Chapter 16: The Swiss Facility and Galina’s Secret

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Summary

Billie, Helen, Mary Alice, and Natalie travel to Switzerland to infiltrate a high-end retirement facility where Pasha Lazarov’s aunt, Evgenia, resides. After a tense refusal to let Taverner join the mission, the women assume disguises: Helen plays an elderly patient in a wheelchair, Mary Alice acts as her private secretary, Natalie poses as a sister-in-law, and Billie serves as the driver. At the facility, Billie sneaks into Evgenia’s room and engages her in conversation. Evgenia, who suffers from memory lapses, reveals that her niece Galina is still alive—contradicting the team’s belief that Galina died in an accident years earlier. Evgenia shows Billie a photograph in which Galina appears as a blurred profile, and mentions that Galina brings fresh cookies from a bakery called Malvestio. Billie steals the photo, and the team departs, realizing that Galina may now be a new threat.

Key Events

The team decides on roles for infiltrating the Swiss facility; Helen volunteers to be the elderly patient.
Taverner insists on joining the operation, but Billie firmly refuses, citing his safety. He backs down without argument, making Billie suspicious.
The four women travel via Corsica and Basel to reach the facility, a discreet and expensive retirement home with a separate recovery wing.
At the facility, Billie encounters a lecherous old man on the terrace but resists harming him.
She enters Evgenia’s room and speaks with her in a mixture of German and Russian, pretending to be a relative of another resident.
Evgenia mumbles about her nephew Pasha and eventually admits that Galina is alive, calling her a “bad seed” and blaming her for the accident that killed Evgenia’s sister.
Billie notices a photograph showing Galina’s profile in the background of a boat picture and steals the photo.
Evgenia offers Billie a cookie from a pink bakery box labeled Malvestio, which Galina recently brought.
The team reconvenes in the car, where Natalie confirms that the facility lists Pasha as Evgenia’s next of kin. Billie reveals the photo and the news that Galina is alive.

Character Development

Billie: Demonstrates strategic thinking and leadership by assigning roles and tackling the most dangerous part of the mission alone. Her refusal to let Taverner accompany her shows her protective side, but she also admits discomfort with commitment, hinting at past trauma from her childhood.
Helen: Willingly takes on the demeaning role of a wheelchair-bound elder, showing her dedication to the team. She later criticizes Naomi’s oversight for not verifying Galina’s death.
Mary Alice and Natalie: Their bickering and humor persist, even during a tense operation, underscoring their lifelong bond.
Taverner: His unusual compliance with Billie’s decision immediately raises Billie’s suspicions, suggesting hidden motives.
Evgenia Dashkova: Portrayed as a senile, narcissistic old woman who clings to memories of her nephew and holds a grudge against Galina. Her memory lapses make her an unreliable but valuable source of clues.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Disguise and Deception: The women must physically appear older to gain access, highlighting the theme of hiding one’s true identity to survive.
Senility and Lost Truth: Evgenia’s shifting memory reflects the difficulty of extracting reliable information from the past; the truth about Galina emerges only in fragments.
Family Secrets and Legacies: The Dashkova/Lazarov family is revealed to be more complicated than the team assumed, with Galina’s survival shifting the target of their investigation.
Trust and Control: Billie’s tension with Taverner revolves around who makes decisions and who can be trusted—a motif that will likely recur.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter delivers a crucial plot twist: the presumed-dead Galina Lazarov is actually alive and apparently active. It forces the team to reconsider everything they thought they knew about who is hunting them. Billie’s solo infiltration also deepens the mystery around the Lazarov family, while her strained relationship with Taverner adds personal stakes to the professional mission. The cookie clue (the Malvestio bakery) provides a tangible lead that could help the team track Galina.

Study Questions and Answers

Why does Billie refuse to let Taverner join the facility infiltration, and what is his reaction?
Billie refuses because the safe house was arranged for Taverner’s protection, and she does not want to endanger him further. Taverner yields without the expected argument, which immediately makes Billie doubt his sincerity.
How does Billie obtain the key piece of information about Galina’s survival?
She poses as a Russian visitor, engages Evgenia in conversation, and exploits Evgenia’s eagerness to gossip about her niece. Through Evgenia’s comments about the past and her showing a photo, Billie deduces that Galina did not die in the accident.
What does the photograph Billie steals reveal, and why is it significant?
The photograph shows Pasha Lazarov on a boat with a blurry female profile in the background. That profile is Galina. The picture is significant because it proves Galina is alive and because Evgenia’s mention of recent cookie deliveries suggests Galina has been in contact with her, giving the team a place to start tracking her.

Previous Chapter: Chapter 15 Summary
Next Chapter: Chapter 17 Summary
Return to Book Hub: Killers of a Certain Age