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Chapter 11: Murder's Cheap

"Paralyzed and stabbed in the back?" Grace grimaced as she looked down at the body of Demetrius Metaxas, a finance banker in Greece who was hunched over on a stone pillar. "What a way to go."

Turning her attention away from the body, she picked up the stone tablet she had found nearby on the grass. She had already uncovered it. The tablet read: 'Demetrius, the gods have a message for you.'

"I think if we can identify the particles that we found on the tablet, we may be able to figure out who engraved this tablet." Grace explains, handing the tablet and its contents to Jack.
"Good idea. I'll send it over to HQ—what's that torn up piece of paper, by the way?" Grace turned her attention to where he was pointing.
"Oh. Right. I think it could be relevant." Grace explains.
"You think it could be a clue?" Jack smirks, "well alright, Grace. I think I've monitored you enough. I'll let you restore it!" He says with a wink before walking away. Grace just rolls her eyes and gets to work.

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"It's a magazine." Grace announced, coming over to where Jack is leaning against a nearby tree. He gestures for her to hand it over.

There was a young woman in her early 20s on the cover of a magazine called The Business Times. In her hands, she held a sign that said "step down and die minister" and the byline noted that she was a protestor, one of many, who was protesting against the government.

"You think the message could be more than a political statement? A personal threat against the victim?" Jack suggests.
"Maybe...we should send it to Gretta and Elliot so she can be identified."

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The particles from the slab had been found to be from a nearby cave so Grace and Jack wanted to go there as soon as possible.

First though, they had to deliver the magazine.

"Think you two could identify this protester for me?" Grace asks, holding up the magazine in front of Elliot and Gretta.
"You're serious? This will be so easy!"
"Why do you think she's important? She could be anybody!" Gretta points out, interrupting Elliot's boasting.
"See her sign? That could've been a threat and we can't leave anything out." Gretta shrugs.
"Gotta admit though, I like her style. Just the right amount of anti establishmentism."
"She's a suspect in a murder case, Gretta." Grace deadpans without a hint of amusement.

Gretta just shrugs again.
"So?" Grace looks down at her to see if she's joking and then rolls her eyes.
"You know what? Whatever. Just get it done!"
"Yes, ma'am!"

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Grace carefully maneuvered her way to the floor of the cave with Jack's help.
"Thanks." She says to him, nodding curtly.
"Any idea what we're looking for?" Jack asks her and Grace shakes her head.
"No, but I have no doubt that I'll be able to find something."
"This cave is unsettling, Grace. Like some mythological creature is ready to jump out at any minute—"

"Hello Detective Grace! Do you want to know your future?"

Both detectives jump as an older woman wearing a white robe and white mask appears in front of them, a few pieces of gold jewelry scattered around her person and brown hair cascaded over her shoulder.

"Uh...who are you??" Grace questions, startled by this woman's appearance.
"I am the Oracle. I see the future and my prophecies always come true!" The woman states matter-o-factly. Her face turns more sinister when she turns to Grace.
"And your future is bleak, Detective Grace!"

"If this is some kind of prank," Jack interrupts, "your future is even bleaker! Leave us alone now, crazy masked lady! But don't go too far, Detective Grace will question you in a minute."

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After finding a blood-stained and a file with the word 'secret' stamped in big, bold, red letters, Grace returned her attention to the self-proclaimed Oracle.

"I don't know how you know my name, but frankly I don't care. We have bigger fish to fry. My partner and I are with the—"
"I know who you are. You're with the Bureau." The Oracle interrupts Grace.
"Ugh! Grace how on earth does she know that?" Jack complains, "Have we been ambushed by...the Greek counter-intelligence?" The Oracle chuckles to herself.
"Nah! It's obvious from your foreign accents and patronizing attitude. And the finance minister's been murdered. Simple logic, no clairvoyance necessary."

She does have a point. Grace admits to herself as Jack continues questioning the Oracle.

"So you know about Metaxas' assassination! What else do you know? If you're so smart, tell us who killed the minister!"

"I don't concern myself with the past. I only look into the future," The Oracle explains before turning to Grace. "You'll catch the killer, Detective Grace, but terrible things will happen. I see chariots of fire...shrieking Harpies...Zeus' lightening."

Grace's eyebrows furrow as she hears these words. Maybe she believed in what the Oracle said, maybe she didn't. But she was mainly curious what her words would be in a modern context—in the here and now.

Jack's outburst interrupts her thoughts.
"And I see a courtroom in your future! We'll be back for you crazy lady. But I'm sure you already know that!"

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After learning that the dagger had previously been used to cut olives (which would explain the green crumbs), Grace decided that her and Jack should go check on Gretta and Elliot.

"Grace, I want to go home. This country is too hot and sunny to wear black!" Elliot complains as soon as they enter. Gretta clicks her tongue in annoyance.

"Oh shut up, you big baby! It's not that bad."

"You can say that! You're from California!" Elliot argues back, gesturing to her as she rolls her eyes.

"Suntan would enhance your face, Elliot. You'd almost look alive!" Jack comments to which Gretta snickers and Elliot responds by scowling at him,

"Drop dead hipster." Grace clears her throat, grabbing the attention of the three people in the room.

"Could we get back to the topic at hand, please?" Grace asks, glancing at the two teens with amusement.

"Fine," Elliot murmurs, taking off his jacket in annoyance at the heat. "I know why you're here. You want to know who this protester is, from the magazine that you found at the crime scene, Grace." Grace gestures for him to continue.

"Her name is Penelope the Rebel." Elliot explains, tossing the magazine back to her.
"Last name?" Grace prompts as she stared at the cover again intently.
"That is her last name." Gretta's answer surprises her.
"...what?"
"She legally changed her name to it after she gained a lot of attention for protesting against the government. She's gained so many followers that riots broke out all over the country." Elliot adds.

"Impressive! But where do we find her?" Jack asks.

"Um...did you not here what we just said? She's a hippie! She doesn't have a permanent address." Gretta says like it's obvious.

Grace is a bit miffed by her attitude but ignores it for now.

"Are you sure? Elliot, there has to be some sort of intel you can find on her!"

"I might have something," he glances up at Grace, "what will you give me in return?" Grace glances at Jack.

"Come on Elliot! There's nowhere to hide from a genius like you! I'll buy you a beer." Jack says with a wink. Grace had to admit she was impressed by the strategy--stroking Elliot's ego and offering something in return for the information he has all in one.

"Alright, fine. I'll tell you just so you can go away. She's squatting in the slums near the bridge."

"Perfect! Let's question this rebel, Grace." Grace nods and says farewell to the kids.

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"Who are you? The secret service? Are you here to abuse my human rights?" Abrasive right off the bat, I see? Grace observes.

"We're with the Bureau," Jack responds to Penelope calmly, "Detective Grace is here to manage a delicate political situation. The finance minister was assassinated."

Grace expected Penelope to be shocked by this news or perhaps taken aback...but no, it was never that simple.

"Metaxas is dead? Excellent news! Let the revolution begin!" Penelope's ecstaticness makes Grace sick to her stomach.

"Penelope, we know you organized violent protest against Metaxas. You might want to lay low for a while." Jack advises.

"Oh you two don't understand!" Penelope snaps, "Metaxas ruined the lives of hard-working Greeks! He sold this country to greedy bankers, who eat unemployed babies for breakfast! And you want me to shut up about it?!"

  Grace lets in a breath, trying her hardest to not be too harsh.

Don't yell at the potential suspect, don't yell at the potential, don't yell at the potential suspect---

"If you feel strongly about that then you can always contact the Bureau about your concerns." Penelope scoffs.

"Screw you and your Bureau! You're part of the establishment!"

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With that dead end, Grace went back to the drawing board and attempted to decipher the handwriting on the sticky note the two detectives had found in the cave. Jack informed her that it was written by Nickolaos Costa AKA their murder victim's economic advisor so they went to him next.

An older, clearly very stressed out looking man wearing all white with black hair/moustache and some sunglasses appeared before them.

"Who are you? Have you brought coffee? I've not slept for days and numbers still don't add up! And where's the minister?"

This poor man Grace thinks to herself, knowing that she will have to be the bearer of bad news.

"Are you Nikolaos Costas?" Grace asks and the man nods feverently.

"We're with the Bureau, sir. I am Detective Grace and this is my partner, Detective Jack." She says in a calm and gentle voice carefully crafted from having many years in her field. "I'm going to be blunt with you: I'm afraid that the minister is dead. He was assassinated and found dead just this morning and I have been put in charge of the investigation." The man seemed to get even more panicked and paled.

"Metaxas is dead?! You're joking! He can't afford to die now, the country's too broke! I should know, I'm his economic advisor."

"Well, murder's cheap, Mr. Costas. Anyway, Detective Grace discovered this note you'd written to the minister. Did you speak to him last night?" Jack asks and Nikolaos shakes his head in dismay.

"No, he never showed up! I was here, crunching the numbers and tearing my hair out! It's a disaster, Detective Grace! And now--" The advisor pauses with a frown and a sigh of defeat, "...I'm all alone."

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"Grace, I need an update on Metaxas's assassination. Europe's economic stability hangs in the balance!"

"Of course, Chief Ripley, I was just returning to tell you. Jack?"

"Well, according to Penelope, Metaxas was the reason why Greece went bankrupt in the first place. Though her views might be a little...extreme."

"We also just got back to speaking with his economic advisor, Nikolaos Costas."

"He seemed over worked and panicked without his boss." Jack added. Chief Ripley gave a short nod.

"Any sign of the Promethians?"

"Nope. No sign of them...or Klaus for that matter. " Grace answers.

Suddenly, Chief Ripley's phone starts to ring, interrupting the intense discussion.

"Oh, excuse me for a second," She says apologetically before pulling her phone out of her pocket, "mm-hm? Yes, I see. I will send Detective Grace right on that." Grace gives her boss a puzzled look.

"I need you to catch a ferry to the island of Santorini."

"Oh! But why, is there something--?"

"As much as I appreciate answering your questions, there is no time to explain right now, Grace. You will be briefed on the way!" Chief Ripley interrupts, practically shoving the pair of detectives out the door.

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Ingrid briefed Jack and Grace on their way over on the phone.

"Do you remember Sir Gilchrist, Grace? The president of the European Central Bank, who was involved in your London investigation?" Grace lets out an indignant huff/scoff.

"How could I forget him? He was a very unpleasant man."

"Well," Ingrid continued, "Sir Gilchrist arrived last night to discuss a European bailout for Greece with Metaxas. But now the minister is dead, Greece is bankrupt, and protests all over the country are turning into riots. Sir Gilchrist may well be in danger, too! So the Bureau instructed him to hide in Santorini until we know who Metaxas."

Great. Grace thinks sarcastically as she mentally curses herself for having the luck of basically being a babysitter for one of the most pompous men she has ever met.

Jack says goodbye to Ingrid and hangs up, turning to Grace.

"This is good, Grace! Sir Gilchrist might know something about the victim! We should talk to him." Jack encourages and Grace had to admit, he had a point.

"Alright, you make a fair point. We should check the island as well, just in case."

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The two detectives found the Banker sitting alone in a bar on the island.

"Sir Gilchrist, the Bureau is concerned for your safety. Don't go out to the streets, it's dangerous."

"Oh, I wouldn't do that. I can't stand the sun. I miss the jolly good British rain already." He replies to Jack.

"We were told you had a meeting with Dimitrios Metaxas to negotiate aid for the country, is that correct?" Grace questions and the banker confirms.

"After Metaxas squandered all the money, he had the cheek to ask for more. Bah! At least I won't have to bail out Greece now that he's too dead to argue with me. But now I'm trapped on this infernal island, hiding from rioters and watching old BBC documentaries about the Trojan War!" He says, going on and on with his complaints, "at least there's olives! The minister's advisor sent some canned olives for me. The only redeeming feature of this ghastly country!"

"Right...well, if we need anything else from you, Sir Gilchrist, we will be back." Grace says, ready to get out of there as soon as possible.

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The two returned down the steps, allowing Jack to babble on as Grace kept an eye out for any potential clues.

"Grace, I can see why Santorini's a safe hiding place from rioters: who could be angry here, when the sky is so blue?" Grace suddenly spots that catches her eye and jumps down to the ground to grab a faded manuscript and a locked wooden chest.

"I see you never switch off." Jack jokes as she comes back over to him as she rolls her eyes, "you've already picked up a faded manuscript called 'The Prophecy'. Can you recover the rest of the writing?"

"Of course. I think we should take this box too." Jack doesn't seem convinced but he nods, anyway, trusting her.

"You want to look into that wooden box, too? You'll have to pick that padlock first!"

"Thank you for stating the obvious, Jack." Grace deadpans before getting to work.

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"You opened the wooden box..but there's only a paper inside?" Jack questions dryly as Grace stares at it curiously. It was a graph with a clearly marked red on it and the words "dump the body here" displayed in black sharpie.

"If they're referencing the body, then maybe the killer wrote this?" Grace guesses.

"I agree, it could've been written by the killer! But I can't make sense of these intersecting lines, Grace. I'm not even sure who could help?"

"Gretta and Elliot might be able to help."

"You're right! We should give it to Elliot--he's the only who'd prefer to sit in the office while the rest of us sunbathe on the beach!" Grace chuckles wryly to herself as she puts down the box, then shows Jack the faded manuscript.

"So, the book's title was changed from 'The Prophecy' to 'The Murder of the Minister'! Very fitting! Too fitting to be a coincidence." Grace nods in agreement. "We need to know who wrote this manuscript, let's see if Dupont can help!"

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Back at headquarters, after a few hours of waiting, Dupont had new evidence...unfortunately, he was peeved by the book's content and Grace had to hear all about it.

"Grace, don't ask me how this book ends, I stopped after page twelve. The historical inaccuracies were making my gastroenteritis flare up!" Grace winced at the mental image.

"What? Are you saying you neglected to examine the manuscript Grace found on Santorini, because it didn't meet your literary standards?" Jack asks incredulously.

"Don't shout, Monsieur Archer! I can tell you who the author is! It's Jaqueline Proust! Her inelegant style gave her away!"

"Jacqueline Proust?" Jack questions.

"She's an author of historical fiction--she was a suspect in the case Carmen and I worked on back in France." Grace explains, catching Jack up to speed.

"So this Ms. Proust suddenly appears in Greece, writing a book called 'The Murder of the Minister'. If that's a coincidence, then life is indeed stranger than fiction."

"Regardless, she needs to explain herself. We can talk to her after we get the information about the graph from Elliot and Gretta."

"I agree."

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"I'll skip the small talk, Grace: that graph you found on Santorini is a tide table."

"I thought it was familiar...I've heard of them before."

"Is there anything you don't know?" Gretta inquires curiously and half-jokingly from her chair as her legs rock back and forth on one of the arm rests.

"A little bit more small talk would help, Elliot," Jack interrupts, bringing their conversation back to the original topic. "What is a tide table?"

"It tracks the periodic changes of currents, water depth and navigation hazards around the Greek Islands. It's an essential tool for sailors." Elliot hits the red x's on the tide graph with a pen to emphasize his point, "and the marks on the graph reveal what it was used for: to pick the best time and place to dump the body in the sea!"

"Wow." Grace murmurs to herself, staring at the graph again with this new outlook.

"Once Elliot made that connection, I did the math and checked the time of Metaxas' death. The killer wanted to sail to Santorini after the murder and dump the body in the sea at high tide." Gretta explains with a proud smile at figuring it out.

"They probably wanted to dump his body at high tide because it wouldn't have been easily found." Grace guesses aloud, gears turning in her head.

"Exactly. My guess is that you arrived at the Acropolis before the killer could take the body and sail away with it!" Elliot says.

"Wow, kid, I didn't know you knew so much about sailing! I thought you never left the comfort of your darkened bedroom!" Jack jokes. Elliot looks forlorn at the comment.

"Not if I can help it. But I had a dysfunctional childhood: yachting holidays in the Caribbean with my family. Traumatized me for life."

"Sounds like a nightmare." Gretta comments with a grimace.

"It was."

Grace didn't say anything, keeping her face neutral. But it reminded her of her own childhood. Her dad would take her and her mother out sailing with some of their affluent and rich friends. It didn't impress Grace much, but she did learn that she got seasick on occasion.

"And now," Elliot continues, interrupting Grace's thoughts, "you have a killer who knows how to sail. Goes to show you should never trust people with boats, Grace!"

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Jack and Grace got details that Jaqueline was staying at a nice resort on Santorini and arrived back on the island in no time.

"Detective Grace, you have to help me! I've lost the manuscript of the best book I've ever written! It had political scandal, money, Greek Mythology and romance, all in one! And I can't find it!"

"You mean the one called 'The Murder of the Minister'?" Jack guessed.

"Oh you've found my manuscript! I can't believe it!" Jacqueline gushes. "You know, I came to Santorini to relax...but when I visited a local cave, I was suddenly inspired! Must be the olives--they're divine!"

"You wrote this book rather quickly." Grace comments.

"Yes, detective, I worked on the manuscript day and night for two whole weeks, that's how! And now that you've returned it, I must get on with the editing!"

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"Well that was a dead end." Grace says disappointedly as they walk down the steps towards their boat.

"Yeah, she sounds too self-centered to commit murder...but how does she always get mixed up in investigations?"

"I don't know...it is very odd."

"Hey, I have a theory: if Jacqueline isn't a killer, then maybe she's an agent!"

"You think so?" Grace isn't convinced.

"Why not? She mingles with ministers, celebrities, high-profile people...you think all that is 'research' for her books?" Grace stopped, suddenly having a revelation.

"That cave she mentioned? Do you think it could have been the Oracle's cave?"

"I think so. Let's find out! Maybe it could provide some inspiration for detectives too?"

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In Odysseus' Grotto, Grace found a suitcase and unlocked it with ease, revealing an oracle's mask inside and a tablet.

"It looks that crazy lady owns this briefcase. We search through it!" Grace nodded in agreement.

"Hm...let's see here. Oh! Oh...this is very interesting." Grace gets up from her crouch and hands her find to Jack.

"Is this a birth certificate? Why would we need this."

"Look closer."

"Hey, we didn't know the victim was a father! This is a new angle to the investigation! We have to restore the writing and find out who his child is!"

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Without wasting any time to waste Jack and Grace went back to Penelope the Rebel, as Grace had a hunch that Penelope was Demetrious' daughter.

Turns out, as per usual, she was right.

"Penelope, Detective Grace thinks you are Metaxas' daughter. I find it hard to believe but...is it true?" Penelope's guilt-ridden face told the detectives all they needed to know.

"...how did you find out Detective Grace? I changed my name and destroyed my birth certificate! I didn't want anyone to know he was my father!"

"We found it in a briefcase. Why didn't you want anyone to know who your father?"

"Having a richy daddy cramp your style." Penelope glared furiously at Jack's comment.

"I didn't care about his money! I wanted a real father! Someone to tell me about gods, or just sit and eat olives with me on the beach! But Metaxas didn't care about his family any more than he cared for his country! He only wanted money and status!"

"And you've become your father's biggest political opponent, just to rebel against him. Nice work!" Jack quips sarcastically, "did you kill him, too, just to have the final word?"

"Jack!" Grace scolds, perturbed by the question. Penelope lets out a heavy sigh.

"The truth is, I'm quite lost without my father, Detective Grace. Rebelling was my purpose in life, it will never be the same again without him."

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Back at headquarters, Grace cracked open tablet which they found in the briefcase, along with the mask and earlier identified birth certificate.

After giving it to Gretta and Elliot, it only took a few hours for the tablet to be analyzed. Elliot was extremely happy to see them...almost too happy.

"Hello, guys! I'll give your tablet in a minute, but first, I hope you don't mind not getting paid this month!"

"...Elliot what are you talking about?" Grace asks, attempting to mentally prepare herself for whatever comes next.

"What? Why wouldn't we get paid?"

"Because I hacked the Bureau's payroll system and invested your salaries in a virtual currency: the e-Euro. Now that Metaxas crashed the stock market, it's dirt cheap!" Grace breathes in a deep sigh as Gretta scrambles over her own chair to check the tablet.

"You...spent all OUR money without asking for permission? On some joke currency? In a financial crisis?" Jack asks, horrified.

"Elliot, what the hell are you doing?! My salary is tied in with my mom's! Do you realize what you've done!" Gretta chimes in. Elliot avoids looking at them (particularly Gretta who's still above him), fumbling for a way to resolve the situation.

"It's...it's ok! Once Grace catches the killer, the market will recover!" Grace winces as he continues to dig himself in a deeper hole, "The e-Euro will rally and you'll cash in." Jack is red in the face, unrecognizable from how Grace usually sees him, and Gretta scoffs at Elliot's comment.

"Grace, it would be justifiable homicide to throw this brat in the Aegean sea, right?"

"If you don't, then I will!" Gretta declares. Grace just stands in her stop, unable to find a way to rectify this situation.

"Fine, whatever! Analyze that stupid tablet yourself, then!" Elliot snaps, storming out of the room. Grace winces as the door slams shut.

It takes about five seconds before Gretta gets out of her chair and stalks towards the door, grumbling along the way.

There's murmured shouting heard as they argue over what just happened.

Jack glances at Grace, who is checking her watch as they wait.

"So...do you think she'll be able to convince him?" He asks, making small talk. Grace doesn't look up but she smiles mysteriously.

"If there's anyone who can get someone out of a rut, Gretta can."

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Sure enough, just a few minutes later, the two return. Elliot doesn't look to happy at the outcome. With a nudge in the elbow from Gretta he glances up at the two detectives with an embarrassed expression.

"Alright...I'm sorry." Grace smiles reassuringly.

"It's alright, I'm just glad you're back."

"Anyway," Elliot says, moving back to the tablet, "the tablet belongs to some woman named Cassandra Papadakis. She was a professor of classic Greek literature. Until Metaxas stopped funding universities last month. She lost her job, she couldn't pay rent anymore. So now, Professor Papadakis lives in a cave and freaks out tourists with her prophecies for a living."

"God, poor woman!" Gretta says, peering at the tablet next to him with a sympathetic expression.

"Hmm...so the unemployed Oracle is a victim of Metaxas' budget cuts--interesting!"

"We should talk to her again, see what she knows." Jack nods in agreement.

"Alright, Elliot...you and me, we ain't done yet! But Grace's right, we have to question the Professor again!"

"Try to keep him check if you can, Gretta." Grace adds before they leave as Elliot grumbles about how he made just one mistake.

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"We know who you are, Professor Papadakis! You're not a real Oracle, you're an unemployed Greek scholar!" The professor took of her mask to reveal her real face.

"Oh...so you've found out!"

"I'm afraid so, professor."

"Well, Detective Grace, if I could really see the future, I'd have emigrated to a better country years ago!"

"When we questioned you earlier, why didn't you tell us you lost your job because of the victim?"

"Because there are greater powers at play here, Detective Grace. And not just in Greece, but everywhere in Europe."

"The Promethians." Grace says.

"Yes. The Promethians are behind this murder, and others. Their organization is more powerful than the Bureau. And they'll always be one step ahead of you."

"For someone who lives in a cave and reads antique poems, you're well-versed in high-profile political affairs, Professor!" Jack pipes up.

"Oh, the ancient Greeks already knew about all your investigations, Detective Jack. It is foretold in the Visions of Hades: 'A great hero will come--let it be not too late!" Cassandra says with a mysterious smirk.

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Back at headquarters, Jack and Grace reviewed the facts.

"Grace, this is a disaster! We still don't have any leads on Klaus Weissmann or the Promethians!"

"Yeah...I don't know either." Grace replies, sighs as she allows her body to sag against the wall from tiredness.

Suddenly, Chief Ripley appears.

"The situation in Greece is becoming critical. I need an update on the minister's murder." Jack informs her of all their findings and Chief Ripley looks pleased.

"That's nice work." Suddenly, her phone starts ringing, "ah, excuse me."

"Yes? Who's there?"

"I am the voice of the people! I've planted a bomb on Santorini! The greedy foreign banker will die! Freedom for Greece!"

"Who are you? Are you talking about Sir Gilchrist! Wait...!" The person on the other line hangs up and Chief Ripley curses.

"Grace, did you hear that?! If Sir Gilchrist comes to harm, the Greek crisis will become a pan-European diplomatic disaster!" Grace didn't like the man, but she certainly didn't want him to die.

"What do you want us to do, chief?"

"While I make sure Sir Gilchrist is sage, you must return to Santorini and find this bomb before it's too late!"

"We're on it." Grace says with complete professionalism before her and Jack rush out the door.

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The two detectives got their as fast as they could to get back to Santorini. And as predicted, as the caller said, there was a bomb sitting on the table, slowly ticking down to zero. She glances at a torn piece of paper and a nearby beach bag on the way over and quickly snatches them up as well.

"Oh my god, Grace! That's a bomb. Don't touch it!"

"But I need to disarm it!" Grace argued.

"What, you want to disarm? But...it's a bomb. What if it...explodes? We need an expert!" Jack looks extremely worried and Grace attempts to put him at ease.

"It's okay. I've disarmed a bomb before." She explains calmly.

"You've dealt with things like that before? I know the Chief thinks you're badass..but I want it on record that I tried to stop you! And you seriously think this is the best time to restore that torn paper? At least take care of the bomb first!"

"I uh...also found this beach bag." Grace explains sheepishly, very aware there was more dire things at stake.

"And you want to search through that, too? I don't even know what to say, dude."

"Sorry." Grace murmurs sheepishly, dropping the two pieces of evidence and kneeling down to take care of the bomb.

"Annnd...done!" Grace declared, clipping the final wire.

"You...you did it, Grace! You disarmed the bomb! I can't believe we're not dead! I really thought it'd explode in our face!" Grace gives him a look and Jack becomes sheepish, "I mean...I never doubted you'd do it, Grace! Wasn't worried for a second."

"Sure. Of course you weren't, Jack." Grace deadpans.

"Alright, let's send the bomb to the lab and find out who wanted to blow up the island!" Jack says, quickly shifting the discussion away.

Suddenly, Grace's cell phone rang. She was so preoccupied that she didn't even check the caller-ID.

"Hello? Grace Kemble speaking."

"That's all you have to say?" It was Gretta's voice on the other line, annoyed from the sound of it.

Jack's eyebrows raise, wondering what got her so upset. Grace shrugs at him and gestures to give her a minute before she turns away.

"Honey, I don't know what you're talking about. Did I miss--?"

"There was a bomb threat and you just go on to retrieve it like it's nothing!" Gretta interrupts, starting on a rant, "you could've died, you realize that, right?"

Grace should've been annoyed but in all honesty, there was a swell of pride at her daughter's concern.

"I appreciate your concern, sweetheart...but for the record, I've dealt with this sort of thing before and it was pretty simple to disarm."
"Oh, that's good! I'm so glad you're—"

Suddenly Gretta pauses.

"Wait a minute...did you just say you've dealt with this before?!" She shouts incredulously.

Grace winces at the tone and remembers why she set a rule about not telling Gretta about her work: so stuff like this wouldn't happen...or perhaps it was sign she should reconsider.

"Okay...remember that time I was late to pick you up from the elementary school? I told you I was having lunch with Uncle David when there was a call about a case?"
"Yeah...but what does that have to do with—?" There was another pause and then a heavy sigh. Gretta was no doubt facepalming right about now.
"Jesus, mom! Okay, I get it. I was really young then but next time tell me about these things alright?" Grace nods.
"Alright, I suppose I can be a bit more upfront with you being almost an adult now."
"Please do." Grace nods to herself and then glances at Jack.
"Hey, Gretta? I gotta go but I'll be back soon and give you and Elliot some of the parts."
"Okay...can't wait to watch as he drones on about his brilliance again." Gretta mutters to herself, probably rolling her eyes.
"Anyway, goodbye. Try not to get yourself killed, please?" 
"I promise," and with a bit more hesitance, "love you, Gretta. I'll see you soon."
"Love you too, mom."

Grace hangs up and returns to Jack, explaining,

"She was just worried about me...now, about that paper and the beach bag."

Grace picks up the bag first and shuffles through it, finding a last-minute boarding pass ticket to Barcelona.

"The passenger's name is 'Jacqueline Proust'!" Jack realizes.

"And she's booked a flight to Barcelona." Grace explains, squinting against the sun as she attempts to read the ticket.

"Jacqueline's trying to leave the country? Just when her new book's going so well?"

"It is odd, isn't it?"

"Yeah. We need to find out what she's up to!"

"Yep...but first, I want to restore this paper. Should only take a few minutes."

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"Here you go." Grace says after she's finished, handing the paper to Jack. He observes it for a moment before speaking.

"It's a collection of articles featuring the late minister!"

"'You should've listened to me'." Grace quotes a paper surrounding the articles, in the handwriting of Nikolas Costas. "There don't portray him in a good light--sex, scandal, corruption...no wonder his advisor what frustrated with him."

"Looks like Costas also had the Herculean task of protecting his boss' reputation."

"Yeah...but we have to act fast."

"I agree: there's no time to speculate, we must find Costas and quiz him on this scrapbook!"

"But first, we should speak to Jacqueline before she leaves which...is very soon!" Grace realizes as she checks her own watch and rushes towards their boat.

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At the Athens Airport, Jack and Grace found Jaqueline Proust by the boarding gate, still in her bathing suit from earlier.

"Ms. Proust? Why the hurry to leave Greece? You barely had time to get dressed!"

"Oh, I...erm...creative people like spontaneous decisions..." Jacqueline stammers out a flimsy excuse, "my book's finished, I need fresh inspiration. That's why I'm going to Spain: to research the Holy Inquisition! All that blood and torture, so romantic!"

Yes...romantic is definitely how I'd describe it. Grace thinks snarkily in her head.

"You can't leave just, Ms. Proust. You're still a suspect in a murder case." Grace says aloud with a stern gaze. Jaqueline just laughs and confidently states,

"Oh, Detective Grace, if I were the killer, I'd have escaped already. Remember I plot best-sellers for a living! I can outsmart two non-fictional detectives!" She smirks smugly before continuing, "if I wanted to escape justice, I'd have stolen a little sailboat, and I'd be on my merry way to America, with a bronze-skinned Greek god by my side!"

"The only Greek god you'll meet is the airport security guard, Ms. Proust, who'll detain you here until further notice. I hope you'll find his company inspiring!" Jack says as Grace gestures a guard over to detain the author.

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The detectives return to headquarters briefly to bring the bomb to Gretta and Elliot in the tech room.

"So I see you kept your promise." Gretta says, recalling her and Grace's earlier.
"I don't think I have much of a choice. Apparently I'm an asset that The Bureau can't afford to lose." Gretta nods in acknowledgement at the joke but her attention is already on the object in Grace's hand.
"So...about this bomb?"
"Right. I need you two to inspect and let me know what you find." She explains, placing it gently between them.
"This should be interesting, never dealt with a bomb before." Gretta murmurs to herself, glancing over at Elliot.
"We should pick it apart first and see what we can find." He explains to her, to which she nods in agreement.

They've seemed to gotten over their little spat from before as they go back and forth about the bomb.

Jack glances over at Grace, sensing they don't even remember that the two detectives are there. Grace gestures towards the door, for them to leave and the two teens are left to go over all the possibilities of the bomb and who would plot such a heinous deed on Santorini.

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Jack and Grace return to Metaxas' finance minister for a few more questions.

"Mr. Costas, were you angry with your boss because of his scandals?" Grace allowed Jack to do the questioning as she slides the paper they found across the table.

"I had to do something, detectives! The country's broke and Metaxas was more into wife swapping than credit swapping! It was my duty to give him some tough love!"

"Did your 'tough love' include stabbing your boss in the back?" Grace asks calmly, leaning against a table behind her. That seems to make Nikolaos crack.

"I would have, if Metaxas had stayed in the office long enough to be stabbed!" The advisor snarled. "But he was always out: clubbing, snorting cocaine and taking bribes. The Ministry was like a sinking ship, abandoned by the captain, helpless against Poseidon's anger! And I can sail a boat, but in real storms we need real leaders!"

"There's a darker cloud hanging over the shores of Europe than you realize, Costas. If you killed the minister, your troubles are just beginning, too!" Jack threatens before the two leave.

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Back in the tech room, the bomb has been taken apart and put back together.

"Grace, this bomb was built by a total amateur! There's no WAY it would ever have detonated!" Elliot explains, in his own smug way.

"What are you talking about, Elliot? The bomb didn't explode because Grace disarmed it! You weren't even there!" Jack argues, clearly frusturated.

"Calm down Archer." Gretta snaps, her gaze turning stormy.

Grace is actually surprised by the change. Her daughter has gone from being annoyed at Elliot to defending him in a matter of hours like it's nothing.

"The bomb was fake," Gretta insists, "and it was filled with fingerprints! You want to know who made it?" She pauses for dramatic effect and Elliot finishes,
"It was Gilchrist."

"He...!" Grace attempts to speak but no sounds come out.

"You're speechless!" Gretta says, eyes wide in shock. Grace then nods slowly and finds her voice again.

"Why would he build a fake bomb?"

"That makes even less sense...Sir Gilchrist built a fake bomb? Then called Chief anonymously, pretending he was in danger?"

"I don't see why not...he seems like a man who would give anything for attention." Gretta murmurs to herself. 

Suddenly, Grace has an epiphany.

"What if he wanted to cover his tracks? Or distract us from finding out the killer!"

"The only question is...why would he have killed Metaxas?"

"Hm...that is a good point." Grace admits. Then there's a knock at the door and Marina appears.

"Grace? I'd like to come with you to talk to Sir Gilchrist, if you don't mind."

"Hello, Marina! I know you can't live without me, but with rioters and bombs everywhere...you'd be safer in the Chief's office!" Grace subtly rolls her eyes. but Gretta is more vocal about her disgust.

"Ugh...dude, seriously?"

"I won't even deign to respond, Archer." Marina replies, swiftly returning the conversation back to the topic at hand.

"Grace, if Sir Gilchrist staged his own assassination attempt, it's a delicate diplomatic situation. A direct confrontation will make it worse. But...I think I can help you get Sir Gilchrist to confess, Grace. Shall we go?"

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Grace allows Marina to take the lead, curious as to what tactics she'll use.

"Hello, Sir Gilchrist. How are you feeling?" Marina asks, acting sweet as ever.

"Jolly dreadful! I narrowly escaped an assassination." The finance minister complains.

"Hm, it must be stressful. Who do you think might be behind it? Think carefully?" 

Okay, Grace had to admit...Marina was good!

"It's obvious: the Greeks are trying to bully me until I sign the ballout. When I didn't crack under their 40 degrees Celcius temperatures, they tried to scare me with a bomb!" Sir Gilchrist says dramatically, acting like he was the victim in all this which was far from reality. "But if I learned one thing in the Eton Sailing Club for the Extremely Privileged, it's to never into bulles. Never! Bully them back!"

"How about framing them for an attempted act of terrorism?"

"Jolly good idea! If I bring Greece to disrepute, I could refuse them financial aid, without the rest of the world me greedy!"

God, what a terrible man you are. Grace thinks as Marina continues her interrogation.

"And you'd no longer be a murder suspect in the public eye, but the innocent target of Greek terrorists. That's why you did it, Sir Gilchrist, am I right?" Grace subtly smirks as she watches the bankers face pale as he realizes his mistake.

"Exac...oh, bugger...no! No!"

"Just admit, Sir Gilchrist. We've got you trapped in a corner--hook, line and sinker." Grace comments and the man finally gives in.

"Alright! You've got me with the fake bomb, Detective Grace! But I've nothing to do with the murder!"

"We'll see about that, Sir Gilchrist! The Greeks may be no match for your calculating mind but Detective Grace certainly is!" Marina declares, ending the interrogation.

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Grace finds Jack outside the interrogation room, waiting patiently to talk with her.

"Grace, what now? We've discovered that Sir Gilchrist built a fake bomb, to frame the Greeks for a terrorist attack. And he's not the only one! Extremists all over Europe will exploit the chaos in Greece if we don't catch Metaxas' killer soon!"

"I agree, Jack. And I have a suggestion: I think we should return to the Acropolis, where this all started to see if there is anything we missed."

"Return to the crime scene? Are you sure?" Jack asks, not convinced.

"We don't have time to question it, Jack! It could be our only hope!" She argues.

"You're right: the clock is ticking and peace in Europe hangs in the balance. Let's go!"

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Grace found a blue cloth with blood on it and pieces of cut up torn fabric on the ground. She analyzes and restores the items as quickly as she could.

"Good job! Now that we're done with that, that torn fabric you found looks like an antique cloak. This cloak would be perfect if you wanted to sneak up on somebody and kill them, unrecognized! Trust me, I'm the Master of Disguise! This is the killer's cape!"

"Great. Now that you've explored my work thoroughly...shall we go and take these items to Lars?" Grace asks, gesturing to the stairs they climbed to get to the Acropolis in the first place.

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In a few hours, both items are analyzed.

"Grace, I have news about the blood you collected from that cloth at the crime scene. The blood on the cloth matched the blood on the murder weapon: it's the victim's blood."
"So, the killer used the cloth to wipe the victim's blood off the dagger? Rock on, bro!" Grace attempts not to snort at their banter.

"Exactly. So I took a closer look at the cloth itself: it's a specific, superdry soft cotton fabric, designed to clean sunglasses."

"So our killer wears sunglasses? That should make the suspect list easier to narrow down. What can you tell me about the cloak, Lars?"

"Well, to be honest Grace, that puzzled me a little but then I asked myself what my wife would do. Angela's always nagging me about checking pockets before chucking clothes in the washer! For loose change or small objects, you know. So I patted down the fabric and ta-daa! I found a tiny metal pin!" Lars explains, clearly very proud with himself.

"That's great, Lars! So what is this pin for?" Grace asks.

"The pin pierced the fabric at chest level, where you'd wear a brooch or a badge. And the pin I found matches a very specific badge. The 'YES' voters of the European referendum wear it!"

"Ah, the referendum. About unifying Europe into in a single entity, under a single President. Yes, we've seen many voters wearing badges." Jack recalls.

"And the two camps' badges are as as their political opinions. The 'YES' badges' pins are blue, like this one! So your killer is a dedicated supporter of the 'YES', Grace! You'll find them wearing the same badge even when they aren't dressed for murder!" Lars adds on.

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Finally, all was revealed: Nikolaos Costas was the killer (though it took a bit of interrogation on Jack's part to get him to actually admit it). He claimed he did it for Greece--to protect it from falling into chaos. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison. He made no mentions of the Promethians in his admittance of guilt...and that bothered Grace more than anything.

Author's Notes

Sorry the ending is a bit abrupt. I finished this chapter at 10:54pm and I have a meeting at the DMV to get my driver's license tomorrow at 8:00 am so I think I'll go to bed after this lol

I am also so sorry that I didn't get this out sooner! You have no idea how much I've missed Gretta and Elliot <333

Unfortunately, the situation was out of my hands.

This was supposed to come out way before. I was all ready to go with notes I had on the case but as I was writing up something for another fic, something bad happened.

I use the Notes app on my phone to write IRL books and I also keep a folder with stuff for Wattpad including some things for Wattpad. So I was just typing in it and suddenly everything disappeared with no explanation and nothing in trash.

I'm assuming that my lack of storage (I had 22,000 photos on my phone, don't ask) was to blame. But they are still on my iPad so I flicked through my notes from there instead.

I also had other things that came up like a lack of motivation to write and some stuff going on in my personal life.

Anyway, yeah. I'm just thankful this chapter was actually finished lol

Penelope the Rebel is an amazing character, I know she's supposed to be a joke/parody but I like her, she's awesome—

Random bit of trivia by the way: Greece has a legal age for buying alcohol but not for consumption. Not important to anything aside from Jack's bribe to Elliot but I get curious and researching tidbits for this book is always a fun time XD

Regarding the bomb: I believe the case they are referencing is A Bomb Threat in Grimsborough so that's the one I used for Grace and Gretta's convo.

Let me know if there's another but I doubt it, at least at this point in the game's timeline.

While I'm here, I made a one-shot in my OCs one-shot book 'Stories Untold' about Grace and Gretta called 'My Precious Pearl' I'd love it if you'd give it a look/a vote or comment maybe :)

This, aside from Great Britain, was one of my favorite locations to visit in the game so far because I absolutely love Greek Mythology so seeing it mentioned was really awesome (I say like it wouldn't be. Come on, Bat, it's Greece—)

Chapter 12 was supposed to come out soon after (as I've finished the entirety of the case) but I think I'll save that for another day.

So...yeah. See you all hopefully soon x

BatgirlGeek❤️

P.S. Typed half of this chapter on my phone, the other half on my laptop so let me know if the formatting looks odd! I actually really enjoyed typing on my keyboard because it's a bit faster and I can have two tabs open at once for the game and for these chapters so let me know what you all think of this or if I should stick to mobile :D

P.P.S. You can now listen to this book and I'm very excited about that ^^ Also have I been spelling Marina's name wrong this whole time? I don't think so but I keep saying her name as 'Mariana' in my head and that's clearly not how to pronounce. I hope I haven't been typing her name wrong lol

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