The Ransom Read online

  THE RANSOM

  Irena Nieslony

  Chapter 1

  In the corner of a basement, David Baker sat hunched up on a mattress which was on the floor. He had been blindfolded for the journey there, so he had no idea whose basement it was or which village he was in. Now, although the blindfold had been taken off, his hands and feet were tied up and he had a gag in his mouth. David hadn’t put his watch on that morning so he wasn’t sure how long he had been there, but his kidnapper had come down once to give him food and to let him use the bathroom. He was relieved that there was a toilet in the basement as he had an awful feeling that he might be there for some time.

  When his kidnapper had visited him, he had untied David and taken the gag out, but had kept his gun pointing at him the whole time. As David was worried that there could be another person upstairs, he hadn’t dared make a break for it; not yet at least. He had been taken from his home by two people, not just one, and thought it possible that the other kidnapper was waiting upstairs. No, it probably wasn’t safe to try and escape. If he wasn’t shot in the basement, he could meet his end when he reached the top of the stairs.

  Now, for the second time he heard steps coming downstairs, and a moment later a plate of food was put in front of him. The brown slush on the plate looked revolting, but he knew he had to keep his strength up just in case there was a chance to escape later.

  “What do you want with me? Why have you done this?” David asked his kidnapper.

  “You’ll find out soon enough,” was the reply. “Now eat. I have better things to do than watch over you.”

  David ate what he could bear before being tied up again. The kidnapper had a mask on, but David thought his voice sounded familiar. However, he couldn’t quite pinpoint it and it was driving him crazy. He was also sure that the other kidnapper was a woman, but he had only had a glimpse of her and she too had been wearing a mask.

  Is this it? he thought miserably after the kidnapper had left. My life has got so much better in the past year, but now I might not even have the chance to marry Eve. There’s got to be some way of getting out of here… Oh Eve, I’ve hated your irresponsible attempts at private sleuthing, but please darling, do it one more time and get me out of here.

  * * * *

  Eve Masters sat on her couch with her friend Annie Davies, sipping a cup of hot sweet tea. Her eyes were red from crying and for once she didn’t care what her make-up looked like.

  “Annie,” Eve sobbed, “they’re going to kill David, aren’t they?”

  “Of course not,” Annie replied, giving her friend a hug. “Look at the letter again. They just want money. He’s worth more alive than dead.”

  Eve burst into floods of tears again.

  “They want 100,000 Euros by Friday,” she muttered in between her tears. “It’s Wednesday today. Yes, I’m rich, but my money isn’t all in cash. I have stocks and shares and other investments. I can’t get that much money together so quickly.”

  “I’m sure they’ll give you a bit longer if you explain the situation,” Annie replied, trying to sound optimistic even though she was far from it. “Perhaps you had better show the letter to the police.”

  “No,” Eve said firmly, having finally stopped crying. “They said no police, otherwise David dies. I think it would be better if I started to look for him myself.”

  “Kidnappers always say no police, Eve. Anyway, you have absolutely no idea where David is. You wouldn’t even know where to start looking.”

  Eve knew Annie was right. She was out of her depth this time and she probably had no option but to tell the police.

  Please God, let David be alright, Eve prayed quietly to herself while Annie went to get her another cup of tea. I promise I won’t poke my nose into anything ever again, especially if it’s a crime. This is so hard to believe. A couple of days ago everything was fine. I was returning from my trip to England and was so excited about seeing David again. Now everything is a complete mess.

  Eve took another tissue out of her bag and wiped her face. She looked in her mirror and was shocked at what she saw.

  “I’d better put on some make-up before we go to the police station,” she said to Annie who had just come back into the room. “I can’t go out looking like this.”

  Annie was relieved that Eve was starting to sound like her normal self. Even though she was a naturally attractive woman, Eve wouldn’t leave home without doing her make-up and styling her hair, not even to walk her dog, Portia.

  However, Eve then suddenly had another thought.

  “What if I’m being watched? The kidnappers could follow us and see we’re going to the police station. And if we ask the police to come here, it wouldn’t be any better either, would it?”

  “You’re right, Eve. Perhaps you’d better just phone the police.”

  Eve nodded, suddenly feeling more like herself again now that it had been decided what the first step should be.

  Whoever’s got David had better watch out, she thought. I’ve going to pull myself together and get David back, preferably without giving them any money.

  Eve steeled herself to ring the police. She knew that Detective Chief Inspector Dimitris Kastrinakis wouldn’t be happy to hear from her again so soon. He had been the detective in charge of the recent murder cases which Eve had got involved in. The last one had only been a couple of months previously.

  “Detective Chief Inspector Kastrinakis has always told me off for poking my nose in police business,” Eve said to Annie. “However, this is completely different. If he doesn’t come forward with a plan quickly, I will interfere, mark my words. After all, David’s life is at stake and I may have to be the one who rescues him.”

  Annie just stared at her friend, realizing that Eve would go to any lengths to save David. There was one thing Annie was certain about and that was how much Eve loved David.

  Chapter 2

  It was only a couple of days previously that Eve Masters was sitting on a plane on the short flight from Athens to Chania which was on the island of Crete in Greece. She had caught this flight a couple of hours after the longer journey from London Heathrow to Athens.

  Eve gazed dreamily at her engagement ring. It was beautiful; one large diamond surrounded by seven smaller ones, set in a platinum band. She couldn’t believe how lucky she was to be engaged to the handsome and compassionate David Baker.

  Sipping her complimentary coffee, Eve reminisced about David’s proposal. It was one of her favorite pastimes and she would often find herself reliving that afternoon. It still made her tingle, although whether it would still do so if she knew the truth about it, is another matter. You see, David was in fact going to ask Eve to live with him, not get married. Yes, he wanted her to be his wife more than anything, but he saw her as an independent and modern woman and not the type of person who would ever want to get married. He felt that if he asked her to be his wife, it might frighten her away and he would lose her forever. However, he hesitated when he was about to ask her to move in with him. He was even a little nervous to ask her this, and while he paused, Eve jumped in. She was under the impression that he was going to propose marriage and immediately said she would be delighted to be his wife. Although David was stunned, he didn’t bother to correct her mistake as marriage was what he wanted as well. She fell into his arms and they kissed fervently, Eve completely unaware of the misunderstanding that had occurred.

  Looking out of the plane window, Eve thought what a pity it was that the wedding had to be the following June, considering it was only the end of August, but she was determined that it was going to be a magnificent occasion. David had been both shocked and surprised when she had told him that she wanted to get married on a beach with all her friends from England attending, followed by
a reception at one of the five star hotels. He was expecting to have an intimate service at a registry office, but he saw her face fall when he suggested it.

  “But David, you’ve been married before,” Eve had said. “I haven’t and I would like all my friends to come to the wedding, plus I want a beautiful white dress, a big reception, bridesmaids, the works.”

  David had looked at Eve’s mournful face and he began to soften. Although she didn’t actually have that many true friends; most of the people she knew in England being acquaintances and ex-business colleagues, he knew that she wanted to show him off and who was he to deny her that pleasure for one day. David was a shy and retiring man, but he realized how important the wedding day was to a woman and in the end he capitulated.

  However, he too was disappointed that they would have to wait until the following summer, but there were many arrangements to be made and such a big wedding couldn’t be accommodated until the following year.

  Eve had taken over the arrangements for the wedding. David was happy about this as she was so much better than he was at organizing things. She had contacted one of the companies who arranged weddings abroad. Normally the couple would be coming from England, but they were quite happy to help arrange Eve and David’s wedding even though they lived on Crete, especially when she mentioned that there could be as many as one hundred and twenty guests.

  Thinking about how long it was until their wedding, Eve’s smile suddenly turned into a frown.

  What am I going to do until then? I thought I wouldn’t get bored if I knew I was going to marry David, but the wedding’s so far away. I’ll have to keep myself occupied until then otherwise David might have second thoughts about marrying me. He could think I might never settle on Crete.

  David indeed was a little anxious about Eve’s boredom threshold. Cretan life suited him very well. Previously an actor, he was now a novelist and he loved the peace and tranquility of the island. Eve however, had been a showbiz agent back in England and she loved the buzz of London. It hadn’t taken her long to become bored on Crete.

  Eve had moved to the island just over a year previously and since then there had been a series of murders in and around the village she lived in. Each time Eve had decided to do a bit of private sleuthing herself which she had found very exciting. Although she had a knack for detective work, she had put her life in danger time and time again. She had a tendency to act recklessly which worried David immensely, as did her ability to get over these incidents easily. He feared that she would continually rush into the next dangerous situation without thinking about it and one day, God forbid, could end up dead.

  The flight attendant came round to clear the coffee cups away and Eve realized that it wasn’t long before the plane would land in Chania. Even so she closed her eyes so that she could imagine her reunion with David. She couldn’t wait to see him and pictured his striking face. He often looked serious, but she knew he would melt as soon as he saw her. He always did and his face lit up as if he were a different person. He was usually quite prim and proper in public, but at the airport he didn’t mind her throwing her arms around him and kissing him in full view of everyone else. Eve naturally never cared one bit about public shows of affection.

  A few moments later the pilot announced that they were about to land at Chania airport. Eve opened her eyes immediately and smiled. She had missed David very much on this trip. In fact, each time she went away, she found she missed David more and more. Perhaps holidays without him would become a thing of the past.

  * * * *

  As Eve got off the plane, she smiled again. It was hot and sunny, just as she liked the weather to be. In fact, if England had Crete’s wonderful climate Eve would never have left.

  I have missed this weather, she thought, getting on the bus which would take her on the very short journey to baggage reclaim.

  Eve was excited. After nine days apart, she was about to see David and she couldn’t wait. Once again, she closed her eyes and pictured him with his jet black hair and piercing blue eyes. He was absolutely gorgeous and she wondered why there hadn’t been that many women in his life. She guessed that he must be very particular where women were concerned and it made her feel special that he had chosen her to be his wife. He had been married once before, but that had been when he was very young and it hadn’t lasted long.

  Within minutes Eve was in baggage reclaim, but a quarter of an hour later, she started to get impatient when there was no sign of any luggage.

  Really, she thought, they’re quicker at Heathrow and it’s a far larger airport than here.

  Admittedly they weren’t always so slow. In the winter the bags usually arrived within ten minutes of disembarking, but then there weren’t all the extra flights for the holiday makers.

  Eve tried to pass the time by looking at the people standing around the carousel and deciding who were tourists and who were ex-pats. In the end she decided most people were on holiday; they definitely looked as if they could do with a week or two in the sun.

  Eve’s eyes moved around the rest of baggage reclaim. She was always curious and interested in everything that went on. Unfortunately, some people would call her just plain nosey, but she did have a general interest in human nature. Eve looked at the other carousel and then saw somebody she recognized. She had to look twice as she couldn’t believe her eyes.

  My goodness, that’s Joanna Neonakis. What on earth is she doing back here? I’d almost forgotten about her.

  Memories of the murders which had taken place in June came rushing back. With her engagement and the preparations for the wedding taking up Eve’s time in-between then and now, it seemed like a lifetime ago.

  Eve had found the first murder victim back then, a woman called Lucy Fowler. The murderer had turned out to be Lucy’s brother-in-law, Paul Fowler, with whom she had had an affair with some time previously. Still in love with Lucy and finding out that she was having an affair with the local stud, Yiannis Neonakis, Paul had killed them both.

  Nobody knew that Yiannis had got married in England earlier in the year, but his wife, Joanna, turned up at Yiannis’s funeral and stayed for a week to sort out legalities.

  On the day of the funeral, Eve had been excited about finding out more about Joanna, but that was the day David and Eve decided to get married and she was thrown into a whirlwind of emotions. By the time she had come back down to earth, Joanna had left the island.

  Since then, Eve had thought about Joanna occasionally and it had even briefly crossed her mind that she was the mastermind behind another of the murders, one which had taken place the previous December. A virtual newcomer to the island, Jennifer Anderson, had been murdered by her nephew, James, on Christmas Eve, but he was later found dead in an Athens hotel room. His killer had never been found. Eve became convinced it was Joanna, but she forgot about this as wedding preparations and her trip to England monopolized her time.

  Seeing Joanna again brought everything back and she became quite excited, although she knew she shouldn’t be.

  I told David I wouldn’t interfere in anything anymore and I have been good, but this is almost too interesting to let go of. There is something strange and not quite right about that woman. For a start, how did she get Yiannis to marry her in a matter of a couple of weeks? Then she came over for her husband's funeral, but only stayed a short time and only put one of his houses on the market. I’m surprised she’s keeping the other house. She can’t be moving here; not if she has her own business in England.

  Eve started to feel guilty. She had been so careful all summer just spending her free time arranging the wedding, but with the wedding company’s assistance, a lot of the preparations had been taken care of. What was she to do now?

  Of course, it will be lovely to see David, but he’ll be writing as usual so I need to keep myself occupied. This is one mystery I would love to solve.

  Eve glanced at Joanna only to find her staring at her. For a moment their eyes met, but then Joanna looked
away.

  Well, really, thought Eve. How rude. We did bump into each other in The Black Cat back in June and I’m certain she knows who I am.

  Eve didn’t take into account the fact that she too hadn’t made a move to speak or even just to smile at Joanna.

  As Joanna went to pick up her very large suitcase from the carousel, three men rushed to help her. Eve felt the green-eyed monster take over. Was that woman more attractive than she was? Eve couldn’t see it and couldn’t believe that she had so many men fawning all over her. Yes, quite often somebody would help her with her case, but it had been a while since there had been a queue of gentlemen ready to help.

  Joanna Neonakis was indeed a beautiful woman. Like Eve, she was slim, but that’s where the similarities ended. While Eve was petite, Joanna was at least five feet ten, to which she added a few more inches with her stiletto heels.

  How can she fly in those shoes? Eve thought. They must be so uncomfortable. Don’t her feet expand like any normal person’s would when in a plane?

  Joanna had long silky brown hair. Eve remembered her tossing her hair back in The Black Cat, just like in one of those ads for a television hair commercial. Some of the men in the bar had been frozen to their seats and just stared at her, open mouthed.

  She also had the advantage of only being in her early thirties, about ten years younger than Eve. Eve suddenly felt old and drab and certainly didn’t feel as stunning as she was. Although Eve was vain, she was the first to find fault with herself.

  Come on Eve, pull yourself together. she told herself. You’re being ridiculous and insecure. You’re going to marry the most wonderful man in the world so you have nothing to worry about.

  Eve was, of course, a very attractive woman as well. She had shoulder length blonde hair, striking emerald green eyes and was naturally slim.

  However, when Joanna walked by with some stranger helping her with all her luggage, Eve fumed, especially as a few moments later she attempted to drag her suitcase off the carousel on her own. Unfortunately, nobody bothered to come and help her.