We all piled into the Jeep once again. The parking area was almost deserted. I found a space in the first row, with the entry road in front of me. I could see a number of different groups practicing in the field.
“Where are you meeting?” I asked.
“Bellington Bed and Breakfast,” Rudy replied. “A number of committee members are staying there.”
Maude’s place. “I know where it is.” I checked the time. “I’m going to watch the Cossacks for about an hour. I’d like to get back to the inn a bit before the meeting so I can update the charts. If you get done before I return, you could wait for me out front and watch the performers.”
“Good idea,” Ivan said.
“If you’re not there, I’ll come to get you. What room are you in?”
“Room six on the second floor. There are steps at the back of the building,” Rudy said.
“Okay. I’m going to text Corrigan before I go. See you in a bit.”
The brothers got out and headed for the B and B. I sent a short message to Corrigan, with a promise of more details to come, and attached the photos I had taken.
I reached behind the car seat and pulled out my cowboy boots. I exchanged the flats I’d worn for the tea for footwear more appropriate for the grassy field. I surveyed the area and spotted the Cossacks in the distance, near where they’d been yesterday.
I started to get out of the Jeep but stopped when my phone alerted me to a text. Corrigan responded that he’d love to help with the dagger set and wanted me to send him contact information so his lawyer could fax forms. More importantly, he wanted to arrange for a security firm to pick up the set tomorrow. He needed to know, as soon as possible, when the brothers would be available.
Getting the daggers squared away warranted interrupting the meeting. I got out, locked the Jeep, and headed for the Bellington inn.
I spotted Maude on the front porch. A dancing group performed a short distance away from her in the field, and she was clapping enthusiastically along with the music. I didn’t stop to talk as I made my way through the parking area at the side of the building to get to the back entrance.
As I passed a white van, I saw the word ouch on a dent and realized it was the same one I’d seen parked at the marina. I froze. The vehicle had been there during the time Rick was murdered. It didn’t necessarily mean there was a connection, but that was for Stanton to figure out.
I took a quick picture of the dent, and one of the license plate, and texted it to Stanton with a short message. Then I followed the garden fence around to the back and found a gate. I climbed the stairs and opened the back door. A narrow hallway with four doors greeted me. Number six was the second one on the left, and I heard voices. I raised my arm to knock.
A hand clamped over my mouth.
A muscular arm wrapped around my waist.
Chapter 27
I rammed my elbows back and into the person’s sides and kicked a shin.
“Knock it off,” a masculine voice growled.
I kept hitting and kicking.
He lifted me off the ground and banged on the door a couple of times with his foot. “Let me in.”
The door opened, and he dragged me inside. I quit struggling when I saw Rudy and Ivan sitting in chairs with their arms tied behind their backs. The two crewmembers I’d seen at the trailer stood behind them with guns in their hands.
Alena held a gun to Ivan’s head but spoke to me. “So nice of you to join us. You’ve done me a great favor by dropping in.” She looked at the man holding me. “Let her go.”
He released me, and he took his hand away from my mouth. I shot a quick glance at my assailant and saw a tall bulky man with a long bushy beard who I hadn’t seen before. Alena swung the gun in my direction and looked at Rudy. “Now, you will take me to where you have the gold coins or your friend will die.”
Rudy nodded. “I will show you. Don’t hurt Kelly.”
Alena addressed the men standing behind the brothers. “Take them to the van. I’ll join you in a few minutes.”
Rudy looked at me. “I’m so sorry you got involved in this, Kelly.”
“Rudy—”
“Shut up,” Alena said to me, and jabbed Ivan with the gun for emphasis.
I didn’t try to speak again.
The crewmembers, who I now knew were henchmen, escorted Rudy and Ivan out.
Alena smirked. “Yes, you’ve helped me immensely.” She turned to the one who had grabbed me. “Tie her up. We’ll keep her alive for now, in case I need her for leverage. I’ll let you know when we have the gold. Tonight, come back, take her to the woods, and shoot her.”
My stomach flipped over. Apparently, she’d learned more than cooking from her father.
Alena kept the gun trained on me. “I don’t have any more rope with me. Use the plastic strings from the blinds.”
The man took a knife from his pocket and cut several pieces of string. He tied my hands behind my back. “Get down on the floor on your stomach.”
I did, and he bound my feet. Then he took another piece of cord, bent my legs, and tied my hands to my feet.
Hog-tied.
For extra measure, he tied a cord from my arms to a sturdy-looking table under a window. “Wouldn’t want you to wiggle across the room, now would we?”
As he finished tying me up, Alena went to the bed and took one of the pillowcases. She tossed it at him. “Use this for a gag.”
He did as instructed.
“We’ll leave for San Francisco as soon as we have the money and dispose of the brothers on the way. I will expect you back tomorrow morning,” she said to him.
She left without another look in my direction. The man tested my ties, seemed satisfied, and followed her out, closing and locking the door behind him.
I began to struggle. The plastic cord gave a little. I strained to push my feet apart and gained a couple of inches. I rubbed my right foot against my left, working to push off my boot. After a couple of tries, I succeeded. With my foot now free, I was able to work off the right boot in a matter of minutes. I was thankful I’d chosen to go for the larger size when I bought them.
Fortunately, he hadn’t tied me real close to the table. His goal was for it to be an anchor to keep me from moving around the room. I rolled over to it. He’d knotted the cord behind one of the legs, and I couldn’t reach it with my fingers, because my hands were so closely bound.
Now what?
A lamp with a base that looked like a wood burl was in the center of the table. If there was some way for me to kick the lamp out the window, Maude would hear it. I tried to stand, but the cord to the table was too short.
However, I could sit up. I remembered a yoga move I’d learned called a shoulder stand. I turned my back to the table, put my hands into the small of my back, and pushed my legs straight up. I tilted them back and aimed for the lamp on the table. I bent my knees and, with all the force I could muster, thrust them against the lamp.
I never thought the sound of breaking glass would be so welcome.
A few minutes later, I heard a pounding on the door.
“What’s going on in there?” Maude shouted. “You open this door right now, or I will.”
After a short pause, I heard the rattle of the lock, the doorknob turn, and Maude stormed in.
She stopped in her tracks when she saw me. “Kelly! Oh my gosh.”
Maude ran to me, dropped to her knees, and untied the pillowcase.
“Maude, they’ve got Ivan and Rudy Doblinsky. They’re going to kill them.”
Maude tried to untie my hands to no avail. She pulled a pair of small gardening clippers from her pocket. “Who are you talking about?”
“Alena Stepanova and some of the festival crewmembers. You need to call the police. They’re headed for the Doblinsky brothers’ house.”
The cords dropped
off my hands.
I grabbed my boots, put them on, and stood. “Every minute counts. I’m going to go see what I can do.”
“Got it.” She pulled out a cell phone from another pocket on her apron.
I ran out the doorway and down the hall. I clambered down the steps, around the back of the yard, and sprinted toward the road. Once there, I ran as fast as I could toward where I’d parked the Jeep.
I heard the sound of pounding hooves approaching.
Yaro appeared beside me in the field, reining his horse in to keep up with me. Worry filled his face. “Kelly, I saw you running. Is everything all right? Do you need help?”
“Friends…trouble…” I panted. “Need to…get to car.”
“I will take you,” he said and stopped his horse.
He took his right foot out of the stirrup and reached out to me with his hand. I took it, placed my right foot in the stirrup, and he pulled me up. I swung my left leg over the back of the horse and grabbed Yaro around the waist. The horse leaped into a gallop. We raced toward the parking lot.
“Green Jeep, front row!” I yelled in his ear.
He nodded.
I realized the noise of pounding hooves had increased. Yaro’s friends had joined us. The Cossacks and I thundered down the field. Wind whistled in my ears. It was a jarring ride on the rump of the horse, and I held on tightly.
My Jeep was easy to spot, and Yaro headed straight for it. He stopped his horse next to the driver’s door. The other riders had pulled up as well, their horses snorting and pawing the ground. I held on to the back of the saddle, took my left foot out of the stirrup, swung my leg over the back of the horse, and slipped my right foot out. I let go and slid to the ground.
“Thank you—” As I turned to my car, I saw the man who had tied me up. He saw me at the same time, reached in his pocket, and pulled out a phone. I knew if he alerted the others I was loose, they might shoot Ivan and Rudy.
I looked at the Cossacks and yelled, “Stop him from making a call. They might kill my friends!”
The whip-wielding Cossack yelled, and his horse jumped forward and into a gallop. The rider’s whip snaked out and coiled around the arm of Alena’s henchman. He shrieked, and the phone flew out of his hand. The Cossack rode past the man, yanking him to the ground, then stopped.
The downed man tore the whip off his arm. As the henchman staggered to one knee, the lance-bearing rider pounded by him and whacked him on the back of the head. The man fell forward and was still. By that time, Yaro was there. He dismounted, pulled off his belt, and used it for a makeshift rope. He tied the man’s hands behind his back. The other riders had formed a circle around the fallen man.
I didn’t think they needed to worry that he’d be going anywhere soon. I heard a puttering noise and saw Maude arriving on a blue and white scooter.
“Kelly, go! I’ll call the police again and tell them what’s happened.”
I didn’t need another invitation. I jumped in my car, started it, and hit the gas. The wheels spun briefly, then I lurched forward onto the road and away from the horses and the men. I’d thank the Cossacks later.
I sped toward Ivan and Rudy’s home, slowing as I neared it. I passed Alena’s sports car a couple of blocks from the house. The police weren’t there yet, and I saw the white van parked in their driveway.
I pulled in my vehicle crosswise behind the van, blocking it.
I could see the figure of a man in the driver’s seat and a large passenger I suspected was Ivan. The man turned his head when I stopped my vehicle. I didn’t recognize him. Alena had plenty of helpers.
I slid out of the Jeep, keeping low, and ran to the side of the house. There was a slope with a few bushes scattered around. I slid down a few feet and hunkered behind a bush. I knew they could find me if they searched, but I was counting on the police arriving and Alena’s main concern being to escape.
I heard what I thought was Russian cursing from the driveway. Sirens sounded in the distance, and I began to work my way up the slope. I froze when I heard pounding feet above me. Glancing up, I saw Alena’s driver running down the road. I peeked around the garage and saw Ivan alone in the van.
I ran to his door and opened it.
“Kelly, you here. Not hurt. Is good.”
“Let’s get you out of here.”
Ivan’s hands were tied, but not his legs. He turned and was about to scoot out when the front door opened. Alena emerged, holding a gun pointed at Rudy. Ivan returned to his original position. I ducked down out of sight, partially closing the vehicle’s door. Her two coworkers followed, each carrying a chest I recognized as belonging to Rudy.
Two police cars arrived off to the right of the front yard and screeched to a halt. Officers emerged, guns drawn. Alena’s lips set in a grim line.
“Do not try anything or he dies,” she yelled. “We are going to drive away.”
She walked Rudy toward the van. The sidewalk curved and met the van in the middle of its side. I inched up until I could look through the windows. Alena and her coworkers had their backs to the van.
A third police car arrived, and I recognized Stanton.
Alena’s attention, and that of her cohorts, was focused on the police, watching for any move they might make. Ivan pushed open his door and slid out. He moved toward the front of the vehicle.
He suddenly ran at Alena.
“Alena, watch out!” the man next to her shouted as he glanced over his shoulder.
She twirled around and started to aim the gun at Ivan. Rudy jerked away. Alena moved her gun toward him. Ivan flung his large bulk against her. Alena went down, and he landed on top of her. The gun fell from her hand. One of the officers raced in and grabbed it.
“Get off me, you oaf!” she screamed.
“You plan to hurt me, my brother. I stay.”
Stanton had the one with the shaved head in his sights. “Put down the chest slowly.”
The man started to obey when the one with the tattoos dropped his chest and made a run for it. I turned and ran around to the back of the van. As he started to sprint past me, I stuck out my leg.
It hurt, but it felt good to see him fall on the ground.
“Gus, hold,” I heard Stanton yell.
I saw the back of his police car was open. The bloodhound came bounding out and landed on top of the downed man with all four feet firmly planted.
“Call him off! Get him away from me!” the man screamed.
Gus wagged his tail.
The man seemed terrified of the dog. I suspected Gus just wanted to play. Gus leaned down his head, and I wondered if he was going to lick the man. A thread of drool began to detach itself from the bloodhound’s jowls and make a slow journey downward. It came loose and landed on the man’s forehead. He groaned, turned his head from side to side, and looked like he was going to be ill.
A fourth squad car arrived. It had come from a different direction, and I spied the runaway henchman in the back seat. A clean sweep.
An officer went to relieve Ivan of his immobilizing duties. Ivan rolled off Alena and stood. The policeman handcuffed her and walked her toward the cars.
Rudy went to his brother. I joined them, and Rudy and I worked on Ivan’s tied hands. After much tugging, the rope came off, and he was free.
They hugged. No words were spoken.
Stanton had kept his gun pointed at the man with the shaved head and the henchman cooperated. The deputy sheriff had him turn around to be handcuffed. The bloodhound’s catch was the last to be taken care of. The man was clearly shaken. Maybe he’d be willing to give some answers.
Stanton came to talk to me. “Quite the haul.”
“I’m just glad it’s over…Bill,” I said.
“Me, too, Kelly.”
Our unspoken acknowledgment the investigation was done.
I looked at my watch. Rudy, Ivan, and I still had time to make the Silver Sentinels’ meeting. We had a lot to share.
Chapter 28
“I’ll need to get a statement from the three of you,” Deputy Stanton said.
We all nodded.
“Bill, we have a meeting at the inn,” I said. “Could you come by and talk to us there? You could use the office.”
“Sure. I’ll accompany this crew to headquarters, then I’ll text you when I’m on the way.”
I smiled. “Great.”
Stanton turned to Rudy. “Your coins are going to have to go into evidence. I’m sorry your secret will be out.”
“Some of our secret,” Rudy responded. “Not all of it.”
“Will make statement money is in bank when it is returned,” Ivan said.
I nodded in the direction the driver had run. “Bill, I saw Alena’s car about two blocks away. It’s a two-seater pearlescent sports car.”
“Thanks, Kelly.”
He walked off, and we all got in my Jeep and headed for Redwood Cove Bed and Breakfast. Rudy and Ivan were safe…and I had ridden with the Cossacks! We filled the others in on what had happened. Relief was evident on their faces as the realization that the unpleasant events surrounding Ivan and Rudy were at an end.
Bill texted and a short while later stopped by to take the statements. He promised to contact the Silver Sentinels when he had more to share and to wrap up loose ends. Mary, Gertie, and the Professor left, followed by Rudy and Ivan, after they talked with Deputy Stanton.
After taking my statement, he said. “Kelly, today would have had a different ending if you hadn’t been able to think so fast and get away.” He looked at his notes. “A shoulder stand. Really?”
“I’ve done a little yoga. It’s a good thing that’s one of the moves I learned.”
“…and riding with the Cossacks. You never cease to amaze me.”
I shared with him how the dagger had ended up on the boat, as well as the future of the knife set.
“There will be consequences for Clay,” he said. “The family circumstances and his reason for what he did might help the judge be more lenient.”
Murder at the Marina Page 19
