Murder in a Japanese house

They weren’t alone in the hall. Olga had barely offered Barbara a seat when her mother arrived in a wheelchair. Olga wanted to introduce her to Barbara, but her mother beat her to it and did it herself.

– We have guests!» she said cheerfully. – My name is Camilla Yakovlevna.

Barbara immediately realized that Olga’s mother was ill and needed special care.

Olga’s mother was very happy to meet her. Camilla Yakovlevna’s appearance was different from that of her daughter. Camilla Yakovlevna had a typical Slavic appearance.

Despite her mental problems, Camilla Yakovlevna wanted to communicate, which displeased Olga, who hid her emotions behind a mask of patient equanimity.

– What is your name, beautiful girl?» – Camilla Yakovlevna turned to Barbara, and she realized that her mother had vision problems.

«Barbara,» she said with a smile.

Camilla Yakovlevna joined them, riding up to the table in a wheelchair.

There was already a freshly brewed tea in a clear teapot and several small cups on the table. Next to the teapot, on a lace napkin, were bowls of sweets. Olga offered Barbara coffee, but she refused.

Barbara didn’t try to make it look like she wanted to talk to Olga alone. She was using her old trick: when something goes wrong, you don’t have to fight back, but make the best of it. Sometimes even a small detail or a word dropped by chance could shed light on what seemed to be hidden in the gloom.

At the table, Camilla Yakovlevna behaved at ease and relaxed. She tried to make jokes, finding them funny, and giggled a lot. She constantly returned to the conversation about her daughter’s appearance, claiming that she knew from whom she could have inherited such features, because Camilla Yakovlevna’s husband was Russian.

Olga didn’t react to this, probably used to such behavior and hearing this not for the first time.

– Does your granddaughter look Japanese?» Barbara asked to keep the conversation going.

Camilla Yakovlevna perked up.

«No,«she said. – I don’t want to talk about that girl. A terrible girl, just a terrible girl, «she repeated, and her face grew sad. «Olga didn’t raise her. It was necessary to keep her strict, and Olga allowed her to do everything. Camilla Yakovlevna spread her hands and cast a quick glance at her daughter.

Camilla Yakovlevna was dissatisfied with her granddaughter. Although this could be attributed to the generational difference. Camilla Yakovlevna scolded her granddaughter, and about her daughter Olga said only good things, without ceasing to praise.

Camilla Yakovlevna took her daughter’s hand and gently stroked it. Olga didn’t react at all to her mother’s words and touches, but then she suddenly reached for her phone and called it, asking the nurse, Marina Albertovna, who was also an au pair, to come over.

Marina Albertovna came quickly. She was a large, middle-aged woman with curly red hair. Olga asked her to show Camilla Yakovlevna to her room and bring us some more coffee.

– What will you be like? She turned to Barbara.

«Just tea,» Barbara said.

Camilla Yakovlevna said goodbye to us and became visibly sad. She wanted the companionship that no one else could give her.

The fourth chapter

In order to create the right atmosphere for the dialogue, Barbara tried not to look directly into Olga’s eyes. Barbara stared past him, her gaze seeming to wander through space and dissipate without touching the other person. Barbara noticed that this way a person does not feel danger, so it is easier for him to open up in communication.

Looking at Barbara, one might have thought that she was just sitting down at a table with a strange lady, drinking tea and not wanting anything from Olga. But Barbara listened to everything, noticed everything.

«You say you met him two years ago,» Barbara began, taking a small sip of her tea and tasting the tart taste. – How did Mikhail seem to you at first glance?

A faint smile flickered across Olga’s lips, and Barbara caught it. It wasn’t a grin that suited her. It was strange that a woman with a Japanese appearance had a completely non-Japanese mentality. Olga was smart, thoughtful, reserved, and probably sarcastic if she could afford it in the company of an unfamiliar female detective.

– I didn’t like him, «she said clearly. – I don’t like elderly, overly talkative men who run after me. But with his care and attention, he made sure that we later became friends. I loved him sincerely, but only as a friend, as a good old friend.

– You met in a Japanese house?»

«Yes, exactly there. I worked there as an administrator.

– He wanted a different kind of relationship?» Barbara asked.

– No, we weren’t lovers, if that’s what you mean. He wanted us to meet and invite us to various events. Sometimes I agreed, but there was nothing between us. I made it clear right away that it wasn’t going to go any further than friendship, and he accepted it.

– Did you meet someone at that time? Barbara asked.

«I always meet someone,» Olga replied with another grin. – But that’s not the point, he just didn’t appeal to me as a man.

– But you were attracted to his money, weren’t you?» Barbara asked.

«Of course,» Olga said thoughtfully after a pause.

– And he gave you money?»

«Daryl, let’s just say. I never said no.

– You live quite well and at the same time do not work anywhere at the moment. You rarely work at all. How do you manage this?

«Mostly on rent. I have invested and continue to invest in various stocks that generate income. Of course, men helped me financially. Sometimes just like that. For example, like Misha, «Olga said his name and lowered her gaze, as if she was in pain at that moment.

– Are you sure he didn’t mean anything by giving you the money?» Barbara asked.

Olga shrugged her shoulders.

– I don’t know. Men always count on something. The hunter’s instinct has not been canceled. But I think he understood me, because he wanted to get married and have children. Not with me, of course.

«I know about that,» Barbara said. – Who do you think might have killed him?»

Olga gave a forced sigh.

«I do not know,» she said with a sad smile.

– How long ago did you see him before the murder?»

«In about a week. We had a karaoke break together. I’ve already answered these questions to the investigator…

For the first time, Barbara could sense the tension in her voice, so she quickly changed the subject.

– Did he like to sing?» Barbara asked, taking another sip from her cup.

«That was his weakness. Music, women. By the way, he was still very good at drawing. He told me that he wanted to do an exhibition of his paintings. We discussed it with him.

– Do you know anything about painting?» Barbara asked.

«No,» Olga said with a smile. – But he didn’t need me to know anything about it, «she laughed, a strange laugh that comes from nervous tension.

Barbara talked to Olga for about another half hour, and the continuation of their conversation was more about life in general than about Mikhail Barkov. Barbara was interested in getting to know Olga as a person in order to understand why Mikhail Barkov might be so interested in her.