PART 3 – “MY EIGHT-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER REVEALED WHAT SHE HAD HEARD HER FATHER SAY — AND THEN THE POLICE DISCOVERED SOMEONE WAS WATCHING THE HOUSE!”

“My Helen, I want you to tell me exactly what you heard.”

We were sitting in a small hospital room.

My daughter was holding a plastic cup of water.

Her fingers were shaking.

Police officer Maria Theodorou had sat a little further away.

“You don’t need to rush,” he told her gently.

Helen took a deep breath.

“Dad was talking to a gentleman.”

“When?” the policewoman asked.

“The day he left.”

“Do you remember what he said?”

The little girl nodded.

“She said mom works long hours and no one will believe her.”

I felt my stomach tighten.

“And then?”

“He said he had pictures.”

Maria stood up.

“What photos?”

“I don’t know.”

Helen lowered her gaze.

“But then he said the house would be ready.”

“Ready for what?”

“I don’t know, ma’am.”

I hugged her.

“It’s okay, my love.”

For a few seconds she remained silent.

Then he whispered:

“Mom, Dad knew we wouldn’t have power.”

I froze.

“How do you know?”

“Why did he tell me not to open the refrigerator when the lights go out?”

That same afternoon, the police returned to the apartment.

Dimitris had already been taken in for questioning by the authorities.

A search was carried out at the home in accordance with the prescribed procedures.

The camera that had been spotted above the entrance turned out to be more than decorative.

It was connected to a small storage device.

There were recordings.

And these recordings showed something that no one expected.

The day Dimitris left, he had stood in front of the door for several minutes.

Look towards the camera.

Then he took out his cell phone and typed a message.

Later, police determined that he had left the apartment without arranging for another adult to be present.

That in itself was terrifying.

But there was something else.

The video showed that about an hour after he left, an unknown man approached the door.

She was holding a small bag.

He leaned forward at the electronic entry system.

He did something that wasn’t clearly visible.

And he left.

Police officer Konstantinou showed me a static image.

“Do you know him?”

I looked carefully.

The man was wearing a dark jacket and hat.

I couldn’t see his face clearly.

“No”.

“Are you sure?”

I approached the image.

And then I noticed something.

On his right hand he wore a large silver ring.

I felt goosebumps.

“Wait…”

“What’s going on?”

“I think I’ve seen that ring before.”

“Where;”

I closed my eyes.

I remembered a family table.

Dimitris had brought a partner of his.

A man who introduced himself as Stefanos.

He had talked about investments, businesses and real estate.

And all evening he played with a large silver ring.

I opened my eyes.

“I think he’s an associate of my ex-husband.”

The policeman noted the name.

That evening, as I was sitting next to Eleni, my cell phone rang.

Unknown number.

I answered.

“Please;”

A male voice was heard.

“Anna;”

“Who is it?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“If you don’t tell me who you are, I’ll hang up.”

The voice lowered.

“Don’t trust anyone from Dimitris’ family.”

I froze.

“What do you mean?”

“You don’t know why he wanted to take the kids so badly.”

“Who are you?”

“Ask about life insurance.”

The line is closed.

I remained motionless.

Life insurance;

What could life insurance have to do with my children?

I opened my old notes.

I remembered a conversation with Dimitris, months before the divorce.

He had asked me to sign some financial documents.

He had said that they were about protecting the family.

I hadn’t signed it then.

I had asked to read them first.

He was angry.

“Do you always have to make everything difficult, Anna?”

I didn’t pay attention then.

But now…

I felt a wave of fear.

The next morning I went to the police.

I handed over the number that had called me.

I explained what had been said.

Konstantinou listened to me carefully.

“We will investigate.”

“Officer, do you think someone wanted my children to be harmed?”

He didn’t answer immediately.

“We will not draw conclusions before we gather the evidence.”

“But you’re thinking about it.”

Look at me.

“We are considering every possibility.”

That same afternoon, Maria Theodorou showed up at the hospital.

He was holding an envelope.

“Anna, we found something important.”

“What;”

“Dimitris had applied for insurance coverage that was linked to a family plan.”

“And;”

“There was information in the documents that did not match your actual family situation.”

I felt my blood run cold.

“What information?”

Maria looked at me seriously.

“One of the documents shows your signature. And you told us you hadn’t signed anything.”

“I didn’t sign!”

“Then we have to consider the possibility of forgery.”

I looked at the folder.

And at that moment I realized that Dimitris hadn’t just lied.

Maybe he had even used my name for something I didn’t know about.

CONTINUED IN PART 4…