“He convinced us that he and his wife would be quite happy here.”
“And we were,” he murmured.
“Wife?” Katarina asked.
“Sadly, Vivienne passed away a few years ago after suffering a heart attack,” said Julian. “But being here was the happiest and most peaceful time of our life together.”
“Did you have children?” Lyra asked.
“We did not.”
“Sorry, Mama,” she said. “Please go on.”
“When I said that we had someone who cared for Onteora, you can see now how much more there was to it,” said Anna.
“Thank you,” Lyra said to him.
Again, he nodded.
“While Polina and I agreed this was the best place for us to live when we left Lausanne, I worried about the risk of doing so. Julian assured us that, as he so often says, nothing on this lake happens without his knowledge.”
She coughed, and Henry went into the kitchen to get her some water.
“We have far stronger options, young man,” she said, raising a brow.
He smiled and went to the sideboard. “Anyone else care for a brandy?” he asked.
“I would,” Katarina said, sitting up straight. “You should all join me.”
“By all means,” said Lyra.
“I’ve got it,” said Henry when I stood to help. “Go on with your story.”
“I think it best that I let Julian explainthe next part.”
Julian leaned forward. “What Anna told you is true. There’s nothing for me to add. However, what I will tell you is what she, Polina—God rest her soul—and I have been up to since you all arrived.”
“Go on,” said Lyra after Henry poured and delivered glasses, then sat beside her.
“We have been…” He hesitated.
“For God’s sake, Julian, just tell them,” Anna prodded.
“We have been actively monitoring your investigation.”
“How?” Katarina asked in a tone that sounded more curious than angry.
“We went old school.” Julian grinned, and Anna chuckled. “To make a long story short, once K19 completed the build-out of the boathouse and turned it into your command center, I planted a device on the lowest level that allowed us to hear everything.”
“You planted a device?” said Katarina. “One we couldn’t pick up on?”
“It’s quite old, to be honest. Analog, as they say. But it did the job, and we were able to stay abreast of your investigation.”
“Bravo,” Katarina said under her breath, earning a raised brow from Lyra and a smile from me.
When Julian paused, Anna continued. “Then at lunch, when the two of you were briefing Lyra and Henry on Vasiliev, I paid attention.”
Based on everything Anna and Julian had said so far, I doubted there was a time when she wasn’t paying attention, including the night in Lausanne when she and Polina just happened to walk past the room where we were discussing needing to leave the estate.
