Unveiling Lies (Eastcove Lies Book 2) Page 7

  Maxim shook his head. ‘Coffee?’

  Alyona shrugged off her coat and took the seat opposite Maxim at the table.

  Maxim poured Alyona a mugful from the warm coffee pot before speaking again. ‘No-one outside of Koravkovia has even heard of the Koravkovia ring.’

  Alyona wrapped her numb fingers around her mug to warm them. ‘I was certain Tatyana had it before her death. I have finished my search of the whole house but I cannot find it!’

  ‘Are you sure Stephen has not hidden it?’

  Alyona nodded, her blonde ponytail swishing. ‘He is a drunken idiot and incapable of concealing anything!’ She jumped to her feet and paced the small kitchen. ‘I thought I would finally unravel the mystery of the stolen ring but, like my father and his father before him, I have failed. I will never return my great-grandfather’s ring to Koravkovia!’

  Maxim rose and enveloped Alyona in his arms. ‘Calm yourself, my darling, we will find it and return it to its rightful place. Drink your coffee.’

  ‘Pah!’ Alyona spat, her Russian accent thickening with anger. ‘I do not want coffee; I want a proper drink!’ She yanked open the fridge door and selected a bottle of champagne. ‘I took this from Stephen’s vintage collection. You want to join me?’

  Maxim’s arm snaked around her waist as Alyona popped the cork from the bottle. He nuzzled her neck. ‘What a silly question. I will always join you, Alyona. Always.’

  Alyona poured two glasses and handed one to Maxim. ‘Did I tell you how Tatyana refused to even acknowledge she knew about the existence of my family’s ring?’

  Maxim nodded in amusement and wordlessly sipped his drink, knowing it best to allow Alyona space for expression.

  ‘And then, to make things worse, I discover her great-grandmother and that stealing husband of hers stole not only my great-grandfather’s ring but his name of Petrov!’ She spat on the floor. ‘Igor Marov was not fit to even speak the name of Petrov. I will find my family ring and I, Alyona, the last royal Petrova will return it to Koravkovia unlike any of my ancestors were able to do!’

  * * *

  ‘You can’t sit there.’ Suzy scowled at Sevastian as he dropped into the seat Julian had vacated after receiving an urgent police related telephone call.

  She set down her notepad and pen which she always kept in her handbag; she had been using the free time to jot down some notes for a critique of the restaurant. Nervously, her gaze shifted to where the detective was continuing the call in the privacy of his car. Silently she willed him to return quickly.

  Glaring at Sevastian she asked, ‘What do want? I’m busy.’

  Sevastian’s square shoulders stiffened. ‘That is not a very nice greeting to the man who saved your handbag.’

  ‘Well, thanks again but I have nothing more to say to you.’ Suzy trembled, unnerved by Sevastian’s steadfast gaze.

  Sevastian lifted up Julian’s half full glass and took an experimental sip. ‘Plain orange juice?’

  Suzy nodded. ‘Don’t you recognise my companion from the Prendergast party? He’s the detective.’

  Sevastian shrugged. ‘I do not wish to talk about him. I wish to talk about you.’

  A shiver raced down Suzy’s spine.

  ‘Do you not think it strange the jeweller was murdered on the very same day he had dealings with you?’

  Suzy froze. ‘I don’t know what you mean and how do you know about that?’

  Sevastian tut-tutted. ‘Come, come, Suzanna, everyone is talking about his death.’

  ‘Don’t call me Suzanna.’

  ‘Why not? It is a pretty name, it suits you.’

  ‘Only my family call me Suzanna. You don’t even know me.’

  Sevastian’s eyes darkened. ‘I know what you and the jeweller were discussing.’

  Suzy gasped, fear widening her own, green eyes. ‘How?’

  Sevastian tapped the side of his nose. ‘Where is it?’

  ‘What?’

  ‘The diamond. Do not play games with me. You are not stupid.’

  Suzy’s forehead began to sweat. Was Sevastian the one searching for the Vydrina Diamond? She laughed nervously. ‘What diamond?’

  ‘You know what diamond,’ he hissed, reaching across the table and grabbing her hand. ‘Did I not warn you to keep your eyes open?’

  Suzy’s heart raced, Sevastian’s touch searing into her flesh. Gasping, she yanked her hand free, the skin refusing to lose the memory of his fingers.

  ‘Can I help you?’ Julian interrupted, glaring down at Sevastian. ‘Is there a reason why you’re in my seat?’

  Sevastian, elbows on the table, appeared unfazed. ‘Is there anything wrong with enquiring after the woman I pursued a thief for?’

  ‘Suzy filled me in on the unfortunate event but you’re still in my seat.’ Julian pointedly indicated a waitress who had arrived with desserts.

  Sevastian roughly pushed the chair backwards, its feet scraping noisily against the floor, and rose to his feet. ‘All yours. I would not wish to intrude.’

  Although Sevastian was several inches taller than him, Julian refused to move and eyeballed him suspiciously.

  ‘Remember what I said, Suzanna,’ Sevastian warned before he walked away.

  Julian took his seat opposite her. ‘What did he mean about remembering what he said? Who is he?’

  ‘His name is Sevastian. He warned me to keep my eyes open.’ Suzy shuddered, unable to conceal the tremor those words invoked. Nerves fizzed to the tips of her fingers as she watched Sevastian lean against the bar, his unwavering gaze capturing her. She jumped when Julian gently touched her hand.

  ‘Do you know him very well?’

  Suzy shook her head. ‘The bag incident was the first time I met him.’

  ‘So he could have staged the bag snatch just to get close to you.’

  ‘That thought did cross my mind.’

  ‘And it was only your mobile that was taken from your bag?’

  Suzy nodded. ‘The ring was with the jeweller by then.’

  ‘And you haven’t received any calls from your phone?’

  ‘Nope. I was on my way out to buy a new phone before finding the…,’ Suzy struggled to even say it. ‘Before finding the severed head.’

  Julian thoughtfully sipped his drink. ‘So the phone wasn’t taken as an inroad to gaining contact with you. Was there anything important on it? Your diary? Bank details?’

  Suzy shook her head. ‘It wasn’t even particularly new; I’d had it for two years.’

  ‘Maybe it was a purely an opportunistic theft and bears no relation to the Vydrina Diamond.’

  Suzy had already considered this. ‘I don’t think so,’ she replied slowly. ‘There were plenty of other people around at the time. If you were a thief wouldn’t you have picked someone less likely to chase after you?’

  ‘Well, we’re back full circle again. That is, unless your attacker thought there was something on your phone they needed.’

  Suzy racked her brain. ‘I didn’t really use it in that way, only for calls and texts. Of course, there were pictures of Simon and I on there, some text messages from Simon and some to him but that was all.’

  Julian’s chiselled face brightened. ‘Any important messages?’

  Suzy’s eyes clouded while she thought. ‘Yes! Simon sent me a text message with the access code to his apartment!’

  ‘That’s what your attacker was hoping to find, I bet!’

  ‘Does it mean my attacker and the killer are the same person?’ Suzy’s face paled. ‘It was the killer in Simon’s place after all and the access code had to be known to gain entry.’

  ‘Unless,’ Julian continued, ‘Nathaniel gave the killer the access code before he died and your mugging was just that, a street mugging.’

  Suzy made a frustrated noise, dropping her head into her hands. ‘How do we find out who the killer is?’

  ‘We need to draw the lunatic out.’

  ‘How?’

  ‘First we pop to the supe
rstore and buy you a mobile phone. I think I have a plan, do you trust me?’

  ‘Remember,’ Julian said as he dropped Suzy home. ‘Do not breathe a word of this to anyone. Do you understand? We may just have the time to do this.’

  Suzy clutched her handbag tightly. ‘I understand completely.’

  Julian reached across her and opened the passenger door and for a moment Suzy wondered if he was about to kiss her.

  ‘Lock up.’ Julian smiled before leaning back in his seat and placing both hands on the steering wheel. ‘I’ll be in touch in the morning.’

  Suzy stood in the darkness on the pavement and watched Julian’s car edge away.

  He was a very attractive man, she thought, so why hadn’t she been disappointed when he hadn’t kissed her? Her heart must still be broken from the loss of Simon. Not simply from his death but from the loss of their love which had died only hours before he had.

  Why had her pulse raced when Sevastian’s hand had seared hers, was it through fear or something else entirely?

  The sound of the television mixed with her parents’ laughter greeted her once she opened her front door. Her thoughts would have to wait as her mother was bound to want to catch up with the gossip and a severed head certainly counted as A-class gossip.

  * * *

  Sevastian, cloaked by darkness in the small lane running between the two houses opposite Suzy’s, waited until the detective had driven away and Suzy was inside her house before activating his mobile phone, selecting a number and speaking rapidly in his native tongue.

  * * *

  Chapter Seven

  The following day, seated at her kitchen table, Suzy yawned loudly, earning herself a reproving throat-clearing from her mother.

  ‘It’s two-thirty in the afternoon, Suzanna, you should be wide awake.’

  ‘I didn’t sleep well.’ Suzy pointed at her head. ‘Did you forget about my head?’

  Arabella shuddered. ‘No, nor have I forgotten about the other head.’

  ‘You didn’t even see it!’ Suzy rubbed her eyes. That head had haunted her throughout the night, each time she’d closed her eyes she’d seen its bloodied image.

  Suzy’s father’s stocky form filled the kitchen door. ‘What’s this?’ He held out the local newspaper.

  Suzy jumped up and grabbed the paper. ‘He managed to get it done. The paper must’ve worked through the night!’

  ‘What is it?’ Arabella peered over Suzy’s shoulder. ‘A diamond ring?’ Her voice rose into a screech. ‘Only worth three hundred and twenty-five million pounds!’ She fanned herself with her hand.

  Richard sighed. ‘Yes, dear. Suzy, have you read this article?’

  Suzy silently shook her head, remembering Julian’s plan. ‘What does it say?’

  Arabella, her cheeks red, motioned with her hands for one of them to hurry up and read it.

  Richard handed the paper to Suzy, his eyes never leaving her face.

  Suzy started at the beginning of the article.

  “Eastcove Local Exclusive -

  The Lost Vydrina Diamond has reportedly been found by a local woman.

  The Vydrina Diamond ring was reputedly one of the top three most expensive rings in the world when it was secretly commissioned into life over twenty-five years ago. World renowned designer Christophe Lefebvre designed the piece as his last stroke of genius before the fatal heart-attack which claimed his life in 1986.

  Lefebvre completed the ring but never disclosed who the ring was made for. A secret he took to his grave. The ring’s existence was only discovered after Lefebvre’s death and his many design books were snapped up by the local arts museum.

  The Vydrina Diamond is an exquisite piece of jewellery comprising of a whopping 35.69 carats of flawless pink diamond, flanked either side by emerald cut white diamonds, and set in a band of Platinum and white diamonds.

  A local woman made the discovery when unwrapping a Christmas present from her fiancé. After the ring was appraised it would appear the young woman had been presented with a life-changing gift.

  “I knew I couldn’t keep it,” the woman said. “It was worth far too much money but it was lovely to slip it on my finger even for a short time.”

  The finder of the Vydrina Diamond ring is now awaiting a cheque from the highest bidder. Currently, the Wantock Jewellery Museum, seven miles from Eastcove, are offering the highest amount.

  The finder of the ring is happy to be able to visit the ring whenever she wishes and said of the expected payment: “I am very pleased with the offer Wantock made me regarding the diamond ring. I’ve always played the lottery but I never imagined I could become a multi-millionaire this way!”

  For the young woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, the find comes at a price and the price was the loss of a family member. It is believed a spate of recent murders can be attributed to the presence of this very ring in Eastcove.

  Read more about the murders on page 2.

  Maybe this should serve as a poignant note to us all. It’s not how much money you have at this festive time but how much you give to others through your hearts.”

  Suzy laid the newspaper on the table. ‘I don’t need to read about the murders, I’ve seen enough of the carnage first hand.’

  Arabella closed her mouth. ‘Who found the ring then?’

  Suzy swallowed. Right, now was the time to stick to Julian’s plan. Everyone, including her parents, needed to believe she had the Vydrina Diamond—or at least knew where it was being kept. ‘Me.’

  Arabella screamed, springing to her feet. ‘We’re going to be rich! Did you hear, Richard?’

  Richard did not answer.

  ‘When did you find it?’ Arabella demanded. ‘Why didn’t you tell me? Oh my goodness this is the most exciting thing to have ever happened to us!’

  Suzy felt guilty for the light in her mother’s eyes. For all she knew the Vydrina Diamond could have left the country. The report was one big lie. ‘It was the ring Simon was going to give me for Christmas.’ At least that part was true.

  ‘Ah ha!’ Arabella shouted triumphantly. ‘I knew that ring was worth something! I told you so, didn’t I?’

  Suzy smiled. ‘You did.’

  ‘How many other offers have you had?’ Arabella prattled on. ‘How much has that jewellery museum offered? I think you should hold out for the longest time. You can quit that poxy little food critique job of yours and stop messing around with that silly little blog and just enjoy your life with us...we can all travel around the world. Over and over if we want!’

  Richard dropped his head in his hands and groaned.

  Suzy, her own head spinning from her mother’s incessant wittering, snapped. ‘It’s a lie but you can’t breathe a word of it to anyone!’

  Arabella abruptly stopped her stream of words and gulped. ‘What?’

  ‘It’s a ploy to draw out the murderer. DC Sanders orchestrated it,’ Suzy continued. ‘I did have the ring but now it’s in a safe somewhere and I don’t know where. The only people who did are dead…murdered!’

  ‘You had the Vydrina Diamond?’ Richard asked quietly. ‘And you never told us?’

  Arabella wailed. ‘This is so unfair!’

  Suzy huffed. ‘I was trying to protect you both. Don’t you see? The jeweller was murdered over it, his wife and daughter too. The head on the door handle was a warning to me telling me to give up the Vydrina Diamond or die!’

  Arabella’s face paled. ‘Oh my goodness, you’re right!’ She flung her arms around Suzy. ‘All this time you’ve been trying to keep us safe and I’ve been prattling on at you like an idiot.’

  Suzy softened. ‘It is okay, Mum. I know what you’re like and I know you love me really.’

  Arabella nodded. ‘How is this DC Sanders planning on keeping you safe?’

  Suzy, realising she had already said far too much thought there was no point stopping now. ‘There’s a car parked on the road nearby and some officers in a house opposite. If I suspect any troubl
e I just hit a number on my phone and they’ll be straight here. DC Sanders suspects it won’t even go that far, he’s certain he’ll pick the murderer up before they make it into the house.’

  ‘Right, that’s it then.’ Arabella turned to her husband. ‘Get yourself into town and buy something special for dinner tonight. I want to cook us a nice family meal. Suzanna and I will keep our minds busy by putting the tree up in the lounge. There’s no point us watching the clock and waiting for something to happen.’

  Richard rolled his eyes. ‘Right, I have my orders. Will you two be okay putting the tree up?’

  ‘Sure, Dad.’

  Richard hugged her. ‘I love you, Suzanna.’

  The tree in the lounge was up and fully decorated by the time Richard returned from the town an hour and a half later. It had taken longer than usual to erect the tree as, within the Christmas decorations box, Suzy had found the previous year’s Christmas card which she and Simon had sent to friends and relatives. The card was a photograph of the pair of them grinning stupidly at each other in front of a gigantic tree in the Grand Hall in Simon’s parents’ house. She remembered how his parents had forced them to have the photograph taken. Now, in the space of a year and within only six months of each other, not only was Tanya gone but Simon also.

  ‘That looks beautiful!’ Richard beamed from the lounge doorway. He tugged his coat off and tossed it onto the arm of the sofa.

  Arabella swooped on the coat. ‘You lazy sod!’ she scolded lovingly just as the doorbell rang. ‘I’ll answer it.’

  Suzy rubbed her head, it was still painful. ‘I didn’t expect to be spending Christmas here. Simon’s apartment is much nicer.’ Her voice broke. ‘If we’d married we would all have spent Christmas there.’

  Richard drew her into a bear-hug. ‘Don’t you think about that now. You have enough on your plate.’

  Arabella returned a moment later, a huge smile on her face. ‘It’s for you, Suzy. It’s your detective and I must say, he’s rather handsome!’

  Suzy frowned and made her way to the front door. From the doorstep, Julian raised a hand in greeting.