Page 37 of Grizzly Sleuth
A reply that led to Svetlana groaning and once more throwing her arm over her face.
“Olga bought your story?” Idris didn’t hide his skepticism.
“You forget, acting is what I do. I was most helpful, telling her details about Svetlana like her blue eyes and her height of five foot nine.”
“Her eyes are brown,” Idris murmured, and she was several inches shorter.
“Are they?” Yuri mocked. “I would know, having sat in the front row. Anyhow we got to talking about the doctor and his search. She was surprised the higher-ups in the KGB insisted they work with him, seeing as how he’s not Russian.”
“Money buys connections,” Idris murmured.
“I asked Olga how long she’d be in town, as I wanted to take her to dinner, and she said it would depend on the doctor. In a stroke of luck, she is part of his personal detail.”
“So when he gets ready to leave, so will she. But how can you be sure she’ll tell you?” Idris asked.
“Oh, she will after tonight’s dinner, and dessert.” Yuri winked and smiled. “Speaking of which, I should be showering and shaving so I look and smell my best.”
“Shaving what?” Idris envied the fellow’s smooth cheeks. He had a half-inch stubble from two days of not being able to find a razor.
“I believe the North American the term is manscaping. Try to not knock for the next few minutes, as I’d hate to nick anythingcrucial for tonight’s seduction.” Yuri headed into the bathroom while Svetlana gagged.
“I cannot believe my brother is whoring himself for this,” she groaned.
“He doesn’t seem too upset by it.” Idris heard singing over the sound of running water.
“She must be attractive.”
“Is it safe, though?” Idris questioned. “Dinner might be a ruse to get him somewhere she can have her KGB buddies ambush.”
The theory had Svetlana sitting straight with a frown. “They don’t know what he looks like.”
“Are we sure of that? They did, after all, confiscate your truck.”
“In which we keep no images.”
“And like I said before, you’re assuming no one’s ever snapped a picture or video of the two of you together. With today’s technology, a reverse image search might mean they know what Yuri looks like.”
“No.” She shook her head. “If they did, then they would have shown it on the news.”
“They could be holding back.”
Her lips pinched. “I do agree meeting this Olga isn’t a good idea, but short of knocking him out, I don’t think he’ll listen.”
“Oh, he definitely won’t let you coddle him. And let’s be honest, his idea isn’t bad. An inside source would be useful.”
“To you,” she pointed out.
“Levy poses a danger for all of us.”
“I don’t like the idea of him meeting her alone.”
“You can’t go with him.”
“Obviously. Yuri would never agree to that, but perhaps we could eat a few tables away.”
Her concern over her brother overrode good sense. “That’s a terrible idea, and you know it. Your face has been plastered all over the news. You’re the last person who should be seen in public.”
“You think I’d be recognized with my new do?” She shook her now-blonde hair, which, while cute, wasn’t as sexy as her dark mane. She’d also caked her face in makeup, which hid the bruising, but also gave her skin a more plastic appearance. He preferred her au natural.
