The Double

“I don’t understand. No one can get into my laptop,” said Konstantin. “It’s encrypted, you need my ring to get in.”

That was true. I knew from experience how hard it was, I’d barely managed it and I’d been sleeping with him. How could anyone else—

Shit.

A truck thundered past, rocking our parked car, but I just sat there, staring at the other two without seeing them.

“What?” asked Calahan.

I didn’t answer. The suspicion was rolling through me like an oily fog, chilling me as it settled into my bones.

“What?” demanded Konstantin, gripping my arm.

I hadn’t ever considered it. I’d spent so much time feeling guilty…. I looked in the rear view mirror, at the reflection of Christina’s face. Oh God….

I looked at Konstantin. “What if I wasn’t the only one betraying you?” I croaked.

His brows knitted.

I turned to Calahan. Everything was reversing in my mind, every assumption we’d made since the very beginning. “Our whole plan was to impersonate Christina,” I said. “We were so busy thinking about me being the imposter, me not getting caught, we just assumed she was innocent. But what if Christina’s behind this whole thing?”

Calahan and I stared at each other. I’d gotten so used to being Christina, the idea made me feel physically sick, as if I’d done it. I’d thought I’d been impersonating Konstantin’s lover. What if I’d really been impersonating his worst enemy?

“No,” said Konstantin, but his accent had thickened with worry. “How would even Christina get into my laptop?”

“The same way I did,” I told him. “Wait until you’re asleep, then use your ring.”

Konstantin stared at me. “You did that?”

I nodded and hung my head, the guilt eating me up.

“But you barely managed it once,” said Calahan. “Christina would have had to have been on his laptop night after night, checking for mail, organizing things....”

Konstantin suddenly put a hand to his face. “Chert! I’m so stupid!” When we twisted to look at him, he sighed. “When Christina arrived at the mansion, I started to sleep soundly. There were no—” He glanced at Calahan, uncomfortable. Even now, he didn’t want to appear weak.

“Go on,” said Calahan. And I was surprised at how gentle his voice was.

“There were no nightmares,” Konstantin said through gritted teeth.

Calahan just nodded as if he understood.

Konstantin rubbed at his cheeks. “The vodka. Every night, she and I would have a glass—”

“She was drugging you!” I breathed. Suddenly, it was all making sense. I imagined her sitting next to him in bed, the glow from the laptop screen lighting up her face as she wrote emails pretending to be him. That’s why all the emails about the assassination had been filed away in a hidden folder: not to hide them from me, to hide them from him! I let out a groan.

“What?” asked Calahan.

“She was so smart! That email she sent, organizing the payment at the shopping mall: I will send a woman. Don’t discuss things with her, she’s just the courier. She knew law enforcement would find those emails eventually. She set it all up to look like it was Konstantin organizing things, and she was just a pawn. And we bought it completely.”

I groaned again as I remembered sitting in Battery Park with Konstantin and him offering to share all his secrets with me. I could have found out then that he knew nothing about the assassination, but I’d put our relationship ahead of my job. This is all my fault!

Konstantin was shaking his head. “But how did she convince Grigory to get hold of the rifle for the assassin? He must have known that order wasn’t coming from me.”

I winced. Of course: he didn’t know. “Grigory and Christina were—” I swallowed and looked at Calahan. He, too, was avoiding Konstantin’s eyes.

“What?” demanded Konstantin, sensing something was up.

“Christina was having an affair with Grigory,” I said quietly.

“No—” Konstantin shook his head, his face going pale. “Grigory’s been loyal to me for years. He wouldn’t be involved in….”

He trailed off as he saw my mournful expression. Even Calahan looked sympathetic. Konstantin let out a roar and thumped the car’s ceiling, hard enough to leave a dent.

“It wasn’t Grigory’s fault,” I said quickly. “It wasn’t just sex, he was in love with her. I think ever since she came to the mansion. Christina saw that and used it: she seduced him. Told him she’d run away with him, all he had to do was help her frame you.”

Konstantin was staring at the ground, his shoulders rising and falling as he panted in anger. At last, he raised his head and looked right at me. “I don’t care about Grigory,” he said. “I don’t care about Christina. But I do care about—Did Grigory—” His voice caught and he had to look away and take a deep breath. “You were impersonating Christina, did you have to—”