The Lost Labyrinth by Will Adams

the passenger side, while Knox opened the back door for Gaille, then got in alongside her, taking and pressing her hand to thank her for being there.
    The BMW’s interior was all polished walnut and pale leather, yet it smelled of fast food and there was a colouring book half-hidden beneath the front seat, along with a few discarded sweet-wrappers. The glimpse of family life made Knox warm to Charissa even more than her getting him out of gaol had done. ‘What now?’ he asked.
    ‘We go see Augustin,’ said Gaille.
    ‘I’ve spoken to a contact at the prosecutor’s office,’ said Charissa, pulling away. ‘The police have been uncharacteristically active. They must want a quick result very badly. They’ve already reviewed the hotel’s fifth floor CCTV tapes, for example, and established a provisional timeline of movements. May I run it by you?’
    ‘Of course.’
    ‘Thank you. A little before two this afternoon, Professor Petitier arrived outside Augustin’s door. He had his laptop over his shoulder and was clutching an overnight bag, and he kept looking around as though he was worried he was being followed. He knocked. The door opened. He helda brief conversation, presumably with Augustin, though he’s out of view, then he disappeared inside and the door closed again. At two-fifteen you showed up and knocked on Augustin’s door, then called out.’
    ‘I told him we needed to get moving.’
    ‘Augustin appeared a minute or so later,’ nodded Charissa, looking at Knox via the rear-view mirror. ‘Did he give any sign there was someone inside?’
    ‘No.’
    ‘Did you hear or see anything?’
    ‘No.’
    ‘You walked together to the lifts. A few guests came and went, but no-one left or entered Augustin’s room until you and Augustin reappeared with Claire and a lot of luggage a few minutes after four. You went inside Augustin’s room. The first two policemen arrived several minutes later. Does that sound accurate?’
    ‘Pretty much. But if the police know that, how can they suspect Augustin?’
    ‘They claim he killed Petitier before you left for the airport.’
    ‘That’s ridiculous!’ protested Knox. ‘He was alive when we came in. He had a convulsion on the floor. He even spoke to us, for Christ’s sake!’
    ‘Calm down. I’m only telling you the police’s current working hypothesis. They think Augustin assaulted Petitier before you both left for theairport, but that his assault wasn’t immediately fatal, and he was still alive when you returned.’
    ‘No way,’ protested Knox. ‘No way had Augustin just done that to a man. I’d have noticed in his manner.’
    ‘You’re his best friend,’ observed Charissa. ‘So you would say that, wouldn’t you?’ She glanced up again, anticipating his indignation. ‘Don’t misunderstand: I’m not telling you what I believe. I’m telling you the case the police are making.’
    ‘I know.’
    ‘Shall I continue?’
    ‘Please.’
    ‘Okay. A preliminary examination suggests that Petitier was killed by a single blow with some hard, heavy blunt instrument. They found no such implement in the hotel room.’
    ‘What about Petitier’s laptop?’ asked Knox.
    ‘No traces of hair or blood on it,’ said Charissa. She grunted with wry amusement. ‘And you won’t believe what they’ve done. Some idiot policeman started it up. When it asked him for a password, he typed in a few wild guesses. The damned thing only started chewing up its data.’
    ‘Hell!’ snorted Knox. That must have been what Theofanis had told Angelos outside the interview room. ‘How much have they lost?’
    ‘They don’t know yet. And they may still be able to retrieve it. It’s not like we don’t havecomputer experts here in Athens. But whether they’ll bother…’ She gave an expressive shrug to suggest that they’d bother if it would serve their purposes, but not otherwise. ‘Anyway, Petitier’s overnight bag was ripped open, and some of its contents appear to be