Green Neon

18 But there was no earthquake

The next morning Christina and Tom left for Voula around nine o'clock. The roads were congested, so the bus ride took almost two hours. They got out at a sports field, walked past an outdoor swimming pool where children were screaming, through a park to the police station, in front of which there were again several desks with clerks.

Christina asked for the officer who had phoned the LTF, and an elderly man without his uniform jacket approached them with a smile. Beads of sweat on his forehead suggested strenuous activity. The rather overweight policeman didn't give the impression that he would exceed with speed in the hunt for criminals.

He offered them two chairs in front of his desk, went to a closet and pulled out a file. From a box in which the pickpocket's loot was kept, he dug out the green booklet that was responsible for so many problems. He compared the photo in the passport with Tom's facial features, then explained the administrative act that was about to follow and, with Christina's help, asked Tom when and where he had last seen his passport. The most likely time for when the thief might have struck was in the crowd boarding the bus at Cape Sounion.

Tom and Christina then had one of the clerks write the report, which they took to the officer, who gave it to a colleague who, after Christina had paid a stamp duty, affixed the official seal and his signature on the document. Then the first officer handed Tom his passport and fatherly admonished him to take better care of the important document in the future.

It was now midday, and after a short break for refreshments in a nearby park, Tom and Christina set off for Athens with a heavy heart. In view of the forthcoming conversation with the secret police, there was no real joy in the recovered passport.

Sullen, they went down the narrow cul-de-sac behind Syntagma Square. At reception, Christina made their request, and after a short phone call, an officer escorted them to the 4th floor. He ordered Christina to sit down in a chair opposite the door to the hooked-nosed secret police inspector's office.

When Tom entered the room, the inspector only glanced up from a piece of paper, which he then continued to study. Tom stood in front of his desk and waited what seemed like forever to be spoken to. When the officer had apparently finished memorizing the paper, he looked up kindly at Tom and asked him to sit down.

"So you've changed your mind," he said in his deceptively fatherly way. Tom handed him his passport along with the record of how he got it back. The officer read the paper and leafed through the card from the first to the last page.

"I must apologize to you that there are criminals in our country who steal from other people. I promise you that the thief will be punished. After all, our guests should feel comfortable in Greece. And you, my boy, must be very careful. You should not take photos where it is prohibited. Above all, you should not meet people who are also criminals. While we do everything we can to protect our guests, we can't always assign two people to look after a German boy. We'll do this from time to time, but you can't always count on us to be there if someone wishes to harm you."

This was an obvious threat, albeit presented in a friendly tone. Still, Tom felt that at least today the policeman didn't bully him, which helped him contain his anger. Smiling insincerely like the officer, he thanked him for his help and promised to be careful about who he associated with in the future. The police officer escorted him to the door and nodded to Christina.

When Tom left the room, a ton of weight fell from him. However, joy did not come until they reached the vibrant life of Syntagma Square. Christina went to her office and Tom rode to Piraeus.

The policeman stayed by the door until they got into the elevator. Okay, so the boy hadn't given anyone the passport. But the other suspicions remained. They would continue to keep an eye on him, especially as he might lead them to the Special Forces soldier he assumed was in contact with the lawyer.