by Ken Ogilvie
“Good to hear that, and I mean it. As you’ve no doubt guessed, though, I’m here for a reason. I need to talk to you. Can you spare the time?” His face was unreadable.
“Of course, sir.” What now? Sykes never engaged in idle chatter.
“What I have to say is best done in private. Please follow me.” He led the way to his office on the second floor. Passing Cartwright’s closed door, Rebecca recalled their Sunday meeting just over three weeks ago, when she had manipulated him into giving her the lead on the McBride case. So much had changed since then, it felt as if years had passed.
The lights in Cartwright’s office were off. He must have left earlier than usual. Had Sykes planned their meeting so as to avoid him? She still didn’t know what made them detest each other so much. On the other hand, she was beginning to understand what an extraordinary detective Sykes was. No wonder Cartwright acted skittish around him.
“Take a seat.” Sykes gestured to Rebecca, and then sat on his worn office chair, which creaked as he settled in.
She dragged a metal folding chair in front of his desk.
Sykes observed her for a short while, and said, “There are things about Jackie Caldwell that I believe you should know.”
“Yes?” Rebecca pressed her hands onto her lap. Her mouth was dry.
“The psychiatrist said she’s delusional. She even believes she wields some sort of magical power. But more to the point, she has a pathological hatred of you. Do you understand what that means?” He peered into her eyes.
She wasn’t really sure, but she nodded.
“I think I’ve found out why,” Sykes said, and Rebecca leaned forward.
He took a deep breath and placed his palms on his desk. “Her father-in-law was a partner in Steven Bradley’s goldmining scheme. He lost a pile of money when it went bust. He ended up owning the mining rights, which were worthless after the gold price fell in the early eighties. Jackie’s father also invested in the mine, but as a silent partner through her father-in-law. When the hoax was uncovered, her father lost everything he owned and was forced to declare bankruptcy. He lost his house and had to close the sawmill he’d run for more than twenty years. You remember the abandoned mill we found outside Conroy?”
Rebecca nodded.
Sykes’s lips compressed. “Jackie was a teenager when it happened, a top student at the county high school. Her father’s ruin destroyed any hope she had of going to college or university. She quit school and took local jobs to help pay the bills. In her interviews, she claimed her mother couldn’t cope with the humiliation of being poor, as well as the loss of her position as the wife of a successful businessman. She fled town and never returned. That, on top of everything else, was too much for Jackie’s father to handle. He never recovered. Jackie was left with no money, no mother, and a wasted father.”
Sykes stopped speaking.
Rebecca leaned back in her chair and stared out the window at the station parking lot. She hadn’t considered Jackie’s past during the entire investigation. But there was always a reason why things turned out the way they did, and suddenly she felt sorry for Jackie. It was hard to believe such a terrible woman had been a child with dreams of her own, but of course she had, just like her. She felt ashamed for not even thinking of it. The worst part, though, was that Steven Bradley had ruined Jackie’s life. Her grandfather had helped to turn Jackie into the hateful woman she became. So he had Abigail’s blood on his hands, and by extension, Rebecca did too. And Conroy had turned from being a triumph for her into a disaster founded on greed and hate. And now an awful thought struck her. Was Jackie any different than she was, with her mission of revenge? What would she do when she came face to face with her mother’s murderer? How far would she go? Would she kill, or attempt to kill, as Jackie had done? Failing that, would she become twisted and hateful if she couldn’t catch the murderer? Her obsession with revenge had already harmed her personal relationships. She had even used Cartwright to get what she wanted. She wondered now if it was it worse to lose a mother at the hands of a murderer, or to be abandoned by her? At least she had the memory of a mother who’d loved her. Jackie had nothing to look back on except rejection.
So Jackie hated her because Steven Bradley had destroyed her family and her future. Years later, when she showed up in Conroy, Jackie sought revenge. Could she be blamed for that?
Through the second-floor window, Rebecca watched two teenagers walking together, hand in hand. She thought about a life filled with love and caring, goodness and light. But that life had died for her when she was eight years old, and it had died for Jackie too. Was she doomed to live a life of misery in a hopeless quest for something she would never accomplish? And if she did find the murderer, would it just lead to further complications and heartbreak?
She heard papers shuffling, and her mind returned to the present.
“Thank you for telling me, sir.” She tried to hide the tremor in her voice. “I wonder how many people in Conroy know what you’ve just told me, and what they think of me. If they find out, I’m sure they won’t welcome me back.”
Gently, Sykes said, “That’s why I told you, Rebecca. I would advise you to think twice before going back there. But that would be pointless, wouldn’t it?” His grey eyes had a softness that she had never seen before.
“Yes, sir, it would.” Rebecca took a deep breath, rose slowly to her feet, and left the room.
THE END
Acknowledgements
It would be impossible to acknowledge all the people who took personal time to read and review various drafts of the novel, but a special thank-you is given to my wife, Elizabeth Everhardus, and my Sisters in Crime (Toronto) critique group, which in past years included Patricia Kennedy and Karen Blake-Hall, and currently includes Lesley Mang, Terri Dixon and Susan Daly. Another special thank-you for reviewing the entire novel is given to Michael Sears (co-author with Stanley Trollip of the wonderful Detective Kubu series set in Botswana), Ed Seaward, Senator Elaine McCoy, Jane Pagel, Gord Miller, Paul Griss, David Pollock, Paula Bryan, Joanne Brown, Linda Ogilvie, and Norma Duncan (Sisters in Crime, United States, with whom I did a productive manuscript swap). To the many others whose names I haven’t mentioned, and who offered comments and kind words of support, thank you all.
Professional reviews and editing of early to late-stage novel drafts were done by Cheryl and Elaine Freedman, Aviva Layton, and Tom Willkens, all of whose edits and advice were invaluable in improving the novel and teaching me how to write better. A very early draft was also reviewed by author Elizabeth Duncan through the Humber School for Writers, Creative Writing Course, and a later-stage draft was evaluated by Sara Saddington through Humber Publishing Services.
The final thank-you goes to Joffe Books and its superb editors, Anne Derges and Sophie Wilson, who put the novel thorough very substantial edits before it was finalized and published.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
KEN OGILVIE is a new mystery writing author, with Her Dark Path as his first book. Prior to taking up writing, Ken worked in a variety of roles in the environmental policy domain, including positions with three governments in Canada (Federal, Manitoba and Ontario) and as the Executive Director of Pollution Probe, one of Canada’s premier environmental groups. He remains active as a consultant on energy and climate change, and sits on the boards of two national non-profit organizations – the Pembina Institute for Appropriate Development, and Quality Urban Energy Systems of Tomorrow. He is well known across Canada for his environmental work, and has received two honorary doctorates from the University of Waterloo, Ontario, and Thompson Rivers University, British Columbia.
More info at www.kenogilvie.com
CHARACTER LIST
Rebecca Bradley: Rebecca is a 24-year-old constable with the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP). She was psychologically damaged by the unsolved murder of her mother when she was eight years of age. Driven by her mission to catch the murderer and make him pay for his crime, Rebecca is obsessed with just
ice and retribution, and is haunted by dreams of revenge.
Hound: A 22-year-old giant of a man, hiding out from life in small-town Conroy, where Rebecca goes on her first detective assignment to solve the cold-case murder of Abigail McBride, Hound’s former best friend. Coming from an abusive father and uncaring family, and trying to forget his unhappy childhood in London, England, Hound has an uncontrollable violent streak. He’s immediately stricken by Rebecca and becomes her unlikely ally in solving the murder.
Jack O’Reilly: A local OPP constable in Conroy, who resents Rebecca coming to “his” town and digging into matters he would rather keep private.
Jonathan Cartwright: Superintendent of the OPP, Central Region, who had a past affair with Rebecca and is still in love with her.
D.I. Sykes: Head of the Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB), he reports to Cartwright. A super-talented detective, but with a murky past, he dominates Cartwright for reasons that baffle Rebecca. Moreover, he avoids her and has blocked her from joining the CIB.
Maggie Delaney: The woman who runs the boarding house where Rebecca stays while she’s on assignment in Conroy. Maggie comes from Rebecca’s home town of Prospect and has a mysterious link to her powerful gold-mining father, George Bradley.
Kingsley McBride: Husband of Abigail, the murdered woman, and an intensely secretive man.
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