Nell’s face twisted into an ironic smile. ‘This would make my daughter laugh. Me giving marital advice! It’s taken her twenty years to even talk to me. And how about this for a diversion? The ghastly Marigold would like us all to meet up and go out for dinner. And you’d better watch out. I rather think she’s got her eye on your handsome Nikos.’

‘Well, that would be one solution to my problem,’ Penny laughed. ‘I’m game if you are.’

Unusually for Dora, she got dressed without even thinking about what she was going to wear.

She was feeling stupid about the way she’d reacted to Xan Georgiades and his dodgy-looking friend. The man could be anyone, and Georgiades was just naturally resentful of her because she’d interfered at the public meeting by supporting Ariadne. It was equally ridiculous to feel nervous about showing Karl the cave where she thought there could be something hidden.

They didn’t even have to draw attention to themselves by hiring their own boat from the quay. As long as they found one that had a small blow-up motorboat that went right into the caves, they should be able to see what had caught her eye last time. Tomorrow she’d take Karl down to see if they could detect anything suspicious.

Unless, of course, someone had moved it.

Twelve

They all gathered round a long table, laid for nine. It was a glorious night and the last rays of sunset still illuminated the harbour, outlining the fishing boats against a sky streaked not just with pink but yellow, grey, blue and orange.

‘It’s such a beautiful place,’ Nell sighed. ‘Such a pity the tourists all flock to Santorini when they could discover all this.’ She gestured round at the beach and the tamarisk trees.

‘Is that what you’d want?’ Moira countered. ‘So many cruise ships they have to ration them?’

‘They could send one here, surely that would help,’ Nell persisted.

‘The town is thinking of allowing that,’ Nikos said quietly. He was dressed casually in white chinos and a crisp cotton shirt that Penny loved because it brought out the light blue of his eyes. ‘That, or allowing an airport.’

‘But that would be terrible!’ Penny protested. ‘Just look at what happened to Zanthos when they got an airport!’

‘What snobs you all are,’ Marigold sneered. ‘What’s wrong with cruise ships and airports?’

‘Nothing, of course,’ Nell agreed. ‘It’s just that Kyri is such a special place.’

‘Bloody boring, if you ask me,’ Marigold shrugged. ‘It could do with a bit of rowdy nightlife. A few stag parties would liven the place up.’

‘There you are, Nikos,’ Penny giggled. ‘You could make Kyri the stag party capital of the Cyclades!’