Page 108 of Canyon of Deceit

“Before you married his sister?”

“He introduced me to Alina’s mother.”

“Why didn’t you tell Alina that Jurg was her uncle?”

“Daria didn’t trust him. She believed his thirst for power and greed might put us in danger.”

“But he frequented your home?” I said.

Rurik set his jaw. “I’m the one in charge of my house. I made all final decisions. I told you Daria was often emotional. She responded to things said and done often illogically. I worked hard to keep my wife protected from her internal struggles but severing my friendship with Jurg wasn’t one of them.”

“How old was Alina when you and Daria married?”

“Two. We worked together at Lomonosov State University.”

“How did Jurg react to the marriage?”

“Disapproved. He claimed she lacked maturity and compared her negatively to the strength and mothering of his sister. I loved Daria, and we dreamed of having children together. She never conceived, and it adversely affected our marriage.”

“Is that why you took over parenting Alina?”

“I’d taken care of her since her mother died. Daria had never been around children, and claimed she couldn’t mother a child who wasn’t hers.” Rurik picked up a photograph on his desk and handed it to me, obviously Rurik’s first wife and Alina as a small baby. “Looking at my daughter is like staring into the face of her mother.”

“I see the strong resemblance.” I returned the photo. “Your first wife was diagnosed with cancer and according to the dates on my records, Alina must have been three months old.”

“Yes, and she died of cancer when Alina was seven months old.”

“Juggling grief with a baby is difficult. Who helped you?”

“I hired a woman who came to the home while I taught at the university. What does this have to do with rescuing Alina?”

“I need the full picture to find Jurg’s weak areas. How did he handle his sister’s death?”

“She suffered tremendously, and neither of us wanted her to continue living with the pain.”

“Were Daria and your first wife friends?” I said.

“They’d never met.”

“Has Jurg ever had a serious relationship or married?”

“No. He’s married to the government. If they’d wanted him to have a wife, he’d have found one.”

“Do you suspect Jurg killed Daria?”

“I’m having difficulty sorting out what to believe. But my instincts say he did.” Rurik’s gaze darted beyond me and back again. “She despised him and asked him not to come to the house. I relayed her feelings, and he suggested we meet for lunch or a drink outside the home, so we wouldn’t upset her. We did that often.”

“Was Daria aware?”

“No. She’d have been upset. I willingly took care of Alina and anything Daria asked. I loved her. I’d do anything for her except discard a man who’d been more than a friend to me, a brother to my dear deceased wife.”

So far my findings weren’t repudiated by any of Rurik’s answers. Except his loyalty to a killer, a madman who lived to achieve his own agenda.

“What about Edik Baranov? How is he tossed into this mess?”

“Other than my cousin and what I’ve already told you?” He hesitated. “We... we talk frequently. I knew about his plans to defect Russia before the warrant for his arrest.”

“Did you help him in any way?”