as I say, when she didn’t come back up that driveway twenty minutes later, I decided to go after her. It was an instinct, I guess. I felt that she was in danger.
Sharpe: You left your truck on the street and walked down the road that led to the Kensington residence?
I took my eyes off the page and gasped. My God. Kensington?
Ivanoff: That’s right, sir. I walked down the gravel path, past the fountain and hedges, and looked through the window of the house. I didn’t see anything so I walked around the side yard, down to the lawn behind the house. It was the fanciest home I’d seen in my life. I couldn’t understand what Vera was doing there.
Sharpe: What did you see when you reached the lawn?
Ivanoff: Nothing, at first. Just a big lawn that connected to Lake Washington. The sun had set, so there was little light. I was going to turn back, when I heard something.
Sharpe: What?
Ivanoff: At first I thought it was the sound of an animal. It was so high pitched, so shrill. But then I heard it again, and I knew. It was the sound of a woman crying out for help. She sounded awful scared, or hurt, maybe.
Sharpe: What did you do next?
Ivanoff: I tried to figure where the cry was coming from. Then, I saw movement near the dock. Just a shadow at first. I ducked back behind a tree, and then I saw her.
Sharpe: Vera?
Ivanoff: No, another woman. She was running away from the lake back up to the house.
Sharpe: Did you get a good look at her?
Ivanoff: It was hard to make out her face, but she had dark hair. I suppose you could say she was tall.
Sharpe: And did she let herself inside the residence?
Ivanoff: Yes, sir. It didn’t make sense. Someone clearly needed help down there. I started to run down the lawn, but then the screaming stopped. I, I…
Sharpe: Mr. Ivanoff, are you all right? May we continue?
Ivanoff: I’ll do my best, sir.
Sharpe: What did you see when you reached the lake?
Ivanoff: Dear Lord, it was terrible. I ran to the dock, and I saw her there, floating in the water. She’d lost one of her shoes….
Sharpe: You saw Miss Ray in the water?
Ivanoff: Yes, sir. She was floating next to a small rowboat that was sinking. It must have had a leak. I tried to reach her from the dock. But she was too far out. I’d have gone after her but I can’t swim, and besides, I think I was too late. Her face was underwater. Eyes open,. It was the most horrible thing I’ve seen in all of my days.
Sharpe: What did you do next?
Ivanoff: I couldn’t bear to think of leaving her there all alone, in the cold. But I knew after my record with the police, they’d point the finger at me. They’d never believe a Russian immigrant. They’d pin me with the crime, the way they’d done the last time. I couldn’t take that chance.
Sharpe: So you left?
Ivanoff: Yes. She looked so peaceful lying there next to the water lilies. Besides, her soul had gone to a better place; that much is certain.
Sharpe: And what did you do next?
Ivanoff: I began walking back up the lawn. I didn’t want anyone to see me. Rich folks would take one look at me and think I was up to trouble. But then I heard some sounds coming from the house.
Sharpe: What did you hear?
Ivanoff: A woman was crying hysterically, and a man was shouting at her.
Sharpe: Could you make out what they were saying?
Ivanoff: No. But I crouched down behind a hedge and watched the man run down to the lake.
Sharpe: Mr. Ivanoff, do you know the name of the man you saw?
Ivanoff: No, sir. But if you ask me, he loved Miss Ray. He knelt down and cried there on the dock. He took his shirt off and looked like he might have gone in after her, but that woman ran down and pulled him back.
Sharpe: So you began walking back to your truck?
Ivanoff: Yes, sir. I passed by the house on the way. It was a warm night. The windows were open in the upstairs rooms. I heard a child in the house. A boy. He was crying.
Sharpe: Did you think he might be Miss Ray’s son?
Ivanoff: I did. And when I got back to the city, I phoned the police. I told them that a crime had occurred at