Page 55 of The Unseen (Echoes from the Past #5)

FORTY-THREE

For the next few days, Valentina lived in abject terror.

She imagined that every motorcar driving down the street belonged to the police, who were coming to arrest her.

Every footfall was that of someone heading to Dmitri’s room.

Every time the telephone rang, which thankfully didn’t happen often, she feared it was the factory manager calling to inquire after Dmitri’s whereabouts.

She walked past Dmitri’s room first thing every morning, sniffing experimentally.

She couldn’t smell a thing but opened all the windows nonetheless, claiming that it was a good time to air out the house.

The weather was glorious, so no one questioned her desire for fresh air.

Valentina desperately tried to maintain a facade of normalcy, but she felt queasy throughout the day and could barely manage to keep any food down.

Her hands shook when she attempted to prepare the meals and she nearly sliced off her finger while peeling potatoes for supper.

Any unexpected noise sent her into a mindless panic, and her head throbbed, the pain blurring her vision and making her irritable.

“Goodness gracious! What is the matter with you, Valya?” Elena asked when she walked into the kitchen to find Valentina trying to bandage her bleeding finger.

“I just don’t feel well,” Valentina mumbled. It was no use pretending everything was well, especially when her voice sounded as tearful as that of a little girl who’d fallen and scraped her knee.

“It’s that time of the month, isn’t it?” Elena laid a sympathetic hand on her shoulder. “Why don’t you let me do that?”

Valentina held out her hand and Elena bound her finger and skillfully tied the ends of the gauze.

“I hope you cleaned it first. ”

“Of course, Mama.”

“Go lie down for a little while. Tanya and I will take care of supper.”

Valentina scoffed. Elena had never cooked anything in her life, much less an entire meal.

“I’m not as useless as you think, Valya. I can manage to boil a few potatoes. And since you’ve already prepared the chicken and set it to roast, all I have to do is keep an eye on it. I think I can be trusted not to burn it to cinders.”

“Of course you can, Mama.”

Elena leaned down and kissed Valentina’s forehead. “Go on.”

Valentina nodded and sprang to her feet.

She knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep, but an hour alone in her room, where she could give vent to her fears and maybe even have a good cry, would be a welcome reprieve from having to put on an act and pretend nothing was amiss.

The strain was getting to her, and if she wasn’t careful, she’d give herself away.

Valentina closed the door behind her and stretched out on the cool sheets.

The window was partially open and a pleasant breeze cooled her flushed cheeks.

The funeral was tomorrow. The mere thought of forging an entry in the register nearly made her sick, but she forced herself to close her eyes and breathe deeply until she was in control once again.

The rest of her life, assuming there would still be a life left to live, hinged on tomorrow.

She’d committed murder and hidden the body.

Forgery and fraud would be a walk in the park compared to what she’d already had to endure.