A Season for Killing Blondes (13 page)

“I can’t imagine Natalia that desperate,” I said. “She is so beautiful and articulate—”

“That’s how she appears now,” Sofia said. “She married the older gentleman as soon as she arrived, but she quickly became frustrated by his sedate and comfortable lifestyle. She had been an accountant in Russia, but realized that her credentials would never be recognized in Canada. She trained as an aesthetician and worked in several spas in Parry Sound and Barrie. She even took clients after hours in a makeshift home salon and got into all kinds of other moneymaking schemes. She worked sixty- to eighty-hour weeks and saved every penny.”

“What did her husband say?” While I had been impressed by Natalia’s speech, I was even more intrigued by her back story.

“He didn’t say too much. I think he might have misrepresented his own situation and led Natalia to believe he lived very lavishly. Three years after they married, he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.”

“How did she handle the caregiver role?” While I couldn’t visualize her attending to her husband’s needs, I didn’t think she was capable of ignoring or abandoning him either.

“His adult children took over and left her out of the picture. After he died, she received a small financial settlement from the estate. She wanted to contest the will, but was advised not to by her lawyer. She decided to move on and—”

“Arrived in Sudbury with just two suitcases and a dream.” I remembered the rest of her story.

“That’s what she likes to say. It sounds more dramatic and makes her appear more interesting.”

“How did you find this out?” While Natalia had shared many of her challenges at the Chamber breakfast, she had not mentioned the older gentleman. She would not want that particular story out there.

“The Godfreys had taken Natalia under their wing and helped launch her career in Sudbury,” Sofia said. “Anna May spilled the beans one evening after a few too many drinks. The news spread like wildfire after that.”

“I can’t imagine Anna May going out of her way to help her or anyone else for that matter.”

“Natalia met the Godfrey women at one of those spas in the Muskokas,” Sofia explained. “She impressed Mrs. Godfrey, and the two communicated regularly by mail and telephone. You remember Mrs. Godfrey. She was a kind soul who took in foster children and all kinds of strays. Natalia needed a soft place to land. When she moved to Sudbury, she stayed with Mrs. Godfrey for over a year, and the rest…well, I’m sure you must have heard Natalia’s edited version about angels, the kindness of strangers, and the power of love. That angel she talks about was Mrs. Godfrey. Bruce Steele is her life partner. He financed all of this.” Sofia waved her hand to take in the entire spa area.

As I digested this information, I noticed that Sofia had paled considerably and shifted her gaze to a fixed spot behind me.

“Well, look who’s here. Gilda Greco, you turn up everywhere, like a bad penny.” Anna May’s eyes were brimming with anger. “And followed by your lackey of a cousin. You two must be joined at the hip. I hear you’re even living together.”

“It looks like you’re following us around.” Sofia raised her voice as she clenched her fists. “There’s an ugly name for that—it’s called stalking.”

“Me following you.” Anna May laughed. “I don’t think so, ladies. I have been a regular client here since the Lodge opened. I don’t recall seeing the two of you around. It seems every time I run into either one of you, someone in my family dies shortly afterward. That’s some coincidence. Some people might even call it cold-blooded murder.”

The receptionist and several clients in the foyer watched in shocked silence. Sofia’s eyes flared with anger as she moved closer, ready to pounce on Anna May. I tried to restrain Sofia with a gentle pressure on her arm. My heart pounded, and my brain tried to make sense out of Anna May’s comments. Anna May was either slightly deranged or under some influence. She had wildness in her eyes and high color on her cheeks. She was wrapped in a black, cashmere cape which hid her girth and gave her an elegant air. She resembled the teenage Anna May who had modeled for many of the area fashion shows. I groaned inwardly at the growing crowd of women that had suddenly materialized. I didn’t recognize anyone, but I had a sinking feeling they all knew about me.

Natalia reappeared and positioned herself between Sofia and Anna May. “Ladies, I will not tolerate such disruptive behaviour in my salon.” She glared at Anna May. “You may have been a valued client in the past, but that could change if you continue to shout and upset everyone. Do I make myself clear, Anna May Godfrey?”

Anna May lowered her gaze. “I’m sorry, Natalia.” She pointed to both Sofia and me. “They provoked me. They are cold-blooded killers who are systematically killing off my family.”

Natalia frowned. “I don’t know who started this, but I think it would be in the best interests of all concerned if the three of you left my salon.”

Anna May’s mouth fell open. “You’re kicking me out? After all that my mother and Carrie Ann did for you and the many clients we sent your way.” Her bloodshot eyes glinted at Natalia. “You will live to regret this. I’ll make sure the Lodge becomes a ghost town. Keep this up, and you’ll end up back in Russia.”

Natalia paled but maintained her composure. “Leave my salon and never return again.”

I kept my head down and followed Sofia out of the salon. I didn’t speak until we reached our cars. “What a scene! We’ll never be able to return here.”

“Anna May showed her true colors, and I wouldn’t be surprised if most of those ladies thought she was deranged,” Sofia spoke matter-of-factly.

“I agree that she appeared deranged, but you didn’t help matters when you started yelling at her.”

“Anna May is a royal bitch, and she might just end up on the chopping block.”

“You’re beginning to sound like Anna May, and it’s scaring me.”

“Just kidding.”

“I don’t like that kind of kidding. Two women have died, and people keep pointing the finger at me…at us.”

“Where do you get off…?”

“Don’t get defensive on me. Anna May considers us a unit, and somehow she feels we are in cahoots against her and her family.”

Sofia yawned. “I guess we won’t be getting manicures and pedicures today. I think I’ll head back and help out at the church. What are you going to do?”

I sighed. “I might go online and check some cottage listings. I intend to make Karen Anderson an offer. Maybe we could go out there next weekend. I’d like your opinion about the renovations.”

Sofia nodded in approval. “That sounds like a plan.”

Chapter 15

I entered my building and groaned when I saw the sign on the inside door. The video surveillance system was down again. This was the third time in less than a month. Why couldn’t they fix it properly?

What a relief to be rid of Sofia! But I didn’t want to spend the rest of the afternoon checking real estate prices. That could wait. Karen was in no hurry to finalize the sale.

Instead, I curled up in the over-sized recliner with Sue Grafton’s latest novel,
V is for Vengeance.
Not exactly the best choice considering what had just happened at the Lodge, but I needed to distract myself, and strangely enough murder mysteries were my favorite—that is, other people’s murder mysteries. I read all afternoon and stopped to have dinner, last night’s leftover chicken and two glasses of wine. One glass is my limit, but I deserved the second glass after today’s debacle. Afterward, I dozed off.

The persistent ringing of the telephone woke me up. I stumbled in the dark toward the nearest light switch. The answering machine went on and, after a few minutes, Carlo’s frantic voice filled the room. “Gilda…Gilda are you there? Please be there. Gilda pick up. You need to hear—”

I picked up the phone. “Carlo, it’s me. What’s wrong?” My heart pounded as I waited for the dreaded words.

“Is Sofia there? Has Sofia or someone…anyone been with you today?”

“Sofia and I were together this afternoon.” Disturbing thoughts invaded my mind, making my mouth go dry.

“What time did she leave?”

“Oh, I don’t know. I got back here around two. She went to help with tomorrow’s tea at the church. I imagine she’s still taking care of some last-minute details.” I swallowed hard. “Has something terrible happened?”

“We discovered two dead bodies behind the Lodge.”

I gasped. “Don’t tell me they killed both Anna May and Jenny Marie?”

“You got one right. Anna May.” An awkward silence followed.

My throat constricted, and I could only croak. “Who else?”

“Natalia Gorsky.”

My mind went into overdrive. I had so many questions to ask but knew that Carlo would be unable to answer them.

“I’ll give the superintendent of your building a call in the morning.” He sighed loudly into the phone. “I’ll have to go through all of today’s video surveillance tapes.”

“There aren’t any. The system is down.”

His voice became muffled as he said something indistinguishable, probably to someone in the room with him. Another sigh. “I should have you come down now, but it is late, and I will give you a break. First thing tomorrow morning, I want you and Sofia to come downtown.”

“Carlo, you don’t think I—”

“It’s not what I think that matters,” he said. “There are just too many coincidences, and you seem to be involved in some way with each murder. Three of the women are related, and the other is not. I don’t know what to think anymore.”

“Blondes, they’re all blondes,” I mumbled to myself. “This is a season for killing blondes.”

“You’re starting to worry me. Where’s Sofia? I thought she was staying with you.”

“I told you already. She’s helping out with tomorrow’s tea. I don’t know if she’ll have any time to—”

“She will have to make the time. I want both of you here tomorrow morning at nine o’clock with or without your lawyers.” Carlo slammed down the receiver.

Where would I find a lawyer at this hour on a Saturday night? The only lawyer I knew was Henry Keenan, and he wouldn’t want anything to do with me. I had to find Sofia. She would know what to do. I picked up the phone and dialed a familiar number. “Aunt Amelia, it’s me, Gilda. Is Sofia there?”

“She left right before supper. Why are you calling here so late? Is something wrong? Are you sick?” She dropped the phone, and I could hear her calling. “Paolo…Paolo wake up. There’s trouble. We need to get Assunta and go over to Gilda’s.” She spoke to me. “Don’t worry, Gilda. We’ll be there soon.”

I shut my eyes and banged my head against the wall. What was I thinking? The last thing I wanted to do was alarm my mother or my aunt, and I had succeeded in doing both. And to top it all, I still couldn’t locate Sofia. They would be here in less than half an hour. As I started to tidy the living room area, the key turned in the lock and Sofia entered the condo.

“What a long day! I’m exhausted and ready for bed.” Sofia took off her jacket and started to unbutton her blouse as she headed for the guest bedroom.

“I don’t think you’ll be going to bed for a while. My mother and your parents will be arriving soon.”

“At this hour?” Sofia laughed and shook her head. “They’re in bed, and even if they are up, my father never drives anywhere after dark. It would have to be some kind of emergency.”

“They think there is an emergency here.”

“Why would they think that?”

I managed a rueful smile. “I called and asked your mother if she knew where you were.”

Her eyes narrowed to furious slits. “We had an agreement when I moved in, and I didn’t think you would be reporting to my mother.” She glanced at her watch. “It’s barely past nine o’clock, for chrissakes! What kind of curfew do you expect me to keep?”

“Carlo called and told me about the new murders, and he wanted to know where you were. I tried to reassure him—”

“Back up. What murders and why is Carlo so concerned about me?”

“Brace yourself. Both Anna May and Natalia were found dead near the spa. He wants both of us there first thing tomorrow morning with our lawyers. I panicked and dialed the first number I could think of.”

Sofia buttoned up her blouse and headed toward the kitchen. She opened one of the cupboards and pulled out a package of cake mix. She then proceeded to assemble the required bowls and mixer.

“Sofia, what on earth are you doing? They’ll be here any minute now, and you’re baking!”

Sofia faced me squarely. “Listen and listen carefully. I’ve had a very long day, and I don’t have the time or energy to put up with any of their drama. So, this is our story. You fell asleep after supper. I will say I didn’t want to wake you, so I decided to run to the grocery store and pick up a box of cake mix. I wanted something sweet, and we all know you don’t keep any desserts around. I got delayed by…by that woman with dementia. What’s her name? The one with the tabby cat.”

“Mrs. Harrison?” I shook my head. “It sounds far-fetched, Sofia. I don’t know if we should involve someone else. What if they start asking her questions?”

“Not if I actually bake the cake. As for involving Mrs. Harrison, how much do you think she remembers from day to day?” Sofia started to beat the cake batter vigorously. “If you want to be helpful, why don’t you set the table and make some herbal tea for our mothers. When I finish here, I’ll make an espresso for my father.”

I was amazed at how calm and collected Sofia could be, especially when dealing with our parents. “I don’t know how you do this. You’re a natural at compartmentalizing.”

Sofia nodded impatiently. “Yeah, yeah I know. When they get here, let me do all the talking.”

Within a short time, the fragrant aroma of bananas and coconut mingled with the strong espresso coffee brewing on the stove. I continued to watch Sofia. She was acting normally, almost abnormally normal. She hadn’t said one word about the murders, and I wondered where she had gone after leaving her parents’ house. There was no point interrogating her now. I would find out the answers to all these questions soon enough. “Sofia, we need lawyers.”

“I will take care of all that later. We need to focus on calming our parents. It will—”

The loud knocking at the door interrupted our conversation.