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Authors: Orest Stelmach
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cell phone.”
His words carried an ominous foreboding. The last time Simmy had offered her his assistance, she’d ended up being chased by killers through the Priest’s Grotto, an underground network of gypsum caves in western Ukraine.
“I’m sure I won’t need any help, but it’s incredibly kind of you to offer.”
Nadia meant what she said, except for the first part.
She wasn’t sure of anything at all.
CHAPTER 12
L UO WAITED OUTSIDE the Kryzhynka skating rink in the Olympic National Sports Complex in central Kyiv. The sun shone on a brisk Tuesday morning. A wind whipped Luo’s face. It was April in Kyiv, the equivalent of summer in Siberia. Normally such weather didn’t faze him in the least. This morning, however, he couldn’t get warm for some reason. Every time he tried to find a spot in the sun, some students from the Kyiv Sports Institute would gather to chat and cast a shadow on him.
He’d spoken to the detectives investigating the murder of Ksenia Melnik, the woman listed as Adam Tesla’s emergency contact. After contributing a thousand hryvnia to their retirement funds, the detectives confirmed it was a robbery-homicide. Ksenia Melnik’s son had hidden in the closet and placed an emergency call to the police from his cell phone. But the perpetrators escaped before the cops arrived, taking the woman’s cash, sterling silver tea set, and rare book collection.
After speaking with the detectives, Luo tried to meet with the dead woman’s son but he refused to let him into the apartment. Said he didn’t care to meet with any old friends of his mother. Told him to go away or he’d open the door and give him a beating he’d never forget. Luo had a mind to teach the boy some manners, but restrained himself. His sole purpose in life was never far from his mind.
The treasure. Nothing mattered except finding the treasure.
A rowdy group of six young men burst out of the Sports Complex. They carried equipment bags and hockey sticks. Luo recognized Ksenia Melnik’s son, Denys, from his picture on the Western Ukrainian Amateur Hockey League website. He was an eighteen-year-old defenseman for the Hockey Club Express. The season had ended in March. The website said that he lived with his mother in Kyiv.
Not anymore.
Luo walked up to the gang and blocked their path. Hockey was popular in Siberia and Luo had played as a teen. There were even two professional teams now. When he was growing up, the Russian version was a cerebral game with an emphasis on skills and tactics. But the North American style had influenced Russian play, and now there was a violent edge to the game.
As a result, Luo wasn’t surprised to see the young men’s faces tighten when he obstructed their path. Two of them closed their fists. Luo hadn’t even stated his business and yet they’d already revealed themselves. Physically strong, mentally weak.
He handed Denys a business card. “I’m Luo Davidov,” he said. He’d made up the last name yesterday at the printer’s shop. “I’m a scout with Donbas-2.”
Donbas-2 was a professional hockey team from Eastern Ukraine. They were the reigning champions of the Ukrainian Professional Hockey League, and a gateway to the national team, which competed in international events. Every amateur dreamed of playing for Donbas-2.
Denys took the card and stared at it as though it were a notification of a large inheritance.
“May I speak with you in private?” Luo said.
“Sure,” Denys said. He glanced at his friends with a mixture of shock and expectation. This was the moment he’d been waiting for his entire life, he seemed to be saying.
Luo led the way onto the sidewalk and around the corner toward the parking lot behind the stadium. They sat down on two empty soda crates near the rear entrance.
“We’ve been tracking your progress,” Luo said.
“You have?” Denys said.
“Yes. Just last week I was talking to Wayne Gretzky about you.” Gretzky, widely considered to
His words carried an ominous foreboding. The last time Simmy had offered her his assistance, she’d ended up being chased by killers through the Priest’s Grotto, an underground network of gypsum caves in western Ukraine.
“I’m sure I won’t need any help, but it’s incredibly kind of you to offer.”
Nadia meant what she said, except for the first part.
She wasn’t sure of anything at all.
CHAPTER 12
L UO WAITED OUTSIDE the Kryzhynka skating rink in the Olympic National Sports Complex in central Kyiv. The sun shone on a brisk Tuesday morning. A wind whipped Luo’s face. It was April in Kyiv, the equivalent of summer in Siberia. Normally such weather didn’t faze him in the least. This morning, however, he couldn’t get warm for some reason. Every time he tried to find a spot in the sun, some students from the Kyiv Sports Institute would gather to chat and cast a shadow on him.
He’d spoken to the detectives investigating the murder of Ksenia Melnik, the woman listed as Adam Tesla’s emergency contact. After contributing a thousand hryvnia to their retirement funds, the detectives confirmed it was a robbery-homicide. Ksenia Melnik’s son had hidden in the closet and placed an emergency call to the police from his cell phone. But the perpetrators escaped before the cops arrived, taking the woman’s cash, sterling silver tea set, and rare book collection.
After speaking with the detectives, Luo tried to meet with the dead woman’s son but he refused to let him into the apartment. Said he didn’t care to meet with any old friends of his mother. Told him to go away or he’d open the door and give him a beating he’d never forget. Luo had a mind to teach the boy some manners, but restrained himself. His sole purpose in life was never far from his mind.
The treasure. Nothing mattered except finding the treasure.
A rowdy group of six young men burst out of the Sports Complex. They carried equipment bags and hockey sticks. Luo recognized Ksenia Melnik’s son, Denys, from his picture on the Western Ukrainian Amateur Hockey League website. He was an eighteen-year-old defenseman for the Hockey Club Express. The season had ended in March. The website said that he lived with his mother in Kyiv.
Not anymore.
Luo walked up to the gang and blocked their path. Hockey was popular in Siberia and Luo had played as a teen. There were even two professional teams now. When he was growing up, the Russian version was a cerebral game with an emphasis on skills and tactics. But the North American style had influenced Russian play, and now there was a violent edge to the game.
As a result, Luo wasn’t surprised to see the young men’s faces tighten when he obstructed their path. Two of them closed their fists. Luo hadn’t even stated his business and yet they’d already revealed themselves. Physically strong, mentally weak.
He handed Denys a business card. “I’m Luo Davidov,” he said. He’d made up the last name yesterday at the printer’s shop. “I’m a scout with Donbas-2.”
Donbas-2 was a professional hockey team from Eastern Ukraine. They were the reigning champions of the Ukrainian Professional Hockey League, and a gateway to the national team, which competed in international events. Every amateur dreamed of playing for Donbas-2.
Denys took the card and stared at it as though it were a notification of a large inheritance.
“May I speak with you in private?” Luo said.
“Sure,” Denys said. He glanced at his friends with a mixture of shock and expectation. This was the moment he’d been waiting for his entire life, he seemed to be saying.
Luo led the way onto the sidewalk and around the corner toward the parking lot behind the stadium. They sat down on two empty soda crates near the rear entrance.
“We’ve been tracking your progress,” Luo said.
“You have?” Denys said.
“Yes. Just last week I was talking to Wayne Gretzky about you.” Gretzky, widely considered to
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