“Of course,” Sarah said.
He walked to the corner of the waiting room and leaned a tense shoulder against the wall. Ava’s phone buzzed and she glanced at the screen.
Nate
Love you too, big sis. I really do. I also appreciate you. And no, NOTHING IS WRONG, I promise. Just had a bit more sleep yesterday and I’m feeling generous.
Ava bit her lip on a laugh, relief flooding her. He was a good kid. He’d be okay. She shot a glance at Caden. His broad shoulders had slumped, as though he simply had too much weight on them, and while he was strong, Ava sighed, wishing she could do something to help. Anything to take some of the stress from him. But for now, she’d simply be here and support him. Exactly what he’d do for her.
Nicolai stood in his special room and inhaled. It had taken him months to put this together. He strolled to the instrument wall and stroked the collection of knives he’d hung from largest to smallest.
Next, he envisioned what he could do with the saw. But he would only use that as a last resort. Maybe to help hide the body when he was done. He doubted he’d need it, but it was good to be prepared. Then there was the assortment of whips. He even had a cat-o’-nine-tails he’d crafted himself.
Everything was in order. He thought about using it on his current prisoner, but Nicolai would have to move the man to this room, and he simply didn’t want to take a chance on him escaping. Because as soon as he was out of the room next door, he would attempt it.
When he’d started on his quest for justice for his family, he’d never envisioned this type of thing. But slowly, his vision had changed after learning about his enemy’s daughter.
Nicolai turned and walked to the table at the center of the room. His masterpiece. He checked the straps by pulling as hard as he could. They held strong. He had a stack of candles that he would place around the table and light them to give the room an eerie atmosphere. Not only was he going to physically torture his intended target until he became bored, but toying with her mentally might actually be more fun.
He stilled and rolled that word over in his head. Fun?
Since when had the killing become something he enjoyed?
Interesting. He’d have to examine that emotion later.
Nicolai made sure the television on the wall was on and that the camera was positioned just right, then walked to the door and turned once more to survey his handiwork. Yes, it had all come together nicely.
Now to find Ava Jackson and put it to use.
Caden pressed the phone to his ear once more. “Okay, Daria, what’s going on?”
“I’m sorry to bother you while you’re dealing with your dad, but I can’t get ahold of Zane. I think he’s still down for the count with that cold.”
“That’s okay. I’m in wait mode anyway. Fill me in.” He glanced over his shoulder and saw the ladies huddled together. Good, they would keep Sarah occupied. He noted Gavin’s stance, his attention focused on the door.
He could focus on Daria’s words because no one was going to get to Ava right now.
“. . . looks like we’ve got a possible location on Nicolai.”
“Where?”
She gave him the address. “It’s a rental, but it’s not in his name. Once I knew who he was, I was able to go in and find out all kinds of stuff about him. His family died when he was ten years old, and he was shipped off to live with an aunt in Kostroma. She’s a descendant of the Romanovs, never married, and had no children. But she had tons of old family money—like ‘many, many millions’ tons. Reports are that she doted on Nicolai. He excelled in school in spite of the tragic loss of his family, went on to university, and graduated with honors about two years ago.”
“Graduated in what field?”
“Computer science.”
“So, he’s definitely smart.”
“Very.”
“How did his family die? That’s waving a huge red flag for me. He has a dead family and he’s killing families. There’s got to be some connection.”
She sighed. “That’s where it gets kind of muddy. Some reports say it was an intruder. Others say it was a car accident. One report even says it was a murder-suicide by his mother.”
“She killed the kids and then herself.”
“Maybe. But the house burned down, too, with all of them in it. So, who knows? It’s like they threw out the causes and said, ‘Pick one.’”
“Well, regardless of how they died, they’re still dead and that would mess with anyone’s head.”
Daria let out a humorless laugh. “Yes, well, not everyone with a tragic childhood or past turns out to be a serial killer.”
Caden flinched. “Daria, I didn’t mean to—”
“Forget it. I don’t think about it most days.”
Daria’s father had been as evil as anyone Caden had ever encountered. And she’d helped bring him to justice, earning herself hero status in his eyes—and a place at the Bureau. He didn’t quite buy that she was past thinking about it most days.
“You’ve learned from your experiences and are a better person because of them,” he said. “Don’t let anyone tell you any different.”
“Thanks, Caden, I’m fine. So, anyway, back to the aunt. Her name is Vanya Tunicova. Nicolai’s mother was her sister. In the last six months, she’s rented short term. Some are extended-stay hotels, others are corporate apartments, and one was an Airbnb she stayed in for about a month. All of her moves correspond to the killings.”
Finally. “He’s moving her with him, letting her rent the places and keeping his name out of it. Is the address you gave me an Airbnb?”
“It is.”
“Is Nicolai staying with her?”
Another sigh. “I’ve been unable to confirm that. Right now, there are two agents watching the house, as well as local police.”
“All right, tell them not to spook her. I want to talk to her.”
“Well, good luck. I put on my acting hat and my Southern accent and called the Airbnb landline. She answered, and I asked her about speaking to the man of the house about a food service with home delivery. She spat a flurry of Russian at me, and while I understood every word she said, I pretended like I didn’t just in case it would tip her off.”
“What’d she say?”
“Nothing earth shattering. Basically, that she didn’t need a man to tell her if she could order food, that she was the one who cooked and put the food on the table, and that if she wanted to sign up, she would. She also mentioned that I needed to join the current century and realize that women were allowed to use their brains and make decisions for themselves. On and on about that until she finally hung up. So, sorry, I didn’t get a good feel for whether Nicolai was there or not. However, local officers are on the way to assess the situation and see if they can find out for sure.”
“Good.” He thought about it with one eye on the ladies and one on the woman at the desk in the waiting area. All information went through her. If the doctor wanted them to know something, she’d get the call. “Listen, I can’t leave until I know whether my father is going to live or die. Zane is on sick leave. Frank Green is familiar with this case. Can he go out and question the woman?”