‘Your permit is on its way.’

‘Really?’ He sounded legitimately excited.

Andreas shook his head. ‘No, sorry, the subject never came up. But if it does, I promise to push it.’

Dimitri let out a breath. ‘The bastards.’ He poured himself some ouzo, added ice and water, and took a gulp. ‘I’ll never get it.’

Andreas thought, if Dimitri really is a spy he’s terrific at maintaining his cover. ‘So, Dimitri, tell me what you know about any strangers hanging around the monastery recently.’

Dimitri put down his glass. ‘You want to know about strangers on Patmos around Easter Week? You must be kidding me. It’s one of our busiest times of the year. We are surrounded by strangers.’

‘Come on, you know what I mean. You watch everybody.’

‘If you’re asking me if I’ve seen a great pair of tits I can answer the question, but other than a celebrity or two, there’s no one I would call out of the ordinary. Besides, if you’re looking for someone who came here for the purpose of eliminating Vassilis, don’t you think he – or they – would be careful to blend in? They’d be pros, wouldn’t they?’

Andreas stared at him. ‘Whom do you work for?’

Dimitri laughed. ‘ Touche. As I think you asked me when we first met, “Am I that obvious?”’

Andreas did not smile. ‘Yes.’

Dimitri laughed again. ‘Well, I don’t anymore, but I did a long time ago.’

‘For whom?’

‘If it really matters I’m sure you can find out. I wasn’t any sort of James Bond type, with deeply classified records. I just did the low level sort of analyst work, even got a pension. And a lot of people here know my background. I don’t try to hide it. But I don’t talk about it either.’ Dimitri’s last words were said in a serious tone and without a smile.

Andreas nodded. ‘Okay. But just so we both understand each other, if I find out you had anything to do with what happened to the monk, or are holding anything back,’ he leaned forward, ‘the abbot will seem like your best friend compared to the grief I’ll rain down on you.’