“The man asked me where I had gotten them and did I have a permit. Of course, I didn’t. I mean they weren’t mine. I had never seen them before. So he asked me would I go with him to talk to the head of customs security. They wouldn’t let me go, and I missed my flight.”
Tears spilled down her cheeks, accompanied by intermittent sniffles. She dabbed at the tears with a crumpled tissue she retrieved from her pocket.
“Excuse me, ladies.” Inspector Polydeuces interrupted our whisperings. “We need to observe regulations and have you visit in the waiting area.” He ordered one of the guards to open the door to her cell.
“Really, Claudie, this has been so humiliating,” my aunt grumbled under her breath, as we walked down the corridor. “There’s no privacy, I haven’t had a decent bath, and the smell in here is just horrid.”
I nodded in agreement. “I can imagine how awful it must be for you. We’ll get you out of here as quickly as possible.” I patted her arm, trying to comfort her.
We seated ourselves across a table in a large open area, and our Cypriot entourage collected at the other end of the room for a cigarette. Yannis joined them.
“How are you holding up? Do you have enough to eat? Are they treating you okay?” I asked, grasping her hands and searching her face for signs of maltreatment, as we sat across the table from each other.
“Oh, of course, I’m all right, dear. Cyprus isn’t a third world country. I haven’t been tortured or anything. I imagine a jail is a jail though,” she said, philosophically. “One should just never have the occasion to be in one.”
I had to smile. “But what a shock to be innocently waiting for your flight and the next instance to be accused of being a thief.”
She nodded. “It has the element of the surreal, like the Twilight Zone. Any minute I think I will wake up from the nightmare.”
“Nightmare, yes. But someone had to plant the antiquities in your bag.”
“But, of course, dear. It’s the only explanation.”
“The next obvious question is did you see anyone near your carry-on?”
“I have thought and thought about that. You know how I sometimes leave the bag with another passenger while I visit the restroom? Well, I didn’t this time, use the rest room, I mean. But Mrs. Crawford brought me to the airport.”
“Who’s she? You’ve never talked about her before,” I asked, leaning closer.
Her eyes brightened, and she tried to tuck some wisps of white hair back into the bedraggled French twist. I could tell she was warming to the subject of a new friend.
“She’s one of my new traveling companions, dear. We were on the Escort Tour together the second day I arrived. Mrs. Kelly and Mrs. Ryan were along, too. You know how I love to take the Land Rover tour into the Troodos Mountains. Well, these three ladies were on the tour along with a few English magazine writers. We had a marvelous time and stopped in a little village for a long lunch with entremezzas. I even treated myself to a little wine,” she said and blushed.
She only had wine at lunch when she really let go.
“Where are they from?”
“Who, dear?”
“Your traveling friends.”
“Oh, from England. They have the most elegant accents. Like the Queen herself. They are on holiday here and come every year and rent a house in old town Pafos. They had rented a car, and we went everywhere together. They were ever so friendly. Always wanted me with them. Being an American, I think I was a novelty for them.” She looked down at her hands folded in front of her on the table but seemed to struggle with her next bit of information.
“We did go to the Turkish sector,” she finally said. “But only for the day, Claudie,” she added when I frowned, as she knew I would. “We drove to Nicosia and walked across the border. That was all. We just looked around a bit.”
I was suspicious about the other three women. “Did you meet or talk to anyone while you were in the Northern section?”
“Oh, no dear, not a soul.” She hurried on. “But what I was saying before was that Mrs. Crawford brought me to the airport and while I stood in line to check my luggage and get my seat she sat in the waiting area with my carry-on. That’s the only time anyone else had it. Then, because the plane was delayed, we said good-bye, and she left.”
“Those English women may be smugglers.” I recounted the suspicions of the Cyprus authorities. “They don’t have much evidence. Catching you red-handed is their first break.”
“How preposterous. My friends are not thieves. I’m not either. The idea.”
Yannis came up behind Aunt Elizabeth and whispered in her ear. “But what do you really know about them?”
She turned around. “Yannis, it is so nice to see you. I didn’t get a chance to greet you. Can you help me, dear? I can’t spend another night in this dreadful place.”
He sighed and sat down beside her. “Unfortunately, you are not being accused of lifting a few tomatoes at the market. You are being tied to a circle of international thieves, and one which the Cypriot authorities are trying hard to break up.”
“Please,” she said, resting her fingers on his arm to strengthen her plea, “help me. I can barely organize my kitchen, let alone mastermind an international smuggling operation.”
“We know.” He patted her hand. “But we need to convince them.” He nodded toward the police. Then he broke the good and bad news. “They will let you go, but not until tomorrow. They say they need to process the papers, and we will need to post 50,000 Cypriot pounds as bond.”
“Good heavens,” she said. “Isn’t that a bit much?”
“They don’t want to lose you,” he said. “You cannot leave the island, and they will have twenty-four-hour surveillance on you.”
“My, oh, my.” That’s all my aunt could say.
“But I assure you,” he said, “we’ll be here at nine A.M. when the office opens to post bond.”
He helped us both up from our seats.
“Yes, of course, you will, dear ones,” said Aunt Elizabeth, but her voice started to quiver. “I know you are doing everything possible for me. I’m sorry to be so much trouble.” Tears filled her eyes, but she looked away and fussed with her hair. She wasn’t big on public displays.
I hugged her tight, struggling to keep my composure after seeing her lose hers.
The Inspector came over and broke in. “Miss Davies, I must escort you back to your cell. If you will allow me.” He offered his arm to her.
He turned to me. “I promise we will take good care of your aunt. We will see you tomorrow morning.”
I nodded and thanked him for his help.
“Come, Miss Davies.”
My aunt walked away on the Inspector’s arm. I felt helpless and inept. She would be all right, I kept telling myself. But I couldn’t help a pathetic sigh. Yannis grabbed my arm and hurried me from the room. At the car he smiled and showed me a slip of paper with a list of three names.
“My aunt’s friends?” I asked.
He nodded. “One of the policemen is a friend of my brother and is involved in the investigation. I persuaded him to share the names with me.”
“Well done, Yannis. Shall we look up Aunt Elizabeth’s friends in Pafos?”
Three
Looking out to sea from a hill overlooking Pafos, I watched the sun sparkling on the Mediterranean. Thousands of gems shimmered on top of an azure sea. Sun flashing on water is Cyprus, at least for me, and I got lost in the beauty of it for a moment.
Yannis and I were waiting for an answer to our knock at the door of a home perched on the hill. From where we stood, I could see pleasure boats on the harbor and the lighthouse near the Forty Column Castle. The breeze off the sea carried a warm caress.