Strike Out by Arleigh Jacobs

Author:Arleigh Jacobs [Jacobs, Arleigh]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Conundrum Publishing
Published: 2023-07-20T23:00:00+00:00

“Talia, come on in.” Chauncey the Third held the door open with a welcoming smile.

“Who is it, dear?” Virginia asked, stepping out of one of the adjacent rooms, looking like she belonged on the cover of Rich and Retired magazine.

“I’m here to see Masha,” Colt said, immediately feeling out of place in the expansive foyer. She’d been to the house before, but no one else had been around. She untied her boots and left them by the door.

“Maria is in the sitting room,” Virginia said. There was a slight emphasis on the name, but the tone was otherwise friendly.

Masha appeared in the doorway on the left. “Talia! I was just thinking how lovely it would be if you stopped by. Come, come.”

The Danforths disappeared, leaving Colt with Masha.

“Why does Virginia insist on calling you Maria?” Colt asked as she followed the older woman to the sitting room.

“Virginia is a sweet girl, but very sheltered. She doesn’t like to be reminded that there is unpleasantness in the world. And the need for me to come to the United States and change my name stemmed from a lot of unpleasantness.”

Not for the first time, Colt wondered what had driven Masha to abandon her life in the USSR and flee to a new country. It was a story Masha would share in her own time.

At Masha’s invitation, she joined her on the settee, a stiffly embroidered affair that turned out to be more comfortable than it looked. The room was decorated in an understated elegance, but the many personal touches marked it as a space the family used frequently. Portraits of all Masha’s children and grandchildren were hung on a gallery wall over the fireplace. A larger copy of the photo Danforth had in his office displayed him in his Navy dress whites with Masha sitting beside him. Throw blankets were draped over most of the chairs, and a basket of children’s toys sat tucked in a corner.

“I’m glad we have the chance to talk,” Masha said, pulling a blanket over her lap. “I want to ask you how your search is going.”

“It’s going…” Colt hedged. “We’ve traced the woman in the obituary back as far as we can but have yet to connect her to Yelena.”

Masha sighed. “I wanted to go to the funeral, but with Edward… I couldn’t ask Chauncey to take me.” Her gaze drifted to the portrait wall.

Colt nodded, unsure of what to say.

“And Irina? Have you found her?” Masha turned back to Colt.

“Not yet. I did find what I think is her file, but I’ve been…busy.” Too late, Colt remembered that Danforth hadn’t told his family about Edward’s death, so Masha wouldn’t know they’d been trying to find out the truth.

“Oh. Well, that’s alright. I know you have other responsibilities.”

Not for the first time, Colt felt the urge to strangle Danforth. “Did you happen to remember anything more about her?”

Masha brightened. “Oh, yes! I found something. Be a dear and look in that box, would you?”

Colt walked over to the bookshelf on the opposite wall and opened the decorative box.

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