Looking For A Legend (Book 1)

Looking For A Legend Chapter 50 - Viktoriya

            Viktoriya was late to her own assignment.  When she arrived, Elijah Coates and Colonel Lytton were already waiting for her, one dressed sharply in a waistcoat and slacks while the other wore a worn out tee shirt and jeans.  She’d have thought the roles reversed.  Lytton seemed bored, and Coates was clearly annoyed as he cleaned his glasses, and the two weren’t talking.  They didn’t look like they were waiting for her together, just two men waiting in the same place.

Her own team, all two of them, were waiting as well.  Gregori Zolnerowich and Vikenti Kozlov were all that remained of her team after she announced the Spetsgruppa Drakon Pushki would be investigating Captain Mikhail Sima’s disappearance.  Viktoriya wasn’t bothered by the other three men requesting transfers out.  She knew Zolnerowich and Kozlov were loyal.  Gregori and Vikenti were sharing a cigarette when she arrived on her motorcycle at the arranged address.

They were meeting in front of an apartment building; the one Captain Sima lived in while in London, according to Colonel Lytton.  The landlord had trouble renting the space out after its second tenant in five years had died, and believed it to be haunted.  He was even afraid to enter the unit himself.  She wasn’t sure if that would be to their advantage.

Viktoriya parked her motorcycle between Gregori’s and Vikenti’s motorcycles and took the offered cigarette from Vikenti as she pulled her helmet off. “I am sorry for the delay.  I did not think that would take so long.”  Viktoriya had a habit of holding cigarettes from their middle, with the lit end hidden in her hand, and always with her left.  Gregori called it “the fuming dragon,” as the wisps of smoke from the cigarette through her fingers gave the appearance of her tattooed dragon breathing fire.

Eli approached her, putting his glasses back on his handsome face.  With his hands free, he began to sign to her.  The fingertips of his right hand quickly brushed against his left palm, followed by his right hand raised to his shoulder level, with his index finger extended and shaking from side to side.

“Good afternoon Mister Coates,” Viktoriya smiled, buying some time while she tried to remember what the signs meant.  In order to accommodate him, she’d purchased a signing dictionary and studied at night in her hotel room. “We are at the former residence of Captain Mikhail Sima. It is my hope that we find any clues to his investigation before his disappearance.  Something that may give us identification of some one that may have had ill will toward him.”

Elijah made a “V” with his fingers over the center of his chest, and then finger spelled “Valentina” slowly, before continuing with a fist of his right hand in his cupped left.  He pointed to the side, which Viktoriya understood meant to reference someone that wasn’t present, made another “V” with his right hand and gestured from his face outward with the hand, and finished with a somewhat halfhearted wave over his right shoulder.  It all went so quickly, Viktoriya was left confused.  Thankfully, Colonel Lytton had either caught most of it, or knew what Elijah had meant to say.

“Valentina is extrasensory.  She can see the past.  Elijah thinks she’d be helpful in this assignment.” He offered.

“I do not think that is necessary.  And I am afraid her seeing visions of her father may cause her undue stress.” Viktoriya tried to sound sympathetic.  In reality, she would have loved to have her cousin along to gather information, but Utkin would never approve her involving Valentina.  Viktoriya was practically forbidden from speaking more than pleasantries to her.  That was the price of this investigation.

Colonel Lytton and Elijah both nodded in agreement.  Vikenti lead the group inside, and as they walked, Elijah fell instep alongside Viktoriya.  He waved to catch her attention, pointed at her, then made a motion with his right hand as if he were pulling something off his forehead, and put that imaginary thing in his left hand. He rotated his fingers in circles around one another.

“Da, Mister Coates.  I felt the investigation would move smoothly if I could understand you, just as you understand me.” She offered him another smile, this one more genuine.  Her efforts were appreciated by Elijah.

He finger signed “Eli” and pointed to his chest with a smile.

“Eli it is.  That sign the other day…” Viktoriya tried to mimic what he had done, the “V” with his fingers down her left arm.  “You gave me a sign name?”

He nodded.  That was another thing Viktoriya had learned in her research.  Only a deaf, or in this case mute, person can give a hearing person a name sign, some gesture to represent them instead of finger spelling their name constantly.  Viktoriya’s seemed to combine her first initial with her tattoo.  She certainly wouldn’t be confused with anyone else.

“Thank you, Eli.” Viktoriya signed the thanks along with it, even though she didn’t need to.  It was more for practice.  With his right hand open, out to the side, he made a sweeping motion in to his waist, keeping his palm up.

Before their conversation could go any further, Colonel Lytton led them into Captain Sima’s apartment.  Most of the personal effects had been taken, but the furniture was still there.  A piano, a bookshelf, and a desk made up a small study area to the side.  The mantle above the fireplace was coated with a layer of dust. The group started to search for anything that might lead to finding Captain Sima.  Gregori and Vikenti decided search the bedroom and bathroom.  Colonel Lytton decided to wait in the hall. 

Eli looked at her, and traced a question mark in the air, and then made two fists, twisting his wrists, one hand in front of the other.   When Viktoriya didn’t immediately responded, he finger spelled office for her.

“Oh, da.  Let’s check over there.”  Viktoriya nodded, walking with him.  Eli was drawn to the bookshelf, scanning the titles.  Viktoriya went through the papers on the desk.  “Spasiba, Eli.  For being patient with me, and my reading sign language.”

He turned to face her, nodding.  Eli pointed to himself put his right fist into his left hand again, and then made a strange gesture like he was wiping something off his upper lip.

“What are you learning, Eli?” Viktoriya asked, looking up from the papers.

Eli picked up a book from the shelf and pointed to the bold face Cyrillic font.

“You are learning about Leo Tolstoy?  Oh, you are learning to read Russian?” Viktoriya watched Eli nod with a smile.  He seemed proud of the undertaking.  She decided to test his lessons. “Chto vy nashli?”

He made a “C” with his right hand, closed it into a fist, and then finger spelled “diary”.   Eli pointed to himself, placed his hands in front of him, fingers straight and with palms facing each other and turned his hands, so that his fingers pointed up. With a “K” made with each hand, he brought his right hand down to his left and finally traced another question mark.  His eyebrows were raised in question.

“You can have them, as long as you share any clues with me.” Viktoriya shrugged.  Eli nodded in agreement, and started pulling books off the shelf.  Viktoriya started to collect some of the papers into a folder, taking anything that looked important.  Maybe they would find something in the papers or journals.  Valentina wasting her time aside, today had been pretty productive.  She hoped they’d have such luck every day.