No Trace

by Brenda Chapman

  I looked down at him. “You shot Gord Walters?”

  “My friend shot him. Not me.”

  “Why?”

  Bobby hesitated before saying, “Walters was stealing from me.”

  Carl ran a hand through his white hair and looked at him. “I told you that sideline business was going to get us into trouble. But would you listen?”

  Bobby’s mouth twisted into a snarl. “Shut up, Dad.”

  Carl’s sad brown eyes shifted to me. “My son has a racket going. He takes in stolen cars and strips them for parts. Some he ships overseas. Walters was one of his best thieves.”

  Bobby raised his arm and made a fist. Before he could jam it into Carl’s face, Maggie said, “Don’t even think about it, Dad. You’ve been bullying Grandpa for years, but no more.” She levelled the gun at his chest.

  “Maggie, no,” I said. “This isn’t the way to solve anything.”

  “It’s the only way.” She kept her arm still, the gun steady. “Dad taught me to shoot. He’s always liked guns. What did you do to Ryan, Dad? Where did you put his body?”

  “I didn’t hurt him.”

  “Your friend hurting Ryan is the same as you hurting him.”

  Bobby’s face was now creased in pain and his breath was coming in short gasps. “Ryan got away. We couldn’t find him. We still can’t find him.”

  “You chased him?” I asked.

  “Yeah. Through the woods. But we couldn’t catch him.”

  “You found out Ryan and I were seeing each other when you saw him leave the house that night. Unless . . .” Her voice stopped as she appeared to be thinking. “Or did that married waitress you sneak around with tell you she’d seen us together at the Alta Vista? Had you already suspected, Dad?”

  “Jeannie told me, but I told her that she was crazy. My daughter is a good girl, I said. When I saw him sneaking out of our house that night, I knew she was right.”

  “And still you let me believe Ryan wanted nothing more to do with me. You told me he quit and wanted me to know he wouldn’t be back. How could you, Dad?” Maggie was crying now.

  I heard the sound of wind in the hallway. Maggie heard it, too, and our eyes locked.

  “It’s time to end this before anyone gets really hurt,” I said. “And for what it’s worth, I think your dad is telling the truth about Ryan this time.”

  “You don’t know what he’s like,” she cried. Jimmy appeared in the doorway. She turned to look at him then slowly lowered the gun onto the floor. She raised both hands into the air. “I give up,” she said. “I couldn’t kill him even if I wanted to.”

  I walked over and picked up the gun while Jimmy handcuffed Maggie. He handed her over to the cop behind him.

  “I believe the one who needs to be thrown in the slammer is Bobby Montana,” I said, pointing to him on the couch. “But he should go to the hospital first. You also need to arrest a friend of his, who appears to have killed Gord Walters on Bobby’s behalf.”

  “That would be Dougie Rivers,” Carl said. He’d pushed himself to his feet and stood next to me. “You can find him at the shop, in the back. I heard Bobby say that a shipment of stolen cars was arriving after supper.”

  Jimmy looked from me to Carl.

  “Carl’s okay,” I said. “He wasn’t part of anything illegal.”

  Carl smiled at me. “Thanks, young lady. I have to say that Bobby never was much of a son. Now, I know he isn’t much of a person, either.” He ducked his head away from me, but not before I saw the tears beginning to roll down his cheeks.

  I stepped sideways and wrapped my arm around his shaking shoulders. Finding out that you’re the father of a killer was a tough truth to accept. Both Carl and Maggie were going to have a long road of healing ahead of them. But at least now, Bobby’s strangle hold on the family was broken for good.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Jimmy pulled me aside after the ambulance left with Bobby strapped in the back and a police officer keeping him company. “Just got a call that Chuck Green is awake and wants to talk. Come with me?”

  “Of course.”

  I followed him to the hospital in my car. We rode the elevator in silence and found Chuck’s private room at the end of the hallway. A police officer stood guard at his door but let us by after Jimmy showed his ID. The nurse inside the room said not to tire Chuck out, then left us alone with him.

  “How are you feeling?” Jimmy asked after moving into Chuck’s line of vision.

  “Been better, but I’ll live.” Chuck managed a smile. A thick bandage lay across one side of his bald head, probably cut from his fall in the parking garage.

  “Do you know who shot you?”

  “No, but I can guess. I have a confession of my own to make. I hope you’ll understand why I’ve done what I did.”

  I stepped closer to Jimmy. I leaned in close to Chuck’s long, droopy face. “You’ve hidden Ryan away, haven’t you?”

  His eyes widened before he nodded. “My boy was scared out of his mind. Witnessed his boss and another guy from the garage shoot someone. They saw Ryan before he started running. He hid in the woods before making it to his friend Ben’s house. They called me first thing the next morning. I took Ryan to stay with a work friend who lives in the far east end of the city. A friend who knows how to keep a secret.”

  “You never told your wife?” Jimmy asked.

  “No. If Vanda knew, she’d have told somebody. Anxiety makes her talk nonstop. Ryan wanted Bobby to believe he’d run away in order to protect us. Vanda’s panic helped with the lie, as you can imagine.” He looked regretful. “I hated misleading her, but I had to keep her safe, too, until I figured things out.”

  “She’s not going to be happy with you,” said Jimmy.

  “She might take a while to forgive me.” That quick smile again. “I was building up a case against Bobby. Pulled his financial records, started tailing him. He must have found out and tried to shut me up. I’m a little out of practice with the undercover work.”

  We all turned as we heard voices outside the door. Loud voices. A moment later, the door swung open and Ryan Green burst into the room. Travis and Ben and the police officer were right behind him.

  “Dad!” Ryan ran to the bed in a panic. He calmed down when he saw his dad awake and sitting up. “Travis and Ben said you’d been shot and I couldn’t stay away. I’m going to testify about what I saw that night, Dad,” said Ryan, holding onto his father’s hand. “I’m not scared anymore, and it’s the only way to keep our family safe.”

  Jimmy put a reassuring arm across Ryan’s shoulder. “We’ve arrested Bobby Montana and some officers are picking up the other guy now. So your family is safe. But you both will be called to testify at their trials.”

  “Maggie didn’t know you were in hiding,” I said. “She thought you’d dropped her and only found out yesterday what really happened. She’s been very upset.”

  Ryan turned and looked at me. His black hair was longer and messier than in his photo and his eyes were exhausted. He smiled when he said, “The worst part was thinking she knew what her father had done. I’m glad to hear that she didn’t.”

  “I’m just sorry that you had to go through this.”

  Jimmy checked his phone. “Good news. Your mom is on her way and will be here any minute.”

  “I’m not sure I’d call that good news, exactly,” said Chuck. “Although maybe seeing Ryan will take her mind off the fact we’ve been lying to her all this time.”

  Travis was at the end of the bed. He patted his dad’s leg. “This is all on you, Dad. You promised that you’d cover for us, remember?”

  Chuck smiled at both of his sons and shook his head. “Seemed like a good plan at the time. Maybe it’s for the best that I’m in this hospital bed. Otherwise, I have a feeling I’d be sleeping in the dog house.”

  . . .

  “Going to be a long night,” Jimmy said as we rode the elevator to the hospital lobby. “I can come by your dad’s house to fill
you in tomorrow morning.”

  “A phone call would be enough. You’ll be tired.”

  “I’d like to see you.”

  “Jimmy . . .”

  He sighed. “It’s like this, Anna. Cheri and I are finished. There’s no reason you and I can’t see each other again.”

  This was the moment I’d dreaded, and wanted, since I caught the flight home to Ottawa a year before. Our unfinished business had nothing to do with Nick or Cheri. It had always been between Jimmy and me. I took a deep breath. “The reason we can’t see each other again, Jimmy, is because I don’t want to.”

  “I don’t believe you.”

  The elevator door opened but we both stood looking at each other, neither of us wanting to back down. Both of us knowing that we were going to have regrets either way.

  “I don’t want to go back in time, Jimmy. I’m not mad at you anymore and I’ll always care for you, but I won’t go back.” My voice grew stronger and I felt a weight lift from my shoulders. I was going to be okay on my own. I had finally made my decision.

  Jimmy stared hard into my eyes a moment longer, then he looked away. He thrust his hands into his pockets and walked ahead of me down the hall. He didn’t look back.

  “So that’s that, then,” I said into the empty corridor.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Two nights later, I met Nick at Trio, a bar on Richmond Road a bit west of my office in Hintonburg. His plane had landed and Dad gave him my cell number when he called the house. I was downtown at the police station when he reached me and Trio was a familiar meeting place.

  Nick was waiting for me at a corner table in the darkened bar, which was lit by flickering candles on high tables. He looked good. Freshly shaved, black hair cut short, the way I liked it. Better than good.

  He stood when he saw me and grabbed me in a bear hug. The outdoorsy smell of him made me weak at the knees. I felt his lips on my forehead, my cheek, my mouth. When he let me go, he pulled out a chair for me and took the one beside it. His black eyes never stopped gazing into my face.

  “You’re looking so good,” he said. “I’ve missed you.”

  “I’ve missed you too.”

  He’d ordered a bottle of red wine before I arrived, and he poured me a glass. We both had a sip and I searched for the words to tell him that he didn’t owe me anything. I wouldn’t hold him to any promises he’d made before he went away.

  “So, I hear you solved a difficult case,” he said.

  “We did. A man hid his son away after the boy witnessed a murder. He didn’t tell anyone why his son was missing. Not even his wife.

  “He must have had a good reason.”

  “He thought he was protecting her.”

  “You don’t appear convinced.”

  “I would have wanted to know.” We locked eyes. “She suffered a nervous breakdown a few years ago, though. Maybe he was taking that into account.”

  Nick looked to be thinking it over. “People will go to great lengths to protect those they love. Especially if they’ve done something to hurt them before. Is the son safe now?”

  “I believe so. We have enough evidence to put the killers away for life.”

  After a brief pause, we both started talking at the same time. Nick laughed. “You go first.”

  I took a drink and set my glass down. “The thing is, I’m beginning to think we’ve moved into this relationship too fast. Dad still needs me and Cheri is acting crazy. Evan is having trouble in school. You’ve got an exciting career and I understand if you want to date other women or . . .”

  “Hold up, Anna. What makes you think I want to date other women?”

  “I know you’ve been dating your co-star. I read the papers.”

  Nick looked puzzled. “Carolina?”

  “She’s very beautiful.”

  “Carolina and I are old friends, but that’s it. Her boyfriend is a cameraman and was with us on the shoot.”

  “Oh. But you never called me or even texted.”

  “We were out of range and I lost my phone with your number in it. I called your house as soon as we got back to Vancouver. I wondered why you didn’t return my call. Didn’t you get my message?”

  “Yes, but I’ve been busy with the case.” And I’ve been a fool to believe what I read in the paper.

  He reached across me to his coat on the empty seat. “I wrote you every day but had nowhere to mail the letters. Thought it would be quicker to just hand them over to you.”

  I took the packet of letters tied with a red ribbon and knew Nick was the real deal. I was out of reasons for keeping him out of my life. I looked back up at his face and into the eyes that saw all of me. All I had to do was take the leap. I set the letters on the table and leaned closer to him.

  Nick took my hand in his. “I was thinking of putting an offer in on a house next door to your dad. That is, if you agree. I know you don’t want to move out so I thought I could move closer.” He smiled. “Share you with your dad, and Cheri and Evan.”

  I felt a bubble of joy start up from my ribcage and grinned back at him. “If you’re buying the Rizzo house,” I said, “you’ve got your work cut out for you. Mr. Rizzo put flowered wallpaper in every room, and that’s about all he did to the house after 1960. The Rizzos were especially fond of green and pink.”

  “I was hoping you could help me out with fixing up the place. That is, when you’re not working on a case.”

  I raised my glass and clinked his. “Seeing as how I plan to spend a lot of my time with its owner, I should be up for trips to the paint store.”

  “Good.” Nick said. “That’s good. Because I plan to spend a great deal of time with my new neighbours. I always wanted to be the boy dating the girl next door. Looks like my wish is finally coming true.”

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Brenda Chapman is a well-known mystery author. The Anna Sweet Mysteries are a popular series in adult literacy and English as a Second Language programs. My Sister’s Keeper, the first title in the series, was a finalist for the Arthur Ellis Award in 2014. The Hard Fall was nominated for the Golden Oak Award in 2014. A former teacher and senior communications advisor, Brenda makes her home in Ottawa.

  ALSO BY BRENDA CHAPMAN

  In Winter’s Grip

  The Second Wife

  Second Chances

  Cold Mourning

  Butterfly Kills

  Tumbled Graves

  Anna Sweet Mysteries

  My Sister’s Keeper

  The Hard Fall

  To Keep a Secret

  A Model Death

  Jennifer Bannon Mystery Series

  Running Scared

  Hiding in Hawk’s Creek

  Where Trouble Leads

  Trail of Secrets

  You can visit Brenda’s website at www.brendachapman.ca