“How did you know what the Carausii brothers planned to do?” said Andreas.
“Like always. I listened. The two Polish tramps were talking to each other about how their boyfriends were going to make a lot of money because they’d found the ‘ cioban.’ They didn’t know I knew cioban meant shepherd.”
“And on the basis of that you murdered those two boys?” said Kouros.
“No, of course not. I knew of two Ukrainian women who were also prostitutes. I contacted them and made arrangements.”
“What sort of arrangements?” said Andreas.
“That they would deliver the two tsigani to me unconscious.”
“And did they?”
“No, but others did. It was not as I desired, I wanted no Greeks involved in whatever bad had to be done to protect Trelos’ good works. But I had no choice.”
“Where did they deliver the brothers?”
“At the house I’d rented for the prostitutes.”
“How did you get them from there to where their bodies were found?”
“I’d stolen a van from where drivers liked to park their trucks by the port overnight and left keys in ashtrays or under floor mats in case the trucks blocked another and had to be moved. I drove it to where I could watch the house for the prostitutes to leave on the brothers’ motorbikes. When they left it meant the brothers were unconscious. I went inside the house, dragged the brothers and the nitrous oxide cylinder into the van, chained the brothers together, and drove to where I knew we would be alone. I waited until one started to regain consciousness and got him to tell me what he knew. In his condition it was easy. That’s when I learned they’d discovered my brother was the Shepherd and that he was taking from the church.”
“How could they possibly know that?” said Trelos.
“Because you were careless in your dealings with their tsigani leader. You met with him even though I said you should not. You thought he would not recognize you.”
“It was necessary. He was the first tsigani leader willing to commit his people to our brotherhood. He’d taken the money I’d offered him to move his clan to Tinos, but he was refusing to cooperate further unless I met with him.”
“I understand, brother, but he was not dealing honestly with you. He had the Carausii boys follow you. They saw you going in and out of places you should not have been and later disappearing into the Vriokastro. Their instincts told them there was money to be made on what they knew, but their greed kept them from telling their leader. Instead, they were going to the Albanians. If I had not stopped them the Albanians would have killed you.”
What with the voice, the story, and the setting, Andreas was beginning to wonder whether there might not actually be an alien space ship inside the mound. “Why the Greek flag and the words ‘Revenge or Death’?”
“I wanted there to be no doubt in the mind of the tsigani clan leader that my brother was to be feared. He knew my brother patterned his brotherhood on Filiki Eteria. He would not miss the message in my note and the flag.”
“And after you had your answers?” said Tassos.
“I put inhalation masks back on them. At the old age home where I once worked, a woman tried to kill herself with nitrous oxide from a dentist’s office. I overheard a doctor say that had she used pure nitrous oxide she would have succeeded, but the gas she used was mixed with oxygen. I did not make that mistake. I waited until they were no longer breathing, wrapped them in a flag that would not burn, chained a cylinder containing my note to the steering wheel, and sent my message in flames to any who might think to harm my brother.”
“How did you get away?” said Tassos.
“On the bike I’d brought with me in the van.”
“A motorbike?”
“No, a collapsible bicycle. It was small enough for me to carry on my motorbike so I used it to get me to where I’d left the motorbike.”
“And what about the third brother?” said Andreas.
“His death came because the fates were with us.”
“What are you talking about?” said Kouros.
“The Carausiis’ clan leader sometimes came into Petros’ place to try to sell him chairs and tables. He had no idea we were related to Trelos. One day he came in a bit drunk. He said he was celebrating because he’d just learned that the police were about to catch the killers of his ‘two boys.’ He said someone had called him from a taverna outside of Athens to say that you-” she nodded at Andreas, “had just been talking with the dead boys’ brother.”
“And that’s what justified your killing him?” said Tassos.
“I couldn’t take the chance. Could I?”
“You’re who killed the brother’s assassin,” said Andreas.
“I did not plan to. I went to kill the brother in case the assassin did not appear. I told Trelos and Petros I wasn’t feeling well and had to see a doctor in Athens.” She turned her head toward Trelos. “He was so concerned about me.”
She went back to staring at the ground. “I killed that man only because your people captured him. You gave me no choice. I had to protect Trelos.”
“How did you arrange for the third brother’s assassin?” said Andreas.
“A lot of very bad people come into the bar. And they talk about what they’ve done and who they know who does bad things. They sometimes even mention a name or a phone number. I remember that sort of thing. It was only a matter of making the call and delivering the money.”
“How did you know where to find the brother?” said Tassos.
“I asked a tsigani woman I knew if she could find out where I could have a religious gift delivered to the brother of the two murdered boys. ‘To help ease his loss,’ I said. She had the answer for me within an hour.”
Tassos shook his head. “You’ve got quite a sister here, Trelos. If you wanted to change the world I think you should have started at home.”
Andreas stretched his back until he felt the pain at his rib. “Why did you kill the Pakistani?”
She stared at Andreas. “You had put me to a great deal of trouble planning how to eliminate the possibility of the third brother leading you to Trelos. Planning is very important. When things go according to plan good things happen. Planning was how I won my races.” She looked away. “Two nights after I arranged for those two men to die in Syntagma so that you would never find Trelos, you walked into Petros’ bar. I had not planned on that. I was frightened. I do not like being frightened. And when I overheard the Polish girls talking about the Romanians saying that the Pakistani had talked to you about the cioban, I knew what I had to do.”
Andreas cleared his throat. “How did you find the Pakistani?”
“I listened at the other tables until I heard someone say where he was. He’d gone to another bar. Probably because he was afraid you might come looking for him in Petros’ bar. I left early and took Petros’ car, as if looking for Trelos. I often go looking for him. It’s not unusual. I must protect him. I have a duty to-”
Andreas interrupted. “When you left your brother’s bar where did you go?”
“I went to the bar where the Pakistani was supposed to be.”
“What was your ‘plan’ for him?” Andreas struggled to keep his voice professional.
“A few weeks before, a drunken customer in Petros’ bar was bragging about having pills that, if you dropped one in a drink, made resistance impossible. When he showed them off to his friends one pill fell on the floor. He didn’t notice, so I picked it up and kept it. I took it with me to that bar.
“I knew the Pakistani drank too much and what he liked to drink. When I saw he’d almost finished his drink, I bought another at the bar, dropped in the pill, walked it over to his table, and exchanged it for his old one. He never even noticed. Probably because he was used to me bringing him drinks and was so out of it by then that he didn’t know what bar he was in.
“I went outside and waited for him. When he came out he could hardly walk, and someone was helping him to his motorbike. The stranger left him there. For a moment I thought God would arrange for him to die in an accident. But, instead he fell asleep on the ground next to the bike. I waited until I was sure no one was watching and pulled him into my car. I drove to the dump out past Livada. It was as far away and as deserted a place as I could think of. But one where the body would definitely be found the next morning.”