Page 35 of Fallen Roses

“It did.” She shrugs. “The trail led us to The Rose Foundation because my brother Valentin found aphotograph with the images of four women. My mother, my father’s mistress, the woman who founded Burning Roses and Adele Heatherington.”

I sit forward, instantly aware of the significance of that photograph, and say gruffly, “Go on.”

“Two of the women are dead. Marsha Steele, the founder of Burning Roses and Veronica Scott-Stanley, my father’s mistress.”

She takes a deep breath. “My brother, Arman, discovered links to The Rose Foundation and Adele’s involvement in it. I am considered the information gatherer of the family and my day job is as CEO of my own accountancy company back in Russia.”

“That figures.” I roll my eyes, disguising how impressed I am with this woman, and she sighs, leaning back against the couch cushion and fixing me with a ruthless gleam in her eye.

“I willnotapologize for my family or who I am. We are tracking a murderer which comes with associated risks.”

“So, was it worth it?” I ask, my earlier anger turning to interest, and she nods.

“I have only scratched the surface, but the cracks are freshly painted over and easy to find. It helped that Eric is an incorrigible gossip and his mouth is loosened by alcohol. He pointed out many anomalies and was spot on with his assessment.”

“What did he find?” I’m curious and angry at the same time because I should have known what was goingon under my roof and Ana appears to know a lot more than me about the company I am supposed to be in charge of.

“It’s a long story, but we think The Rose Foundation is laundering Russian money.”

“What the fuck!”

She leans forward, her eyes bright. “There are too many coincidences and if, like Eric suggested, you turn your attention to the gossip columns, they reveal far more than was probably intended.”

“Such as–”

I can’t believe what I’m hearing, and she says with excitement. “I saw a photograph online of Anthony Gold in deep discussion with Boris Fedorov, the head of the KGB and Denislav Orlov, the current president of Russia.”

“That doesn’t prove anything.”

I’m disappointed if that’s what she’s basing this on and she fires back. “Anthony Gold is heavily involved in Vulcan Industries, the weapons manufacturer. Their profits are huge and I’m guessing if you followed the paper trail, some of their funds will be tied up with Gold enterprises. You see, James–”

I note the animation on her face as excitement takes over and she has never looked as beautiful as she does now.

“Anthony Gold invested three hundred thousand dollars of his own private money into Gold enterprises last year, apparently to steady the ship and to keep itfrom going under. He has done the same thing every year for six years, but the company is still running at a loss.”

“The exact sum he is donating to The Rose Foundation.”

It’s as if the mist clears and I’m hit by a giant wake-up call and I see where this is leading. “His weapons company is injecting money into our system, but why?”

I’m still none the wiser about where this is leading and Ana huffs, “Because we’re convinced there is a select group of men who are working for a far higher prize than laundering money, James. You see, there was another group of men who were also in Switzerland at the time that photograph was taken.”

I lean forward as I wait for the missing link.

“My father, Governor Kenricky, Boris Fedorov and Denislav Orlov and we don’t believe in coincidences, James because one is about to be sworn in as the President of the United States if the polls are correct and one is already controlling the most formidable superpower in the world.”

I exhale sharply. “This could just be a coincidence but my family believes something is happening behind the scenes. Three of the people involved are dead and we are in possession of a devastating truth that if it ever came out, could destabilize the world. So, I’m sorry about the subterfuge, James but when you’re fighting a cold war, anything is acceptable.”

CHAPTER 19

ANA

Ican’t believe it’s all out in the open. I blurted out my family’s secret and I’m still not sure if I can trust James.

Do you trust me, Ana?

His words echo in my mind and I suppose I do, and as the story sinks in, James appears to be in shock.

Despite what happened earlier, I head to his side and take his hand, leaning my head on his shoulder and whisper, “Please don’t hate me. I have told you everything but one thing.”

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