[Inspector de Silva 09] - High Wire in Nuala

by Harriet Steel

  Slowly, with Boris following, they edged the stretcher out of the office building into the yard. The men in the search party were still there, talking quietly and looking as if they were waiting to be told what to do.

  De Silva glanced at them. ‘I don’t want this news getting out yet,’ he murmured to Kumar. ‘Tell them they are to say nothing until they’re told otherwise.’

  ‘Very well.’ Kumar spoke briefly to the men who nodded, then one of them took de Silva’s end of the stretcher and they set off across the yard. They passed the return journey to the circus in silence, succeeding in skirting the tented camp where fortunately, most people were now occupied with their evening meal.

  ‘That was Alexei’s tent,’ said Kumar quietly as they passed one. ‘But we go this way.’

  In the tented room where Tatiana’s body lay under a sheet, they set the stretcher down. Apart from the body, the tent was deserted. Nadia must have had to go on some errand for a while.

  ‘I’ll find her,’ said Kumar. ‘She needs to be told.’

  De Silva looked in Boris’s direction. Once again, he seemed to be in a world apart. He would need to rouse himself soon. The rest of the circus people had to know what had happened, and it would be best if they found out in an official announcement from Boris. But bad news had a way of getting out when one didn’t want it to. Despite their nods to Kumar, de Silva wasn’t sure that the men in the search party, who were already melting away, were entirely to be relied upon.

  ‘Will you stay with him?’ asked Kumar.

  ‘Of course.’

  As he went away, de Silva reflected that if his behaviour was anything to go by, the snake charmer must be a more active participant in the affairs of the circus than he had realised. It was just as well; from the look of Boris Goncharov, he was going to need help for quite some time. It seemed that this woman, Nadia, was important too. He remembered Boris saying that she’d looked after Tatiana since she was a baby. She may have been close to the Goncharov brothers as well.

  It was clear that Boris did not want to talk, so while he waited for Kumar to come back, de Silva left him in peace and went outside through the exit from the short corridor. The camp was in view, and voices and clattering from the cooking area drifted towards him. Where fires were still burning, bursts of sparks flared, but already some people had damped them down and gone inside their tents. Yes, it was far better that they had a quiet evening and hopefully a good night’s sleep before hearing the news of the second tragedy.

  Nadia appeared followed by Kumar. In the room where the bodies lay, she went over to Boris and, putting her arms around him, began to croon something that sounded to de Silva like words of comfort. When she looked up, she spoke to Kumar in Russian.

  He went over to a trunk in one corner and came back with a long black cape lined with red silk. ‘Alexei used it sometimes in his act,’ he said, draping it carefully over the body. ‘I’ll go and tell the other riders to bring the horses in,’ he added when the cape was arranged to his satisfaction. ‘Usually, I help Alexei with that, and it should have been done already. We let them out to graze in the day on some land we are permitted to use, but at night they must be in the barn in case wild animals are about. If the other riders ask why Alexei is not here, what shall I tell them?’

  ‘For tonight, just tell them that Alexei is unwell. I’ll wait for you here.’

  Kumar thanked him and departed on his errand. Nadia followed, taking Boris with her.

  Left alone, de Silva went to sit on a bench. For a while, he contemplated the two shrouded bodies. There were questions to which he wanted answers. When they came back, maybe Kumar and Nadia would be the people to provide them. He wondered about Kumar’s relationship with the dead man. Considering Alexei had other riders working with him, Kumar seemed to be taking on a responsibility for the horses that one would not ordinarily expect. The first thing he wanted to find out, however, was the nature of the connection between Tatiana and Alexei. Was there more to it than the fact of having grown up together? He still suspected that Tatiana’s death had not been an accident, and it was so close to Alexei’s. His death also raised more questions about Izabella’s case. Were the three linked, and if so, how?

  He was still deep in thought when Nadia returned.

  ‘I give medicine to help him sleep,’ she said.

  She went to the table where Alexei lay under the cape and folded it back a little way to expose his face. De Silva saw her fingers tremble as she gently touched the swollen, discoloured flesh at his throat. ‘My Alexei,’ she said softly. ‘My beautiful boy. How can you do this?’

  She fell silent, and de Silva waited for her to go on. When she did not, he prompted her as gently as he could. He wanted to find out more about the Goncharovs. It was always useful to know who you were dealing with. But in the circumstances, it was probably best to let her take her time.

  Nadia’s English was not as good as Boris’s or Gordo’s. Frequently, she broke off from what she was saying to stroke Alexei’s hair and weep, but slowly de Silva learnt that she came from a poor family of ten children. Her parents had been the tenants of a small farm, but it had not produced enough to feed the whole family. When she was twelve years old, she had been taken in by the Goncharovs as a kitchen maid. The work sounded hard, but the family were kind to her. Eventually, she had been allowed to leave the kitchens and help in the nursery. Boris and Alexei were only a few years old, and the family also had a daughter, but she died when she was a baby. Nadia thought that was why the Goncharovs had been happy to take Tatiana in when she was orphaned.

  Probing further, de Silva learnt that Tatiana’s parents had been killed by the communists, and not long after they had rescued her, the Goncharovs decided to leave Russia. They had managed to get papers appointing themselves guardians for Tatiana to avoid any difficulties that might arise when they took her with them. Since leaving Russia, they had led a roaming life with the circus.

  It must have been a big adjustment to make, thought de Silva. He wondered whether the family business had been a circus before that. And if it had, had it been a successful one?

  When he asked about the business, Nadia explained that the boys’ father, Ivan Goncharov, had been a very successful man. His own father had built up a well-regarded touring circus, but Ivan was not content to stop there. By the time he had finished, he owned several theatres in St Petersburg and Moscow as well as two more circuses. The family spent the winters in St Petersburg and the summers in the country.

  So, the Goncharov brothers had been born to wealth, thought de Silva.

  ‘Was the relationship between the brothers good?’ he asked.

  ‘Boris Ivanovich was hero for little Alexei. He climb the tall tree, catch the big fish, swim like eel. But Alexei Ivanovich best with horses. He speak to them; they understand.’

  She replaced the cape over Alexei’s face and bowed her head for a few moments. De Silva saw her lips move and waited. She might be praying.

  ‘From day Tatiana Petrovna talk,’ she resumed at last, ‘she follow brothers like little dog. Boris Ivanovich very patient with her. Alexei not so much. I try teach him, but,’ she crossed herself, ‘sometimes there is devil in him. One moment kind, the next angry—’ She spread her hands in a despairing gesture. ‘There is no talking with him. Now is different between him and Boris Ivanovich too. Alexei Ivanovich handsome. All girls fall in love with him. At first, Boris Ivanovich laugh, but when Alexei take girls he like, he does not laugh. Then Tatiana Petrovna grow up. She and Alexei—'

  Leaving Alexei’s body, she went to where Tatiana lay and turned the sheet back from her face. The lovely features that had been so mobile and alive were now set into the waxen mask of death, the sparkling eyes closed for ever. ‘I tell you,’ she muttered, a fierce edge suddenly sharpening her voice. ‘I tell you. Alexei, Boris? Boris, Alexei? No play with fire.’

  De Silva frowned, trying to piece together the implications of her remarks. Had both the broth
ers been in love with Tatiana? Had she played them off against each other, or had she favoured Alexei as other girls had done? Nadia had said Alexei had a volatile temperament. Was it possible that, after a quarrel, he’d had something to do with Tatiana’s accident and then killed himself? Or was Boris the guilty party? His sorrow appeared to be genuine, but he wouldn’t be the first murderer to know how to dissemble, or indeed to regret his actions when it was too late. And if either of those scenarios was the correct one, where did it leave Izabella? Might she be an accomplice?

  ‘Do you mean that Alexei and Tatiana were lovers?’ he asked Nadia.

  She nodded. ‘Yes. But often, not happy. All the time, they quarrel. This is what happen,’ she added bitterly.

  ‘As far as you know, did Alexei have any other troubles that might have led him to kill himself?’

  Nadia turned away and he waited for her to answer in her own time. At last she shook her head. ‘No.’

  ‘When the high wire was taken down after the accident, it seemed to have been tampered with.’

  ‘Tampered?’ she asked hesitantly.

  De Silva rephrased the sentence. ‘Made slippery with grease.’ He mimed a sliding motion with his hands. ‘We think that may have been why Tatiana fell.’

  Nadia nodded. ‘This is why you take Izabella.’

  ‘Yes, but it is partly for her own protection. She may be innocent.’

  Looking wary, Nadia waited for him to go on.

  ‘Do you think she would be capable of such an act?’ he asked.

  She frowned, deepening the wrinkles. ‘She jealous of Tatiana. People will say she do this.’

  ‘But do you believe it?’

  ‘Maybe,’ she said quietly, after a long pause.

  ‘Thank you. Now, I’d like you to tell me more about Tatiana and Alexei,’ he continued. ‘You say they quarrelled often. Did Alexei ever tell you he wanted to hurt Tatiana?’

  Nadia hid her face, her shoulders heaved, and her muffled words were indistinguishable. When she raised her head, wiping tears from her cheeks, her eyes were red-rimmed.

  ‘Alexei love her. If he do such terrible thing, is because he go crazy.’

  De Silva saw the misery in her face. He was sure she had already considered the possibility that Alexei had a hand in the accident. She began to cry again, and it took her a few moments to regain her composure.

  ‘What about Boris?’ asked de Silva when she had done so. ‘Did he ever threaten either of them?’

  Nadia’s eyes widened in horror. ‘Never! Boris Ivanovich is good man.’

  She looked as if she might weep once more so, quickly, de Silva asked if she knew what would happen to Alexei’s share of the circus. Apparently their father, Ivan, had anticipated a situation where one brother might die or wish to give up the business. In that event, he had made them promise that the other one would have the sole right to continue the business but must also provide for any widow or children his brother left behind him. Tatiana had the right to work for the circus for as long as she wanted but could never become an owner.

  Now that he had an answer to the important question of who stood to benefit from Alexei’s death, de Silva only half listened as Nadia drifted into long, sorrowful reminiscences of the Goncharovs’ childhood. It might have been idyllic, but the grown-up relationship between the brothers had clearly been difficult. Add into the mixture their seeming rivalry over Tatiana, along with the arrangements for the circus imposed by their father, and the possibilities for conflict and dangerous emotions were enormous. There was no getting away from the fact that, whatever Nadia said, Boris had to be regarded as a suspect.

  He thought of Izabella and wondered whether he ought to rule her out of the picture, but then decided it was too soon for that. He hoped that Prasanna and Nadar had managed to placate her. It was hard to know whether she would be more ferocious if she was released than she had been when she was detained. He was quite sure, however, that at the very least there would be glares that could turn water to ice.

  **

  Leaving Nadia to her sad vigil, de Silva walked through the camp once more. Now, all the small fires outside the tents were damped down for the night, and the circus folk had gone to bed. He heard the low murmur of voices, and the grunts and snores of sleepers, but no one accosted him. He was relieved not to have to face any questions.

  When he reached the racecourse buildings, he bore right along the track they had taken earlier that evening. He hoped he might find Kumar with the horses. It would be useful to find out if he backed up Nadia’s story.

  In the courtyard one of the big doors to the barn was open, so he looked in. The interior was dimly lit, with only a couple of oil lanterns burning. Horses drowsed or ambled about, some pulling at nets of hay, some drinking from the large metal water trough fixed to one wall of the barn. There was a bench close by and de Silva noticed that a wicker basket sat underneath. Its lid was hinged in the centre so that either side could be lifted up independently. It reminded him of the one Jane used for their picnics.

  Kumar was brushing a grey mare that was hitched by a halter to a post. When the mare noticed de Silva’s arrival, she fidgeted and tossed her head. Kumar made a soothing sound as he steadied her. ‘Are you looking for me, Inspector?’ he asked in Tamil when she was under control.

  ‘Yes; your boss is asleep, and I’ve been talking with Nadia, but there are a few things that I hope you’ll help me with.’

  ‘Of course, but if it is about the Goncharovs, Nadia knows more than I do.’ He shook his head and sighed. ‘This will be a big sadness for her.’

  ‘She told me something about the relationship between the brothers, but I’d be interested to hear your opinion.’

  Kumar frowned. ‘They often fought, but I think there was also respect. Alexei knew his brother was better at running the circus. But Boris knew his brother was good in another way.’

  ‘Do you mean with the horses?’

  ‘Yes. The show was—’ Kumar seemed to be searching for the right adjective. ‘The best I have seen, and I have seen many.’

  ‘What can you tell me about his relationship with Tatiana?’

  ‘They were lovers, but if Alexei had asked me, I would have told him to keep away.’ He turned his attention back to brushing the mare. ‘But I will not speak badly of the dead.’

  De Silva felt a stab of impatience. ‘If it is something important, you must tell me,’ he said sternly.

  Kumar frowned. ‘Many people liked Tatiana, but she was selfish as well as beautiful. She did not make Alexei happy. I think she liked to make him jealous.’

  ‘Was that with any other man in particular? Boris for example?’

  ‘I think Boris was in love with her once, but he was wise and got over it.’

  ‘But Nadia mentioned he was not happy about the affair. Did you ever hear him threaten to harm either of them?’

  ‘No. If he wasn’t happy, it was because their quarrels made trouble in the circus.’

  ‘If she didn’t make Alexei jealous over Boris, who else was there?’

  Kumar shrugged. After more pressure, de Silva managed to prise it out of him that Tatiana had been in the habit of attracting admirers when the circus stayed in the larger places that they visited for longer than they planned to do in Nuala. She had never bothered to hide her escapades. ‘I think Nadia did not tell you that,’ Kumar finished.

  She certainly hadn’t; her account of Tatiana had glossed over this less pleasant aspect of her character.

  Kumar finished brushing the grey mare, slipped off the halter and stroked her ears. ‘All done, Anoushka. Here, I have a reward for you.’ He took something out of his pocket and cupped it in his palm. The mare whickered, delicately drew back her lips and took it. De Silva smelled peppermint.

  ‘Her favourite,’ said Kumar with a smile. He gave her a slap on the rump, and she ambled away.

  ‘Once, Tatiana tried it with me,’ Kumar went on. He grinned. ‘I admit I was tempted, bu
t I decided it wasn’t worth the risk of waking up in the night with Alexei’s knife at my throat. He was dangerous when he was angry. And he could be angry over very small things.’

  ‘Is there anything else you can tell me about Alexei?’

  Kumar thought for a few moments then shook his head.

  ‘Do you know if he had tried to kill himself before?’

  ‘No, but when they argued, he said that sometimes he told Tatiana he would kill himself. She only laughed.’

  ‘Did you often help Alexei with the horses?’

  ‘When I had time. My father was a blacksmith. As a boy, I was often with horses.’

  ‘Were you with the circus in Russia?’

  ‘I’ve never been there. I joined in India. My family is from Madras.’

  He went over to the water trough and checked the level of water. Reaching for a broom that leant against the wall nearby, he started to sweep some wisps of straw into a corner. ‘Is there anything else you want to know?’

  ‘Izabella Rabach… what’s your opinion of her?’

  Kumar grinned. ‘As sour as an unripe mango, but I doubt she had anything to do with this. She never spoke more than a few words to Alexei.’

  ‘I have evidence that points to the high wire having been tampered with to cause Tatiana’s accident.’

  Kumar’s eyebrows went up. ‘You think Izabella is responsible?’

  ‘It’s something we have to consider.’

  ‘She was no friend of Tatiana’s, but she has a good living here. I don’t think she would risk losing it out of spite.’

  Perhaps he was right, thought de Silva, but if that pointed to Alexei being the one who greased the wire, when would he have done it? Presumably after Tatiana checked, but would it have been before or after Izabella did? If the former, he had taken the risk of her noticing something was wrong, so it was more likely to have been after. That wouldn’t have given him a great deal of time before the tent became busy with final preparations for the show. And if his death had been suicide, when did that happen? De Silva began to regret that he had not called Hebden back when the body was found. It would have been useful to have his view on the time of death. By the time he saw the body now, it might be too late for him to form an opinion.