Death in the Aegean by M. A. Monnin

Author:M. A. Monnin [M. A. Monnin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Level Best Books
Published: 2022-05-17T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Three

Stefanie let Thomas draw her close and they climbed the hill hand-in-hand, neither one speaking.

At the crest of the hill, he lifted the hand that held hers. “There is our shade.”

Olive trees spread across a narrow plateau. He turned her around, and a vista of hills and valleys stretched out for miles, divided by the road they’d driven in on.

Under one of the trees not far from the path, Thomas handed her the bag with drinks and sandwiches, then snapped the blanket open and spread it out. Settling onto the blanket, Stefanie tucked her legs under her skirt and got as comfortable as the rough ground allowed.

Thomas opened the two beers and handed her one, then stretched out on the blanket near her, leaning back on one elbow. “The question is, who has the Akrotiri Snake Goddess now?”

She gave him one sandwich and unwrapped the other.

“Derek and Ursula are the obvious suspects, since Ursula has Emma’s phone. But neither one of them dropped the snake,” she said, studying her sandwich.

“I don’t think they’d sit casually at the beach with a priceless gold relic on hand, do you?”

“No,” she replied. “That wouldn’t make any sense.” Derek hadn’t had a bag of any kind, and Ursula left her purse unguarded enough for Stefanie to spot Emma’s phone. No way was the snake goddess in Ursula’s purse. “Either they turned it in, in which case it would be all over the news, or they sold it. The headlines are still all about the theft.”

“Or they never had it in the first place. Who do you think dropped the snake into your room?”

“I would have said you.” She turned the studious look in his direction. “But you couldn’t have done it and gotten upstairs that quickly.”

Thomas seemed unbothered by her perusal and finished his sandwich in just a few bites.

“I wouldn’t try to scare you.”

“Where did you go after you left my room?”

He smiled. “I followed the sidewalk that circles around the rest of the units. Didn’t see anything.”

“I saw Jason last night,” she said.

“A condolence visit?”

“I was at the bar, looking for whoever dropped the snake.”

“Getting to know him better?” Thomas asked. “Jason?”

“It’s funny you’re concerned,” she said. “Captain Alexandrou warned me about you.”

“Alexandrou lives with his mother.”

Stefanie laughed. “How would you know? Don’t be jealous. Jason was drunk. He was quite appreciative that you’d asked Ursula and Derek if they’d seen Emma.” She paused. “And surprised.”

“That wasn’t why I was there.”

She met his gaze. “No, I didn’t think it was.”

It was his turn to smile. “Derek flashes a lot of cash around.”

What did that mean? That he’d tried to break into Derek’s room for cash?

“I noticed that myself last night.” She kept her expression neutral, hiding her disappointment. His comment yesterday flashed into her mind. Only if you’re caught. That’s what he’d said when she told Gary he’d have to turn in any seal stones he found to the Greek authorities. “I needed Derek’s help to get Jason to his room. I couldn’t have done it on my own.

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