“I do care about it,” said Mr. Korolenko. “And I am going to speak to your uncle about it. I am sure something can be arranged so that your father’s wish will be honoured.”
Gretchen sent him a look of gratitude. “If they don’t arrest me first,” she said in a little voice, glancing at Inspector Blount.
“No one is arresting you, Miss Van der Hoven,” said Inspector Blount. “Yes, you have been very foolish, particularly for a well-educated young woman such as yourself, but you don’t strike me as a criminal.”
“Thank you,” said Gretchen very quietly.
“So please continue with what happened on the train,” said the inspector with tired patience.
“The man told me that unless I do exactly as I am told, they would kill Father. I was supposed to find a job at Madame Koska’s establishment, any job I could get. So I thought my experience as a mannequin for society fashion shows would help… and it did. Everyone believed it was my dream to be a mannequin, and they were so kind. But Madame Koska, I really enjoy working here. It is such fun, and I hope you believe me that just because I like studying philosophy, it does not mean I don’t love fashion, too.”
“Yes, I do understand,” said Madame Koska kindly. “And you are very good at it. I can see you as a highly successful and sought-after vendeuse, particularly if you get the proper higher education. You can go far in this field, unless you vill prefer to teach, of course. But vhat did the man vant you to do vhen you got the job?”
“Very little, really. I was to keep an eye for an opportunity to make it easy for the gang to break into the atelier, that is all. The great Russian jewel that everyone is talking about was supposed to be here, in Madame Koska’s safe. The man said that once they get it out of the safe, they won’t need Father and they would let him go.”
“But vouldn’t I know about it if it vere in my safe?” asked Madame Koska.
Gretchen looked embarrassed. “Well… they thought you had it through another agency, and were interested in selling it,” she said.
“So you believed them I vas a criminal?” said Madame Koska, slightly shocked.
“Not really… I could never imagine you stealing jewellery. But what could I do? I could not refuse them. Besides, I did not think any harm would come of it. I assumed they would come, break into the safe, and see that the jewel is not there, so they would let Father go free and that would be the end of it.”
“But they searched the entire atelier before even attempting to get at the safe,” said Madame Koska. “Vhy didn’t they go straight to the safe? Nothing makes sense here.”
“I know…” said Gretchen. “I had the same thought. They did not so much as touch the safe! And after it was all over, they never came back, and I didn’t hear another word about Father. I was getting really desperate.”
“So on the day of the robbery, you thought you had the opportunity to let them in. What happened during the day that prompted you to assume that?” asked the inspector.
“Madame Koska had a late appointment. She asked Miss Saltykov to lock up, and left the atelier’s key with her, so I decided it was the perfect opportunity. We keep our handbags in the same cabinet, away from the door so they are safe, and I knew which one was hers. I stole the key from her handbag, and called the number the man from the train had given me. Very quickly, the same man came to the atelier, disguised as a salesman. I gave him the key, and in an hour or so he came back and returned it, after making a copy that he planned to use later. I took the key and dropped it back into Miss Saltykov’s handbag.”
“I see,” said Inspector Blount. “Of course, you could not know that he made a mistake and gave you the copy instead of the original key… but Madame Koska recognised the change since she marked the original key with a dot of paint.”
“Whatever for?” asked Gretchen, confused.
“Because I mix my keys,” said Madame Koska. “I have so many of them. So I give them a colour code.”
“Very clever,” said Gretchen. “Well, that would have given you every right to suspect me, since I was at the desk all day.”
“Exactly,” said Madame Koska. “You were the only person who could admit the criminals—except of course for Miss Saltykov, who also had the key. But…”
“But you would not suspect Miss Saltykov since she is your friend’s niece,” said Gretchen. “I can understand that.” Madame Koska was no longer surprised by Gretchen’s quick insights, and just nodded, a little sadly.
“Now, Miss Van der Hoven, I have to ask you a very unpleasant question,” said the inspector. “You absolutely must tell me the truth, because by now you understand your father’s life depends upon it.”
“Yes, Inspector,” said Gretchen. “I no longer have any control. That is, if I ever had… Obviously I was used. I cannot believe how stupid I was.”
“That is what blackmail does to people, Miss Van der Hoven. Sometimes the fear is so great, even the most intelligent people lose their judgement when blackmailed.”
“Father would have scolded me for lack of judgement,” said Gretchen. “He told me to always use logic, not emotion, when making important decisions… but what is it that you wish to ask me, Inspector?”
“I need to know if your aunt and uncle are involved in any of that,” said the inspector. “Do you have any reason to suspect they know anything?”
“No, Inspector, I really don’t think they have any knowledge of it, but…” She stopped talking and looked very nervous.
“Yes?” said the inspector. “Come on, Miss Van der Hoven. We need to know everything.”
“It may sound a little strange, since I have no real reason to suspect them, nothing tangible,” said Gretchen. “But I am not so sure about the Misses Plimpton-Anderson. They always ask questions, spy and snoop. They pretend to be silly young things, and try to act as if they were my age when they talk to me, but you know they are much older and they are not as stupid as they want you to think. When they came here yesterday morning, I had a feeling that as we were giving them the tour, they were taking mental notes.”
“Yes,” said Madame Koska. “Inspector, Miss Van der Hoven is right; I had exactly the same feeling. They came suddenly, vithout making an appointment, requested a tour, ordered some expensive outfits… and the fact that it vas the same night I vas attacked makes it doubly suspicious.”
“You were attacked?” asked Gretchen, horrified. “What happened? Who attacked you?”
“We don’t know,” said the inspector. “Someone attacked Madame Koska last night. She was alone here, doing her accounts. I must question the Misses Plimpton-Anderson, of course.”
“It’s all my fault,” said Gretchen. “The criminals were probably still using the key… and they attacked you, you could have been killed…” she started crying again.
“No, no,” said Madame Koska. “The locks vere changed after the robbery, so yesterday’s attack vas not your fault at all.”
“Cheer up, Miss Van der Hoven. The matter is now in experienced hands, and you have a much better chance of seeing your father again.”
“Inspector, I would do anything to save him,” said Gretchen. “Madame Koska, I will always feel terrible about what I did to you. You should sack me.”
“Nonsense,” said Madame Koska. “I have no intention of doing so. All vill be vell, I am sure, and ve can rely on you to help now.”
“I just wish I understood the connection between Father and the Russian jewel,” said Gretchen. “They never explained to me what he had to do with it.”