Cinderella's Shoes

by Shonna Slayton

  “Here, take over for me,” Princess Kolodenko said. “I’ll go freshen up and then we can leave.”

  Kate reached for Elsie’s hand and tried to copy the princess’s movements. Elsie’s hands were delicate, with soft skin stretched across knuckles.

  Once the princess had gone, Kate spoke. “My brother had me look into my dad’s belongings that were sent back from Italy.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “He told me to look for a diamond.”

  Adalbert folded down half his newspaper and looked at Kate with one eye. “Did you find one?”

  She nodded in the direction of her purse, where she had tucked the loose gem securely into an inside pocket. “I found it hidden in the spine of his sketchbook.”

  “Have you told anyone?” His voice rose and he put the paper in his lap.

  “Not sure who to tell. Especially since Dad had also written the word ‘diamond,’ along with Elsie’s name, on the sketch I drew of the amber necklace.” She looked around to see if Princess Kolodenko was returning. “I feel like I should keep it a secret for now.”

  Nodding, Adalbert reached over to brush Elsie’s hair away from her forehead. “I think that is wise. In her distressed moments, Elsie has said the word ‘diamond.’ I thought nothing of it until now. What do you think the connection is?”

  “I don’t know.”

  Elsie shook her head, eyes still closed. “I don’t cry teacups like I used to. Show me.”

  Kate glanced at Adalbert before focusing back on Elsie. Her aunt said random words when she couldn’t think of the correct one.

  He shrugged, as he often did when he didn’t know how to respond to Elsie. “Let me see it, Kate. Quickly, before Fyodora returns. Maybe I’ll know something about the setting.”

  “There is no setting; just the diamond.” Kate dug it out and passed it to him. “A blue diamond.”

  “Esmerelda. Dresses. Shoes.” Elsie opened her eyes, squinting them so her forehead wrinkled. It was as if pulling out these nouns took great effort. She turned her head to Kate. Her look was so intense it made Kate’s heart skip a beat. Her expression reminded Kate how agitated Elsie became the day Kate showed her the servant dress in the Harmon-Craig window. Kate had asked her where the shoes were and Elsie went hysterical. It took Johnny coming by to calm her. Back then, Kate assumed Elsie was just shocked at seeing the dress on display in the Cinderella window. But what if there was more? What was trapped inside her mind?

  Adalbert examined the square diamond. “I’m sorry. Without a setting, I can’t tell anything about it. I thought maybe it would remind me of something. I have several jeweler friends who enjoy teaching me about their craft, but I’ve never seen a diamond cut in this way before. Square with beveled edges, and the right size for a large ring. Nor have I seen one this color. Are you sure it’s a diamond?”

  Kate sighed as she reached for the gem. “I’ll just have to wait until I hear from Floyd, then.”

  “Nie!” Elsie said. She grabbed the diamond out of Adalbert’s hand, all the while letting loose a string of words that Kate couldn’t understand.

  Adalbert interpreted. “She is saying much nonsense words. Nothing makes sense.”

  At that moment, Princess Kolodenko returned. She took in Elsie’s agitated state and met Kate’s eyes. “What happened?”

  The heat rose up Kate’s face. The princess had left Elsie so peaceful she was almost asleep. Two minutes with Kate and Elsie was in the midst of hysterics.

  She turned to Princess Kolodenko. “Can you make sense of what she says?”

  Frustrated, Princess Kolodenko tried to translate. “Her words are mixed. I think she is saying things about the dresses, things that happened in the past. And the necklace being lost, but you know about that. Your babcia had it. It was never lost. And the . . .” She studied Adalbert’s face.

  “The shoes,” he said. His face took on a questioning look. “Did she say diamond shoes?”

  Kate’s mouth dropped as she stared at the two. “You mean the glass slippers?” Her voice rose at the end. “The glass slippers are made out of diamonds?” She focused on Adalbert. “Did you know about diamond shoes?”

  He shook his head, looking as genuinely shocked as Kate was.

  Princess Kolodenko chewed her lip as if considering what to say. For the first time, Kate noticed a resemblance to the more free-spirited Nessa. “Yes, the Kopciuszek slippers. They have been missing from our family for as long as anyone can remember. I’ve been told they were made of diamonds, though I have never seen them myself.”

  Kate needed a minute to take this in. She thought the dresses were valuable, mostly because of whom they once belonged to. But diamond slippers? Holy Toledo. The diamond Elsie was clutching couldn’t be a coincidence. The way she was holding on to it so tightly. If only she could tell them how it related to Kate’s dad.

  “Were they blue diamonds?” Kate asked.

  “Nie,” the princess said sharply. “They were clear, like glass.”

  The princess’s eyes darted back to Elsie, as if looking for confirmation. But Elsie was still talking, her fingers making motions like she was picking something up and burying it. Adalbert leaned in, closely listening. “Elsie says her mother told her the diamonds in the shoes were once plucked out.”

  Princess Kolodenko shook her head. Speaking over Elsie, she said, “Impossible. The shoes cannot be broken. People have tried, but the diamonds hold together no matter the force.”

  Elsie’s mouth set in a firm line. She looked at Adalbert with pleading eyes. She spoke again in Polish.

  Princess Kolodenko crossed her arms, still shaking her head.

  Kate looked to Adalbert for translation. If there was ever a time when she needed Elsie to communicate, it was now. The princess was hiding something. Talking about the shoes was making her visibly uncomfortable.

  “Her words are jumbled,” Adalbert said. “I couldn’t even understand as much as Fyodora did.” He sounded resigned, like he was ready to give up.

  Kate had to make them understand. “It’s just that I’m wondering if the slippers could be found . . .”

  “Then you could use them to find information about your father,” Adalbert finished. “Like the Burgosovs told you.”

  Kate nodded, studying the princess. Would the royal family be willing to let her use the shoes if they could even find them? There was still so much about the family that she didn’t know.

  “You are the Keeper of the dresses. Do not concern yourself with the shoes. No one in recent memory has even seen the Kopciuszek shoes.” She gently touched Kate’s shoulder. “I know you want Elsie to communicate some hidden secret. But her mind . . . It is not as it was.” She glanced at Adalbert and frowned in sympathy. “We should go,” Princess Kolodenko said, her voice tight. “We don’t want you to miss saying good-bye.”

  “Right,” Kate said, reluctant to leave while Elsie still gripped the diamond. She couldn’t wrestle it out of her hands in front of Princess Kolodenko.

  Adalbert leaned in, straining to understand Elsie, who continued to speak slowly, deliberately, but in nonsense words as far as Kate’s understanding of Polish could allow. “I will stay with her until she falls asleep,” he said. “Will I see you later, Kate?” He looked at her meaningfully.

  She nodded. Oh yes, and hopefully he’d have the diamond back. She followed the princess out the door, with one last glance back. What are you trying to tell us, Elsie? What are you remembering?

  Chapter Six

  Their chauffeur drove up the circular drive at LaGuardia Field and dropped them off in front of the Marine Air Terminal. According to the official airport-time clock outside, they had twenty minutes until Johnny’s flight was scheduled to leave. He was probably already on board. Maybe he would see her wave from the observation deck.

  She had been to the airport once before, when Floyd had brought her and Mom out on one of his plane-spotting trips. He wanted so badly to share his passion for flying with them, he even pai
d their ten-cent fee at the turnstiles to the observation deck. He explained the differences in the Boeing and the Douglas DC and the other planes, but to Kate, they all looked the same.

  “Well? Where to?” Josie asked.

  There was a loud roar and they all looked up, squinting against the sun to see a plane rising into the blue sky.

  “We’re supposed to meet in the passenger waiting area near the globe. I think it’s this way.” Kate led them toward the rotunda with more confidence than she had, but there was no time to waste. While scanning the crowd for Johnny’s dark brown hair, she dodged passengers lugging suitcases that looked like oversize briefcases.

  They found the globe but no sign of Johnny or his family. The waiting area was filled with nicely dressed folks waiting to fly out or waiting to meet someone coming in. She exhaled a little too loudly, and Princess Kolodenko patted her shoulder. “Keep looking, dear.”

  While Josie and Nessa talked about the Art Deco mural, Kate dug through her purse for the piece of paper that had the Days’ flight information on it. She found a grocery list, the sketch of the stone cottage Johnny had drawn for Elsie, but no airline information. It was probably sitting on the counter in the kitchen.

  Suddenly, hands clasped over her eyes and she froze, trying not to spill everything out of her handbag. Her heart leaped. “Those better be the hands of Johnny Day,” she said, faking an irritated voice. She peeled off the fingers as she spun around.

  “Sparky. What took you so long?” He grinned, obviously pleased he’d surprised her.

  “Sorry, we got held up at the hospital.”

  “Elsie?”

  Kate bit her lip as she thought of her aunt, wild eyes and clutching the diamond with a death grip. “She’s had a little spell. I’ll tell you about it later, if we have time.” She hoped Johnny would get the message and lead her off to be alone. There were several things she wanted to talk to him about. The sketch in her purse had just given her a new idea.

  “We’ve got plenty of time now.”

  She frowned. “I’m not going to make you miss your flight.”

  “Oh, you’re not. There’s been a delay because of mechanical reasons. That means my mom is trying to talk my dad out of flying because the plane is broken, and therefore going to crash just like that Baltimore flight back in May.”

  “Oh, don’t say that. Fifty-three people died in that crash.”

  He waved someone over. “And speaking of Mom, here she is.”

  With such little warning, Kate’s stomach barely had time to somersault before a petite woman, all smiles, came and gave Kate a welcoming hug. Mrs. Day had to tilt her head to not hit Kate with the wide brim of her straw hat, and her dangling earrings tickled Kate’s cheek.

  “It is so nice to finally meet you,” she said. “Johnny’s never introduced me to a special girl before.”

  “Aw, Ma.” Johnny put his hands over Kate’s ears. “Don’t tell her things like that.”

  She cast a loving look at her son. “Well, it’s true.”

  Kate grinned. She’d never seen Johnny so embarrassed before. It was a nice change from her being the one with the glowing face. “I’m happy to meet you, too,” Kate said.

  “Take her to the Sky Bar outside and buy her a little snack,” Mrs. Day said while reaching for her purse. “Birdy and your father are still out there watching the planes.”

  Johnny stopped her. “I got it, Ma. You girls want to come, too?” he asked Josie and Nessa as they rushed up from the direction of the shops.

  “You bet,” Josie said.

  Nessa handed Kate her shopping bags. “Be a dear and hold these for me? Thanks.”

  Without thinking, Kate accepted the bags and followed the group outside. The Sky Bar was a small snack shack on the observation deck. Johnny bought them all Cokes and they spread out along the crowded area. Nessa and Josie headed straight to one of the binocular stands while Kate and Johnny held back and found their own place at the railing. Johnny’s sister, Birdy, spotted them and waved at Kate.

  Kate dropped Nessa’s bags and waved back.

  “Why’d Nessa give you her bags?” Johnny asked.

  “I think she’s used to having people do things for her.” Come to think of it, Nessa often began her sentences with “Be a dear,” followed by a demand.

  “Are you sure I can’t convince you to go with me?” Johnny bumped his side against hers and stayed there so they were still touching. They watched a small truck pulling a cart loaded with luggage up to a plane.

  “All the way to Italy?”

  “You should have auditioned for the movie.”

  “I’m sure the other actors would love it if the producer’s son’s . . . friend . . . ended up with a role.”

  He laughed. “My friend would be great as an extra.”

  “Don’t you use locals for extras?”

  Johnny shrugged.

  Kate pulled the pencil sketch out of her purse. She started opening it when Mr. Day called out to them.

  “Hey kids, it’s time. Come on, Johnny.”

  “I’m not expecting you to find it, but here, take it with you.” She raised her voice as another plane took off. “I just want to know the significance of the place. Elsie had you draw it for her, and my dad obviously saw it, too, since he sent me a watercolor of it. It might be a clue, one the army doesn’t have.”

  He pointed to the roof. “That gingerbread trim is pretty distinguishable. Like many things in your life, it’s a cottage from a fairy tale.”

  “Why do you have a picture of our gardener’s cottage?” Nessa came up from behind, and was looking at the drawing with a curious expression.

  “This is on your estate? My dad made a painting of it.” Kate couldn’t believe a clue to her dad’s whereabouts had been right in front of her all this time. “Why didn’t you tell me he’d been to your house?”

  Johnny grabbed Kate’s hand and pulled her toward the building. “Let’s walk and talk,” he said.

  “I don’t know about your dad,” Nessa said a bit defensively. “The estate is quite large and spread out over several valleys. We’ve got more than twenty farms, and we had all kinds of military men pass through from every country you could think of. We hid a lot of them in our forests and abandoned buildings. You said your dad was in Italy for the artwork? It’s possible he came through. Imagine if he did. That was before you and I knew . . .” She glanced at Johnny. “About each other.”

  They walked the length of the observation deck and back into the building. Johnny held the door open for the girls. Nessa went in first, still talking. “You could ask my babcia. I spent most of my time keeping the children occupied. And I try to avoid the babuszka, our gardener. She’s, well, quite mad, to be honest. My mother made us bring her fresh bread and jams, but we would wait for her to go inside, leave it on her doorstep, knock, and then run.” Nessa laughed. “She must have a cottage full of baskets for all we left her.” Nessa put her hand on Kate’s arm. “I’m sorry I don’t know any more. I will ask around when I get home, though.”

  Kate refused to let go of the new hope growing. If Dad had been to the Kolodenko estate, there was a chance someone there could give them more information. This was the best news she’d heard in a long time. The diamond was another unanswered question, something else just out of her reach. But a known place could be revisited. Surely someone would remember her dad.

  “I’ll even bring the babuszka some pastries and see what she knows.” Nessa held up her hand. “Don’t get your hopes up. Your Elsie has problems with her memory, but at least she is sane. This woman, though . . . I’ve never known her to make sense my entire life. She’s always lived in her own strange world.”

  “You forget, I’ll be there, too. I can help.” Johnny squeezed Kate’s hand. “We’ll ask around and see if we can piece together who he knew and where he went.”

  They caught up with Mr. Day and the others. Mrs. Day’s arms were crossed, her head shaking. When she saw Johnny,
she broke from the group and strode toward them. “It’s decided. You are not getting on that airplane today. I don’t trust it and I don’t want the two of you on there. Your father, stubborn man,” she said, shooting her husband a look, “will go on ahead and you can meet him there with the rest of the crew.” She turned to Princess Kolodenko. “Better yet, Johnny can escort you and your granddaughter.” Mrs. Day held her hands up to her chin like she was praying. “A perfect solution.”

  Johnny’s gaze lifted to his father, who shrugged in defeat.

  “But it’s perfectly safe, Mom,” he pleaded. “The pilot wouldn’t fly if he didn’t think it was.”

  Kate could sense his frustration, but was impressed he kept his tone respectful.

  Mr. Day came over and gave Johnny a hug. He whispered in his ear, loud enough for Kate to hear. “You can fly home with me. Don’t worry, I’ll get you on a plane yet.” He clapped his son on the back. “Time to fly.”

  He waved a general good-bye to the group. To the Kolodenkos, he said, “I am looking forward to seeing your estate. Any message you want delivered?”

  Princess Kolodenko held out an envelope. “For my husband. Thank you.”

  Lastly, he kissed his wife. “I’ll send you a telegram when I arrive.”

  After Mr. Day left, they all went onto the observation deck to watch the plane take off.

  “I’m sorry you don’t get to fly,” Kate said, resting her hand on Johnny’s arm.

  “It’s not all bad, staying behind. It means I get an extra few days with you.” He smiled, but his eyes didn’t light up.

  Kate slipped a little closer to him. She was happy he wasn’t leaving yet, though she didn’t have the fear of flying that Mrs. Day did. “I’m not as fun as a first airplane ride. But I think I can help you take your mind off it.”

  He tickled her side. “I’m counting on it.”

  She pushed him playfully away. “It won’t all be fun and games. We’ve got a criminal to interrogate.”

  Chapter Seven

  Kate sat in a hard plastic chair at the Criminal Courts building, waiting for Agents Gillespie and Bristow to come for her. She rubbed her sweaty hands on her skirt, crossed and uncrossed her legs. Johnny wanted her to wait for him, but he got pulled into another planning meeting for the movie and couldn’t make it. She wasn’t about to call him away just to hold her hand when talking to the detectives or the Burgosov brothers. With all the guards around, she couldn’t be safer.