Deeper furrows grooved the wrinkled skin of Gray’s forehead. “Is he listed just for this year or for other years too?”
“He’s listed all four years,” Alexei answered. “And we suspect Caldwell has paid him to make other investigations and charges disappear, like when we caught Caldwell distributing false navigational maps two summers ago.”
The secretary’s head snapped up, and he narrowed his gaze on Jonas. “Redding, I hereby reinstate you, not as Deputy Marshal, but as the sole acting Marshal for Alaska. I’m relieving Hibbs of his position. Now go arrest Caldwell and Hibbs.”
If Jonas was happy to get his job back with a promotion, he didn’t show it. In fact, he didn’t even shift his stance. His jaw tightened for a brief moment, but all he said was, “We need warrants first.”
“Then get me the judge. And the district attorney too.” Gray stabbed the air with his finger. “I want a list of every person who was paid in these ledgers arrested immediately. And if the governor steps foot back in Sitka, I want him arrested immediately too.”
“I have a list here of others involved in the falsified seal numbers, as well as their bribe amounts.” Alexei handed him another piece of paper.
Gray took the list, then just shook his head. “I knew I should have made you governor last fall.”
“What?” Mikhail’s head jerked up, and he looked between him and the secretary.
“Did you just say you almost made Alexei governor?” Jonas had been heading toward the stairs, but he paused and turned back.
Heat crept up the back of Alexei’s neck. Nathan was the only one in the family he’d told about that conversation, mainly because the man had caught him in a moment of weakness. He hadn’t intended to tell anyone else. Ever.
Alexei shot Gray a dark look, hoping it would cause the secretary to shut his mouth, but the man barreled on. “Of course I almost made him governor. I’m not a fool. It’s plain to see that he’s the most qualified person for the job.”
“So why didn’t you give him the job?” Jonas cocked his head to the side.
The secretary thrust a hand toward Alexei. “He refused it!”
“You refused the governorship?” Mikhail swung his golden gaze to Alexei, his eyes filled with questions. “And then you let him bring in Simon Caldwell?”
“I didn’t realize who his second choice was.” Alexei crossed his arms, more to keep his hands from fidgeting than to look intimidating. Most of the time staying quiet and sending people a stern look would get them to leave him alone, but Jonas and Mikhail weren’t going to let this go.
The next question came from Mikhail, who was suddenly all sharp edges and angles. “Why did you refuse the governorship?”
“Because the lot of you are a bunch of Indian lovers, and we have a federal policy to uphold.” Secretary Gray absently waved his hand at Alexei. “But I might offer you the job again, if you think you can enforce the policy on hand.”
“You mean refuse to acknowledge the native tribes have any rights to the land and put my two half-Aleut siblings into an Indian boarding school?” Alexei clenched his jaw. “I told you before that I won’t do either of those things. That hasn’t changed.”
“Fine. Then I’ll find another corrupt idiot in Washington to send up here.” Gray rubbed a hand over his snowy hair. “He’ll last two years, and you’ll send me telegrams complaining about him the entire time. And who knows how much money he’ll try to swindle away from the government. This sounds like a brilliant plan.”
“You said Alexei had to put Ilya and Inessa into one of those boarding schools?” Jonas’s face hardened. “How could you ask such a thing? Have you ever even visited one of them?”
The secretary blinked, a confused look crossing his face, as though he thought asking him to visit one of the schools where he insisted on sending Indian youths was ridiculous. Then he shook his head and jabbed a finger at Jonas. “Aren’t you supposed to be getting the district attorney and the judge? We’ll deal with this governor business later. I need Caldwell and Hibbs arrested tonight.”
38
Sitka; Two Days Later
“So that’s it? Everyone is in prison?” Bryony took a sip of water, then helped herself to a second piece of bread sitting in the basket on the kitchen table.
“Yes. At least everyone I could find.” Jonas plunged his spoon into the bowl of borscht in front of him and took a hearty bite.
Alexei watched his family from where he was seated at the head of the table, which seemed a bit too empty, even if they were enjoying a pot of Evelina’s borscht.
Kate’s twin, Evelina, and their two half siblings, Inessa and Ilya, had been in Sitka for about a week and a half. Usually Evelina taught a half-day school for the Tlingit children in Juneau, but when she’d learned there was trouble with Preston Caldwell and Jonas was needed in Sitka until Secretary Gray arrived, she’d given the students a break and come to Sitka. Of course, she hadn’t been expecting Jonas to lose his job when Marshall Hibbs arrived before Secretary Gray, but she’d been here when it happened.
But regardless of what had brought Evelina and his half siblings to Sitka, it felt nice to have them home again. Getting everyone together was becoming more and more difficult. Going forward, Christmas might be the only time all seven of his siblings and their families were together each year, especially now that they were opening a shipyard down in San Francisco.
The table had felt painfully empty since Sacha and Maggie, and Maggie’s younger siblings, Ainsley and Finnan, left for San Francisco.
And confound it. Alexei missed Yuri more than he wanted to admit. He couldn’t remember the last time Yuri had been gone for so long. It felt almost wrong to go through the day without anyone teasing him about how rarely he smiled.
