Page 64 of Canyon of Deceit

SIXTY-THREE

BLANE

Only one person had insight into Jurg Falin’s mode of operation—Rurik Ivanov.

My drive to his home met with frustration woven with Houston bumper-to-bumper traffic, and road construction narrowed four lanes down to one.

I sat in traffic and fretted, then prayed, palmed the steering wheel, and prayed again.

Therese had recommended a radio station for a spiritual boost, and I tuned it in.

I craved more of a high-voltage jolt. KSBJ lifted me with great music containing the faith-filled message I needed.

By the time I arrived at Rurik’s, my pulse had slowed, and my blood pressure no longer tipped the charts. I’d been given the skills to persuade Rurik to open up and an awareness he’d probably been trained by experts to hide emotions and truth.

Inside Rurik’s office, I closed the door, and we sat across from each other. Comfortable enough to relax but not so comfortable that I’d miss a cue. Nothing between us but a few feet of space to occupy our legs.

I carefully walked him through Therese’s abduction.

The security cams at McDonald’s showed her entering the restaurant, Falin followed her inside, and the two left together about thirty minutes later—Therese wearing a baseball cap with the brim over her eyes.

Nothing intimidating in his body language and no aversion in hers.

“I like you, Rurik, and I want to be on your side. But you’ve repeatedly omitted critical information costing the lives of others.”

“Therese told you she wasn’t in immediate danger, and she believed Alina to be all right.” His chin quivered.

Real or an act?

I disguised my temper. My love for Therese superseded good sense. “I need the truth, or I’ll have no choice but to request the FBI pull your protection detail.”

Rurik moistened his lips. “My daughter’s life is at stake.”

“And a woman I care about is in danger, not to mention others who could be hurt.” I kept my tone low and nonthreatening. “We both have emotions invested in a situation that to this point has been out of our control. To turn the tables, we need truth and logic.”

Rurik blew out his exasperation. “The history is complicated.”

“Life is complicated.” I caught his attention and held it.

“I’m tired of lies and games. Understand I have reliable intel from contacts in Russia and the US that I’ve not revealed to you.

If I hear anything contrary from my confirmed sources, I’m recommending your arrest for Daria’s murder and endangering a child.

Your deceit has sent men to their deaths, possibly even your wife. ”

Rurik agreed, with the stoic expression I’d seen on more than one occasion. Was I fighting a losing battle? “I’ve asked this in a previous conversation, but I don’t think you answered truthfully. Are you working undercover for the Russian government?”

“No, and I will be honest.” He arched his back. “I received espionage training prior to accepting my position at Leonard University. Jurg planned to work undercover and direct the ROC here, claimed he needed my help. My refusal was hard since he and I had been friends a long time—”

“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?”

Rurik scrubbed his hand over his face. “Yes.”

I lowered my voice. “How?”

He leaned back in his chair. “Upon his direction, I arranged for him to leave Russia under another name. Once here, we’d request Witness Protection to protect our families.

I never anticipated Jurg would suspect me, demand I assist the ROC in the assassination with information, then kill my wife and kidnap Alina to ensure my cooperation. ”

Compassion pulsed into my tone. “Rurik, the information I’m about to tell you won’t be easy to accept. Intel shows Jurg had an ongoing affair with Daria since the move to Houston and possibly while in Russia.”

Rurik blanched, and his jaw dropped like a dead man giving in to death’s call.