Josie
“An orthi... orthop... orniop...?”
“An ornithologist,” Josie Torres said, suppressing the urge to sigh. “It means I study birds.”
She was used to having to explain her job to people – in fact, she kind of enjoyed it. Her work was her passion, after all, and if people were interested enough to ask about it, then she was happy to tell them whatever they wanted to know. That wasn’t the problem.
The problem only came when the person who was asking was the liquored-up gentleman sitting across from her, with whom she was currently sharing a very small space.
At first, Josie had been overjoyed when the airline ground staff had pulled her aside to let her know she’d been randomly upgraded to business class. Just for once, she wouldn’t have to squeeze herself into undersized airplane seating – Josie herself didn’t think there was anything wrong with the size of her hips, but it seemed most airlines disagreed with her.
She’d just been beginning to relax and enjoy the heavenly extra legroom when the man now sitting across from her had turned up, his heavy cologne doing nothing to cover up the fact that his breath absolutely reeked of alcohol. That in itself wasn’t a problem either. He might have been a nervous flyer, getting through this ordeal any way he could, Josie reasoned. She couldn’t blame a man for that.
The problem only started when the first thing he did was pull at the cover of the scientific journal she was reading to see its title, scoff a little, pull back the sleeves of his cashmere suit – making sure he flashed his huge gold Rolex in the process – and then asked why she was reading ‘something so boring’.
“Sounds like a mouthful,” the man said, smirking at her as if he thought he’d made a double entendre. “Me, I’m in the shipping business. Name’s Bain. Made a comfy ten mil last year. Looking to double it this year.” He stretched out in his seat, flashing her a grin. “That’s why I’m headed out to Greece now. Signing the contract on a new piece of business.”
“Congratulations,” she murmured, staring down at her journal and hoping he might get the picture that she just wanted to be left in peace. His riches and his apparent business acumen didn’t really impress her that much. She was trying to be polite, but she wasn’t sure how much longer she could keep it up. She wasn’t used to having to bite her tongue, after all.
To be truthful, she wasn’t really used to talking to anyone at all. Not recently, anyway. For the past three months she’d been engaged in remote fieldwork in the mountains of Croatia. The only human contact she’d had was when she radioed in to her supervisor every night to confirm she was still alive, and her twice-weekly trips to the village market to replenish her supplies.
Aside from that, her only company had been her binoculars, her field notes, and whatever wildlife she happened to stumble across, which had included pine martens, owls, lynxes, otters, even a bear – everything, in fact, except the one thing she’d been looking for: the white speckled kingfisher. The bird – with its beautiful blue plumage and bright orange beak – hadn’t been sighted on the southern European coast in seventy years. Everyone assumed it had become extinct long ago – until now.
Josie knew that the sudden reappearance of a tiny bird wasn’t exactly the kind of thing that would be making worldwide headlines anytime soon; hell, it probably wasn’t even interesting to most people. But it was her work, the thing she’d spent her whole life passionately interested in. She’d used to watch birds flitting through her parents’ garden when she was a child – the garden she’d grown up playing in, until her father had lost his job, and they had had to sell up and move to a small apartment in the city.
Josie had always been resilient and she’d coped with the sudden change in lifestyle – she’d known her parents loved her, and that was all that mattered. But she had missed the garden, so green and lush, and always bursting with life. Flowers, insects, tiny lizards – and, of course, birds.
Birds were so much less complicated than people, after all.
“Say, that’s an interesting ring you’ve got on.”
Josie glanced up as Bain started talking again – as much from surprise that he’d noticed her ring as from his abrupt change of topic. She glanced down at the ring on her finger – a blue stone set in a silver band, surrounded by cubic zirconias – and bit her lip. It wasn’t very flashy or expensive, but it had a lot of sentimental value. It had been her grandmother’s ring, and she had gifted it to Josie in her will. Since then, Josie had superstitiously come to think of it as a good luck charm, and almost never left home without it.
Josie didn’t usually wear it on her finger. There was too much chance of it falling off or getting damaged while she was out in the field for that. Usually, it was on a chain around her neck – but a few days ago she’d lost the chain down a hotel sink, so onto her finger it went until she could replace it.
“Oh – thank you,” Josie stuttered, remembering that she was, at the moment at least, still trying to be polite.
“Where’d you get it?”
Josie blinked. The man’s voice sounded... intense. As she glanced up at his face, she saw he looked it, too. His blue eyes were fixed on the ring, staring at it in a way that looked almost feverish.
O... kay.
Maybe he just... really liked rings?
“It was my grandmother’s ring,” Josie said, wiggling her finger a little before hiding it behind her journal, feeling uncomfortable under the intensity of his stare. “I suppose you’d say it’s a family heirloom – I always remember her wearing it, right from when I was a little kid.”
Bain finally tore his eyes away from her hand, looking at her face. “How much do you want for it?”
Josie’s mouth popped open in surprise. “I... I’m sorry?”
“The ring. How much would you sell it for?”
For a long moment, Josie couldn’t collect her thoughts enough to reply to him. He wants to buy my ring?! What the...?!
The ring meant a lot to her, but she didn’t have any illusions that it was valuable. And certainly not to a man who bragged about making ten million dollars last year and flashed his Rolex around as if it was nothing. It was hardly the Hope Diamond.
“It’s not for sale,” she said, finally overcoming her surprise enough to find her voice.
“Five thousand dollars,” he said, his hand going to his pocket as if he intended to hand the cash over right this very moment.
Josie stared at him, shaking her head. Was she dreaming?
“I – I don’t think it’s worth that much,” she managed to get out.
What is this? she asked herself, bewildered. Was this a joke? Was it just another way for the guy to show off his clearly fabulous wealth? That if he could throw around money like this on a clearly cheap ring, then he must truly be some kind of big shot?
“What determines worth?” he asked, flashing her a grin that Josie could only describe as predatory. “It’s the price someone is willing to pay for something. And I’m willing to pay you five thousand dollars right now for that ring.”
Josie shook her head again, pressing her lips together firmly. “I know. But it still isn’t for sale.”
Maybe, somewhere in the back of her mind, she was tempted. Five thousand dollars was a lot of money, after all – money she could really use. Funding was low and research grants got more competitive every year. There was a lot she could do with that kind of cash.
But – no.
Her grandmother had given her this ring.
It was her good luck charm.
It meant more to her than money ever could.
“Ten thousand dollars.”
Is he serious?
Josie stared into his eyes – and saw plainly that he was.
What isn’t this guy getting about ‘not for sale’?
“Maybe I haven’t made myself clear,” she said slowly, in the tone of voice she usually reserved for senior colleagues who thought they could patronize her because she was younger than them, and liked to wear cute shorts when out in the field. “The ring isn’t for sale. Not at any price. I’m sorry, but that’s just the way it is.” She licked her lips and tried to soften the blow. “I’m sure you can get something similar for about a quarter of that price in any jeweler’s. There’s nothing special about this one.”
For a moment, Bain’s eyes blazed with something that looked close to fury – and for the first time, Josie actually felt afraid.
It’s fine, she thought to herself. If he tries anything, the call button for the flight attendant is right there...
Not that she wouldn’t fight him off herself if she had to. But this was just her luck: her first time in business class, and some creep was going to force her to make a scene!
Josie watched the man carefully as the muscles in his jaw clenched – and then he blinked, calming himself with obvious effort.
He laughed, the sound harsh with forced levity.
“Fine. Whatever. Just don’t come crying to me if you change your mind.”
Trust me, I won’t, Josie said to herself, raising her journal once more to cover her face, hoping that this time, he’d get the picture and leave her alone.
Her luck was in – the man didn’t say another word to her for the rest of the flight. When the seatbelt lights blinked off, he grabbed his (expensive-looking, obviously leather) hand luggage and sped off the plane as if it were on fire, without so much as a backward glance in her direction.
Well, that was... kinda odd, Josie thought as she grabbed her own battered case from the luggage compartment. Maybe he was a guy who just couldn’t hold his liquor. It wasn’t the first time she’d had to turn down a weird proposition from a man, that was for sure – but no one had ever tried to hit on her by offering to buy her grandmother’s ring before. Perhaps he deserved a few points for originality, if nothing else!
Resolving to put the whole strange episode out of her mind, Josie swung her bag over her shoulder and headed past the smiling flight attendants, down the stairs, and out onto the tarmac below. The smallness of the airport they’d landed at meant the passengers had to make their own way to the terminal – but Josie didn’t mind one bit. After the dry, artificial air of the airplane cabin, even in the luxury of business class, being back in the sunshine and fresh air was welcome.
She’d never been much of an indoor person, after all.
Making her way inside the terminal, Josie passed through passport control and then to the baggage carousel, waiting impatiently for her luggage to appear. More than anything, she wanted to get on her way. She was more excited than she wanted to admit about being here – especially considering that so far, all her efforts to find the white speckled kingfisher had ended in failure, and she was rapidly running out of money.
This is turning out to be a bit of a wild goose chase, isn’t it?
That was what the head of her department had said in an email last week after she’d told him she was giving up on Croatia and heading to Greece instead. And while she appreciated the pun, she’d had to grit her teeth a little.
No one, it seemed, believed the rumors but her.
And maybe that’s only because I’m completely delusional, Josie thought as at last her bags slid down onto the conveyer belt. They were instantly recognizable, plastered as they were with bright red ‘FRAGILE’ stickers, in the hope that the ground staff might treat her field equipment a little more gently than usual. Hoisting them onto her back, Josie looked around, trying to get her bearings.
Her eyes instantly fell on the scowling face of the man who had been sitting across from her on the plane. He was standing amongst the crowd of people still waiting for their bags, his phone pressed to his ear and his eyes fixed on her.
Josie felt a deep chill run down her spine.
Maybe, with all his money – and, she supposed, his relative good looks – he just wasn’t used to rejection.
Maybe he was angry that his ploy of trying to buy her ring hadn’t gotten him what he wanted.
But... no.
Instinct told her it was something more than that.
The look in the man’s eyes wasn’t mere irritation at a failed conquest – he looked downright malevolent.
Unconsciously, she began twisting her grandmother’s ring on her finger, sliding her thumb along the underside. It was a nervous habit she’d picked up – when it was around her neck she often found herself touching the tips of her fingers to it as if to reassure herself. The rare times it was on her finger, she’d twist it this way and that, almost as if she wanted to make sure it was still there.
Feeling her unease grow, Josie thought back to what had happened in the plane. The man, Bain, had been so strange. He’d been playful at first, even if he was kind of a jerk. It had only been once he’d seen her ring that he had changed, becoming more intense and forceful.
It had been... weird.
Gritting her teeth, Josie forced herself to turn away.
Walking quickly through the airport, she tried to put him out of her mind. So what if he was angry she hadn’t fallen for his charms? Soon, she’d be out of here and making her way out to the island of Calauria, and she’d never see him again.
The airport was a small one, and Josie quickly found her way to the exit, and from there, to the docks. It was a long walk and her equipment was heavy, but she was used to lugging it around by this stage in her career. Money was too tight to throw it around on luxuries like a cab. She’d already have to pay a boat to take her out to Calauria. She didn’t need any extra expenses.
Despite the heavy equipment and her agitation, Josie couldn’t help but marvel at the beauty of her surroundings. In the sunshine, she felt her unease melting away, replaced by excitement that she’d arrived.
Even if her department head thought this was nothing but a wild goose chase, she couldn’t help but feel a thrill of excitement.
The cobbled streets were lined with whitewashed buildings, following the pale gold curve of the bay. The stunningly bright azure of the ocean sparkled in the sunlight like a jewel. Out in the ocean, the island chain appeared like black dots, ringed by white sand – and one of them was her destination, Calauria.
It was easy to see why the streets here were filled with tourists, especially at this time of year: the whole place looked like something out of a perfect postcard. She’d always assumed, however, that they altered those postcards in Photoshop or something – how could anything so perfect possibly be real? She realized now that she’d been wrong. The ocean really was that blue, the sand really was that white. The town, nestled against the bay before extending back through the steep slopes of the mountains, really was that quaint and charming.
If she’d had more time, Josie would have loved to meander through the streets and explore the markets, maybe pick up a few little trinkets or even a couple of items of clothing. But right now, she just didn’t have time. She wanted to be on Calauria and exploring as quickly as possible.
She’d been told she could hire a boat from anywhere along the docks – there were large yachts stationed to take tourists out to the larger resort islands, but that wasn’t where she was heading. Calauria was privately owned. She’d had a hell of a time getting permission to go out there, but she’d eventually managed to get it.
The island was owned by the Vallas family – shipping magnates of unimaginable wealth.
Well – sort of.
Josie had read about them while she was trying to figure out who to write to in order to get permission to extend her search for the white speckled kingfisher there. Their business empire had gone through some rough times during the ’90s, and had looked like it was heading for bankruptcy. Things had taken a turn for the even worse when Nikos Vallas, the head of the family business, and his wife Adriana had both been killed in a car accident six years ago.
Their only child, Isaak, had taken over, but he had only been nineteen at the time. Everyone had expected him to fail.
But instead, the business had thrived. It seemed that Isaak Vallas was a smart investor, and had pulled the business out of its tailspin.
Josie could count the number of things she knew about finance and shipping on one finger, and she’d mostly skimmed the admiring articles all flattering Vallas’s business sense. She’d felt a mild flicker of curiosity after reading an article noting that Isaak Vallas had more recently become extremely reclusive, but then she had moved on, looking for something that might help her get access to the island.
Her only interest in it came from the fact that one of the Croatian fishermen she’d become friendly with said his son, who was working in the Greek islands now, had told him he’d sighted the white speckled kingfisher on Calauria.
Maybe it was nothing but wishful thinking on her part. But she was getting nowhere in the seaside mountains in Croatia. All she was doing was burning through her grant money and wasting her time. What did she have to lose? At worst, it would be another dead end, another baseless rumor. But at best...
“Hey, pretty lady! Need a ride out to the islands?”
Josie stopped in her tracks at the sound of the heavily accented but nonetheless perfectly fluent English. Glancing up, she found herself looking into the weathered face of a man in his forties, smile lines around his eyes and mouth, his dark hair streaked with gray. He was grinning at her and gesturing toward the small boat docked nearby. “I can take you out – much cheaper than getting a yacht. More comfortable too.”
Josie couldn’t help herself from smiling – he was clearly being ironic, as his boat was small and obviously a little rickety. Still, she did need a ride, and he had said it was cheap.
“Sure,” she said, adjusting her equipment bags on her shoulders as she approached him. “As it happens, I do.”
“Of course, of course.” He grinned at her, before reaching out to take her bags, glancing curiously at the unusual shapes and the ‘FRAGILE’ stickers. “Heavy. Are your dancing shoes inside?”
Josie couldn’t help but laugh. “No – it’s all equipment for my job. I’m an ornithologist. I study –”
“Yes, birds.” The man nodded, and Josie grinned, shaking her head at herself. Well, that’ll teach me to make assumptions!
“Which island do you need, miss?”
“Calauria,” she told him as he helped her into the boat.
The man paused suddenly, looking at her sideways. “No, I don’t think so,” he said after a long moment. “Maybe you mean a different island?”
Josie shook her head firmly. “No, it’s definitely Calauria. I know it’s not a tourist island, but I’m here for work. I have permission from the Vallas family to be there. I can show you the letter from their lawyers, if you like.”
The man frowned. “It’s not safe there.”
Josie knew that some Greek islands, far from the beach paradises that a lot of people envisioned, could be surprisingly rugged. But she was used to that, and had studied topographical maps and aerial photos before deciding to make the trip. She’d definitely done field work in rougher places.
“I’ll be fine,” she said. “Believe me – I’m a professional. I’m used to rugged terrain.”
“It’s not the terrain,” the man said, his voice quiet. “But it’s not safe.”
Josie felt irritation rise up inside her.
Why am I not more of a people person? she asked herself in frustration. If only she was more charming, more personable, she could probably coax him into taking her. Maybe wiggle her hips a little and use her feminine wiles to persuade him. But that had never been her, and she could only be herself: kind of awkward, and a lot impatient.
“I need to get out to the island,” she said again. “I can pay you – I can even pay you a little more.” Her gut twisted as she made the offer, but she knew she didn’t have much choice.
The man paused, studying her face. “No. It’s not the money. It’s... something else.”
Josie frowned. “What do you mean?”
The man hesitated. “It’s not for me to say. But will you be there alone?”
Nodding, Josie felt a thrill of fear run up her spine. “I will, but... I’ll only be on the north coast of the island. I’ve been told not to go up to the Vallas family’s private villa.”
The lawyer’s letter had been very clear on that point, Josie recalled. She was, under no circumstances, to go up to the villa that sprawled across the south side of the island. That was for the Vallas family’s private entertainment only. The public – or a nosy ornithologist – was not invited.
Again, the man hesitated, seeming unsure. “Are you sure you need to go there?”
“Completely sure,” Josie said instantly. “I promise you, I do know what I’m doing.”
It grated on her to have to justify her professionalism to anyone, but she tried to remember what she’d just thought about being more personable. Being friendly wouldn’t kill her.
The man hesitated a moment longer. “Okay,” he said finally. “I’ll take you. But... my brother. He runs deliveries to Calauria every three days. Food, supplies, this kind of thing. If you want to leave, go to the dock and wait for him. Any time. He’ll take you back to the mainland.”
Josie wanted to ask what on earth was so mysterious and dangerous about Calauria, but in the end, she decided to bite her tongue. She didn’t need to give the man second thoughts about taking her.
She glanced out across the ocean as the man busied himself untying the boat from the docks, before starting the motor. They took off slowly, navigating their way through the other docked boats – and then they were away, the wind whipping through her hair and the salty tang of seaspray on her skin.
Josie could have laughed out loud – Finally, finally!
Despite all the discouragement she’d experienced in her search, Josie couldn’t help but feel her spirits lift as the boat made its way out across the dazzling ocean. She knew she shouldn’t get her hopes up yet again, but she couldn’t help it. The sun was shining, and she was in one of the most beautiful places on earth.
She couldn’t help but feel she was on the brink of something wonderful.
Josie realized that, without thinking about it, she had once more begun touching her grandmother’s ring where it sat on her finger.
Please, she thought as she twisted the ring, please don’t let this become just another wild goose chase.