Russian Connection

by Lakes, Lynde

  Officer Murphy returned to the room. “If he was ever here, he’s gone.”

  She ignored his unconvinced tone, still reeling from the word deceived. She must have easy mark stamped on her forehead. She swiped at her brow. “But he knew everything,” she said softly.

  A suspicious look crossed the detective’s face. “Everything, Mrs. Brown? Like what?”

  Her pulse quickened. From the fake cop’s behavior she could only conclude he’d killed Luke. Oh, no, he’d pocketed evidence. She opened her mouth to speak, but the policemen’s exchange of knowing looks stopped her. Nikki knew what they were thinking—that she’d either killed her husband, or hired someone to do it. It was probably in their handbook somewhere to suspect the ex-spouse first.

  “Let’s finish this downtown,” Sinclair said.

  Chapter Four

  The interrogation room was cold, and Sinclair and Murphy had even colder expressions. Murphy stared at her like he could read her thoughts. She shifted in the hard, straight-back chair.

  “So your first inkling that your husband was in trouble was four days ago?” Sinclair asked.

  Nikki pushed the hair from her eyes. “Yes. A gruff-sounding man called and asked if Luke had showed up, yet. When I said no, he hung up without another word. I wasn’t expecting Luke. After the divorce he never bothered to call. He’d just show up when it suited him. But the stranger’s call unnerved me.”

  The detective sat on the wooden table in front of her, looking down with a closed expression in his muddy brown eyes. “And?”

  “I tried to reach him at the Hotel Rossiya in Moscow where he was supposed to be staying. He’d told me to never call him there, even when we were married, but I was curious. Before the divorce, it always made me nervous when he went to Russia.”

  “Why is that?”

  “I don’t know. I never stopped to examine it. Anyway, after two nights of imagining all kinds of things, I had to call. But he’d checked out Tuesday morning. It didn’t make sense. He was supposed to be there until the end of the week. The American Consulate investigated and confirmed that Luke left Moscow the same day he checked out of the hotel. So, I figured he was back, and would show up sooner or later. I really didn’t want to see him. I just wanted to know why that man called here. I didn’t like it that Luke was giving my phone number out to strangers.”

  “There’s something that doesn’t add up here, Mrs. Brown. Why did you insure your husband’s life?” Sinclair spat the words out like a statement rather than a question.

  Her heart pounded. Sinclair had already asked that question every way imaginable. He kept coming back to it. “I told you, my grandmother taught me to insure the principal breadwinner. And I felt that his job was dangerous—travel to foreign countries and all those hours in the air.”

  “But after the divorce, he was no longer the principal breadwinner.” Sinclair repeatedly clicked the point of his pen in and out, emitting evidence of his suspicions with every click. “Husbands provide life insurance for their wives all the time, but this was something you did extra on your own, just weeks before your split up. I find that out of the norm, don’t you?”

  Nikki lifted her chin. “No. Look, I’ve answered all your questions. Now please, I want to make my allowed phone call.”

  She didn’t know who else to ask for help, so she telephoned her dad. He arrived within the hour, and brought an attorney. She hadn’t been charged with anything, but Sinclair had warned her not to leave town as though she were some kind of criminal.

  It was after midnight by the time she walked out of police headquarters, tired and numb. All the way home she had to endure her father’s tirade. “Do you know what insuring Luke’s life looks like?” he asked in that superior voice she knew so well.

  “I know. But I forgot to cancel it.”

  Her dad shook his head. “You have absolutely no sense when it comes to men. I told you not to marry that flake.”

  Nikki crossed her arms and moved closer to the door. “If I remember correctly you and Victoria were delighted that I’d married a wealthy Texan. I believe your exact words were: ‘At last you did something right.’”

  “But he wasn’t wealthy, or a Texan,” Dad growled. “He was an opportunist, a crook.” She was surprised to learn that her dad had hired a detective after Luke failed to pay back a loan he’d made to him of several thousand dollars. “Luke never lived in Texas, and never owned the Bar Z Ranch. Or any other ranch.”

  The lie that was her former marriage continued to mushroom. Who was this man she’d married? “I didn’t know,” she said softly. A wave of guilt washed over her. If she’d told her dad that Luke hadn’t yet paid back the money she’d loaned him from her grandmother’s inheritance he wouldn’t have given Luke the money. “I’m sorry, Dad. I’ll pay back every cent.”

  “Do you think this is about money? Why couldn’t you have married a lawyer like your sister?”

  Stepsister, Nikki mentally corrected. “Kristen met Jeffrey at law school.”

  “If you hadn’t run away to the Air Force you could have gone to law school, or any other school you wanted.”

  She itched to say: If he hadn’t cheated with that witch, Victoria, and brought her and her precious Kristen into her mother’s home, she wouldn’t have been so desperate to get out of the house, but she held her tongue. Her dad pulled up to the curb in front of her apartment, and as she stepped out into the darkness, she forced herself to say, “Want to come in?”

  “It’s late, and Victoria is waiting.”

  His stiff tone cut Nikki to the core. Even if it had been earlier he would have refused; he hadn’t been in her place for over four months.

  Inside her apartment, she leaned against the door, feeling her calm give way to trembling. Every breath she took was a struggle not to cry. Luke, why did you have to die? I need to tell you to your face what a bastard you were! How could she ever forgive the fake cowboy with a forked tongue who had maimed her heart? She couldn’t imagine ever trusting anyone enough to fall in love again. A sob escaped her throat. Oh, God. Luke was dead, really dead, and she was the cops prime murder suspect.

  Chapter Five

  Rays of sunshine flooded Nikki’s bedroom and she awoke with a start. Overwhelming waves of awareness hit her—Luke was dead, the cops thought she killed him, and the killer believed she had something he wanted.

  With heart pounding, she glanced at her clock. 7:30 A.M. Oh, no, she’d overslept. Her fingers trembled as she tapped in her chief controller’s number.

  “Air Traffic Control, Curt Harrison, here.”

  Some of the tension left her shoulders upon hearing his voice. She visualized him at the other end of the line with his attention still glued to the computer screen, absently rubbing the cleft in his chin. He hadn’t changed much since their days at the FAA Aeronautical Center where she’d taken her initial training. He was still great looking. Even tempting. Before she’d married Luke, Curt had asked her out several times. But her job meant too much to mess it up by dating her boss.

  “I need some time off, Curt,” she said, then winced waiting for the flak to fly.

  The silence coming over the line stunned her. Mitzi jumped up on the bed and rubbed against Nikki’s hand, begging to be stroked. “I’m not in the mood,” she whispered and gently shoved the cat away.

  “What?” he asked, sounding tense.

  “I was just talking to my cat.”

  “Of course.” He cleared his throat. “I heard about Luke on the news.” He paused and cleared his throat again. “Take as much time as you need.”

  “Thanks, Curt.” This was a first—full cooperation. “I’m sorry to spring this on you at the last minute. I know we’re always shorthanded.”

  “Not to worry. Dorsey’s coming in.”

  Nikki’s shoulders tightened again. Curt had replaced her so fast—as though he’d known this was coming. But no one could’ve known. He’d said he heard it on the news. When? And why didn’t he call a
nd confirm it with her?

  He was silent on the other end of the line for several heartbeats, then he said, “I’m available to help if you need me…with funeral arrangements,” his voice deepened, “or anything else.”

  Or anything else, said in that bedroom deep voice sounded suggestive. Nikki hoped he wasn’t hitting on her. Unsettled, she promised to call him when the police provided the release date for the burial of Luke’s body. Body. Burial. This nightmare was real. By the time she’d hung up she was trembling again.

  She couldn’t fall apart now. She felt a tightening in her chest. Although Luke hadn’t loved her, and he wasn’t the man she thought she’d married, the horror of his death was beginning to sink in. She blinked back an unexpected rush of tears. Busy, she had to stay busy. She headed for the kitchen with Mitzi on her heels.

  Nikki fed the Siamese then watered the winter strawberries in her window box. Dorsey’s coming in, echoed in her head. She tuned it out, and stuck her index finger into the soil. It still felt dry. Had she forgotten to water the plants yesterday? Should she give them extra water now? This was her first attempt to grow anything. She hoped she didn’t end up killing them with root rot or something. Gardening wasn’t her thing, but her friend Glenda claimed there was nothing to it and made it sound so easy that she’d decided to give it a try. Luke had thought it was a waste of time, as was anything that didn’t serve his needs.

  Tears filled her eyes, and she gripped the edge of the sink as her sorrow turned to anger. “Damn you, Luke. You’ve gotten me into another fine mess.”

  Would his killer really come after her? She clutched a dishrag and swiped at the dust on the window sill. Finding no comfort in mundane chores, she tossed the cloth aside and began to pace. Was she a target in her own apartment? She took a deep breath to calm down, but the kitchen walls closed in on her. Nikki grabbed her jacket and hurried outside.

  Children played nearby; one of them aimed his binoculars at her. She stiffened. What was wrong with her? He was just a boy. An innocent boy. She didn’t know him, but managed a wave. How she loved children, hoped to have a houseful of her own someday. Luke had used that as bait. She sighed. Now the dream was as dead as Luke.

  The children’s laughter faded as she turned the corner of the building and walked along the shadowy brick path to the courtyard. Often neighbors gathered here, talking, laughing, but today her thundering heart was a contrast to the autumn stillness. Out of the corner of her eye she caught a sense of movement. She looked around but saw no one…listened but heard nothing.

  Her legs felt rubbery, like they might collapse beneath her. She made her way to the closest resting point and dropped down on the cold, concrete ledge that encircled the fishpond. She was barely aware of the large golden koi darting to and fro through the water. With her finger, she stirred the surface of the cool water, obscuring her mirrored features. When the water stilled, she assessed the woman staring back at her. She looked older today and tired. Overnight, insufficient sleep and fear had drained her youth and vitality.

  At the sound of footsteps, she almost jumped out of her skin. She smiled when she saw it was her best friend, Glenda Hollinger, coming toward her in a hip-swaying, long-legged gait, her mocha skin aglow.

  “So, here ya are, playing with the fishies,” she said with a hint of a southern accent. She wore yellow sweats and had fastened her burgundy dreads into a ponytail. Glenda’s usual cheery greeting didn’t match the worry wrinkles on her forehead. “The Addison kid told me the cops took you away in a patrol car last night. I called the P.D. and they wouldn’t confirm if you were there, or not. What’s going on, girlfriend?”

  Tears filled Nikki’s eyes. She couldn’t seem to force the words, Luke’s been murdered past the lump in her throat. She stood and thrust herself into Glenda’s arms.

  “Honey, what is it?” Glenda asked.

  Nikki closed her eyes and pressed her lips tightly together. Finally regaining control, she released Glenda and forced herself to stand tall. “Someone murdered Luke.”

  Glenda’s dark eyes widened. She sank to the concrete ledge of the koi pond. “Well,” she said after a few silent moments, “no one ever needed killing more.”

  “No one deserves to be murdered,” Nikki said without much conviction. “Not even Luke.” Nikki knew what prompted Glenda’s raw response. She’d witnessed Luke’s abuse, knew about the unpaid loans, the bills, and about his unfaithfulness. For all her toughness, Glenda had a heart of gold, but she fiercely hated Luke’s subtle cruelty and unfaithfulness.

  “I know. God, girl. I should bite my tongue. Are you okay?”

  Nikki shook her head, and took Glenda’s arm. “I need to talk. But not here. Let’s go to my place and get something to eat first. My sugar’s dropping.”

  “The idea is to eat before that happens,” Glenda said in her nurse tone.

  “I know. I know.”

  Arm in arm, they walked down the path. Nikki affectionately squeezed Glenda’s arm. Having a friend who always tells it like it is, regardless how painful, was comforting.

  “Look,” Glenda said, “In the light of Luke’s death, I feel terrible for opening my big mouth about his women. Maybe it would have been easier—”

  “No. You did the right thing.” She knew it had been hard for Glenda to reveal Luke’s infidelity, because of the pain it brought.

  Nikki closed her eyes as Glenda’s past words echoed in her head—Luke was back in town and while she was at work, he brought a blonde to their apartment. “I suspected there were other women, but that was the first time he’d brought one home to our bed.”

  Glenda remained silent for a change.

  Nikki kicked a stone. “Dammit. Cheating is the height of selfishness. If Luke had wanted to end it, I would have understood and gone quietly. The lying and deceit is what made the break up and divorce so painful.”

  “Guys like Luke don’t operate that way. They want their cake and eat it too.”

  “Well, I didn’t want to be any cheating bastard’s second dessert. If he didn’t want me—I decided to end it and be free to meet someone who does.”

  Glenda eyes widened and she leaned forward. “Whoa. Have anyone in mind?”

  Nikki laughed bitterly. “Are you kidding me? After Luke, I don’t think I’ll ever trust any man enough to give him my heart.”

  She unlocked the door to her apartment and Glenda followed her into the bright yellow kitchen. “How are the plants doing?” Glenda asked, poking the soil.

  Plants were the last thing on Nikki’s mind. She took a deep breath. “The police suspect me, can you believe it?” she said as she popped some bread in the toaster.

  “How could they?” Glenda’s voice rose. “You wouldn’t harm a fly.”

  Nikki started the coffee with trembling hands. She spilled some grounds then wiped them up with more vigor than required. “They think maybe I paid someone.”

  “You didn’t, did you?”

  Nikki darted her a disappointed look.

  “Of course you didn’t,” Glenda said, looking apologetic. “But no one could blame you if you did.”

  “That’s what the police said. That’s what makes me such a great suspect. I had a motive.”

  “From what I know about Luke, lots of people had a motive. You need to hire a detective. You know, find out about his contacts, his vices.”

  “What do I pay him with? Luke drained my savings.”

  “Insurance money?”

  “Since I’m a suspect and divorced from him, I doubt I’ll ever see a penny. And truthfully I don’t want it.”

  Glenda leaned forward. “I have a couple hundred saved. It won’t go far, but—”

  “Thanks. But I have to work this out on my own.”

  “You’re too independent,” Glenda said with a sigh. “Anyway, think about it.” She tilted her head. “Did you tell the cops about his latest, the blonde? Maybe she murdered Luke.”

  “If I admit knowing about her, it’ll only fuel
their suspicions. Besides, I didn’t know enough to tell. Only what you told me, that she drives a silver BMW.” Nikki folded the dishtowel with great care, then shook it out and refolded it. “Is she pretty?” Now she was ready to face the pain. Maybe the pain and anger would keep her fear at bay.

  Glenda lowered her gaze to her fidgeting fingers. “Take heart, the ho has the face of an elephant’s butt.”

  “Thanks for the lie.”

  Glenda shrugged. “Slight exaggeration maybe. But without all that makeup, she’d be a washout. Besides, no one can beat you in the looks department. Or any other for that matter. And we both know that Luke was a user. He never deserved you.”

  Nikki laughed bitterly. “True.” Talking to Glenda made her feel better.

  She poured the Harry and David chocolate flavored raspberry coffee into two mugs and slid one in front of Glenda along with a hazelnut flavored coffee spoon and a plate of raisin toast.

  A smile lit up Glenda’s face. “Hey, you’ve hit the Gourmet Coffee Shop again. Neato.”

  “They had a sale a couple days ago. I splurged. I know raspberry’s your favorite.” Nikki tried to sound cheery, but her heart wasn’t in it.

  Glenda’s smile faded. “There’s something else troubling you, isn’t there?” she asked with her uncanny sixth sense.

  “This guy came to my door before the police arrived. He claimed to be officer Dayd Radlavich, badge number 1640.”

  “Claimed? Are you saying he wasn’t a cop?” Glenda stared at her with coffee-brown eyes wide as saucers.

  Nikki wolfed down a bite of jellied toast, needing the rush of sugar.

  “Right. According to the police there’s no Radlavich in the department and no badge number 1640. But whoever he was, Radlavich was the first one to tell me about Luke.”

  “Maybe cuz he killed him?”

  “That’s what I thought.” Nikki shivered, remembering the way he’d grabbed her wrists and the look of mastery in his earth-brown eyes.