Gray Shadows: Russian Historical Thriller

Chapter Seven

With a few hours left in the workday, Natalya and Pyotr Alekseevich headed back to the office, and Nikolai went to talk to Vanya about the latest security improvements. Nikolai was getting used to the short distances and tall snowdrifts. There was a strange sense of freedom in not having to wait for cars, buses, or spend any time in transit. He could get anywhere he needed in a matter of minutes, and the street lights pointed his way in the permanent semi-darkness of the Arctic winter. An added benefit was that his leg was feeling better and better, probably partially due to all the walking he was doing. Nikolai was sure he would remember this assignment and this town for a long time. It was so different from anything he had experienced or could have even imagined.

When the two young guards in the security office saw Nikolai, they jumped up from their lunch of salami sandwiches and pickles and tried to look busy. They were obviously relieved when Nikolai made no comments about their activities.

“Looking for Vanya?” one of the young guards asked. “He’s in there.” The guard pointed to the door that led from the security office to the garage.

The garage was small, with the space for two cars, but only one car was kept there, Pyotr Alekseevich’s BMW. The rest of the space was taken by workshop tables, benches, and various tools. Vanya liked tinkering with things, especially rare and expensive things, so he enjoyed cleaning and polishing the BMW himself, never hiring anyone else to do it.

When Nikolai walked in, Vanya sat at the desk, fussing with wires, cable boxes, and light bulbs spread out in front of him.

“Busy?” Nikolai said.

“Just working on security lights. A couple of connections were malfunctioning, so I need to solder them.”

“I see.”

In the corner, a small TV was broadcasting a hockey game.

“Who’s winning?” Nikolai asked.

“Not my team, so nobody. Nothing but disappointment this whole game.” Vanya adjusted the desk lamp and leaned in closer to his project. “Just turn the stupid thing off.”

Nikolai walked over to the TV, clicked it off, and leaned against the wall to admire Pyotr Alekseevich’s silver BMW SUV parked in its usual place. The car was a beauty, with leather seats and a nice trim. And Vanya kept it clean and in top shape.

“Any news on our killer husband?” Nikolai asked, his eyes still on the BMW.

“Not yet.”

Something on the door of the car caught his attention. Was it dirt? Nikolai came closer. It was a small scratch mark, and it looked fresh.

“Did you see this thing?” he asked Vanya.

“What thing? What are you finding now, Sherlock?” Vanya asked without looking up.

“Come see for yourself.”

Vanya set his tools down, got up, and walked over to Nikolai.

“See?” Nikolai pointed to the scratch mark.

“Didn’t notice it before. What a shame.” Vanya leaned in and inspected the mark closer, tracing the length of the line with his finger. “But it’s not deep. I’m pretty sure I can polish it away. No major harm done, luckily.”

“Not yet,” Nikolai said.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Vanya said.

“When was the last time Pyotr Alekseevich used the car?”

“Yesterday morning. Why?”

“Did you clean it after that?”

“In this weather? Of course. I clean it after each trip.”

“And you did not notice the scratch?”

“I guess I did not. What are you implying?”

“I know why you did not see it,” Nikolai said.

“All right. Enlighten me. Why?” Hands on his hips, his gaze intense and defiant, Vanya looked straight at Nikolai.

“Because it wasn’t there when you cleaned it. It’s new. And I bet it’s related to this thing.” Nikolai pointed to a large flower basket on the chair by the door.

“What? To the flowers? You’re not making any sense. I need to take this basket to the conference room. Just didn’t get a chance to do it yet.”

“Did you see who brought it?” Nikolai said.

“No. It was delivered earlier today, while I was out.”

“That figures.”

“What figures? How? Are you saying that whoever delivered the basket scratched the car?” Vanya glared at Nikolai.

“Not exactly.”

“I wasn’t here,” Vanya said, his tone changing from defiant to defensive. “But it’s addressed to Pyotr Alekseevich. That’s all I need to know.”

Nikolai picked up the basket, plucked out the note, read it, and nodded.

“Interesting greeting.” He handed Vanya the note. “Take a look.”

There was only one typed line on the note, no signature, and no return address.

Congratulations on the sale of the company. Safe travels!

“He’s selling the company?” Vanya said. “I didn’t know that.” He looked up at Nikolai, his expression registering a surprise realization. “He isn’t selling, is he?”

“No. And I can’t tell if this note is a threat or a warning. But it makes me want to inspect the car. Hand me the car keys, please.”

This time, Vanya did not ask any questions. He simply walked to his desk, reached into a drawer, took the keys out, and handed them to Nikolai.

Using the key instead of the clicker, Nikolai unlocked the scratched door and opened it just a crack. With his ID card, he slowly traced a line all along the opening. Sure enough, the ID card snagged a thin wire.

“You don’t have a telescopic pole with mirror, do you?” he asked Vanya.

“What’s that?”

“A device to search for objects mounted to the undercarriage.”

“What kind of objects are we talking about?” Vanya’s voice sounded nervous.

“I don’t know yet, and that’s exactly what I need the telescopic pole for.”

“I don’t have one, and you are really scaring me now. Are we talking a bomb under the car or something?”

“Anything is possible, but let’s not jump to conclusions yet,” Nikolai said. “Do you have a regular mirror and a rag? And a flashlight?”

“Sure, sure. Just give me a second.” Vanya bustled about the garage and brought a large paper bag filled with rags, a flashlight and two hand-held mirrors of different sizes.

Nikolai spread one of the wider and thicker rags on the floor next to the passenger side of the car, put the larger of the two mirrors on top of it, facing up, and slowly slid the rag under the car.

“Here, hold the flashlight and shine it at an angle,” he said to Vanya. “Like this. That way, the reflection doesn’t blind me, and we can both see what’s under the body of the car.”

Vanya did what Nikolai asked him to and stared at the car. Nikolai bent down and carefully slid the mirror down the length of the car by gently pulling on the rag. Soon, he saw what he was looking for. The wire from the door led to a small rectangular-shaped object mounted under the car. That object was not a part of the car.

“Vanya, see it? This box under the car? Whoever put it in must have been in a hurry and scratched the car.”

“A box under the car? Why?” Vanya said. “What is it?”

“Let me check.”

“Is it a listening device? Or a bomb?” Vanya exclaimed and stepped away. “Be careful, please. Should I call someone?”

“Hold on a second,” Nikolai said.

He took the flashlight and peered under the car. The last thing he and Vanya needed was to have an explosion right here, with both of them in the garage. For a moment, he contemplated asking Vanya if there was a bomb squad in the area, but as he inspected the device more, he changed his mind. Nikolai took his Swiss army knife out of his pocket, dropped to his knees, stretched his right hand under the car, and snipped the wire.

Vanya gasped. “What are you doing? It’ll blow up!” He rushed to the door.

Nikolai pulled off the rectangular object, its shiny wrapper embossed with the words Happy New Year. “It’s a firecracker! A stupid firecracker,” he said.

“So, it’s not dangerous?” Vanya asked from the door, his expression still worried.

“It’s not dangerous,” he said to Vanya. “But if Pyotr Alekseevich fully opened the door, like everyone does, the wire would have pulled the ring out and there would have been a lot of noise and smoke. It wouldn’t have killed him, but it would have really scared him.”

“Who do you think did it?” Vanya said. “I can’t imagine who would be capable of doing this or how they got in here.”

“I’m new to this town, so I don’t have too many theories,” Nikolai said. “Let’s think. You said you weren’t here when that basket was delivered, but do you know who was here?”

“One of the security guys. I can probably check to find out who it was.”

“What’s your protocol for deliveries?” Nikolai asked.

“Protocol? We have none. Just receive whatever is brought in here and take it to whomever it’s for. I told you, Nikolai, we’ve never had to deal with anything dangerous. It’s a small town, and things are usually quiet here.”

“Not anymore. Somebody is sending serious warnings to Pyotr Alekseevich, and they are not going to stop,” Nikolai said. “You have to tell me everything you know. Have there been attempts on Pyotr Alekseevich’s life before?”

“No, not real attempts.”

“Care to explain?”

“A few months ago, a couple of characters came to me,” Vanya said reluctantly. “They offered me a lot of money to kill Pyotr Alekseevich. That was just before he took over the company.”

“So much for a small quiet town, no?”

“It was an isolated incident,” Vanya said. “A fluke.”

“They asked you, the company’s security director, to murder him? And you call that a fluke?”

“I wasn’t the security director then, and Pyotr Alekseevich was still the mayor.”

“And that meant it was okay for you to kill him? I don’t get your point.”

“Of course not! Don’t even say things like that! I just mean that I worked for the city hall, as a security guard, one of the three guards who worked there, so that’s how I knew Pyotr Alekseevich.”

“And then what?” Nikolai asked.

“I told Pyotr Alekseevich about it, and he appointed me head of security after he took over the company.”

“Who were these people?” Nikolai asked.

“I have no idea. I had never seen them before, or after. They disappeared right after that conversation, and our investigation, with the local police, showed nothing. And nothing had happened since. It was deemed an empty threat.”

“An empty threat? I’m not so sure. So, why didn’t you think I would want to know about it?”

“I thought it was all in the past, that with this new compound and the new security system, things were under control. Everything has been quiet,” Vanya said. “Until now.”

“Why didn’t you tell me about it earlier?”

“I didn’t think it was any of your business, that’s one reason.”

“What’s another reason?”

Vanya hesitated. “Look, I’m supposed to be in charge here. I’m supposed to know what’s going on and be able to control it. I’m older than you and I have lived here my whole life. I’m the security expert of Upper Luzinsk, right? Then you show up, a fancy young Moscow guy, first time here and you know more than I do. I feel like a useless old fool. You could do it all on your own.”

“You must be kidding,” Nikolai said. “Do it all on my own? I can hardly find my way around the compound, let alone this whole town. There’s no way I could do anything here without you. I don’t know the people, they don’t know me. Nobody would even talk to me without you. You know much more about Upper Luzinsk and the company.”

“Maybe so,” Vanya said. “But this?” He pointed to the car. “The telescopic pole thing, the ID card, the stretched wire. I had no clue.”

“We have different work experiences, and I have had to deal with certain types of threats more. As you said yourself, life in Moscow is different than here.”

“Right. Here it’s just ice and snow. At least it used to be.”

“But things are changing here, too,” Nikolai said. “There’s much more to Upper Luzinsk than ice and snow. The oil field has tremendous wealth and can attract all kinds of people, with a variety of motives. In Moscow, I’ve seen what money can do to people, and now I see that this small town is no different. There’s a lot of wealth in your oil field and a lot of money to be made,” Nikolai said. “Division of wealth can get ugly.”

“I never thought it could get that bad here, real death threats and all. Right in my hometown,” Vanya said.

“That’s how I felt about Moscow, my hometown. If somebody would have told me some years ago that killers tried to shoot people in the middle of the day, right on a quiet street where I grew up, I would have never believed it. Now, I’ve experienced it myself.”

“Are you serious? Did you get shot?”

“I wasn’t the target, my client was. He’s okay, and my leg is healing. Life is different now. In Moscow and here.”

Vanya looked at Nikolai for a long moment, then nodded. “I’m glad you’re okay. And thank you, Nikolai. I didn’t think of things that way. It makes sense. We can learn from each other, right?”

“Of course. That’s the only way to live and work.”

“You’re a good man, Nikolai,” Vanya said. “So, what else can I tell you about this town? What would help?”

“I wish I could stay and help, but I have an obligation to Natalya, her dad, and my company to keep her safe. That’s my only goal right now, and I don’t feel that what’s happening here is making it safe for her. There is no need for her to stay. Can you please let Pyotr Alekseevich know?”

“She’s not in danger. Why don’t you stay. I’m beginning to enjoy your company, you know,” Vanya said. “And we could really use your help here.”

“If something happens to her, it will be on my conscience,” Nikolai said. “The situation is not safe for my client. Can you please prepare a car for Natalya and me? Preferably the one without explosives. We’re taking the first flight out of here.”

“All right. I’ll call Oleg and send the car to the hotel for you,” Vanya said.

Back at the hotel suite, Nikolai quickly packed Natalya’s suitcases, threw all his stuff into his duffel bag, and headed back downstairs.

Oleg’s Lada was idling by the hotel entrance. Oleg stepped out of the car and opened the trunk.

“Leaving already?” Oleg said. “I thought you were going to stay longer.”

“Our circumstances have changed,” Nikolai said. “Pyotr Alekseevich’s office, please.”

Nikolai was not looking forward to what he knew would be an unpleasant scene with Natalya, but he had no choice. When he came into the office, Natalya was working on the computer. Pyotr Alekseevich left for the oil field in the morning and had not returned yet.

“We have to go back to Moscow,” Nikolai said. “Right now.”

“What kind of a crazy idea is that?” Natalya stopped typing and looked up at Nikolai.

“Not crazy at all. Knowing what I know now, it would be criminal for me to keep you here, and a violation of my company’s contract with your father. The situation is getting dangerous and could potentially become life-threatening for anyone who works as closely with Pyotr Alekseevich as you do.”

She huffed. “But what about Pyotr Alekseevich? Isn’t his life in danger, too, then?”

“It may be, but it’s not my job to protect him or anyone else. Just you. Vanya knows what is going on, and he will do what he needs to do to protect Pyotr Alekseevich and the others. It’s not up to me. It is up to everyone else to decide what they need to do.”

“Ok. Then I decide that I need to stay.” She turned back to her computer.

“It’s not your decision to make. My job is to protect you, so I have to make this decision for you. And my decision is to leave. Right now.”

“And what if I don’t want to leave? What are you going to do, kidnap me?”

“If I have to, I will. I could also call security and make the situation pretty embarrassing for you.”

“Fine. But you will have to explain this to my dad,” Natalya said. “And I guarantee that he will not be happy.” Reluctantly, she got up from the computer and walked towards the door.

“That’s his right,” Nikolai said. “Let’s go. The car is waiting.” He opened the office door for Natalya, and she stepped out into the hallway.

“But what about my stuff?” she said as they walked down the steps.

“It’s packed and in the car.”

“You went through my stuff?”

“Nothing there I hadn’t seen before.”

“But that was my personal stuff!” Natalya said, pausing in front of the door that led outside.

“It still is.” Nikolai held the door open for her and walked her to Oleg’s Lada. “I didn’t take anything, and I didn’t particularly enjoy packing it all, but I had no choice. We have to leave. Now. Get in, please.” Nikolai opened the car door for Natalya. Reluctantly, she climbed in. At the gate, just as they were about to leave the compound, Oleg slowed down. Vanya was running up to the car, waving and shouting for them to wait.

“What is it?” Nikolai lowered his window. “We’re leaving.”

“It’s Pyotr Alekseevich.” Vanya was out of breath. So much for fit and strong security guys. “He just got back and he needs to talk to you. Right now. Please. It sounds important.”

“All right, but it’d better be quick,” Nikolai said.

Oleg turned his Lada around and drove back to the office building.

“Please keep Natalya company while I’m gone,” Nikolai said to Oleg and walked inside the building.

Pyotr Alekseevich motioned to the chair across from him. “Thank you for coming back, Nikolai. Please sit down.” Pyotr Alekseevich’s expression was serious, his face looked more lined and more tired than usual.

“I only have a few minutes,” Nikolai said. “Natalya and I need to leave. What did you want to talk to me about?”

“I need your help. I understand that you know as much as Vanya about security and the situation here. Maybe more. Things are getting serious, and I don’t think that Vanya and my guys can handle it all. I need somebody better trained and more professional.” Pyotr Alekseevich paused and looked straight at Nikolai. “I want to hire you as my bodyguard, just until the board meeting is done and everything is signed. This company and this town are important to me.” Pyotr Alekseevich looked straight at Nikolai.

“I am sorry but I can’t do it. I’m already working for Natalya, and I can only have one client at a time. It’s in my contract.” Nikolai got up. “I wish I could help you more.”

When Oleg’s Lada finally left the compound, with Natalya pouting and Oleg pretending not to notice and making attempts at small talk, Nikolai felt a sense of relief. This had been a strange assignment and a strange client, and he looked forward to getting rid of Natalya, leaving this desolate town, the affairs of which he did not quite understand, and getting back to the familiar environment of the big city. His leg was mainly healed, and he was ready for a real assignment, working with Vasily Petrovich again. And it was time to talk to Olga instead of hiding from her and their problems behind his job and his clients. She deserved better than being strung along just because Nikolai could not admit certain things to her or could not deal with the changes in their relationship and in each of their own lives and careers.

The car turned the corner, leaving Upper Luzinsk behind, and entered the main road leading to the airport. Nikolai’s phone rang. It was Anatoly, and he had a change of plans in mind. Nikolai listened attentively.

“Any questions?” Anatoly said when he finished his explanation.

“No, no questions.” Nikolai clicked off and addressed Oleg. “Please turn back to the compound. We are not going to the airport.”

“What’s going on?” Natalya said. “We’re staying? My life is no longer in danger or you no longer care?”

“Neither. You will have a new bodyguard tomorrow, and I will be working for Pyotr Alekseevich. So you will be protected, don’t worry.”

“I hope my new bodyguard is as cute as you are,” Natalya said and turned to the window. “And single.”

When they returned to the compound, Natalya asked Oleg to take her to the hotel before going back to the office. Nikolai headed straight to Pyotr Alekseevich’s building.

Pyotr Alekseevich was not alone in the office. A slender woman, her long dark hair in a ponytail, sat in a chair usually occupied by Natalya. They were talking in hushed tones.

When Pyotr Alekseevich saw Nikolai, he stood up to shake his hand. “Thank you for staying. Nikolai, this is Svetlana.”

The woman smiled. “You can blame me for your return. I convinced Pyotr that he needed to start taking all these threats more seriously. I’ve been very worried.”

“Nikolai,” Pyotr Alekseevich said, “Svetlana is my wife. Ex-wife, to be exact, but we’ve been working to change that.” He smiled at Svetlana, then turned back to Nikolai. “I know you and Anatoly work closely together, and I appreciate that you agreed to help us.”

“I have to do what my boss tells me. It’s a job.”

“I’ll let you two talk,” Svetlana said. “Nice meeting you, Nikolai. I’ll see you next week, Pyotr.” She looked at her watch. “I have to get to the airport, and the driver is waiting.”

She left.

“Your boss runs quite an agency,” Pyotr Alekseevich said. “I must say I misunderstood what bodyguards do. Like most people, I thought it was all about guns and muscles. I didn’t realize that you have to do a lot of investigations.”

“Yes. This job is as much about detective work and psychology as it is about guns and muscles, probably more so. Like Anatoly likes to say, we are not paid to take a flying bullet in the head but use our head to keep that bullet from flying.”

Pyotr Alekseevich nodded. “I understand it now, after discussing things with Anatoly at length, and that’s exactly what I need. I hope you can help us over the days of the board meeting. I’m worried that other board members may be also targeted. The tax repayment plan that the government is offering needs to be signed by me and the two board members from our company. The condition of the plan is that if one of us is not willing or not able to sign by the last day of the board meeting, the whole deal is off, and the company has to be sold.”

“I see,” Nikolai said. “I apologize for being so blunt, but I have to ask you about Svetlana. Anyone close to my client is my business, and she is definitely close to you. And that’s the first time I met her, so I need to know a little more.”

“I understand,” Pyotr Alekseevich said.

“How long ago did you get a divorce?”

“It’s been fifteen years since the divorce, and we were only married for five years.”

“What was the reason for the divorce? Any financial problems between the two of you?”

“No, no financial problems.” Pyotr Alekseevich chuckled. “At least, nothing like people have now. Like most people fifteen years ago, we were both employed but pretty poor, at least by today’s standards. I made some mistakes early in our marriage, youthful indiscretions sorts of things that I still regret. Mainly, I wasn’t ready to be a dad then, and that’s what started all the problems. Svetlana is a wonderful woman, but I wasn’t so wonderful to her. We’ve been talking more lately, and we’ve been seeing each other more, too.”

“Does she live here?”

“No, she lives in Moscow, but she visits quite often. She has a few close friends here, and lately she’s been coming more often. We’re working on getting back together.”

“You said you weren’t ready to be a dad then. Did she want kids?”

“She certainly did.” Pyotr Alekseevich said. For a moment, he hesitated, looked away, then back at Nikolai. “This is hard for me to share with you, but I realize I need to. Svetlana and I had a son. He was about four when I left. I haven’t seen him since the divorce.”

“You haven’t seen him in fifteen years?”

“That’s right.”

“Why not?”

“Svetlana was so upset at first that she did not want to have anything to do with me. Then, we lost touch for a few years. For quite a few years. It was only in the last twelve months or so that we started talking again. Gradually, we’ve been getting closer. A few weeks ago, she told me that she thinks it’s time for me and our son to get re-introduced to each other. I can’t tell you how happy I was to hear it. Happy and a little nervous, of course. I just can’t wait to meet him.”

“So, he’s about nineteen or twenty now?”

“He must be,” Pyotr Alekseevich said. “I don’t know anything about him. But I’ve always been giving money to Svetlana for our son. It’s the least I could do after the way I treated them.”

“I see,” Nikolai said.

“I’m really grateful for your help, Nikolai. This is a difficult time for me and the company.” Pyotr Alekseevich paused and shook his head. “When I took over the company, I was ready for hard work and challenges, but I didn’t expect things to get this dangerous. But I have to stay positive, right? At least, the pipeline problems are mostly solved. Pollution from oil spills could be another reason to shut us down or drown us in fines. But that’s not your problem, Nikolai, sorry. You have enough to deal with.”

“It’s quite all right. I’m here to help,” Nikolai said. “And the more information I have, the better I will be able to help you.”

“There’s something else you need to know,” Pyotr Alekseevich said. “Remember that security guard who was killed in a jealous rage?”

“Sure. Anything new about it?”

“Yes. I don’t think jealousy had anything to do with the murder.”

“How so?” Nikolai said.

“The murdered guard was a night watchman. He walked the perimeter of the compound once an hour, with breaks in the security office in-between. He had a precise schedule. Every hour, he would walk for forty-five minutes and take a fifteen-minute break inside the security office. The night before he was killed, he dozed off during his scheduled fifteen-minute break. Slept for forty-five minutes, until another security guard came and woke him up. He went back outside, but his schedule was off, so we have reasons to suspect he ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“But what about his affair with the other guy’s wife? Is that no longer a possible motive for his murder?” Nikolai said.

“The investigators are not ruling it out, but it seems less likely, now that we know more details.”

“What kind of details?” Nikolai said.

“The night of the murder, he was alone, in his own apartment, and his neighbor, the woman he was supposedly having an affair with, was working late. Since they were not together, the crime of passion theory doesn’t quite work. There’s another motive behind this murder, and I think that the real motive is related to his job as a night guard.”

“Like what? He saw things he wasn’t supposed to see when he went on his rounds? And somebody saw him and decided to get rid of him?” Nikolai said.

“That’s what I think. I don’t know what he saw. But whatever it was, it was obviously serious enough to warrant someone taking this man’s life.”

“That’s important information. I’ll have to do some investigating to find out what or whom he might have seen. What else do I need to know about?”

“About a few phone calls I’ve been getting.” Pyotr Alekseevich pointed to the office phone. “Every time I get these calls, the message is the same. Sell the company or die.”

“And you can’t trace the calls or identify the voice, right?”

“That’s right,” Pyotr Alekseevich said. “And that’s about it for now. Probably enough to keep you busy.” He shook his head. “What a mess. Thank you again, Nikolai. If you need any other information, call me or stop by anytime. And if I learn anything new, I will let you know, of course.”

As they were finishing the conversation, Natalya came into the office. She greeted Pyotr Alekseevich, ignored Nikolai, and sat down at her computer to type her translations.

After confirming with Pyotr Alekseevich that Natalya would stay in the office until he came back, Nikolai headed for the security office. He had a few things to discuss with Vanya.