“I don’t have it with me at the moment. Right now, the Athens investigators are more interested in the note they found. I have a photocopy, if you could take a look?”
“Of course.”
He opened his notebook, pulling out a slip of paper and handing it to her. “Have you ever seen this before?”
She studied it a moment, then shook her head. “No, but it looks like my grandfather’s writing.”
Dimitris looked over her shoulder, reading the note. “A. Cave. 9 . . . A has to be Adrian.”
“That would be the logical assumption,” the chief said before returning his attention to Zoe. “I don’t suppose you know what the 9 means?”
Zoe gave a slight shrug. “I can only assume the time of day?”
“It must be,” Remi said. “That’s around the same time Dimitris and I saw them
up on the hill.”
“That’s exactly when we were up there.” Dimitris pinned his gaze on the chief. “That proves he killed him.”
“Easy does it,” Sam said to Dimitris, earning an appreciative look from the chief. “They’re not going to be able to make an arrest based on one note found in Tassos’s pocket.”
“Mr. Fargo’s right,” the chief said as Dimitris bristled, his fists tight. “We need more evidence. I’m sure you’ve heard the term before, but the wheels of justice turn slowly.”
Zoe took a ragged breath. “How can it not be enough?”
Remi, seeing her friend close to tears, reached out and clasped her hand. “Maybe we could finish this tomorrow?”
The police chief hesitated, then nodded. “Of course. I apologize for the bad timing, but the investigators from Athens felt this was important.”
Zoe nodded, wiping the tears from her eyes.
“I’ll walk you out,” Sam said to the chief.
Remi hesitated in the doorway after they left, worried more about Dimitris than Zoe. “Are you going to be okay?”
His jaw was clenched as he watched the two men walk off. He gave a sharp nod.
Zoe smiled at her. “We’ll be fine. I just need a few minutes to compose myself before we go out.”
“Let me know if either of you need anything.”
“Thank you. To Sam, too. The both of you have been so much help already.”
It was a short while later, after Dimitris and Zoe returned to the gathering, that Dimitris approached Sam. “I need some advice. I don’t know what to do about Zoe, how to help her.”
Remi smiled at him. “I’ll give you two some privacy.”
“No, it’s fine,” Dimitris said. “It’s just . . . I don’t know what to say to her. I’ve never been in this situation before. If the police aren’t going to make an arrest, what do I tell her? We can’t let Kyril get away with this.”
“He won’t get away with it,” Sam replied. “Police investigations like this take time. What you can do is make sure she’s surrounded by family and friends. Just knowing how many people love her and loved Tassos will help keep her mind off the frustration over how long it’s taking.”
Dimitris glanced back at Zoe, who was hugging one of her friends. He looked at Sam. “I’ll try.”
Remi linked her arm through Sam’s as they watched Dimitris return to Zoe’s side. “That was pretty impressive, Fargo. I didn’t know you could be so philosophical.”
“Just repeating what I heard my dad say once.”
“Let’s hope it helps him. I think he was more upset than Zoe was when he learned the police weren’t going to run out and make an immediate arrest.”