The Dead Travel Fast Read Online Free PDF Page B

series of office doors on one side and windows looking on to an internal courtyard on the other. The courtyard was crowded, the air thick with smoke; he followed thecorridor to the end and entered a small meeting room devoid of natural light.
    Three men in crumpled lightweight suits sat round a small conference table. Despite the ceiling lights the room seemed dark and the hot, still air was oppressive. The table was cluttered with plastic coffee cups; some had obviously been there for ages and there were sticky patches of spilt liquid seeping into the scuffed surface of the table.
    A tall thin man with a prominent Adams apple, who Theodrakis recognised as a senior civil servant from the government offices in Vathia, motioned him to sit.
    “It seems that the great benefit of your experience hasn’t had much effect yet, Theodrakis: we’ve got another one for you.”
    Theodrakis ignored the sarcasm, he expected it by now and wasn’t going to give them the pleasure of a reaction. After all, what else could you expect from these provincials with their inbuilt inferiority complexes? However the message made his stomach churn, not another one so quickly, this wasn’t the pattern: he sat and listened.
    “As usual everybody seemed to know about it before we did. You’d better get a grip on this, Theodrakis, its making us look fools and people are frightened. On this island when they get frightened they like to take the law into their own hands and, considering the results of your expert intervention, it’s hard to blame them.”
    He favoured Theodrakis with a smile like a fridge door opening - it was the coldest thing in the room - and indicated to the man on his right to speak. This was Samarakis, squat and solidly built with a thick dark moustache following the lines of his permanently downturned mouth. He led the investigation prior to Theodrakis’s arrival.
    “You had better do as Kirios Adamidis says while there is still law and order on this island, or your clever friends in Athens will lose confidence in your undoubtedly superior abilities. They’ve found another body near the top of the Potami rapids, this one was found by a tourist; that will look good in next year’s holiday brochure. I’ve got some men up there keeping the area clear, but it’s spooked them so the sooner you get there the better.”
    He paused to pull out a pack of cigarettes, then remembering where he was put them back in the pocket of the crumpled jacket and continued.
    “You know, this is the first time that I can genuinely say that I’m pleased you’re here, Theodrakis, because if you weren’t it would have been me having to sweat my way up there.”
    He laughed and looked across at the other two who smiled with him.
    “Oh, and one more thing, I don’t suppose you know much about the river. This stretch of rapids is just downstream from the source, it’s high up, you can do the first bit in a four by four but from there on it’s rough going and for most of it you have to walk the river bed. I used to enjoy it as a kid; I wouldn’t much like to do it now. You can go up or downstream, either way you get just as wet, so I hate to think what damage it will do to your expensive Athenian shoes and suit.”
    He laughed again; Theodrakis was wondering whether to tell him that the shoes were English and the suit Italian when Adamidis gestured quiet and then spoke.
    “Come, Inspector Samarakis, that’s enough. You had better start to think how you handle this with the press. Theodrakis, if this is another genuine case I want to see some results, this filthy business is hurting our island which has already suffered enough. If, God forbid, this is another one I want you to brief my friend, Professor Andraki.”
    He gestured at the unhappy looking third man who appeared even more worried after Adamidis had finished speaking. Professor Andraki was small and slim with a neat, grey speckled goatee beard. He politely inclined his head towards