"I've laid her if that's what you mean."

"How long have you known her?"

"We met for the first time on the beach yesterday."

The surprise on Zac's face slowly turned to a sly grin. "You're either a very fast worker or a very adept liar."

"Suit yourself," Pitt said offhandedly. He stood up, stretching to loosen his sore muscles. "I know what you're thinking, and you can forget it."

"It would be interesting to learn just what you see in my thoughts."

"The oldest tactic in the world." Pitt smiled knowingly. "Your intention would have me continue my intimate friendship with Teri in the hope that von Till would accept me as one of the family. This arrangement would in turn give me the run of the villa and a chance to observe the old kraut's actions at firsthand."

Zac met his eyes evenly. "You have excellent perception, my dear Pitt. What do you say, are you game?"

"No chance!"

"May I ask why?"

"I met von Till over dinner last night, and we didn't part the best of friends. In fact, he even sicced his dog on me."

Pitt knew Zac would not appreciate the humor. But what the hell, he thought, why go through the whole maddening story again. He began to wish longingly for a drink.

"From sex with the niece to dinner with the uncle, and all in the same day." Zac shook his head incredulously. "You are indeed a fast worker."

Pitt merely shrugged.

"It's a pity," Zac continued. "You could have been a great help to us on the inside." He puffed on his pipe until the embers in the bowl glowed a vivid orange-red. "We've had the villa under constant surveillance from a distance, but could detect nothing out of the ordinary. Two hundred yards; that was as near as we could get without arousing von Till's suspicions. We thought our little masquerade as tourist guides had finally paid off when you and his niece were apprehended by Colonel Zeno."

"Colonel Zeno?"

Zac nodded, then paused deliberately for effect.

"Yes. He and Captain Darius are members of the Greek Gendarmerie. Technically, Zeno outranks me a few steps, you might say."

"A rank of Colonel in the police?" Pitt asked. "Isn't that a bit unusual?"

"Not if you understood their law enforcement system. You see, with the exception of Athens and a few other larger cities which have their own metropolitan bureaus, the Greek rural and suburban areas are policed by the Gendarmerie, a branch of the national army and a very elite and efficient outfit."

In spite of his hatred for Zeno and Darius, Pitt was impressed.

"That explains their presence, but what about you, Inspector? A narcotics agent after illegal drugs in Greece is the same as an FBI agent after a spy in Spain; it's just not done."