Nikolai, page 11
It didn’t take them very long to finish cleaning because the fire itself hadn’t been very big, and only the one extinguisher had been used. At least it hadn’t hit any of the food.
“We’ve got this part all cleaned up,” Chef declared. “You two go on and get your dinner.”
“What about you?” Emily asked Chef.
“I need this meal surface done, so I can put away the rest of the food,” he explained.
“It really is safe to eat that, right?” she asked hesitantly, and he laughed.
“I’m not about to kill off everybody,” Chef quipped, with a chuckle. “All the food was already over there. Besides, it’s at the opposite end of the room. So, a little bit of smoke, and again, the food was covered, so don’t worry about it. No chemicals, so you’re fine.” He shooed them both out. “Go on, go.”
They quickly picked up their food and went out of the kitchen area to go sit down. “They used mostly water, wasn’t it?”
“Yes, and that means it’s fine. Besides, a little bit of char never hurt anyone.”
She laughed. “I’m glad you said that because I’m starting to wonder about this place.”
“You and me both,” he agreed, with fatigue in his voice. And that was the last they said in the dining area, as they sat and looked around. Emily leaned over and asked in a whisper, “So, what the hell was that all about?”
He looked over at her with a hooded gaze and nodded. “I’m not sure,” he murmured, “but I don’t think it was an accident.”
*
Nikolai didn’t know what the hell that trouble in the kitchen was all about, but he was prepared to find out. As soon as he bid Good night to Emily, he searched for one of the other men working on the case. As soon as he saw Magnus, Samson at his side, Nikolai stopped them in the hallway and whispered, “What the hell is going on?”
Magnus returned a hard look. “We’re not sure yet, but keep an eye on Emily, in case she’s in the target zone.”
“Why would she be?” he asked, surprised.
“Because I’m hearing rumors that she’s affiliated with us,” Magnus replied. “I can’t stand that stupid them versus us crap.”
“There shouldn’t be a them versus us,” Nikolai snapped. “We’re all here on the same side.”
“Have you felt everybody is on the same side for a while?” Magnus asked.
That stopped Nikolai in his tracks, and he slowly shook his head. “Maybe not.”
“Exactly, and that maybe not is why you need to keep an eye on her.”
He turned to look back in her general direction and announced, “She might not take it all that well.”
Magnus laughed mightily. “Yeah, you probably got that right. And she could also decide that she should be looking after you.”
“Me, why me?” he asked, frowning.
Magnus gave him a flat look. “Because of some rumbling that you and your buddy might have concocted something.”
He winced and shook his head. “I can’t say I’m surprised at them for thinking that. I guess I’m disappointed that that’s where this is ending up.”
“I’m not sure it’s ending there at all,” Magnus declared, giving him a hard look. “So don’t go off and start doing something crazy. We need everybody on board and fairly calm at this point in time.”
“Oh, I’m calm, provided everybody keeps their accusations to themselves.” And, with that, he started to walk away.
Magnus called back softly and asked, “Hey, did you see anything, when you walked in on that earlier?”
He shook his head. “No, just Chef and Chrissy working on putting out the flames. We got there basically at the end of it.”
“Was he upset?”
“He seemed more pissed than anything. I didn’t get the details. I don’t know if he’s mad about the stove fire or something worse,” Nikolai shared, “and Chef wasn’t talking.”
“I’ll go talk to him,” Magnus offered, “and we’ll get to the bottom of this.”
“If you say so,” Nikolai replied. “I got the distinct impression that Chef was fairly unimpressed with the way things were going around here.”
“I can’t say that I blame him,” Magnus admitted, as he eyed Nikolai. “Nobody wants to see this shit coming down, and that’s not the first kitchen fire we’ve had.”
“Maybe not, but if this is what’s happening, maybe we’re better off finding out answers, than sitting around, waiting.”
“Oh, I agree with you there, 100 percent. The problem is, those answers aren’t always that easy to come by.” And, with that, he was gone, leaving Nikolai to stand in the hallway, wondering which direction he should go next.
Choosing safety for Emily, the one person who had stepped up to help him out, or at least to see if he was okay, Nikolai headed to her room. He couldn’t do less by her. When he knocked on her door, she opened it and asked, “What’s up?”
He looked around and then asked, “May I come in for a minute?”
“Sure.” Surprised, she stepped back and let him in. “What’s going on?”
“I was just told by Magnus that you need to be very careful. Apparently some more ugly rumblings are going on around here, and you’ve been slated as part of the investigative group now,” Nikolai explained. “Of course I’m the target group.”
She winced at that. “Sorry. I guess I’m not too bothered about being part of the investigative group,” she muttered, with an eye roll. “But, Jesus, if people would just come together, we could solve this. Instead, everybody is choosing sides and looking at everybody else with suspicion.”
“When it comes to survival, you’ve got to expect that,” he pointed out, “and I’m not upset at anybody for having these kinds of thoughts. I just don’t want to see it go so far that there’s another kitchen fire.”
Her eyes widened at that. “Do you think that’s what happened?”
“I have no idea what happened,” he admitted, shaking his head. “Magnus asked me, and I didn’t have any answers for him.”
“Yeah, but that’s because we don’t know anything. We got there at the end.”
“And yet there was still food, and everybody in the kitchen was fine. Honestly, to me, Elijah looked more pissed off about the whole thing than anything else. He seemed more upset about the mess than anything else, which I understand, since he does have a distinctly ugly kitchen to put to rights.”
“He also has people to help him clean, if he needs it,” she noted, with a smile. “I feel sorry for Chrissy and Avalon and anybody else who’s in the kitchen with him.”
Nikolai explained more of what Magnus had shared, and she stared at him. “Right, so what do you want to do now?”
“Besides keeping an eye on you?” he asked, with a grin in her direction. “I think I’ll make a quick trip out to check on Joe.”
“Oh, that’s a good idea.” She frowned. “I can come too.”
“No, don’t worry about it,” he said. “Let me go, and I’ll be back in a few minutes. If I don’t come back pretty quickly, you can raise the alarm.” She looked at him worriedly and chewed her bottom lip. He reached out and tapped her gently on the cheek. “I’ll be fine, but, given the circumstances, I want to make sure that Joe’s okay too.” She nodded and watched as he left.
He closed her door carefully behind him, and, moving to his room, he layered up and headed out toward Joe. As soon as he walked in, Joe turned towards the noise.
“What the hell are you doing here?” he grumbled. “Or can’t you live without your canine fix too?”
“Sorry, not trying to intrude on your personal space, and I know many of us come over to see the dogs. Still, it’s hard not to, especially when some of us have pets and families we miss. So this, in a small way, helps us to deal with being away so long,” he shared. “I have to admit to falling in love with Bertie …”
At hearing his name, Bertie came rushing over, a wiggling bundle of energetic fur. Nikolai laughed, as he crouched to cuddle the dog. “He’s wonderful.” He laughed as the dog wiggled and yipped and hip-checked him to the ground. Laughing, Nikolai grabbed and hugged the dog close, although that was almost impossible, given the wiggling animal.
When Bertie calmed down, Nikolai looked over at Joe. “Sorry for the interruption. I know you prefer your evenings alone. But not sorry because it does my heart good to spend time with these guys.”
Joe shrugged. “It’s just me and these guys anyway, so it’s not as if I’ve got a hot date waiting for me,” he joked, with a cackling laugh.
“Maybe not, but these dog are probably better company than a lot of dates.”
At that, Joe burst out in a raucous laughter. “Oh, isn’t that the truth?” He was all laughs. “I also don’t have to follow the same rules that you guys do,” he added, as he lifted up a glass that looked to hold whiskey.
“Ah, no wonder you’re always so happy in the evening.” Joe gave him a look, as he tossed back another sip.
“So, what the hell are you doing out here anyway?” he asked, taking a calm tone.
“Did you hear about the kitchen fire?”
At that, Joe lowered his glass and glared at him. “No, I didn’t.”
“I just wanted to give you a heads-up that another kitchen fire happened, with no obvious cause determined so far, at least not that I know about.”
“Elijah would say it’s an accident,” he said immediately. “Even if it wasn’t, he won’t say anything different, but he would hunt it down himself though.”
“You know him well, huh?”
“No, I really don’t know him well,” Joe clarified, “but I’ve certainly known him for a good many years, or at least been around him on occasion over a good many years. I’ve never had any problems with him, and I know he doesn’t like it if anybody messes with his kitchen.”
“Something I’m sure you can understand, given how you feel about your dogs.”
“Yeah, and nobody messes with my dogs,” he growled. “So that’s why you’re here, isn’t it?”
Nikolai shrugged. “I just wanted to make sure you got a heads-up… in case this was something other than a simple accident.”
Joe studied him for a long moment and nodded. “Okay, warning taken into consideration.” Joe sighed. “If you hear of any other bad news, as much as I really don’t want to hear it, do keep me in the loop, will you? And, if you hear about a fire, come over and check on us.”
“Yeah, what is your escape strategy here?” Nikolai asked, as he looked around.
“The latches for the dog kennels are open all the time.” Joe pointed them out. “So, the dog can get outside as needed at any time, which is about the only good thing, considering how bad something here could go wrong,” Joe noted. “Jesus, I really don’t want to think about anybody going after the dogs.”
“No, of course not,” Nikolai agreed. “That would be horrific. And I think whatever is going on here is a human issue, and, as such, I don’t think the dogs would be targeted, but the fact that they have their own way in and out does make me feel better,” Nikolai admitted in a quiet voice.
“Yeah, me too,” Joe murmured.
“Anyway, I’ll head back.”
“Thanks for the heads-up.”
Nikolai headed back outside. It was cold, the wind biting, as he pulled up his collar and raced back to the compound and let himself inside. As soon as he closed the door, the wind ceased around him, making it almost calm, almost possible to hear again.
As he slowly took off his outerwear gear, he looked around to see that everything seemed to be here. However, with so many people on base, lots of hooks were in use. Hard to tell if anybody was out. Plus the base had no mandatory sign-in, sign-out sheet, with somebody policing it. Therefore, anybody could come and go.
Nikolai was still frowning, thinking about it, as he walked to Emily’s room. When he got there, she opened the door right away with an audible sigh of relief. “There you are. Your last words were a little on the sketchy side as to the time to allow you, and, I have to admit, I was a little worried.”
“I’m a little worried about all of it,” Nikolai declared. “I’m so unsure of what to do, and I don’t want to go in the wrong direction and get too spun up, especially if it’s not needed.”
“Exactly, but we also don’t want to be too slack in reacting to all this and not have enough safeguards in place.”
“I’m sure you’ll feel better to know that, even if a fire happened at the dog barn, the dogs could get out just fine because of the way Joe’s got the kennels set up.”
“So, somebody would have to be intentionally trying to kill the dogs and must tamper with that setup in order to stop them from getting out.”
“Exactly,” Nikolai said.
“I can’t imagine anybody here is particularly interested in that, but again … I guess we don’t really know that,” she admitted.
“No, we don’t know that. If they can kill people left, right, and center… there’s really no telling.”
She frowned, nodded, and then settled back on her bed. “I’ve got a cup of tea and was trying to read a book,” she mentioned, “but all these lovely intrusive thoughts keep getting in the way.”
He winced. “Yeah, I’ve had more than a few nights like that myself,” he shared, as he settled in the small chair beside her bed. “I should have gone and grabbed a cup of tea myself.” He winced. “I’m still not quite used to that whole tea thing.”
She grinned at him. “Coffee at this hour would kill me.”
“Yet there have been more than a few nights where coffee at this hour literally kept me alive,” he told her. “So, I will probably always prefer it.”
“Sure, as long as it works that way for you. However, the minute you start getting balled up with too much adrenaline, you’ve got to cut that coffee out somehow.”
He laughed at her. “Maybe.”
“Go get yourself something then.”
“Is the kitchen still open?”
“It was a few minutes ago,” she said, “and, if it’s not, it’s probably just because of the fire. It might be a good time to go find out more about that,” she suggested, looking at the door.
“You stay here,” he replied, with a voice of warning. “I’ll go take a look.” When she glared at him, he smiled. “Ease up, will you? Nobody is making the suggestion that you’re not completely capable of handling this yourself.”
“Good, because I am, and I do have a fair bit of investigative experience. So nothing going on here would scare me away.”
“Don’t tell anybody else that,” he pointed out. “Keeping that quiet is an advantage for you when we’re in situations where … every advantage is helpful.”
“I know,” she admitted. “I’m just telling you. I haven’t told anybody else.”
He smiled. “And that’s a vote of confidence I can get behind.”
“You still haven’t gone to get tea though, so maybe I’ll come with you.”
“No need.” Nikolai held up his hand. “I’ll be fine and will be back in a few minutes.” And, with that, he closed her door and walked down the hallway.
Day 3 Evening
Emily sipped her tea, and tried to immerse herself in the book again, but couldn’t. When Nikolai didn’t return after ten minutes, she stared at her watch. When he didn’t come back after twenty, she got worried.
Finally she dressed, adding another layer over her long johns, heading out to see what happened to him. She used the cup of tea as a guise, as she walked into the kitchen. Several men sat around the dining room in a group, but the conversation stopped as soon as she got there. She ignored them and headed over toward the teakettle, which she put on, and sat quietly, waiting.
She didn’t bother them; they didn’t bother her, and neither did they look her way, outside of that initial warning. And yet that initial warning was probably already enough to start whatever problem there was off again.
As she waited, she heard some of their conversations resume, but the discussion was very nonspecific, which she understood too. If she had been deemed as part of the enemy, that was their problem. She didn’t have any enemy bones in her body, unless it was against injustices, and that was a whole different story. But the fact that she was also now friendly with Nikolai would only add to her isolation problem.
The reality that she would prefer to be a whole lot more than friendly with him was something for her and her alone to sort out.
Maybe Nikolai too.
As soon as anybody else knew that she was heading in that direction romantically, it would change things again—and not in a good way. She never understood how you could wind up with a situation of them or us. And yet that’s exactly what she felt she was up against.
She sympathized with the rest of the guys investigating here, trying to solve the problems because it seemed as if they were being blackballed just for doing their jobs. How did anybody get answers if you didn’t ask questions? Particularly when so many people were intentionally hiding information. All it would take is a little bit of honesty to get this all solved. But everybody had secrets and things they didn’t want to let out in the open, and, because of that, things would probably get dicey before they likely got any better.
As she looked around, she saw no sign of Chef Elijah or anybody else from the kitchen staff, but then it was already nine at night. Even inside it was cold. That same chill crept up on her too, but she knew that Nikolai had come in here, looking for tea. Yet she saw no sign of anybody in her group here now. She wondered if Nikolai had gone to bed without coming back and checking in on her, but that didn’t make sense. He’d made it very clear that he would check in on her, if for no other reason than to stop her from worrying. Right now, worrying is exactly what she was doing. As she looked around at the dining room again, there was still no sign of him.
When she’d had enough of it, she walked over to the dining room table with people seated all around it. “Hey, have you guys seen Nikolai at all?”
Smothered grins came from several of them, but they all shook their heads.
“He came here to get a cup of tea, and yet I don’t see him.”
