A chance for escape. “Yes, for one of their meetings. They don’t have any scheduled that I know of.”
“And we both know that can happen in minutes with a phone call.”
Right. News got out so fast in a small community, it was like the telephone wires were hit with a magic wand.
“I’d be happy to call them,” Scott said.
I just knew he was wearing his impish grin.
I sighed internally, thinking I might as well get it over with. “Okay. When do you want to get together?”
We settled on a date and time. I slipped into my jacket and headed out. On one hand, I looked forward to seeing him; on the other, a failed marriage had left me gun-shy about starting another relationship.
The crisp air refreshed me after all the paperwork. I mailed the bills and decided to take a circuitous route back to get more exercise and enjoy the sights of Redwood Cove. I saw Alexander’s shop, Russian Treasures, and decided to go in. I hadn’t visited it yet.
Alexander was busy behind a counter, with three women gathered around in front of him. He held up a lady’s watch. “This is a replica of the Russian Imperial Grand Duchess’s watch designed by Peter Carl Fabergé. The creator of this piece used crystals in place of the original watch’s diamonds.”
The stones rested on a black enamel circle around the clock face. The pattern of an X sparkled in the light on the top, bottom, and both sides. I wouldn’t have known they weren’t diamonds. My fashion-conscious sister would love something like that. I’d come back to do some shopping with her in mind.
I wandered around the shop. It was an eclectic mix of statues, embroidered pieces of material, clothes, and other odds and ends, which I assumed were all of Russian origin. A couple of intricately carved small boxes caught my eye.
Colorful stones embedded in the top of one formed the pattern of a star. The other one had inlaid swirls of a gold-colored metal. Mom collected ones like these for their beauty, as well as their practicality because they were suitable for jewelry or odds and ends. I took photos of them and their information cards and would ask her if she was interested in my buying the boxes for her.
I examined an interesting piece on the wall, a detailed religious metal sculpture. I glanced over at the counter. Alexander handed one of the women a wrapped package. He then headed in my direction as the women left the shop.
“Good to see you again, Ms. Jackson. Do you know what that piece represents?”
“It looks like the Mother of God praying over Jesus.”
“You are correct. It is a Russian icon. Many of them were created, starting hundreds of years ago. The halo is gold leaf. The one you are looking at is from the early nineteenth century.”
“What does a piece like this sell for?”
“This one has a price tag of four thousand two hundred dollars. Unscrupulous artists make them today and use aging techniques to make them appear antique. That one is genuine.”
“It’s beautiful,” I said.
“Is there anything I can help you find?” Alexander asked.
“No. I just wanted to come in and see what was here.”
“Welcome to Russian Treasures. If you have any questions, I’m happy to answer them.” He walked off.
I went to the glass case, where the ladies had been standing. A large book rested open on the counter with photographs of gold coins. Prices were listed under them.
Alexander joined me. “I collect and sell gold coins. The prices you see there change regularly, based on what the current market value is for them.”
“Interesting.” I looked around. “You have a lovely store.”
“Thank you. Stop by anytime,” he said. “Unfortunately, my last helper was unreliable and I had to let him go. I haven’t found a replacement yet, so sometimes the store won’t be open. But I don’t leave for long, and my return time will always be posted.” He looked at the tall grandfather clock standing in the corner. “I do have to close early today. I’m meeting someone.”
“Thank you again,” I said.
I walked briskly back to Redwood Cove Bed and Breakfast. Helen was starting to put out the appetizers in the parlor. I joined her with a tray of wineglasses, then retrieved a bottle of chardonnay from the refrigerator and a merlot from the wine rack. I opened them and put the bottles next to the glasses.
I returned to my rooms, did some more paperwork, and was starting to think about dinner when my cell phone rang.
“Hello?”
“Kelly, I need your help.”
I knew it was Rudy’s voice, but there was a quavering quality to it I’d never heard before.
“Rudy, what’s happened?”
“The police found a body on the Nadia.”
“What! Who?”
“Alexander Koskov. He was shot.”
Chapter 6
“The police want Ivan and me to go to the marina immediately,” continued Rudy. “We could take the bus…but I’d like you to be there with us.”
“I understand. I’m on my way.”
Dinner would have to wait. I grabbed my purse and jacket. Helen was in the kitchen.
“Helen, I have to leave. Ivan and Rudy…have a problem. They need my help.”
No need to mention what had happened until I knew more.
“Of course, Kelly. I’ll take care of the inn. I’ll bring over what I made for dinner, and Tommy and I can eat here.”
“Thanks. I appreciate it.”
I arrived at the Doblinsky brothers’ house ten minutes later. They were waiting out front wearing heavy wool jackets. Wisps of fog were beginning to move in and were winding their way around the brothers and their home.
“So appreciate.” Ivan placed himself in the back seat.
Rudy settled in the passenger seat. “Yes.” He wrung his hands. “We do not know what is happening. The dagger, and now a man killed. Police questioning us again.”
I drove onto the highway. “Deputy Sheriff Stanton is thorough and fair. He’ll find out the truth.” I glanced over at Rudy. “Everything will be okay.”
The brothers were silent the rest of the trip. Long shadows of trees covered the parking lot in the last of the sunlight. Three police cars were parked at the far end nearest the marina. Two officers stood next to each other, talking. The droopy ears and face of Gus as he looked out the car window identified which vehicle was Deputy Stanton’s. An officer held open the driver’s side door of a coroner’s van as he talked to Stanton.
I parked a little distance from the police cars. We all got out. The same smell of fish I had noticed yesterday filled the air, only now it was stronger.
I stood in front of Rudy and Ivan. “I want you both to take a deep breath. The police will get to the bottom of this, and they won’t find either one of you there when they do.”
They glanced at each other, worry lines marring their brows. Then I saw them each inhale deeply and square their shoulders. I fell in next to them as we marched more than walked to where the officers were.
Deputy Stanton turned toward us as the driver of the van got in and drove off. He looked at the brothers. “Do either of you know Alexander Koskov?”
They both nodded.
“He is on the Russian Heritage Committee and was at meeting today with us,” Ivan said.
“When did you last see him?”
“When the meeting was over. He left with the rest of us,” Rudy replied.
I’d seen him after that. “I saw him this afternoon at around three thirty. I stopped by his store out of curiosity. It was mentioned at the meeting, and I’d never been in the shop before.”
“Did he say anything that might be helpful?” Stanton asked.
“He mentioned he had to close the shop early because he was meeting someone.”
“Did he say who or where?”
&nb
sp; I shook my head. “No. I didn’t see him again after I left.” I frowned. “How did you find out about the body?”
“Another anonymous phone call. Popular these days.” He pulled out a notepad. “Rudy, Ivan, where were you between three thirty and five, which is when the call came in?”
“Both at home,” Rudy said.
“Yah. We work on signs for the festival,” Ivan added.
“We volunteered to help,” Rudy explained.
“Did either of you come to the boat today?” Deputy Stanton asked.
“No. We do as you say and not come,” Ivan answered.
Stanton scribbled a note, then closed his notepad and slipped it into his pocket. “I want you to go with me onto the boat one at a time to see if there is anything different. Both of you come with me now. One can wait on the dock.”
Ivan’s shoulders sagged, and he shuffled behind the officer. Rudy’s face paled, and his feet seemed to drag, gravity pulling him to a slower pace.
I didn’t follow them. I saw the same man I’d spoken to yesterday at the bait shop. Same position, same place, other than that he’d shifted his chair to catch the last sunbeam. Probably the same bib overalls.
As I approached, he tossed a chunk of bread to a group of gulls that had gathered near him. They were a type of bird I wasn’t very familiar with, coming from Wyoming. I was always startled by how viciously they attacked each other for a morsel of food. I’d actually seen them lock beaks in midair.
“Hi, Joe.”
“Hi back.”
I guessed the police had already questioned him. Maybe he wouldn’t mind telling me what he knew. It might help Ivan and Rudy.
He leaned back and hooked his thumbs in the straps of his overalls. “With the action you bring every time you show up, I ain’t got no need to watch crime shows.” His missing front tooth created a slight lisp. “A dagger. A body. What’s next?”
I shook my head. “No idea. Hopefully, nothing. Did you see anyone on the boat? Notice anything that might be helpful?”
“Naw. Police asked the same thing. Had a few customers. Got a bite to eat. Probably happened then.”
“Did you hear anything?”
“Nope.”
“I wonder how they’re getting in the boat,” I mused.
“’Magine the same way you did.”
I looked at him, startled. “What do you mean?”
“The key in the chest, a course.”
“How do you know about that?”
“The brothers are nice guys but secretive they’re not. Anyone watchin’ them enter their boat would know where the key is.”
Made sense, though that didn’t help me any either.
“Have you seen any strangers around here?”
“Sure. Lots. Many of these boats take passengers out. The commercial ones are always hirin’ new people. Workers come and go.”
“Do you remember anything unusual about yesterday around the time when the dagger was found?”
“Nope. Same ol’ same ol’.”
Nothing. I saw the brothers heading back with Deputy Stanton. They stopped next to me.
Stanton took off his hat, ran his fingers through his hair, and replaced his Stetson. “That’s all for now. Like I said before, don’t go on the boat until you hear from me.”
“Understood, Deputy Stanton,” Rudy replied.
“A team of detectives is on the way to do a thorough search of the vessel. I’ll keep you posted.”
Stanton’s phone rang, and he stepped out of our hearing to answer.
I thanked Joe for answering my questions, and the three of us walked slowly to my Jeep.
“Did either of you see anything different about the boat?” I asked.
They both shook their heads.
“The only thing were the lines showing where the body had been,” Rudy said.
I thought for a moment. I wondered if he’d been killed there or somewhere else. “Deputy Stanton said he was shot. Was there any blood?”
Rudy became even paler. “Yes,” he whispered.
Okay, if there had been no blood, it was possible the body had been disposed of on the boat. Even with the blood, he still could’ve been killed elsewhere.
“Did you smell anything to make you think a gun had been fired?”
Ivan nodded. “Yah. Uncle used to have guns. Remember smell.”
It seemed he probably had been killed on the Nadia. But the bait shop owner hadn’t heard anything. Why? And why was he on the boat? Was that where he planned to meet someone?
“Hold up,” Deputy Stanton called out to us. He caught up with us and stared at Rudy. “You said you knew Mr. Koskov from the committee.”
Rudy nodded, his face now ashen.
“Did you know him in any other way?”
“Ye…ye...yes,” he stuttered. “I did some business with him.”
“What kind of business?”
“I…I sold him some gold coins.”
“Your name was found on a well-hidden ledger in Koskov’s store. Clearly, he didn’t want people to know about it. What was it about the business you were conducting with Alexander Koskov that he found it necessary to hide?”
Chapter 7
Rudy blanched even whiter and swayed a bit. “N…n…nothing illegal. Not know why information hidden.”
“Were you planning to meet Alexander here?” Stanton asked.
“No…no.” Rudy kept shaking his head from side to side. “We always get together at his store.”
“Do you have any idea what Koskov was doing on your boat?”
Rudy hadn’t stopped shaking his head. “No.”
Stanton kept the questions coming. “Where did you get the coins?”
“Easier to show you,” Rudy said. “Come to house.”
Stanton tapped his notepad with his pen. “Okay. Let me talk to the other officers, then I’ll be over.”
We were a somber, silent group when we left the marina. I didn’t ask any questions. They’d already had enough of those to answer. I pulled into their driveway but didn’t get out when Rudy and Ivan did.
Rudy held the passenger door open, letting in the cold night air. “Kelly, aren’t you coming in?”
I zipped up my jacket. “I don’t know if I should. It’s a police investigation.”
“Please come in. We need you here. Please.” It was a plea more than a request.
Fear shone from his eyes. “Okay. I’ll stay unless Stanton kicks me out.”
Rudy’s breath came out in a rush. “Thank you. Come in. Come in.”
Dusk had settled in, and Rudy flipped on the porch light after he opened the door. We gathered in the kitchen, and Ivan put on water for tea. An unwrapped loaf of sliced French bread rested on a cutting board.
Rudy gestured toward it. “We were beginning to make dinner when Deputy Stanton called.”
“I was about to do the same when I heard from you,” I responded.
Rudy put the slices of bread on a tray and pulled a tub of whipped butter and a jar of peanut butter from the refrigerator. He placed everything on the table. “Deputy Stanton will be here shortly. This will help tide us over,” he said wearily.
Ivan put out plates and knives for us and followed them with a stack of napkins.
I spread a thick layer of peanut butter on a piece of bread. I paused and inhaled its rich scent. It brought back childhood memories. When I scraped a knee, Mom would follow the Band-Aid with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Suddenly, the world would seem okay again. True comfort food. I sighed. We could use some comfort right now.
I took a bite. The bread had begun to go stale from its exposure to air after being left out in the brothers’ hurry to depart. Nevertheless, it helped to quell the hunger that had leaped out when I entered the kitchen and c
aught a whiff of the lingering smells of cooked food.
We had time to eat several pieces before a knock on the door ended our quick snack. Rudy went to answer it and returned with Deputy Stanton. He nodded at me but didn’t ask me to leave. Ivan picked up our dishes and put them in the sink.
Stanton looked at Rudy. “What did you want to show me?”
Rudy opened a cabinet and took a small metal hooked rod off a peg. “Please, everyone, follow me.”
He led us to the living room. Ivan pulled the coffee table in front of the couch to one side, being careful not to disturb the chess pieces. Rudy bent over and grabbed a corner of the area rug and dragged it to the opposite side, revealing a trapdoor. He attached the rod to a very small ring and pulled it up. We gathered around him.
Rudy took a small flashlight from his pocket. “Wait here until I have the lights on.”
He turned on his light, and in its beam, dusty stairs disappeared into darkness. A few cobwebs adorned the corners of the steps.
Rudy descended and disappeared into the blackness. A few moments later, lights went on downstairs.
“Come. We go now.” Ivan led the way, gripping a handrail on his right as he went down.
The stairs were steep, and I followed suit by holding tightly onto the wooden bar. Stanton was right behind me. We entered what appeared to be a storage area. There were numerous boxes labeled in Russian.
Rudy waited for us on the far side of the room. A massive embroidered tapestry hung on the wall behind him. Rich greens and browns were woven together on a cream-colored fabric. The scene showed a woman wearing an elaborate gown lounging on a couch. She was being waited on by several women, one of them offering her a cup. Brass rings attached at the top of the material held it suspended from a metal bar.
Rudy pulled the material back to one side, creating soft folds and revealing a metal door. A large wheel was in the center, with a metal handle to one side. Rudy dialed the centerpiece this way and that a few times and pulled on the handle. The door swung open with ease, despite the fact that it appeared to be over a foot thick and held six now-recessed metal rods. Only a fine-balanced and well-oiled piece of heavy equipment would operate that way.
Murder at the Marina Page 4
