed. A debate with him was an exploration of thought.’ He shook his head. ‘He never should have left his theoretical world. I told him to stay out of it.’
    Andreas leaned forward. ‘Out of what?’
    ‘This Russian thing.’
    A chill ran down Andreas’ back. ‘Go on, please.’
    ‘I’m certain that by now you are well aware of Russian interest in relocating the Ecumenical Patriarch.’
    Andreas nodded.
    ‘And of Vassilis’ obsession with how the scandal at Mount Athos might affect that issue.’
    Andreas nodded again.
    ‘If the Russians could be shown to have played any part in creating that scandal, it would destroy the credibility of their attacks on Mount Athos’ fitness to serve as the new home for the next leader of the church. In fact, if Russians were involved, the moral value of our claim is strengthened. It would make us the innocent victim of vicious intrigues by a former superpower.’
    From his use of ‘our’ and ‘us’ in describing Mount