Captive in Crete: The First Jet Wilson Cozy Mystery (Jet Wilson Cozy Mysteries Book 1) by Lyssa Stanson (phonics story books .txt) 📗

By this time, I was on the flat. Soon the road would start to climb again, up into Kousses. I saw a shimmering up ahead and soon realised it was a large puddle spread across the road. A tangle of black pipes was running across the olive grove and into the ground just before the road. They sprang up again the other side and continued on their way, but a leak had obviously formed where they went down, causing the puddle.

Bright blue damselflies flitted about in the air above it and, as I drew nearer, I could hear the drone of wasps coming to drink. I stopped at the edge of the puddle, trying to decide how best to get around it.

As I looked down, I saw tiny black shapes darting around in the water. I crouched down to get a better view and, yes, they were tadpoles. I could hardly believe it. I looked all around, trying to remember the picture Grandma had sent me and cursing my clumsiness at somehow deleting it. I didn’t see anything that looked like the plant from my memory, but I took out my phone and carefully photographed the puddle and its surroundings from all angles. I wouldn’t lose these ones and it would be a doddle to find the place again, once Grandma was safely home.

Emboldened with hope, I walked back a short way then took a run up and leapt over the puddle. At least, I leapt over most of it. My left shoe landed just short of the edge and I walked the rest of the way to Kousses leaving uneven footprints on the road behind me.

Matt was already waiting at the door to the herb shop when I arrived. He waved as I approached and we stood in front of each other, neither quite sure how to say hello. Finally, he took the initiative and gave me a quick, one-armed hug. I only had time to reach my hands to his sides before he released me, but I had enough time to feel his ribs through his t-shirt. There wasn’t an ounce of fat on this man.

“Hey Jet,” he said, “what do you need from me? I’m guessing it’s not help choosing herbs.”

“No,” I said, “come on.” I started walking and he fell in step behind me. When we got to the tiny town square, I pulled him onto a marble floored area containing a couple of benches and a bust of some long-ago Cretan revolutionary. We sat down and I outlined my plan to Matt.

“That’s crazy!” he said, when I’d finished.

“I realise it’s a little unorthodox—”

“Not unorthodox. Crazy. It’s crazy. You could get yourself killed, Jet.”

“It won’t come to that. I’ll be hidden. I just need to borrow your camera so I can take pictures without a flash. My phone camera’s not up to the job.”

He sat with his arms crossed and a frown creasing his brow.

“I’ve already set it in motion,” I reminded him. “Melani is probably broadcasting it from the rooftops as we speak.”

“You could tell Harris Tweed what you’ve done. Let him wait up with a camera.”

I laughed. I could almost see his lower lip pouting.

“Well, why not? I don’t see why you have to do this. It’s what he gets paid for.”

“I have to, Matt. Aristede won’t take me seriously because he thinks he already knows who the killer is.”

Matt unfolded his arms and leant forward to rest his elbow on his knees. He gazed off into the distance and I knew he was weakening.

“My grandmother’s freedom is at stake. Please Matt. I need your help.”

He sighed. “Ok, Jet. I’ll help.”

“Thank you, thank you,” I said, relief washing over me.

“I’ll have to go back to my room and get the camera, then I can show you how it works. It has the settings to work in low light but it’s not straightforward.”

I felt a little nervous when he said this. I had rather been expecting that he would offer to do the photographing. I was determined to go through with it, no matter what, but having someone beside me – particularly someone who could quite literally climb mountains, should the situation require it – would make me feel an awful lot happier.

He must have noticed my hesitation.

“I will be there, Jet. But there’s something I have to do first this evening.”

“Oh, ok. No problem.” I tried to sound nonchalant, but I wasn’t convinced I managed it. “I can handle it alone. As I said, it’s just taking a couple of pictures.”

“I’ll be there, I promise. I just have to do something first. It’s… well, it’s a family thing. I promised my mum.”

I smiled at him. “Can’t break a promise to your mum, now. That would never do.”

“I’ll be there as early as I can.”

“I’m sure of it. Thank you, Matt. You don’t know how much this means to me.”

I thought I saw him blush, but he might just have caught the sun.

Chapter Fourteen – Friday night

Matt had dropped me home then gone to pick up his camera and returned to show me how it worked. He was right, it wasn’t straightforward. He talked at length about ASIN and SPF or some such. Eventually he noticed my eyes glazing over and just handed me the camera, all set up and ready to go. He said it was on the best set up for night-time use. It was unlikely the killer would turn up in daylight, or even dusk, so that made most sense. And I wouldn’t have to fiddle with any knobs or buttons, just point and shoot.

I spent the rest of the afternoon sitting in the sunshine reading and re-reading a page of my latest book. As before,