Читать книгу Green In the Emerald City - Juli Bunting - Страница 4

The impact was so loud, it threw her almost out of her seat. She slowly turned around to look at the back of the plane and could see flames through a cloud of smoke. The flames were growing higher and higher as if the top part of the plane had blown off. She turned to look toward the cockpit and all of a sudden the nose of the plane dropped so precipitously, her body was straining against the seat belt. Bags were flying out of the overhead bins as the latches were popping and the doors springing open. Something had hit the plane and they were going down. She started shouting as the plane started spinning, spinning, spinning. The plane was out of control and the water getting closer and closer and . . .

Samantha Green bolted upright as she awoke from her nightmare. She looked at the man sitting next to her and he smiled as if nothing had happened. Out the window of her first class seat on the flight from Chicago, the peaks of the Cascade Mountains were barely visible through the clouds. She thought the plane must be getting close to Seattle as the mountains appeared and disappeared below. Soon the sky was a tundra of clouds that looked as if you could just step out of the plane and walk to your destination. She was shaking a little—the remnants of her nightmare. She had been thinking about her parents before she drifted off to sleep and now she tried not to think about them as she gazed at the desolate clouds. Long flights like this one sometimes caused her to dwell on her parents’ deaths and she wondered now, if those last few moments were anything like her dream.

Not a lot was known about what happened that day except that Korean Airlines Flight 007 was shot down by Soviet fighter pilots on September 1st, 1983 during the final leg of a flight from New York City to Seoul. The flight refueled in Anchorage, Alaska, and that’s where noted archaeologists Ralph and Anita Green boarded the ill-fated flight. From there, the plane supposedly wandered into Russian airspace and just like that, boom. It was shot out of the sky as if it had never existed. Sam was only three, but as she grew older she read all she could get her hands on about Flight 007. There was a lot of material out there. The incident spawned dozens of conspiracy theories, several books and two films. It also brought left-wing and right-wing conspiracy theorists out of the woodwork. Other than fantasizing and romanticizing for a brief time at the age of twelve that her parents had actually been spies and were on a secret mission foiled by the old Soviet Union, Samantha accepted that the shoot down was a mistake, the Soviets tried to cover it up, the passengers had all perished, and life continued for her as the charge of her namesake, “Unk,” her mother’s brother, Dr. Samuel Carson.

She forced her thoughts back to the present. This was business. She was on her way to Seattle to investigate an insurance claim worth millions. The theft of a valuable art collection combined with excessive vandalism could have her employer, Heartland Global Insurance on the hook for close to twenty million dollars.

Sam was used to handling cases that involved stolen paintings, as did the last major claim she worked in Florida, but the collection in Seattle also included a couple of sculptures, some Dale Chihuly glass art and—and this is what Sam found truly fascinating—a collection of rare books. It was the second case in just over a month in Seattle involving a rare book collection. The last theft was staged by a woman who ended up killing her husband for insurance money. Sam suspected the woman after the husband turned up dead in the middle of the investigation. The book theft was a subterfuge to distract the cops and when Sam, with the help of a fine art theft expert with the Seattle Police Department, discovered the stolen books in a warehouse owned by a man who had ties to the dead man’s spouse, the woman became the prime suspect. Tony, an executive at Heartland Global and Samantha’s boss knew the two Seattle cases were not connected, even though they both involved rare books. But there was a possibility this case was related to a theft she investigated in Orlando last year. Both burglarized homes were wired for sound by the same company. Sam wasn’t quite sure what to think. She didn’t really want to think about the case in Orlando. It had ended badly and she had had to take some time off work to recover.

“Would you like another glass of wine?” Sam looked up at the flight attendant who was holding a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc wrapped in a white linen napkin.

“Yes, please. I would love another glass.” The flight attendant poured the wine. “Thank you.” Samantha watched the flight attendant walk back to the galley and looked at her iPad2. The Seattle case file was up and she began reading it again, trying to commit the basic facts to memory.

The file meticulously detailed the case of James Wu, an incredibly wealthy high-tech wizard who was forced to return early from a vacation in China because his Mercer Island mansion had been burglarized. Four paintings, a half dozen Chihulys, three sculptures, some jewelry and some of the priciest rare books in the world, most of which he obtained at auctions in New York and London, were missing. The rare book list was very impressive—the most valuable dating back to the fifteenth century, was valued at over three million dollars. The title, roughly translated to The Rising of the Empire, was written by an author named Vanja Radic. There were no other details in the file about this particular book, which caught Sam’s eye because of the author’s name and the high value of the book. Obviously, it was written by a person of Eastern European descent which meant Unk may have heard of it. She planned to call him and ask him about it when she was settled at her hotel. Scrolling down through the file Sam couldn’t find any mention of where Mr. Wu had acquired the book. All the others had notations about the date and place of purchase. She typed a reminder in her notes to ask him about the acquisition and continued to peruse the case file.

Unlike the Florida case, there was a rather messy crime scene on Mercer Island, a bedroom community of Seattle that was home to many wealthy residents. Mr. Wu’s entire residence had been ransacked and vandalized. That’s part of why the insurance claim was so large. There was damage to many interior touches like rare Italian marble, Brazilian cherry hardwoods, walls and floors. The before and after pictures of the home were evidence of the incredible destruction visited upon this less than humble abode. Sam noticed one of the photos was all blurry. It looked like the vandals had spray-painted something on the walls. The photo was labeled “Master Bedroom.” There was a notation in the file that the mansion on Mercer Island, which was estimated to be worth in excess of four million dollars, had been wired for sound by Residence Resonance. Just seeing the name of the company again made Samantha angry. “I swear if you slime balls are involved in this crap, you will not get away with it this time.” She was still fuming over the Orlando case being shut down after two idiotic small time thugs confessed to the theft and the murder of a detective she worked with on the case. She knew there was much, much more to that case than the official report indicated.

“Ladies and gentleman, we have begun our descent into Seattle Tacoma International airport.…” As the flight attendant told her to get ready to land, Sam powered down her iPad2, took the last few sips of her wine and prepared to land.

The Seattle airport was very familiar as Sam made her way past the massage chairs, bars and eateries to the down escalator leading to baggage claim, just as she had done a month ago. At the bottom, there was a driver holding a “Ms. Green” placard. She made her way through the crowd to identify herself.

“I’m Ms. Green.” Sam smiled at the driver. He was not the same driver provided for her last visit.

“Hello, Ms. Green. My name is Tom and I’ll be taking you to your hotel. Shall we get your bags?” Tom led the way over to the luggage carousel and Samantha pointed out her two bags as they came down the chute. Tom put her bags on a luggage cart and pointed Sam to the door. Drivers hired by Heartland Global were always instructed to introduce themselves as “Tom.”

“I’ll pull up outside in a few minutes.” And with that, he was off to retrieve the limousine while Sam pulled her computer case to the curb. He drove up a few minutes later, got out and opened the door and Samantha slid onto the creamy leather seats.

“I understand I’m taking you to the Four Seasons hotel on the waterfront?” Tom looked at Sam in the rearview mirror.

“That’s right.” Sam was anxious to get to the hotel and change into some comfortable clothes so she could do some shopping at Pike Place Market before hitting the case files again. Looking at Tom in the rearview mirror, Sam smiled. “I thought maybe I would smell marijuana as we landed.”

“Oh, well, not quite. We legalized it here but the law doesn’t actually take effect for a couple of weeks yet.” Tom looked at her again. “But after that, I pretty much figure you’ll be able to smell it from thirty-thousand feet.” He smiled as Sam laughed.

They rode the rest of the way in silence and Sam could see the city skyline out the windshield straight ahead. The Highway Department still had a detour in place as they continued to construct a tunnel to replace the old Alaskan Way Viaduct. Sam had read enough to know the tunnel was hugely controversial in this city that prided itself on its spectacular views. Apparently the drive over the viaduct had been pretty amazing. She figured the friendly residents of Seattle would be glad when the construction was finished and the controversy long forgotten.

The driver pulled up to the front door of the hotel and Sam waited while he took her bags out of the trunk and helped the bellman load them onto the bell cart. She looked at him and reached into her Ferragamo bag to pull out a five dollar bill, but he shook his head.

“That’s been taken care of and I was told not to accept that, Ms. Green. You should have the number if you need a car.” And with that, Tom got back into the driver’s seat and pulled away.

“Right this way, ma’am.” The doorman was holding the door open for her and as she walked into the lobby of the new Four Seasons hotel, the bellman handling her luggage gave her a look that had “I didn’t get the memo about no tipping” written all over his face. The lobby of the fairly new hotel was sort of an uber-modern, uber-swanky version of a Pacific Northwest hunting lodge with a sleek fireplace and wood everywhere. Sam thought it was glorious despite its critics. She checked in and was escorted up to the Governor’s Suite where she would be staying for two weeks. After that, if the case was still open, she would likely move to more modest accommodations. But for now, this was her home.

“Wow. This is fan-tastic.” Sam walked over to the windows which exposed amazing views of Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains. Remembering her manners, she took a five out of her wallet and walked over to the bellman who was putting her last bag near the closet. “Thank you, Ma’am. Enjoy your stay.” Sam closed the door behind him and returned to observe the stunning view. She picked up her cell phone, dialed the familiar number, and waited to hear her uncle’s voice.

“Samantha! I guess you made it to Seattle okay?” Dr. Samuel Carson was relieved to finally hear from his niece. He had been waiting for about thirty minutes for her call.

“Yeah, Unk, I made it just fine. Guess what? It’s not raining.”

“Well that’s a surprise. It’s winter, for heaven’s sake. How’s the room at that swanky hotel?” Dr. Carson had to rib his niece a little about the hotel. She stayed there last month as well and regaled him with stories of how wonderful it was. When she was assigned to this case, he teased her about becoming a true aristocrat. Sam had to admit this hotel was plush even by Heartland Global standards. But this was a big case so it followed that Heartland would go all out for their top investigator.

“I have to tell you, Unk, I’m glad to be back in Seattle. It really is beautiful here. I can understand why my parents loved it so much.” Sam was stunned by the silence on the other end of the phone. “Unk? Are you still there?”

“Yeah, Sam,” Dr. Carson tried desperately to disguise the lump in his throat. He didn’t quite understand why he was getting so choked up over a memory flash of his sister and her husband. Maybe because in that moment he remembered how they longed to settle in the Pacific Northwest. Little did they know their final resting place would be so close to their beloved Seattle.

“Heartland went way too far this time, Unk. I’m in the Governor’s Suite. Not sure who elected me Governor, but I’m very happy to be here. It’s amazing.” Sam was glad to hear her uncle’s voice and she told him the flight was fine. She didn’t mention the nightmare.

“Have you talked to Wanda yet? I’m curious about that hound of yours. I think he got used to having you work from home, Sam, and I’ll bet he misses you.” Unk was talking about Sam’s beloved dog Teddy, a black and white husky she rescued from the Central Missouri Humane Society three years ago.

“He never misses me when Wanda’s around. I swear she spoils him worse than you do. I’m going to call home next. You know you’re always first on the list, Unk.” That hairy dog was always on Sam’s mind and she looked forward to the day when she could maybe only travel once or twice a year and spend more time with her beautiful beast.

“Well, let me know when Wanda wants to pass him off to me. I kind of miss the big guy, too.” Unk had agreed to take Teddy when Wanda drove up to Chicago to visit her nephew around Thanksgiving.

“Oh, Unk. Before I let you go, have you ever heard of a book called The Rising of the Empire by a Vanja Ra. . .” Sam halted while she looked up the name.

“Radic. Vanja Radic. Of course I’ve heard of it. Why do you ask?” Unk found himself again trying to control his voice when his niece mentioned the book that had occupied a chunk of his life.

“Well, I guess it was part of the client’s rare book collection.”

There was absolute silence on the other end of the phone.

“Unk? What’s up with you this afternoon? Are you sure everything’s okay?” Sam was a little worried about her uncle. He was never at a loss for words.

Dr. Carson’s face had gone pale when he heard the title. Surely she was mistaken. As far as he knew, there were only three copies of this book still in existence. He knew where the other two were and the third was never found so far as he knew. Could it be possible the third copy has been discovered?

“Sorry, Sam. I have heard of the book and it is, indeed, very rare. You think it’s been stolen from the client? Uh, what’s the client’s name again?” Unk was shaking.

“I hadn’t mentioned his name, Unk. It’s Mr. Wu. James Wu.”

It was all Samuel Carson could do to keep from dropping his cell phone. He could not let Sam know what he was thinking.

“Oh,” Unk was doing his very best to sound nonchalant. “Well. I’ll send you some information on the book, Sam. Where did Mr. Wu get this book?” Dr. Carson’s mind was racing.

“It’s the only one in the collection that doesn’t have a notation about where or how he acquired it. I’ll let you know when I have more information. Take care, Unk. I’m gonna give Wanda a call. Talk to you soon.”

“Okay, Samantha. I’ll talk to you soon.” Dr. Carson touched his phone and ended the call, his mind still going in a thousand different directions. James Wu? Is it really possible? He must be related to Dorothy, but who is he? Did David have a brother or maybe a nephew? Samuel hadn’t spoken to Dorothy in three decades. Where was she, and had she found the third copy of the book?

* * * * *

Samantha clicked off her call to Unk and called Wanda who was her confidante, her friend, her house and dog sitter, and the person she trusted most in the world, second only to Unk.

“Hey, Wanda, how’s that boy of mine doin’?” Sam knew he would be fine in Wanda’s capable care.

“Leave it to you to ask after the damn dog before you ask about me,” Wanda and Sam laughed at Sam’s uncharacteristic lack of manners. “He’s doin’ just fine, thank you very much. We walked on the trail today and I swear everyone on the trail knows this dog. You two are quite popular among the trail walkers, darlin’. How’re you? And how was your flight to Seattle? Girl, I swear this time they have flown you to the ends of the earth.” Wanda reached down and patted Teddy on the head.

“The flight was great and oh, Wanda—I wish you were here to see this room. I have a view of the sound and the mountains. I could get used to this town real fast. It is such a beautiful city.” Samantha looked out the window at a ferry making its way to the dock.

“Don’t you go gettin’ any ideas about moving to Seattle, sister. That is just too freakin’ far away and I don’t even want to think about a five hour plane ride to come visit you.” Wanda was a slim, fit, fifty-five year-old African American woman Samantha had met when she first came to live in Columbia over fifteen years ago. Wanda had a grey husky in those days and the three met while running on one of the many Columbia nature trails. They had been friends ever since, and it was Wanda who convinced Sam she needed a dog and took her to the Humane Society when she learned they were looking for a home for Teddy. Wanda looked down at the black and white face and saw Teddy was looking up at her with a smile in his bright blue eyes.

“No plans to move here. But it is beautiful. Take good care of the beast. We’ll talk soon. Love you.” Sam pictured her friend and Teddy standing in her kitchen in Columbia and knew Teddy would be getting a treat of some kind shortly.

“Love you, too, my friend. Take care and call anytime.”

Anxious to get down to Pike Place Market, Samantha left unpacking for later. She pulled some gloves and a scarf from one of her bags, put on a small backpack with her wallet and cell phone tucked inside and headed out. She stopped at the front desk and made arrangements for a rental car to be delivered to the hotel this evening so she could drive over to Mercer Island tomorrow and meet with James Wu.

The aisles at the market were packed with early holiday shoppers and Sam made her way through the crowd. Her mission was to get some garlic-smoked salmon from the Pike Place Fish Market, some cheese from Beecher’s, and some fresh-cut flowers for her hotel room. She took a picture of Rachel the Pig just like any self-respecting tourist and walked over to the fish market.

* * * * *

In Chicago, Dr. Samuel Carson was digging through an old file cabinet in his office looking for a file folder with her name on it. He was pretty sure he’d put the letter he hadn’t read for thirty years in that folder and was fairly certain it would be in the cabinet where he kept some other mementos from his life before he became a “dad.” He found the file labeled simply “Dorothy.” He pulled it out, carefully laid it on his desk and opened it. And there, on the top of everything else in the file, was the letter. Seeing the familiar handwriting brought tears to his eyes and he sat down to read.

August 29, 1983

My Dear Samuel,

It breaks my heart to write this letter, but we both knew this day would come. I have decided to go back to San Francisco and back to David. These last few months have meant more to me than you know. I have fallen deeply and passionately in love with you and would give anything if we could be together. But I also love David and you know he thinks of you as more of a brother than a friend. I don’t believe I could hurt him in this way and continue to live with myself. I also know that such a betrayal would only destroy what we have between us because guilt would get us in the end.

Please believe that I love you and that if I could change our circumstances, I would. We both know it’s right for me to go home and resume my life with my husband. I am not sorry, however, that I was so vulnerable to your charms and I will never forget these past months or have any regrets. Give Ralph and Anita my love. Take care, sweet Samuel, and perhaps our paths will cross again someday.

Love forever,

Dot

Dr. Carson wiped his eyes and carefully laid the letter back on the file. He leaned back in his big swivel chair and looked at the ceiling. He found this letter on August 30, 1983. Two days later his sister and her husband were killed in a plane crash, and his life was never the same. He had suddenly become a single father at the age of twenty-nine, and had only thought about Dorothy during those lonely nights after he had tucked his new charge into bed, washed the dishes, polished off his lecture for the next day or finished his research and had a minute to himself. When those memories came, he forced himself to put them in the back corners of his mind just as he had tucked this letter in an old file folder in a dusty file cabinet in the corner of a very messy home office. He had never told Samantha about Dorothy. In some ways, he was ashamed to admit he had fallen in love with a colleague who also happened to be married to another colleague who was the closest thing to a best friend Samuel Carson had ever had.

Those times together conducting research in Europe were special times. They had been researching The Rising of the Empire, learning about Vanja Radic, who they both were convinced, was actually a woman, and trying to find any possible remaining copies. This book had caused the author and many people who read it great tragedy and despair. And now his niece knew about the book because a copy somehow miraculously turned up at the home of someone who shared the same last name as his former mistress and her beloved husband. This James Wu had to be related in some way to Dorothy. The woman Unk considered the love of his life.