Sons of Sparta: A Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis Mystery Read Online Free PDF Page A

than they do you .
    The anger had returned on Spiros’ face.
    “Don’t forget who I am,” said Andreas. “I’m that ‘crazy bastard who can’t be bought or fired or set up.’ I’m the only excuse you have to all those potbellied patrons of yours pressuring you to make nasty things about them on your desk go away.” Andreas pressed his forefinger on Spiros’ desktop. “Without me to blame you’d have long ago lost your ministry for not doing favors, or be facing prison time if you had.”
    Andreas pulled his finger back from the desk. Greece’s track record for prosecuting corrupt ministers hovered at just above zero, but times were changing so the risk was there and Andreas knew Spiros wasn’t a risk taker. “We both know you need me more than I need this lousy-paying job.” That part wasn’t a bluff. Andreas had married the socially prominent daughter of one of Greece’s oldest and wealthiest families.
    Spiros took another sip of water. “Like I said, I don’t think we should dwell on the past.” He put down the glass.
    “Okay, so let’s talk about the now . Why am I here?”
    Spiros bit at his lower lip. “I’m not a crook.”
    Andreas leaned back in his chair. “And precisely what’s that supposed to mean?”
    “You’re right about the pressures exerted on this office. More so today than ever before. The people are screaming for prosecutors to cut off every politician’s head. The corrupt are looking for ways to make as much as they can while they still can, and opportunists are trying to buy up government assets on the cheap.” Spiros brought his hands up to his face and rubbed at his eyes. “Now I’m being dragged into the mess.”
    “Is this about your wife’s bank account in Switzerland?”
    Spiros gestured no as he kept rubbing at his eyes. “For now that’s just an annoyance.” He dropped his hands. “I’m talking about serious pressures involving more than a trillion euros.”
    Andreas cleared his throat.
    “It shouldn’t come as a surprise to you that all the talk about huge natural gas deposits off the southern coast of Crete has a lot of people wanting in on the action. And not just Greeks.”
    “I’d be surprised if that weren’t the situation,” said Andreas.
    “We’re talking pipelines, drilling rights, construction, shipping, maintenance. Everything you can imagine, all the way down to who gets the right to open a taverna. There’s enormous money in play.”
    “And claims by Libyans to the same gas deposits.”
    Spiros nodded. “If Gaddafi were still in power, our government could have worked things out with him. But who knows what the Libyans will do now, or more likely, who will tell them what to do? The Americans, Chinese, Europeans, and Russians are all jockeying for influence in the region.”
    Andreas shrugged. “Big money attracts big players.”
    “I know. Look what happened after gas and oil were discovered in the Mediterranean off Cyprus. Every country in the area laid claim to the deposits. It has Israel teamed up with the Republic of Cyprus against Turkey’s claim through Northern Cyprus. And with Cyprus’ banking economy shot to hell, the Russians are licking their chops to get a piece of it.”
    “But how does the gas find in Crete involve you?”
    “There are rumors that certain private foreign interests are attempting to influence Greek government officials improperly in the awarding of drilling and pipeline rights.”
    Andreas smiled. “I get it. Our countrymen are pissed off at having to compete with non-Greeks in a free-for-all bidding war for the favors of our accommodating government officials.”
    “This isn’t funny.”
    “I know. Real wars are fought over oil. Just ask the Americans. But you have to admit it’s ironic.” Andreas smiled again.
    “A lot of powerful people are clamoring for me to start an investigation.”
    “I assume you’ve been asked to be selective in choosing targets.”
    Spiros nodded. “All of them