Julia Gousseva - Gray Shadows - Russian Historical Thriller

“He is studying engineering?” Pyotr Alekseevich sounded surprised.

“And he’s a pretty good student,” Svetlana said.

Pyotr Alekseevich smiled and hugged her again. Nikolai watched the two of them step away from the building, the blinding spotlights and blinking police lights. They kept hugging and talking quietly. They looked relieved and happy.

Then, he heard a car door open and close as the police put Natalya in the back of their van.

Vanya came up to Nikolai. “I did not suspect her at all,” Vanya said.

“Me neither,” Nikolai said. “But I should have thought about it more. The whole bodyguard assignment seemed strange from the beginning. I totally missed it.”

“Why would she do something like this?” Vanya said.

“I don’t know her whole story, but I know that it’s because of money,” Nikolai said. “It’s always because of money. And she wanted to go to Cyprus, remember? I don’t think Cyprus has an extradition treaty with Russia, so she was really playing us when she talked about it, sunny beaches and all.”

“Just like when she talked about the 1991 coup, right?” Vanya said.

“Yes. And I should have caught on, but I didn’t. I got too used to her, and I trusted her too much. Criminals always make mistakes or get too bold, and that’s how they get caught,” Nikolai said. “I made a big mistake with Natalya, a mistake that cost Andrei his life.”

“How did you know to go to the fire escape, not to the main exit?”

“Two things. One, Natalya was too quick to agree to release Pyotr Alekseevich outside the front gate. It felt too easy, like she was planning something else. And two, she insisted on having the contract with her, not in the car. That made me think that she would not even be in that car, and that all this fuss with Mikhail and changing cars was a distraction. She wanted all the attention at the front while she would go to the back and into that tunnel.”

“What was she planning to do about Mikhail?” Vanya said.

“Nothing, most likely,” Nikolai said. “As far as she was concerned, Mikhail’s only purpose was to distract our attention. Of course, he thought he was a real partner with Natalya. She tricked him, too. And now he’s going to be serving time for the murder of that guard and for kidnapping.”

A young man, one of Nikolai’s team, came up to them and addressed Nikolai. “As you asked, we checked that area behind the compound and found a Jeep there. Don’t know why it’s there or who it belongs to, but you were right. It’s there, and the keys were in it.” He handed the keys to Nikolai.

Vanya looked at Nikolai with admiration. “That was supposed to be Natalya’s getaway car, right?”

Nikolai nodded. “It looks like it.”

“You’re good,” Vanya said. “Really good.”

“Not good enough,” Nikolai said. “I lost Andrei.”

In Moscow, the trees were still devoid of spring leaves and the air was still cold, but the bright blue sky was already illuminated by the first warm rays of the spring sun. For the first time since the dramatic events in Upper Luzinsk, Nikolai felt a sense of peace when he and Vanya entered Vagankovo Cemetery through the massive gates and walked past the small vendor stands where elderly women in dark coats and colorful head scarves were selling flowers, small icons, and plastic vases.

At the entrance to the cemetery’s main alley, Nikolai spotted Anatoly waiting for them, a large bouquet of white lilies in his hands. They greeted each other and walked past stone monuments, marble crosses, sculptures of angels, and large portraits in stone. A stream of water from the melting snow was running down the alley, sparkling and shining in the sun.

For a few moments they walked in silence, getting deeper and deeper into the sprawling alleys. It was a weekday, and the cemetery was mostly deserted except for a few workers tending to graves and picking up the old leaves that the melted snow revealed.

“This place is enormous,” Vanya said.

“It’s one of the oldest cemeteries in Moscow. Dates back to 18th century,” Nikolai said. “Andrei liked coming here. He always said this place helped him calm down and think about what’s really important.”

They reached the end of the main alley and turned into a narrow lane. Anatoly opened a small gate and led them to Andrei’s gravesite next to a new seedling.

“Good idea about planting this tree,” Anatoly said.

“Andrei liked trees,” Nikolai said, “especially the tall ones that create shade. And shadows. And this one will grow tall and strong.”

Anatoly put the lilies next to a framed portrait of smiling Andrei on top of the fresh grave.

“We should start a collection for a monument,” Nikolai said. “Andrei would have wanted it. What do you think, Anatoly?”

“We don’t need to. It’s all taken care of.”

“By whom?” Nikolai said.

“Pyotr Alekseevich paid for it,” Vanya said. “He felt that he owed it to Andrei.”

They stood for a few more minutes, then slowly left Andrei’s grave, closed the small gate behind them, and headed back to the exit.

“How could I have missed the obvious? All that time, Natalya was so close to me, and I never suspected her,” Nikolai said.

“I still don’t understand why she needed a bodyguard if she herself was a hired assassin,” Vanya said.

“We were puzzling over the bodyguard question all that time, but in the wrong way. We did not see the real reason. She needed to have firearms, and she knew that she could not have brought them in herself. So, she hired someone to bring the firearms in for her. A bodyguard,” Nikolai said. “And the dead guy was supposed to be me.”

“What a plan,” Vanya said.

“One thing I don’t understand is the involvement of Natalya’s father.” Nikolai turned to Anatoly. “I thought he was a clean businessman.”

“And that was a mistake on my part.” Anatoly said. “I did not check his personal life thoroughly enough. He is clean, as far as his business is concerned. And so is his daughter.”

“I don’t follow you,” Vanya said.

“The girl who called herself Natalya is not his real daughter. His real daughter, the real Natalya Abramova, lives in London. She’s a student there.”

“What’s the connection between Natalya the assassin and him?” Nikolai said.

“The man who said he was her father has a gambling problem, and he ended up owing a large sum to some shady people. A really large sum. And they made a deal with him that they would forgive the debt if he pretended to be Natalya’s father. He had no choice but to agree. If his boss at the bank found out about his gambling debts, he would be fired immediately. And he would still owe these people money,” Anatoly said.

“I take it that these people had something to do with the old director of the company? And with the attack on Vasily Petrovich?” Vanya said.

“That’s exactly right. And they have been arrested,” Anatoly said.

“And who is Natalya, really? Was anything she told us about herself true?” Nikolai said.

“We don’t know much about her yet. But the investigation is just starting,” Anatoly said.

They came back to the main square of the cemetery just inside the gates. Nikolai promised to take Vanya on a brief sightseeing tour of Moscow, and Anatoly was heading back to the office.

Nikolai and Vanya were about to part ways with Anatoly at the gate when Anatoly’s phone rang. He glanced at the number and motioned for Nikolai and Vanya to wait while he talked.

“How’s your leg feeling?” Anatoly asked Nikolai after he finished the phone call.

“Doctor says it will ache for a while, especially in cold weather, but other than that, it’s as good as new.”