Chapter 20 #2
“You can count on it,” Alexei said. “You heard Commander Mikhailov this afternoon. He’s busy putting together lecture suggestions as we speak. You’ll be able to choose which you think will be most helpful.”
“I hope so,” JD said as he abruptly recommenced heading toward the other basket. Everyone was doing the same, including Jack, who was approaching dribbling the ball.
JD’s team maintained their early lead, but Alexei’s heart wasn’t into it.
After learning what he’d learned, he could not have cared less about the game’s outcome.
All he could think about was texting Dmitry to come to pick him up, getting back to the Bennet Estate, and informing Viktor what he’d learned.
Meanwhile he had to worry about avoiding Jack Stapleton as much as possible.
As the second game was nearing its inevitable conclusion, Alexei had a comforting idea.
He was obviously on the losing team, so for the final, third game, he’d be required to shoot foul shots with the other losers to determine who would play and who would sit out.
He could make sure he missed all foul shots, meaning it would be he who sat out the final game.
If that were the case he could leave when he wanted and, as an added benefit, would avoid talking with Jack Stapleton entirely.
Unfortunately, things didn’t work out as Alexei envisioned.
When the second game was over and before the foul shooting contest could begin, Chris Nebolsine informed the group that it was unnecessary since he had to leave.
That meant that Alexei found himself playing in the third and final game whether he wanted to or not.
The third game turned out to be yet another repeat of the first two. Alexei didn’t help. Consumed by his own thoughts, he played poorly and JD was able to capitalize and scored at least half of his team’s baskets.
The moment the game was over, Alexei shunned the customary camaraderie of the others and made a beeline for the bleachers where he’d left his towel and mobile.
Reaching it, he snapped up the phone and immediately sent the prepared text to Dmitry.
He then winced when he heard his name called out.
Turning around, he saw Jack Stapleton coming toward him, and he braced himself, terrified Jack would want to talk about Amsterdam and Alexei’s memorized details wouldn’t be convincing.
“Alexei!” Jack called out again as he neared. He was smiling broadly. “Sorry you got on the losing team with me and the others. At least we gave it our best.”
“It happens,” Alexei said philosophically.
“Indeed, it does,” Jack agreed. “I was hoping to see you today, so we could pick up our conversation where we left off yesterday.”
“We can for a moment or two,” Alexei said. “But my ride is already on its way to pick me up. I’m supposed to meet him in front of the school in minutes.”
“Okay then, I’ll be quick,” Jack said. “Yesterday I mentioned I was going to be autopsying Ethan Jameson this morning.”
“I remember,” Alexei said, feeling a minor jolt. Although he was thankful the conversation was so far not about Amsterdam or the Dutch language, he’d not expected it to be about Ethan Jameson. “How did the autopsy go? Were you able to learn how he managed to get himself killed?”
“Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned,” Jack said. “Right before the autopsy was about to begin, it was discovered that his body had gone missing. Had you or your compatriots heard anything about this disappearance?”
“Missing!” Alexei said, feigning shock. “No! We’ve heard nothing of the kind, and we did meet with JD this afternoon. Does he know?”
“Yes, JD definitely knows,” Jack said.
“Then I’m surprised he didn’t tell us,” Alexei said.
“We met with him about making some final lecture plans before we leave, so he had plenty of opportunity. That’s very strange.
How could something like that happen in a small town like this?
I can imagine it occurring in a large hospital like my own with bodies coming and going, but not in a small town. That’s freakish.”
“That’s our feeling as well,” Jack said. “It’s a confusing situation, particularly for Dr. Bob, who understandably feels responsible. I’m intent on finding out what the hell could have happened.”
“Well, I hope the body turns up,” Alexei said, motioning as if checking his watch. “I’m sorry, but I need to be on my way. My commander holds dinner for me.”
“Of course,” Jack said. “One other question, but first a bit of background. Last night during a barbecue dinner the police chief happened to mention that during his interview with Janet Huber, he’d been told that the morning of Ethan Jameson’s death he’d been very angry at your commander.”
“I’m not surprised,” Alexei said, feeling the need to say something since Jack had paused, causing him to feel progressively anxious about the upcoming question, fearing his answer might be self-incriminating because he was the one who decided to kill Ethan.
“Chief Hargrove went on to say that the reason Ethan Jameson was angry was because your commander wasn’t attending the Diehard Patriots’ activities. Instead, he was spending progressively more and more time in a home brewery. Is that true in your estimation?”
“Absolutely!” Alexei blurted out. “It’s true.
Ethan had even expressed his anger to me about the same issues on several occasions, which I passed on to the commander, but the commander chose to ignore it.
” Inwardly Alexei relaxed a degree since the question had been relatively easy to answer, although it was worrisome that Jack was in any way associating Ethan’s death with them.
At the same time, he complimented himself for having decided to buy a fermenter with JD’s help through JD’s parents’ hardware store rather than a more expensive bioreactor from the scientific supply company in Albany.
In so doing it had inadvertently created the unexpected additional benefit of JD raising the brewery idea.
He shuddered to think of what might have happened had he bought a bioreactor, and JD had somehow learned of it.
Jack stared at him for a couple of beats.
He then took in a deep breath and let it out slowly before shaking his head.
“I’m sorry, but it all seems rather bizarre to me.
For your commander to offer to help the Diehard Patriots and come all this way across the Atlantic Ocean and be in a particularly gorgeous mountain environment in the middle of the summer and yet want to spend time indoors making beer, especially when there are so many terrific commercial craft beers available, makes no sense. ”
“It makes no sense to me, either,” Alexei said with an agreeable nod.
“And to be honest, just between us, it has irritated me as well. With the commander and his second in command occupied with his beer-making passion, it’s created significantly more of a burden for me and my partner.
Dealing with the ridiculous Diehard Patriots has ended up falling on the two of us alone, and let me tell you, keeping these amateurs and ourselves reasonably safe has been one hell of a struggle. ”
“I can imagine,” Jack said, “but why then do you and your partner also remain so cloistered in the Bennet Estate? Why don’t at least you two take advantage of what this area has to offer?”
“That’s a fair question,” Alexei agreed.
“First of all, the Diehard Patriot maneuvers are all held at night, so on those occasions my partner and I sleep during the day. Second, we stay on the Bennet Estate’s grounds specifically because the commander directly orders us to do so.
He knows this is a small, isolated town with an anti-immigrant and anti-foreign orientation, and he’s committed for us to not be intrusive.
Giving in to my pleading and allowing me to play basketball is his only concession.
But it’s also true that Bennet Estate is like being at a luxury spa, so staying there is hardly an imposition. ”
“Okay, fair enough,” Jack said with a nod and a broad smile.
“Since I’m staying at a remarkably similar property on the very same lake, I can mostly agree.
If your quarters are like ours, it is a luxury spa, and particularly yours with its diving board.
” Jack laughed outright. “To be honest,” he added, “I’m jealous of your diving board.
When I was a teenager, a springboard was a central fixture of my summertime. ”
Alexei managed a nervous chuckle. “The diving board is a particularly nice amenity that I have enjoyed.” In the back of his mind, he was thinking more about how handy it had been helping to dispose of Ethan Jameson’s corpse.
“I’m sure I would do the same,” Jack said.
“But before you go, let me pay you and your comrades a compliment. Just prior to coming here for basketball, I stopped in to see the police chief, Bill Hargrove. You should know that he specifically compliments you folks for what you have managed to do with the Diehard Patriots. Although their nighttime activities have increased during your stay, he pointed out that there’s been no accidents and particularly no fatalities, and he gives full credit for this to you and your compatriots. ”
“Thank you for telling me,” Alexei said as he started to back away. “I’ll pass that on to the others, particularly the commander. When we originally arrived, we were shocked at exactly how ragtag they were and how carelessly they handled their weapons.”
“If we play over the weekend, I hope to see you again,” Jack called out as he waved goodbye.
Alexei waved back but quickly turned and beat a hasty retreat out of the park. He was enormously relieved that he’d not been dragged into a conversation about Amsterdam, or Holland in general, or the Dutch language. At the same time the conversation had disturbed him.