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Chapter ten

Apollo’s Gold

I don’t know how I did it or what I actually did. But I lifted the gun. The noise was terrible, but Mike was dead.

‘Be careful with that gun,’ shouted Takis. ‘You nearly killed me, too.’

I put down the gun.

‘Liz.’ Takis spoke more quietly. ‘It’s OK. It’s OK. Don’t worry. You did what you had to do. I’m sorry I shouted at you. But now just do what I say and get back into the mine. Mr John will be here any moment. I don’t want anything to happen to you.’

‘I’m not leaving you alone like this,’ I said.

I went to pick up the gun.

‘Don’t move,’ said a voice. It was Mr John. ‘Get back,’ he said to me. I moved back away from the gun.

‘You are beginning to make me angry,’ said Mr John. ‘That is not a good thing. And so I am going to kill you.’

He pointed the gun at me. I could see Takis trying to get up, but he wasn’t strong enough.

Then I heard something else outside. It was another boat. It was coming towards the beach. Mr John turned round.

‘This is the police,’ someone shouted. ‘Put down your guns.’ Then Mr John put his arm around my neck.

‘If you come any closer, this woman dies,’ he shouted. But at that moment there was the noise of a gun, and Mr John fell backwards. Then a large man ran into the cave. A man I knew very well. Stavros! Nikos the policeman was with him. He was holding a gun.

‘Is everyone OK’ said Stavros.

‘Yes,’ I said. ‘I think so. How did you find us?’

‘Nikos was working with Takis to catch the terrorists,’ said Stavros. ‘When I couldn’t find you in Poulati I spoke to the police, to Nikos.

He saw you get on the yacht, And Takis had told us the yacht was coming here.’

I started to laugh, And then I started to cry.

The police took Takis and me to a hospital in Athens. They sent me home after one day, but Takis stayed in hospital for a week. I visited him nearly every day.

I also met with Stavros every day. We both felt very sad about Yiannis. In the summer holidays, seven weeks after Yiannis had died, Stavros and his family went back to Poulati to be with Eleni.

I stayed in Athens and, one afternoon in June, while I was at home reading, my doorbell rang. It was Takis. I was really pleased to see him. We talked for a bit. He told me that Mr John and some other men were now in prison.

‘Nikos and the police found the men who bought the guns,’ Takis said.

And I’ve got something for you, Liz.’ He gave me a small brown stone. ‘You told me how much you liked the story of Apollo’s gold,’ he said, ‘so this is for you. I found it in the mines. It’s gold.’

‘Thank you,’ I told him. ‘Thank you very much.’ I took his hand. ‘But I think I found something better than gold in Aghios Sostis.’

Takis smiled at me. ‘I’m glad you feel like that, Liz,’ he said. ‘Because I feel like that, too.’