Lotte frowned. She held the paper out to Cora. Cora narrowed her eyes.
"They found the car. Fairly intact," she read. "The windows were gone. Glass shards were found on the cliff above. There were suspicions that the twins may have survived."
"There was?" Ivan asked. He leaned back in his chair. Cora's eyes narrowed.
"Stop leaning!"
"Why?" He leaned back further.
"You will fall and possibly break open your head."
"That has never happened."
"That has happened," Lotte said. She eyed the tethering chair. "And you're probably going to break the chair while you're at it."
"Did you just call me fat?!"
"You have muscles. It's the same thing weight wise." Blaire scanned a paper.
"They found their clothes bloodied and dirty near a bear's den."
"How did they pull that off?"
"Perhaps Nikita did die. And Sonya barely made it outside."
"If Sonya is alive, then Nikita should be too," Ivan said. He set the chair back on the ground, sending a glare to Cora. She hmmped before continuing to scan her paper.
"And where Sonya is, Nikita will follow." Lotte held up a paper. "They had nearly a dozen 'diseases'. Niki was in a coma a year before they escaped."
"Her mother would do this?" Blaire gasped. Lotte gave her the paper.
"It's all in here."
"Sonya appeared in 2008. Alone. She was a bodyguard for hire," Cora said. She sat on the table, back straight.
"No sister?"
"No associations."
"Where?"
"Russia."
"I'm assuming that's when she met Jason?" Blaire asked. She rested a cheek on her hand. Lotte nodded.
"Yes. Dnipro-1 hired her. One of ten women in the private army of hundreds. She was in there for two years then left shortly after Jason did. Jason started a tech startup and then he met you." Blaire shifted. "Him and Sonya looked to be together...or they're just friends."
"Has she ever gone off the grid?" Ivan asked.
"Unlikely. However, this box can only know so much."
"Should we interview a friend?"
"Aside from Jason?"
"Yes."
"Then probably not."
Ding!
Blaire opened the door. A young man took a step back.
"I'm here to deliver this package to a...." He checked the package. "Lotte Baasch." Lotte stood beside Blaire.
"Yes?" He handed her the package. "Who is it from?"
"I was told to deliver this from your sister," he said. Lotte frowned.
"Thank you." She shut the door in his face.
"You have a sister?" Ivan asked.
"Two actually."
"Any idea which one?"
"It's probably not from Mira. She would visit me. But it's unlikely Celine would waste her time like this." She set the package down on a table, clearing away the piles of paper. She grabbed a box cutter from a drawer in the kitchen. She cut the package open, revealing a long and narrow wooden box. Blaire traced the boxy, Mother of Pearl pattern.
"Cora, what pattern is this from?" She asked. Cora leaned down.
"Syria. But not very old." Ivan sat next to Lotte.
"Are you going to open it?" He asked. Lotte hesitated. Ivan reached over, removing the lid.
"Ivan!" Blaire cried.
"I'm not going to stare at a box all day. Neither should you guys." Lotte frowned at the inside. She reached in, pulling out a delicate necklace of pearls.
"These are mine," she said.
"This just got creepy," Ivan said. Blaire gulped.
"Have you noticed any strange people around you? Stalkers? Have you invited anyone but us in?"
"Maybe Matteo sent it and asked a woman to give it to that man."
"Matteo would not do that," Lotte said. She pulled out a typed note from the box.
I find it absolutely fascinating that you would continue investigating this case when it is all over. Don't waste your time. You'll only find nothing. If you should continue, however, a string of pearls will be the last thing you'll miss.
"You should report that to the police," Ivan said. Cora sighed.
"Ivan, Lotte is an investigator."
"You should still call the police." Lotte frowned at the note.
"I could. But the person would know. I never told anyone aside from Matteo and you all about my investigation of Sonya."
"I bet it's Matteo."
"He wouldn't threaten me."
"You never know what goes on in the mind of a jaded ex."
"He still wouldn't." The group quieted. Cora stood.
"Well? Are we going to continue or not-"
Grrrrrrrrrrrr.
Ivan turned red in the face. Blaire laughed. Lotte's lips twitched. Cora flushed.
"Ivan!"
"I can't control it!"
"If you were hungry, why didn't you say anything?"
"It didn't seem important at the time." Cora sighed, sitting on the couch. She texted on her phone.
"I ordered a beef sandwich with a salad and a cookie."
"Did you just call a sub shop?"
"You detest anything aside from salads and sandwiches."
"Wow. Thank you." Cora raised an eyebrow. Blaire sat on the couch.
"Can we have a break? We might as well order something. Or cook." Lotte nodded.
"We can order." Cora cringed. Ivan turned on the television.
"Is there nothing to watch?" He asked. He flipped the channels, settling on an action movie. A car crashed into the building. The screen went black. It lit up, a smilinging young woman with blue eyes and scars ringing her neck coming into view. Ivan flipped the channel. Blaire grabbed his arm.
"Wait. Flip back." The woman shook hands with a man before walking up a set of stairs. Camera flashes peppered her exposed back.
"Marie Ivanoch. The billionaire businesswoman of a rising brokerage and her story. Coming tonight at 6:30."
Cora froze the screen at a closeup. She lowered the remote. Lotte came out of the kitchen.
"I ordered a.... Did something happen?" Cora didn't answer. Lotte looked at the television. Her eyebrows jumped. Ivan looked between Cora and the screen.
"She looks exactly like Sonya," Blaire murmured.
YOU ARE READING
Who Am I
Mystery / ThrillerEditing. I can't help but wonder what's wrong with you. She's gone. I'm gone. And the other's dead. Why do you search for us? We're never coming back. And I'm sure you really want to know who I am. But you can't find me. And neither can your dogs...
