Sins of the Mother

by Megan Mollson

  “That’s a good theory,” Mr. Turner said, nodding quickly. “You never know what you might find. Let me think. She only took on one- or two-people’s washing. She couldn’t do more than that because she had a lot on her plate. I think she mentioned them in her letters, but I’m not sure.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Zasha said quickly. “You don’t need to remember them all. I can find out by one who the others were.”

  “That might prove to be difficult,” Mr. Turner said sadly.

  “Why is that?” Zasha asked, her eyebrows rising.

  It seemed like every step of the investigation would prove to be difficult. Just as she thought she had seen the full extent of the tragedy, another part unfolded itself. Zasha wondered if it would ever stop, or would this sad story keep going? She didn’t know how much more pain she could stand to see, although it helped that she was doing something useful. She couldn’t even imagine what it must be like to sit around and wait. It must’ve been agony for a man like Mr. Turner.

  “Mary’s biggest client was Mrs. Bleeker. I don’t think she’ll be able to tell you who the others were.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  It was well after dark when Zasha came home. Her mother gave her a strange look, but besides that, no one said anything. Zasha felt incredibly guilty when she walked in and saw that everyone was getting ready for dinner. Even Ivy was helping to set the table. Ivy gave her a quizzical glance, but Zasha gestured with her hand to indicate that they would talk about it later.

  “How was everyone’s day?” Mr. Ross asked, looking around the table with a smile.

  He was a homebody who loved spending time with his family. He was always happiest when all his girls were home, and they were doing something together. When they were younger, he used to read stories to them before bedtime. Zasha had fond memories of when she was a child, and her father would read fairytales. She suspected that he would’ve liked a boy to go fishing with him sometimes, but he never complained about only having girls. He made sure that they knew they were his pride and joy.

  As Tatyana started talking about something that happened at school, Zasha took the time to look around the table. Ivy had seemed to settle in nicely with the family, but her time in New Hope hadn’t diminished her sophistication. She hadn’t brought too many clothes with her, but even though she kept wearing the same few outfits, she still looked shiny and new. When she felt Zasha’s gaze, she gave her a quick smile and turned back to Tatyana.

  “And then I told Molly that it was impossible because…” Tatyana continued, oblivious to the fact that most of her audience wasn’t paying attention.

  Zasha played with the peas on her plate, trying to think about the significance of her chat with Mr. Turner. A thousand possibilities swirled in her mind, and she wished that she could have one last conversation with Mrs. Turner. Or that she could read people’s minds. It seemed unfair to her that they had to try and sort through this mess without some sort of advantage.

  “And what did you do today, Zasha?” Mr. Ross asked, turning to his oldest daughter.

  “Me?” Zasha squeaked. She looked at Tatyana and was surprised to find that her little sister was finished talking and was watching her intently. “Nothing much. I went to the hospital to check up on Evelyn.”

  “Did you go alone?” Mr. Ross asked in alarm. “I don’t know if I’m comfortable with you going all that way on your own.”

  Zasha blushed and looked away, feeling embarrassed that her father was babying her in front of Ivy. Yelena nudged her husband softly and shook her head at him. He frowned but nodded. It was clear that he still wanted to say more, but he had learned long ago to listen to his wife’s nonverbal cues.

  “I just wanted to visit Evelyn and see how she was doing,” Zasha mumbled. “I’m sorry. I won’t go on my own again.”

  “I understand,” Mr. Ross said, looking at his wife for approval. “It would make us more comfortable if you went with Ivy next time.”

  “It would?” Ivy asked in surprise at the same time that Zasha looked up with a quizzical expression.

  “Well, yes,” Mr. Ross said slowly. “It’s clear that you’re a capable young woman. If anything happens, you will probably keep Zasha out of trouble.”

  “I can keep myself out of trouble, Papa,” Zasha protested.

  “Sure, honey,” Mr. Ross said, patting his daughter’s hand comfortingly, but he gave Ivy a meaningful look.

  Zasha scoffed and looked away, but when she looked at Ivy, she was surprised to see that her friend looked pleased about something.

  “It was nice of your father to say those things,” Ivy said later when they were in the room.

  “Well, he means it,” Zasha said, “he seems to think that you’re keeping me out of trouble.”

  “Which is strange since I’m the one who’s dragging you into trouble,” Ivy said with a frown.

  “Don’t change your mind about including me in this investigation,” Zasha warned. “It’s too late for that.”

  “I thought so,” Ivy said with a grimace. “Oh well, what’s done is done. What did you find today?”

  “How did you know I found something?” Zasha asked curiously.

  “You look like you’re about to burst,” Ivy teased, she gestured at where Zasha was nervously playing with a piece of string. “Either you have something you want to tell me, or you’ve had an amazing cup of coffee. Since I’ve been here for about a week and haven’t had any coffee, I can only imagine that you’ve got something to say.”

  “Fair enough,” Zasha said with a sheepish smile. “It happened like this. I spoke to my mother today, and she mentioned something about Mary doing washing for some of the well-to-do citizens of New Hope during the war. I thought it was probably during the war when she had financial issues. I thought that we might find new information if we spoke to the people she worked for.”

  “It’s a long shot,” Ivy said hesitantly. “It could be useful, but that was nearly ten years ago. Any information we get would be questionable because people’s memories aren’t all that reliable after such a long period of time.”

  “Oh,” Zasha said, her shoulders drooping. “I didn’t think of that. I was just so excited that we finally had a lead. When you put it like that, the rest sounds a little stupid.”

  “There’s more?” Ivy said in surprise. “Well, come on. Tell me what you found.”

  “I spoke to Mr. Turner about it. He said that Mrs. Turner didn’t really tell him about the issues she was having because she didn’t want him to worry. But he does know that something was up. He said that she started doing the washing around nineteen-sixteen and that her main client was Mrs. Bleeker.”

  “That’s the same year as the robbery,” Ivy said, sitting up straight in excitement. “That means that Mary might’ve seen who stole the stocks, and maybe that’s why she got killed.”

  “That’s what I was thinking,” Zasha said, nodding emphatically. “What if she was going to tell Mrs. Bleeker what she knew, and the killer wanted to get rid of her? Or maybe when Mrs. Bleeker died, she suspected the thief and confronted him?”

  “Those are both good theories,” Ivy said, nodding quickly. “It’s entirely possible that the two murders are linked. We should look for connections between the two of them.”

  “I think that we need to talk to Lily,” Zasha said firmly. “She might want to talk to us, and if we can find out who made her confess to the murder, we’ll have solved this thing.”

  “I agree,” Ivy said with a quick nod. “Let’s head to the prison tomorrow. If we can convince her that we’re here to help, she might be more open to talking to us.”

  The next day was a rush as they headed to the prison. Yelena gave Zasha a list of chores to get through, and Ivy had to battle a wave of frustration. She was more determined than ever that she would never settle in a small town. Every day was beginning to feel like torture, and the silence was beginning to get to her. She missed the city and all the hustl
e and bustle. When things got too quiet, the memories came back. The last thing she needed was to remember all the things she was repressing.

  As she leaned against the car, she clenched her eyes shut. Whenever she looked at Zasha, she remembered where she was when she was at Zasha’s age. It seemed impossible that she had been behind enemy lines when she was so young. Ivy was only eighteen when she was stationed in Europe thanks to her lineage and her father’s strong patriotism. When the army needed spies, it didn’t matter how old they were. All that mattered was that they could pass as European and were in a position to pass along important information. Ivy’s German and French was impeccable, so as soon as she turned eighteen, she was stationed in France. Sometimes, when things got too quiet, the worst of the memories surfaced, and she had to remind herself that it was all over now and that she was safe.

  “Ivy!” Zasha called, hurrying over. “I’m ready! Let’s go.”

  Ivy smiled in relief and got into the car. She encouraged Zasha to speak and listened intently when the younger woman obliged. Ivy had realized that it helped to have Zasha around. She helped keep Ivy out of her head and brought her back to the real world. She was also a massive help with the suspects. It seemed that over the years, Ivy had forgotten how to talk to people politely. Zasha was helping her to remember how to be normal again.

  When they got to the prison, Ivy had a clear idea of what she wanted to ask Lily. She remembered that from her training. Always know what you’re going to say. Have a clear goal in mind, and don’t forget why you’re going in there.

  “What do you mean we’re not allowed to see Lily?” Zasha cried, throwing her hands up in frustration.

  “I’m sorry,” the prison guard said insincerely. “She’s been very clear that she doesn’t want any visitors. You can pass on a message, but that’s the best we can do.”

  “This is ridiculous,” Ivy said with a frown. “We’re here to help her. Can’t you go in there and make her come out?”

  “I could,” the guard said with a shrug, “but it’s against the rules, so I won’t. Besides, why would anyone want to help a murderer? She’s accepted her fate, now it’s your turn to do the same.”

  “Never,” Zasha said, glaring at him. “She’s not a killer. She didn’t murder that old woman.”

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah,” the guard said dismissively. “They all say that, but somehow, they still get convicted. Save it for the judge.”

  “Hold on,” Ivy said, putting her hand on Zasha’s arm to stop her. “We’ll give you a message for her. I’ll pay you five dollars to give it to her, and another five if she responds.”

  The guard sat up straighter and looked at Ivy suspiciously. She sighed, rolled her eyes, and took out a wad of cash. After counting out ten dollars, she made a big show of halving it and putting it down in front of him. The guard’s eyes lit up and he snatched up the money quickly.

  “Okay,” the guard said, putting the money in his pocket before anyone could see it. “What do you want me to tell her?”

  “I need a pen and paper,” Ivy told him, watching him carefully.

  He jumped up and quickly got her what she needed. Ivy jotted down a note and slid it over to them, while Zasha watched in fascination.

  “I’ll get it to her now,” he said. “Come back tomorrow, she’ll speak to you. Even if I have to force her out of her cell.”

  “Be gentle,” Ivy admonished.

  When they walked out of the jail, Zasha looked around thoughtfully and bit her lip.

  “Spit it out, kid,” Ivy said tiredly.

  “Could we go to the hospital?” Zasha asked quickly. “I want to check up on Evelyn and see how it’s going. I feel like I haven’t seen enough of her. Besides, poor Mr. Turner probably needs a break.”

  The hospital was a hive of activity when the women arrived, and Ivy felt a shiver run down her spine. Something was wrong.

  “What’s going on?” she asked, grabbing a nurse as she rushed past.

  “One of the patients has been poisoned,” the nurse said with a grimace. “The police are going to lock down the hospital.”

  Ivy and Zasha looked at each other in alarm and immediately rushed off toward Evelyn’s room. Ivy already knew what they would find when they got there, she just hoped that Zasha would be strong enough to withstand this new development.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Zasha started running before the nurse could finish her sentence. It felt like all the oxygen had been sucked out of the world. There wasn’t enough air to breathe, and she was sure that everything was spinning, but nothing mattered anymore. Zasha was driven by the need to get to Evelyn.

  Ever since Evelyn had been attacked, Zasha had felt as though she were trapped in a nightmare. It had been terrifying and bizarre, but somehow it hadn’t seemed real. And now it was all crashing down around her. It had become a sudden reality, and Zasha didn’t know how she was going to deal with it.

  She ran around the corner and started reaching out to open the door to Evelyn’s room, but she stopped short. There were uniformed officers all over the place, and Mr. Turner was standing in the hall with a distraught expression. When he saw Zasha’s shock, his face crumpled, and he covered his face with his hands while he cried. She rushed over to him and put her hand on his shoulder. How would she comfort this man?

  “What happened?” she asked, her voice soft and choked.

  “I don’t know,” Mr. Turner said, shaking his head. “I went to the store for a few minutes. When I got back, she was struggling to breathe. I called the doctors, and they think she was poisoned, but they don’t know which poison.”

  “So, they don’t know which antidote to use,” Zasha said, clenching her eyes shut. Her heart was beating painfully in her chest and she had to take a few deep breaths to calm herself. “How could this happen? Who would do this?”

  “It looks like someone came back to finish the job,” Ivy said grimly, walking up behind her and joining them. “Did you see anyone you recognized? Maybe someone offered to look after Evelyn for you? Or did you see anyone from New Hope hanging around?”

  “No,” Mr. Turner said, running his hands through his hair. “I didn’t see anyone. I didn’t want to leave her, honestly. I had to go to the store. I had to get some things. I asked the nurses to watch over her, but they’re all so busy.”

  “Don’t worry,” Ivy said soothingly. “Evelyn’s a strong girl, she’s going to get through this.”

  “And what if she doesn’t?” Mr. Turner asked, his voice rising. “She’s all I have left? Weren’t you supposed to find the person who did this?”

  “Mr. Turner…” Zasha said pleadingly, “You have to understand that we’re doing the best we can. This is a very difficult situation.”

  “You think I don’t know how difficult this is?” Mr. Turner hissed, narrowing his eyes at Zasha. “I’ve lost everything. Everything. Do you know what that’s like? Evelyn’s the only reason I’m holding it all together.”

  “We’re close,” Ivy said firmly. “We’re nearly there. We’re going to find the person who did this to your family and we’re going to make sure that your family gets justice.”

  “Don’t you understand?” Mr. Turner’s voice changed as he spoke. All the rage drained away and all that was left was desperation. “This happened because you got close. This was a warning.”

  “What do you mean?” Ivy asked with a frown.

  “The killer came back to finish the job. If you weren’t here poking around, then the killer might’ve left her alone.”

  “No,” Ivy said, shaking her head, but Zasha looked down guiltily. “The killer was never going to leave Evelyn alone. They were looking for an opportunity to do this. Evelyn saw the killer’s face. She was never going to be safe. The killer has finally made their move, and now we know that we’re going in the right direction. I know this is hard, Mr. Turner, but I need you to trust me. Please, all we need is a little patience.”

  “Patience?” Mr. Turner burs
t out, causing everyone in the corridor to look at him in surprise. He didn’t seem to care, and stepped closer to Ivy, waving his finger in her face. “My daughter is in there fighting for her life for the second time in a week. Now isn’t the time for patience. I had my doubts about you, and you’ve proven them all right. If you were a professional, you wouldn’t have allowed this to happen!”

  Ivy looked away and pursed her lips. She sighed and looked back at Mr. Turner, still not saying anything.

  “I understand,” Ivy said, lowering her head. “I’ll get back to work.”

  She backed away, her mind working quickly. Zasha hurried after Ivy, wringing her hands.

  “Do you think that he’s right?” Zasha asked, her voice trembling. “Is this our fault? Should we have been more careful?”

  “We can’t start thinking like that,” Ivy said, “otherwise we won’t be able to concentrate on our work. Remember who the real enemy is. We’re here to catch a killer.”

  “I don’t know if I can do this anymore,” Zasha admitted softly, looking back at Mr. Turner. “If she…”

  “Don’t say it,” Ivy said quickly, shaking her head firmly. “Don’t say it. You can’t think like this, Zasha. You need to be strong for Evelyn. She needs you right now.”

  “That’s just it,” Zasha said, shaking her head. “Evie needs me more than ever, and I’ve been running around with you. If I had been here, then the killer wouldn’t have had a chance to attack her again.”

  “Or you would’ve died,” Ivy pointed out. “This person has shown that they have no qualms about killing anyone who’s in their way. You can’t let yourself think like this.”

  “I haven’t been there for her,” Zasha said angrily, her eyes filling with tears. “All I had to do was be there for her. She would never have left me alone if I were in this position. I’ve been the worst friend. I can’t do this anymore.”