"I was in a famous picture?" Elena asked, her eyes wide and surprised once again.
"It was at an orphanage," Julia explained. "I guess we were put there until we could be smuggled out of the country."
"An orphanage?" Elena echoed.
"Yes. Your hands were on the gates, and—"
"Wait." Elena suddenly straightened. "The day was cold and gray. I wanted to go home. I didn't know where you were. I asked everyone I saw, even a boy who came over and took my picture," she finished. "I remember that now. That was you, Alex?"
He nodded. "You said something to me, but I didn't understand. I just knew there was a look in your eyes I wanted to capture."
"I was scared. I didn't know where I was or what I was doing there." She turned to Julia. "What was I doing there? And where were you?"
"I think I was there, too," Julia replied. "We were both there because our parents were important Russians, and they were planning to defect."
"Who were our parents?"
"Natalia and Sergei Markov."
"Natalia Markov, the ballerina? She was our mother? That can't be right. You must be mistaken."
"I'm not," Julia said. "You really didn't know? No one ever told you that you resembled her in any way?"
Lost in thought, Elena didn't say anything for a long moment. "I can't believe it. Natalia Markov. No one ever put the two of us together. But then, why would they?"
"You must have inherited her talent," Julia suggested. "I don't know if I did. I never had an opportunity to dance, but it never really spoke to me, either. I've always loved music more than dance."
"What happened to her? And to our father? How did they die?" Elena asked.
"In an explosion at the house. Our father worked for the Russian government. Apparently he offered to exchange information for freedom."
"Who took us out of the country if our parents were dead? And why didn't they leave us with our grandparents? Didn't we have grandparents?"
Julia hadn't thought that far back. "I don't know about our grandparents. I know our great-grandparents were tied to ballet and music, but they were probably dead before we were born. I was told that U.S. agents smuggled us out of the country somehow; the details have yet to be explained to me."
"They couldn't leave you there after your parents died," Alex interjected. "You probably would have been killed. In fact, I hate to speed up this reunion, but you both may be in danger. And we need to discuss how we're going to address that possibility."
"What do you mean?" Elena asked. "How could we be in danger?"
"My photo was published in the newspaper in San Francisco, with an article announcing that I was the orphan girl," Julia explained. "Then both my apartment and Alex's were ransacked. Someone tried to mug me, and we've been followed. It's all very disturbing. It appears that someone, whoever killed our parents, thinks I have something of value, some sort of family treasure that was going to support our parents and their new life here."
"What kind of a treasure?" Elena inquired with a bemused shake of her head. "This is such an amazing story."
"No one seems to know exactly what the treasure is. When I found out about you, I knew I had to warn you. Since they know I'm alive, it stands to reason they know or suspect you are, too."
"I certainly don't have a treasure," Elena said. "I don't have much of anything."
"I have two things from our past." Julia reached into her handbag and pulled out the necklace. "We each had one of these, remember? You were wearing yours in the picture."
"Yes, of course," Elena said. "I still have it."
"I also found this matryoshka doll." Julia set the doll on the coffee table. "Some of the pieces are missing. Do you have them?"
A light sparked in Elena's eyes. "I do. I'll get them." She went into her bedroom and returned a moment later with the necklace and the doll. "One of my foster parents tried to take these away from me once. I had to fight to get them back. They were all I had left of my family. I wasn't going to give them up. Sometimes I slept with them under my pillow just in case one of the other kids tried to steal them."
Julia frowned. It didn't sound as if Elena had had a very good life.
Elena opened the largest doll, which belonged to Julia, and said, "I want to put them together so they fit right."
As she did so, Julia flashed back to a similar scene. Her mother had taken the dolls apart on her bed. She'd said she wanted them each to have some dolls to take with them on their trip. So she'd divided them, every other one, then handed each of them a set of the dolls. She'd told them a story… What was that story?
"She told us about these dolls," Julia said slowly. "Do you remember?"
Elena thought for a long moment. "She said the doll had been painted for her grandmother."
"She was a dancer, too," Julia said. "Tamara Slovinsky. You followed in their footsteps, Elena. You lived their legacy." Elena blinked quickly, and Julia realized too late the pain her words had created. "I'm sorry. I forgot."
"No, it's all right. I had an accident. I was careless. It's my fault that I can no longer dance."
"I bet you were great when you did."
"I was all right," she said modestly. "I didn't really care about being great. I just wanted to dance. I loved the way it felt to be on the stage, to be lost in a world of make-believe, where the girls were pretty and the boys were handsome and the music lifted you up as if you were flying."
Julia was touched by her sister's words. She felt the same passion for the music that made the dancer soar. They were truly two halves of the same whole.
"Do you mind if I take a look at the doll?" Alex interrupted. "There were some numbers on Julia's set. I wonder if there are any on yours. Do you have a piece of paper?"
"Sure," Elena said, retrieving a notepad from a nearby table.
Alex took the dolls apart again, one at a time, jotting down a number after each one, until they had a string.
"Ten numbers," he mused.
"Maybe it's a serial number for the doll," Elena suggested.
"The numbers are scratched lightly into the surface of the wood. I think someone put them there after the dolls were made."
"Maybe our mother did," Julia said slowly, remembering the sharp knife by her mother's side the day she'd had the dolls open on the bed. "What could they possibly mean?"
"I don't know," Alex replied. "But we should try to find out. I can't believe I'm going to say this," he added heavily. "I'll call my father. He might know something."
Julia knew what a huge step that was for him, and she nodded gratefully. "Thank you."
Alex started to put the dolls back together, then paused. He shook the smallest one. "This is interesting. I hear a rattle." He shook it again. Julia leaned in, hearing the same small noise. The doll was one that had belonged to Elena's set.
"Did you ever notice that before?" Julia asked her sister.
"I haven't taken that doll apart in probably fifteen years. And the smallest one never opened."
"It looks like it was glued shut. There's a fine line," Alex said. He looked at Elena. "Do you mind if I try to open it, see what's inside? It could be important."
Elena shrugged her shoulders. "It's fine with me. I can't imagine what would be in there. What do you need? A knife? A screwdriver?"
"Either would be great." He pressed on the middle of the doll with his fingers.
"Do you really think there's something in there?" Julia asked.
"We know someone has been looking for something and that it's small." He took a paring knife from Elena's hand and ran the tip around the middle of the doll where there should have been an opening. After a moment, he was able to pull the two pieces apart.
Julia held her breath as he produced a silver key.
"Look at this," Alex murmured.
"Why would a key be in there?" Elena asked.
"I wonder what it goes to." Julia took the key from Alex's hand and twirled it around in her fingers. There's a number
on it—"
"I have a safe-deposit box key that looks a lot like that," Alex commented.
She met his eyes. "You think this goes to a safe-deposit box?"
"Perhaps that ten-digit number on the dolls is for a bank account." Alex rose. "I'm going to call my father now. Do you mind if I use the bedroom?"
"Go ahead," Elena said with a wave of her hand. "I don't think I made my bed, though. Neatness isn't one of my strengths."
"Mine, either," Alex said with a smile. "I'll feel right at home."
As he left the room, Julia handed Elena the key. "What do you think? Any other ideas?"
"I feel like I'm two steps behind you and Alex. I don't know what we're looking for."
"We don't know, either. We're just winging it."
An awkward silence fell between them. "This is weird, huh?" Julia said, understating the obvious. "You and me, after all these years."
"Really strange," Elena agreed. "I can't stop looking at you. I'm sorry if I'm staring."
"I feel the same way. I know you, and yet I don't."
"We were babies the last time we saw each other, three years old. It's no wonder it feels uncomfortable now."
"But it feels good, too," Julia said.
"Yes, it does. I've really missed having family," Elena confessed.
Julia wanted to say the same thing, but in all fairness she couldn't. She'd had a good family to grow up in. And another sister as well. She still didn't know how she would tell Liz about Elena. That wasn't a conversation she was looking forward to.
"Is he your boyfriend?" Elena asked, nodding toward the bedroom.
"What? You mean Alex?"
Elena smiled. "Of course I mean Alex. Who else would I mean?"
"Actually, I was engaged to someone else until a few days ago. My fiance didn't want me to search for my real family. It turned out to be the last straw between us, and I'm glad now. I realized he wasn't the one for me."
"Because of Alex?"
"I didn't break up with him because of Alex," Julia prevaricated. "What about you? Any men in your life?"
"Not recently. I was engaged, too, a couple years ago, before my accident. He was a choreographer, a good one. He couldn't bear the thought that I'd never dance for him again. So he left. It hurt, but life goes on. I learned that lesson a long time ago."
Julia scooted forward on the couch, clasping her hands together. "I'm so sorry that your childhood wasn't happy. I wish we could have been together. It isn't fair that I grew up in a loving home and you didn't. I feel so guilty."
"It wasn't your fault. We should have been kept together, not hidden away from the world."
"For our protection, they say," Julia reminded her. Although she wasn't quite sure if that was the true reason or the convenient one. They'd become baggage, children no one wanted to be associated with. That's why they'd stuck Elena in a foster home. Julia was lucky, very lucky. Sarah had wanted her desperately enough to change her entire life and her past just to be able to take care of her. For the first time, she felt a lessening of her anger toward Sarah. At least she had been loved and taken care of. She needed to remember that and be thankful.
Alex returned to the room. "I reached my father. He'll have Brady trace the number. He thinks it's a bank account. He knew your parents made plans before the defection. Your mother had come to the U.S. a number of times with her ballet company. My father believes that she may have stashed away a great deal of money during those visits."
"So the treasure might be cash," Julia said.
"Might be," Alex agreed. "He'll call me back. I told him where we were. He said to stay put. Apparently your parents were planning to live here in DC, because your father was going to work with our intelligence agencies. That's how Elena ended up here. It was the initial drop point."
"You make me sound like a bottle of milk or a newspaper," Elena said with a touch of annoyance.
"Sorry. Those were his words, not mine."
"It would make sense that they'd come here so our father could work with the government," Julia interjected. "Does your dad think the account might be here in the city?"
"That's his guess. Or possibly New York," Alex replied. "Your mother made several trips there as well."
Julia's cell phone began to ring. She slipped it out of her purse and saw Liz's number. "It's my sister," she said, feeling awkward when she said it. "My other sister." She cleared her throat and answered the phone. "Hello."
"Hey, it's Liz. What's going on? I haven't heard from you in a while. Have you found out anything?"
"A couple of things," Julia said. "I don't want to get into it on the phone, though. I promise to tell you everything as soon as I get back."
"Get back? Where exactly are you, Julia?"
She hesitated, then said, "I'm in Washington DC."
"Why? What's there?"
"It's a long story."
"And you don't want to tell me. I get it. I just wanted to let you know that some guy was watching me on the docks this afternoon."
"What did he look like?" Julia asked, her pulse quickening.
"He was big and stocky, and he wore a baseball cap. He left as soon as he realized I'd seen him. Do you think he's the guy who burglarized our apartment?"
"I think he might be. Don't go back to our place, Liz, especially alone."
"I won't. Believe me, I'm not looking for trouble."
"I'll call you when I get home," Julia said. "In the meantime, be careful, Liz. I don't want anything to happen to you."
"I will. Is Alex still with you?"
"Yes."
Liz sighed. "You're crazy, Julia, but I guess everyone deserves to fall for a bad boy once in her life."
Julia wanted to say it wasn't like that, but how could she? She glanced at Alex, who was talking to Elena with a warm, interested look on his face. She wasn't falling in love with him. She was already there. After saying goodbye, she hung up the phone.
"Everything okay?" Alex asked.
"Liz said some guy was watching her. It sounded like the same man who was watching me at the radio station. I feel bad. I'm here. She's there. I don't want her to get hurt."
"Liz is your… sister?" Elena asked, tripping over the word sister.
"Yes. She's younger than me, just twenty-two. I've always taken care of her. She's really angry with me for getting involved in all this."
"Does she know about me?"
"I wanted to make sure I could find you first, so I haven't said anything yet."
Elena nodded, understanding in her eyes. "That will be difficult for you, won't it?"
"Probably."
Elena cleared her throat. "I need to go downstairs and check on Colin. You're welcome to stay here and wait for that call."
"Actually, I was thinking about food," Alex said. "And it will probably be hours before my father calls back."
"I'd love to see more of your shop," Julia put in. She exchanged a look with Alex and knew they were once again on the same page. She needed some time alone with her sister, and he was more than willing to give it to her.
"I'll get some takeout and bring it back," he said. "Any suggestions?"
Elena thought for a moment. "If you're adventurous, there's a great Thai restaurant around the corner."
"Oh, my God. You are my sister, " Julia said with a huge smile. "I love exotic food." Elena grinned back at her. "So do I." For the first time since they'd arrived, Julia felt optimistic and back on balance. "This is going to be good," she said, and she wasn't talking about the food.
It was almost midnight when Julia and Elena finally talked themselves out. While Elena went into the bedroom to undress, Julia helped Alex make up a bed on the couch. "Will you be all right out here?" she asked.
"I'd be better if you were with me." He gave her an intimate smile that reminded her how long it had been since she'd kissed him or touched him. "Come here," he said softly.
She cast a quick look over her shoulder. "Elena might see us."
"One kiss."
"It's never enough," she said with a sigh as she moved into his arms. His hands spanned her waist as he kissed her gently, tenderly, with only a hint of the passion they'd shared the night before. "That was awfully restrained," she complained.
"Believe me, if it wasn't, you'd be on your back right now and we'd give your sister the second shock of her life."
"Promises, promises," she said with a smile. She pressed another kiss on his lips. "Thanks for being so great today."
"I didn't do anything."
"Yes, you did. You supported me, and you didn't try to take over. You did good. I owe you."
"And I will collect," he promised. "I just hope my father calls tomorrow. I'd like to get that number resolved."
"I think he will. He wants to help you."
"To absolve his guilt, maybe. Whatever the reason, I'll take it. The sooner we figure out the ending to this mystery the better."
A twinge of pain ran through her at his words. As soon as the mystery was over, they would be over. To be fair he probably hadn't meant it like that, but it was still true.
"Hey, what's that frown for?" He tipped up her chin with his finger.
"Nothing. I was just thinking about all the secrets, the lies, the constant surprises. I never know what will happen next."
"But that doesn't stop you from fighting on," Alex said, a note of admiration in his voice. "A lot of people would have quit or backed away by now, not wanting to risk losing everything they believed in. You're something else, Julia." He ran his fingers through her hair. "Beautiful, smart, and gutsy. Hell of a combination."
"Are you scared?" she asked, half-teasing, half-serious.
"Terrified," he said lightly. He kissed her again, then released her. "Go to bed, Julia, before I can't let you go."
"I'd stay, but—"
"But you two women need to bond. I get it. And believe me, I've had enough girl talk to last me awhile. I'm going to watch something macho on television and not think about anything else until tomorrow morning."
"Good night." Julia stole one last quick kiss before leaving. When she entered the bedroom, Elena was wearing a long T-shirt and sitting on the side of her queen-size bed. She was brushing out her hair, and Julia was struck once again by the resemblance between them.
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