by Ellery Adams
“So, all these years you’ve known they were having money troubles, and Galina knew you knew, because you were giving her money. In all that time, did you ever talk to her about leaving Curtis?”
Natasha sighed. “I tried to, but she always made it about the business, how if Curtis would listen to her and take some of her ideas, they could make it a success. She had some very good ideas, too. Before it became a fad, she wanted to buy sofas and have a coffee station with specialty drinks. She wanted to expand the book section and bring in modern-day titles, and make Rarus Books a place where people could mix and mingle, and read. Curtis hated the idea. He shot it down.”
“Why? If the shop was losing money . . .”
“He was an idiot, that’s why.” The cold snap in her voice had returned. “What little profit they were making only shrank over time, of course, because their customers were older, loyal people who knew Curtis’s father. When they died off, or moved away, the money went with them. I was giving Galina money right up until the day she died. Who do you think paid for their vacation to Florida?”
“Is that why you told Curtis he had until the first of the year to move out of the cottage? Did you decide you’d had enough?”
Natasha was amazed. “You’ve certainly been busy talking to people. I suppose Hattie told you.”
“Yes, she did. She said you didn’t like her living there.”
“I don’t, but that’s not the reason I asked Curtis to leave. My sister is dead, and Maxim is married, and has a successful business. I did agree to continue to buy Curtis his groceries for another year. I had Peggy go to the grocery store to buy them and deliver them to the cottage. That’s how much I trusted him with money.”
Wow, Molly thought. There is some serious animosity going on here.
“Do you blame him for your sister’s death?”
Natasha brushed a stray piece of hair from her face, tucking it up into the bun. “He ruined her life,” she said. “I will always hold him responsible for making her miserable.” She paused. “I’m not sorry he’s dead. He was a liar, and untrustworthy, and he treated my sister and Maxim badly. But I didn’t kill him.”
She’s not stupid, Molly thought. She knows I suspect her, because of her history with Curtis.
“I understand why you didn’t trust him,” Molly said. “But you must realize, you backed him into a corner.”
“How so?”
“The egg. If he did find it, why would he give it back to you? Nothing had changed. He still needed money. He had bills to pay, he wanted to save Rarus Books, and you added the extra burden of him finding a new place to live. Even buying his food had a time limit.”
Natasha’s green eyes narrowed. “He could have asked Hattie to contribute. She has plenty of money. If she wanted to live with him, she could have picked up the slack. Not me. Not anymore.” She rubbed the space between her eyes. “My headache’s coming back.”
“Was he blackmailing you?”
“What?” Natasha’s head jerked back. “Of course not. Whatever gave you that idea?”
“I thought if he did find the egg, he might have tried to hold it hostage.”
“Well, he didn’t. The egg, as far as I know, is still missing.” Natasha’s cell phone rang. She looked at the screen. “Fairhill Cemetery. I’ll call them back.” She declined the call. “I don’t want to bury Curtis in the family plot with Galina. My parents would hate it. But I’ll do it for Maxim. He wants his parents to be buried together.”
“Your parents will never know,” Molly said.
Natasha looked at her. “You probably think my parents were unkind because of the way they treated Galina, but they really did have her best interests at heart. They thought she’d come to her senses.”
“But when it was obvious she wasn’t going to, why not let it go?”
“They were all far too stubborn. My parents, Galina.” Natasha closed the display cabinet and locked it, and a sad image bubbled up in Molly’s mind. One of two sisters with different interests and personalities. Natasha the quiet one, living at home, following in her parents’ footsteps. Galina the stubborn one, rebellious even, wanting to do things her own way. “It’s ironic,” Natasha said. “Galina was more like our parents than I was. She had a spine of steel, just like them. She wouldn’t give in, and neither would they. They were at an impasse, and there was no way around it.” She shook her head. “If only Galina had done what they’d asked. Was it really so much of a burden to give up Curtis? Was it worth losing everything?”
Her voice was brittle, and there was a deep sadness in her eyes. She’d loved her sister, but she’d disobeyed their parents, and the result was a rift that could not be bridged. And where did this leave Natasha? The lone sister, in charge of the estate. Even if their parents had groomed her for it, it was still a heavy responsibility to take on alone.
Natasha turned and walked away, expecting Molly to follow As they passed through the gallery, Molly said, “I can’t imagine what it’s been like for you all these years taking care of such a large estate by yourself. If Galina hadn’t had a falling out with your parents, would she have worked with you to keep it going?”
“I like to think she would have, but honestly, Galina never never took an interest in our family’s art collection, or the charities our parents supported. She coasted through life, expecting everyone else to take care of her.” She shrugged. “Maybe she was right to stay away. Every year managing the estate becomes more difficult, and more expensive, and I’m not getting any younger. I’ll be happy to hand it over to Maxim someday.”
“Well, for the record, I think you’ve done an incredible job. The manor house, from what I saw of it, is beautiful, and this museum is amazing. Although, I did notice as I was walking through the gallery that there are a lot of blank spots.” She pointed to an empty space on the wall. “What happened there?”
“I’ve been fortunate to receive, on loan, paintings from other museums and private collectors,” Natasha said. “I simply can’t afford to buy great masterpieces. Only the Russian artwork you see is mine. It’s all part of the Gordon collection, our family’s legacy.”
“Do you still collect art, or are all the pieces in the museum handed down?”
“I’ve bought a few pieces. I love art, but my real passion is antique furniture, and I’d rather spend my money there.” They’d reached the front door, and her face had brightened, and her voice had lifted. She was on a subject she enjoyed talking about. “I’ll tell Maxim to give you a tour of the house sometime.”
“You could dedicate a section of the museum to some of your antique furniture.”
Natasha looked at her. “I’m embarrassed to say, I never thought of doing that. It’s a very good idea.”
“Felix would probably be happy to give you advice on how to set it up. His shop is beautiful, and he knows how to stage furniture.”
Natasha frowned. “I’m quite capable of doing it myself.”
Her smile disappeared. Was she the snob Hattie made her out to be? Was Felix simply not good enough . . . not for her sister, or as someone she’d ever go to for advice?
“Everyone says Felix and Galina were close friends. But I wonder, were they ever in love?”
They reached the door. Natasha put her hand on the push bar, but she didn’t open it right away. She turned to Molly. “We all knew he had feelings for Galina that went beyond friendship, but she never reciprocated. Her love for him was platonic, never anything else.”
“Were you angry with him when you found out he was helping Galina sell the egg?”
“I was disappointed, but as I said, I’m well aware of his devotion to my sister.”
A devotion that brings him to Galina’s grave every week, Molly thought. Maybe Galina’s love was platonic, but it seemed Felix’s love for her was deep and unbending. “Do you think Felix would have killed for her?”
“Oh, yes,” Natasha said without hesitation. “I’m not saying he killed Curtis, of course
.” She pushed on the bar and held the door open for Molly. “But I believe he would have done anything for her.”
Chapter 13
Molly left Misty Vale, intending to drive back to the city to talk to Felix at Monkey Paws Antiques. She had a lot of questions for him. He was devoted to Galina, in love with her, and was instrumental in helping her find a buyer for the Fabergé egg. If he blamed Curtis for her death, or later learned Curtis planned to find the egg and sell it out from under Natasha, he had a couple of good reasons for wanting to kill him. Loyalty to Galina and the Gordon family, and pure revenge.
As she entered the village of Fairhill, she thought about Galina and Curtis being buried together at the Fairhill Cemetery. Would Felix still want to visit her if Curtis was in the ground beside her? She drove down Main Street, and at the end of the street turned in the direction of the cemetery. She wondered if she might find Felix standing over her grave. There were only two other cars in the parking lot, a small compact and a large black SUV with a vanity plate: MPAWS. It had to be Felix’s. She parked by the office and went inside. A young woman sat behind the reception desk reading a book. She put it down and smiled.
“Good afternoon. May I help you?”
“I’d like to visit the grave of Galina Cobb,” she said. “Can you tell me where she’s buried?”
“Of course. I’ll just check the computer.” She did a search, and a few moments later said, “Okay, here it is. Galina Gordon is in a family plot. Section ten, plot forty-three. I’ll give you a map.” She opened a desk drawer and pulled out a map of the cemetery. Laying it flat on the desk, she used a yellow marker to circle the exact location. “Go out the door, take a left, and follow the path. You’ll see little signs sticking up out of the grass along the way. When you see the one for section ten, walk down the row, and you’ll find her grave on the right.”
“Thank you very much.” Molly took the map and went back outside. As she started down the path, her stomach growled. It was almost one o’clock, way past her preferred noon lunchtime. But her stomach would have to wait. She could pick something up on the drive back to the city. Or call her mother to see if she was back from Boston. If she was, they could meet somewhere for lunch, and then she could tell her in person that she was working on another murder case. She’d buy her dessert, too, to sweeten her up. If there was one thing Molly didn’t want to do, it was upset her mother. Matt was right, since Tyler’s birth, she wasn’t as keen on Molly’s crime reporting.
Molly found section ten, and Felix, who was kneeling in front of a headstone farther down the row, arranging flowers in a vase in the grass. Not wanting to startle him, she cleared her throat.
He turned around. “Molly.” He looked surprised. “What are you doing here?” He stood up slowly, his pants grass-stained with smudges of dirt on them. He didn’t bother to brush it off. He didn’t care.
“I was at Misty Vale and thought I’d stop by to pay my respects to Galina,” she said. “I spoke to your mother, and Natasha. I was going to stop by your shop to see if you’d have time to talk. Maxim’s asked me to write an article about his father, and I’m interviewing everyone who knew him. But this probably isn’t the best time and place to have that conversation. Will you be at the store later?”
“Actually, I don’t mind talking to you here, if you’re all right with it.” His voice broke, and his eyes filled with tears. “I’m sure Galina won’t mind.”
Molly glanced at the white granite headstone. An angel with wings in flight was carved above her name, her date of birth and a line from a poem beneath it. Molly read the words out loud. “I am the soft stars that shine at night.” She looked at Felix. “‘Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep’ by Mary Elizabeth Frye. It’s a beautiful poem. Did you choose it?”
“No, not me.” Felix blinked back his tears. “My mother chose it. She wanted to do something special for Galina. Natasha told her she could pick something out for the headstone. It’s not much, I know, but it was something she could do for her.”
“I know your mother was very close to Galina. I’m sure her death hit her hard, and you, of course. Hattie told me you come here every week and bring her fresh flowers.”
“Galina loved flowers,” he said. “She worked so hard on her flower garden. It’s behind the house, and it’s gone to ruin. Curtis didn’t do a thing to save it, and he wouldn’t let me near it. But you should have seen it when it was in full bloom. It was truly glorious.” He glanced up at the steel gray sky. “It will snow soon, I think. Then I’ll stop bringing flowers, when it snows.”
And no doubt, Molly thought, he’ll start bringing them again when the spring arrives.
“Maxim told me about the Fabergé egg,” she said.
Felix was shocked. “Does Natasha know he told you?”
“Yes, we talked about it. I know Galina asked you to find her a buyer. Your mother said you tried to talk her out of it.”
“I did. I told her the egg should stay in her family, for Maxim to inherit. I told her I’d give her a raise, or a loan, if she needed the money, but she wouldn’t let me.”
“Did you know how deep in debt they were?”
“I suspected for a long time they were living above their means,” he said. “My shop is across the street from Rarus Books. I know they didn’t get much foot traffic, and Curtis wasn’t interested in setting up a website or selling online. I often wondered how they were managing to stay in business. Galina finally told me Natasha was supporting them.”
“When did she tell you?”
“Oh, it was when she came to work for me, about three years ago.” He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “She should have told me sooner, but I suppose she didn’t want me to worry about her. I did know Natasha had given them the cottage to live in. I should have realized she was helping them financially all these years. It explained how they had the money to live their lifestyle, and send Maxim to an expensive college.”
Molly couldn’t imagine how much money Natasha had spent on her sister’s family all these years, but she wouldn’t be surprised if someone told her it was in the six figures. “Maxim told me the buyer wanted to see pictures of the egg. I couldn’t find anything online. Do you have the photographs?”
“I have copies at the shop,” he said. “Come by sometime and I’ll be glad to show them to you. I took them with my phone, but Natasha asked me to delete them. She even watched me do it. She was worried someone might hack my computer, and then everyone would know the egg exists.”
Again with the paranoia, Molly thought. “Natasha was very kind to give her sister money, and the cottage, but it makes me wonder why Galina didn’t ask her about selling the egg, if she needed the money.”
He shrugged. “Maybe she was too embarrassed to ask her, because Natasha had already done so much.”
“What happened after she died, when you heard from the buyer and told him? Did he completely disappear, or did you stay in touch?”
Molly was watching him carefully, looking for any signs in his eyes or his facial expression that he might be lying to her.
He didn’t even blink. “He cut off all communication.”
“How did Curtis and Natasha react when you told them the buyer had disappeared?”
“Curtis was angry, Natasha seemed relieved.” His expression was neutral, and his voice was flat. Molly thought he sounded uninterested, which surprised her. Or maybe, she thought, he didn’t care about any of it. He missed Galina, and she was still all that mattered to him. “Natasha wants the egg back,” he said. “She didn’t care about the buyer.”
“I have to ask you this, and I hope you’ll be honest. Did Galina leave the egg with you?”
“No, she did not,” he said firmly. “You have to believe me, if I had the egg, I would give it to Natasha. I even let her search my home and business to reassure her that I had nothing to hide.”
“Sounds to me like she didn’t trust you.”
“No, it wasn’t like that,” he sai
d. “She knew I was close to Galina. I don’t blame her for thinking she might have entrusted the egg to me.”
Entrusted is a nice way of saying she gave it to him, Molly thought. And why would Galina have done that? Had she hidden more than the egg? Could she have hidden her feelings for Felix over the years?
“Did you have a romantic relationship with Galina?”
His eyes widened. “Whatever gave you that idea?”
Molly looked pointedly at the flowers. “You do come here once a week.”
“Yes, but . . .” He shook his head. “We were friends, that’s all. You must believe me, she didn’t give me the egg, she hid it in her house.”
“Did she give you a reason why she felt the need to hide the egg?”
He nodded. “She said she wanted to be in control of the sale. She was worried if Curtis got too involved in it, the whole thing would fall to pieces. You have to understand, he wasn’t trustworthy. Natasha didn’t trust him either. She asked me if I would monitor the dark web for her, in case the buyer resurfaced, or if there was anything out there about a Fabergé egg being sold online. I really didn’t want to be involved after Galina died, but I thought it was the least I could do to help her. I’ve been keeping an eye on it, but so far, nothing. Not even a whisper.”
Molly considered how this might relate to her theory that Curtis did find the egg. If he had, and began to search for a new buyer, and Felix discovered it because he was monitoring the dark web for Natasha, he could have baited Curtis to meet him on the night of the gala ball in order to take back the egg. But even if this theory turned out to be true, did his loathing for Curtis go so deep that he could kill him?
“I know you and Curtis weren’t good friends,” she said, “but do you think you can give me an unbiased opinion of him?”
