The next morning the children were awoken by Eddie clapping his hands together and saying "Time to get up, we have a busy day ahead of us. Besides Kolkoov's wife promised to make pancakes today." "What time is it?" Violet asked the bed.
"8 a.m. and daylight is wasting, now get up or you go hungry." After saying that Eddie exited the room and went downstairs to talk to Kolkov. He noticed him reading a Russian newspaper that he would get from the local Russian mob enforcers. Once Eddie asked him why he didn't turn the mobsters in, seeing as how he wasn't to fond of the organized crime. "We are all Russians so why not get what I can from them while they are still around?"
"What's the latest from Moscow?"
Kolkov looked up and grinned. "Stalin may have helped to save the world during the great war, but in the mother land people have begun to ask questions. Soon enough this scourge of communism will be gone once and for all."
"How do you know that isn't wishful thinking? You said it yourself. Stalin did not rise to power by being stupid."
"Bah! Soon the people will revolt and I will be able to return to the motherland and die there."
"Who dying?"
Eddie turned around and saw the Boudelaire children at the stairs. "No one, it's just an old white army man hoping."
"You say it is me who is hoping but soon you shall see I am right. Now little children come with me to the back room and have some food."
With that Kolkov lead them into a back room just as a petite pleasant looking older woman was putting some plates onto it. Kolkov turned around and introduced them saying. "This is my beautiful wife Susanna."
Susanna turned from the cupboard where she was getting glasses and said. "How do you do?" She had a New Orleans accent and gray curled hair. She was wearing a knee length blue dress with an apron. "Hello, I'm Violet, that is Klaus and this is Sunny." Violet said pointing to each of them in turn.
"Sit sit, the pancakes are ready and there's some fresh orange juice. Which you'll be having instead of vodka Kolkov!" She said glaring at her husband. "I told you this American custom does not suite a Russian soldier."
"Then return to Russia and quit your complaining."
Kolkov ran up to her and picked her up kissing her on the cheek smiling. "You know if I go back to the mother land before the disease of communism is gone I will be killed. And how you would cry for poor Kolkov knowing you sent him to his death."
"Put me down you Russian oaf. You are not setting a good example of how we live to our new guests." Kolkov then put her down and she walked off glaring at him but smiling. Eddie and the Baudelaires then sat down around the small table and waited for Susanna.
"If you don't mind me asking, but if you are Russian then how come your wife sounds like she's from the south?" Klaus asked.
"Ah do not worry about your questions, if we did not ask them then how would we learn? But to answer it, I used to be a regular Russian soldier until the communists killed the Tsar and his family. It was an international outrage which was answered by few to take up arms against the scourge of communism. Me being the loyal young man I was joined the White army and served under General Pyotr Nikolayevich Wrangel until our ultimate defeat. I escaped and learned that White army soldiers were being hunted down so I was lucky enough to find a fishing captain drunk enough to agree to sail his small boat to Norway. And from there I sailed to America and found Susanna while I was losing money in New Orleans. She found me attractive and then she married me. Soon after that I won the deed to this motel and we moved to where we are now."
"Fascinating story." Violet said.
"If you like my stories then someday we should sit together and talk."
"These poor children should not have to listen to your story on how you personally gutted a polar bear that has grown 40 feet in the years past." Susanna said as she walked in carrying a platter heaped with home made pancakes and syrup. She then set the platter down and said. "Dig in." She then sat down and slapped Kolkov's hand away from the pancakes saying. "Let our guests go first."
The Boudelaires then each grabbed a pancake and dribbled some syrup onto them. "Goodness me no wonder you children look tired and under fed. Put as much syrup as you want onto those pancakes and grab as many as you want. No one is judging you and there's plenty more." Susanna said as she examined the plates of each of the children. She then put another pancake onto each of Violets' and Klaus's plates and poured syrup onto them. Eddie looked at them and smirked as he took a bite from his pancakes.
"You better listen to Susanna or else you might starve." He said jokingly.
Susanna then looked at Eddie and said. "And you, how many times have I told you not to bring guns to the table?" The children then looked at Eddie and noticed he had his trench coat off and also the jacket to his gray four piece pinstripe suit and on his regular shirt were two shoulder holsters with pistols in each of them. Eddie took the pistols out of their holsters, ejected the magazines and set them onto the arms of a coat rack. Klaus identified them as the Colt M1911 and a German luger P. 08.
"I know you still carry that broom handle Mauser in the back of your trousers!" Susanna said glaring at Eddie.
"Sorry." He said somewhat sheepishly and grabbed a C96 Mauser automatic from the back of his trousers and ejected the magazine to that pistol too and stuck it on the coat tree also. Violet Looked at Klaus and whispered. "Did you know about this?"
"Kinda," Klaus replied "Right before I fell asleep I saw him get out the colt."
"I'm not sure it's a good thing to be around this man."
"I think we should wait it out and…"
"Stop jawing and start eating." Susanna said before Klaus could finish. You can talk later. Now would any of you like orange juice?" She asked sweetly.
"I know I would like something." Kolkov grumbled good naturedly.
"And I know you aren't getting it."
"Like I said. Listen to Susanna." Eddie said grinning.