"I take it you are suggesting Keetering disappeared due to being shanghaied, then thrown on a vessel. He subsequently died somewhere, perhaps at sea or in the orient?" Charles Edward asked.
Anya nodded. "Quite so. I think we can arrange some story which will suffice. Also, when I take that information to your, his parents, I could encourage them to sell out and retire to someplace warm. San Diego for instance."
"I did not have enough respect for your intellect. That is very clear." Charles Edward laughed. "Do you think you can actually alter a log record, or will it be hearsay?"
"Might you have anything we could use for evidence of your death? Something personal your parents would recognize? Captain Devins tries to make a practice of bringing mementos home to families of the deceased."
Anya was smiling. This was finally going to work out. Charles would be happy with his wife and family. Eventually even his parents would be able to see their new grandchild. And she would be free to marry Stanislaus.
"One moment." Charles Edward left the room. When he returned he held a heavy class ring which he handed to Anya.
"Note the inscription inside. Keetering's name and the date he graduated. You do not need to wait the usual seven years to have Keetering declared dead if there is evidence of foul play which will make it impossible to produce a body."
He put it into her hand. Gently he folded her fingers around the ring. Charles Edward gave her a kiss on her cheek.
"Cherry and I thank you very much. This is a blessing. The tongs are not very active here. We are relatively safe. This nail in Keetering's coffin will ease my mind."
He reached over to take his wife's small hand in his. "They bound her feet, Anya. It is difficult for Cherry to walk. I was so afraid they might find us. If I were injured, she could not escape on her own."
"We both get what we need from this. We shall probably never meet again. But.."
Charles Edward interrupted her. "One small favor please." He hung his head for a moment. Taking a deep breath, Charles looked up at her. "Can you please, please forgive me?"
A weight she had not known she carried, rose from her shoulders. "Certainly! I forgave you somewhere near the Ust-Kut River in Siberia. The strangest thing happened to me."
She leaned forward. "I stopped some men from killing a young Jewish boy. Those men had murdered his whole family. He was the only one left. He forgave them. While we were traveling, he spoke to me of how God forgave David in the Bible. I saved him and he helped heal my soul. Petyr is with us now. Helping us to find you so we can settle this between us. He prays for us. From him, I have again learned to pray."
Charles Edward wiped his eyes with both hands. "And I found God or rather he came to me on the train as I was bringing home what I thought was all that was left of you."
Rising from the sofa, Charles Edward opened his arms to Anya. She went willingly into his embrace. Stanislaus looked over at Cherry. The other partners in the conspiracy nodded to each other.
Charles Edward broke the embrace. "If your Uncle still has his captain's papers, might I suggest you have him marry you while at sea? That will avoid a great deal of questions neither of us wish to answer."
"Excellent idea Mr. Merriman. Thanks you." Stanislaus strode over and held out his hand to Charles Edward. "I wish you and your lovely wife every happiness. We really should be going now. The less time we spend in San Diego the better for us all."
Anya went over to Cherry. "May you have many happy years and be blessed with many children."
Cherry took Anya's hand. "You give his heart ease. Much thanks."
Hand in hand Stanislaus and Anya left the office. They found a cab and hurried back to the wharf where the dinghy waited. Stanislaus made a few inquiries as to the tide and the best way out of the bay. On finding it would be some time until the tide went out again, Stanislaus engaged a steam tug to tow them out to sea. He rowed them out to the Arctic Tern where they hurriedly made the ship ready to be taken out of the bay.
Anya put together a cold meal. They would eat once out to sea again. If she never saw San Diego again, it would not bother her. The heat below deck had her panting. After slugging down a mug of water, Anya got the heavy dress and hat off.
Until the tug had them out of the bay, she stayed below deck. Stanislaus watched the tell tales on the rigging. Once he had determined the wind direction, he let the bow fall off until the main sail caught the breeze. Petyr cast off the towline. The tug, with a toot of its horn, went back to the harbor.
As Petyr was hauling the jib sheet tight, Anya came on deck. She had stayed below in order to avoid being seen. Looking out to sea, she noted a faint haze far out on the horizon toward the south, southwest.
"Stanislaus. See that over there?" She pointed in the direction of the haze.
"I do. It appears we are going to have some heavy weather. It is going to take us a couple of very long tacks to get out of here, past Point Arguello. Hopefully we can do so, before this overtakes us."
Anya went below to bring up the food she had set out. "Miserable carousel." She muttered as she passed out plates. Stanislaus and Petyr exchanged glances. Neither was bold enough to ask the meaning of her comment.
"So who gets first watch?" Anya asked as she gathered up crumbs and cleaned the deck.
Stanislaus volunteered. "Why don't you two take a rest? Anya, my watch is on the chain. Go ahead, set it for four hours. We will still have some daylight then, Petyr, you take the second watch. Be sure to fill the running lamps and dig out the foul weather gear as well. This could get wet."
Pulling the watch from his jeans pocket, Anya set the alarm. Taking Stanislaus' watch, Petyr attached it to his belt loop before he went to do as instructed. Carrying the remains of the meal, Anya went below. After setting a fire in the galley stove, she put a pot of coffee together. It was probably going to be a long night.
They ran before the storm after having cleared the Point Conception light. The Arctic Tern was forced to lower the gaff on the main sail, reef the foresail and put up the storm jib. Still, they raced up the coast making far better time on the way up than down.
The storm appeared to veer off inland near Point Sur. They were able to make San Francisco Bay on the very edge of the storm. This time Stanislaus wanted the Arctic Tern seen, so he put into port at one of the busy piers.
Anya had one shirtwaist and good skirt with her. There was no longer a need to hide behind the widow's garb she had previously used so she put on the skirt and blouse. Anya immediately went to the office of an attorney her father had used while in San Francisco, taking Keetering's class ring with her. At the law office, she insisted on seeing the senior partner.
The man was shocked to see her alive and well. Upon sitting at his desk, she placed the class ring on the polished wood. The attorney continually stole glances at it during her narrative of the months she had spent in Siberia.
"My! What a tale. Do you have some evidence to support this?" He looked up at her.
Anya just managed to control her flash of temper. "The entire crew of the U.S. Revenue Cutter, Bear. They took me back home to the island from Okhotsk in Siberia."
He leaned back in the chair. "Excellent!" The attorney pointed to the ring. "What do we have here?"
"Everyone knows Charles Keetering has been missing for months under unusual circumstances. I have discovered he was shanghaied and died on a ship in the South China Sea. I have not had an opportunity to see either of the Keeterings since my return home to Alaska. I have been recuperating, at home, since leaving Russia. My Great Uncle, Samuel Devins, is in the process of relocating. He is in Sitka presently. Everyone is well aware of his interest in the Orient trade. After my return, the ring was given to me to discharge this rather nasty duty."
The attorney picked up the ring. Turning it to the light, he read the inscription inside. "It does appear to be Keetering's. What do you want to accomplish? Why have you come to me?"
"I want Charles Keetering declared lega
lly dead and I want it done immediately."
"That is a tall order Mrs. Keetering. The usual practice is to wait for seven years." He placed the ring back on the table.
"Unless there are circumstances indicating death occurred through a disaster or foul play. Everyone knows a tongs, which one escapes me, have been attempting to locate him. If they did not arrange this then he met with someone who offered to hide him, but instead gave him to some captain who does not shy away from using enforced labor."
"You are well informed Mrs. Keetering."
Anya picked up the ring. "I would like you to handle the matter. I am going to see Mrs. Keetering, but I came here first so there would be no taint on the chain of evidence. I can give you an affidavit regarding the facts of the matter. First, I did not have this ring with me in Russia, which I am sure Mrs. Keetering will verify. Second, I have been traveling through the wilds of Siberia for nearly a year. Third, I had no knowledge of my husband's disappearance. Lastly, this ring came into my possession and the individual who gave it to me, assured me Charles Edward Keetering was quite dead."
The attorney nodded. "Very well. I shall have the document drawn up. Will you be staying in San Francisco until this is taken care of?"
"Absolutely not. Your fair city is hotter than hades. I am going home to get out of this blast furnace. If you will have the affidavit drafted, I will sign it today."
The attorney laughed. "I would imagine being in Siberia was akin to being in a perpetual deep freeze."
"Not entirely. They do have a summer, about three months. Like the ravens, I am a child of the north. This muggy heat is too much for me. I am going to see Mrs. Keetering. Would you care to see if you could find a reliable police officer to accompany me? I think I would like to have a witness."
"Certainly. Wait here for a moment. By the way, where shall I reach you to forward any necessary paperwork?" He rose from the desk.
"At my father's office in Seattle. Please forward any documents care of Stanislaus Rakov."
He nodded. "Let me get an officer over here so we can get this done."
Accompanied by a somewhat unhappy detective of the San Francisco police, Anya took a cab to the Keetering residence. She knocked on the door.
When the maid answered, the woman turned pale and began to shout. "Mrs. Keetering! Mrs. Keetering! Please come here at once!"
Abigail rushed from the parlor into the hall. She stumbled slightly then caught the arm of the maid for support.
Do not overplay this! She cautioned herself. "My God! Anya. We thought you were dead!"
Anya reached for her other arm. "No, Mother Keetering. It is a very long story. But I do have bad news for you. Charles is dead. Let us go into the parlor. This gentleman is a policeman. He needs to hear what happened from us both."
The maid led the way into the parlor. Abigail asked her to bring tea. Then, she and Anya spun their tale. Once the policeman had made his notes, he left in the hired cab, which had been instructed to wait. Anya paid the bill before returning to the parlor.
Abigail asked if she would like to walk with her in the garden. They were out in the middle of the back garden, safe from being overheard, when Abigail turned to Anya. "You found him."
"Easily. Thanks to you. Mr. Merriman is a good attorney. The Merrimans are expecting their first child shortly. Mr. Merriman suggested you might like to sell out and perhaps retire to some place quiet and warm like San Diego. He felt he could look after your interests with greater ease if you were there."
Abigail smiled at her. "And what are you planning to do child?"
"I am going home. I will be marrying my childhood sweet heart just as soon as I can."
Mrs. Keetering personally took Anya to the attorney's office. Going in with her daughter-in-law, she witnessed Anya signing the affidavit. Abigail told the attorney she would also be available to answer any questions necessary. It was Abigail who took Anya to the dock where they said their goodbyes.
Below the deck of the Arctic Tern. Anya sat with Stanislaus and Petyr. All the hatches were open as wide as possible to allow some ventilation. Both men looked at her expectantly.
"It went well. I do not expect any trouble. In a way I want to wait for the death certificate, but I do not think I can stand this heat any longer." She was fanning herself with a portion of a newspaper.
"This place is sweltering! I told the attorney to mail any documents to you in Seattle, at father's office."
"There is no reason to wait. Petyr and I took care of provisions while you were gone. If you like, I might be able to get a tug to tow us out of the harbor. It will be cooler out on the ocean. I think we can get far enough out to catch a breeze before nightfall."
He helped her up. "Go topside and relax. We put up a sunshade with the old storm jib. Petyr and I will get us out of here."
Before sundown the Arctic Tern was ghosting along under the main sail and jib. The sea was gently rolling with small whitecaps. Petyr was asleep. Stanislaus and Anya stood together at the stern with Anya handling the wheel. Stanislaus had folded the jump seat up and was standing behind her. Neither of them had spoken in some time.
Stanislaus ran a hand down her forearm where she had rolled up her sleeves. "When we get to Sitka, we are going to be married on this ship."
"Humm...If you still want to marry me." Anya turned her head to watch the sun slowly sink into the dark water.
"Would I go through all this then forgo the prize at the end?" Stanislaus asked as he moved the collar of the shirtwaist to one side. It was easily managed as she had undone several buttons. Stanislaus cradled her chin in one hand as he kissed the side of her neck.
"Am I a prize?" She asked.
Without a word, he pulled the blouse from the waistband of her skirt. Sliding his hands up under the fine material, he cupped her breasts and pulled her back against him. "More than you realize, my love."
"You do need to light the running lights while we can still see you know."
With a mock sigh Stanislaus removed his hands and went to see to the running lights. "Aye, aye. Captain, ma'am. Why don't I take the wheel for a bit while you go change into some jeans? You can't move very quickly in that skirt."
He hung the lamps up after lighting them, red for port and green for starboard. "And I like watching you in jeans." Stanislaus took the wheel from her. "I can take the first watch if you want to rest."
"Oh no!" She slipped behind him. Anya pushed her hands part way down the front of his pants.
Stanislaus sucked in a sharp breath. "Anya. Have a care!"
The wheel wobbled a little before he carefully brought the Tern back on course. She moved her hands gently over his warm skin.
"Watch the wheel sailor!" Anya cautioned. She laughed softly and her warm breath tickled his ear.
"Go change then woman! Leave me to do my job!" His groan elicited a soft laugh from Anya.
She pulled his hips back against her body and wiggled just a tiny bit. His muscles twitched in response under her fingers. Still standing behind him, Anya took her hands out of his pants and placed them on his shoulders.
Standing on tiptoe, Anya whispered in his ear. "Once we are married I shall have you Stanislaus Rakov. You, are my reward for staying alive."
He felt the heat rise up his neck. Stanislaus thought perhaps she could not see it until she placed a cool hand on his neck.
"I do believe you are blushing my love. How cute."
Slipping out from behind him, Anya started to walk toward the open hatch. Once there she turned. Very slowly she undid the button on the skirt. Anya let it fall in a puddle of cloth around her ankles. She wore nothing under it. Reaching down, Anya gathered the skirt up with one hand. With only the blouse on and bare foot, she turned her back to him and went down the stairs.
Stanislaus moaned as he again brought the vessel back on course. It was a good thing Petyr was already asleep and the jeans he was wearing were good and sturdy. That was a very good thing, otherwise he would be ha
nging out in the wind. The absurdity of the picture struck him and Stanislaus began to laugh.
The Arctic Tern made Seattle in good time. As soon as the ship was safely moored, Rakov walked to the company office in the business district. It was late in the day, but as he had hoped, Dmitri was still there. With his ever present cigar in an ash tray, the Count was going over a document. On seeing Stanislaus his face lit up.
"I was beginning to wonder where you three were. From the smile on your face I take it all is moving along satisfactorily?"
The big man shook Dmitri's outstretched hand heartily. "This is a tale almost beyond belief. You will need to hear it. Come and join us on the Tern."
The two men locked the office and walked together to the dock. Stanislaus told Dmitri they had found it necessary to sail to San Diego.
"I certainly wished you were with us. But, Anya is a good sailor, Dmitri. You taught her well. I must admit it was a difficult trip with only the three of us to handle the schooner however."
"Had I known you would need to go as far as San Diego, I would not have stayed here. Some things are more important than paperwork."
Thrusting one hand into his pants pockets, he clamped his teeth down on the cigar. Dmitri was silent for a moment. "How did Petyr make out?" He asked.
"Very well. In fact the boy takes to everything with a real will to learn and excel. His command of English is coming along nicely. You would do well to see if he would be interested in coming into the firm."
The two men strode along the street, their steps in sync. The younger one bareheaded and the older one with his hat set slightly to one side. Neither noticed how others moved out of their way. Both men swung aboard the ship easily before going down the hatch where they found Petyr and Anya waiting.
"Poppa!" Anya jumped up to give her father a warm hug. "What have you been doing while we raced from San Francisco down the coast?"
"Trying to reassure your family and Stanislaus's sister and brothers all was well. And at the same time, trying to keep the business from falling apart."
Daughter of the Raven Page 32
