Polar (Prequel): The Turnagain Arm (4 page)

“Disappearing, huh?” Vasyl said to the young man across the bar from him. He had long forgotten the boy’s name, in spite of the fact that he arrived each morning for breakfast like clockwork. “You know we’ve been losing men ever since the United States entered the war back in April, right? Men are leaving left and right.”

The man shook his head. “That ain’t it.”

“What are you talking about, James?” Lara asked as she slid a plate of pancakes towards the man.

Vasyl glanced at his wife. Of course, she’d remember the name. James. She never forgot a name. Or anything else, for that matter.

“Just what I said, ma’am. Guys are going missing. They’re here when we head back to the barracks for the night and they’re nowhere to be found come morning.” James took a bite of pancakes. “Just like what happened to your man here. Kenneth.”

“Maybe they’ve just gone to work at one of the other camps,” Vasyl said, although he winced at the mention of Kenneth MacNeil.

“In the middle of the night?” James asked. “And without telling another soul? Who’d do that?”

“It does seem very odd,” Lara said. “And troubling, Vasyl.”

Vasyl shook his head. The last thing he wanted was his wife to be upset about anything. “Don’t you let it bother you, Lara. I’m sure there’s an explanation.”

“There ain’t no explanation ’cept that something bad’s going on around here,” James said. “Somebody’s up to no good.”

“Shut your mouth, you idiot,” Vasyl snapped. “There could be plenty of explanations. You forget we live in the wilderness here? You’ve heard of bears, yes? Perhaps there are some hungry grizzlies around and some of these drunken fools wandered too close to their dens.”

“Right, I’m sure that’s it,” James said, rolling his eyes as he continued to stuff pancakes in his mouth. “You know it ain’t just the guys disappearing? Rebecca’s gone too. She ain’t been seen in weeks. Last time anybody saw her was here at your place.” He pointed towards a table in the corner of the saloon. “She was sitting right there when Aleksei closed the bar for the night, I saw her myself. Ain’t nobody seen her again.”

“Are you trying to suggest that Nechayev has something to do with this?”

“Huh? How was I suggesting that? Aleksei takes good care of me in here. No offense, Mr. Dzubenko but he pours a better scotch than you do.”

Vasyl bristled. “You’re the one who brought him up, idiot.”

“Only cuz Rebecca was here the night she disappeared. Doesn’t mean Aleksei had anything to do with it. Hell, that’s crazy talk right there. Everybody likes Aleksei.”

“Oh, of course, of course they do. I know everyone likes him.” Vasyl slammed a coffee mug onto the bar. “Богоматір Пресвята Діва!”

James stared at Vasyl. “I’m sorry. What was that?”

Vasyl felt his wife’s hand on his arm. “I believe he said ‘Mother of God the blessed Virgin,’ Lara said. “I’ve learned that one over the years.”

“That Russian? Like Aleksei speaks?”

“It’s Ukrainian, you horse’s ass!” Vasyl bellowed. “I am not Russian.”

James put down his fork and took a step back from the bar. “God almighty, Mr. Dzubenko, no need to get yourself all wound up. How am I ’sposed to know what language you’re speaking?”

“You’ve finished your breakfast, yes? Get out of here then. Go to work, why don’t you?”

“I surely will take my leave. Thank you for the delicious pancakes, Mrs. Dzubenko.”

“I’m glad you enjoyed them, James. Good day to you.”

The saloon emptied quickly as workers finished eating and made their way to the rails for another day’s work. Lara watched as her husband furiously wiped down the now empty tables.

“Why did you let James upset you, darling?” she asked. “He doesn’t mean any harm. He’s a little simple, sure…”

“Simple? That’s being kind. He may be the biggest idiot I’ve encountered yet.”

“He’s not the only one talking about the missing workers. I’ve heard whisperings around the saloon for a week or two now. I heard the girls talking about Rebecca the other night. People are starting to get frightened.”

Vasyl felt his stomach knot up. He had heard the whispers too, but had tried to ignore them. He didn’t want to think about the suspicions he had about who was responsible.

“And what do they expect us to do about it? Are we the police?”

“We’re the gathering spot for the camp, that’s all. They see this as a safe place. Everyone knows we have no police here.”

“No but the railroad has security. If these fools are so concerned they should talk to the guards at the rails. Stop bringing this nonsense into our work and our home.”

“Why is this making you so angry? People are scared, that’s all.”

“It’s making me angry because I don’t want them troubling you about it. I don’t want you scared or upset. That’s what I care about, not their whispers or their paranoid tales.”

“Well I can’t help but be upset if people are being hurt. I know this upsets you too, you just don’t want to admit it.”

“I’m sorry, but you’re wrong,” Vasyl said, hoping his voice didn’t betray his lie. “What troubles me is that these idiots are coming in here spreading nonsense and upsetting my wife. I still believe that all we’ve got happening here is a few too many drunken simpletons who don’t know how to look out for themselves in the wilderness. Christ Lara, look how drunk they are half the time! They could walk right into a mama grizzly’s den and think they were headed for their own barracks.”

“Perhaps you’re right. In fact I hope you are. But I still understand why people are frightened.”

Vasyl set his towel on the bar and took his wife’s hand in his own. “I’ll tell you what. How about I talk to the rail security and see if we can get a few guards stationed here outside the saloon? They can keep an eye on things around here at night. Maybe that will ease folks’ minds.”

Lara smiled. “I think that’s a wonderful idea.”

“That’s what I like to see,” Vasyl said.

“What?”

“Your smile.”

Lara reached out to touch her husband’s cheek. “I know you’re worried about me, darling. But you don’t have to be. The baby and I will be fine. This time it’s going to be fine.”

“I believe you. But I still don’t want these idiots upsetting you when it’s not necessary.” Vasyl glanced around the empty saloon. “Can you manage the lunch preparation on your own for a while?”

“Of course. Why?”

“I thought I’d head over to the camp office now and talk to them about getting some guards here.”

“You go ahead. I’m anxious to hear what they say.”

“With luck we’ll have some guards here by tonight.”

Vasyl kissed his wife good night and waited for Aleksei to arrive for his nightly shift. Lara seemed to tire more easily now, and he knew she was struggling with nausea, so if he had his way she’d spend every day in bed. He could manage the cooking on his own. But of course, she wouldn’t hear of it. As she reminded him regularly, she was not a fragile doll.

Still, Vasyl was glad Lara had called it an early night and he could talk to Nechayev on his own. He was curious to see the Russian’s reaction to the guards that would now be stationed outside the saloon. He also wondered about Aleksei’s take on the spate of disappearances.

Nechayev entered the saloon and immediately met Vasyl at the bar.

“Good evening, Mr. Dzubenko.”

“добрый вечер, Aleksei.”

Aleksei paused in mid step and turned to face Vasyl. “You want to speak to me in Russian now?”

Vasyl shrugged. “I guess I just like to keep you on your toes. I do want to speak to you though.”

“What about, sir?”

“We’re going to have guards here from the rail office outside the saloon, starting tonight.”

“Guards?”

“Security guards. Some of the workers believe people have been disappearing from the camp. You heard anything about this?”

Aleksei nodded. “I’ve heard some talking at the bar at night. I didn’t think it was anything serious.”

“I don’t think it is either. But these idiots talk as if we’ve got some monster on the loose around here.”

Vasyl could have sworn he saw a flicker of delight dance across Aleksei’s handsome features. He hoped he was mistaken.

“My hope is the presence of the guards will give the workers peace of mind,” he continued, trying unsuccessfully to convince himself that he had in fact been mistaken. “Put a stop to all the chatter.”

“They’ve been bothering you with it then?”

“They’re bothering Lara and that bothers me. If it were up to me I’d tell the idiots to shut up and stop telling tales, but that doesn’t satisfy Lara. She worries about them.”

Aleksei smiled. “You care about your wife a great deal, don’t you?”

Vasyl didn’t like the Russian’s smile or his tone. “I should think that would be obvious.”

“But it’s not always that way, is it? Some marriages are shams, some are filled with more hatred than love…but you – you truly love your wife. I can see it.”

Vasyl felt a chill run the length of his spine. There was something so disturbing about this man, regardless of the words that came out of his mouth. “I don’t think my feelings for my wife are any of your business.”

“Of course not. I just envy you, that’s all. I hope I can find a woman as wonderful as Mrs. Dzubenko someday. She actually reminds me of a woman I knew back in Russia. A nurse named Natasha. She was blond just like your Lara. And I know you hate my kind, Mr. Dzubenko, but I do believe you would have liked her. She was as kind as she was beautiful.”

“She was, not is? She’s dead then, is she? What happened to her?”

“She was killed while foolishly taking part in a worker’s march back in February. You know that sort of foolishness has taken over my country now? The Bolsheviks are destroying it from the inside out.”

“As far as I’m concerned there was never any good there anyway.”

Aleksei chuckled. “Fair enough. At least you’re consistent, I give you that.”

“At any rate, I’d like for you to mention the guards to the folks in here tonight. Make sure they know they’re around. I’m hoping it will settle them down.”

“I’ll spread the word, don’t worry. And if it’s alright with you, I’ll bring some drinks out to the guards too. Help keep them warm while they keep us all safe.”

Vasyl stared at Aleksei, into the dark blue eyes that showed contempt while his mouth spouted words of camaraderie and friendship. Was Vasyl really the only one who noticed it? Why did they all like him so?

“Sounds like a good idea,” he finally said. “Drinks on the house.” Vasyl started to walk away but quickly turned back. “You know, let’s give everyone a round on me. The whores and the workers – all of them. We’ll toast to our newfound security and put this silliness behind us.”

“Very generous of you, sir.”

“Well, make sure it’s the cheap whiskey you give ’em.” He could see the men starting to drift in and knew the house would soon be packed. “Matter of fact, I’ll stay down here and make the announcement myself.”

Aleksei walked out from around the bar and clapped his hands to get the attention of the workers who straggled into the bar and the prostitutes who filed in behind them.

“Gentlemen, ladies, let me have your attention, please. Mr. Dzubenko has some great news to share with you all.”

Vasyl briefly wondered why he needed an introduction, but he ignored his constant irritation with Aleksei and smiled at his customers.

“We all know we’ve had some scary weeks here in the camp lately,” Vasyl said. “Folks leaving and not coming back, fears that maybe they ran into foul play….we may not all talk about it but we’re surely all aware of it. So the good fellows at the rail office have agreed to spare us some of their security guards until things get back on an even keel around here. The guards will be stationed outside the saloon here every night starting tonight.”

Murmurs of agreement and applause drifted through the crowd.

“But that’s not all. Since the rail office is being so generous I thought I’d match their spirit and kick off tonight’s drinking with a round on the house.”

“You mean free booze?” James called out.

Vasyl smiled through the desire to punch James in the face. “Yes, as James has so eloquently put it, I mean free booze. This first round is on me.” He gestured towards the prostitutes who hung around the edges of the crowd. “And not just for the gentlemen. You ladies are included too. Aleksei, how about you and I start pouring?”

The crowd cheered and jostled their way to the bar for their free drinks. When Aleksei had the round under control, Vasyl poured two glasses of the more expensive whiskey and took it outside to the rail security workers.

When he came back inside, he returned to Aleksei at the bar.

“You okay to handle this yourself now?”

“Of course, sir. No different than any other night. Except maybe the customers are a little happier.”

Vasyl smiled as he looked out at the crowd of drinkers. “Well, I suppose there’s nothing wrong with that.”

“Not at all. It’s wonderful to see them thinking they’re safe now.”

Vasyl’s smile faded as he stared at the bartender. “What do you mean by that? Thinking they’re safe?”

Aleksei turned to face him. “What?” he asked.

Vasyl saw an expression of pure evil when he stared at the man in front of him. “You sounded as if you don’t think they’re actually safe.”

Aleksei grinned. “I did? Well, I guess I misspoke. I just don’t know what I’m saying sometimes. My English, you know…”

Vasyl continued to stare at him. He knew Aleksei hadn’t misspoke. And he knew his English was fine. Perfect, almost.

Aleksei turned back towards the bar and grabbed a fresh bottle of whiskey from underneath it. “I better get back to work now, Mr. Dzubenko. Good night to you.”

Vasyl watched Aleksei work the crowd with a smile that now showed no hint of menace. But Vasyl knew what he had seen and what he had heard. And he knew he had been right about Aleksei all along. But as the men shook his hand and patted him on the back as he served them, he knew he would never convince the rest of the camp of that fact. It was too late for that. He doubted he could even convince his own wife.