The Fury(40)

Leo rocked her back and forth, crying. I tried to coax him to let go of her. “Come on, Leo, please—”

“Put her down, Leo,” Jason said. Losing patience, he made a sudden movement toward him.

Leo reacted as if he’d been bitten by a snake. He screamed at Jason, his bloodstained face a horrible sight. “Get away from her! Get away!”

Jason was startled and backed down. “Just put her on the ground, for Christ’s sake.”

I threw Jason an exasperated look. “I’ll deal with him. Call an ambulance!”

Jason nodded, feeling in his pockets for his phone. He found it and unlocked it—thrusting it into Agathi’s hands. “Call the station in Mykonos. Say we need an ambulance—and the police. They need to be here now!”

Agathi nodded, dazed. “Yes, yes—”

“I’m going to get a gun. Wait here. Don’t move.”

With that, Jason started running back to the house. Kate hesitated, then ran after him.

Agathi and I managed to get Leo to relinquish Lana’s body. We carefully laid her on the ground. Leo looked up with wide eyes. He spoke in a strangled voice.

“The guns.”

“What?”

But Leo was already up—and running after the others.





20





Kate hurried into the house. She looked around but couldn’t see Jason anywhere.

“Jason?” she whispered. “Jason—”

Suddenly, he appeared—emerging from the gun room. He stared at her, with a strange, confused look on his face. “They’ve gone.”

Kate didn’t know what he meant. “What?”

“The guns. They’re not there.”

“What do you mean? Where are they?”

“I don’t fucking know. Someone’s taken them.”

They heard footsteps at the end of the corridor. They looked up.

Leo was standing there, staring at them. He was a frightening sight—covered in blood, wild, wretched. He looked out of his mind.

“The guns,” Leo said. “I—”

Jason tensed up. “What?”

“I moved them. I hid them. It was meant to be a joke, I—”

But Jason was already on him—grabbing hold of him. “Where are they? Tell me!”

“Jason, let him go!” Kate said.

“Where are the guns?”

“Let him go!”

Jason released him, and Leo sank to the floor, against the wall, weeping, hugging his knees.

“She’s dead!” Leo screamed. “Don’t you even care?”

He covered his face with his hands. Kate went over to him and pulled him into her arms. “Darling, shh, shh. Please—tell us. Where are the guns?”

Leo raised one hand and pointed at the wooden chest. “In there.”

Jason charged up to the chest. He threw open the lid.

He scowled. “Is this a joke?”

“What?” Leo got up and made his way over. He looked inside.

The chest was empty.

Leo was astonished. “But—I put them there—”

“When?”

“Before dinner. Someone’s moved them.”

“Who? Why would anyone do that?”

Kate frowned as something occurred to her. “Where’s Nikos?”

“I am here,” said a voice behind them.

They spun around. Nikos was standing in the doorway. He was holding a gun.

There was a slight pause, then Jason said guardedly, “Lana’s been shot.”

Nikos nodded. “Yes, I know.”

Jason glanced at the gun in Nikos’s hand. “Where did you get that?”

“This is my gun.”

“Are you sure? All mine are missing.”

Nikos shrugged. “It is mine.”

Jason held out his hand. “Well, you better give it to me.”

Nikos shook his head—a definite no. Jason decided not to press him for it. Instead, he said slowly and emphatically, “We need to search the island. Do you understand? There’s an intruder. He is armed and dangerous. We need to find him.”

Then I entered—the bearer of bad tidings. I didn’t know how to say it; so I just came out with it.

“Agathi spoke to the police in Mykonos.”

Jason looked up. “And? When are they getting here?”

“They’re not.”

“What?”

“They’re not coming. It’s the wind. They can’t get a boat across.”

Kate stared at me. Her face tightened. “But they have to—they must—”

“They said it’ll calm down by dawn.… They’ll try then.”

“But—that’s in five hours.”

“I know.” I nodded. “Until then, we’re on our own.”





21





It was decided that Jason, Nikos, and I should search the island for an intruder. I told them it was a waste of time.

“That’s madness. You seriously think someone landed here—in this weather? That’s impossible!”

“What other option is there?” Jason glared at me. “Someone’s here, and we’re going to find him. Now move.”