The Boy Who Stole from the Dead

CHAPTER 59

LAUREN READ THE shock in the boy’s face. Nadia didn’t look surprised by Lauren’s appearance or the sound of the boy’s real name. But then she’d been a cool customer when they’d had their only chat at the hockey rink between periods last year.

“Hi Lauren,” Nadia said. “I’d ask how you’ve been but I suspect I know the answer.”

“I’m sure you do,” Lauren said. “I wanted to see you face-to-face to let you know I’m going to go live with my blog today. Whatever my reputation, I’m sure I’ll find readers. Eventually someone in the mainstream press will pick this up.”

To Lauren’s surprise, Nadia smiled. “Have you had lunch yet? Why don’t you come inside? We’re going to order pizza.”

“And sushi,” the kid said.

A doorman opened the door. Lauren watched with amazement as they walked inside as though nothing had happened. Nadia glanced over her shoulder and motioned for her to come along.

Lauren wasn’t sure what to do. She realized she’d been hoping for a confrontation. Lauren had ended up on a Russian island because of her own actions, but if Nadia had agreed to speak with her, none of that would have happened. And now Nadia was being nice to her. Why?

They took the elevator to the tenth floor. The apartment was a modest two bedroom with simple furnishings. Large windows provided ample daylight. Lauren was shocked by its brightness. The kid flew into his room. A few seconds later Lauren could hear the shower running behind the closed door. A bowl of colorful Easter eggs decorated with folk designs caught Lauren’s eye on the coffee table in the living room.

“They’re called Pysanky,” Nadia said. “It’s Ukrainian art. The designs are drawn by hand using bee’s wax. My mother makes them. It takes a lot of patience.” She paused. “Good things take time, Lauren.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I thought we had a great chat when we met last November. I thought we had got along well. I thought we had a lot in common.”

“I thought so, too,” Lauren said.

“Then what happened?”

Lauren couldn’t contain her fury. “You’re asking me what happened? Your friends sent me on a one-way trip to Russia that ended up ruining my life. That’s what happened.”

“I don’t know anything about that. If something happened, it certainly wasn’t at my request. Regardless, I’m sorry for your troubles. I’m not just saying that. I really am.”

Lauren detected a note of sincerity, which was not what she was hoping for.

“What happened to our understanding?” Nadia said.

“What understanding?”

“I told you I’d give you an exclusive interview in June. It’s only April. Why couldn’t you wait?”

“Wait?” The question didn’t make sense to Lauren. Of course she wasn’t going to wait. Whoever got the story first would be the winner. “Why would I wait?”

“Because you said you would.”

“I said I’d wait before I wrote anything. That didn’t mean I wasn’t going to investigate.”

Nadia thought about this for a moment. “I assumed waiting meant waiting before you did anything, but I see what you mean. I should have been more explicit when I made a deal with you. So what is it you think you know?”

“I know he’s not from Kotzebue. I know you brought him in from Ukraine via Russia via the Diomede Islands. And I know his name is Adam Tesla.”

“How do you know that?”

“I visited your mother.”

“Yeah. I heard. That was not cool.”

Lauren shrugged. “Desperate times call for desperate measures.”

“But my mother only told you his name was Adam. Who told you his last name was Tesla?”

“You and the kid did. About ten minutes ago. When you didn’t say boo when you heard me say it. When you invited me into your home.”

Nadia studied Lauren and shrugged. “You didn’t need me to confirm it. You knew already.” She rubbed her hands together. “I’m starved. How about you? I have to order. Bobby’s going to be starving when he comes out—Oh. We use the name Bobby to keep things simple. So there are no slip-ups or confusion. Okay?”

Lauren wondered what the hell was going on here.

Nadia rushed to the kitchen and pulled out some menus. “I’m ordering a large pizza and a huge pile of sushi. Any favorites?”

Nadia placed two orders for food. Afterward, she poured them each a Diet Coke on ice. They sat in the living room. Lauren was confused. She thought she should be furious but she wasn’t. She felt strangely comfortable with the woman she wanted to hate.

“Why the urgency for this story?” Nadia said.

“That’s the business. That’s journalism. You have to be first or you’re dead.”

“Were your parents in the business?”

The reminder of her mother knocked Lauren off balance. As it always did. “No.”

“You went to law school, didn’t you? You’re an attorney by trade. Why did you get into journalism?”

“I was an intern in the Sports Network’s legal department. One of the producers offered me an assignment to look into a college quarterback’s alleged ties with a booster. I learned something about myself.”

“What’s that?”

“I like to dig. Especially when there’s a wrong involved.”

“Me too.”

“And I like the race. The urgency. I like the need to be first to win.”

“Why is that?”

The images flashed before her eyes for the zillionth time. The phone call from her father. Your mother doesn’t sound good. I’m in Florida. You should go take a look. Can you go take a look? Richie pulling her back into bed, begging for a morning romp. He was gorgeous, irresistible, the man who could make her career. How could she say no? Then the detour. When she arrived her mother was lying dead on the sofa, a syringe sticking out of her arm. If only she’d taken her father’s warning more seriously. If only she’d moved faster. If only she’d gotten there first.

“I don’t know,” Lauren said. “Must be how I’m wired.” She considered Nadia’s questions. “This is starting to sound like a job interview.”

“Is it?”

“Yes.”

“Funny you should say that. Because like I said, I thought we had a lot in common and got along real well. Bobby’s going to be eighteen next year. The day that happens he’s eligible for the NHL draft. He’s going to need an agent. With your legal and sports backgrounds, I thought you might be interested in exploring the possibilities.”

“Of what? Being his agent?”

“Yes.”

“Me?”

“Yes. You.”

Lauren sat dumbfounded. “This is a cruel joke, isn’t it?”

“Not at all.”

Lauren allowed herself to entertain the notion. “What would I do for the next year leading up to his graduation?”

“Build the foundation for your practice. Get the word out. You’ve got connections. Go to the games. Be seen. I have a friend from Russia who might be able to help. He’s very powerful. Maybe he can find a promising Russian kid who doesn’t have an agent yet and wants to play in North America. You never know what can happen until you get out there and give it a try.”

Lauren thought about the idea some more. The pause allowed her to gather her senses. “This is all very nice. You invited me into your home. You’re talking to me. I appreciate that. But as for this other thing, it’s crazy. How do I know you’re not just saying whatever you can to push me away? To buy time. He can’t sign a contract until he’s finished his amateur career. What assurances can you possibly give me?”

“That’s easy,” Nadia said.

“It is?”

“Sure. We can give you the truth.”

Bobby came out of the shower with wet hair, a t-shirt, and sweats. They drank soda and talked. The food arrived in two deliveries. They ate pizza and sushi. Nadia told Lauren the truth about Adam Tesla’s identity and their journey to America. The kid sat listening and eating. He never said a word.

“Now you know everything,” Nadia said when she was finished. “Bobby came here for the freedom and the opportunity. The same way you have the freedom and opportunity to do whatever you want. You can go publish your blog. Tell the whole truth. Or you can join us. See where it takes you. You want to sleep on it, that’s fine. All I ask is that you decide within a week and give us a heads up if you go the blog route so we can prepare ourselves. Because for sure Bobby will get deported back to Ukraine, and that’s if they’re even willing to take him.”

Lauren agreed.

On the way home, an unfamiliar calm enveloped her. Her pace slowed of its own accord. She enjoyed sights and watched people. She’d lived in New York for eleven years but she couldn’t recall when she’d been more content. She was no longer in a hurry. There was no one left to save. Her mother was in a better place and she had arrived at her final destination.

Fifteen minutes after she left, Lauren called Nadia on her cell phone.

“Tell me about this powerful Russian friend of yours.”