Murder at the Marina

by Janet Finsilver

  Timur answered. “Come in. Come in.”

  We followed him into the stately dining room, where Verushka gave us a warm welcome and Clay waved from his seat at the table. Two daggers rested on a mat on the table.

  Clay rose. “Did you bring the case, Rudy? I’ve heard so much about the three daggers and the box made to house them. I’m excited to see it and the knives together.”

  Rudy placed his satchel on the floor. “I did.”

  He opened his bag and took out a cloth-wrapped item. Taking off the cover, he placed the silver case next to the daggers and opened it.

  Rudy gestured to the case. “Timur, you please do the honors of bringing the family together.”

  Timur placed his dagger and Verushka’s into the case alongside Rudy’s.

  Clay’s eyes glittered. “The most valuable of the family treasures,” he whispered.

  He looked up, and I caught his eye. Clay quickly turned away.

  They created a dazzling display of jewels. As a combined set with the detailed engraving on the case and the knives, I was sure what we were looking at was worth a fortune.

  “It’s good to have them together again,” Timur said. “Even if it’s only for a visit.” He laughed.

  “Now, we have much to show you,” Verushka said. “We will do that first and have tea later.”

  “The prince and your mother always hoped they would find you,” Timur said. “They built a room for the two of you to share as children.”

  “We haven’t changed it,” Verushka said.

  Clay laughed quietly. “We have a lot of rooms, so we had no need.”

  As a group, we followed Timur and Verushka down the wide hallway. They stopped in front of a door, and Verushka opened it.

  Timur turned to Rudy and Ivan. “Please. You enter first. It is your room.”

  They did as requested, and the rest of us joined them. Two single beds with ornate brocade covers occupied the room. A wooden nightstand stood between them. Two chests of drawers were against the wall opposite the ends of the beds. A portrait of what I knew to be the prince and their mother hung on the wall. An old leather traveling trunk rested next to one of the beds.

  Timur pointed to it. “The items in there are yours. Your mother and the prince wanted you to have them if you were ever found.”

  The brothers sat on the bed. Rudy leaned forward, pulled back the metal clasp, and opened the trunk. A plain piece of material covered the items inside. Rudy pulled it back and revealed a highly decorated red military jacket. He gingerly removed it and held it up.

  “That was the uniform our father wore when he married your mother.” Tears formed in the corners of Verushka’s eyes. “He was so proud and happy that day.”

  Rudy arranged the jacket carefully on the bed. Black pants followed. Underneath those was a fur cap with what appeared to be earflaps tied together at the top. Ivan picked it up and turned it gently in his hands.

  “This is an ushanka. I used to put this on,” Ivan said. “Was Father’s. Pretended to talk to him after he died at sea.”

  Now I was beginning to tear up.

  Timur handed them a notebook. “This is a diary your mother kept. She wrote to you on a daily basis. She said it kept you close to her and part of her life. There are more items in the case. Your mother told us she had written to you in the diary about the personal meaning to her of these objects.”

  Rudy opened it and read aloud. “‘To my sons, Ivan and Rudy. How I hope we are reunited and I can be with you when you read my letters and notes to you. If that is not the case, then you will know you were always in my heart, and I will be watching you from heaven as you read how much I loved you.’”

  Now the brothers had tears streaming down their cheeks.

  “We will leave now. Give you some time to yourselves,” Verushka said. “Tea is in an hour and a half. We will see you then.”

  Clay turned to me. “I mentioned showing you the grounds. Would you like me to do that?”

  “Yes. Thanks.”

  We all left, and Clay led me to a door at the end of the hallway, and we went outside. First, we entered a flower garden with a winding stone path.

  “Our grandmother started planting as many types of Russian flowers as she could find. Mother continues to care for them.”

  We wandered along, enveloped in their perfumed scent.

  I stopped and sniffed one that looked like a daisy and was surprised by how sweet the smell was. “What’s the name of this one?”

  “Chamomile, a very common flower in Russia.” Clay pointed to a small nearby building. “That was built first. The family lived there until the mansion was completed. I’ll show it to you.”

  We walked toward it. Near the structure, there was another garden, this one more functional.

  “It looks like you grow your own vegetables.”

  “We do,” Clay said. “It saves us some money and provides fresh produce for our meals.”

  Entering the ground floor, I saw the Mercedes with the hood up and tools scattered on the ground next to it. I followed Clay up a flight of stairs, and he showed me the living quarters. Three bedrooms were on the second level. Tight quarters for grandparents, the prince and Tatiana, and young children. A third level had two small rooms and a kitchen where the servants had lived. We returned to the main level.

  “We converted this part into a garage. I’ve been doing some repair work on the Mercedes. It’s getting up there in years, but they can last a long time with proper maintenance. I made myself an office over here.”

  I followed him into a room with a desk, a swivel chair, and a computer. Posters and playbills covered the walls.

  “It’s nice to come out here and not have to think about being neat, which is the case in the main house.”

  One playbill was for Hamlet. “It looks like you enjoy the theatre.”

  “I do. What you see on the wall are from performances at the local high school. I helped the drama department put them on. I worked as a stage crew member.”

  Suddenly it hit me.

  The fake blood on the dagger. Stanton had said it was like what was used in theatrical performances. On the walk and in the rooms upstairs, I had noticed some deferred maintenance in the form of rusty pipes and peeling paint. The comment about saving money with their own vegetables. Clay doing the mechanical work on the aging car.

  I suspected the family was having financial issues.

  Clay’s desire to see the case and all the knives together. The look in his eyes when he referred to the most valuable of the family treasures.

  It all added up.

  I took a step backward to the open office door.

  “You planted the knife on the boat to get to the case,” I blurted out.

  Chapter 26

  Clay collapsed into the chair and buried his face in his hands. After a few moments, he straightened up and looked at me with weary eyes. “We’re desperate for money. The family is on the verge of losing everything.”

  “Do Timur and Verushka know?”

  “No. I didn’t want to frighten them. There was nothing they could do to help.” Clay sighed. “I found out about Rudy from Alexander. When I was selling him a coin, he commented on another Russian man with the same type of gold. I was shocked and wondered if it could be Rudy or Ivan. I knew about them from Timur and Mother. It didn’t take me long to track them down. I saw the family resemblance in Rudy.”

  “But they said they hadn’t met you,” I said. “And why the elaborate ruse with the knife? Why not just talk to Rudy?”

  “I didn’t approach them. I needed to find out if Rudy had the case and, hopefully, still had his knife. He didn’t know me. I was scared he wouldn’t admit to having it. He might hide the case and keep it to himself.” Clay’s tone changed a bit and became stronger. “I was prepared to sue fo
r the dagger box. The case belongs to the family.”

  “That still doesn’t explain why you planted the dagger on the boat.”

  “I had to figure out a way to flush him out with the case. I thought he’d reveal his knife if the police questioned him, and maybe I’d be able to discover whether he had the case. The only way I could think to do that was with fake blood and an anonymous call to the police.”

  “Weren’t you afraid someone would steal the dagger?”

  “I rented a boat and kept watch on the Nadia. I almost had a heart attack when you showed up. I watched you search the deck, then walk away. I motored to the dock and kept my eye on you. When the police showed up, I felt the situation was back under control.”

  “How did you find out Rudy had the case and his dagger?”

  Clay looked away, studying his papered walls. “I followed the three of you to the brothers’ house. Those big windows with the view of the ocean are also good for seeing what’s happening inside the home. Because it’s on a knoll, it was easier for me to look in.”

  I shivered as I thought about him spying on us.

  He looked at me pleadingly. “I know what I did was awful. I’ve never done anything like it before. When I said I was desperate, I meant it.”

  He seemed like a nice guy, and he clearly cared for his family. I wondered what I would have done in his place. How far would I go to keep my family from losing the ranch?

  Desperate times call for desperate measures.

  Clay continued, “When Rudy walked into the kitchen area, I slipped around the side to see in. As soon as I saw the case and the dagger, I left.”

  “It sounds like you had your bases covered.”

  Clay nodded. “I thought so. I figured the only risk was if someone at the police station took it. I felt I had no choice but to give it a try.”

  “Timur and Verushka need to know the situation, and you need to tell the others what you did.”

  “You’re right.” He shook his head. “I tried some investments over the years, but I wasn’t good at it.”

  We returned to the dining room. The four others were there.

  A large metal pot had been placed on the sideboard. I spotted ornate handles and engravings on the metal container. Various pastries lined the dining room table.

  Verushka welcomed us. “The samovar is heating the water. We will be ready to begin soon.”

  Clay stood up straight and squared his shoulders. “I have something very important to share with all of you.” He looked at Rudy. “And I have a question for you.”

  He told the story. It was a clever, well-thought-out plan. Other than the angst it had created for the brothers and the wasted police time, he hadn’t done anything terrible. He might have an issue with the police when they found out.

  Clay looked at Rudy. “Now, for my question. You know the circumstances we’re in.”

  Rudy nodded.

  “The case and the two daggers are worth a lot of money. However, I believe the entire set is worth millions. Are you willing to put your dagger and the case, along with Timur and Verushka’s knives, if they’re willing to part with theirs, up for sale?”

  Rudy rose and put his hand on Clay’s shoulder. “The case is not mine. It belongs to the family. I would gladly put my dagger with it to save this home. My grandparents built their piece of Russia in this place. My parents lived here.” He smiled. “Ivan and I have a room here. This is the family home.”

  Relief flooded Clay’s face. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”

  “Of course I’m willing to sell my dagger,” Timur said. “I wish you had told us and not carried the burden alone.”

  Clay shrugged. “There wasn’t anything you could do to help. Why make you worry?”

  “We could sell furniture, artwork,” Timur responded.

  Clay shook his head. “That wouldn’t give us the money we need to continue living here.”

  “You can have mine as well,” Verushka said.

  “We’ll be able to save the property with the money the set will generate and put a nest egg aside.” Clay addressed Rudy. “Whatever we get, you will receive a third.”

  Clay had mentioned he wasn’t good with finances. I wondered how he planned on selling the case and knives.

  “Clay, do you have any idea how you’re going to go about selling the set?” I asked.

  He shook his head. “Not really. Start contacting museums, I guess.”

  “I work for Resorts International. The owner, Michael Corrigan, is a wealthy, very savvy man with a lot of connections. With your permission, I’ll get in touch with him to see if he’s willing to help broker a deal. He knows Rudy and Ivan, and I’d be surprised if he didn’t step in to help. He’s that kind of person.”

  “Kelly, that would be great,” Clay said. “I feel completely out of my league in this situation.”

  “I’ll need your contact information, including a fax number. If he agrees to do it, I’m sure there’ll be forms to fill out.”

  Clay nodded. “I’ll get that for you before you leave.”

  “It is settled, then,” Verushka said. “I hear the samovar singing. It’s time for tea.”

  I’d been so engrossed in the discussion, I hadn’t noticed the sounds being emitted from the tea set.

  Rudy smiled. “Many Russians believe the samovar has a soul. In reality, it’s the shape and acoustics of the container that causes the water to make peculiar noises when being brought to a boil.”

  Verushka had placed a delicate plate, teacup, and saucer out for each of us. Their red-and-green pattern emulated the turrets on the buildings. Tiny silver spoons had been placed on dark red cloth napkins. Jars of jam and honey had been put out, as well as a bowl of lemon slices. Verushka took my cup and filled it from the samovar and did the same for the others.

  “Everyone, please eat. Enjoy!”

  Enjoy we did indeed. The pastries were all melt-in-the-mouth quality. I detected the scent of cinnamon in the tea and a hint of orange.

  I put my cup down. “Verushka, everything is delicious. Thank you so much for inviting me.”

  “You are very welcome. I searched out old family recipes I haven’t made for years. It was fun, and I’d like to do it again in the not-too-distant future.”

  The men all chimed in with their words of appreciation. The maid I’d seen on the last trip cleared the dishes.

  “We need to be going soon,” I said. “What do you want to do with the dagger set?”

  “I hadn’t thought about that,” Clay said. “We have a safe I can show you.”

  I followed him to the library, where he showed me an older model of a typical personal safe.

  “Rudy has an actual vault. I believe it will be safer there. Besides, if my boss gets involved, it’ll be easier for him to get the set if it’s in Redwood Cove.”

  “I agree. That sounds like the best place to keep them. Let me give you the information you asked for.”

  He tore a piece of paper off a notepad and jotted down his phone and fax numbers. We joined the others and told them what we had decided. The open case and the daggers were at the end of the dining room table.

  “I’d like to take photos to send to Michael Corrigan when I get back to town so we can get the process rolling as quickly as possible.”

  The others nodded their understanding, and I took several pictures with my cell phone. Rudy then closed the case, wrapped it in the protective cover, and placed it in his battered briefcase.

  Timur stood and put his hand on Rudy’s arm. “It’s been such a pleasure to be in your company again. As you said, this is the family home. Verushka, Clay, and I have talked, and we’d like you to come live with us.” He turned to Ivan. “You, too, of course, Ivan.”

  Clay gave a rueful laugh. “As I said earlier, we have plenty of rooms. They are
part of the upkeep challenge.”

  “You don’t need to decide now,” Timur said. “Think about it.”

  “I shall,” Rudy replied. “The home is magnificent and brings back many wonderful memories of the good times in Russia. I, too, have enjoyed being together again.”

  The brothers loaded the trunk with their newly acquired inheritance into my Jeep. We said our good-byes with promises to get together again. Then Rudy, Ivan, and I, along with millions of dollars’ worth of jeweled daggers, headed home. I kept glancing in my rearview mirror. I doubted anyone would be following us, but I was nervous about the cargo we had with us.

  “Rudy,” Ivan said, “I understand if you want to go live with Verushka and Timur. The place is your inheritance, not so much mine. They are your family.”

  Ivan had chosen the back seat. I glanced at him in the mirror and a sad, serious face reflected back at me.

  Rudy turned around in the front seat and addressed his brother. “The grounds and furnishings are beautiful, but the sea is in my soul. And you…you are my brother. Our home is together near the sea.”

  Ivan’s face broke into a smile. Rudy turned around to face forward.

  Back at the mansion, I’d felt like Rudy had been tempted to take Timur up on his offer. I was relieved that wasn’t the case.

  We arrived at their home, and I went in with them, wanting to stay close until Rudy secured the valuable set. He departed immediately for the vault and returned about ten minutes later.

  “Thank you for inviting me today. I had a lovely time…and we solved one of the mysteries.” I looked at my watch. “I’m going to go watch the Cossacks practice, then I’ll see you at the four o’clock meeting.”

  “The group will be thrilled to hear about the dagger being sorted out,” Rudy said. “May Ivan and I go with you to the festival field? I received a message on my phone about an impromptu committee meeting being arranged because a number of the performers are still onsite.”

  “Of course. Then I can take you on to the Silver Sentinels’ meeting.”