Love in E Flat (12 page)

“What building is this?” John asked.

Edie looked and shook her head. “I don’t know, but I can find out quick. Sweetie, get your phone.”

John struggled. “I can’t move back here.”

Lou silently looked out the window once again, listening to her friends.

“Oh, good grief.” Edie took out her phone while Lou waited for her to go online and find the address. “If you’d stop eating chocolate brownie ice cream every night…” Edie said absently; she raised an eyebrow and looked at Lou.

“What?” Lou asked, her stomach suddenly doing flip-flops.

“It’s for obtaining Russian passports or renewing them and all that red tape, I guess,” Edie said.

Nick looked at the building. “Is it the Russian Embassy?”

“Chicago doesn’t have an embassy or consulate office,” John said.

“How do you know?” Lou asked.

“The parents of a colleague of mine needed to talk to someone. They found out then. Only in Washington.”

Lou nodded and watched Edie as she frowned and put the phone in her purse.

“What’s wrong? Why are you frowning?” Lou asked.

“Why is she here? Doesn’t she have a passport? She’d have to have one to get into the country.”

“Maybe she’s just getting it renewed?” Nick offered, turning around to see them. “Ya know, if it’s gonna expire, then…”

“But someone as famous as Agata Karetnikov would have a publicist or some type of assistant to take care of all that. Wouldn’t you think?” John asked.

“I would think so,” Lou said thoughtfully. “So why is she here? Do you think she’s trying to leave Russia and they won’t let her?”

Nick quickly turned in his seat to face them. “
Comrade X
.”

“Who?” Lou asked.

“The movie with Clark Gable and Hedy Lamarr.”

“What…?” Lou shook her head.

“Oh, I remember,” Edie said eagerly and sat forward. “He was an American reporter, she was a Communist. Gable tried to smuggle her out of Russia…”

John tried to lean forward, as well, but wedged in the corner, it was a losing battle. “Maybe she’s a spy, well, not a spy an…an agent of some sorts. Stealing…”

Lou gave them all a disturbed look. “Stealing what? Sheet music?”

“Maybe it’s her cover.”

“Her cover?” Lou shook her head. “Yes, John, Aggie just happens to be a gifted spying cellist.”

John ignored her and talked directly to Nick and Edie. “And just maybe it’s got something encoded on the sheet music,” John said, very pleased with his scenario.

“And Lou will get caught up in it because she loves the Russian,” Edie said dreamily.

“Nah, those movies never turn out good,” Nick said. “Too much murder…”

John laughed. “Murder in E flat.”

“No!” Edie said. “
Comrade X
was a romantic comedy…” She sat back and grinned. “Love in E flat is much better.”

“My little romantic.” John leaned over to kiss his wife.

“You two are disgusting,” Lou said. “There is no murder or love. This is not a Russian spy novel. Now let’s all relax. There’s a logical reason for Aggie to be in that building.”

“Something with her passport.” Edie bit at her bottom lip. “I don’t know for sure, but since Russia is basically no longer a Communist state, I think if you have a valid international passport, you are allowed to travel.”

“And in Aggie’s case, being an international celebrity of sorts, you’d think she wouldn’t have any problems traveling abroad.”

John shrugged and said absently. “Maybe it’s not for her.”

As John watched the building, Lou, Nick, and Edie exchanged glances.

“Edie,” Lou started, “when you first contacted Aggie for the interview, did she say anything about traveling with anyone?”

“No. As a matter of fact, we talked about her being alone and away from friends. We talked about her parents and grandmother, who are deceased. I got the distinct impression she traveled alone. If she’s trying to get someone out of Russia, I don’t think it’s a family member. She told me she had no siblings, no relatives she keeps in contact with.”

Lou rubbed her forehead. “There shouldn’t be any more of this cloak-and-dagger crap with Russia. No more comrades. Right?” She looked at John and Edie.

“Change doesn’t happen overnight,” Nick said quietly. “Maybe some Russians like the old ways. Keep people in the dark.”

Edie grunted. “Like certain Republicans.”

“That’s my little left-winger.” John patted her hand. “But all Republicans are not evil.”

“I said certain.”

“She’s been up there how long?” Lou glanced at her watch.

“About twenty minutes, I figure,” Nick said.

“I feel ridiculous now,” Edie said, blowing on the steamy cup of coffee.

“Only now?” Lou asked.

“And I need more coffee. We could be sitting at a nice restaurant for lunch instead of playing Sam Spade.”

“Sam Spade,” John said. “Was that Bogie’s character in
The Big Sleep
?”

“I think so,” Edie said.

“Hmm,” Nick said thoughtfully, taking a drink of coffee. “That was
The Maltese Falcon
, I think.”

“Shoot me now.” Lou groaned as she listened, lightly banging her head against the cab window. As she watched the building, she prayed for Agata’s quick exit.

“Then what was his name in
The Big Sleep
?” John asked.

“Wasn’t it Rick or something?”

“I don’t think so.” John took a drink of coffee. “I think Rick was from
Casablanca
.”

“Right, right,” Nick said and smiled. “Oh, Ingrid Bergman. What a beauty.”

“No kidding,” John agreed.

“They shoulda gone together at the end of that movie,” Nick said.

“Agreed,” John said, raising his cup.

“Instead of that Frenchman,” Edie said. “What was his name?”

“Paul Henreid,” Nick said casually. “Ya know, from that movie with Bette Davis…”

“Oh,
Now Voyager
,” Edie said dreamily. “Now that was a romance.”

“You can remember that, but you can’t remember Bogie’s name in
The Big Sleep
?” John insisted.

Lou rubbed her forehead. “Who cares?”

Nick took out his cell and dialed. “Hi, baby. I’m fine. No, nothing’s wrong. Hey, what was Bogie’s name in
The Big Sleep
? Ya know the movie with Lauren Bacall.” Nick listened. “What? Oh, right! Thanks, sweetie. Love ya, bye.” He put the phone down and turned to John. “Phillip Marlowe.”

“Who?” Lou asked, completely confused. “Aggie’s alone…”

“No. Bogie’s character in—”

“Oh, for god’s sake, Nick.”

All four jumped; Edie let out a screech—or it was John. And Lou spilled what was left of her hot chocolate when someone banged hard on Lou’s window.

“Mother of God. Why? Why?” Lou nearly cried as she rolled down the window to see Agata’s angry face staring back at her. “Well, what a surprise!” Lou tried to sound just that. She heard Edie gasp—apparently, she was surprised.

“What are you doing here?” Agata asked, her voice filled with the anger to match her look.

“What?” Lou asked. “We were…um. We’re…um…”

“Nice out,” Edie whispered.

“What are you doing here?” Lou asked.

“It is none of your business,” Agata said in a clipped voice.

“Well, it’s none of your business why we’re here. It’s a free country. And…”

A man had jogged out of the building, giving Lou a moment of reprieve. “Madam Karetnikov.” He was out of breath when he stopped at the cab, but Lou heard his Russian accent. She narrowed her eyes as she watched him.

“You almost forgot the—”

Agata whirled around and quickly took the manila envelope from him. “Thank you.”

“Contact us if you need anything further,” he said with a smile as he glanced in the cab at Lou and the rest of them. He shook Agata’s hand and said, “
Dasvidania
,” before he ran back into the warm building.

Nick quickly got out of the cab. “Agata, can I please give you a ride back to the hotel?”

Lou saw the angry look soften when Nick practically begged.

“I’ll get in the front,” John said quickly, struggling to get out of the cab. Edie grunted and pushed on John’s back, nearly vaulting him out, and slipped across the seat.

Nick opened Lou’s door. “Please, ma’am.” Lou heard Nick’s gentle plea now filled with regret.

Agata let out a deep breath, sounding like a bull and relented. “Thank you, Nick.”

“Sorry,” he said with a sheepish grin. He checked traffic and pulled away from the curb.

 
A deafening quiet hung over the cab as Lou glanced at Agata. Somebody had to say something.

“Sure is getting colder. Might have snow for Christmas,” Lou said. She glanced at Edie, who stared straight ahead, her eyes wide with incredulity. What a dumbass thing to say, Lou thought. Nick and John sat silently, as if not wanting to be part of the impending carnage.

“This may be stupid question,” Agata said, staring out the window. “But what were you doing in front of that building?”

She turned her head toward Lou. The look of anger Lou could deal with; it was the sad, disbelieving trace in Agata’s blue eyes that tore right through Lou. Fuck me, she thought.

“I was worried,” Lou said in a small voice, while the others remained quiet. And why shouldn’t they? she thought. This was her brain fart of an idea.

“Worried about what?”

“I-I thought something was wrong, and I…” Lou stopped and laid her head back. “I don’t know. I guess I was worried and curious. I’m sorry, Aggie. Sorrier than I can say. And please don’t blame the others. This was my stupid idea. We got all carried away with you being Russian and you didn’t want Nick to take you, so…”

Agata looked around the cab and sighed. “So you think I am Russian spy?”

“Agent,” John said quietly from the front seat.

Lou knew she couldn’t kill John—he was far too big. But she could get a good kick to the knees…

Suddenly, Agata chuckled. Lou leaned away and looked at the rest of the occupants. She glanced at Edie, who looked scared; Nick, who frowned as he glanced at the rearview mirror; and John, who just stared out the window, watching traffic.

“Uh, Aggie…”

Agata held up her hand. “You think I am Russian agent? And what is it I am doing in America?”

John must have figured this was his cue, so he eagerly turned around to face them. “We figured you were carrying something back to Russia in sheet music.” He stopped abruptly and frowned. “It sounded so much better a few minutes ago.”