January's Child: Robert Walker - Book 1 (Robert Walker Series) Read online

  He turned back to his class and gave them the okay sign once more. He pointed at Nikki, then raised a thumb towards the surface. Nikki gave him the OK sign, then led the way, Otto the large German like an enormous whale beside her, and slowly began to ascend.

  They made a safety stop at about fifteen feet, not really necessary at the depth they had been, but good diving practice for the class. The divemaster took out a small inflatable buoy from his dive bag, and unrolled it, it was about three feet long. He filled his lungs with air, then removed his mouthpiece and blew into the open end of the buoy, inflating it into a long narrow tube. He clipped the line from the end of a fishing reel to the buoy, then released it, watching it rise quickly to the surface. Ari on the dive boat, would see it and head towards them.

  He checked with each member of his class and got the OK sign back. Apart from Louis, he was the New Yorker. All along, he knew he would be the problem. Louis was swaying against the current and his head was down, searching, seeking out some monster in the dark depths. The divemaster waved a hand in front of Louis’s mask. The New Yorker’s head came up, his eyes, two wide black holes, and from the way his breather was pumping, he was rapidly approaching the edge. The divemaster put a steadying hand on Louis’ shoulder and gave it a comforting squeeze. He waved a flat hand gently in front of his mask. Louis looked at him, panic a heartbeat away. His breather quivered as he took another deep breath, then nodded. The dive master gave him the OK sign.

  He looked across at Nikki and pointed at her with his outstretched forefinger, then once more raised his thumb towards the surface. She nodded and slowly headed for the surface, taking the class with her. He patted Louis on the shoulder and the New Yorker followed them up.

  Robert Walker looked down into the depths, as if the darkness was tugging at him, tempting him down. He pulled away his gaze and looked up to the light streaming into the water above him, and to Nikki just as she reached the surface. He grinned, the regulator still in his mouth, then gave a powerful single kick with his flippers and followed her up.

  The dive boat was already alongside the marker buoy. Ari’s face grinned down at him as he broke clear. He pulled up his mask and treaded water as each member of the class climbed the rear ladder and scrambled aboard. He waited for Nikki to grab the ladder, then followed her up.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  The island of Narkos lay a hundred miles south of the Greek mainland, nestled in the Cyclades islands. It was late February, the Aegean Sea was not at its warmest, but with a wet suit it was perfectly fine for diving, and at almost noon, the sun shone bright in a clear blue sky with the temperature a pleasant twenty three degrees Celsius.

  “Hey Louis, you did good down there.”

  The New Yorker grinned. “I almost lost it.”

  “But you didn’t. That’s what’s important. When you’re down there, a moment of panic can mean tragedy. Knowing it’s happening and keeping your head is what’s important. Sometime’s it’s good to go to the edge and know that you came back.” He patted him on the shoulder. “You’ll be all right.”

  He turned back to the rest of the group. “Nice one team. We were lucky today. I can tell you the opportunities to see such a beautiful specimen at close range are rare.”

  “Were you not scared?” Helen, Louis’ wife, asked.

  Walker smiled and caught Louis’s eye. “Fear’s good, it sharpens your senses.”

  The dive boat cleared the breakwater and moved into the tiny harbor. The dive shop was on the quay. Ari brought her alongside and willing hands tied her up.

  The boys started unloading the gear.

  “Same time tomorrow.” Walker waved at the departing divers.

  “I’m going to Elli’s.” Nikki was already on the quay. Walker looked at her and smiled. She was turning fourteen in a couple of months. She had always been tall for her age, but kind of gangly. Now her shape was changing. Every day, the little girl was fading away, bit by bit. She was becoming a woman. She had her mother’s chestnut hair trimmed short, just the way that Maya had, and her dark eyes. Sometimes he looked into those deep pools and he could see Maya standing there.

  “I’m going to get the barbecue going. Andreas said he’d save me something special from the morning catch.”

  She gave him a smile that seemed to spark a glow in her hazel brown eyes, then headed back along the quay.

  “Be back in an hour,” he called after her.

  Nikki waved a lazy hand.

  Walker felt the glow that had begun that first time he had held her, when she was minutes old. It had never gone away. He watched her climb on her pink bicycle and pedal away along the dock. He felt a tug at his heart. The mid-term break was coming to an end. Next week, she would be back at school. She went to an international school in Piraeus and lived in during the week. They FaceTimed every day, and she came home on weekends, but it was not the same.

  He wandered into the dive shop. The boys were both divemasters and could handle the afternoon dives. So he headed out.

  ‘Koukla’ was moored in the fish dock. Despite the name, which means beautiful girl in Greek, she was a fat beamed caïque, with a big ass and a long narrow bow. The boat had been built by his friend Andreas’ father and grandfather, from a picture in the older man’s head. The wheelhouse seemed like an afterthought, plonked on the rear deck like an outside toilet.

  A man with curly grey hair tied back in a flowing ponytail, appeared from inside and stepped onto the deck. Walker half expected to hear the toilet flushing. The face behind the generous silver beard was weather beaten to a burnt sienna. He was a good twelve inches shorter than Walker and perhaps another ten years older.

  “Andreas, how was the catch?”

  The older man smiled a craggy smile. “I can’t complain.”

  Andreas rarely did. He had a lifetime, and those of his ancestors, to know when and where to drop the nets. Walker stepped on to the deck. He had spent many happy hours aboard this craft, laying nets, trawling for the fish, then hauling them in. Then they would sit out on the deck gutting the fish and casting the entrails to the waiting armada of seabirds as they head for port. Simple, honest work. There was a time when he needed the distraction.

  The fisherman waved him over to a stack of deep plastic trays piled up on the deck, brimming with the morning catch. The two young men who crewed for him were unloading the trays and loading them into a rusty white van, ready for transport to the fish market.

  “Here we are, Nikki’s favorite.”

  Andreas had set aside a plastic tray. The red mullet were perfect, pink and plump with bright silver bellies. Andreas scooped a dozen fish into a plastic bag and handed it to Walker. “Have you time for a drink?”

  “I told Nikki to be back in an hour.”

  “Then you have time for one.”

  They sat out on the deck in folding beach chairs and Andreas pulled chilled bottles of Mythos beer from a cold box.

  “She’s growing up fast.”

  Walker looked across at his friend. “Too fast. But what can you do?”

  Andreas took a swig from his beer and grinned. “Enjoy every single day.”

  The high pitch popping of a motor scooter engine approached along the fish dock and stopped at the end of the gangway. A tall, gangly youth got off and waved at Andreas. Walker recognized Giorgio, the fisherman’s grandson. Andreas eased himself out of his chair and waddled down the gangway to meet him. They talked for a few minutes, then the youngster climbed back on his scooter, gave a theatrical high pitched rev of the engine, then disappeared back up the dock.

  Andreas watched his grandson go, then came back on board.

  “Everything okay.” Walker asked.

  Andreas shrugged. “Giorgio was talking to Kostas. There was a stranger on the morning ferry.”

  “Andreas, there are always strangers on the ferry.”

  “According to Kostas, he was Russian. Kostas asked him if he needed a taxi. He said no.”

  “And he can work out he’s Russian from that.” Walker was trying to dismiss it, but his gut was telling him different.

  “Trust me, Kostas can smell Russians. You said to tell you. . .”

  “I know, Andreas.” Walker put down his beer bottle. “I need to get home.”

  “Is there a problem? Can I help?”

  Walker shook his head. “It’s probably nothing, but I like to be careful.”

  “Don’t forget your fish.” Andreas handed him the plastic bag. “Tell Nikki she owes me. She said she was going to paint the bridge house.” He nodded towards the outside toilet and grinned.

  “I’ll tell her.”

  Walker tried not to run. He walked as fast as he could along the quay to where he had left the Land Rover. The long wheelbase, four-wheel-drive beast, was a wreck, but it ran far better than it looked. It had been Maya’s. She had loved it, and there was no way he was ever letting it go.

  He jumped in and fumbled for his keys. The engine wheezed and protested, then finally burst into life. He slammed it into gear and took off.

  His heart was racing as fast as his thoughts. It was the same thing every time a stranger arrived. It was just a precaution, he told himself. They didn’t get many tourists out here. The majority stopped either at the islands closer to the mainland, that the ferry stopped at on its route from Piraeus to Cyprus, or preferred the more famous islands that were further out, especially as they moved into winter. So visitors were rare, especially a Russian.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Walker headed out of town, taking the narrow winding road that climbed the hill overlooking the bay. He tried calling Nikki, but all he got was her cheerful voicemail. He hung up and stepped on the gas.

  He and Nikki had a villa a couple of miles along the cliff top
. It had been hard at first, living there, after he had lost Maya, for both of them. Maya had found the place when they had first moved out to the island and were living in a rented apartment in the center of town. She had transformed the place from an abandoned wreck to what had become their paradise. It had everything, comfort, seclusion, stunning views of the Aegean and the islands beyond.

  A place to stop running.

  It had always been their sanctuary, and when Nikki had come along, it had been perfect. When he lost Maya, part of him told him he should sell it and move on. But another part, a part he recognized well, knew he could never do that, because that part of him could still feel her there.

  He tried calling Nikki again, but still got her voicemail. Just the sound of her voice made him want to hold her close to him. That little girl who used to insist he told her stories before she would go to sleep.

  He left her a message, telling her to call him - now.

  He brought the Land Rover to a screeching stop outside the house and jumped out. There was no sign of Nikki’s bicycle.

  He moved through the living room into the kitchen, still no sign. He crossed over to the sink and reached into a bucket he had stowed in the cupboard below. The Glock was there, where it always was. He pulled it out and jerked back the slide, then stepped over to the open door, still holding the plastic bag with the fish. He wasn’t sure why.

  He took a glance outside. The swimming pool was freshly cleaned, gleaming cobalt blue under the midday sun. He stepped out on to the patio, keeping the gun out of sight. He held out the fish and headed towards the barbecue on the far side of the pool.

  An angry hornet buzzed past his ear. It seemed as if time slowed. He was vaguely aware of something smacking into the wall at the far end of the pool. But he was already diving for the cover of the wall at the other end.

  Walker dropped the plastic bag. Silver bellied red mullet spilled out across the tiles. A streak of red, like an artist’s brushstroke, seemed to glow in the sunlight - blood.

  He held out the gun in front of him, quickly scanning around, but there was no one. Something at the back of his mind told him there had been no sound of a shot.

  A noise cut through the daze, pulling him back to reality. A motorcycle started up somewhere in the distance. It seemed to wake him, as if its significance suddenly hit home. He heard it accelerate away with a roar.

  He stood up carefully and peered over the wall. No one shot at him. He ran for the door, stuffing the Glock into the band of his trousers and scrambled into the Land Rover. The engine roared into life. He floored the accelerator and headed back towards the town.

  Part of him was trying to ignore the implications of what had just happened, trying to focus on finding who had just tried to kill him. He assumed it was a man. He wasn’t sure why. Why had he only taken one shot? It kept him distracted from the thing he was trying to ignore.

  They had found him, after all this time.

  He fumbled with the phone, tapping in a message with his thumb as he struggled to keep the Land Rover on the narrow road.

  Go to Andreas. Stay there until I come.

  He hit send as he swung the Land Rover around a tight corner and stamped on the brakes. The tires squealed, kicking up clouds of dust. He skidded to a halt inches from the rear of a tractor moving along at a snail’s pace, blocking the whole road. He leaned on the horn, which was normal practice driving in Greece, but the tractor driver was deaf to it.

  He sat tapping nervously at the wheel as the tractor trundled forward, still blocking his way past. And the main question sat now at the front of his mind.

  How had they found him after all this time?

  The thick odor of goat shit wafted in through the open window. It was a smell he had grown quite used to. He felt like he was deep in it right now. A ship’s horn sounded from down in the harbor. He sat for a moment, letting the sound bounce around inside his head, before the thought hit him. He glanced at his watch.

  “Shit,” he said out loud. He glanced at his watch. Timing, it was all about timing. The ferry — The shooter was leaving on the ferry.

  They got few tourists, especially this time of year. Narkos being one of the middle islands. The ones they did came on the ferry. It was the most anonymous way in.

  Take the outgoing ferry from Piraeus on the way here, then take the inward ferry on the way back, with everything timed nicely to be not hanging about waiting. The only airport on the island was a small airfield for the odd private jet which would hardly hide its presence, and any private boats attracted the attention of the local police, who were constantly looking for drug runners.

  At this time, the ferry came in from the outlying islands on its way in to Piraeus. Once on board, the shooter would just blend into the crowd. Even if the police boarded the ferry, he would probably have a ticket showing he boarded at an outlying island, no doubt handed to him by a colleague already on board. Just another tourist.

  Walker leaned on the horn, but it had little effect. Eventually, the tractor trundled into the entrance to a field and Walker floored the accelerator. The Land Rover screamed down the hill into the small town, hoping not to meet the local police on the way.

  He raced out on to the quay and screeched to a halt. He could see the ferry clearly, leaving a white churning wake as it headed out through the breakwater.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Walker called Andreas, but Nikki wasn’t there. He tried calling her again, but all he got was her cheery voicemail response. He needed to find her, and they had to leave. Andreas could take them to the mainland. He had a go-bag in a locker in the railway station in Athens. Prepared and waiting for a day like today. It had everything they needed. From there, they could go anywhere. As long as he had Nikki, it didn’t matter.

  He tried to remember where her friend lived. It was somewhere behind the church square. He had picked her up there once. He turned the Land Rover around and headed back through the town. He recognized the place as he reached the end of the street and parked. He tried to hold back the panic as he approached the house and knocked on the door.

  A slim Greek girl, about Nikki’s age, answered. “Mister Walker?”

  He remembered she spoke excellent English. Nikki has been teaching her while Elli has been helping Nikki with her Greek.

  It was a stupid question, but he asked it anyway. His gut squeezed tight as he spoke.

  “Is Nikki there?”

  Elli shook her head. “Nikki went home maybe an hour ago. She said you were making barbecue.”

  Walker thanked her and headed back to the Land Rover. He climbed in and sat there, a lump the size of a brick in his chest. She left an hour ago. Around the time someone was taking a pot shot at him.

  The two things did not have to be connected. He always knew his past life could catch up with him one day. That was always a possibility, and he had resolved that when it did, he would take care of it. It did not have to have anything to do with Nikki, but he was naïve to believe it would be anything else.

  He put the Land Rover in gear and headed up the narrow street that ran past the church. He pulled out his phone and tried ringing her again. Again, her cheery voice from her voicemail told him to leave a message. Maybe it was a boy. She was at that age. Growing up so fast. God, he so wanted her here right now, apologizing, pouting, giving him a hug, promising to not do it again.

  Something caught his eye as he slowed at the junction at the top of the hill, a momentary flash on the edge of his vision. Walker hit the brakes. The tires squealed to a stop. He glanced in his wing mirror. The street behind him was empty. He could see the entrance to an alley, running off to his left. He backed up the Land Rover. His heart thumped in his chest. It was only the briefest of glimpses, but it was the color that stood out - pink.

  He stopped and got out, then walked up the alley. He knew what it was, but his mind just wouldn’t let it in. But that made little difference. It was lying abandoned, as if discarded there. He was hardly breathing.

  It was Nikki’s bike.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Walker pulled up an App on his phone. He had almost forgotten about it. A friend of his in Piraeus had installed it for him when he had bought her the latest iPhone on her last birthday. It wasn't like the normal Find my Phone App, which if you were a smart girl, like Nikki, you could switch off when you didn't want to be found. This one she didn't know was there, and even if she did, she couldn’t switch it off.