The Boy Who Stole From the Dead (41 page)

N
ADIA AND
M
ARKO
returned home on Sunday. Marko drove home to Connecticut. Nadia dumped her bag in her apartment and burst into action. Her primary objective was to help secure Bobby’s freedom. Her secondary objective was the locket.

Nadia called Johnny and told him everything she’d learned about Valentine’s past. She presented her evidence in a way that would help Johnny persuade the district attorney that the dead man had been a sociopath. She recounted Headmaster Darby’s stories of his horrific conduct at the Felshire School, and described his sordid relationship with his stepmother, Natasha. Both of those sources would verify that young Valentine had been self-indulgent and ruthless. He was also an avid hunter with his father’s bent Cossack morals and quick temper.

The district attorney was not surprised by Johnny’s revelations. He gave Johnny full discovery of the state’s case. It turned out Valentine had been arrested twice since moving to New York. Once for assaulting a female passenger who pushed him to get onto a crowded train, and a second time for threatening to kill a man for not thanking him for holding a restaurant door open for him.

The Fordham hockey coach signed a sworn statement that he saw Valentine and Bobby collide in a hallway after a hockey game. Valentine reacted furiously, the coach said. The odd thing was that he appeared to have initiated the contact. Iryna corroborated the story after a brief discussion with Johnny, who offered to help her earn American citizenship as long as she stayed away from Bobby.

The district attorney wasn’t sure which event incited Valentine—the girl’s rejection or the bump with Bobby. It didn’t matter. It was apparent that Valentine became obsessed with exacting a measure of revenge. He followed Bobby one night when he was going to meet Iryna for a date and attacked him. Bobby defended himself with the only weapon he had on his possession, a screwdriver. The district attorney asked Johnny why his client was carrying a screwdriver. Johnny responded with a sliver of truth. Bobby had been locked in a trunk as a child. The event had traumatized him, and he’d been carrying a flashlight and the tool that could have secured his release ever since. The kid had issues. Which of us was perfect? Johnny said.

That was the only part of Bobby’s actual childhood that needed to be revealed. The witness saw the fight, watched Bobby walk away, and stole the knife and rifle. The latter showed the magnitude of Valentine’s sickness. It was as though he was hunting a human being, the district attorney said. He’d prepared himself to shoot from a distance or kill at close quarters. The district attorney also admitted his star witness was not a bastion of integrity. He’d earned a poor reputation during his brief stint as a cop, primarily for abuse of power. He’d been asked to leave the force or face an investigation for accepting a bribe. The witness had been clean since then, though he seemed to live beyond his means as a part-time security guard and actor.

The district attorney dismissed the murder charge based on the self-defense law. The force the defendant used was immediately necessary. His life depended on it. The force used against the defendant was unlawful. Valentine was trying to kill Bobby. And the amount of force was appropriate. Valentine was trying to stab Bobby with a hunting knife. Bobby responded accordingly. It was unrealistic to expect him to not inflict potentially lethal damage.

Bobby Kungenook was scheduled to be released four days after Nadia returned from Ukraine. Johnny never mentioned anything about Hart Island. The only evidence that Bobby had been there was his left shoe. It was destined to remain in the factory among the women’s shoes until the building was destroyed to extend the public cemetery. Bobby’s true identity and the incident in Chornobyl with Valentine and his parents were never revealed. The only people who knew his real name was Adam Tesla were Nadia, Marko, their mother, and Johnny.

And Victor Bodnar. If he was still alive.

Nadia thought of the old thief as she leaned against Johnny’s car waiting for Bobby to emerge from behind prison doors. She had an appointment with a radiobiologist later in the afternoon to review the chemical symbols inscribed in the locket. Johnny stood beside her.

“You know what’s surprising?” Nadia said.

“What?” Johnny said.

“That Victor Bodnar didn’t turn up during all this.”

Johnny didn’t say anything at first. “Victor Bodnar. Haven’t heard that name in a long time. Why are you worrying about him?”

Nadia shrugged. “I’m not worrying. I’m just saying. I held my breath when he vanished last year, hoping he’d never turn up looking for some alleged debt for me to repay. For all I know, though, he may be back in Ukraine. Or he may be dead.”

“Yeah,” Johnny said, staring at the prison doors. “Could be either of those. Or maybe something else happened to him. Whatever the case, you don’t need to worry about him anymore.”

Johnny’s confidence struck a chord with Nadia. “You know something I don’t know?”

“Yes. I know that life is on the upswing for you now. You should relax and enjoy it. Spend time with the people you care about. And care about you.”

“Listen to you. Since when have you become so mellow?”

“Time passes. A man looks around and sees what and who are important to him.” Johnny paused and looked into Nadia’s eyes. “Am I wrong?”

Nadia smiled. They turned toward the prison doors. Smiling was a strange sensation. It wasn’t a momentary reaction to something funny. It was a smile based on hope. The expectation of happiness. She couldn’t remember when she’d last enjoyed the sensation.

“No,” she said. “You’re not wrong. You’re right.” She thought of Simmy Simeonovich, imagined choosing his entrée in a New York City restaurant. “Could you imagine me dating a Russian billionaire? I can’t imagine what would be stranger. That he’s Russian, or that he’s so rich.” She glanced at Johnny.

A shadow crossed his face. Nadia did a double take. Johnny? Jealous? Of someone who might want to date her? Preposterous. She’d met two of his girlfriends. They were to sex appeal as she was to the quadratic formula.

“Somehow, I think you’ll get used to the money. As for the Russian part…” Johnny grinned. “Like I said. I think you’ll get used to the money.”

Nadia laughed, as much at herself as at Johnny’s retort. Clearly her imagination had run away from her.

Johnny broadened his grin. Nodded at the prison doors. “Look,” he said, stepping forward, away from Nadia. “Here comes our guy.”

Bobby looked like he’d lost ten pounds and he’d never had any weight to lose in the first place. As he approached them he looked around. He appeared relieved that no one else was waiting for him. Media interest had faded since the initial headline. In New York, it usually did. There was always something more sensational on the horizon. Two reporters had showed up at court to hear the murder charge against Bobby had been dismissed. There would probably be a small paragraph in the local papers tomorrow.

An electronic barbed wire fence opened. Bobby exited Rikers Prison.

Nadia and Bobby walked toward each other. When she’d first met him in Ukraine, she’d put her arm on his shoulder and he’d pulled back. Told her never to touch him again. They’d hugged once at an emotional moment, when he’d revealed the contents of the locket. Otherwise, Nadia kept her distance so as not to upset him. Now, with a dozen steps left, they both picked up the pace. Nadia hugged Bobby without waiting for his approval. Bobby returned her embrace.

“Thanks,” Bobby said, when they parted. “Thanks for getting me out.” He gave Johnny and her an earnest look, blushed, and looked at the ground. As though he was embarrassed for everything that happened.

“You’re welcome,” Nadia said. She punched his shoulder. Waited until he looked into her eyes again. “You trust us now? You trust Johnny and me?”

Bobby reached into his pocket and handed Nadia the necklace and locket. “Here. You hold onto it.”

Nadia glanced at the locket. An engraving stood out where some gilding had worn off. The etchings looked like chemical symbols. A sense of hope and power washed over her. Nadia put the locket in a small jewelry box and stuffed it into her front jean pocket.

“What do you want to do today more than anything else?” Nadia said.

“Eat, sleep, skate.”

Johnny drove them back to Manhattan. He dropped them off on East Eighty-Second Street in front of Nadia’s apartment.

Bobby stood to the side. Nadia walked over to the driver’s side and motioned for Johnny to roll down his window.

“I can never thank you enough,” she said.

“No problem. Just doing my job, you know.”

“You’re my hero, Johnny Tanner.”

He smiled but in a detached way. “Let me know how that thing with the radiobiologist goes.”

“You’ll be my first call.”

“Damn right.” He took off.

Nadia walked over to Bobby and put her arm around his shoulder. They walked toward the front door. Pedestrians passed them in both directions along the sidewalk.

“Pizza or sushi for lunch?” she said.

“Both.”

A pedestrian approached from the right. Nadia stopped to let her go by but she stopped as well. Nadia turned. It was Lauren Ross.

“Hello, Nadia.” Lauren turned to Bobby. “Hello Bobby. Or should I say, Hello Adam. Hello Adam Tesla.”

Johnny got as far as the George Washington Bridge before he remembered he was driving a car. His mind kept replaying a scene where a man carried Nadia to a bedroom. But it was some Russian billionaire, not him. His phone woke him up. A friend from the Elizabeth police force called to let him know Victor and the twins had been charged with intent to sell heroin.

Johnny made a pact with himself. If his phone rang and Nadia’s number appeared, he’d let the call roll to voice mail. He’d only return the call if it were about business. There was another man in her life. It was his privilege to take care of her now.

Johnny stopped at a liquor store and picked up a six pack of Rolling Rock and a bottle of cabernet sauvignon to go with his steak. When he got home, he changed into sweats, watched Paul Newman in
The Verdict
on a DVD, and drank three beers. He marinated the steak but didn’t open the wine even though he craved the entire bottle. Instead he waited until his phone rang and he heard Nadia’s voice over the speaker.

She was back from her meeting, safe at home, she said.

Only then did he pour himself a glass.

CHAPTER 59

L
AUREN READ THE
shock in the boy’s face. Nadia didn’t look surprised by Lauren’s appearance or the sound of the boy’s real name. But then she’d been a cool customer when they’d had their only chat at the hockey rink between periods last year.

“Hi Lauren,” Nadia said. “I’d ask how you’ve been but I suspect I know the answer.”

“I’m sure you do,” Lauren said. “I wanted to see you face-to-face to let you know I’m going to go live with my blog today. Whatever my reputation, I’m sure I’ll find readers. Eventually someone in the mainstream press will pick this up.”

To Lauren’s surprise, Nadia smiled. “Have you had lunch yet? Why don’t you come inside? We’re going to order pizza.”

“And sushi,” the kid said.

A doorman opened the door. Lauren watched with amazement as they walked inside as though nothing had happened. Nadia glanced over her shoulder and motioned for her to come along.

Lauren wasn’t sure what to do. She realized she’d been hoping for a confrontation. Lauren had ended up on a Russian island because of her own actions, but if Nadia had agreed to speak with her, none of that would have happened. And now Nadia was being nice to her. Why?

They took the elevator to the tenth floor. The apartment was a modest two bedroom with simple furnishings. Large windows provided ample daylight. Lauren was shocked by its brightness. The kid flew into his room. A few seconds later Lauren could hear the shower running behind the closed door. A bowl of colorful Easter eggs decorated with folk designs caught Lauren’s eye on the coffee table in the living room.

“They’re called
Pysanky
,” Nadia said. “It’s Ukrainian art. The designs are drawn by hand using bee’s wax. My mother makes them. It takes a lot of patience.” She paused. “Good things take time, Lauren.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I thought we had a great chat when we met last November. I thought we had got along well. I thought we had a lot in common.”

“I thought so, too,” Lauren said.

“Then what happened?”

Lauren couldn’t contain her fury. “You’re asking me what happened? Your friends sent me on a one-way trip to Russia that ended up ruining my life. That’s what happened.”

“I don’t know anything about that. If something happened, it certainly wasn’t at my request. Regardless, I’m sorry for your troubles. I’m not just saying that. I really am.”

Lauren detected a note of sincerity, which was not what she was hoping for.

“What happened to our understanding?” Nadia said.

“What understanding?”

“I told you I’d give you an exclusive interview in June. It’s only April. Why couldn’t you wait?”