Nick’s ex-wife worked at a major medical academy, in the department responsible for pharmaceutical quality control. The lead investigator immediately had a long list of questions for her. Why had she shown up with friends that night? Was she simply trying to intimidate her former husband’s pregnant wife?
And what exactly had that group been doing in the apartment for hours while the frightened children cried behind a locked door? Detectives brought Elizabeth in for formal questioning, and little by little the full story of the family tragedy came into focus.
Elizabeth said she had met Nick years earlier at a summer camp, and their relationship continued in college. After they married, Nick — then a promising government employee — received a state-issued apartment.
Through a complicated series of family housing exchanges, Elizabeth managed to turn that arrangement into a full two-bedroom apartment. It was in a prime central neighborhood and had a great view. But despite the comfortable setup, the marriage itself was falling apart.
During one argument, Nick walked out and never came back. Not long after, Natalie entered his life. She did not have an impressive degree or a polished career, but she was warm, practical, and deeply committed to family life.
For Natalie, too, this was not a first marriage. She owned a small room in a shared apartment, and that is where the couple first lived together. But because of Nick’s risky business venture, the young family had to take out a large loan.
It was the same roughly $100,000 loan for the barge that later swelled to around $300,000. To help pay off aggressive creditors, Nick’s mother sold her property, and Natalie gave up her room in the shared apartment. Part of the debt was covered, but now the family had nowhere to live.
So the couple moved temporarily into Nick’s apartment downtown. At that point, Elizabeth and the son she shared with Nick, Igor, were still living there legally. Right in front of the abandoned ex-wife, Nick’s new family welcomed a baby girl, and soon another child was on the way.
Meanwhile, Elizabeth’s own personal life was not going well. Though she legally owned only a share of the apartment, she decided she wanted the whole place. A string of ugly court battles followed over how the property should be divided…
