by Ellery Adams
“I didn’t sleep at all,” Molly said.
“No? Well, I suppose you wouldn’t, since you found his body. I’m sure it wasn’t a pleasant sight. Peggy told me you and your husband were the first ones out there.” She leaned toward Molly. “I want you to know, he got what he deserved.”
Molly knew she was skating on thin ice here. Galina had just confessed to murdering Curtis, and she had every intention of getting away with it. Molly was a liability, one she couldn’t afford to have mess up her plans.
“Perhaps he did deserve it,” Molly said, not wanting to anger her. “But what I don’t understand is why you didn’t divorce him a long time ago, if you were so unhappy.”
“After my parents cut off the money, I thought Curtis might leave me. Contrary to what everyone thought, I was under no illusions. I knew the money I was going to inherit was his main interest in me. But he didn’t leave, he stayed, and I thought that had to count for something. As time went by, yes, we struggled financially, but I thought once he inherited the shop from his father, we could turn it into something special that would make us some real money. Mr. Cobb was a nice man, but he was so boring. He had no vision for the store. Then he died, and Curtis took over, and he told me nothing was going to change. He was stuck in the past, and all I could do was keep asking my sister to help us keep going.”
Peggy said, “I told you not to take any money from Natasha. Curtis needed an incentive to work, and improve the shop. You made it too easy for him to sit back and do nothing but drink and gamble away the little the shop made. If you hadn’t taken the money and given him a comfortable life, you wouldn’t be in this situation now. You let it happen.”
Galina snapped, “Stop lecturing me, you old fool.” Peggy shrank back in her chair. Molly was shocked by Galina’s sharp tone. Peggy obviously cared for her, and had tried to give her advice. She’d loved her since she was a baby, and then she’d participated in committing a heinous crime with her. And this is how she treated her.
Peggy said, “Curtis was a horrible, selfish man who only cared about himself.” She can’t stop defending her, Molly thought. She doesn’t see the truth, that Galina was selfish, too. “The day of the funeral, I saw him in the cloakroom at the funeral home with Hattie, kissing her. He didn’t even have the decency to shut the door. And then he moved her into Galina’s house . . .” Her voice trailed away.
Galina said, “I wasn’t surprised. Hattie had the hots for him going back to our teenage years, and she wasn’t going to waste a second to get him into her bed. She’s such a fool. She had no idea Curtis was taking advantage of her. The only reason he was with her was because she had money. She loved to boast how she got a big settlement from her ex when they divorced. He was well aware, and must’ve figured she’d be his new cash cow, if selling the egg didn’t work out.” She paused. “Speaking of things working out, you’re not going to tell anyone that you’ve seen me, Molly. And you will give me the egg.”
“I have one more question,” Molly said. She was stalling for time, trying to come up with a way to get out of the kitchen without getting hurt or killed. She didn’t know if Galina had a gun, but there was a knife block on the counter that wouldn’t take her very long to reach. “Once you find a buyer, and you get paid, what are you going to do with all that money?”
Galina grinned. “I have an arrangement with someone who can get me a new identity.”
“Who’s helping you?”
“I don’t know his name. He’s someone I found on the dark web, and he has connections. He can get me a real, honest-to-God legal passport, birth certificate, and Social Security number, all in a new name. I can go anywhere I want once I have it.”
“What about Maxim and Natasha? They think you’re dead. Will you let them know you’re alive?”
“No, absolutely not. It’s regrettable, of course, but it’s for the best.”
“But what about Misty Vale? Natasha’s money problems haven’t gone away.”
“I gave her options. She’ll have to go with one of them. If she does, she’ll have enough money to keep Misty Vale in the family, and she can return the money she took out of Maxim’s inheritance. In time, they’ll forget about me.”
“I doubt that,” Molly said.
Galina stretched out her hand again. “I’ve been honest with you. I’ve told you everything. Now, it’s time for you to give me the egg.”
“Ah, sorry, but that’s not going to happen. Hattie stole it from me right after I found it.”
Galina lowered her hand. “What are you talking about? I thought she’d moved out of the house.”
“She did, but she forgot some things and came back for them. I was on the phone with Detective Lombardi, telling him about the egg, when she snuck into the house and overheard our conversation. When I got off the phone with him, she demanded I give the egg to her.”
“And you just gave it to her?”
“She was pointing a gun at me at the time, so yes, I gave it to her. Then she cut the landline, took my car keys and cell phone, and locked me in Curtis’s office. I escaped by climbing down a tree.” Molly put the mug down on the table and showed them her palms. They were red, and felt raw from the rough bark. “That’s why I don’t have my car, and I have to say, I think it’s telling neither of you even bothered to ask me why I walked here.” She shook her head. “You’re both so full of yourselves, so proud of the way you planned and plotted to kill Curtis. I don’t care if he was a rotten husband, Galina. If he really did assault you in Florida, you could have reported him to the police and pressed charges. But no, that wasn’t good enough, was it? You wanted him dead. I wouldn’t be surprised if you’ve been planning this for a long time. But this is what you’re going to do. You’re going to tell Detective Lombardi everything you’ve told me, owning up to what you’ve done. Then your son doesn’t have to go through life thinking you drowned. Show some remorse. Take responsibility for your actions.”
Galina laughed. “You’re a real comedian. That’s really the funniest thing I’ve ever heard in my life. You can’t possibly think I’ll do it.”
“You have no choice. Unless, of course, you don’t care if your son hates you for the rest of your life.”
“You’ve forgotten, he won’t hate me, because he thinks I’m dead,” Galina said. “I have no intention of confessing anything.” She paused. “But I can see we need to come to some kind of arrangement. I do think we can make this work, you and I. Hattie stealing the egg from you works in our favor. All you have to do is tell Detective Lombardi that after you got off the phone with him, Hattie showed up at the cottage and demanded the egg. That part is true, so it shouldn’t be hard, right? Then just expand the story a little. Tell him Hattie confessed to killing Curtis, because she realized he didn’t love her, and he wasn’t the man she’d always dreamed of.”
Peggy said, “I’ll tell him she came to see me, and cried on my shoulder. She told me how she felt used by Curtis, that he’d lied to her, because he only wanted to be with her so he could get his hands on her money and make her start paying the bills.” Molly felt disgusted. The tears were gone. Peggy would always forgive Galina, and would defend her to the very end. “I’ll tell him you came here to use the phone, and told me how she took the egg, and locked you in the room, and that’s when I realized I had to tell him the truth. I’ll say I saw Hattie go upstairs the night of the gala ball, and the only reason I didn’t tell him before was because I couldn’t believe she’d killed Curtis. But now that I knew what she’s capable of, it’s time to come clean.”
Galina smiled. “You see, Molly. We have an answer for everything. Detective Lombardi will be satisfied, because all he really wants to do is to make an arrest. You’ll be able to convince him and everyone else that Hattie planned to steal the egg all along, and she killed Curtis so she could keep the money for herself. Peggy will back you up. What other proof will the police need that Hattie killed him? Detective Lombardi will believe you.”
&nbs
p; Peggy nodded her head, her eyes filled with enthusiasm for their plan. “Don’t forget to tell him Hattie has a gun and threatened to kill you. Since it’s true, it will only make your story more believable.”
“Good point,” Galina said. “And one more thing, Molly. Tell him she was pointing the gun at you while you were on the phone with him, that’s why you couldn’t tell him she’d taken the egg.”
Molly stared at their two shining faces and thought: They’re crazy, both of them.
“So, what’s it going to be?” Galina asked. “Are you on my side, Molly? If you are, I’ll make sure you get paid handsomely. How does a million dollars sound?”
Molly felt her blood boil. “I don’t know why everyone thinks I can be bought off. I don’t want your money. I want you to do the right thing and confess to the police.”
“Everyone has a price,” Galina said. “Stop pretending you don’t. What do you want? Two million, three?” She leaned toward her. “The thing is, Molly, we can’t do this without you.” Her eyes were so devoid of anything reflecting humanity, Molly thought she may as well be dead. But she wasn’t. Not even close. She was either crazy, or cunning like a fox. Either way, she was dangerous.
Molly cleared her throat. “You’re assuming you’ll be able to sell the egg, but you’re forgetting Hattie has it. Once the police catch up to her, hopefully before she can sell it, it will be returned to Natasha. You’re nowhere in the picture, because you’re buried six feet under at Fairhill Cemetery.”
Galina licked her lips. She’s not as smart as she thinks she is, Molly thought. “As long as Natasha doesn’t know I’m alive, and living in her house, I’ll be able to steal it from her later. Peggy will help me.”
“Yes, yes, I will,” Peggy said.
“You don’t think Natasha is going to be suspicious when she sees the egg has disappeared again? You don’t think she’ll accuse someone close to her, like Peggy, or maybe even Maxim, of stealing it?”
“Natasha would never accuse them,” Galina said.
Molly glanced at Peggy. Up to this point, she’d been a willing accomplice to Galina’s plan to kill Curtis and cover it up. But suddenly, there was a subtle shift in her eyes, perhaps a slowly dawning fear that perhaps Natasha might actually accuse her of being a thief. Molly thought her reaction was interesting. She might be willing to take the fall for killing Curtis, but she didn’t want to be on the line for stealing the egg. Her loyalty to Galina and Natasha worked both ways. She didn’t want Natasha to think she was disloyal.
“The reality of this situation is that you’ve lost,” Molly said. “You killed Curtis, with Peggy’s help. You can’t pin any of that on Hattie. She may be a thief, but she’s not a killer, and I won’t let you do that to her.”
Galina glared at her. “Says the woman Hattie was pointing a gun at.” Then she said in a low, threatening tone, “I’ll give you three million if you go along with our plan. Don’t be a fool. Take it. Peggy told me you have a young son. I’d hate to see something bad happen to him.”
“Don’t you dare threaten my son,” Molly said. “You’re going to tell the truth, and the egg will be returned to Natasha. But don’t despair. If you ask nicely, I’m sure Natasha will sell the egg, or maybe some land, or the whole freaking estate, to hire a good lawyer for the two of you. She’s been bailing you out most of your life.”
Galina’s eyes swiveled to the kitchen counter and the knife block. Molly knew she would never agree to her terms. It was time to get out of there, and fast, before she could grab a knife and stab her to death. She might not have another chance. She jumped up out her chair, and at the same time thought she heard the sound of tires crunching over gravel outside. She didn’t stop to look. She bolted for the door.
Galina pushed her own chair back so hard it crashed to the floor. But Molly had a good head start. She made it to the hall and ran to the door, her heart pounding in her chest. She flung the door open and ran outside into the cold, sleeting rain. Lombardi’s car and two squad cars were coming down the gravel drive, and she ran to them, slipping on the stones, waving her hands in the air. Lombardi slammed on the brakes, and she ran around to the passenger side of his car. She yanked the door open and, gulping air, said, “In the house, Galina and Peggy. They killed Curtis.”
Chapter 28
Molly waited in Lombardi’s car while he went inside the house with two uniformed police officers. Her hair was plastered to her head, her breathing was fast, and she was cold and shivering in her coat. Another officer came and stayed with her in Lombardi’s car, cranking up the heat to warm her up. Ten minutes passed, fifteen, twenty. The freezing rain finally stopped, and Galina and Peggy were led outside in handcuffs. The officer got out of the car. Lombardi ordered the women put into separate cars. As they were being driven away, he made a phone call. When he was done, he walked over to the car and got in.
“Did they try to get away?” she asked.
“No. They were sitting at the kitchen table,” he said. “Galina told me a story about how Hattie killed Curtis and stole the egg from you. Is any of that true?”
“Only the part about Hattie stealing the egg. I hope you didn’t believe the rest of what she told you, because they’ve concocted a whole big lie, and I’m—”
He cut her off. “It’s okay, you don’t have to tell me about it now. I believe you, Molly. You told me they killed Curtis, and I arrested them. We’ll sort the rest out at the station.”
“Thank you for believing me,” Molly said. “But will a jury? Galina and Peggy will lie, I know they will. They already have it all planned out what they’re going to say. And you know as well as I do, reasonable doubt is a powerful tool in a lawyer’s toolbox. They could get away with murder.”
“We’ll talk about it at the station.” He glanced at her. “Don’t you want to know how I figured out you were here?”
“Yes, of course. How did you know?”
“The state police gave me some bad news.”
“The state police? What are you talking about?”
“It’s Hattie,” he said. “She was in a car crash on the interstate. She lost control of her vehicle, hit the guardrail, and rolled a number of times. She wasn’t wearing her seat belt and got thrown out of the car by the force of the collision.” He paused. “She died at the scene.”
Molly gasped. “No! I just saw her . . .”
“The state troopers found your wallet in her purse. You have my card in your wallet, so they called me.”
“That was a lucky break.”
“Since you were at the cottage the last time I talked to you, I got worried and had some uniforms come out with me to look for you. The house was locked up tight, and your car was there. I figured you didn’t have your phone, either, so I thought you might have come here to use someone else’s.”
“Which I did, and then I got the shock of my life, because Galina was in the kitchen with Peggy. They didn’t expect me because they didn’t hear me coming, since I was on foot. If they had, I’m sure she would have run off and hidden in her room.”
“I’ll be honest, Molly. When the trooper got in touch with me and told me he found your wallet, I felt sick. If something had happened to you . . .”
“Don’t think about it,” she said. “The important thing is, you showed up in the nick of time, and other than my getting soaked in the freezing rain, and scraping my hands raw climbing down a tree, I’m perfectly fine.”
He looked at her hands. “You climbed down a tree?”
“I had to. I’ll tell you about it in a minute. Did the trooper find the Fabergé egg?”
“Yeah. Hattie put the box in a zippered tote bag in the trunk of her car. Good thing, too, since her purse went flying out of the vehicle. I’m told there’s not a scratch on the egg. They’re sending someone over to the station to deliver it, along with your wallet.”
“Tell them she took my car keys and phone, too.”
“I will,” he said.
Molly sig
hed. “I can’t believe Hattie’s dead.”
“A car crash can happen in the blink of an eye.”
“I’m glad the egg wasn’t harmed. Is that a terrible thing to say?”
“I don’t think so. It would have been a shame if the egg had ended up another victim in this case.”
He put the car in gear and they drove away from the house. Molly cracked her window open. The cold air actually felt good on her face after the blast of heat. For the last couple of hours, she’d been hyped up on adrenaline, but her eyes were beginning to feel the side effects of the stress she’d been under, and they were heavy with fatigue. She didn’t even realize she’d dozed off until Lombardi nudged her shoulder.
“What?” She sat up in the seat. They were in the parking lot at the police station.
“We’re here,” he said. “You feel up to giving me a statement?”
“Yes, of course,” she said. “Could I stop at the vending machine first? The donuts are in my car, and I’m hungry.”
“Donuts?”
“I’m starving, okay?”
“Right, no problem. Calm down.”
“Sorry. I’m exhausted, angry, and hungry.”
“I get it.” He unlocked the doors and they got out of the car. As they walked to the entrance, he said, “And since you don’t have your wallet, it’s my treat at the vending machine.”
Chapter 29
As Molly was giving her statement, a state trooper delivered the Fabergé egg to the station, along with her cell phone, wallet, and car keys. Once Lombardi had her car keys, he arranged for someone to collect the Audi, and by the time she was done, her car was waiting for her in the parking lot.
When she stepped out of the station, the dark clouds had blown away and the sky was bathed in a pale blue twilight color tinged in orange and yellow. The sun would be setting soon. As she drove home, she listened to the radio and heard the news report about Hattie’s fatal accident. She still couldn’t believe she was dead.
