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wafting from the
air-conditioner unit, she could detect ozone. Closer to land the water was
paler, the colour of cornflowers, deepening to an intense azure as it met the
sky, which seemed bigger and bluer than it could ever be in London.
    The telephone rang. Stephanakis was waiting to take her to
lunch.
    "It's nothing special, but a place I use a
lot," he said, as he guided her along the pedestrianised street. “I
thought you might be hungry.”
    Beatrice was admiring the sandy colours and the mosaic
kaleidoscope created by the sea-blue shutters, white umbrellas, wrought-iron
benches and lamps lining the avenue between the trees. Echoes of beach
everywhere, as if it had crawled up the street and into the consciousness. She
realised the young inspector was waiting for a reply.
    “Hungry? I could eat a horse.”
    He gave her a look of mock alarm.
    “Horse might be a problem, but I could arrange a goat.”
    "So long as it’s dead and comes with chips, I’ll eat
anything. I am entirely in your hands."
    Noisy and crowded, the taverna smelt delicious. Several
people greeted Stephanakis and shot curious glances at her. Without warning, a
cheery sort with a once-white apron shouted something incomprehensible at
Stephanakis and grabbed Beatrice to kiss her on both cheeks. Stephanakis
muttered a brief explanation and the man laughed from the belly.
    "Detective Inspector Stubbs, this is Dinos. He owns
this restaurant and cooks the food himself."
    "God Save the Queen! Kalimera!"
    " Kalimera !” she replied, grateful for the crash
course from the sculptress on the plane.
    Dinos found them a tiny table and Stephanakis checked the
blackboard.
    "Would you like me to translate the menu?"
    "I eat everything and I am very hungry. So let's order
the dish of the day, lots of bread, a jug of wine and get cracking."
    Stephanakis stared at her for a second. Then he broke into a
grin and relayed their order to Dinos, who evidently approved. He clapped his
hands together, gripped her shoulder and said "Very good!” With a shake
and a wink, he barrelled off towards the kitchen.
    "Well, if the food is as hearty as the welcome, we're
in for a treat. Good choice, Inspector."
    "Dinos is a minor local celebrity and he’s obsessed
with your royal family. You should have seen how he decorated this place for
that wedding. But he’s mostly famous for his food. So don't worry, your meal
will be delicious."
    "I can't wait. And that is no idle platitude. Now, can
we talk about the case? From what I've read, an elderly lady’s tragic fall has
been rather blown out of proportion by some of her companions. They suspect a
deliberate attempt to harm her. Do you see any evidence of that?"
    Stephanakis furrowed his brow. "That’s not quite right.
The ladies who saw the fall are not of the same party. We will interview the
witnesses as soon as the doctor gives permission. But their story seems
unlikely. The deceased was eighty years old; the witnesses are both retired and
saw the incident through a camera. It’s very hard to get a clear account of
what happened. That’s why I requested a specialist, someone accustomed to
interviewing in English. So I’m happy you are here. My language skills aren’t
bad but I have real problems communicating with some of these older ladies or
people with a strong accent. Your help is really appreciated.”
    As he spoke, Beatrice studied the young man. A smooth olive
complexion, with cappuccino-coloured lips, shiny black hair and mahogany eyes
added up to a very pleasing overall effect. Nascent wrinkles at the corners of
his eyes added a feathery effect to his lashes. His polite manner and
respectful attitude had already impressed her and now he had passed the first
test. With careful diplomacy, he’d corrected her inaccurate assessment of the
case, topping it off with a sprinkling of humility.
    "I'm happy to be here,” she said, and meant it. “Can
you tell me anything else?"
    "Esther Crawford was travelling with a group