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“No. I thought you should know first. And Beth.”
“Thanks. I haven’t said anything to her up to now. I thought it best to wait until we knew for sure.”
“Same. And now we do?”
He checks his watch. “Beth needs to know before anyone else. She’ll never forgive me otherwise. But now’s not a great time. This is massive, it will take time to sink in. The conference will be starting any minute, and I don’t want to rush this. I’ll talk to her as soon as we’re finished.”
“Fair enough. See you down there.”
The meeting is to be in the great hall of the castle which doubles as a dining room, general function room, a war room when required, and at other times serves as an indoor play area for the children who live here. The basketball hoops have been shifted into a corner for this occasion, along with a tiny red-and-yellow tricycle.
When I enter, Ethan is already seated. His wife, Cristina, is at his side.
Cristina Bival-Savage is herself from one of the older Mafia families in Europe. Her brother is don of the Moldovan Bratva, and she grew up steeped in this lifestyle. She doesn’t take an active part in our business as a rule, even so. She seems to prefer to spend her time with her children, having no great love for the grimy underbelly of our world. I’m not surprised that Ethan has brought her in for this, though. Growing up in Eastern Europe, and given that we suspect we are dealing with Russians, she may have insights to offer. She understands Slavic values and culture on a level that we don’t, with the possible exception of Rome. Cristina may be able to shed light on motives or likely strategies that would escape the rest of us.
I take a seat opposite them, and we exchange pleasantries. Mickey, Moses, Casey, and Jed O’Neill enter the hall next and make themselves comfortable. Everyone helps themselves to coffee and some sort of little pastry breakfast things home-cooked by Mrs McRae who has been in charge of the kitchen here for as long as anyone can recall. Rome and Aaron are the last to join us. They grab refreshments as well, and Ethan clears his throat. We are in session.
“Right. So, what exactly happened?” Ethan starts, looking to his left where Moses is seated.
He thinks for a few moments, then, “It was all quiet enough, boss. Marlon was in his cell, and we just brought the girl down. Jack was in with her, and I was outside in the corridor.”
“The girl? How long had she been in the cells?” Ethan asks.
Moses shrugs. “An hour or so. Jack arrived back about twenty minutes before the attack and had just started to question her.”
Ethan nods and gestures for him continue.
“I heard the commotion upstairs. Gunshots, shouting, heavy boots. Before I could get back up the stairs, the door at the top flew open and six men came charging down. There was a lot of shouting in a language I didn’t understand. They were shooting, though I’m not sure what at. It was just chaos everywhere. I ducked into one of the doorways, and they all charged past, didn’t even see me. I stepped out behind them and opened fire myself. Took out two, but the others got as far as Marlon’s cell. Then Jack came out of the girl’s cell. He was in my line of fire, so I stopped shooting. He took out another two, who were still in the corridor, but the others were inside with Marlon by then. We rushed the door together. There was a lot of smoke, bullets flying. Marlon and one of the attackers died, the other was injured, and we could tell he wouldn’t last much longer. We managed to get a name out of him before he died. Kira Semyonova. From what he said, it seems she is — was — Marlon’s mother.”
Ethan turns to me. “Anything to add?”
I shake my head. “It all went down pretty much as Moses said. I had the impression they were confused, and surprised to meet with any opposition. They put up no sort of a fight beyond firing wildly.”
He nods thoughtfully. “That’s what I heard on the day. It seems you had more bother from the woman in the next cell. Tried to arrest you. Is that right?”
I’d hoped that might not come up, but I acknowledge the facts with a curt nod. “Tony arrived and disarmed her.”
“Why was she at Caernbro Ghyll in the first place?”
“Trespassing,” I reply.
“Bit of a coincidence, don’t you think? Within an hour of her arriving, the mansion is under attack.”
It’s a fair point, but not right. I’m sure of it. “I honestly don’t think the two events are connected.”
“How can you be so certain?” Ethan can be like a dog with a bone once he latches on to something.
“I was able to discover her reasons for coming to Caernbro Ghyll, and it has nothing to do with the Russians.”
“You have the DNA results?” He’s fully aware of the twist that particular story has taken.
I look to Aaron, who answers his brother. “We do. And I agree with Jack. It’s not connected. Can we discuss it later. I’ll explain.”
Ethan can work it out for himself. He appreciates the sensitivities. “Okay. We’ll come back to that. Kira Semyonova?” His attention shifts to his sister. “Casey?”
“Not a name I can find in any database or news records,” she replies. “I’ll keep searching.”
Jed comes in at this point. “I knew Marlon’s father and brother, but I never met his mother or knew her name. She would have been a widow, though, after we executed her husband.”
