"Do you know where Anna is?"
"She is on an island, but I don't know exactly where." Kostas took a deep breath.
"Go on, Kostas."
"Yes, Captain. The answer might be in Samos."
"Samos? Why?"
"That is where the sphinx lives."
"Get serious, Kostas!"
"I am sorry. Dr. Tsipras lives there."
"He no longer practices in Athens?"
"No. He was a war criminal who collaborated with the Nazis. Mrs. Bouras too, but with her, of course, no one can say, or do anything about it. Him, he was lucky to escape with his life, but after he got out of prison, they threw him out of all hospitals and now he can only work on the small islands."
"And what makes you think he knows where Anna is?"
"I overheard him talking with Mrs. Bouras."
"Thank you, Kostas. That is a great help." Nikolas connected with Kostas' eyes. "Kostas, can you tell Mr. Bouras that I am looking for him?"
"Nikolas, as much as I love Anna and now you, I can't do that. I am sorry. Unless you give me a new job and can protect my family. These are powerful people, Mrs. Bouras and the doctor."
"I understand, Kostas."
"Good luck, Captain, and give my love to Anna, if and when you find her."
The last words made Nikolas doubt whether what Kostas said was true. His feelings were a mixture of positive and negative, but his hopes were up.
Leaving the café, Nikolas continued on to the sailors' club. There he met a man in his thirties, with long hair.
"My name is Nikolas. What's yours?" "Yanni," he replied.
"Are you working, Yanni?"
"No, I am not."
"Would you like to work with me?" asked Nikolas. "Have you heard of another sailor named Adoni?"
"Oh boy, would I love to work for you," said Yanni "and I know Adoni. He is a good man. I will bring him around in the morning."
"It is done then. Let's go and I'll tell you all about it."
Nikolas and Yanni searched the piers for a vessel. There were plenty of them for sale in the marina. Yanni was a good negotiator and had a lot of knowledge about smaller sailing boats. It took them a week to find the right one. They baptized her the Ithaka. Yanni invited Nikolas to his home to meet his wife and his two children, and later they shared some ouzo and his wife's delicious cooking. The two of them worked every day to check everything out, to be sure all was in order. The previous owner had taken good care of the ship. As a result, it did not need much work.