Page 84 of The Unseen
“Uncle Kolya was killed during the Blitz. Didn’t get to a shelter in time.”
“Was he married? Did he have children?” Quinn asked, seeing that sweet eight-year-old boy in her mind’s eye.
“He married and had two sons. His widow eventually remarried and moved to New Zealand. She’s gone now, of course, but I keep in contact with my cousins.”
“Natalia, do you have any photos or mementoes of your mother we can show on the program? Any letters?”
“I’ll have a rummage. I have a box of photos somewhere. Mum wasn’t big on writing letters. She had no one to write to, and unlike many women of her time, she wasn’t fond of journal keeping. Said nothing worth writing about ever happened to her.”
“It would have been wonderful to hear her voice through her letters,” Quinn mused as she wrapped up the interview.
“Yes, it would. Knowing what I know now certainly puts a new perspective on Mum’s life. I wish I knew what really happened between her and Dmitri.”
“So you believe she killed him?”
“He didn’t hide his own corpse and block the door to the bathroom, so either he committed suicide and Mum wanted to keep that from the world, or she did away with him and cleverly hid the body. If she did, she committed the perfect crime.”
“She certainly did. Do we have your permission to tell her story as it unfolds?”
“Absolutely. And do let me know when the program’s going to air. I can’t wait,” Natalia squealed. “I’ve always wanted to be on the telly.”
“It’ll be a while yet. Probably next autumn.”
Natalia looked momentarily disappointed but then perked up. “I can wait. I’m just glad to be a part of it. I saw the first episode and it was heartbreaking. What a story.”
“Sorry, but I actually have one more question I’d like to ask you,” Quinn said.
“Fire away.”
“Did your parents have a happy marriage? If you don’t mind me asking.”
“Oh yes. It was them two against the world. You see, neither family was pleased with the marriage. My father’s parents didn’t approve of him marrying a Russian, and my grandmother wasn’t thrilled with my mother’s choice of husband either. She thought Dad was beneath her. But they were both widowed early in life and refused to listen to anyone’s opinion. Mum was heartbroken when Dad died. He was only sixty-seven, so she outlived him by quite a few years. She never stopped talking about him. He’d been her best friend, and she was lost without him. I suppose that’s why I never married. I never found anyone who could give me what my parents had, and I wasn’t willing to settle for less. I had a number of relationships and got to experience motherhood, but I never found anyone I loved enough to spend my life with.”
“I appreciate your honesty.”
An hour later, Natalia walked them to the door and watched as Quinn and Rhys got into the lift. Darren decided to take the stairs.
“Are you all right?” Quinn asked, turning to face Rhys. He’d been unusually quiet after they wrapped up the interview and accepted Natalia’s invitation to stay for tea and scones. Normally, he would have peppered the conversation with questions and observations, drawing Natalia out without her realizing it, and would have extracted a few interesting tidbits to throw into thescript, but he’d just sat there, sipping his tea, his plate empty. The Rhys she knew would never pass up a fresh scone.
“I’m fine.”
“Are you sure? Have you and Haley made up?”
“Leave it, Quinn,” Rhys snapped.
“All right. I’ll speak to you later then,” Quinn said as they exited into the street. Rhys turned on his heel and strode away without saying goodbye.
FIFTY
Quinn was about to walk into her building when someone called her name. She turned around, startled out of her reverie, to find Drew Camden striding toward her. He looked rather dour and his limp was more pronounced than before, possibly because he’d been rushing to catch up with her.
“Good afternoon,” Drew said as he stopped next to Quinn. “Did you not hear me calling you?” he asked irritably.
“Sorry, I was a million miles away. I didn’t know you were coming today.”
“I was in the neighborhood and thought I’d stop by to give you an update in person.”
“Have you got something?” Quinn asked, breathless with anticipation. “Have you found Quentin?”
