Hand of God

52

‘There’s something else we need to tell you, Chief Inspector,’ I said, carefully, ‘and well, it relates to an old case of yours. Well, perhaps not that old. The Thanos Leventis case.’

Varouxis stiffened. ‘What about it?’

‘I think there might be certain similarities between that particular case and the death of Nataliya Matviyenko.’

‘Principally the fact that one of Leventis’s victims was thrown into the harbour at Marina Zea,’ added Louise. ‘Namely Sara Gill. An English woman.’

‘I spoke to Miss Gill,’ I said. ‘About the attack on her in 2008.’

‘You did?’

‘We both did.’ Louise spoke firmly. ‘In an effort to establish if there might be a connection with the death of Nataliya Matviyenko.’

‘And what did you conclude?’ asked Varouxis.

‘There isn’t any connection,’ said Louise. ‘Nevertheless, I believe I am now in a position to make a formal request through the British Ambassador to your government that the Special Violent Crime Unit here in Athens reopens that case.’

‘May I ask why?’

‘From what Miss Gill has told me,’ said Louise, ‘you came to the entirely understandable conclusion that because of the severity of her injuries she wasn’t likely to make much of a witness. She herself admits that she was confused. And that her story didn’t seem to make sense.’

Varouxis nodded and lit another cigarette, calmly. ‘Actually, it wasn’t my decision not to pursue her story,’ he said. ‘It was the decision of my police general. But please go on.’

‘Things are very different now,’ said Louise. ‘She’s much recovered and remembers a great deal more about what happened to her. In particular, we now believe that she’s in a position to identify the second attacker.’

‘We?’

‘During a Skype call I had with her on Saturday evening Miss Gill gave me a description of the man who attacked her,’ I said. ‘A very detailed description. From what she’s said I’m more or less certain that I’ve met the other man who attacked her.’

‘And who might that be? No. Wait a minute. Tsipras?’

‘Yes, sir?’

‘I think it’s best that you leave the room,’ said Varouxis. ‘I think if Mr Manson here is going to utter a libel against someone it’s best he does it in front of only one witness. For the sake of diplomatic relations between our two countries. I wouldn’t like Mr Manson to get into any more trouble.’

‘Very well, sir.’ Tsipras stood up and left the room.

‘All right,’ said Varouxis after his subordinate had left us alone. ‘Who do you have in mind?’

‘His name is Antonis Venizelos, and he works for—’

‘I know who Antonis Venizelos works for. Everyone in this building knows Antonis Venizelos. He’s a very popular man. Venizelos supplies us with free tickets to all Panathinaikos matches. He’s in and out of police headquarters like it was an extension of that stadium across the road.’ He nodded out of the window and sighed. ‘All right, tell me what makes you think that he’s the other man who attacked Miss Gill?’

‘She told me the man was hairy. Very hairy. Like Venizelos. A man with very sweet breath. Venizelos eats a lot of cardamom seeds and smokes menthol cigarettes. She also described a man who was wearing a T-shirt with a sort of UN logo on it. She told me that it was sort of like a wreath made of olive branches? Except that it wasn’t a map of the world within the branches, but what looked more like a sort of labyrinth. I’m certain that what she was describing was a Golden Dawn T-shirt. A neo-Nazi organisation of which Venizelos is or used to be a member. At least that’s what he told my assistant manager. But most tellingly she described a man who appeared to have three eyebrows. This was the detail that at the outset makes her seem unreliable. However, Venizelos has a very defined scar through one of his eyebrows that leaves one with the distinct impression that he has not two eyebrows but three. Considering Thanos Leventis drove the coach for the Panathinaikos B team, there exists a strong possibility he knew Antonis Venizelos. Also I know from my own conversations with him that Venizelos holds some very misogynistic views. Frankly, I think he hates women as much as he hates Pakistanis and Roma gypsies. I can’t say that I am a hundred per cent certain it was him, Chief Inspector. And you have my word that I certainly haven’t spoken to Miss Gill about my suspicions. However, I do think there is a very good chance that she would be able to pick him out of a police line-up.’

Varouxis lit another cigarette and thought for a minute.

‘But then I suspect you already knew the man I was going to name,’ I said. ‘That’s why you asked Sergeant Tsipras to leave the room, isn’t it?’

Varouxis remained silent.

‘If you’ll permit me to say something,’ said Louise. ‘Surely it’s better that you should reopen the case yourself than at the behest of the British ambassador and your own Ministry of Justice.’

‘In spite of what you say, the only way I could reopen this case would be if I had the kudos of solving the death of Miss Matviyenko, or the death of Bekim Develi. No one could argue with my decision to reopen Miss Gill’s case under such circumstances as those.’

‘Might I ask why anyone would argue with it?’ said Louise.

‘My superior, Police Lieutenant General Stelios Zouranis, is the cousin of this man Venizelos. He is also a member of Golden Dawn. I dislike both the man and the organisation, but my hands are tied, at least until I crack this particular case. The minister would have to listen to me then, you understand. He could not resist it.’

Louise nodded. ‘We understand.’

‘Antonis Venizelos has that scar through his eyebrow from an injury he sustained in a football match against Thessaloniki back in 2000,’ said Varouxis. ‘Venizelos stamped on the ankle of another player, for which offence he was head-butted by a third player and received sixteen stitches in his head as a result. He was always a very dirty player. And I say that as a Panathinaikos supporter. Indeed, for a while after that incident his nickname was Minotaure.’

He opened the window and waved some of the smoke out of the conference room.

‘I tell you frankly that I always suspected that he was involved. And I would dearly love to put this man in prison. And not just because he is a rapist and a murderer but because his kind represents the worst in our society. His kind of hatred and intolerance are not the true Greek way. We might have invented democracy but we are beginning to forget what it means. In order to convict him I will need to make my voice louder and solving this case will certainly do that.’

‘Yes, I can see that.’

‘I am impressed by what you’ve been able to discover, Mr Manson. Impressed but perhaps not that surprised after the way you were able to find out who killed João Zarco. I should have realised that you were not the type of man to sit on his hands and do nothing. I give you my word that if you help me now that I will help you.’

He held out his hand for me to shake; I took it. Then he shook hands with Louise.

‘Perhaps the three of us can bring things to a satisfactory conclusion,’ he said. ‘In fact, I am quite sure of it.’