Among the Shrouded (5 page)

CHAPTER

8

MIA

Mia and Jack were playing ‘good cop, bad cop’ inside the interrogation room.  Over the years together, they had perfected their technique.  She was always the bad cop.

“If you weren’t robbing the electronics store, then by all means, tell us where you were Mr. Snyder,”
she growled at the surly looking man sitting across the table from her.

“I was at my brother’s house,” the man replied, as he rubbed the muscles in the back of his neck.

“And your brother was there with you?  He’ll be able to corroborate your story?”

“Yeah.”

“You sure about that?” she asked.

“Yeah,” Snyder said.

“That’s really funny.  You know why?  Because I had the bartender in here earlier, and he said you left without your brother just after 11PM.  And your brother was there until 2AM.  The electronics store alarm went off at 12:17AM.  So you know what that makes you?  Busted,” she said to the man, glaring daggers at him as she stood from her chair.  

“You can’t trust that bartender!”
Snyder yelled.  “He’s got it in for me!”

“Does h
is video surveillance have it in for you too?  Because we’ve got a warrant for it and as soon as we review the footage, you will be without something very necessary.”

“What’s that?”

“An alibi.”

“Mr. Snyder,” Jack interrupted, speaking in a calm, controlled, almost soothing voice, “let me help you out here.  Officer Rosetti, she’s good friends with the
district attorney.  She’s going to get a warrant for your home and your computer by the end of the day, and we both know what she’s going to find.  Even if you’ve stashed the stolen equipment elsewhere, your computer is going to seal your fate.  It will have every invoice for every piece of electronic equipment you’ve sold online.  You know it.  I know it.”  He paused, for dramatic effect, and whispered to the man, pointing at Mia, “And she knows it.”

“Not only do I know that, but I also know you have people above you pulling the strings.  And I am going to make sure they know how badly you screwed this up when I bring them down too,”
she said, bringing her face so close to Snyder’s she could smell what he had for lunch.

“Take it easy, Officer,” Jack said to
her, pulling her away from the table.  “Mr. Snyder, like I said before, Officer Rosetti is good friends with the district attorney.  But I happen to be married to her.  So if you tell us what we need to hear, I am pretty sure I will be able to pull a few strings to get some time taken off your sentencing. You are going down for this I’m afraid, but you don’t have to fall so hard.  Please, let me help you out here.”

Snyder looked from Jack to Mia and back again.

“How much if I get time for this?” the man asked.

“Eight to ten,” Jack answered.

Snyder paused, obviously considering his options.

“I want a lawyer,” he said.

Outside t
he interrogation room, they headed down the hallway toward their office.

“I thought we had him,”
she said, clearly upset by what had just transpired.

“We’ve got him.  Lawyer or no.  You done good kid,” Jack said, throwing an elbow into
her shoulder.

“Thanks.  I’m still feeling off kilter though.  I could have done
a better job if my head was fully in the game.”

The pair entered their office. 
She sat down and laid her head on her desk atop a large stack of papers. Her mind was spinning and she had never been so confused and upset about her mental state.  It was distracting and she hated feeling so vulnerable.

“What is it?” Jack asked.

She didn’t answer.

“The aura thing?”

She grunted.

“The guy without the aura or the guy with the dark one?” Jack pried.

“Yes,” she said, lifting her head at last, the stress of the situation written all over her face.

As they looked at one another,
she knew he was waiting for her to open up.  After being raised with six sisters, Jack was good at waiting.

She
sighed loudly.  “The aura-less guy, Thomas Pritchett, showed up for another lineup.  I didn’t say anything at the time, but I saw him at brunch with you and Stella on Sunday.  He’s a busboy at Belinda’s.  While we were there, he kept looking at me.  Probably because I was looking at him.  Anyway, I talked to him today.”

“Here at the station?” Jack asked.

“Yes.  He followed me down the hallway.”

“Seriously?”
he asked, furrowing his brow.

“Yeah.” 
she paused.  “He was nice.”

“
‘He was nice?’  Mia!  He’s a busboy.  He works lineups.  And for some unknown reason, he has no aura!” Jack exclaimed.

“Maybe he does have an aura and I just can’t see it.  He could be light.  Maybe I’m the problem.”

“You’re not the problem,” Jack announced.

“If I’m not the problem
, then why is the commissioner dark?”

He
didn’t respond.

She
remained silent for several minutes while Jack logged on to his computer.  Finally she asked, “Do you think I should say something to my dad about the commissioner?”

“Why would you?” Jack replied.

“Because if I’m not the problem then he should know.”

He
stared at her.  “I don’t know what to say to you.  I guess just do what you need to do.”

She
rose from her chair, feeling empowered and surprisingly confident in her abilities.  She crossed the office without looking at Jack and walked swiftly into the hallway.  She headed toward her father’s office and was pleased to find him sitting at his desk.  She knocked on the door and he waved her into the room.

“Hi
, Dad,” she said.

“Hi
, Honey.  How was your day?” he asked.

“Fine.”  She paused.  “No, actually, not fine.  Weird.”

“Weird how?” he asked, motioning for her to sit down beside him.

She
sat down and composed her thoughts, remaining silent for several moments.

“Whoa.  This is serious,” her father commented
as he waited for her to begin.

She
looked at her father, commanding his full attention.  “Dad, remember the day when I was nine and we saw the man in the museum?”

“Yes.  Of course.”

“Do you remember what you told me that day?”

“Yes.  I told you I believed in you and your abilities.”

“And do you still?” she asked.

“You know I do
, Mia.  What’s all this about?”

“It’s about the commissioner.”

“What about the commissioner?”

She
took a deep breath and closed her eyes.  When she opened them, she looked directly into her father’s eyes and willed him to understand.  “Dad, I don’t think the commissioner is everything he appears to be.”

“How does he appear
, Mia?  How does he appear to
you
?” he asked, his voice wavering slightly.

“His aura is
as dark as I’ve ever seen,” she replied in a whisper.

He
didn’t respond to her for several minutes.  She was just about to leave when he finally spoke.

“How can that be?” he asked.

“I don’t know, Dad,” she replied.  “But here’s the way I see it… there’s either something wrong with him or there’s something wrong with me.  Either way, it’s a lose-lose situation.”

“That it is,”
he acknowledged.  After a moment he continued.  “Can I be honest?”

“Yes.”

“I kind of hope there’s something wrong with you.”

“Me too
, Dad.  Me too.”

CHAPTER

9

KATE

“Does Father know you’ve come back,” Tetyana whispered to Kate as she allowed her older sister to crawl under the covers beside her.

“No,”
she replied.

Although it was still several hours until sunrise,
she had spent most of the night wandering the streets of Kiev trying to think of a way out of her predicament.  Like always, she knew she would find a way to use her power of actualization to get what she wanted, but she was still struggling with which course of action she should take.   Finally, after her feet could carry her no further and her hands could no longer feel the coldness of the night, she had relented and returned home.  Without a sound, she had crept into the apartment and without taking her clothes off, climbed into bed with her sister.

“You’re freezing,” Tetyana said, wrapping her arms tightly around
her.

“How mad is he?”
she whispered, not wanting to wake Natalya.

“You know Papa.  He boils quickly, but he cools
quickly too.  I heard him ask Mama if he should go looking for you before they went to sleep.  He will be happy to see you at breakfast, even if he doesn’t say so.”

She
felt her limbs slowly thawing out and she allowed herself to close her eyes.  When she awoke several hours later, she was still wrapped in her sister’s arms.  As she stirred, Tetyana woke as well, stretching and yawning in the dim light of morning.

“Do you really think they don’t have enough money for
all of us?” Tetyana asked out of nowhere, clearly having thought a great deal about it while she had been gone.

“I know they don’t,”
she replied.

“Then we won’t go to school.  We’ll just go to work with you.”

“Tetty, no.  That’s not an option.  You and Natalya must go to university.  I promise you, I will find a way.”

“F
ind a way to what?” Natalya asked from the twin bed beside them as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

“Find a way to pay for our school,” Tetyana replied.

“Oh, Kate,” Natalya exclaimed, realizing her sister had returned, “you’re back!”

Natalya clam
bered out of her bed and jumped on top of her sisters, pushing all three of them into a pile on the floor.  They erupted into a fit of hysterics, laughing and giggling as if they hadn’t a care in the world.  After several moments of uncharacteristically childlike behavior, the girls settled themselves and returned to the beds. Tetyana turned to her.

“What should we do?” she asked, serious once again.

“Last night, while I was walking, I remembered a flyer I saw in the student union building a few months ago.  It caught my attention because it had an American flag on it.  It said something about applying for an American to sponsor your tuition.  I remember it seemed strange to me, but maybe it is something I should look into,” she explained.

“Do you think it
’s real?  Do you think Americans do that?” Natalya asked.

“I don’t know.  But it was in the student union.  I was going to head there before work today to s
ee if the flyer was still there.  I’m sure it will be,” she said.

Tetyana
nodded in agreement.  “Are you prepared to face Papa this morning?” she asked.

“No.  Not really. 
I guess I should probably do something to smooth the waters with him.”

“We can
help you,” Natalya said.

“Yes, we’ll help!  Let’s go make him his favorite breakfast.  It will make him forget all about last night!” Tetyana exclaimed.

The three sisters worked quietly but efficiently in the tiny kitchen, preparing their father’s favorite breakfast the best they could with the supplies they had available to them.  They were able to prepare the blini with what little flour, sugar, and salt was in the pantry.  She was happy to see they had just enough buttermilk and the single egg required to complete the recipe.

“Do we have some cheese?
” she asked.

“A little.  A
nd look,” said Natalya, opening the icebox, “here’s some jam for the blini.  And it’s currant, his favorite.”

The girls brewed a kettle of black tea and prepared the tray of food to carry into their father’s room. 
She closed her eyes and envisioned her father’s forgiveness.  As she walked confidently down the hall, she knew his anger did not stand a chance against her abilities.  At precisely eight o’clock, they entered the room.

“Good morning, Papa,”
she said.  “And good morning to you too, Mama.”

“Good morni
ng, Yekaterina.  I am glad to see you are safe.”

“I am fine, Papa
.  Thank you.”  She paused.  “We made you breakfast,” she said boldly, handing her father the tray of food.

“Blini!  My favorite!”
her father exclaimed.  “How thoughtful of you all.  Thank you.”

“You are welcome
, Papa.  I hope you can forgive me for speaking out of turn last night,” she ventured as her father took his first bite of blini.

“You are already forgiven
, Daughter.”

“Thank you.
  If you will excuse me, I must get ready for work now,” she said as she backed out of the room, thankful that she had been able to change his mood so easily.

Exhausted but invigorated by the prospect of securing tuition for her sisters’ education, she dressed in several layers in preparation for her journey to work.  She planned to leave an hour earlier than usual in order to give herself enough time to stop by the student union to inquire about the flyer.  She wrapped her scarf around her head and face, threw her messenger bag across her chest, and, after kissing her mother and sisters goodbye, headed into the morning.

She
enjoyed her walk to the university.  Even after walking for several hours the night before, her legs were fresh and strong.  She rarely took public transportation and instead preferred to walk most places she needed to go.  She strolled beside the Dnieper River along a well-worn tree lined path.  In the coldest winter months, it was frequently frozen solid, providing travelers the ability to ice skate to their destinations along the entire length of the river.  During the summer, the beaches along the riverbanks were full of bathers and sun seekers alike.  As she made her way to the student union, there were neither skaters nor bathers.  In fact, she found herself quite alone.

Upon arrival at
the student union, she quickly made her way to the large corkboard where she had seen the flyer regarding the American investors.  Her heart leapt as she spotted the flyer just where she had seen it several months before.  She had known it would still be there, waiting for her.

It read, “American investor in search of students
needing cash for tuition.”  She pulled a paper and pen from her bag and wrote down the information, including the name and number of the person to contact.  She was pleased to see it was a local number but thought it was unusual for an American to have a Ukrainian exchange.

After leaving campus,
she surrendered to the ease of the metro and quickly arrived at the National Museum of Literature where she worked several days a week cataloging books into their ever expanding library.  After clocking in, she checked with her supervisor to see what she was expected to accomplish during her shift.  As soon as she was permitted, she stole away to an abandoned office in an administrative wing of the museum.  She quietly closed the door behind her and lifted the receiver of the phone on the desk.  She heard a dial tone and dialed the numbers from the flyer.  It rang only twice.

“Hello?” a woman’s voice answered.

“Hello.  My name is Yekaterina Malinov.  I am a student at KPI and I came across your flyer on a board in the student union.  I was interested in finding out more about your program.”

“Miss Malinov, I’m so happy you’ve called.  We are always looking for qualified young women for our program,” the woman replied warmly.

“What do I need to do to apply?” she asked.

“We hold seminars once a week at our offices located by Poshtova Square.  Are you familiar with the area?”

“Yes ma’am.”

“
Wonderful.  I will email you a formal invitation and you can join us this coming Wednesday for an informational seminar.  Do you have an email address you can share?”

She
gave the woman her address and thanked her for her time.  She replaced the receiver and suddenly felt as light as air.  In an unusual show of emotion, she skipped down the hallway back into the main portion of the museum where she completed her assigned work for the day with renewed energy. 

Her excitement in sharing
the news of the seminar with her sisters was so great that when her shift ended, she found she couldn’t wait another moment to get home to them.  Instead of taking the hour to walk across the city as she normally did, she frivolously spent money on the metro for the second time in one day which allowed her to make it home in less than ten minutes.  Both Natalya and Tetyana were preparing dinner in the kitchen when she burst through the apartment door.

“Hello
, sisters!” she called to them.

“Hello
, Kate!” they called back in unison.

She
threw off her coat and scarf and laid her messenger bag on the kitchen table.  She collapsed into the kitchen chair which creaked unpleasantly under her weight.

“You are going to university!” she announced.

“What do you mean?” Natalya exclaimed, turning from the fish she was preparing on the stove.

“I’ve been invited to a seminar on Wednesday with the American investor!”
she explained.

“Already?” Tetyana asked.

“Yes!  Can you believe it?  I promise you I will convince them to invest in us, all three of us,” she said.

“
Are you going to say anything to Mama and Papa?” asked Natalya.

“No.  I’m going to wait unti
l I’ve been selected.  Once the investors have promised me money, how will they be able to refuse?”

“How indeed!” Tetyana agreed.

She busied herself with her sisters, preparing supper for her family.  As she finished scrubbing the potatoes, she could not help but smile to herself, confident, that like always, things were going to turn out just the way she had planned.