Page 13 of Mysterious Teacher : Arrival
The doorbell rang again, and Sonya hurried to the front foyer and opened the door.
Chapter 4
The Ruse
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BORIS LISTENED TO THEcheesy chimes of the doorbell. “Americans,” he muttered under his breath. “What a capitalist society.The need for ornamentations, music, even for just a doorbell...”
Tapping his toe against the first porch step, he waited. No answer. “Come on, ladies,” he said as he rang again. “We know you’re in there.”
A moment later, the curtain on the window beside the door was briefly pulled aside and Boris got a brief glimpse of a woman’s curious gaze. The door then opened and the older of the two women he’d seen through the window stood there, a concerned yet polite smile on her lips.
“I’m so sorry to disturb you, Miss,” he said in his most humble and unoffensive tone.
“It is rather late to be ringing,” she said with just a touch of reproach. “Please tell me, how did you get past the gate?”
He glanced over his shoulder towards the distant gate. “Oh, that,” he said. “It is not properly closed. It must be jammed or caught on something. But I was able to slip in quite easily.”
“Oh?”the young woman said as she looked beyond him toward the gate. She leaned to one side trying to get a view, but the lights lining the drive weren’t quite bright enough and the gate simply too far. “And why would you ‘slip in’ as you say.”
“This is so embarrassing, Miss...” He looked expectantly at her, hoping to learn her name. “Miss...”
“Sonya,” she said. “I’m Sonya Song. And you are?”
Once again, he looked over his shoulder and pointed to the road. “My automobile,” he said. “I’ve been having issues with it lately and...Well, it broke down. I must admit that I am horribly lost, and with the darkness of night taking over, I find it impossible to read the signs and other than a bite here and there, I haven’t had a decent meal in such a long time. Fatigue is wearing me out and...” His voice trailed off.
Though pleasant and polite, Sonya made no move to invite him in.
“I know that this is such an inopportune imposition, but may I use your telephone so that I may try to reach the family members who are expecting me to arrive any moment now.”
“Where were you heading?”
Surprised by the question, he gaped at her a moment before collecting his thoughts. Patting his jacket and pant pockets, he searched. “I know I have the address here somewhere. Some small town that I have never heard of before.”
“Oh.”
