I gripped my weapon and went around the boat, checking under tarpaulins and behind anything big enough to conceal a person. Several large “person-size” bins were empty. Time to call Stanton. I locked the cabin and headed for the bait shop to find a phone I could use.
As I got close to the shop, a deputy sheriff’s car drove in. I wouldn’t be needing a phone after all. Gus, the police bloodhound Deputy Stanton was minding for a fellow officer on vacation, stuck his large head and droopy ears out the back window. The driver’s door opened and the impressively broad shoulders of Deputy Bill Stanton appeared. He got out and headed in my direction.
I waved and said, “Hi…Bill.”
It was still difficult for me to call him by his first name. Our first few months of getting to know each other had involved crimes I helped solve, along with the Silver Sentinels. We had kept our relationship formal. When Redwood Cove was running smoothly, we’d decided to go to a first-name basis now that I was a town resident.
I wondered if we’d be back to formal in the not-too-distant future. A knife with what appeared to be blood on it had been found on Rudy and Ivan’s boat. They were friends and members of the Silver Sentinels. Was I about to get involved in another investigation? Time would tell.
“Kelly, I didn’t expect to see you here,” he said.
“I’m meeting Rudy and Ivan to see their boat. I just checked and they aren’t here yet.”
I filled him in on what I’d seen and done as we walked to the boat together.
Stanton nodded. “We got an anonymous phone call about a bloody dagger being seen on a boat called Nadia. The caller made it clear it wasn’t any piece of fishing equipment or someone’s steak knife. That’s what brought me out here.”
I waited on the deck while Stanton searched the boat. Curious, I went to the window where I’d first seen the weapon. I definitely had to crane my neck to see it, as it was almost directly beneath me on the table. I looked through the window next to it, but a lamp blocked my view. A person could see it more easily from the opposite side, but that would mean they had been walking around the boat. The dagger couldn’t be spotted by a casual glance. I wondered who had placed the call.
Stanton came to the door and waved me in. “I didn’t see any sign of a struggle.”
“I didn’t either.”
We were quiet for a moment, staring at the object on the table. I leaned closer to get a better look. The gold metal on the hilt had intricate designs around each gem. An artist had etched a scene with several horsemen astride their mounts running down the side. The attention to detail was such, I could see the muscles of the horses.
I had a feeling the jewels we were looking at were real.
Three emeralds, each larger than a nickel, lined the top of the handle. Diamonds surrounded each stone. The horses ran along a ruby road. The part of the curved blade I could see had what appeared to be the work of the same artist depicting a battle scene.
I straightened my back. “Not any ordinary knife.”
“I agree. If those are real jewels, it’s worth a fortune.”
“Bill, while I was waiting for you on the deck, I thought about how someone would be able to see the knife. It wasn’t easy from the window I used, and you can’t see it from the window next to it because it’s blocked. You could see it from the windows on the other side of the galley, but that would mean someone walked around the boat.”
“Good thinking, Kelly. Our anonymous caller is a trespasser.”
A tooting horn I’d become familiar with announced the arrival of the Redwood Cove/Fort Peter bus.
“I’m guessing Ivan and Rudy just arrived,” I said.
We climbed the ladder and stood on the deck. The brothers were walking toward us. There was never a concern about confusing Rudy and Ivan, even at a distance. Ivan towered over his brother.
For every one of Ivan’s rough edges, Rudy had a neat line.
Ivan’s coarse gray hair had a life of its own. I’d seen him brush it, only to have it spring back up in every direction. Rudy’s silver hair, on the other hand, had a soft sheen and seemed to be happy to stay in place, each hair having found a permanent home.
Ivan’s mustache was a mate for his hair. He’d tried to train it once, only to declare defeat with loud grumbles. Rudy’s didn’t have a hair out of place, and military precision would describe the perfect line of his cut.
Ivan’s loud voice boomed despite his efforts to control it, and his Russian accent was more pronounced than his brother’s. Rudy was a quiet man and spoke almost perfect English unless he was flustered.
“Hi, Kelly. You beat us here.” Ivan stood a little straighter and puffed out his chest. “What you think of our Nadia?”
“She’s beautiful, Ivan.” I looked at the dazzling white boat and the sparkling brass. “Your love for her shows with the great care you’ve given her.”
“Yah. She’s our Nadia.” He beamed affectionately at the boat.
Rudy looked at Deputy Stanton quizzically. “Deputy Stanton, to what do we owe the pleasure of your visit?”
Stanton got right to the point. “Got a call about a dagger possibly covered in blood on a table on your boat.”
“What?” Rudy’s shocked tone matched the stunned look on Ivan’s face.
The deputy inclined his head toward the boat’s cabin. “Come see.”
They climbed on the boat, then descended into the main quarters. Rudy walked to the table and stopped, his eyes glued to the jeweled weapon.
“Is that your knife?” Stanton asked.
“Uh…maybe.”
“What do you mean, maybe?”
“I have one like it a home, or at least the last I knew, that’s where it was. I haven’t looked at it in a while.”
“You have a knife just like this…jewels and all?” Stanton asked.
Rudy nodded. “Yes. So…that one’s mine…or one identical to it.”
Chapter 3
“Do you know what’s on the blade?” Deputy Stanton asked.
“No idea,” Rudy replied.
“Okay. I want all of you to wait outside. I’m going to take another look around.”
We waited in silence on the dock. It was quiet except for the water softly slapping the boat and the occasional raucous cry of a seagull searching for a bite to eat. Rudy began pacing, his hands held tightly behind his back, his mouth turned downward.
Deputy Stanton eventually joined us, holding the knife in an evidence bag. “I’d like you to stay off the boat until we know more about what’s on the knife.”
The brothers nodded in agreement.
“I’m going to drop this off at the lab. Then, Rudy, I’d like to come by to see if you still have your dagger.”
“I understand. I’ll look for it as soon as I get home.”
The deputy left.
“I’m sorry there’ll be no tour of the boat today, Kelly,” Rudy said.
“Another time.” I shared with them that I’d had a quick look around when I searched the boat. “Let me give you both a ride home.”
“Thank you. We appreciate.” Ivan’s usually loud voice was more of a mumble.
It was a silent ride, except for Rudy’s directions to their home in Redwood Cove. I turned a corner, and Ivan pointed to a house with a giant anchor embedded in the front yard. It was located on a knoll and faced the ocean with no other houses nearby. I pulled in the driveway and parked.
“Kelly, please come in,” Rudy said. “Have some tea.”
“I don’t want to intrude,” I responded.
“No, please.” His voice had a desperate note. “I am nervous. Haven’t had interaction with police before. Bad that dagger is on Nadia.”
Stress had his usually perfect English slipping away.
“Of course I’ll stay if you feel I can help in any way.”
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His face relaxed. “Thank you so much.”
We walked up a path of gray stepping stones to the front door. The yard was filled with native grasses I’d seen growing on the headlands. The house’s light gray exterior blended with the silver strands of the vegetation. A carved ship graced the wooden front door Rudy opened.
We entered a living room with large plate-glass windows framing the Pacific Ocean. A navy blue couch had two blue plaid armchairs on either side of it. I glimpsed a chess set on a coffee table as we made our way to the kitchen.
The sink was off to one side. Cabinets lined the wall to the left of it, and the counter stretched to the right, with windows running its full length. The bright blue of the sea filled the view. The windows continued on to a dining area with a table and four chairs.
“Stunning vista of the ocean,” I said.
“This was our uncle’s house,” Ivan said. “He raise us. The sea has always been part of our lives, and he want it to be with us for as long as we lived.”
“I’ll go see if I still have my dagger,” Rudy said. “Kelly, please have a seat at the table.”
Ivan reached for a metal teakettle. “I make drink.”
I pulled out one of the sturdy wooden chairs and settled on the soft cushion covering the seat.
Ivan brought over a tin of different types of tea. “We have choices.”
The whistle of the teakettle announced the water was ready. Ivan brought me a mug, and I chose a lemon-flavored tea. He poured in the water, and I held the mug while the tea steeped, enjoying the warmth. The sweet scent was soothing after the tense afternoon.
Ivan put a blue-and-white container of shortbread cookies on the table, then joined me and chose a cinnamon tea. The scents mingled together, creating a wholesome spiciness in the air.
Rudy returned, holding a silver case in his hands. “I still have my dagger.”
He placed the box on the table. The cover had the same ornate engraving I’d seen on the knife but no jewels.
“This is the traveling container for the daggers.”
Daggers? Rudy knew there was more than one of these knives that were works of art?
He opened the box, revealing a knife in a sheath with two empty slots next to it that had the names Verushka and Timur on metal plates. The dagger in the case had the name Rudolf above it. The sheath covering the blade matched the handle in its ornateness and its jewels.
“Verushka and Timur are my half sister and half brother. I haven’t seen them since I was a child. The daggers and the case were to be given to us by our father when we came of age. He was a member of an aristocratic Russian family.”
An aristocratic Russian family? The only thing I knew about their background was that they were fishermen. The surprises kept coming.
He took his knife out of its sheath and pointed to the battle scene on the blade. “This tells a tale of victory and was meant to bring good luck.”
A knock on the door interrupted us. Rudy put down his knife on the table, left, and returned with Deputy Sheriff Stanton.
“There’s my knife.” Rudy pointed at the table.
Stanton examined the case and Rudy gave him the same explanation I’d just heard.
“So, it would seem the knife on the boat belongs to one of them. Do you know how to get in touch with them?”
Rudy shook his head. “We left Russia as children.” His shoulders sagged. “I will tell you our story. First, Deputy Stanton, would you like some tea?”
“No, thanks. Appreciate you asking.”
Rudy and Stanton pulled out chairs and sat. Rudy then shared the story of his and Ivan’s lives. Their mother, Tatiana, worked as a maid for a Russian aristocratic family. Her husband, Ivan’s father, was lost at sea about the same time Prince Zharkov lost his wife during the birth of their third child. Ivan was three at the time.
Rudy spread his hands and shrugged. “They were both young and grieving…and drawn to each other. Then I came along.”
Rudy explained the prince wanted to marry Tatiana, but the family forbade it. If he’d gone against their wishes, he would’ve had to give up his title and inheritance, creating a hardship for his children. He chafed at the position he was in, but at least he and Tatiana could be together.
“Political unrest was common in Russia,” Rudy said. “The family lived in a very remote part of the country, and they hoped it wouldn’t reach them. They were fine for a very long time. However, in the late 1930s the situation became such the family knew it was time to flee.”
It was decided the family would split up so they could move faster and be less conspicuous. Ivan and Rudy went with one of the family’s uncles, while their mother went with the prince to help him care for his other children, one of whom was very sickly. The prince’s parents and a couple of staff members formed a third group. America was their goal, and they planned to meet again in San Francisco.
“Most of what the family decided to take, including the dagger case, came with us,” Rudy said. “Two boys and a man with a wagon could move faster and had more room to pack items. We didn’t need much space for our personal needs,” Rudy said.
Ivan nodded. “We travel for many days.”
Unfortunately, the reunion never took place. Rudy, Ivan, and their uncle made it to San Francisco but found they were soon being pursued in that city. They changed their names and went into hiding. The uncle had fishing knowledge and enough funds to purchase a vessel. They lived on the sea and, along with a small crew, earned a living. Rudy explained he was a young boy at the time and his uncle told him all this when he was older. They didn’t know if the others made it to the United States or not.
“When our uncle neared the end of his life, he gave me the knife and case. I didn’t know about it until then.” He caressed the empty slots. “I was close to Verushka and Timur. When you’re part of an aristocratic family, there aren’t a lot of children you’re allowed to play with.”
“Seems as if finding the knife could mean they made it,” Stanton said.
“Possibly,” Rudy replied. “Or it could’ve been stolen in Russia and come to this country with someone else.”
“How on earth did it make it to Fort Peter and end up on your boat?” I asked.
The brothers shook their heads.
A valuable knife last seen in Russia crossed the sea to land on the Doblinsky brothers’ fishing vessel…with a blade possibly covered in blood. This was a puzzle to rival any of the ones the Silver Sentinels and I had unraveled in the past.
Chapter 4
I took a sip of my tea and found it cold. I’d been so mesmerized by the tale of the family torn apart and their struggles, I’d forgotten all about my drink.
Deputy Stanton leaned back in his chair. “That’s quite a story, Rudy. Thanks for sharing it.”
Rudy looked at Ivan. “I wonder if Mother and the others made it after all.”
Ivan went to the stove and started another kettle of water. “Yah. Maybe.”
“We’ve searched for years,” Rudy said. “When the Internet became a way of life, we thought maybe we’d find out what happened to them. But no luck.”
Stanton stood. “I’ll let you know if we discover anything about your family, and I’ll call as soon as we have the lab report on the knife.”
“Thanks, Deputy Stanton,” Rudy said.
“My tea cold. So is yours, then,” Ivan said to me.
The officer left, and I accepted the fresh mug of hot water Ivan offered me. The lemon tea had suited me both in fragrance and taste and I chose another bag of it.
Rudy gazed at the knife. “I remember the trek across Russia very well,” he mused. “We disguised ourselves as peasants and walked beside our horse and wagon. It was a long, cold, tiring trip. Our uncle bought us passage on a large steamer to complete our journey. Before getting on the ship, we she
d our work clothes and became part of a businessman’s family. The prince’s money assured us decent quarters. We were better off than many. The trip was difficult.”
Ivan put his hands around his mug. “Yah. Very long time on ship. San Francisco. So happy to see it. Beautiful.”
Rudy smiled. “That’s a day I remember well. Putting my feet on the ground again, though it took a while before it felt like the earth wasn’t constantly moving under me.”
Ivan laughed. “Yah. We held on to each other, but not help much.”
Rudy closed the case that held the dagger. “We spent a couple of weeks in a hotel. My uncle made friends with people in the Russian community. Then he began to hear rumors that people knew we were part of an aristocratic family. Threats followed. We went into hiding and then onto the fishing boat.”
“Now we are here,” Ivan said.
That summed it up.
“We have a few pictures. Would you like to see them, Kelly?”
“Absolutely.”
“Let’s go in the living room,” Rudy said. “They are in there.”
Ivan and I picked up our mugs and followed him. He stopped in front of shelves that lined one wall and pointed to a framed black-and-white photograph. “This is the only picture we have of the prince and my mother together.”
A tall, dark-haired man resplendent in dress uniform stared into the camera. Ropes of braided material adorned the front of his military attire and his jacket had fringed shoulder epaulets. He wore knee-high leather boots. Next to him stood a pretty, petite woman wearing a long skirt and a puffy-sleeved striped blouse. Their mother’s hair had been pulled up into a bun on top of her head. Her eyes glowed as she held the hand of her handsome prince. Smiles lit up their faces.
Rudy put the photo back on the shelf. “The prince loved our mother very much. He refused to let his family stop their relationship.”
Murder at the Marina Page 2
