The Collectors Book Two: Full Circle (The Collectors Series 2) (26 page)

“If you meant children you should say so,” said
Elini. “This text-speak or whatever you call it, I fail to understand.”

Bear smiled but didn’t reply.

“And you, Maria,” said Elini.

“My life is with Petros,” said Maria. “I go where he goes. Children are the will of God so I’ll let him decide.”

Bear sat drinking his coffee. “I’ll be honest, I can’t wait to get my hands on Jocelyn. I don’t care who knows it … I miss her.”

“Bear!” retorted Zena.

“We’ll soon be back,” said Petros, attempting to lighten the atmosphere.

“Let me know when,” said Photis. “I’ll arrange a party to end all parties.”

Petros stood, checked the time and shook Photis’s hand.

The big man grinned. “Time to get the truck loaded.
Bear, will you give me a hand?” The men busied themselves carrying suitcases to the truck.

Elini
and Zena held each other and cried. “Zena, you and Jack are always welcome.”

Maria sat in the rear of the truck’s cab with Alysa who had fallen asleep.

Photis glanced at his watch, shook his head in exasperation, then bellowed, “If we don’t leave now your flight to London will be in the air when we get there.”

Chapter Thirty-Three

The flight from Cyprus to Heathrow landed in a full blown blizzard fifteen minutes ahead of schedule. Bear, Maria, Petros and his parents came from inside terminal three into a white-out.

“There’s my Jocelyn,” shouted Bear. He dropped his suitcase onto the ground, grabbed and pulled her close.

Paul and George, Petros’s half brothers, strolled, heads bent, towards their mother and father.

“Hi, Mum, Dad, been waiting long?” said Paul.

“If we’d waited much longer ...”

The deafening roar of a plane overhead drowned their exchange.

Zena hugged her sons. “Ignore your father.”

“Time,” said Petros. He embraced his mother, shook Jack’s hand and waited while everyone else did the same.

Paul kissed Maria on both cheeks. “You’re as gorgeous as ever and how’s my girlfriend?” He lifted Alysa from her pushchair and cuddled her.

“Come,” said George. “Petros, keys.
Your BMW’s parked in the bay next to Dad’s Lexus. The ticket’s on the dash.”

“Thanks, George. I owe you.”

“I’ll give you a bell sometime tomorrow,” said Bear as he and Jocelyn, with faces lowered, walked away.

“Okay. Take care,” shouted Petros.

Inside the multi-story car park Maria stopped pushing Alysa. “What’s happening? I can understand Jocelyn meeting Bear. But why did George bring your car and Paul Jack’s?”

“Your wife is not stupid, Petros,” said Zena. “You’d better tell her.”

“No, Mama, I won’t. She can wait.” He noticed the questioning gaze in his wife’s eyes.

Petros said goodbye and drove behind Jack up through the levels to the exit where he inserted his ticket. The barrier lifted and a slow journey began.

A few minutes elapsed before Maria spoke. “This isn’t the way to
Dream Chaser
.”

“This is the way home.”

She laughed. “What do you mean?”

“Just after Alysa was born you said it wasn’t right to raise a child on a boat and we had plenty of time to find somewhere with a garden. You now have one with lawns and trees and a river at the bottom.”

She gazed at him, her eyes excited. “Where?”

“Pangbourne.”

“Where?”

Petros sighed impatiently. “Can I concentrate on my driving? The weather’s treacherous.”

The M4 motorway reduced to one lane and the traffic crawled as it followed a single snowplough. Swirling drifts blew from the west. The sun ceased to exist and the car’s headlights illuminated the dazzling snow.

Ten minutes after exiting at junction twelve, the road narrowed. Petros changed into first gear as they negotiated a downward sloping hill. The orange glow from the streetlights marked the road’s dimensions.

“Home, sweet home.” He drove through the open gate set into a stone wall and along the gravel driveway to the front entrance. Snow tumbled off the trees as they passed.

“It’s big,” said Maria, almost in a whisper.

“Wait in the car until I open up, then grab Alysa and run.”

As soon as Maria and Alysa entered, he shut the house door.

“It’s nice and warm.”

“It better be. I’ve had my brothers check the place over.”

She gazed all round the large expanse of empty space then looked at Petros. “Okay, so when did you buy this?”

“A week before we left for Cyprus.
Got a good deal. Come, let me show you.” He led the way into the main dining room. The highly polished wood floor made the space without furnishings appear huge.

“There’s no furniture.”

“I know. I reckon you and my mama will have a great time rummaging around a million shops. I did get something though. Give me Alysa and come upstairs.” He took the stairs two at a time, with Alysa laughing, then stood at the top and waited. “That door is to our bedroom.”

She opened it. A large four-poster bed occupied one wall. With a giggle, she ran across and bounced on the mattress. “Trust you to get your priorities right.” She jumped off and checked the en-suite bathroom. “This is amazing. Power-shower, bidet, and corner bath with Jacuzzi.”

“A house warming present from my brothers. The existing bathroom came out of the Ark. Alysa has her own room next to ours. There’s a guest bedroom with en-suite. I think mama rather likes that one. And a spare for anyone who wants to stay the night. Downstairs, the kitchen is ready to use, the fridge and freezer are full of food. I have a study. Don’t you think this is a great house?”

“My first impression is that it’s big … but you can sense the love. It welcomes you.”

“Come and look out of the balcony window. Great view when it stops snowing.”

“PK, this is wonderful. I don’t know what to say, but I need to discover what’s in the fridge. We won’t be going anywhere tonight, and the way that snow is falling tomorrow will be a no-no too.”

“Tomorrow I’ll collect
Dream Chaser
and bring her up river. Now I have my own mooring, no sense in paying for one.”

She came away from the window and put her arms around his waist. “I sometimes think you love that boat more than me.”

He pulled her close and kissed her.

Epilogue

On leaving the house, his footsteps muffled by the deep snow, Petros trudged up the hill to Pangbourne railway station. Eighteen inches had fallen overnight and brought southern England to a standstill.

The train for Paddington arrived an hour behind schedule, but grateful passengers did not complain. Petros told Maria when he left that if the weather worsened he would sleep on
Dream Chaser
. The journey became a stop-go scenario as drifts covered the tracks.

Two hours later he stepped onto the platform at Paddington to hear that services on the underground had been seriously curtailed. Thankfully, the Circle line still operated a normal service. An hour disappeared before he walked the familiar length of the cleared and salted cobblestones. The wind shifted and swept snow along the walkway. Head low, he strolled towards the bistro which his friend Andreas managed. Its interior sparkled in the fluorescent light. He stamped his feet on the mat and took a stool by the main counter.

“What’s this?” Andreas asked. “I thought you were coming back yesterday.”

“A large black coffee please, Andreas, and yes, I returned yesterday.” He sipped at the perfectly brewed dark aromatic liquid. “I’ll grieve for your coffee; you make it just right.”

He turned towards the window. Across St Katherine’s Dock, the Thames barges covered in snow had taken on a Christmas card look but not a single person could be seen. “I’ll miss this place. So many memories and of course, you, Andreas. Where’s Charlie?”

“Out the back, sleeping. He knows he can’t come in and I now more or less understand what you just said.”

“We moved into our new house yesterday. Maria is over the moon. By the way, Andreas, I have an offer for you.” Petros cleared his throat. “You know I own half of those luxury flats on the dock and rent them to those who can afford them. Well, up until now, I’ve looked after them when I’m here. Since I married Maria and now have Alysa, I’ve coped. Tenants left a message on my answering machine and I contacted my stepfather who checked out whatever and fixed it. But now I need someone to manage my properties. Agree and I’ll pay you a thousand a month. I need an answer sooner rather than later.”

Andreas’s face relaxed. “No problem, PK, I’ll do it. You’ve always been up front but this is brilliant. With the extra money I can rent a decent flat.”

“You’ll soon get used to it so don’t go mad.”

“No
probs, PK. Give me the details and what you want and away I’ll go.”

Petros finished his coffee and stood. Andreas came from behind the counter and joined him. “When are you moving the boat?”

“Today was my plan but perhaps tomorrow.”

“Charlie loves
Dream Chaser
but hates travelling on it.”

“With your help and a plateful of crispy bacon we could coax him into my bedroom and lock the door. He might be okay if you were with him.”

“We can give it a try. You can cast off and push us away from the dock wall. I’ll keep Charlie calm when you start the engines. If he gets on deck he’ll have to accept it’s a long swim.”

“It could work.” Petros removed his mobile from his coat pocket and pressed memory button one. “Maria, I’m staying on board tonight and will bring her up-river tomorrow with Andreas.
How’s things?”

“We need a gate for the stairs. Alysa thinks it’s a great game trying to crawl up them. She made the fourth one before I spotted her.”

“She sounds as determined as her mother. What other problems have you found?”

“A Mrs Kate Nelson visited this morning. She cleaned for the last owners and wondered if I required her services. I hired her and she starts tomorrow.”

“You’re kidding.”

“Big houses need cleaning. I’ll look after Alysa happily and cook, but cleaning ...”

“Okay, I accept that. More to the point, with luck I’ll arrive home late in the afternoon.”

“You take care; it must be freezing on the river.”

“No problem. Love you. ’Bye.”

Petros replaced the phone in his pocket and turned to Andreas. “I’m going to my boat. I bet it’s like a fridge. Can you bring our supper, a couple of bottles of wine and I’ll pay. You can sleep on board. That way we can get an early start in the morning. Will your boss mind you closing up shop for a day?”

Andreas shrugged and grinned. “This place has lost money opening today. Let’s face it, I’ve had one customer – you.”

Petros stood, buttoned up his overcoat and left. Twenty metres along the jetty a wet nose nuzzled his hand. “Hi, Dog.” He gave Charlie a pat on the head as he walked at his side.

On entering the main cabin of
Dream Chaser
, Petros switched on every heater. The lights dimmed, advising him that the shore power connection was overloaded. He turned to find Charlie nestling into his basket and blankets.

“You know the best place, don’t you, Dog.” He smiled as Charlie raised his head and barked once. “Well, like it or not, I’ll have to start one engine or we’ll both freeze to death.”

From the internal control panel he operated the pre-heater. “Shit.” The lights flickered and went out. In the gloom and shivering he waited until the little red neon on the console turned green. “Thank Christ for that.” He pressed the starter. It fired and settled into a steady rhythm. “Now,” he muttered to himself, “Lights, heaters. You haven’t moved, Dog.” He stroked Charlie’s head. “Why do they say it’s a dog’s life?”

Within half an hour the temperature throughout the boat rose to seventy degrees.

The telephone rang. “PK, Andreas. Does this sound okay? Tomato soup for starters, mixed grill for main course and cheesecake for dessert.”

“Wonderful, what’s the damage?”

“It’s my celebration dinner so it’s on me. You’re paying for the plonk.”

“Sounds good to me, what time?”

“Sevenish.”

“You’d better bring a mixed grill for Charlie.”

“Organised.”

“See you at seven.”

For what remained of the afternoon, Petros checked
Dream Chaser
from stem to stern in preparation for the trip up river.

Loud voices, music and the sound of clinking glasses emanated from the main cabin. Anyone mad enough to be out on a freezing night might have believed a party was in full swing.

*  *  *

Petros’s eyes snapped open as a grey dawn seeped through the deck lights. He turned and stared into Charlie’s face.

“You want out, Dog?” He pressed the remote on the console and the main door slid open, its timed sequence closing it fifteen seconds later. He let his head fall back onto the cushion and remembered. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. Across the cabin, Andreas lay stretched out on the floor. A pillow nestled under his head.

“Andreas, wakey, wakey.” Petros shook his shoulder.

“What
the ...?”

“Come on, shift your arse. It’s going to be a long day.”

Andreas crawled onto the settee. “I go nowhere before at least two cups of Nescafé and at the moment I have shit for brains. Did we drink four bottles last night?”

“We did. The water in the kettle’s boiled. You make the brew while I study the Thames Pilot.” He leant back and started to count. “Jesus, we have twenty-three locks to negotiate and most of them we’ll need to work ourselves. Andreas, I’ve cocked up. I believed I could get to Pangbourne in a day and I can’t ask you to take two days off. I’m going to give Bear a ring.”

Andreas shrugged. “Here’s your coffee, strong and black. I’ll stay until I run out of time and get a train back into town.”

“That’s good of you, Andreas. Thanks.” Petros sipped his while contacting Bear. “Hi, Bear. Sorry to disturb you but I need a favour.”

“If I can help, I will.”

“I’m moving
Dream Chaser
up river to the house and I need another pair of hands.”

“I thought you were going to ask Andreas?”

“He’s here, but it’ll take two days.”

“Okay, I’ll let Jocelyn know what’s happening. Will you ask Andreas to get plenty of grub on board for snacks and
things. I need breakfast.”

“No
probs, big man.” He closed his mobile. “Andreas, Bear’s on his way but as always he demands edibles and you know the state of my fridge. Can you gather up enough food to keep us happy for a couple of days? Put it on my bill along with the wine for last night.”

“I’ll go now and take what we need from the bistro. I agree with Bear. A good hearty breakfast will set us up for the day.”

“And I wanted an early start.”

Bear arrived as Andreas plated the meal.

“Bet you followed the smell across the dock.”

Bear sat at the table. “When PK phones I invariably shift my arse. Today the price is nourishment.” He took the full platter from Andreas and grabbed two brown rolls. “Thanks.
A life saver by any other name. Where’s Charlie?”

“Gone for his morning constitutional but he’ll be back when he smells bacon cooking.”

Scratching at the cabin door made them laugh. “Talk of the devil and Dog arrives.” The door opened and a tail-wagging Charlie entered.

“Here you are,” said Andreas. “Come with me.” He led Charlie into
Petros’s cabin, placed the plate filled with overcooked bacon on the floor and sat on the bed. The animal waited and drooled, his eyes fixed on Andreas. “Go on, eat it.”

Petros shut the cabin door, slid his feet into fur-lined boots and shoved the remnants of his breakfast into his mouth. “Finish yours, Bear, and I’ll join you up top in a couple of minutes.”

He slipped on his thick white wool jumper, grabbed his foul-weather parka, pulling it on as he went up top. Slush covered the quay as he untied the fore and aft lines and tossed them onto the aft deck. Next, he removed the springs and with the aid of a boat hook eased
Dream Chaser
away from the wall. He waited until she drifted a few metres before pressing the start button. With a deep rumble and then a roar, the rev counters settled at one thousand.

He tested both ahead and astern propulsion before switching the radio to channel 80. “St Katherine’s, this is
Dream Chaser
ready to leave the dock.”

“
Dream Chaser
, this is St Katherine’s. The lock is open. Bon voyage.”

“St Katherine’s, thank you.” At four knots
Dream Chaser
entered the flooding tidal stream of the Thames. For warmth, Petros zipped up his parka and pulled the hood round his face. The biting wind burned his face and blurred his vision. From a recess, he removed a pair of Ray-Bans.

Andreas released Charlie from the cabin and he raced to the aft deck.

“Hi, Dog,” said Petros. “We’re going to a new home, a place where you can run around and enjoy the country life.”

Charlie placed his front paws on the stern and yapped.

“Be quiet, Dog. Go back to your basket.” Charlie barked softly and re-entered the cabin, found his basket and settled.

Petros eased the throttles back as
Dream Chaser
passed under the central span of Tower Bridge.

“Coffee,” said Bear. “Keep the cold out.”

“Where’s your lifejacket?” said Petros.

“On my bunk.”

“Do you a lot of good there if you slip and fall in.”

“I can swim better than you.”

“I know but in that water you’d freeze before you drowned.”

“You win. I’ll get it. Andreas, chuck us my lifejacket,” shouted Bear. “Captain
Plugge has a moody on.”

Petros looked across at Bear and laughed.

“What the fuck is that idiot doing?”

“Where, Bear?”

“The Millennium Bridge, front and centre.”

Petros handed his binoculars to
Bear. “Check it out. I’ll get closer.”

He increased speed. At ten metres he adjusted the revolutions to maintain position.
“Sitrep.”

“Female, fully clothed,” said Bear. “The police are on the bridge. Shit, she’s jumped.” For an instant he stood mesmerised as the woman fell, her coat blooming like a parachute before she plunged into the icy depths.
“Left hand side, PK. I’m going in.”

In three strides he dived into the swirling dark water.

The woman disappeared. Seconds later she surfaced. Bear, on his back, his lifejacket inflated, held the hostile form tight to his chest. The river’s current caught and swept them away.

“Andreas!” screamed Petros. His pulse quickened as adrenalin filled his system. “Need you on deck now.” It wasn’t a request.

Caught in the flow, Bear drifted as
Dream Chaser
manoeuvred. Petros matched their speed with Bear, drew closer and shut down the port engine.

Andreas tossed a life ring with a rope attached. Bear caught it with one hand.

Petros allowed
Dream Chaser
to move smoothly towards the struggling pair until he was ready. In an instant he stopped the starboard shaft, raced to the side and assisted Andreas as they heaved the woman on board. Seconds later Bear dragged himself over the side.