To avoid eye contact with anyone else in the waiting room, she’d been watching a tiny beetle crawling along the baseboards. Where is Gillespie? The man across from her stared at her with a blank expression. From the looks of him, she couldn’t tell if he was here to help someone or hurt someone. Averting her eyes, she dug into her purse for a stick of Wrigley’s gum. The gum had been hard to come by during the war, but gratefully, she could buy it at any corner store again.
“Miss Allen,” Gillespie said as he strode into the room, hand outstretched. “You wanted to see me? Is there something you’d like to add to your statement?”
“Didn’t Johnny tell you?”
“He talked with Bristow. Did you want to wait to talk to him, too? He should be here in an hour or so.”
Kate looked nervously at the rough-looking guy across from her and felt like a snitch. She whispered to the detective, “No, I don’t want to wait. Is there somewhere we can talk privately? I have something to show you.”
He nodded and motioned for her to follow him. He led her into another room, to a paper-cluttered desk in a long line of desks. It looked more like what she’d imagined a newspaper room to look like than a police station. “A little more private here,” he said, motioning for Kate to sit down in a chair. “They’re letting me borrow this desk while I wrap things up with the Burgosovs. I’ll be taking them back with me to Europe as soon as possible. They’re going to help us trace back some of the art they took.” He sat down, folding his hands on the desk, and waited.
“So, does that mean they are being cooperative?” Kate’s hopes rose. This might be easier than she’d thought.
The detective grimaced. “I wouldn’t say that exactly. But we’ll take what we can get.” He pulled out a pen and notepad and looked at her expectantly.
She checked to make sure her pendant was safely hidden under her blouse before pulling out her drawing of the necklace. “I—” She started to speak, then realized she couldn’t tell him the significance of the heirloom. He didn’t know anything about the Kopciuszek story. She bit her fingernail as he took the paper from her to examine it. “Have you seen any jewelry like this?” She pointed to the notations her dad had made. “Or do you recognize the street or the name written here?”
Gillespie held the paper up to the light while he took a slow drink of some very black coffee.
“Yes, this street in Warsaw, I know.” He dropped the paper to the desk and tapped his finger on the name. “Not much left now. Heavy bombing.”
“But you are familiar with it?”
“Sure. It used to be a hotbed of underground crime before it got blown to bits.”
Kate cringed.
“Sorry. Poor choice of words. But this name.” Gillespie tapped the paper again. “Punia. It sounds familiar.” He riffled through his desk until he found a particular manila envelope. He opened it and searched through the papers inside. He flicked a page with his fingers before turning it around to show Kate. “Aha. Here it is.”
There was a short typed report and a grainy black-and-white photo of a side profile of a figure with a hat pulled low over the face. Not much to go on.
“A petty thief. That is how he came to be on my list, mostly harmless. But more importantly, we’ve long suspected him of being a go-between. He gets items for other people. Legally or not. By day, we think he is a jeweler. This could be one of his designs, but I can’t tell. He leans toward the flashy.” He pointed to Kate’s drawing. “Where did you get it?”
“I drew it for my dad. He was going to get a necklace made up for my mom. But he added all the rest—the name and the street. I, um, was curious and I know you know a lot about European art so I thought I’d ask.” Holy Toledo. Her palms were sweating and she hadn’t even gotten to the hard part yet.
The detective rose but Kate remained seated. There was one more thing she wanted.
“Yes?”
“Are the Burgosovs still here?”
The detective pointed with this thumb. “Cooling off in the cells at the Tombs next door.”
“Could I ask them something?”
“Oh, honey. Bristow told me you wanted to see them. But that’s a bad idea. You don’t want them figuring out you’re the one who ended their life of crime, do ya? We’ve got it all squared away. No need to mess with it.”
Kate shook her head. Of course not. But she needed to know about the shoes. What did their side of this legendary feud know?
“That’s a girl. Off you go now. Let me know if there’s any other mystery I can help you solve.”
Disappointed, Kate stood to leave. She bit her lower lip as she watched the detective put away his pen and paper and drink the last of his coffee.
He noticed she was still there. Sighed. “What do you want to know? I’ll get it out of them.”
Maybe there was hope after all. “Are you sure I couldn’t talk to them? It wouldn’t take long and I won’t let anything spill about how they were caught. They know things about my family.” She sat back down. “And I need to see their eyes when they answer.”
He tried to hide a smile, but Kate knew she’d hit a chord. He must have agreed there was something about looking a person in the eyes.
“Please?” she added.
“You will talk through a telephone, separated by glass, but you’ll be able to see their beady eyes. I will sit with you. Do you need to talk to both of them?”
“Can I start with the big one? He seems to know the most.”
“You’re a good judge of character.” He groaned as he stood and stretched. “Come with me.”
Kate followed the detective into the inner rooms of the Department of Corrections. “You’re lucky they’re still here,” the detective continued. “We’d have processed most guys out of here by now, but since we’re taking them soon, we’ve kept ’em close.”
When a door of bars clanged shut behind them, Kate’s heart nearly stopped. Then it kicked into high gear, flooding her system with adrenaline. Cinderella herself would be amazed at all the trouble her dress and shoes were causing in the modern era.
Gillespie led her into a small room with two chairs and a telephone hanging on the wall. He motioned for her to sit in the chair and they waited, staring through the glass into a matching room.
“You sure?” he asked.
Kate nodded, her mouth dry as sandpaper.
After an eternity of the detective trying to make small talk, the door opened and in walked the leader of the Burgosov boys. Tall and with thick shoulder muscles hiding his neck, he was dressed in the solid gray uniform of a prisoner, but ambled in with an air of aloofness, like he disdained the very air in the place. A recent cut on his cheek looked like it would turn to scar as it healed. He stopped short when he saw Kate, his eyes widening in surprise, then he grabbed the phone and grinned, revealing the gap between his two front teeth.
Kate slowly reached for the receiver. As soon as she held it to her ear, she heard, “Little American girl. Did you forget something?”
Her mind went blank. All she could remember was the feeling of fear when she found this man waiting for her in her apartment. Gillespie was right. The Burgosovs could have forgotten her, moved on. She shouldn’t be giving them reason to dwell on her. But she was here now. She’d already poked the giant. “The shoes,” she whispered. When he didn’t comment, she said it louder. “The shoes. Tell me what you know about them.”
He smirked.
“Please,” she added.
The man tilted back in his chair, looking relaxed and in control of the situation. “I already told you we no have the shoes.” He shrugged. “I have a heart. No needless suffering, I say.”
“But what do you know about them?” Dare she mention the diamonds? “Do you know when they were lost? How they were lost?”
“Lost?” He chuckled. “Is that what they tell you?”
Kate squeezed the phone hard. “Do the Kolodenkos have them?” She tried to keep her voice light, like she didn’t ca
re they might be lying to her.
The man leaned forward, bringing his chair down with a bang. Detective Gillespie put a hand on the table. Kate could feel him tense.
“They can only wish for them. Is the other family who is keeping the shoes. The other stepsister.”
Kate’s breath caught in her throat. Then they were real. The shoes had survived just like the dresses had.
He smiled, but nothing about the smile was friendly. “You want to find shoes? Go to Poland. Tell the people you are looking for Malwinka.” He winked. “That is all you need to do. Then wait. She will find you. Even if you have changed your mind, it will being too late for you.” He slammed the phone down on his end and, without a further look, he and his guard started to leave the room.
Kate stood and slapped her palm against the glass. “What people? What people!” He turned around, but she could tell he wasn’t going to say any more. She quickly pulled out the sketch of the cottage. “What about this place? Is it important?”
He squinted to see the sketch, then laughed and turned back, this time walking out and letting the door close behind him.
Kate hung up her end of the phone line, feeling Gillespie’s stare. “Okay. Well, thanks,” she said.
“Was that helpful?”
“No. Yes.” Kate hoped he wouldn’t ask more. As a detective, he must be dying to know what the big deal was about a pair of shoes.
He pointed back with his thumb. “That wasn’t about Cinderella’s glass slippers, eh?” He snorted. “’Cause, remember, we caught them with the Cinderella dress from the display window.” He noticed Kate’s expression. “Sorry, bad joke. We try to lighten things up around here.”
He led her back out the way they came and even walked her to the front door. “You said your dad was one of the Monuments Men, yes?” All joking was now out of his voice.
She nodded.
“I’ll ask around. See what I can find out for you.” He held the door open for her.
“That means a lot to me. Thank you.” Kate wandered out of the precinct, thoughts all a jumble but hopes rising. If the Burgosov man was telling the truth, then she would find the shoes. All she had to do was track down this Malwinka person and somehow convince her to let Kate have the shoes. Not completely impossible.
“Johnny!” He was running down the sidewalk, darting around pedestrians.
“I got here as fast as I could,” he said, out of breath. “How did it go?”
“Better than I thought. I have a new lead.” She grabbed his arm. “But I need to go to Poland. The other line of stepsisters has them.”
“I don’t like the sound of that. What about Princess Kolodenko? Can’t she get them back?”
“I’ll talk to her, but she’ll brush me off. She’s acting funny about those shoes. Apparently, they’re made of diamonds.”
“Holy Toledo. Now I’m interested.” He rubbed his hands together in an imitation of Scrooge. “Never could understand what was so great about a glass slipper.”
Kate raised her eyebrows. “Yes, well, it gets better. I wanted to tell you at the airport, but there were too many people around. Floyd sent me a telegram to look for a diamond in Dad’s things. I found one. It was a blue diamond, and it’s what set off Elsie’s last episode. She recognized it.”
“So the shoes are blue?”
“I don’t know. Princess Kolodenko says the shoes are clear, but she’s not interested in them. If anything is going to happen, I’ll have to make it happen.” She ran the amber pendant along its chain. She was the Keeper, after all, and it was her job to watch over the royal wardrobe. Aunt Elsie had taught her that the commitment extended not only to a single princess, but to the family line.
Johnny draped his arm around her and steered her down the sidewalk. “You mean I won’t have to smuggle you to Europe in my suitcase after all?”
Kate laughed. “I don’t know. You might have to. I don’t think my mom will let me go.” To pay for the trip she’d have to tap into her college savings.
“Do you trust me?” Johnny asked.
“Of course.”
“I have an idea.”
Chapter Eight
Kate was about to slip through the front door when Mom called her back in.
“Would you set the table, please? They’ll be here any minute.”
Arggh. Kate closed the door in frustration. It was because the Kolodenkos were on their way over that Kate was trying to sneak out. She had to intercept them in the hallway so she could tell them what she’d learned.
Her initial excitement about tracking down the shoes had worn off, and her practical side had risen up to tell her all the reasons why it was too hard to do and how she would fail. She decided to get all the facts before bringing up the trip with her mom.
“Regular plates?” she asked.
“I don’t think the Kolodenkos eat off of regular plates. Get out my good china.”
Mom had been busy in the kitchen all day, which was so unlike her. Apparently, she wanted to make sure the Kolodenkos felt welcome, and to thank them for all the time they had been spending with Aunt Elsie. Kate set the table in record time and dashed out the door to find Uncle Adalbert coming down the hall.
“Good. Close the door, child. I must speak with you alone,” he said. He dug in his pocket and pulled out a little cloth bag. “Here is your diamond. Elsie would only give it back to me after I promised her you would go to—”
“Poland?”
He nodded, his face grim. “And you are willing?”
It was inevitable. “I’m nervous, but yes. Did Johnny tell you?”
“There is more. I sense the princess is being cautious with us. She knows more than she is saying. Johnny told me what you found out from one of the Burgosovs. This Malwinka cannot be trusted.”
Kate’s arms erupted in goose bumps. “You know her?”
“I know of her. She is quietly dangerous. Don’t let her kindness fool you. Be careful what you share with her. And with Princess Kolodenko.”
“Do you think this particular diamond could have come from the shoes, but Princess Kolodenko doesn’t want us to know?”
“I do not know the significance of the diamond, but it has meaning.”
The door opened behind them, and Kate’s mom looked out, exasperated, at Kate. “Come on in.” She tugged Kate inside. “Good evening,” she said to Adalbert. “I’ve got the paper ready for you while we wait for the others.”
He shrugged, indicating he had more to say, but followed Mom inside.
When the others arrived, Kate hovered in the kitchen, hoping Princess Kolodenko would step in and they could speak semiprivately about Malwinka.
“Join us, Kate,” Nessa called out.
“Oh, I’m just tidying up in here. I’ll be out in a bit,” Kate said. She puttered around, waiting long past a respectable time for keeping guests waiting.
Mom eventually came in. “It’s time to serve the food. Why are you hiding out in here? Take in the veggies for me, please.”
Kate was fidgety all during the meal. She tried to catch Princess Kolodenko’s attention, but she was busy talking to Adalbert. It seemed like the Kolodenkos had something on their minds, too. Nessa kept smiling at Kate. A big, bright smile that she couldn’t keep down. And Kate was positive she saw Fyodora wink back at Nessa’s big grin.
“What are your summer plans?” Mom asked Nessa. “Are you going to stay here and get settled for school?”
“No. Our trip out here was so unexpected, I didn’t have time to take care of things back home, so I need to go back. I don’t mind the Atlantic crossing. The waves don’t seem to bother me.”
“I mind,” Princess Kolodenko said. “This is my one and only trip to America. I will be happy to settle back home.”
Mother kept the conversation rolling, oblivious to the looks being passed around with the mashed potatoes. “We got a letter from Floyd today,” she said.
“Did you read it?” Kate asked. She could fee
l Adalbert and Nessa both lean in.
Her mother gave her a sideways glance. “Of course I read it.”
“And? What did he say?”
“Just the usual. Hints about the girls he’s met. Places he’s seen. He’s been transferred to the collection facility in Wiesbaden. He says he was warned that the job can be tedious, cataloging all the artwork, photographing it, and researching the owners. But there can be lots of excitement still for uncovering a great work or finally tracking down who it belongs to.”
“Did he say anything about me?” Or about a diamond?
“You can read it later. I’ve told you the important parts.”
“I’ve a few art pieces missing from our home in Poland,” Princess Kolodenko said. “I should send him a list. Once they were taken, I never expected to get them back. People have a way of holding on to things and believing they are the rightful owner.”
The conversation continued on about art until Nessa, clearly unable to hold back, burst out. “Can I tell them?” she asked.
Princess Kolodenko waved her hand in a queenly gesture, giving permission.
Nessa practically leaped from her chair with excitement. “When Johnny was booking his cabin, he found out if we wait a few days longer, we can take the trip to Europe on the Queen Mary. Babcia won’t mind the travel so much if she can go on such a luxurious ship. They have restored it to the way it was before the war, before they used it for transporting troops. Plus it is the fastest.”
“How exciting,” Mom said. “All the celebrities go on the Queen Mary.”
“That’s not the best part. Babcia says Kate can come home with us for the summer.” Nessa turned to Kate with a wide grin.
Kate drew in a quick breath. She looked at Fyodora, who was nodding, confirming the news. Then Kate looked at her mother, whose face reflected her own shock.
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