The Escape (John Puller, #3)(145)

“I’m not really sure what I can tell you.”

“Nothing too complicated. I’ve spoken with your brother. Now I’d like to talk to you.” He looked around the shop. To him the items all looked designed for very young women who wanted to look borderline slutty. “How’s business?”

“Fine,” she said. “Look, do we really have to do this?”

“It is important,” he replied.

She wasn’t as tall as her mother and her body was thicker, sturdier. She must take after her father, he thought. Her shoulder-length brown hair rode loosely on her shoulders. Her face was pretty, but she looked tired. She must be, he concluded, after a long day on her feet performing the retail dance.

Audrey sighed. “Okay. Let’s at least sit down. I have a little office in the back room.”

They walked in there and sat at a small oval table.

“You want some coffee?” she asked.

“No thanks.”

She rose, poured herself a cup of coffee from a pot on the counter, and sat down across from him.

“Okay, what do you want to know?”

“Have you seen your mother recently?”

Audrey took a sip of her coffee and said, “About a week ago. We had dinner.”

“What’d you talk about?”

“Stuff. Personal stuff. Business stuff. She helps me with this place. We meet from time to time to go over the status of things.”

“So she has the financial resources to do that?”

“Look, I’m sure you’ve checked her out. You know she got an insurance payout when my father was killed. She invested really well. She’s not super rich but she doesn’t have to worry about money. And she’s very generous with me.”

“It’s a nice shop.”

“Thanks. I’ve always wanted my own business. And I’m really into fashion design. My mom cares about my dreams.”

“I understand that she traveled overseas a lot when you were young?”

“That’s right. She helped dismantle nukes. Really good work, right?”

“Yes. Very important. So what do you remember about your father’s death?”

She looked puzzled at the change in the direction of the questioning. “Why are you asking about that? It was a long time ago.”

“Just getting as much background info as I can. It can be a drudge, but it’s part of the process.”

She nodded and cradled her coffee cup. “Not that much, really. I’d broken my leg. I remember being in a lot of pain. It was really hot. He went out, and then the next thing I knew the house was swarming with cops and FBI agents. My mother got home the next day and took care of everything. Like she always does.”

“Have you spoken to her since you last saw her?”

“A couple of times.”

“What did she say?”

Audrey blanched. “Look, it was personal.”

“Okay, has she ever mentioned to you a man named Ivo Mesic or Anton Bok?”

“No.”

“Have you ever seen this man?” He handed her a photo of Bok.

She gazed down at it while Puller watched her closely, looking for any sign of recognition. She handed the photo back. “No, I’ve never seen this guy. He doesn’t look, I mean he doesn’t look American. And those names aren’t American.”

“He’s Russian.”

“And you’re saying my mother knows this guy?”

“She worked with him when they were verifying the reduction of nuclear warheads.”

“So you mean when she was doing her job?” she said snidely.

“We know that your mother has a cabin in Rappahannock County, Virginia.”

She looked genuinely surprised. “I didn’t know about that.”

“Do you know of any other properties that she has?”

“She has a condo at Wintergreen, the ski resort near Charlottesville.”

“You have the address?”

She gave it to him and Puller wrote this down. “Okay. Anyplace else other than the home in Springfield?”

“Not that I know of.”

“She ever mention to you any plans to leave the country?”

Audrey stood. “Look, what the hell is going on?”

Puller closed his notebook and stood. “I’m sorry to have to tell you that your mother is a suspected spy.”

“That’s bullshit! What proof do you have?”

“I’m afraid I can’t tell you that.”

“Because there is no proof.”

“No child wants to believe something like this about a parent. But we are investigating her. I wouldn’t be here otherwise.”

“I don’t believe you!”

Puller looked down at Audrey’s cell phone lying on the table. “Why don’t you try to call her now?”

“Why?”

“Just to check in. Say hello.”

“Why, so you can like track the call?” she said accusingly.

“I don’t have any equipment with me to trace the call. And you have to stay on the phone for a while to do it. Just say hello and tell her you’d like to see her sometime soon. That isn’t a problem, is it, Audrey?”