Greece #3 – A Sunday Short Story

~~A Fictional Tale ~~ Part #1~~ Part #2~~

Not all bullets make a sound.

With a quiet zing, the empty coffee cup shattered on the table where Rhea and Shift Key were about to sit, at the Plaka café. Shift Key flung himself to the stone floor and promptly vanished in the ensuing melee.

Rhea, keeping her body as low as possible, made her way through the crowd in the café shouting, “Get down, get down!” while she hurriedly ushered nearby patrons to safety.

After a few long minutes, it became clear that no other shots were forthcoming. Rhea made an educated guess at the possible location of the shooter. Then, from her cellphone, she dialed the high priority number. Odyn answered.

Rhea explained in short clipped phrases, “Base, this is Hummingbird, one sniper shot fired on my GPS location – Plaka plaza, shooter may still be on site. Permission to follow?”

Odyn replied, “Negative Hummingbird – get out, now! I will notify Hellenic Police. Please allow local police to handle this. Keep your cover intact. Confirm!”

Rhea hung up.

She dashed across the courtyard, her Olympic training, her feet’s ally. She made expeditious work of the distance to the building she had surmised was the sniper’s perch. Rhea vaulted into the building. There were only a few handfuls of employees milling around, many of whom lingered at the windows, observing the scene outside.

Rhea raced up the stairs, assuming that the sniper might also use the stairs instead of the elevator to avoid detection. She reached the fifth floor and the access to the roof, where she opened the door with a loud flourish. The door slammed closed from the force of its opening swing. The roof was unoccupied. Rhea then, scoured the area for any tell-tale signs.

She was on her way to what looked like the dust outline of a tripod when Hellenic Police smashed open the roof access door behind her.

She turned around to a five-member police team demanding that she put her hands up. She complied. She was then unceremoniously inflicted the indignity of being handcuffed and marched out in public to an awaiting police car.

******

Santorini, the whole island shone like a heavenly host hovering above the sea. From the cool of his house boat, Odyn watched the noon-day sunlight render even brighter, the island’s already whitewashed walls. The historic island gleamed in heat waves, as sunshine baked, everything.

Odyn fastened his Donzi 38-footer high-speed catamaran, on the port side of his house boat. It had been a long night. He was about to turn in for some much needed rest.

Just then, his high priority phone rang.

Odyn answered. A voice he knew well, spoke,

“Hummingbird has been arrested. Please extricate her swiftly. Everything must be done through official channels. She must not suspect our plan.”

Odyn replied, “I will need her release letter from the highest level, and a phone call must come from your office to the Hellenic Police chief.”

The caller responded, “Consider it done.” Both parties ended the call in unison.

Odyn, a master of disguise, donned his three piece suit, placing in the catamaran, his briefcase of supplies, with which to later adjust his appearance. From his fedora collection, he selected a grey one, placing his brown hat in its place, below them lay his collection of baseball caps.

He unfastened the rope to his Donzi 38ZRC and sped across the Aegean Sea through to the Mediterranean Sea, and back to Athens.

****

Meanwhile, Rhea sat in police custody waiting to be charged officially. She sat among a waiting room crowd of colorful characters, some sat in silence, while others occasionally professed their innocence to anyone within earshot. She sympathized, as she chided herself for ignoring Odyn’s counsel.

****

What Rhea did not know was that Odyn and Shift Key was one and the same.

****To be continued in the finale next week****