ENDING OF PREVIOUS POST:

Moments passed as Shana clung to Anderson. He moved her hands from around his neck and led her to the bed. "Sit. I can't stay long and we need to talk. The police'll have questions. At the condo, I protected you, but this time you'll have to talk with them." He put his finger to her lips as she started to speak. "Just tell the truth."

"He stabbed you." Shana touched Anderson's arm.

"I'm fine."

"But you killed Bezrukov. He was one of the men..."

"I know, and it was self-defense," interrupted Anderson. "Don't worry." He scanned the room. "I'm worried he wasn't the only man who snuck through security. Zack will stay with you."

"But..."

Anderson heard a knock at the door. "The police must be ready. I'll be back as soon as possible."

As he reached the door, Shana hugged him. He kissed her forehead. "Sweetheart, I won't be long." Under his breath he muttered, "I hope."

When Zachery entered the room, he saw Shana kneeling by the bed, praying. He knelt beside her. "Is it okay if I pray with you?"

Shana nodded, and they continued.

Moments later, they finished, and Shana sat on the bed.

As Zachery pulled a chair beside her, Shana asked, "Do you have a gun on you?"

He lifted his shirttail and pulled out a Glock 19 Gen4.

Shana swallowed. "And a knife?"

From his back waist band, Zachery pulled a Sog Seal Pup Elite Fixed Blade.

"Anything else?"

Zachery grabbed a Benchmade Bedlam from his boot.

"I see you're ready for anything."

"I take it you've never been around weapons." Zachery quietly replaced each one. "If you keep hanging out with the mafia, I might have to insist my brother teaches you to use a gun." He grinned.

Shana shook her head. "Never!"


TODAY'S POST:


Chapter 25 part 2

Later that evening, Michael knocked on Shana's bedroom door. "The detective's ready to speak with you."

The walk down the hall was silent as Michael and Zachery led her to the living room.

A man, dressed in a dark suit, motioned her to sit. "Hello, Ms. Kohlberg, I'm Detective Rollins. I understand you witnessed the incident in the canning kitchen." After she nodded, he continued, "Would you please tell me in your own words, exactly what you saw?"

"Where should I start?"

"Why don't you start at the beginning?"

Michael glanced at the detective and then said, "Shana, I think he means once you stepped onto the patio. This story goes way back. I think my son, Anderson, has already filled you in on how and where this mess began."

Michael glanced at his ringing cell. "Sorry Shana, I need to take this."

"I'll get you a bottle of water." Zachery left and muttered under his breath. "We can't just leave her to the wolves. They'll devour her. Where's Drew?"

Susan nodded. "He's busy with another detective. You and your dad need to stay with her."

Zachery handed Shana a bottle of water, pulled up a chair, and stared at the detective. "Now, where were we?"

"Ms. Kohlberg just explained she had received a phone call from a friend and took it to her bedroom. When she returned, she wanted to share the information with Mr. Sharp but he was getting ice." His eyes met Shana's. "Please continue."

"I've only been here a few days so Susan, Drew's mom, told me how to get to the canning kitchen. I followed her directions. I was about halfway across the back patio when I saw Drew and another man, Bezrukov. I don't remember his first name. They were in the canning kitchen. Drew had his back against the freezer." She glanced at Zachery. "The big silver thing is a freezer, correct?"

"It is."

"Just a minute," interrupted Rollins. "How did you know the man's name? Have you met him before?"

"Kind of, I know of him. He and two other men followed me from the New York City museum and on another occasion attempted to kidnap me in the parking garage of Drew's New York penthouse." Shana continued, "Bezrukov faced Drew. He had something in his hand but I couldn't see it well enough to know what it was."

"How far away?" asked the detective.

Searching the room, Shana answered, "About from here to the front door."

After Rollins estimated the distance, he wrote it and then nodded for Shana to continue.

"Drew appeared to be hurt."

"How could you tell?"

When Shana's eyes met Zachery's, he said, "Tell Detective Rollins exactly what you saw."

"I could see something running down his upper arm past his elbow. I couldn't tell exactly what it was, but I assumed it was blood because of the way he held his arm." Shana paused. "It was dripping to the floor."

"Okay. Please go on. What happened next?"

"I walked closer and heard Bezrukov yell something to Drew. I couldn't make it out because of his strong accent. I assumed it was a Russian accent because of our previous problems. When Drew didn't respond, the man jabbed the knife toward him and Drew moved to the..." Shana moved her left arm, "he darted to the left to avoid being stabbed."

"When he did that, could you see clearly it was a knife?" asked the officer.

"I could tell it was silver or gray and the end had a point. Is that enough to assume it was a knife?"

Zachery grinned. "Shana, you're doing fine, continue."

"I'm not so sure." Shana took a sip of water. "I felt Drew needed help." She closed her eyes. "I saw a large clay pot next to the doorway and picked it up." She raised her hands. "It was filled with dirt and heavy. I crept into the room and got close enough to throw the pot at the back of the man's head. I hit him. I guess it surprised him enough that he stumbled to the ground."

"How close did you get?" asked the officer.

"I don't know. I was so scared." She studied Zachery. "Maybe from here to Zachery."

Rollins wrote down that information and asked, "What happened next?"

"Everything happened so fast. The man dropped the knife beside him." Shana looked at the detective's eyes. "I definitely knew it's a knife now. Drew tried to get to it before the man. They wrestled. The man reached it first and tried to stab Drew." Tears welled in her eyes.

Zachery reached for her hand. "It's okay."

She nodded. "Somehow Drew gained control of the knife. He tried to stab the man, but the man kept shoving it away. I guess Drew was stronger because the knife went into the man's chest. At some point I screamed, and everybody came running. Drew ordered them to take me away, and Zachery took me to my room. I stayed there until you wanted to speak to me."

"It seems bodies are following you all over the US. Any idea why?" Detective Rollins help up his pen.

"Not really." Shana released a deep breath. "For some reason Kuznetsov's men keep finding us and attacking us. I don't understand it. I wanted my family's painting back, but I don't any longer. We've contacted him, telling him that. I don't know why he hasn't dropped the attacks. The painting isn't worth it." Tears streamed down Shana's cheeks.

Zachery stood. "Shana's told you everything she knows." He held out his hand for her. "I'll take you to your room."

They both stood, and the detective handed her an evidence bag. "I'll come with you. I'll need your clothes because there's blood on them."

Shana glanced over her clothes. "No! I didn't know. I never got close to Bezrukov."

"You hugged Drew. He had blood on him. It's transfer." Zachery placed his hand on the small of her back and led her to her room.

"But..."

"It's okay. Everything'll be all right."

Detective Rollins followed.

Shana went into the bathroom and closed the door.

The detective paced the floor. "How long does it take to remove clothes?"

"She's frightened. Give her time." Zachery stood off to the side.

Rollins glanced at his watch. "She's taking too long."

He moved toward the door, Zachery shoved him away, and stood eye to eye with the detective.. "I said give her time."

Rollins moved to the side. "You can't stop me."

Zachery shoved him again, almost knocking him down. "I just did." Again, their eyes met as Zachery said, "I said give the lady some privacy."

Susan and Michael rushed into the room.

"I heard noise. What's the problem?" Michael glared at the detective.

"He doesn't think Shana's moving fast enough so he attempted to enter." Zachery motioned to the bathroom door.

"I'll get the clothes." Susan knocked on the door. "Honey, can I come in?"

"Yes," whispered Shana. With Susan standing beside her, she continued scrubbing her hands and arms. "I can't get the blood off."

"I'll give Detective Rollins your clothes and come back to help. Okay?"

Shana nodded.









Characters so far:

Shana Kohlberg -- a 25 year old high school English literature teacher -- she's trying to get her family's painting back

Anderson Sharp -- often called Drew -- 31 years old -- works part-time on Wall Street -- a billionaire from Texas oil wells

Dmitry Bezrukov -- one of three Russian men in black suits

Jeff Burk -- takes care of Anderson's cars and important security details.

Helen -- Anderson's cook

Jane -- Anderson's housekeeper

Philip -- Anderson's butler -- close friend

Kyle -- Anderson's dog walker

Axel -- Anderson's lead German shepherd

Thor -- Anderson's second German shepherd

Romeo -- Anderson's third German shepherd

Aaron Kohlberg -- Shana's older brother

Ivan Kuznetsov -- formally Ivan Morozov, I accidently chose a real person, so I have changed it present day owner of the painting.

Patricia -- Anderson's ex-wife

Emily -- Anderson's five year old daughter

Isaiah Glassberg -- Anderson divorce/custody attorney.

Jeremy -- Jane's second-cousin twice removed, NYC undercover cop.

Hannah Jacobs -- Shana's cousin, the same age and best friend. Married within the past year and just had a baby, Sarah. Her husband, Paul. Sarah was just diagnosed with Tay-Sachs disease.

Joshua Colton -- Art Museum's curator

Benjamin Kohlberg -- Shana's father

Eliana Kohlberg - - Shana's mother

Maxwell Gaines -- Lawyer hired to retrieve the painting

Erich Berger -- Manager of the Dorotheum art auction house in Austria

Mary Pritchard -- The lady Anderson hired to help Hannah while she's in Boston with Sarah.

Zachery Sharp -- Anderson's younger brother

Michael Sharp -- Anderson's father

Susan Sharp --Anderson's mother

Leon Sharp - - Anderson's grandfather

Grandma Sharp - - Anderson's grandmother

Detective Rollins - - Austin police detective