A Paradise to Die For by David James Dixon

Author:David James Dixon [David James Dixon]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Naxos

Katerina felt groggy and a little bilious when she was woken by the knock on the door. Mergim pushed it open gently to let the light penetrate the room to allow her a few seconds to adjust her eyes. She was blissfully unaware of his intrusion into the room during the night and although nothing happened, it was better for her that she did not know. Mergim invited her to use the bathroom while he prepared breakfast for her. She would be all alone in the villa until tomorrow and he allowed her some extra time outside of her confines as compensation. While she ate breakfast unaccompanied in the kitchen, he prepared the room, taking in a night light, bottled water and a bucket. All of the window shutters were closed and locked. There was no natural light in the villa and it gave the interior a gloomy and depressive feel. Katerina worked hard at blocking the negative emotions that the artificial light evoked. The villa also had a distinctive smell, the type found in houses that have not been lived in for a while. Her hearing had become more finely tuned, picking up on conversations between her captors and some external sounds. She had no idea where she was, but had deduced that she was not in a heavy traffic area. Two or three times a day she would hear the sound of a bus passing by, but it only seemed to be travelling in one direction.

Mergim entered the kitchen and Katerina resisted the temptation to speak. Her efforts to engage with him last evening had resulted in a quick return to the room. She felt that he was on the verge of opening up to her, but she was not going to push it, it was up to him.

He picked up her empty dishes and placed them in the sink, then turned back to face her. ‘I need to take a look at your throat.’

Katerina did not reply. She tilted her head back as if to allow him permission.

Mergim gently eased back the gauze pad and inspected the wound. His sister had told him to look for redness and any signs of pus. The wound was clear. He applied a fresh piece of gauze and asked her if she needed to use the bathroom again. She declined the offer and he led her back to the room. Her first action, once he closed and locked the door, was to turn off the light that he had placed in the room. She preferred the darkness.

It was approaching lunchtime when the tourist bus drove past the villa on its daily tour of the northern part of Naxos. Mergim patiently waited for it to pass and park further up the road before he stepped out of the villa and walked down the lane to retrieve his blue Hyundai car. There was more than an hour before the ferry departed Naxos for Amorgos. He would wait until he was onboard before texting his sister to let her know that he was on his way.

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