2:26 p.m. PST
“I have to speak with you.”
The childish voice had Melor Borodin passing back the new shipping manifest for the stolen air conditioners he was moving on behalf of an associate in California. Motioning to the waiting driver that he should get going immediately after switching the product from one truck to another, he retreated deeper into the warehouse where it was less noisy.
“What did I tell you about phoning here?” he demanded.
“Please don’t be angry with me. I was careful. I’m at a pay phone away from the station.”
At least the bubble brain retained something of his directives, Borodin thought, scanning the activity in the rest of the warehouse. The situation here didn’t make him any happier. He had too few men to move too much inventory. If someone didn’t give him good news soon, the feds were going to make a killing after taking possession of the inventory he couldn’t dump in time.
“All right, all right.” He struggled to find patience for her. “I am like a bear with bad mood because no sleep, da? Your fault.” He rolled his eyes at the bullshit, but heard her sigh with either relief or pleasure. Who knew? Who cared?
“My news may help,” she replied. “I think she’s surfaced.”
“How do you know this?”
“I believe she’s using an alias. As you asked, I’ve been working as many hours overtime as they’ll let me to see if something turns up. Luckily, we have people out with summer colds, and we’re also short due to vacations.”
Borodin pinched the bridge of his nose. Damn, the woman could go on. Into the phone, he said, “And I am forever grateful. What is news you have to tell me?”
“I’ve come across a search from that funny-named town you said to watch for in Texas. Bitters? It’s shown up. The police there just ran a background check on an Anna Diaz. Now, it’s a Louisiana license, but the last address for her on the computer was—are you ready? Sasha’s. On top of that, by the looks of her MVD photo she could be Sasha’s twin.”
So that’s the name she was using. Borodin wondered what the connection was between the two women, but was more interested in knowing why the cops out there were checking on her. “Who is this Anna Diaz?”
“Ah, this is the fascinating part—you mean was. Talk about weird. She’s dead.”
Borodin had culled Officer Gloria Carney from the flock to create his very own spy. Eager to see conspiracy and threat everywhere, she was also the least likely female on the LVMPD to have a love life. So he had inveigled himself into her good graces, convincing her that he was being hustled, virtually stalked by Sasha in revenge for the brief relationship he’d had with her mother. He’d explained how Tatiana Mills had been attractive for her age, but soon proved obsessively jealous and demanding of his time. Borodin had played to Gloria’s sympathies and her moral outrage, asking her to gauge whether Tatiana’s daughter, Sasha, was a serious stalker he needed to fear. The queen of the Lonelyhearts Club, who could never compete and secretly resented the effortlessly sensual Sasha, had been more than ready to oblige.
But what interested him now was Tatiana’s daughter. How had she come across a dead woman’s ID, and one who looked so much like her, no less?
“For what reason do they ask of her?” he queried.
“Would you believe she’s an arson suspect?”
It was too delightful. Strictly by-the-book Sasha accused of arson. At least it explained why she was still in that ridiculous-sounding place.
“Have they arrested her?” he asked. His people hadn’t given any indication of that, and if this news proved accurate, he would eunuchize them himself.
“If they haven’t yet, it sounds as though they might.”
Under no circumstances could that be permitted. To free herself, Sasha would talk. He didn’t know how much she knew about all his interests, but she’d alluded to enough the last time they were face-to-face. Add to that her devotion to her mother and he didn’t have to question that she would ruin him in this country if he didn’t destroy her first.
Once again he glanced around the warehouse still too full of merchandise. He needed time, otherwise it wouldn’t be just the feds after his ass; his customers expected him to be an efficient and reliable conduit. Their vengeance would have no statute of limitations, and they didn’t recognize state, let alone international, boundaries.
As his man Yegor stuck his head out of the main office door to hand off another manifest, he said into the phone, “Hold a moment.” Then to the shaven-headed man he called, “Have we heard from Lev or Akim yet?”
“Nyet. But it has been two hours. The call comes at any moment.”
“Let me know the instant you hear.” Then into the phone he said, “Darling, I must meet with you.”
“So you’re pleased?”
“There are no words.”
“Tonight?”
She sounded so hopeful, he smiled. “You think I can wait that long?”
She laughed, a little giddy, a little self-conscious. “I’m still on duty, you know.”
“What was I thinking, forgive me. It is this ID you mentioned. It would be so helpful to see a copy of it. Perhaps I can recognize this woman, maybe she worked for me as former employee. Perhaps Tatiana and Sasha used her to watch me. I think I remember someone at the restaurant…” He let the idea dangle and waited for Gloria to take the bait.
“Then of course, I’ll manage. When and where?”
He mentioned the parking garage of the abandoned building soon to be torn down to make way for a new casino. He knew she would like it because it was where they’d first sojourned. “Say…one hour? Unless you can take an early dinner? We could dine on each other, my stukachi.”
“Oh, I’d love to so much…but I’d better not risk it. I wasn’t kidding about being shorthanded here.”
Borodin accepted the news with a heavy sigh and ended the call, murmuring, “Don’t make me wait too long.” Disconnecting, he then headed for his office.
Arson. This would not do at all. But he had an idea of how to get Sasha out into the open again, even if she had to take on the devil himself to get free.
When he returned to the front office, he found Yegor on the phone. “Akim,” the man said, passing it over.
Borodin said into the mouthpiece, “I have new orders for you.”