Red Julie (An Olivia Miller Mystery Book 2) (14 page)

“This is a perfect location…the view, the privacy,” Olivia said. “The best spot in the entire town.”

“Hmmm. Well, it would be, if not for that,” Alexei said as he gestured to the house to their right. “It’s like a sentry watching over us. A monstrosity.” His voice had turned cold. He glared at it with his jaw clenched. Olivia was taken aback at how quickly Alexei’s mood could shift from pleasant and conversational to angry. He was almost like a split personality.

Alexei turned his attention to Olivia. “I heard that you were at the accident scene of our poor neighbor’s demise.”

“I was,” Olivia answered.

“Was he alive when you arrived?”

Olivia nodded.

“Did he speak?”

“I tried to comfort him,” Olivia said.

“What did he say?”

“Nothing that made any sense. He must have been in shock.”

Alexei’s eyes held Olivia’s and he took a step closer. “What did he say to you?”

Olivia didn’t like Alexei’s intense interest in the accident. “Nothing.”

“But you said he spoke.”

“I said he didn’t make any sense.” Olivia’s voice was firm.

“But what words did he say?” Alexei pressed.

Olivia wondered why on earth Alexei was so keen on this topic. “He was praying,” she lied.

“You said he wasn’t making sense.”

“Why are you asking me this?” Olivia demanded. Flickers of anger flashed in her eyes.

“He was my neighbor.”

“Had you met him?”

Alexei shook his head.

Olivia held up her hands. “Then your interest seems morbid.” Her tone was sharp with anger. “The man was incoherent. He was dying. I tried to comfort him, Alexei. That’s all.” She faced the ocean. As far as she was concerned, the conversation was over.

“I’ve upset you. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…”

Olivia shook her head and put her hand up. “Stop.”

They stood in silence for several minutes.

“Come. Let me show you the house,” Alexei said.

Olivia started to protest. Being with Alexei was like riding a mood swing merry-go-round, and she wanted off the carousel.

“The work is really wonderful. I think you’ll like it. Please, come see.” He started across the lawn and beckoned to her with his hand.

Olivia looked over her shoulder at the crowd. “I should get back. I haven’t seen my friends for a while.”

“They’ll be fine. We won’t be long. Come see how nice it turned out.” He smiled and walked backwards. “Please.”

Olivia was curious about the renovations to the old house and she knew Joe would love to hear about what they had done to it. “I guess, but just for a little while,” Olivia told him.

They climbed the steps to the veranda and entered the house through the French doors. They stepped into a massive living room furnished with beautiful white sofas, oriental rugs, impressive paintings, and two shimmering crystal chandeliers. The wall was expanses of glass, bringing the manicured lawn and the sea beyond into the room. The effect was breathtaking. Alexei pointed at the paintings.

“These are Matisse. My father prefers the Dutch masters, but he chose these because of the color scheme.”

Olivia noticed security cameras poised at different points in the rooms. They entered a long dining room with stained glass windows along one wall. There was a huge mahogany table which easily seated twenty-four. Pale yellow walls were illuminated by another crystal chandelier. “This is Venetian crystal, Murano. We found it in Venice last summer,” Alexei said. “And my father had to have it for this room.” He continued the tour, showing a billiards room, a media room, two kitchens, a library, a den, and a ballroom. Each room was meticulously decorated with the finest furnishings, paintings, and finishing touches. Alexei relayed tidbits of information regarding several pieces in each of the rooms. He indicated a long hallway that he said contained his father’s office suites and staff rooms, but they did not enter there.

As they came back to the living room where they had started the tour, Alexei said, “And upstairs there are eleven bedroom suites, each with its own sitting room and private bath. In addition, there is another living room, media room, small kitchen, library, and office suite on that floor. There are two elevators as well; one for staff and one for family.”

“Well,” Olivia said. “It’s all very grand and beautiful. Your family did a masterful job of restoring and expanding the house. A lovely new home.”

“Thank you,” Alexei said. “It will be used primarily in the summer.”

“Where is your main residence?” Olivia asked.

Alexei chuckled. “Wherever we happen to be at the time.”

Olivia held his eyes and tilted her head at his evasive answer.

“Where do you call home?” Olivia asked.

“Wherever my father tells me to be.”

“That’s a strange answer,” Olivia told him.

Alexei ignored the comment and took Olivia’s elbow, steering her toward the French doors leading to the veranda, when Olivia remembered something. “Oh wait. You didn’t show me the room everyone is talking about.”

Alexei cocked his head. “What do you mean?”

“The safe room,” Olivia said.

Alexei’s face clouded over and he kept walking. “Gossip.”

“Really?” Olivia peered at him. “So many people claim that your father built one here.”

“Ridiculous.” The muscles of his jaw twitched.

“Even some of the construction workers talk about it.”

Alexei wheeled to her. “What? Who?”

Olivia startled at his strong reaction. “I don’t know who. People talk.”

“Exactly,” Alexei said. “They talk about things they know nothing about.”

“Why does this anger you?” she asked.

“It doesn’t,” he said sharply and strode through the French doors ahead of Olivia.

Instead of following him along the veranda, Olivia walked to the rail of the wide porch and stood looking out over the lawn.

“May I help you, Miss?” A butler stood at her elbow. “Is there something you wish?”

Ugh
, Olivia thought.
Are we watched every second?
She shook her head.

“Olivia.” Alexei had stopped at the top of the veranda’s stairs. “It’s time to rejoin the party.”

As Olivia strolled over to where Alexei waited, she noticed surveillance cameras at different points on the roof.

“May I?” she asked formally with a touch of sarcasm, questioning if she might descend the stairs before Alexei.

Aware that she asked this because he had strode in anger through the French doors ahead of her when they left the house, he collected himself and said, “Yes. Please.” He offered her his arm and they walked down the stairs together.

At the bottom of the stairs, Alexei said, “Thank you for indulging me with your company.”

Olivia said nothing, but she held his eyes with her own for several seconds, her face expressionless.

“Perhaps we can get together soon,” Alexei said. “A drink? A swim?”

Olivia nodded slightly, and as she turned away she said, “Yes, Alexei. We can get together sometime.” She looked over her shoulder at him. “Sometime when you grow up.”

Olivia, Joe, and Brad sat together in three of the garden chairs that were scattered about the Siderovs’ lawn. It was nearly midnight but the party continued in full swing with no signs of ending any time soon.

“The house sounds magnificent,” Joe said. “I’m jealous you got to see it.”

“It is magnificent,” Olivia told them. “But there’s something weird about it too. There’s such a vibe and feeling of being watched. There are surveillance cameras strategically placed all over outside here. And there are cameras inside as well.”

“The way Alexei questioned you about the accident was strange. What was that all about?” Brad said.

“I don’t know,” Olivia said. “It was concerning how he pushed for answers about what Andersen had said to me at the scene.”

“And you didn’t reveal anything that Andersen said, right? You’re sure?” Joe asked.

“No way. I wasn’t telling him anything. You should have seen his face when he talked about Andersen’s house. ‘A monstrosity’, he said. He looked like he was going to explode.”

“I wonder if he or his family had some sort of run-in with Andersen?” Joe said.

“Nothing like that came up.” Olivia was deep in thought. “It’s very weird how Alexei’s mood fluctuates so wildly. One second he is trying to be all charming and nice and the next second he’s so angry that he seems like he could become violent. But with a father like that one…” Olivia flushed with anger recalling the dance with Mr. Siderov. “Can you imagine him berating me for what happened when Alexei and I were kayaking? What would he do? Threaten me to keep me dating his son?”

“Pathetic,” Brad said.

“It worries me. They worry me,” Joe said.

“No need.” Olivia patted his hand. “He’s all bluster.”

“Sounds like that safe room conversation you had really set Alexei off,” Brad said.

Olivia nodded.

Joe said, “Construction people were dying to get some work on this place. I would have loved to have been part of the renovation team. But instead they flew in experts…so they claimed.”

“But you’re the well-known expert in antique renovation. They never approached you about working on it, Joe?” Olivia asked.

“No. They seemed like they didn’t want any locals involved in the construction. Had to have their own people working on it. Occasionally they hired a guy from the area to do something minor, but even those guys had to sign a non-disclosure agreement.”

“Meaning what?” Brad asked.

“No one was allowed to talk about what they saw at the house. Nothing about the construction was to be discussed with anyone outside the project.”

“That’s strange isn’t it? It’s not usual, is it?” Olivia asked.

“No,” Joe replied. “It’s not usual, but it’s not completely unheard of. Many wealthy people guard their privacy with a vengeance. Or some fear that their homes will be copied and believe doing so will cheapen the value if the design is compromised and repeated.”

“Alexei was furious when I told him that some construction people had been talking in town about the renovations here,” Olivia said.

“You didn’t mention Mike Sullivan’s name, did you, Liv?” Joe asked, concern written on his face.

“No, absolutely not. Anyway, it isn’t only your friend talking about this place. Magdalene Streeter was just talking about the supposed safe room earlier this evening. Rumors run wild, especially when things are shrouded in such mystery,” Olivia said.

“Something seems very off with these people,” Brad said. “What does this guy do?”

“International businessman,” Joe replied.

“That’s pretty vague,” Olivia stated. “But not as vague as Alexei’s answer when I asked him where he called home. Why so secretive? It’s just a simple question…‘where are you from?’ But he wouldn’t answer.”

“I don’t know,” said Brad. “Seems to me there is more going on here. International businessman? Maybe international thief? International smuggler?”

“Brad,” Olivia said. “Keep your voice down. This outside space is probably bugged too.”

“You ever hear the saying…‘behind every great fortune are even greater crimes’?” Joe asked.

“These people give me the creeps,” Olivia said.

“I think I’ve had enough of the Siderovs’ hospitality,” Brad said. “How about we call it a night?”

Joe and Olivia agreed and the three of them walked to the front of the house. Brad handed the car claim ticket to the valet and they were home in under ten minutes.

They changed clothes and made coffee and carried their mugs into the yard to sit by Joe’s fire pit. They leaned back in their chairs and watched the stars shining in the night sky.

“Did you have a nice time with Magdalene Streeter?” Brad asked, smiling.

“Thanks for letting her get her claws into me. I’ll remember how you deserted me,” Joe said. “It was the usual. Trying to get me to sell. Also trying to get me to convince Liv to sell. The woman is relentless.” Joe let out a deep breath. “She didn’t seem to know anything about the cross necklace.”

“No she didn’t,” Brad said. He glanced at Olivia. “Are you awake?”

“I’m thinking.”

“Uh oh,” Joe said. “Means trouble.”

“What are you thinking about?” Brad asked.

“The past couple of weeks…all the things that have happened,” Olivia said. “I feel like I need a chart to keep things straight. All these loose ends…they must be parts of a common thread.” Olivia continued, “Aggie is connected to the mess of it all.”

“Liv…” Joe started. “Nothing seems to add up. Magdalene Streeter can’t be behind it. It’s just too far fetched. How could Aggie be connected to Martin Andersen? How could their deaths be connected in any way?”

“Joe, nobody gets murdered in this town,” Olivia said. “And then there are two murders within a month.”

“Aggie had a heart attack.”

Olivia cut Joe off. “Then why did she have a gun in her dresser? Why was my picture in Andersen’s wallet? My name and address? Aggie could have given it to him.”

Joe didn’t answer.

“Somebody killed her,” Olivia said. “And I’m going to find out who and why. Somehow.” She shifted her gaze to the darkened sea. “If only she hadn’t been cremated. We could ask to have her body exhumed. Make the coroner inspect the body for foul play.” Olivia let a long sigh. “All of this. It’s like scenes in a dream. I just need to pull it together.” She paused. “But the more I think about everything, the more I feel like its just water running through my hands.”

“I think you’re right, Liv,” Brad said. “The circumstances of the two deaths…and just a month apart…it has to be more than coincidence.”

Olivia nodded at Brad. “I need your help. To figure this out.”

She looked across the fire pit to Joe. “I need you’re help too, old man.”

“I was afraid of that,” Joe replied. “And don’t call me old man.” Joe took a deep breath. “Well, it’s way past my bedtime anyway. We may as well stay up all night.” Joe stood up from the chair. “Come on, children. Why don’t we go inside and write down what we know. Maybe putting it on paper will help shed some light on all of this.”

Olivia bolted upright and knocked her coffee mug off the arm of her chair onto the grass. “Dmitri Siderov,” she exclaimed.