Page 132 of Villa of Secrets

Suddenly, she realised Rebecca was at her side.

‘He’ll be all right, Sis. I promise you. Go to bed for a few hours. I’ll sit and watch, and wake you if anything new comes up. They won’t let anything happen to their staff, believe me.’

Naomi shook her head. ‘Look, people are still inside and on the decks! The whole damn ship’s about to flip! They’ll be sucked down with the vessel.’ She struggled to hold it together, but couldn’t. ‘I wish I hadn’t told him to go to hell. Why did I do that? Stupid fool!’

She lost track of time. Rebecca placed a mug of coffee in front of her.

‘Let’s make you some breakfast. It’ll help I promise,’ Rebecca said, sitting on the arm of Bubba’s chair, rubbing Naomi’s back gently.

Naomi shook her head. ‘I’ve heard the caldera’s bottomless, the centre of a four-thousand-year-old volcano. Once the ship goes under, there’ll be no chance for anyone left on board.’

Papas Yiannis came into the cottage. ‘Any news of Costa? They say three thousand have been taken off, but Santorini can’t cope with the communication overload. They’ve asked everyone to post information on Facebook.’

Naomi shook her head. ‘Costa hasn’t got a Facebook page. Look! There are people still on the upper decks! How could this happen? If he’s safe he’d have called. He’ll know I’m frantic.’ She fought another sob. ‘If anything happens to him . . . I can’t live without Costa. Why did we have to fight? I hate myself . . .’

She stared at the screen. A helicopter transmitted from above the listing ship. Tables, cushions and chairs suddenly raced across the vacated sundeck. They would have knocked anyone over the side or broken their backs if they had been caught at the rails. Dozens of sunbeds hit the banister and flew into the air like a cloud of emerald butterflies, before plunging into the Aegean. All three swimming pools emptied at the same time; turquoise water cascading all the way down to the sea.

Rebecca’s arm slid around Naomi’s shoulders and suddenly it was all she could bear. She had fought with Rebecca and it had cost them ten senseless years apart. Now this had happened. It was Naomi’s fault that her last phone call with Costa had ended with angry words.

She turned to her sister. ‘I’m sorry we fought, way back. I know what it’s like to love someone above all else.’

Rebecca squeezed her shoulders. ‘Let’s concentrate on Costa.’

‘Why hasn’t he phoned? He’ll know I’m out of my mind.’

Papas Yiannis said, ‘I understand you’re distraught, Naomi, who wouldn’t be? But trust in God and, of course, the cruise company. They won’t let anything happen to Costa. Have you been up all night? You must be exhausted and the taxi will be here in an hour to take us to the court.’

‘No way!’ Naomi cried. ‘I can’t leave here. What if Costa calls and I’m at the court? What if someone phones the house with news? I want to go over to Santorini on the next flight.’

‘I understand how you feel but . . .’

Naomi butted in. ‘How can you?! My husband’s in great danger. I have no idea where he is right now or what’s happened to him, and there’s nothing I can do to help him. He might be dead!’ She stopped, gasped, bit on the knuckles of her bunched fist.

Naomi was petrified Costa had drowned, all alone. If he was sinking in that bottomless sea, she wanted to be with him, to comfort him. When she had drifted into a light sleep, Naomi had visions of holding him in the dark swirling waters of Santorini’s caldera.

‘Don’t let him die, Papas.’ Her tears welled. ‘Pray for him with everything you’ve got. Tell your God I need him, his boys need him.’ She leaned against the priest’s chest and he held her until her tears stopped. She broke free, snatched the kitchen roll and dried her face. ‘Sorry,’ she said.

The priest rubbed his forehead. ‘Believe me, I do understand, Naomi. But I must remind you that these people who have so generously funded your court case are not rich. They’ve spent all they have and more in order to set a precedent. Some of them have actually sold their houses for this. We can’t let them down now.’ Papas Yiannis patted her hand. ‘Nothing we do will alter Costa’s situation, but everything we do today will have a profound effect on the lives of thousands of people, of all the descendants of the Jews of Rhodes.’

Naomi dropped her head into her hands. ‘I’m incapable of thinking straight, Papas, how can I stand up in court? I’m sorry but it’s hopeless. I can’t do it.’

‘Of course you can.’ He lifted her chin. ‘Look to your grandmother for inspiration. The Cohen women are strong in the face of adversity. They rise and fight for the rights of others, regardless of the odds. They’re at their best when needed, when oppressed. Haven’t you learned that from Bubba’s diaries, from her bravery and selflessness?’

As his words sank in, Naomi’s shame rose. Bubba had fought for those who didn’t fight for her or her family. She fought for the Rhodians who not only looked the other way when the Nazis took two thousand Jews off the island but the worst of them pillaged the property of the oppressed like greedy vultures and changed the laws to make it legal.

Those people were no better than the Nazis – yet Dora still risked her life for them in an effort to end the war. The injustice of it all hit Naomi and she realised, wherever Costa was, he’d want her to stand up in court.

Chapter 55

The courtroom buzzed with an atmosphere of expectancy. All seats were taken, and the sides and back aisles were packed with people standing. The air already smelled of sweat, cigarettes and cheap perfume. A strip light flickered. Someone had an irritating cough. A ragged butterfly fluttered repeatedly up the dusty window then fell exhausted to the sill.

A panel of three judges sat on the bench. Only the central one, a mature woman, spoke to the claimants. Naomi, wiped out by tiredness and worry, stared blankly at the dais. The lawyer, Bubba, and Rebecca sat next to her, and in the row behind, Papas Yiannis, Naomi’s sons, and Fritz. All eyes were on her as she was called to stand.

She took an oath and answered all the questions asked, but her head was filled with nothing but the cruise ship.

‘Madam!’ the judge said sharply when she didn’t respond to a question but stared blankly into space.

‘I’m sorry, Your Honour. My husband works on The Royal Sapphire. I haven’t heard from him and I am sick with worry.’