“I’m going to assume you’ve seen the tattoos, and I regret to inform you, your friends have quite a reputation here in the Seattle area. If what I’ve heard about them is true, death is a perfectly accurate picture, I’m afraid.”
He laughed. “And you’ve made this judgment call based on rumors and tattoos? What if I also have a tattoo?”
“Well, no, not exactly. Does yours also have the symbolic skull?” I asked without thinking.
“It does indeed.”
“Fabulous. Then that probably makes you an official member of the Death Squad. Maybe I’ll have better luck with his father after all,” I mumbled.
“Death Squad?” he choked out around another laugh. “You’ve quite an imagination. Can I ask you a few questions before you go that route?”
“If you think it’ll help, then yes, by all means, ask away,” I said, hoping I wouldn’t have to resort to speaking with his father.
“Are you sure you don’t know Pavel Lenkov?”
Seemed like he was going to be nosey on behalf of his friends too. I rolled my eyes, feeling exasperated.
“That’s an odd question, but I’ll tell you like I told Aleksandr. I know him because he dances, not on a personal level. He looks quite despondent over the fact I’m not some girl he knew a long time ago. Maybe you should talk to him.” My stomach sank, and the lies hung in the air like thick fog.
“Yes, Nikolai told me Mr. Lenkov was very close to this girl. Apparently attended her funeral but swears you are her.”
Way to lay it on thick.
“Well, at this rate, if Mr. Lenkov sticks around, he might really get to attend my funeral, seeing as Alek has serious issues. Honestly, I’m sorry for Mr. Lenkov’s loss, but I can’t pretend to be someone I’m not. Surely, as a professional, you understand the ramifications of lies.” I gulped. I was in over my head with this conversation.
“Oh, absolutely, I do. Mind if I ask you a few more questions?”
“You can ask, but I’m unsure how my life is of any consequence to anyone, especially any of you.”
“Where were you born?”
“Again, relevance?”
“It’s a simple question. However, deflecting and refusing to answer simple questions about one’s life makes people suspicious and might indicate that there’s something you’re hiding.”
“Is that you speaking as a professional? What if I have questions for you?”
“I welcome your questions.”
What a smart-ass.
“Why do you care about any of this?” I asked.
“We don’t keep secrets from one another. We’re a tight group of friends.”
“I see. So if you stub your toe, do you tell one another? It seems rather childish—”
“Let me remind you,youcalledme. So let’s try this again. Where were you born?”
“Well, since your friend seems to know all about me, you can easily get that information from him.”
Two could play this game.
“Very well. I’m told you speak Russian. I find it coincidental that you speak the same language as Mr. Lenkov and look strikingly like the girl he used to dance with…” He paused.
“There wasn’t a question in there. However, I speak French and Mandarin as well. I enjoy studying foreign languages. Is that a crime?”
“No, not a crime. Just an interesting observation, is all. So here’s a question for you. Are you in hiding, Ms. Taylor? Ever been a victim of abuse of some kind?”
