The morning sun felt beautifully warm through his tee-shirt as Jake stood on Zengounas Beach. The wind had died away and the sea was a sheet of crystal clear turquoise. But he had his back to the water and was looking intently at the taverna. A closed sign hung in the window and the old Mercedes was missing from its usual place behind the shed at the side, a tell-tale patch of oil on the sandy concrete the only evidence of it ever having been there.
Spyros’ boat was missing too and it looked as though the taverna had been abandoned. But Jake reasoned that Spyros must be out fishing and Petrina had taken the car to go shopping. He jumped decisively up onto the terrace, threaded his way between the tables and knocked on the huge plate glass doors. The sound echoed in the empty restaurant.
He had got up early that morning and was waiting when Alesandro arrived, singing to himself as he got out of his van.
‘Sorry, no letters today, my friend,’ he had boomed when he saw Jake coming out to meet him.
Jake had forced himself not to wince as the greengrocer shook his hand over-firmly.
‘The letter you brought yesterday, Alesandro; did you see Taki?’
‘No, they say Taki has gone away,’ he said carelessly, selecting a pocket of oranges. ‘That letter, it came from the taverna.’
‘Serious? The taverna?’
‘Huh, I see you don’t believe me, my young friend. I did not see anybody there, but it was in the empty fruit boxes out the back.’
‘But who would send a message from the taverna?’ Jake asked, incredulous.
‘There is Selena, you know her of course, Spyros’ daughter, she has sent lots of letters to Taki before,’ Alesandro replied, slinging the orange pocket over his shoulder. ‘Cousins of course.’
‘But she’s in Athens,’ Jake picked up a box of fruit and followed the greengrocer into the kitchen. ‘Isn’t she?’
‘I don’t know,’ Alesandro shrugged. ‘I not see her. Why don’t you go and ask?’
‘Yeah, I’ll do exactly that,’ Jake replied slowly.
He cupped his hands to his face as he tried to peer into the interior of the restaurant, but the reflective glass made that impossible.
He knocked again before sitting down on one of the terrace chairs.
It was the same sort of writing, but ballpoint this time, not pencil. ‘I am back’ meant it was Selena that was back, not Taki. Spyros had told him that Selena had gone away to her aunt for two weeks, so was she really back? It said Zoë was okay but how on earth did she know?
Jake jumped at a sudden noise behind him. A bolt on the sliding glass door was being pulled up with a metallic screech. The hairs on the back of his neck rose as he stared at the door. The glass gave a perfect reflection of the bay that shook slightly as the door slid slowly open.
‘It’s okay,’ a voice called in a stage whisper. ‘It’s me.’
Jake got warily to his feet.
‘Come inside, quickly,’ the voice said and a hand appeared in the narrow opening, beckoning.
He slipped through the opening, the door slid closed behind him and the bolt was pushed home. Only when the person straightened up, was he sure who it was.
‘Selena!’ he exclaimed. ‘Your dad said you were in Athens.’
‘Supposed to be, but I ran away,’ Selena replied, tossing her head dismissively and sending her long dark hair flying. She leant forward impulsively and kissed him quickly on both cheeks. ‘You okay, Jake?’
He nodded, momentarily overcome by her obvious affection. She was wearing blue jeans and a snow-white tee-shirt that looked good with her olive complexion, but her normally sparkling eyes were dull.
‘My father is angry but I won’t go back,’ she said, her jaw set. ‘He said in that case I must not go outside.’
‘You sent the message yesterday?’
‘Yes, you knew it’s from me, right?’
‘Not straight away,’ he said defensively.
‘When Taki and I send messages we never put our names. Just in case, as you say.’ She pushed her hair away from her face, her grey eyes anxious. ‘Listen, I am so sorry about Zoë. But she is okay, I’m sure.’
‘You’re sure? How? Where is she?’ the questions exploded from Jake.
Selena frowned. ‘I am almost sure,’ she spoke more slowly now. ‘It’s complicated to explain.’
‘Look, sit down and tell me everything.’ Jake steered her over to a table in the corner away from the windows and pulled out a chair as though he was a waiter seating a guest.
‘First up, where’s Syntagma?’ he asked as he sat down opposite her.
She bit her lip. ‘I hoped you might know,’ she confessed.
‘Why…how…?’ Jake had trouble framing his next question.
‘Not the famous Syntagma Square in Athens, for sure,’ Selena interrupted.
‘It’s here on Corfu then?’
‘Yes, I think it is not too far from here, and on the coast.’
‘On the coast,’ Jake repeated mechanically. ‘But how did you hear about it?’
She looked at Jake and put out a hand towards him, tears starting to well up in her eyes. ‘I think it’s my fault,’ she said, her voice cracking.
‘It can’t be your fault.’ Jake touched her hand gently. He never had a hanky when he needed one. There were some paper napkins on a nearby table and he offered her one. She gratefully dabbed at her eyes.
‘Why not start at the beginning?’ he suggested.
‘Okay, from the beginning,’ she agreed and sat quietly for a few moments, gathering her thoughts.
‘The monks make liqueur in the monastery, you know?’ she asked. ‘Made of cumquats that they grow; Crown of Thorns they call it – very popular. We sell it here and last Christmas time my father phoned to ask for more. Usually they send an old monk with the boxes on a donkey but when I opened the door, there was a young monk I had not seen before. He said the donkey was sick so they sent him.’ She smiled at the memory.
‘He had a box under each arm and came inside and put them on the bar. My parents were out and I asked him if he wanted water.’
‘What was his name?’ Jake asked but had already guessed the answer.
‘Brother Warren.’ She looked at Jake with a coy expression.
‘But isn’t he a silent order monk?’
‘He told me he could choose one person to talk to every day.’
Jake shook his head in disbelief; a silent monk with good chat-up lines.
‘We sat and talked and he drank beer,’ she said. Then my parents came back and he left quickly without even saying good-bye properly.’
‘Have you seen him again?’
‘I asked Taki to give him a message. I keep in touch with Taki with these messages – his idea. Alesandro is like a clockwork you say,’ she looked at him enquiringly and Jake nodded. ‘Every day with fruit and milk. I’ve sent maybe two messages every week to Taki, using the code so nobody but us can read it.’
‘Yeah, a great idea,’ Jake said.
‘I asked Taki to tell Warren I’d be up at the bench at sunset. Taki told me later he didn’t want to tell him, but he did.’
‘So what happened?’ Jake prompted again.
‘I waited in the cold wind. It was raining a little and after half an hour I came back home. But the next night I went again at the same time and that night he came. We sat on the old bench and talked. I told him about my gap year and about college next year and he talked mostly about Africa. He is different from the other boys I know.’ She leant across the table towards Jake. ‘He is so confident and he tells stories about his life before when he was a game ranger. About beautiful animals and birds coming to drink at the river or at special watering holes. He also talked about shooting animals but I don’t like that,’ she grimaced. ‘He said he had taken the silent vows but for me he would take a chance! But he was always worried that someone would see us talking.’
Selena sighed. ‘I met him many times, always at the bench and half an hour after sunset. My heart beat a little faster when the sun started dropping into the sea. I told my parents I go for a walk on the beach but I climbed up the hill at the end and went to the bench. Two times Warren didn’t come because he was busy. But many nights we sat together and watched the world getting dark and talked about life. But last week someone saw us together and it seems they told Father Theo who spoke to my father.’
She pulled at the napkin, shredding it. ‘My dad was watching out when I got back here and asked me very quietly where I had been. I told him just a walk up the beach, but he asked me straight if I had seen the monk.’
She paused before saying, ‘I can’t lie to my father so I told him I had seen him. He was upset and angry and the very next day he sent me to my aunt.’
‘But what about Zoë being at Syntagma?’ Jake tried not to sound impatient.
‘My mother told me on the phone about Zoë. I couldn’t stay in Athens a second longer with this happening in Zengounas. My aunt didn’t try to stop me leaving – she seemed to understand. When I heard Zoë had disappeared from the bench and it was just after sunset, I guessed she must have decided to go and tell Warren that I had been sent away.’
‘So that’s what she was doing there,’ Jake said softly.
‘I had phoned Zoë and she was upset for me and came to say good-bye. She stayed while I packed and I told her what had happened.’
Jake passed her another napkin and she dabbed her eyes again.
‘And you told Zoë when and where you used to meet Warren?’
Selena nodded. ‘Just in conversation,’ she said defensively. ‘So, it is my fault, you see.’
‘But you didn’t ask her to go up there.’
‘No,’ she sniffed. ‘But she must have gone – she is so caring.’
‘It all fits together,’ Jake said slowly. As Zoë had got up from the supper table his mum had remarked that is was nearly dark. She had deliberately gone then and it was nothing to do with his winding her up.
‘As soon as I got home I sent a short letter to Warren with Alesandro just asking him to meet me.’
‘And he told you she was okay and about Syntagma?’
‘He came to the bench – I was a little surprised – and I made a big fuss and cried and said my good friend has gone and I think it is something to do with them.’
She glanced quickly at Jake’s expectant face, before looking down. ‘Warren is handsome and strong, like someone you see in a magazine. But he is not very clever at arguing with a girl or saying ‘no’ to her.’
‘Go on.’
‘First he said it was nothing to do with Agios Petros. The monks had helped look for her and of course they wouldn’t look if they knew where she was, would they? Anyway, why would they have done anything to her? Then he said don’t worry, he was sure she’s okay.’ The words were pouring out of Selena so fast that Jake had difficulty following what she was saying.
‘So I asked him how he could be sure she’s okay.’
‘What did he say?’
‘He bluffed but after a bit he got impatient and said, ‘stop talking about Zoë.’ I asked how he knew her name and I could see from his face that I had trapped him. Then he said ‘her name is in the papers’, but I quickly asked ‘where is she?’ and he was confused and answered without thinking, ‘Syntagma.’’
‘Where is that?’ Jake asked.
Selena spread her hands, palms up. ‘Of course, I asked him at once, ‘Where is Syntagma?’ but he stood up and said quickly, ‘I never said that’. But he had,’ she added emphatically.
‘He told me to forget it and went down the path to the monastery without looking back. But I had to tell you, Jake, because I really am not sure what is happening.’ Her lower lip trembled and her tears flowed.
Jake hesitantly reached out a consoling hand, but Selena pushed it away. ‘It’s all my fault,’ she sobbed.
Jake sat uncomfortably, torn between comforting Selena and trying to make sense of what she’d been telling him.
‘D’you know Bill Blizzard has been arrested?’ he asked.
She gave another big sob but didn’t look up. ‘Yes, my father told me,’ she said. ‘Everyone in the village knows and they are saying bad things about him.’ She looked up and her tear-rimmed eyes met his. ‘But it’s not him,’ she said.
Then, looking past him, she stood up hurriedly, wiping away her tears. ‘My father is coming!’
Spyros had already pulled his boat up the beach and was lifting up a bunch of fish tied with heavy twine.
‘Don’t tell anyone I’ve told you this,’ Selena said, putting an arm on Jake’s shoulder and guiding him quickly towards the door onto the street.
‘You mean you haven’t told your dad?’
She stopped and pulled him round to face her. ‘Tell him I’d seen Warren again? Are you crazy?’
‘But I must tell my parents,’ he protested. ‘We must find this Syntagma place.’
Selena opened the door. ‘Yes, but my father mustn’t know I spoke to you,’ she said, holding his hand tightly.
They heard the side door of the taverna open and Spyros call out, ‘Selena!’
‘Okay, I promise,’ Jake said quietly and Selena squeezed his hand and let it go with a quick flash of a tearful smile.
The door closed with a click and Jake was on the village street, dazzled by the sunlight reflected off the whitewashed cottage opposite. He screwed up his eyes and looked back, but Selena was no longer visible through the frosted glass door. The small sign saying ‘closed’ swung gently on its piece of yellowing string.
