The Tao of the Viper: A Kate Pomeroy Mystery (The Kate Pomeroy Gothic Mystery Series Book 2)

by Linda Watkins

  Jeremy nodded. “It’s your show all the way. I just want to be there when you nail the guy.”

  Agent Haskell smiled. “Don’t get your hopes up. This is pretty much a longshot. We have informants that tell us Vladimir Sokolov hooked up with the Russian mafia right after his escape. Odds are he’s on a boat on the way to Archangel right now laughing at us. Now, we need to get going. Dr. Pomeroy, I’d prefer it if you’d wait somewhere safe – off this property.”

  “Okay, I can wait at the clinic. There are other people there, too. It’s safe.”

  “Good. We’ll meet you there when we’re done. Bradshaw, come with me.”

  Jeremy kissed me lightly, then followed Agent Haskell outside. I waited until they were out of sight, then, as the rest of the team prepared to search underground, made my way over to Stormview.

  Steve and Nadia were both at the clinic. Steve was rehearsing an upcoming diabetes foot care lecture. Nadia was on the computer.

  “Hi,” I said as I walked in.

  “Hey, Kate,” said Steve. “What are you doing here?”

  I explained briefly about Vlad’s escape and about the possibility that he was hiding beneath us in the tunnels.

  “Wow!” exclaimed Steve. “It’s just like on television. They let Jeremy go with them?”

  “Yeah,” I replied. “He’s trained and knows what he’s doing and can act as a guide. It can be pretty hinky down there, you know.”

  Nadia looked scared. “Is this the same Vladimir Sokolov who stole me from my family and sent me to the brothel?”

  I walked over to where she sat and put my arm around her shoulders. “Yeah, one and the same. But you’re safe here. If he’s down there, he’s there for only one reason – revenge on me.”

  She looked puzzled. “But, if you don’t mind my asking,” she said hesitantly. “Why?”

  I smiled, trying to put the young woman at ease. “I testified against him. It was my testimony that put him away for life. When the trial was over, Sokolov promised revenge. He hates me and would like nothing better than to see me dead.”

  She frowned. “Maybe his threat was just empty bravado.”

  I shook my head. “You were very young when he took you. You don’t know him. He means what he says.”

  Nadia nodded, then turned back to her computer.

  “So, we just wait?” asked Steve.

  “Yup, we wait.”

  “Well, while we’re waiting, how about you listen to my presentation? Let me know if it’s any good?”

  I smiled. “I’d be happy to.”

  And, so, we waited. I helped Steve with his lecture and spent some time catching up on my chart notes.

  At three p.m., I was surprised by a text message. Hoping it was from Jeremy, I was disappointed to see it was from the locksmith informing me he would be on Storm on Monday and would meet me at the Carriage House at one-thirty. I put the appointment on my calendar and walked over to where Nadia was still working on the computer.

  “Nadia,” I said. “Can you please clear my calendar on Monday afternoon? I have to meet a locksmith at one-thirty.”

  She didn’t respond, but nodded and made a quick note on her tablet.

  “Looks like we’ve got company,” Steve said, standing by one of the front windows.

  I turned and walked over to him. Jeremy and Special Agent Haskell were making their way up the path from the Carriage House.

  “Oh, thank God,” I whispered. “They’re safe.”

  Steve joined me and put his arm about my shoulders. “He’s okay, Kate.”

  The door opened and they strode in, Jeremy in the lead. I rushed over to him and wrapped my arms around him.

  “I was so worried,” I whispered. “Did you find him?”

  Jeremy shook his head. “He wasn’t there.”

  I glanced over to where Agent Haskell was waiting for us to finish, a look of impatience on his face. Extricating myself from Jeremy’s embrace, I walked over to him.

  “What did you find?” I asked.

  “Nothing. Not even a gum wrapper. The place was clean. No sign that anyone’s been down there recently. And, my team tells me no boats that aren’t registered to islanders are moored anywhere near Lonely Lane. Like I said at the outset, this was a long shot.”

  I nodded, disappointed. The specter of Vlad would still be hanging over my head.

  “Well,” I finally said. “I guess that’s that.”

  “For today it is,” Agent Haskell replied. “However, you should still take safety precautions. Mr. Bradshaw says you plan on installing cameras at your residences and changing locks. Those are both good ideas. Just because we didn’t find Sokolov today, doesn’t mean he or one of his mafia brothers won’t be here tomorrow. He’s a tough customer with a lot of connections. It wouldn’t do to underestimate him.”

  I nodded. “We’ll proceed as planned. What happens next?”

  “We’ll continue to look for him. We’ll check in with our informants to see if anyone knows where he went. If anything suspicious happens here, call my office immediately.”

  The man handed me his card and gave one to Jeremy, too. Then they all piled back into their van and headed toward the wharf.

  Jeremy smiled, watching them go. “Kinda cool, wasn’t it? I got to play FBI agent for a day!”

  I frowned, surprised by his levity. “It isn’t a laughing matter,” I scolded. “I was worried. What if Vlad had been down there? What if there’d been a fire fight and you got hit?”

  “Okay, I’m sorry. Just trying to make a joke. Forgive me?”

  He looked so contrite, I had to smile. “Yeah, you’re forgiven. But don’t do it again. Oh, your friend the locksmith called. He’s coming over tomorrow afternoon. Do you want to be there when he works on your house?”

  “Naw, not necessary. I’ll be on the water. Can you take care of it for me?”

  I nodded. “I’ve got you covered. I’ve already told Nadia to clear my calendar.”

  “Great. Tom messaged me. He’s picking up the camera equipment tomorrow. He thinks he can get everything done by Wednesday.”

  Again, I frowned. Another day off work.

  “Guess I’ll have to rearrange another day of patients.”

  Jeremy grinned. “No, you do the locks and I’ll do the cameras. Tom could probably use some help anyway. And don’t forget – you and me – we work as a team. Okay?”

  “You’re right. Thanks,” I said, relieved.

  “Well, I’m going to go down to the boatyard and do some work. I’ll see you later.”

  I kissed him lightly. “Later.”

  I watched him go, whispering a silent thank you to the powers that be that no one had been hurt today. But what about tomorrow? I wasn’t nearly as confident as Agent Haskell that Vlad was on a boat somewhere on his way to St. Petersburg, Vladivostok, or some other God-forsaken Russian city. No, he thought of me as unfinished business and, from what I knew of him, he wasn’t the type of man to walk away from it.

  20

  Kate

  A Little Snafu

  ON MONDAY, I went to work as usual. I had several patients scheduled before I planned to meet the locksmith at the Carriage House. The morning went by smoothly and, after my eleven-thirty was finished, I grabbed my coat and stopped by the front desk to check out.

  Nadia looked at me, clearly puzzled. “Where are you going?” she asked.

  “I’ve got to meet the locksmith at home,” I responded. “You remember – I asked you to cancel all my afternoon patients.”

  She looked down at her schedule, a blush rushing up her neck.

  “You did cancel my patients, didn’t you, Nadia?”

  She finally looked me in the eye. There were tears beginning to roll down her cheeks. “No, Doctor Pomeroy. I didn’t. I forgot all about it. You have a full schedule this afternoon.”

  I bit my bottom lip to keep from giving her a piece of my mind. What was I going to do now? Cancel the patients or the locksmith?
>
  “I can cancel them, Dr. Pomeroy, if you want?” she asked.

  “No,” I said firmly. “You can’t. I’ll just have to reschedule the locksmith.”

  As I spoke, I glanced at my watch. It was too late.

  “But, I can’t cancel him,” I said wearily. “He’s probably already on his way over. And, Jeremy is out on the water.”

  Steve, overhearing our conversation, intervened. “What’s the problem?” he asked.

  I explained in as nice a way as possible that Nadia had forgotten to reschedule my afternoon patients.

  “I can’t be in two places at one time,” I complained.

  “Take it easy, Kate,” Steve replied. “How about Nadia meets the locksmith? She can wait while he does his thing at your place then go with him to Jeremy’s. After, she can bring him back here and you can pay him. Would that work for you?”

  I was about to shake my head, but I saw a look of hopefulness in Nadia’s eyes. Steve’s suggestion would give her a chance to redeem herself.

  “Okay,” I finally said. “But what about the front desk?”

  “I can handle it,” said Steve.

  “All right. Nadia, are you willing to do as Steve has suggested?”

  “Oh, yes, Doctor. Anything.”

  “Okay. Here’s the key to the Carriage House and the key to Jeremy’s place is under a potted plant on the porch. You meet the locksmith at my place, make sure he rekeys both doors and installs deadbolts, then take him to Jeremy’s and do the same there. Bring all the keys back here and, if the man needs to be paid immediately, bring him with you. Otherwise, have him send me a bill. Okay?”

  “Yes, Doctor. I’ll go now.”

  “Okay. But don’t let something like this happen again.”

  She nodded, then quickly scooted away from the desk, grabbed her coat and purse, and hurried out the door.

  Steve and I watched her go.

  “What do you think got into her?” I asked. “She’s usually so methodical and detail-oriented.”

  Steve frowned. “I think all that talk about Sokolov being on the loose shook her up pretty badly. She was real quiet all afternoon while the feds were here. And, she didn’t join me for dinner or TV that evening either.”

  “You’re probably right,” I answered, feeling guilty over my anger at the girl. “I should have thought of that. Knowing he might be lurking around probably frightened her more than it did me.”

  “Yeah, but I’ll talk to her anyway and make sure it doesn’t happen again. Okay?”

  “Thanks, Steve. Now, what do we have on the schedule for this afternoon?”

  A couple hours later, Nadia was back. “Here are the keys, Doctor,” she said, handing me two sets. “The ones on this ring are yours. The others are Mr. Bradshaw’s.”

  “Thanks,” I said, pocketing the keys. “Where’s the locksmith?”

  “Oh, he went back. He said he would send Mr. Bradshaw a bill.”

  “Okay,” I said, turning to Steve. “Was that our last patient?”

  “Yeah. You’re done. And, Nadia, I hope I haven’t screwed up your schedule maker too badly.”

  The girl smiled gratefully at Steve.

  “You couldn’t do anything wrong. You, Mr. Steve, are perfect.”

  21

  Kate

  Lights, Camera, Action

  ON WEDNESDAY, I went to work at usual. When I returned home to the Carriage House, Jeremy and Tom were waiting for me.

  “Hi, guys,” I said as I hung up my coat. “Am I on camera?”

  Tom laughed. “You were when you walked up to the door.”

  “But where’s the camera?” I asked. “I looked for it before I came inside. I didn’t see anything.”

  “That’s part of the beauty of it,” Tom replied. “You don’t see it. It’s in the doorbell.”

  “You’re kidding? In the doorbell?”

  “Yeah,” said Jeremy. “Pretty cool, isn’t it. And, you can talk through it, too. You know, if someone comes up to the door you can ask them to state their business before you open up. Go back outside and ring the doorbell.”

  I did as Jeremy asked and was surprised to hear his voice coming through the door.

  “Who’s there?”

  I laughed, opening the door and walking back inside.

  “That is pretty cool. Did you put a doorbell on the back door, too?”

  Tom shook his head. “No. I installed motion detector lighting that has a camera built in. You needed some extra lights out there anyway.”

  I nodded. “And inside?”

  “Right over here.”

  He pointed to one of the small tables that flanked the fireplace.

  “This,” he said “is a nanny-cam. It’s small, unobtrusive, but it has a wide-angle lens and should catch just about anything that happens in this room and the hallway.”

  I stared at the small camera. “Is it on now?”

  “No. Look here.”

  He pointed to a tiny button on the back of the camera. “To turn it on just press this. Same button turns it off.”

  Again, I nodded. “But how do we view whatever the camera is filming?”

  “You do that through an app on your phone. Give me your cell.”

  I handed Tom my phone and he quickly downloaded the necessary apps – one for the cameras outside and one for the camera inside. Then he showed me how to use them.

  “Okay,” I finally said. “Seems pretty simple. I assume you’ve already gone over this with your brother.”

  “Yup,” replied Tom. “He’s got pretty much the same setup at his place.”

  “Good,” I said. “This is pretty slick, but I hope to God it ends up being unnecessary.”

  “Don’t we all,” replied Jeremy. “Thanks, Tom. You do good work.”

  “No problem, bro. Now, I hope you all don’t mind if I take my leave. I’ve got a date. I’ll email you a bill.”

  “A date?” questioned Jeremy. “Anyone I know?”

  Tom blushed. “Just a girl. I’ll talk to you later.”

  Without waiting for a reply, he grabbed his coat and toolbox and strode out of the house.

  “Now what was that all about?” I asked, watching him leave.

  Jeremy laughed. “It’s your Nadia he’s meeting. I think he was embarrassed because she works for you.”

  “Well, that’s an interesting turn of events. I didn’t realize they knew each other.”

  “Yeah, they met at the grand opening party. He’s seen her a couple of times since then. Hard to believe – my quiet, reserved little brother and the Russian bombshell!”

  “Bombshell?”

  “Yeah, haven’t you taken a good look at her? She’s gorgeous. Oh, she tries to hide it with those glasses and baggy sweaters and all. But it’s there. She’s a knockout.”

  I frowned. I thought Nadia was pretty, but a knockout? Was I missing something?

  Jeremy laughed. “Maybe because you’re a woman, you’re immune.”

  “Immune to what?”

  “Haven’t you noticed the way she acts around men? Soft and shy. She knows exactly how to play us.”

  “Are you saying she’s manipulative? Do you think she’s manipulating Tom?”

  “I don’t know. She may genuinely like him. But it seems to me the wheels in that pretty little head of hers are always turning. You know, looking to massage any given situation to play to her advantage. Like the other day. She neglected to cancel your patients, right? Result: you had to stay and work while she got to spend the afternoon hanging out while the locks were changed.”

  “I think that’s kind of harsh, Jeremy. Steve said she was upset the day the FBI scoured the tunnels. After all, it was Sokolov or someone in his network who abducted her. That probably played on her mind and she simply forgot to clear my calendar. I don’t think there was anything underhanded about it.”

  “Yeah, you’re probably right. I didn’t think about that. But, I suspect she enjoyed her afternoon off. I spoke with th
e locksmith afterward. He said she was definitely flirting with him. Asking him all sorts of questions about locks. I think she’s looking to get herself an American husband and a chance at citizenship.”

  “That may be true. But you have to remember what she’s been through. And, even if you’re right, doesn’t it make sense that she would try to grab a chance at security and happiness?”

  “Yeah, she’s only doing what anyone in her position would do. She’s a nice kid.”

  I grinned. “You seem to have really made a study of her. Do I have anything to be worried about?”

  Jeremy laughed, putting his arms around me. “Hey, I can look, can’t I? But she pales in comparison to you. No, you don’t have a thing to worry about. I just hope she’s not stringing Tom along, trying to get something out of him.”

  “I’m sure she’s not. Tom’s a nice-looking man with a good job. Any girl would be happy to keep company with him.”

  “I guess you’re right. Now, enough of Nadia. How about we go out to the Whistle for burgers. Putting up cameras can give a man a mighty appetite.”

  I laughed. “Just give me a minute to freshen up.”

  We arrived at the Wet Your Whistle about a half hour later. Not surprising, Tom and Nadia were sitting at a table in the back and waved us over when we walked in.

  We spent a pleasant evening together and I have to admit, I watched Nadia a little more closely than usual. Jeremy was right about some things. I knew the Russian girl to be very intelligent and not afraid to speak her mind. However, with Tom, she was a different girl. Constantly demurring to his judgment or opinion, it appeared that she was, as Jeremy said, “playing him.” I hoped that that wasn’t the case. She was a nice girl who had had terrible things happen to her – none of which were her fault. I wished her all the happiness in the world, but hoped that she wasn’t just looking for some dupe to obtain American citizenship.