Stealing the Spanish Princess by Bea Green

Author:Bea Green [Green, Bea]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: International Art Crime Mystery/Thriller/Suspense
Publisher: The Conrad Press
Published: 2020-12-08T13:00:00+00:00

15

Igor, holding a half-empty gin and tonic in his hand, sighed as he looked out of the window of his apartment.

‘This road, the Kamennoostrovsky Prospekt, linking the centre of the city with the north western boroughs, is often labelled “northern moderne”. If you’re an Art Nouveau fan, Richard, you should take the time to look at some of the buildings along this road, especially the Chubakov Apartment Building...’

He stared out of the window and narrowed his eyes, his brow creasing with concentration.

‘I can see your friends are keeping a close eye on you.’

Richard and Abdul got up and looked out of the large sitting room window to where Igor was pointing. All they could see was a stream of people marching purposefully up and down the pavement.

‘Over there, the man in the black coat standing with a briefcase at the bus stop,’ said Igor, continuing to point with his finger.

There was a man at the bus stop but he wasn’t looking at their building. Indeed he seemed to be intensely engrossed in his phone. He lifted his head and did a cursory scan of his surroundings before bending his head to his phone again.

‘He’s been there for last hour and a quarter. I’m guessing someone else is concealed on our side of the street. Not unexpected given there’s two British police officers here.’

Igor walked across to a sumptuous cream sofa and sat down.

‘Well, my friends, what do you think of St Petersburg?’ he asked with ill- concealed pride.

‘It’s stunning,’ said Richard enthusiastically, returning to the sofa with him.

‘I’d like to come back here one day and have enough time to look at all the sights,’ added Abdul, craning his neck to see if he could spot a watcher beneath the window.

When he couldn’t see past the balustrade he gave up and joined Richard on the sofa opposite Igor.

‘Excellent,’ said Igor looking pleased. ‘I know I’m biased but I’ve never stayed in a city as beautiful as St Petersburg. I’ll live and die here.’

‘Really?’ asked Richard in surprise. ‘Rumour had it you were going to move to London in the future.’

Igor smiled sardonically.

‘There’s always rumours, Richard, you should know that by now. Your papers are full of them. I admit Irina had a soft spot for London. She might’ve swayed me but I doubt it,’ ruminated Igor, gazing into the distance. He put his glass down and placed his hands behind his head. ‘My ancestors lived and died here and so will I. I love it here. I’m no communist but I love the egalitarian culture of this city. There are a few very exclusive areas in the city, like the homes on Primorsky Prospekt, for example, or Krestovsky Island, but I can live here very comfortably and safely beside my compatriots. Besides, both Primorsky Prospekt and Krestovsky Ostrov are too close to the Baltic Sea and the snow is very heavy when you live close to the sea.’

Richard glanced at Abdul. It was strange to find Igor so calm and composed.

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