'Come.' She opened her eyes to see him standing in front of her, his hand held out, and he raised her to her feet, giving her a quick hug.
They walked back down the corridor to the lift, feeling the eyes of the police officer boring into their backs. They didn't speak as they waited for the elevator to arrive, and once the doors had closed on them and they were out of sight, held each other tightly. Agni's sobs reverberated through May like small electric shocks.
She was going to get out at their floor and go to their room, but he stopped her saying, 'No, let's go somewhere else.' They continued down to the lobby, out the front doors, and into the car.
He drove them to another hotel, just a few streets away from the Chekhov, where he booked them a room, and no questions were asked about their lack of luggage.
Ordering drinks from the bar, they took them to their room, entered and locked the door. May took Agni into her arms and comforted him the best and only way she knew how. Their bodies joined together with urgency; the suddenness and physical violence shook them both but awakened their senses and brought them back to reality.
They lay, wrapped in each other's arms, every now and again, a tremor would run through Agni, and May held him until, in sheer exhaustion, he fell asleep.
They had barely spoken to each other since leaving the Chekhov and the room where Katya lay, but she knew what they both thought. She could hardly bear to consider the words, let alone say them out loud. Katya had been murdered.
Twenty - One
Yekaterinburg, Russia
November 1991
She watched Agni as he slept, the shadows chasing themselves across his closed eyelids, loving his strong face even more than she thought possible in its sudden vulnerability. She could tell that he was not deeply asleep, and he awoke at the soft knock at the door when the maid brought the samovar she had ordered. He still looked tired, weary, and shaken, but May thought that the quick catnap had been good for him. His tanned summer tone had returned, and he had finally stopped trembling.
'I've ordered coffee,' May said, 'but I didn't know if you would be hungry. I can order something if you like?'
'This is just fine. I'm not hungry.' Agni replied with a shaky smile.
The coffee was just what they needed, strong and hot, and as they drank, they talked about what they had seen in Katya's hotel room. Reading from May’s notes, they both agreed on their individual observations of the hotel room and of Katya's body.
'Somebody killed her.' Agni stated baldly, 'but why? I've known her for years since we were at school together, and I just can't think of any reason why anyone would want her dead.'
He held his head in his hands, groaning. 'God, what am I going to tell her husband? And those poor kids! God help us.'
'How old are they?' May asked. She discovered that although she had worked with Katya for months now, she had not really known her at all. They had not talked of themselves, of their private lives or families. Apart from their joint interest in their project, she and Katya could have been total strangers.
'Ten and twelve. Just babies really, and certainly far too young to lose their mother'.
'Tell me what the police said. From the beginning. How did they know to contact you?'
Agni told her how the police had found his name and the phone number of the morgue in an address book in Katya's handbag. They had also made inquiries with the hotel, who had informed them that Katya was part of a group of people staying there, of which Agni was one.
'Who were the men there? The ones not in police uniforms?
'They said they were detectives, although I suspect one of them was KGB.'
'KGB? Seriously?' May almost laughed. It felt like she had gone to sleep and woken up in a bad movie, except that the image of the blood-soaked carpet under Katya's head was no movie.
'They told me that it was a probable suicide and that she shot herself.' He looked at her bleakly, and she could see the disbelief etched on his face. She imagined that hers was a mirror.
'Suicide? But that's ridiculous! There's no way that was a suicide.' May retorted angrily.
'I agree. Firstly, there's no way that Katya would have killed herself, I mean, why would she? She was so happy to be going home to her husband and kids'.
'But most importantly,' May interjected, 'if she shot herself what happened to the gun? I thought straight away that she had been shot, and so I looked for a gun, but I couldn't see one anywhere.'
'The men told me they had found a gun when they first arrived at the scene. Apparently, it was lying beside her on the floor, and they had removed it and sent for forensic testing just before we got there.'
They looked at each other for a long time, their identical thoughts reflected on each other's faces, and May knew that her mouth was agape in a silent howl of protest, but that was all she could manage for now.
'So, they left her body there, but took a possible murder weapon away?' she stammered.
'I asked them if I could see the gun, but they said it had gone by then. I also asked whether photos of the room had been taken before anything had been touched or removed. They said they had, but…..'
'But that you couldn't see them because it was not your business am I right? May finished for him. 'I'll bet they told you that they are the investigators and not you, right?'
'That's right,' he smiled wryly. 'They made it quite clear that my only role in this was to identify Katya. I did that, and that's it.' He shrugged.
'What happens now?'
'They will take her to the morgue for an autopsy.'
May looked at her watch. She was amazed to see that it had only been two hours since Agni had received the phone call. She couldn't believe that so much could have happened in such a short time.
'We need to get back there, and tell the others before they hear about Katya from anyone else, and we need to find out the status of the autopsy.' May said, getting up and holding her hand out to Agni. They held each other close, and she whispered, 'I am so very sorry, my love.'
She decided then that she needed to tell Agni everything that Katya had told her in her room the night before, as she had a strong feeling that it had something to do with Katya's death. But not yet, not now, while Agni was still so distressed. She needed to bide her time and wait until the time was right; when he was in a place where he could process the information objectively and unemotionally. She also wondered whether the Chekov was a safe place for them to be and to talk and decided that she would suggest to Agni that they moved somewhere else. Katya wasn't safe there. Were they? She shivered.
Back at their lab at the morgue, they broke the news as gently as they could to Nikhil, Petya, and Vadim. They were all visibly distressed and dumbfounded at the news that Katya was dead. It was obviously the last thing they had been expecting to hear; they had all thought that she was on the train on her way back to Moscow.
May and Agni repeated the information that the police had given them and that their theory was that Katya had shot herself.
May watched Nikhil closely. All of a sudden, she did not know if she trusted him anymore. She knew that he had asked Katya to keep at least two secrets from her and Agni, could there have been more? Nikhil sat, his face blanched, and May noticed a fine sheen of perspiration had formed on his forehead and across the bridge of his nose. She thought that he looked decidedly uncomfortable as he took his glasses off, wiped them, and put them back on. A couple of minutes later, he did the same thing, almost as though he had forgotten his previous action. Either that, May thought, or he is so bothered, his glasses are continually steaming up. Nikhil kept shaking his head from side to side, muttering. 'I don't understand it…. I just don't understand it.' Apart from that, he made no other comment or expressed a view on what may have happened.
'Nikhil,' Agni asked him, and he looked up, blinking, as though he was struggling to focus on Agni standing in front of him. 'Should you notify Katya's husband, Ivan, or do you want me to?'
'Iv
an…. yes, of course. It should be me. Katya was obviously in my employ while she was here. I will go and do that now.' He got slowly and wearily to his feet and lurched somewhat unsteadily out of the room.
'Something is not right with this.' Petya commented but shook his head when May looked at him enquiringly. Whatever he knew, would be kept to himself, she thought grimly.
'I'll go downstairs and see what I can find out about when Katya's autopsy is going to be held, and see if I can attend.' Agni declared. 'I know some of them down there quite well, so it shouldn't be a problem if I slip in quietly and just observe from the back of the room.'
After he had gone, May went to the tearoom and made herself a strong cup of coffee. She hadn't eaten since breakfast, and knew that she should have something, but couldn't face it.
Petya and Vadim joined her, and they sat in silence. All thoughts of working any further that day were forgotten. Nikhil did not reappear, and May wondered whether she should go and look for him, to check that he was alright, but she didn't move, feeling as though she was fused to her chair and understood that she was in shock, the events of the last few hours had finally caught up with her.
She heard Agni coming back into the other room, his footsteps sounding slow and heavy. She got up quickly and went out to meet him, and was struck with a sudden fear at the stricken look on his face.
'What is it?' she asked softly, not wanting the others to hear or to come back in until she had talked to him.
He looked at her sightlessly, his face working as though he was trying desperately to hold back tears.
'The autopsy?' she asked, trying to prompt a response, any kind of response from him.
'There is no autopsy,' he ground out through clenched teeth. 'They didn't even bring Katya back here. She has already been taken back to Moscow.'
'Moscow? What did you say?' asked Nikhil, and May spun around to see him standing in the doorway. She had not seen or heard him approach from his office, having been so totally focused on Agni.
Agni lifted his head and stared directly at Nikhil, his eyes blazing with what May saw as pure hatred. She was shocked; she had never seen Agni angry before, not like this anyway.
'Yes, Moscow. The police have completed their investigation apparently,' he spat the words out like bullets. 'Officially, Katya killed herself, and an autopsy is therefore not required. They have placed her in a sealed coffin and have sent her back to Moscow for burial.' His eyes never left Nikhil as he spoke.
'Who has done this Agni?' May asked helplessly.
'I don't know. Maybe you should ask him?' Agni took a couple of steps towards where Nikhil still stood in the doorway, and May laid a restraining hand on his arm. He looked down at her, and she shook her head softly at him, whispering, 'Not now love.'
He saw her then, and his eyes searching her face, stopped. She saw him deflate like a balloon, his anger immediately gone from his face, only to be replaced once more with that familiar look of sadness and loss.
'I am sorry, Nikhil, forgive me. I meant nothing. Perhaps we can talk about this tomorrow after we have had time to think about and process everything that has happened today.' Agni said hollowly.
'Tomorrow, yes, certainly. I will see you then.' Nikhil responded, turning around and shuffling slowly back in the direction of his office. From where she stood, May could hear the door click shut.
'Let's go home Agni.' May whispered, wrapping her arms around his waist, her head against his chest. She could hear his heart pounding and felt the coldness of perspiration through his shirt.
They agreed, on their drive back that they couldn’t stay at the Chekov any longer, neither of them felt safe, and it would have been wrong knowing that Katya's blood most likely still stained the carpet and floor directly above them.
May went to the room to pack their things while Agni checked them out and settled the bill. She packed quickly, throwing their clothes and personal items into their bags and cases, and was almost finished by the time Agni arrived to help carry them down to the car.
'That's it?' he asked, scanning the room for anything that might have been left behind before closing the door softly as they went.
'Are the police still there?' May asked him once they were in the car and had left the hotel behind. 'I didn't see anyone who looked likely in the lobby.'
'Not according to the receptionist at the desk,' Agni replied. 'She asked me for a forwarding address just in case the police wanted to get in touch with me again. I told her that they know where I am working and can contact me there if needs be.'
'Fair enough too, and let's hope they don't. I hope we never have to see them again. Where shall we go?'
'There's a small quiet place on the edge of the city, fairly out of the way and not on any of the main routes that we would normally travel.' Agni said. 'I think we'll be alright there.'
He checked them in as Mr. and Mrs. Blanter, which gave May a sharp pang. She knew that she had to talk to Agni about her staying in Russia. Katya's death had made it painfully clear that a decision had to be made.
Once in their room, Agni ordered room service. May was amazed to see that it was almost seven, and as soon as Agni had ordered their dinner, she discovered just how hungry she was. The shock was obviously wearing off. She showered while waiting for the food to arrive, the hot soapy water seemed to wash away all of the grime and distress the day had laid upon her, and she felt immediately stronger and more able to face what lay ahead.
'Katya came to see me in my room last night,' she began when they had finished eating, and Agni was pouring her a second glass of wine. 'I had fully intended telling you before now, but…..'
'She did? Why?'
'She came to tell me a couple of things Agni, they may come as a shock to you, but please just listen, and hopefully, they may help us make sense of what happened to Katya today.'
He looked at her bemusedly but remained silent, so she continued.
'Last night, Katya told me that she had been ordered off the project, and that was the reason why she was leaving this morning and returning to Moscow.'
'Ordered off? Why would she be ordered off? She told me it was mutually agreed with her and Nikhil that she leave as she wanted to go home.'
'That was the official story, yes, the one she wanted you to know. She didn't want you to know that she had been scared off the project because someone had decided that she was talking too much, upsetting people, causing trouble.'
'I don't understand.' He muttered.
'Agni, remember a few weeks ago when we went to the park after work and Katya told us about her suspicions that the grave may have been opened before 1979 and that she asked us not to say anything or let Nikhil know that we knew about it?'
Agni nodded; his gaze fixed on her.
'Her main reason for asking us that was that someone didn't want it known that the grave had been tampered with and possible evidence destroyed. Well, it seemed as though that someone, and I don't know who, Agni; Katya didn't name anyone; found out that she had told us about it and they weren't happy. She sounded shaken when she told me, and I was concerned for her. I asked her if she felt she was in any danger, and she said that she didn't.' May shrugged. 'Of course, I had no idea that a few hours later she…….'
'What else did she say?' he asked bitterly.
'She said that it was for the best that she went home; that she and Nikhil weren't getting on and that they were arguing too much over the identification. Katya felt that it was an argument they couldn't resolve. And of course, that she was homesick and missed her kids.'
May paused and took a large swallow of her wine. She looked at Agni over the top of her glass, but couldn't judge his emotional state, his face was blank again, as expressionless as it had been earlier that day when he had been told of Katya's death.
'Katya also told me that the entire finding of the grave earlier this year had been masterminded by the government, who had known exactly where it was since the bodies were dispose
d of in 1918. Katya explained to me how the discovery was politically controlled to put an end to the endless speculation about the fate of the family and of course, to finish off the bogus Anastasia claimants once and for all.'
'So, to cover-up, a cover-up' Agni stared blankly.
'Yes, you could see it like that. It paints the powers that be in a bad light if you like. They have known all these years where the main grave was, yet chose to do nothing about exposing it and providing the victims with any kind of justice, or recognition and certainly not a proper burial, until it suited them to do so politically, to make it look good. But that has backfired because of the obvious tampering, the missing parts, the secrecy, and ongoing controversy.'
'It makes no sense,' Agni said miserably. 'What does it matter now, anyway? They're still dead, it still happened, nothing can change what happened in the past. They're found now, apart from Maria and Alexey, unfortunately, and can have a decent burial. Was it important enough to get Katya murdered?'
May was alarmed to see tears rolling down Agni's cheeks, and she moved closer to him, putting her arms around him and hugging him with all her strength.
'Certainly not Agni, and it may not be this. There may have been something else that Katya knew; I just don't know. All I know is that nothing on earth justified her murder. We both know that. There are still so many questions to this mystery, I just don't know!'
'Why didn't she say anything to me?' he asked despairingly. 'I may have been able to have done something…..'
'No love.' May said, giving him a little shake in emphasis. 'Don't you see? She was trying to protect you. If she was in danger because of whatever she may have known, she didn't want you involved. She wanted to keep you right out of it.'
'Then why did she tell you?'
May paused before answering, knowing that she had to choose her words carefully and to try not to cause him too much further hurt.
The Girl With the Crystal Soul Page 20