A Traveler’s Tale and A Little Black Book

The ferry finally arrived at the Greek island of Ios. Maggie and Nicole had been rocking the waves since 6:00 am that morning. They are on the last leg of their backpacking trip through Europe. They were both experiencing a mix of emotions. “Wow, finally the last leg of our trip.” And “Oh, bummer this is the last leg of our trip.”

For the last twelve weeks, they have been trekking through Europe, staying in hostels, touring and riding the rails. Most hostels were located in seedy parts of town and did not have hot water. If you were lucky some would offer a hot chocolate and buttered roll for breakfast. Their personal appearances, had also changed since the journey began. They were tan and their hair was long and bleached from the sun. Their jeans were grimey, and their sandals worn down. They truly looked the part of the experienced traveler.

When Maggie and Nicki arrived at the hostel, they were greeted by an elderly woman. She must have been in her late eighties. Her gray hair was neatly tucked in a bun, and she wore a black dress. They managed to convey their plans to stay for a week and paid the full amount. Slightly grinning, the old woman handed them a room key. Obviously, she had been taking in young travelers all summer, and now just tolerated their annoying habits. Maggie and Nicki opened the door, and to their surprise they had the room to themselves. It wasn’t the cleanest, but it was all theirs. The girls were relieved and started to unpack.

Nicki was setting up her bed, when she noticed something jammed under the mattress. She lifted it up and pulled out a manila envelope. “Hey Mags look at this. It must have been left here by the previous travelers.”

Maggie asked. ‘What’s in it?”

Nicki replied. “Looks like a journal, much nicer than mine”. It was a little black book, neatly tied with string. Nicki had been journaling all summer. She was using a now well, worn, marble notebook. “I’d much rather use this, a total upgrade for the rest of the trip.” She flipped over the envelope and a pack of money fell out.

Nicki whispered to herself. “What the hell?” She picked up the pack of crisp 100 dollar bills. “There must be $20,000.00 here. Holy!” She yelled. “Mags, look at this!”

Maggie glanced her way. “Now what? You could really be annoying Nick.”

Nicki said. “No, look, look what fell out of the envelope?”

Maggie looked at the contents and they both just stared at it for a moment.

Nicki asked. “What does it mean? Why did these people travel with so much money?”

Maggie replied. “We don’t know whose money it is.”

Nicki said. “We don't, I'm just assuming. We should tell the old lady.”

Maggie said. “ For all we know it could have been sitting here for months. This is not the cleanest hostel in the world.”

Nicki replied. “True. But imagine, this could come in real handy when we get back home, a nice apartment, or even another trip.”

Maggie said. “Obviously, someone has to be missing this money. We should ask around.”

Nicki asked. “Ask who? The owner doesn't speak English and we don’t know anyone.”

Maggie replied. “Well, look through the book. Is there an address or name?”

Nicki flipped through the pages all she saw were numbers, no words just six digit numbers. “This is weird, there are only numbers in this thing.”

“What kind of numbers?” Maggie asked. “Are they phone numbers?”

Nicki replied. “Maybe, but they look more like account numbers. They could be European phone numbers. But I don’t think so. There are no dashes or spaces between them. Just six numbers neatly in a row, column after column.”

Maggie took a look. “Yeah, those are not phone numbers. Well here’s what we’ll do. We’ll keep the book with us. We’re here all week and if anyone asks us, or is looking for it, we’ll hand it over. What do you think?”

Nicki, sat there for a moment and replied. “Yeah, Ok. I’m good with that, we have seven days here, if no one comes forward then it’s ours. So for now let's forget about it and hit the beach.”

“Ok. I’m ready for the beach when you are.” Maggie said.

They laid their beach mats on the sand and enjoyed the hot sun. That afternoon they met two boys from Vienna. Maggie and the older one hit it off right away. The younger one was trying, very hard to get to know Nicki. He was really good looking and obviously some sort of body builder. Nicki liked him, but she was more interested in the rebel type. That night they all agreed to hang out and go to a bar. The girls freshened up and put on the cleanest clothes they could find.

They entered the bar and even though it was only 8pm, the party was in full swing. Nicki spotted an amazing looking guy across the room. He was staring right at her. He had light brown curly hair, piercing blue eyes, and a chiseled jaw . He was wearing a worn leather jacket and torn jeans. They locked eyes and that was it. Nicki was hooked. His name was Peter, he was from Ireland, and came to Ios with his best friend for a summer holiday. Nicki and Peter spent the rest of the evening talking to one another. She felt a little bad about ditching the boy from Vienna, but not really. He sparked up a conversation with some Scottish girl anyway. Later that night, Peter dropped Nicki back at the hostel and gave her the most amazing kiss she’d ever experienced. It was soft, slow and delivered with perfection. She was in heaven.

In the early morning, about 4am, Nicki heard someone in the room. She was frozen with fear. She finally got up the courage and yelled. “Hey, Get out of here!” The next moment there was a hand over her mouth and a young man, with a German accent, whispered. “Be quiet...please. I am not going to hurt you. I am looking for my book. If you’re quiet I will release my hand from your mouth.” Nicki nodded her head.

“My name is Hans. I was staying here a few nights ago and left a book here. It is very important I find it. It is a small black book. Have you seen it?”

Nicki, took the book out the envelope and said. “You mean this one?”

Hans, with a sigh of relief, said. “Yes, that’s it.”

Nicki looked at him. He was no older than she was and he was covered with bruises on his face and arms. He was thin with short blonde hair and green eyes. He looked scared.

Nicki asked. “What is that book? Are you in trouble?”

At that moment Maggie woke up. Still half asleep cried out. “Really, Nicki isn't two guys enough for you in one night?” Nicki rolled her eyes at Maggie. She told her Hans was the owner of the little black book.

They gave Hans some water as he told his story. He had been living on the island for the last year. Over time he noticed some unusual happenings. Strange boats coming into port. Men with dark suits walking around town. He proceeded to tell them he infiltrated a drug cartel on the island. They have been using the small businesses to launder their money, forcing the community to obliged them. Over time he gathered information and has been collecting all the accounts in this little black book. The $20,000 was his payment for the work he had been doing for the cartel. He said there was much more where that came from. But his plan was to expose the whole crime ring for the people of Ios. A few nights ago he was caught by the cartel and they had been holding him captive. He managed to escape a day ago and has been hiding out, wherever he could, all over the island.

Maggie and Nicki listened to every word Hans said. They believed his story and let him stay. They all fell asleep, when they got up, Hans was gone. Maggie and Nicki were having a light breakfast, enjoying the views on the hostel’s porch. When they both looked in disbelief as a black car pulled up to the entrance. A tall man with a dark mustache got out of the car. He walked towards the door. As he passed he winked at the girls and immediately started questioning the old lady about something. She looked worried and scared and kept shaking her head. Maggie and Nicki shot a look at each other. The man didn’t notice they were watching him. He just looked at the old lady and shook his head. As he left the girls gave him a small smile, he lifted up his eyebrows as he undressed them with his dark eyes. He got in his car and drove away. They knew he was looking for Hans, and this confirmed his story.

They went back to their room to discuss their options. Nicki asked. “What should we do?”

Maggie looked at her and replied. “What can we do? We have no idea how deep this cartel is involved in the community. I say we wait.”

That night Hans appeared in their room again. The girls told him about the man asking questions at the front desk. He immediately knew the man they were describing. He thanked them for not revealing his whereabouts.

He asked if he could stay one more night. Maggie looked at Hans. “What do you want from us?”

Hans replied. “I’m so sorry to drag you into this. Nothing, just a place to sleep, until I make my next move. I have to get this book to the right authorities.”

Nicki asked. “How can we help?”

Hans looked at her with his soulful eyes and replied. “You’ve already been a tremendous help.”

They spent the rest of the night getting to know each other. They talked about music, and their life back home in the United States. The girls plan was to get jobs in New York City and move into an apartment together. Hans told them he would visit them one day. He’ll take them out and they could catch up on old times. They had a good laugh and later fell asleep.

The next morning, they woke to find Hans was gone. But this time he left a note.

Dear Friends,

I’ve made my plan to expose the cartel. I’ve left Ios for the mainland. You have been invaluable to me and I’m so glad It was you who found the book. I’ve decided to leave you the $20,000.00. Use it however you like. It is yours to keep. No strings. You’ve done so much already.

Love, Hans.

Maggie and Nicki looked at each other with disbelief, they had $20,000.00 to do whatever they wanted. They decided to relax and enjoy the rest of their time with Peter and the boys from Vienna. Each morning after breakfast they helped the old woman tidy up the hostel. They decided to leave the money to her, and put the envelope in a safe place, where she would find it later on.

A few months passed. Maggie and Nicki had jobs in the city and their own apartment. One night Maggie came home and handed Nicki a copy of the New York Times. She said. “You’re not going to believe this.” There on the cover was Hans. He had exposed the drug ring in Ios, and made headlines for bringing the evidence against them. Freeing the people from the arm of the brutal cartel. Pictured in his hands was the little black book.