The Blade Man

by Debra Purdy Kong

  Casey and Lou slipped out and started down the hall. She told Lou about Stan’s description of his assailant.

  “Has to be the same guy,” Lou said.

  She spotted Max at the nurses’s station. Judging from his loud, annoying tone, the kid was demanding rather than asking for help.

  “You’d think the cops would give us a heads-up about a smelly man dressed in black,” Lou muttered. “Unless they told Gwyn and he didn’t bother to pass it along.”

  “He might not have done that on purpose,” Casey said. “Stan said the man’s frazzled and preoccupied.”

  “After all the crap Gwyn’s dumped on you,” Lou shot back, “why stick up for him?”

  “I’m not. It’s just that Gwyn’s not coping well with all that’s going on.”

  “He’s probably more upset about his property and MPT’s reputation than he is about us. The man needs to be held accountable for his mistakes and shitty attitude,” Lou replied. “I totally get why someone would torch his stupid office.”

  Whoa, that was harsh, but saying so wouldn’t help anything.

  “If Gwyn won’t give the drivers a description,” Lou added, “then I will.”

  He picked up the pace and charged down the hall. Casey jogged to keep up, praying he would calm down before they confronted Summer.

  FOURTEEN

  On the way home from the hospital, Casey drove while Lou called his supervisor to describe Benny’s assailant.

  “The drivers need to know,” Lou insisted. After a pause he said, “Yeah, fine.” He hung up. “Asshole didn’t even sound that interested.”

  “I get why you’re upset,” Casey said. “Maybe I should talk to Summer alone.”

  Lou let out a heavy sigh. “Fine. You talk and I’ll listen.”

  She preferred that he not be there at all.

  “I don’t think she’ll be straight with us,” he added. “What will you do if you catch Summer in a lie?”

  “Call her on it.”

  Lou shook his head. “It feels like we barely know her anymore.”

  He was right, in a way. How had it come to this? Friends had warned her that parenting someone else’s teenager would be difficult. But she loved Summer and Rhonda. Rhonda had been a better mom to Casey than her own mother. She’d done the right thing by accepting Rhonda’s request to become Summer’s guardian. Who knew that parenting would make her feel more inept than anything else she’d been through, including divorce?

  Lou pulled up to the house. “She’d better be home.”

  Casey’s stomach clenched as she stepped out of the car. Summer’s grounding meant that she was supposed to come straight home from school.

  “Bet she denies being at the riot until you tell her about the CCTV footage.” Lou barely opened the kitchen door before Cheyenne bolted past him down the steps and onto the grass to pee. “Bloody great. She’s not home.”

  Irritation flared inside Casey. Waiting for the dog to return, she checked her phone. No messages. Damn it. Cheyenne trotted back inside and followed them upstairs. Lou banged on Summer’s bedroom door and stepped inside.

  “What are you doing?” Casey asked. “We already know she’s not here.”

  “Looking to see if she’s run away.”

  Casey froze. It hadn’t occurred to her that Summer would do that, and she’d never leave without Cheyenne.

  Lou stomped into the bathroom. “Her toothbrush and makeup are still here.”

  Casey collapsed against the door with relief. Cheyenne picked up a toy and looked at Casey with large, hopeful eyes.

  “Where the freakin’ hell is she?” Lou checked his watch. “It’s nearly five.”

  “I’ll call her.”

  “You seriously think she’ll answer?”

  “Worth a try.” She scratched Cheyenne’s head. “Why don’t you go outside and throw a ball around with Cheyenne for a bit. You both need to work off some energy, and you’ll be able to tell if she’s walking home or getting a ride from her mystery man.”

  Lou gazed at the dog. “Let’s go, girl.”

  Cheyenne scrambled downstairs while Casey headed upstairs into their top-floor apartment. She needed to regroup, figure out how to keep things from exploding. Kicking off her shoes, she greeted her sleepy guinea pig, Ralphie, then strolled to the bay window. The afternoon sunlight was heating up the room. She opened the window and saw Lou and Cheyenne. She was opening the second window when a small black car pulled up in front of the house. Summer emerged and shut the door. The vehicle peeled away.

  “Where have you been?” Lou yelled at her.

  “Detention! Caught skipping the stupid math class again.”

  As Cheyenne bounded up to her, Summer opened the gate and marched toward the house.

  “You could have called!”

  “They took my phone till it ended.” She jogged up the porch steps.

  Casey dashed downstairs, wondering why she hadn’t called to say she was on her way home. By the time she reached the main floor, Lou was following Summer into the kitchen.

  “I saw Devon Price drop you off,” Lou said. “How could you possibly take up with that loser again?”

  Casey’s throat tightened. He was making things worse.

  “He’s not Devon!”

  “Don’t lie to me!”

  “I’m not!” She dropped her backpack on the floor.

  “Stop it, both of you!” Casey shouted. “Everyone, calm down.” She flashed a warning glance at Lou. “Summer, just tell us who he is.”

  She opened the fridge. “He’s Tyler, Devon’s older brother.”

  Lou’s eyebrows shot up as he turned to Casey. She recalled that Devon had a brother and two sisters. “Why didn’t you tell us this from the start?”

  Summer pulled out a can of pop, then slammed the fridge door. “Because you’d assume he was like Devon, which he’s not.”

  Casey fought back the urge to say that sneaking around and breaking the law was exactly like Devon.

  “It’s almost Cheyenne’s suppertime.” Casey noticed that the dog sat expectantly by her empty dish. “Lou, will you feed her, please? The water bowl needs filling too.”

  He scooped a cup of dry food out of the large bag in the corner.

  Casey sat down. “How long have you two been seeing each other?”

  “A few weeks. He goes to school and works part-time.” Summer opened the can and took a gulp. “We don’t hang out every day.”

  But they were close. At the riot, they’d had their arms around each other. “Why didn’t you tell me you were at the riot a couple weeks ago?”

  Summer’s vivid blue eyes narrowed. “Were you spying on me?”

  “Of course not.” As Casey told her about the camera footage, Summer began to fidget. “Why didn’t you want me to know you were there?”

  “It was no big deal.” She took another drink.

  “It was a big deal, thanks to all the violence. You should have left at the first sign of trouble,” Lou grumbled. “A lot of people got hurt.”

  “I wasn’t.”

  “That’s not the point.”

  Summer glared at him. “It is.”

  “Lou, I’d like to talk to Summer alone, please. Could you start dinner?” She didn’t like the challenge on his face. “This is girl stuff,” Casey went on, “talking about boy stuff.”

  “Whatever.”

  When he left, Casey said, “Is Tyler more honest than his brother?”

  “Totally.”

  Was that true, though? “Do you enjoy hanging out with him?”

  Summer gave her a sharp look. “I wouldn’t if I didn’t. I’m not a total loser, you know.”

  “I know that. I’m just trying to understand. Come sit down.”

  Summer hesitated, then did so. “He’s fun, okay? Mostly we just hang out and do stuff.”

  “What kind of stuff?” Whoops. The blunt tone wasn’t intentional.

  Summer shrugged. “Swimming, dirt biking, rock climbin
g.”

  Not so bad then, if that’s all they did. “Sounds like an outdoors guy. Quite different than Devon.”

  “Tyler doesn’t steal or try to take my clothes off, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

  She was, but she wasn’t ready to admit it. “Your mother will be calling again on Sunday.” Sometimes the weekly phone chats felt more like obligation than desire, but without them there’d be no communication at all. “I’m sure she’d like to know about Tyler.”

  “She won’t approve, and I really wish she wouldn’t call.” Summer raised the can to her lips. “I don’t need criticism from a murderer.”

  Casey sat back, stunned. She’d never heard this much disdain for Rhonda. Part of her wanted to admonish Summer, but that would send her storming out of the room. After Rhonda’s imprisonment, they’d talked a lot and leaned on each other, desperate to create a new normal routine. She and Summer used to enjoy an open relationship, but candid conversations had become less frequent as time passed.

  “I don’t remember you sounding this harsh before,” Casey said.

  “It’s what I’ve been thinking for a long time.”

  Casey didn’t quite know where to go from here. “You still love your mom, don’t you?”

  Summer’s mouth trembled. “She’s a nut job.”

  “Summer!”

  “You know it’s true!” She jumped to her feet. “If she was sane, she wouldn’t have been locked up in the first place.”

  Yes, her crime had centered on an unhinged, violent act, but Rhonda had shown so much remorse that Casey’s own anger had turned to sorrow, pity, and finally compassion.

  “We both know how deeply she regrets what she did.”

  “Don’t stick up for her,” Summer shot back.

  “And don’t ignore the truth, or disrespect her love for you.”

  “Mom turned your life upside down and you still do whatever she asks like some kind of puppet. It’s so lame.”

  Casey tried to quell her annoyance. “I do what your mother asks because you are her daughter and this is her home. Despite everything, Rhonda’s family to me.”

  “Is the loyalty worth it?” Summer crossed her arms. “You’re just filling in space till she gets back, right? The moment she’s out of prison, you’ll move on. Buy a house, have a kid.”

  Summer wasn’t wrong, but the filling space remark hurt. “This isn’t about me, it’s about you, and if you don’t tell your mother what’s going on, then I’ll have to.”

  “Go ahead, I don’t care.” Summer’s deep blue eyes glittered. “But don’t expect me to talk to her or apologize. And I won’t stop seeing Tyler. You can’t lock me away.”

  “I can extend your grounding and hire a babysitter.”

  Summer sneered. “Yeah. That’ll work.”

  Tempted to use words that couldn’t be taken back, Casey took a breath instead and forced herself to reel the anger in. She was the adult here. She needed to take the high road, but right now the high road was a tough climb.

  “Summer, you’re a minor driving around with a kid who only has his learner’s license, so let me be clear.” Casey took another breath. “If you ever get in that car again late at night, I’ll call the cops and talk to Tyler’s mother.”

  Summer’s hands dropped to her sides and her mouth fell open. “You’d actually be that mean?”

  Was that how she saw it? “I’m trying to keep you safe and out of trouble.”

  “Why don’t you just chain me up!” Summer stomped down the hall, muttering to herself.

  Adrenalin soaring and heart pounding, Casey trailed behind. Summer slammed her door shut. Casey paused, then continued upstairs where she found Lou leaning against the wall outside their apartment.

  “I stayed at the bottom of the staircase,” he said. “Heard most of it.”

  Casey’s shoulders sagged. She stepped inside and shut the door. “Where did all the animosity come from?”

  “Yours or hers, or should I say ours?”

  She slumped into her rocking chair. “Point taken.”

  “Maybe we shouldn’t overlook the obvious.”

  “Which is?”

  “Summer’s a hormonal fourteen-year-old who sees her mom differently than she used to. The humiliation of Rhonda’s incarceration is one thing, but there’re more complicated issues now. Face it, aren’t most teenage girls an emotional mess anyway?”

  “Not all of them and not all the time, but Summer’s had self-esteem problems since Rhonda’s imprisonment.” Casey paused. “I can’t help feeling that something else is going on with her.” Something she wished she could identify.

  Ralphie whistled. Casey lifted her guinea pig out of his cage and hugged him close, relishing the comfort of this small, warm critter who wasn’t angry about anything.

  . . .

  Music boomed from Summer’s bedroom and Casey’s heart thumped with every beat. The 11:00 PM news had just come on. Summer was up late for a Monday night. Damn it, she knew the rules about noise. If the music didn’t stop by eleven, Casey would have to knock on her door.

  She was almost glad Lou had been called to work at the last minute. He, too, seemed relieved to leave the tension in this house. Casey had sensed that there was more he wanted to say about Summer but hadn’t. They’d scarcely spoken all evening.

  A grim anchorman peered into the camera. “We have breaking news. There’s been another stabbing incident in Coquitlam tonight.”

  Casey inhaled sharply and turned her attention to the TV.

  “Police report that a woman walking her dog near the Coquitlam Mall was stabbed by an unknown individual at approximately nine-thirty. The suspect was spotted fleeing the scene but hasn’t yet been apprehended. Police are not confirming if this is the same person who killed a spectator during the riot, or who might be responsible for two attacks on Mainland Public Transit employees. Other sources believe that this is the work of a serial killer some are calling the Blade Man.”

  Casey hit the mute button. Felicity was the only person she knew who’d made that reference. Had the girl contacted them or had they found her through social media? Lord, what else had she told them?

  She massaged her tingling neck. It appeared that the psycho wasn’t targeting just MPT personnel. Location was the common ground, not the people. The suspect probably knew every damn shortcut and hiding spot in the area.

  Casey moved to the bay window. Was Lou okay? Thank god Marie was riding with him. Wesley Axelson was also driving in Coquitlam tonight, unaccompanied by security personnel, at his insistence. Glimpsing the night sky, she worried and wondered. And then she called Lou.

  “There’s been another stabbing,” Casey blurted. “Just heard it on the news.”

  “I know. Had to make a detour earlier.”

  “Why didn’t you call me?”

  “You had enough on your mind when I left.”

  “Has Wesley had any trouble?”

  “Not that I know of, which is more than I can say here.”

  Casey flinched. “Why? What’s going on?”

  “Your three high school admirers are here, peppering Marie with questions,” Lou said. “She’s about ready to throw them off the bus.”

  Casey smiled. “She’ll survive, but don’t let the kids off in that area. In fact, I want to talk to Felicity. Can you get Marie to put her on the line?”

  “Both of them are on the phone, but I’ll have Marie call you.” Lou paused. “Listen, I overheard the Friends talking. Seems that their buddy Travis is discreetly helping Anoop survey MPT property tonight, although I doubt Anoop’s aware of this.”

  “For crying out loud! And why is Anoop there in the first place? I assigned one of the rookies. I bet Gwyn intervened.”

  “Wouldn’t surprise me. See you later.”

  “Stay safe.”

  Music still blared from Summer’s room. The two tenants at the back of the second floor wouldn’t be happy. Casey hurried downstairs. As she reached Summer
’s door, the music stopped. She waited a few seconds, then crept back upstairs in time to hear her phone ring. She grabbed the phone and saw Marie’s name on the screen.

  “Hi, can you put Felicity on the line?”

  “Something more important’s come up. Del just got a call from Travis who said there’s just been an explosion at MPT.”

  “What? You’re kidding, right?”

  “I wish. You’d better phone Anoop.”

  “On it.” Another call came in. Gwyn.

  “I need you at MPT right now!” he yelled. “The goddamn garage just exploded. Your incompetent guard saw nothing, so I’m firing his ass as soon as I get there.”

  “Anoop wasn’t supposed to be working tonight,” she replied. “He’s already worked five straight shifts. I gave you the schedule, Gwyn.”

  “I didn’t change it, so obviously your team’s making other arrangements behind your back. Get them under control, Casey, or else.” He hung up.

  Irritation and fear raced through Casey as she fetched her jacket and purse. She rushed out of her apartment, stopping outside Summer’s door. Should she tell her that she was heading out? No. Bad idea. Summer might invite Tyler over. Casey tiptoed down to the main floor, set the house alarm, then dashed outside.

  FIFTEEN

  The commotion at MPT forced Casey to park three blocks away. The cops had erected roadblocks to keep spectators and vehicles out of the area, not that there were many people around after midnight. MPT’s entrance was on a side street, off the beaten path from the busier Lougheed Highway that stretched through several municipalities in Metro Vancouver.

  Hoofing it down the sidewalk on this cool and cloudy night, Casey shivered. She doubted it would rain. Normally, she smelled the dampness just before it came. Tonight, she smelled smoke. The closer she came to the property the stronger the smell.

  Firefighters were spraying water on bright, crackling flames still spurting through the garage’s dilapidated roof. Emergency vehicles cluttered MPT’s yard, where many buses were already parked for the night. A handful of spectators had begun to gather. More appeared to be coming from the condo towers at the end of the side street. Some appeared to have flung jackets over their PJs and wandered over here in flip-flops or crocs. Others wore slippers, personifying Vancouver casualness for pretty much any incident or event.