“Much better answer. Love you, bye.”

It wasn’t going to be a big wedding, at least not by Greek standards. Only a few hundred guests. Mykonos was where they fell in love and Lila’s family had a home large enough to accommodate the reception. But deciding to hold it on Greece’s most celebrated party island only ninety miles from Athens during the peak of the summer had turned it into one of the most anticipated social events of the season. Still, Lila wanted to keep it simple. At least as much as possible.

Andreas remembered Lila’s exact words: “We don’t need anything else to make it perfect.” But now she wanted the bridegroom showing up. Women. Always wanting more from a man than they said. He was smiling at his own stupid joke when a bull of a man about a head shorter than Andreas opened the door.

“Is now a good time?”

“Yeah, Yianni, come in.” Andreas pointed to the chair closest to his desk. The men met when detective Yianni Kouros was a brash, young rookie and Andreas the new police chief on Mykonos. They’d been together ever since.

“I had the pleasure of a drop-in visit today from our minister. This just arrived from his office.” He patted the pile of folders Maggie had put on his desk. “It’s on those two Tinos murders.”

“I thought that was your friend’s case?”

“No more. Our minister wants us to close it out ASAP based upon what’s in the file. He asked me to get Tassos to sign off on it. But no way I’m going to raise that with Tassos until I know what’s in here.”

“In other words, until I tell you what’s in there.”

“Smart thinking, detective. Get back to me by this afternoon.” Andreas handed him the folders.

“Any ideas?”

“Yeah, let’s try not to be as narrow-minded in our thinking as our dear minister.”

“Huh?”

“The dead are tsigani. Somehow he thinks that’s the answer to everything and a reason for closing the case. Understand?”