Page 32 of Vengeful Embers

“The safe was hidden in your grandfather’s house.” The general's words have me jolting in surprise.

“Is that why he left the house to you?” I ask.

It had not made sense at the time. I know my grandfather and the general were good friends, but to me, it didn’t warrant the general inheriting my grandfather's house in Dragunov Village. Now I’m wondering what else besides a photo of Anya was in that box that has him so rattled and was so important that my grandfather left him a house just to protect the safe.

“Part of the reason,” the general tells me.

“So what was in the box that is so important?” I ask.

“You tell me,” the general says.

“Fuck. I didn’t steal the fucking box.” My anger bubbles over. “I’m not the one who has your precious box. I didn’t even know it existed until Konstantin sent me that photo this morning.” My stomach knots.

“If you didn’t steal it,” the general asks. “Where did you find it?”

I sigh. “In Vegas.”

That makes his face drop. “Where in Vegas?”

“On Tara Craft’s lap.” My answer has the man sucking in his breath and fear flashing in his eyes.

“Fuck, this is not good.” He runs a hand through his hair. “Tell me all you know about the puzzle box.”

“Why?” My eyes narrow. “You tell me why it has you so freaked out first.”

“Inside the puzzle box was DNA in the form of baby teeth, hair, and cheek swabs in a small medical bag. A birth certificate, a photo of Anya, and a one-of-a-kind key.”

“I’m guessing it’s the key that’s got you worked up.”

“Partly.” He pulls out another photo and holds it so I can’t see it. “The main reason I thought you had taken the box was because of this.” He puts the photo in front of me.

The vault. My throat closes as I stare at the vault, which I was beginning to think was nothing more than a myth.

He leans forward. “It’s the key that opens the Dragunov vault.”

“You’re the gatekeeper?”

“Not for long,” he tells me. “The DNA in the puzzle box belongs to the next gatekeeper. The photo of Anya has a cryptic message on the back letting my estranged daughter know it’s safe or time to come home. The picture of Anya was taken in the place where my daughter and her family were to meet us.”

“It’s Tara’s DNA, isn’t it?” I watch him closely. Again, he doesn’t so much as blink. “She’s the next gatekeeper?”

“When the box first went missing, I thought you’d found and figured out who the birth certificate was,” The general admits. “I was waiting for you to make your next move after sending me that photo of you and Tara.”

“But now that you know it wasn’t me?” I ask.

“Do you know how Tara got the box?”

“Konstantin saw her sitting on a park bench. When he approached her, he saw her pull a photo from it and overheard her wondering aloud why her father would have the picture of a woman hidden in a puzzle box. When Konstantin questioned her about the woman, Tara said she had no idea who she was.”

“How did she find the puzzle box?” the general pushes.

“It was in a box of her late father’s things,” I tell him. “Konstantin found the storage unit and got inside. There was nothing else of significance in the box except the picture of Carla and Sol Craft, whom he recognized as Leonid Zorin.”

He runs a hand through his hair and pinches the bridge of his nose. “If Tara found the puzzle box, it was not by accident but by design. If I had to hazard a guess, I’d say the key was not in the box.”

“I don’t know, she keeps it with her, and Konstantin hasn’t been able to get into it,” I tell him. “If they have the key, why haven’t they gone after the treasure? Why send the box to Tara?”

“Because this isn’t just about the treasure,” the general tells me. “It’s about something far more valuable, and they’re using the treasure to leverage it. The picture of you with Tara is a message. That if I don’t deliver what they want, they’ll get you to do it because they know you want that treasure.”

---