A Purse to Die For

by Melodie Campbell; Cynthia St-Pierre

  Her aunt and two cousins rushed toward her. Nellie knew they 'd all put their arms arou nd her and try to comfort her. But s he turned to Gina and buried her face i n her cousin 's stomach .

  Becki called the house to see how Nellie was doing and also to pass along the last thing Detective Dumont had said before leaving the hospital. One thing for sure, tell everyone in the Ferrero family that no one, including Ferrero houseguests, leaves until this case is sorted out.

  While on the phone, after assuring Becki she'd managed to settle Nellie, Gina had passed along her own piece of startling news. Her mother and father had cut short their vacation, flown all day and were now heading to Langdon Hills in an airport limo.

  In the meantime, Becki was trying to find a comfortable position in one of the plastic chairs in Carla 's hospital room. Jerry, Linda and Ian were still around somewhere. Maybe getting c hocolate g lazed d onuts from a Tim Hortons, if there was one in Langdon Hills. But Becki wanted to make sure Carla didn 't wake up to an empty room. She was pretty sure the guard outside the door wouldn 't be a reassuring presence.

  Becki knew she couldn't sleep even if she did find a position she could hold longer than five minutes. Some people could sleep sitting up, some couldn 't. When she worked in Toronto, there was this annoying co-worker who bragged that after she closed up whenever she worked late, she got on the subway at Eglinton and slept until the train stopped at her station—North York Centre—and she never, ever missed her stop.

  "Ahhh!" Carla 's body jerked under the thin blanket covering her. Her better eye opened.

  "It 's all right , Carla, " Becki soothed. "Sleep if you want. Everything 's fine. Sleep."

  But Carla turned her head left, then right, and pushed herself up against the headboard. She was bandaged and her leg was in a cast, but she wasn 't attached to any tubes or lines, so Becki adjusted the pillow behind her back. "How 're you feeling?" she asked.

  Carla looked at her and asked her own question. "Nellie?"

  "At home. Gina tucked her into bed. With Macho."

  Carla nodded.

  "You checked out okay, Carla. No life-threatening injuries. Thank God. Dr. Henry will let you go home tomorrow. But he wants you to sleep it off tonight, okay?"

  Carla mumbled past her cracked lip. "Okay."

  "Detective Dumont was here."

  That made Carla tense.

  "Wanted to know who did it."

  "You tell him?" Carla asked, chewing her bottom lip.

  "No, you 're the only one who can. We don 't know who attacked you. I found you in the alley not far from where that woman was murdered, so we 're all scared you may have run into the killer. And maybe you would recognize him if you saw him again. Got a guard outside your door and everything."

  Carla glanced toward the hall.

  Becki knew what she wanted to ask next was a touchy subject. "Unfortunately, we 're also wondering if maybe Reggie did it." She paused for a moment. "He 's nowhere to be found. You 'd think he 'd be here, with his wife in the hospital. I mean…if he knew."

  "He knows, all right , " Carla said, her single eye blazing. "Bastard!"

  Becki hesitated because she wasn't exactly Dr. Phil. "Wanna talk?"

  "I told him if he ever hit me again, we were done. Over ." Her one eye rounded in terror.

  "Nellie will be fine, " Becki said, acknowledging what Carla needed to hear. "Mandy 's there. Gina. Tony. They 've been warned it might hav e been Reggie who beat you. There 's no way he 'll get near her tonight. He 'd have to get through Tony first."

  Carla sighed. "I tell myself he 's just taking out his frustrations. Not thinking. He can be so sweet the next day, you know ."

  "Suppose, " Becki mumbled . Not the time for a lecture on the cycle of abuse.

  "But now ? I 'm sure he hates me." Carla began to sob . "I tell him I 'll leave if he keeps on hitting me . A nd what does he do? Beats me to a bloody pulp. And he never hit me in the face before. I pleaded for him to stop."

  Jerry took a turn sitting with his baby sister, but couldn 't be long because Linda was waiting in the car. Meanwhile, Becki walked the silent hall, feeling badly for Carla and for all the poor souls who were patients in the darkened rooms of Langdon Hills Hospital.

  She was pretty tired herself and wasn't paying attention. Just walking. Ended up outside the tiny, glass-walled waiting room near the entrance and saw Ian pacing inside. He had his phone to his ear. Aren 't cellphones prohibited in hospitals?

  She'd made her calls to the house from the pay phone in the foyer.

  She was about to go in and see if there was a halfway decent magazine to read in the pile on the coffee table when she stopped. Is there a full moon out o r something? Ian is shouting.

  "Andrew, listen to me! You 're not doing this to me. You going to walk away from two million dollars?"

  And while his face flushed redder and redder, Becki worried every single man in Langdon Hills was transforming into the darkest version of himself.

  Chapter 18

  Tony's cellphone vibrated. He reached for it and barked, "Hello! Yeah…yeah. Of course I 'm not leaving."

  He listened for a minute and then his temper got the better of him.

  "Dumont, you son-of-a-bitch, what the hell did you tell Gina?"

  A pause. "Sorry about that. I thought she knew."

  "Like hell. You know the rules. You put me at risk."

  "Sorry, man. I messed up."

  Tony gritted his teeth. "You did this on purpose, didn 't you? Trying to cut me out so you can run in? I know you 've got a history with her." Tony was barely holding it in. Just because they 'd been childhood friends didn 't give Dumont any rights to her now.

  "She told you about that? Shit, Tony, that was almost fifteen years ago and you know what she was like back then—a living angel. I couldn 't help myself. It was just one time. Okay, maybe that makes it sound worse, but I feel like shit about it."

  Tony could scarcely breathe. What the fuck was this about?

  "You never told me, " he said coldly.

  "Of course I didn 't tell you. You 're her cousin. You would have killed me."

  Tony's head was spinning. His brain started to calculate. How old was she then? Fifteen? Bastard! The fucking bastard!

  He swung back his arm and pitched the cell as far as he could.

  Gina came out of Nellie's room and down the stairs. She went to the kitchen and slid into a chair. "I finally got her settled, " she said, pushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "Poor little thing." Mother in the hospital, father missing in action and probably a murderer. It was too much.

  "I made some tea. Want a cup?" Mandy started to pour. She did it elegantly, without spilling a drop.

  Gina had to smile. Whenever she poured tea, there was always a ring left on the table. Why couldn 't the engineers who put a man on the moon invent a teapot that didn 't leak?

  "I 've made up the blue room for your parents. They should be here soon."

  Gina brightened. "Thanks, Aunt Mandy. That was thoughtful."

  Mandy smiled. "Figured they 'd need the bigger room to spread out. I 'm sure they 'll come laden with a whole bunch of presents like they always do."

  They sat in companionable silence. Finally, some peace from all the turmoil. Gina let her mind go blank. It was such a relief.

  "You 'll be glad to see your mom, " Mandy said.

  Gina sighed. "I 've missed her. But I 'm glad she 's been out of this. She can 't be a suspect now."

  "There is that, " Mandy said quietly.

  Gina looked over at her aunt and felt comfort. Hard to believe she and her son didn 't share the same blood. They were so alike in temperament.

  "Where 's Tony?" It was the most natural thing in the world for her to ask, but Gina immediately regretted it. Why did she care so much? How could she trust a man who wouldn 't tell her the truth about himself?

  "Out back pacing the lawn. I think he 's brooding. He was always like that as a little boy. Far too serious. Do
n 't you remember? Or maybe not…you 're younger." Mandy looked up from her tea. "You two have a fight?"

  Gina pursed her lips.

  "Aunt Mandy, what do you know about Tony 's job?"

  There was a pregnant pause. Mandy gazed right into her eyes and her look was candid. "Which one do you mean, dear?"

  Several minutes later, Gina stepped off the back porch. The moonlight was bright and the stars twinkled. She walked about fifty paces toward the trees, then stopped. She steeled her resolve.

  Tony was bent over at the waist about ten feet away. He hadn 't turned at her approach, which was unusual.

  "What are you doing?" she said.

  Tony looked up from the ground, startled. His eyes narrowed and then he scowled. "Looking for my cell, " he said. "I dropped it."

  Gina raised an eyebrow. Funny place to be dropping a cellphone. She pulled her own out of her pocket. She tapped a few times. Within seconds a buzzing sound came from behind her left shoulder. She walked over and picked up the humming cellphone.

  "Looks a bit cracked, " she said. "You must hav e dropped it a fair distance." She handed it over to him.

  "Son-of-a-bitch, " he muttered, pocketing the thing. "This day just goes from bad to worse."

  Gina watched his face and actually felt sorry for him. He looked lost.

  "Aunt Mandy says you 're brooding. How come?"

  Tony fixed his eyes on her. He looked undecided and then finally it all burst out.

  "Dumont told me a little tidbit about you two from way back when. I think you were maybe fifteen?"

  Oh shit. She felt her face go white.

  "Did you consent?"

  "Of course not, " she answered quickly, and then regretted it, hesitating over the next words. "Or at least—it happened so fast, and I didn 't know what he was going to do exactly." Probably it happened to a great many girls this way the first time.

  "The fucking bastard, " Tony mumbled. One fist hit the palm of his other hand repeatedly. "I 'll tear him apart."

  Now Gina was worried. "Don 't be ridiculous. It was a long time ago and he was gentle about it. I didn 't suffer any permanent damage. Just let it go."

  "You think I can let that go?" He looked dangerous now, like a stalking panther. "You think I can let him get away with this? The lying, sneaking bastard! All this time, pretending to be a friend of mine." Anger rocked him.

  Gina's eyes went wide. "I get it now. Oh, I get it all right . You 're mad it wasn 't you the first time, back then. You were my cousin, Tony. And that makes it all kinds of creepy, doesn 't it?"

  Tony went rigid. She saw the horror cross his face and knew she 'd hit the mark.

  Tony ran a hand through his hair. "Bloody hell." He was returning to his old self quickly, the man she knew and loved. "Bloody hell, you 're right. I am way out of line and I can 't help myself. You 've got to understand, though. You can 't help what you feel. You can only try to hide it, control it, subdue the beast. I did that, as best I could."

  Gina's heart caught in her throat. This was an amazing confession, way beyond his earlier one.

  "I was young, and I went through hell wanting you in that way. Wondering what it would be like, night after night…hating myself." He stopped abruptly.

  She thought she might faint. He stared at her expectantly. His eyes were dark pools.

  "Say something. Crissake, Gina, say something or change the subject. Don 't leave me hanging here."

  Gina sucked in air. Now or never. "Okay, this is different. This is different and a half. Your mom told me to watch the movie True Lies . That 's all she said. Thing is, I 'd already seen it." She waited for his reaction.

  His eyes moved away and then his face shut down. He folded his arms across his chest. She was reminded of that famous statue, Bernini 's David—the fixed, determined set to the mouth, the rigid, contorted body.

  She continued. "Last month when you went to Dubai. You weren 't in Dubai, were you?"

  He looked over, measuring. He made no move and said nothing.

  "So you weren 't. Don 't worry. I won 't make you answer." She stood in the dappled moonlight sorting out the words to say next. It was important they were the right words. Both their futures would depend upon it. She said them carefully.

  "All these years your mom stood it. I guess I can try to do the same."

  He moved like a wildcat, pulling her to him. His mouth covered hers and she was gone.

  Chapter 19

  It turned out to be one of those autumn mornings that ha d a slight mist to it, either because the air was cooler than the earth or vice versa. Thus , the reds and yellows of the trees , the blue of the sky and the paint colours on the trim and signs of Langdon Hills ' st ores were all muted. Now, as Becki avoided the dew on the grass on ei ther edge of the sidewalk, she couldn 't help thinking it must be tragic for Carla to be headed to the police station to officially press charges against her husband.

  For the second time in as many days, Becki turned and walked up the path to the police station doors, this time in less of a panic, and this time accompanying Carla, who—if you were to go by the scowl on her face and the twitch of the fingers of her right hand—was feeling determination tinged with nerves.

  Always searching for a way to lighten things up, Becki read out loud the lettering on the cop shop 's exterior door. Generally a thorough reader of printed instructions, she 'd missed the sign on her first visit due to anxiousness to get to Detective Dumont. "No Firearms, " she read. "Please leave firearms and ammunition in your vehicle."

  "No way. They 've got to be kidding." Carla showed just a hint of a smile.

  "Uh…married to a cop, so I can vouch for the fact they tend to have an odd sense of humour, but I don 't think that sign 's meant to be humorous."

  "But it is, " Carla insisted.

  "Some dumb-ass criminals out there, " Becki said, only to regret it so much she could kick herself.

  Inside, Detective Dumont was expecting them. He talked to them together first, then with Carla alone. When it was over, Carla hobbled out of Detective Dumont 's office, her walking cast an obvious handicap.

  "You okay?" Becki asked.

  "Rather not talk about it."

  And so Becki drove her home in what she hoped was companionable silence.

  Later, back in her guest bedroom at the house, Becki explained to Karl over the phone, "So you see, I 'm pretty much stuck here."

  "Looks like it."

  "Miss you."

  "Miss you too ."

  "How much?" she asked, needing reassurance.

  "So much I gained five pounds."

  "What? I 'm away for a week and you gain weight. You 're supposed to pine away."

  "Miss your healthy vegetarian cooking."

  "You 're teasing me now."

  "Serious. Can hardly remember the last time I had one of your c hocolate p rotein s hakes for breakfast."

  "Oh?"

  "Thank the Lord."

  "Smarten up, Karl!"

  He laughed.

  "I 've got real trouble here."

  "Sorry. How 's Carla?"

  "Recovering."

  "That 's good."

  "Nellie 's glad to have her home, even if their reunion seemed awkward at first."

  "Awkward?"

  "Took a while for Nellie to get used to the new Carla. I guess she looked pretty scary, what with the leg cast, the bandages and two black eyes."

  "Goddamn Reggie! And we don 't know the half of what he put her through. On average, a domestic victim experiences thirty-five assaults before ever calling the police."

  "That 's gross, Karl."

  "As you know, sometimes we 're not called soon enough. Or , hate to say it, we 're not effective in protecting the victim. In Ontario alone, between 2002 and 2007, one-hundred forty-two women were murdered by their partner."

  "That makes twenty-three women a year, Karl."

  "Crazy, huh?"

  "You sure you got your figures straight?"

 
"Unfortunately."

  "This morning I was remembering our wedding." She smiled. "Love you, Karl."

  "Love you back…" Just before hanging up, she thought she heard him add, "…sweetheart."

  After calling her half-sister, Anne, to see if their store, Beautiful Things, was still standing, then her friends, Kathleen and France, Becki brought all her dirty clothes down to the basement and threw them in the washing machine in one load. No separating the darks from the colours from the whites. No waiting for a full load in order be kind to the environment. Dire circumstances. But she did choose the cold water wash option.

  Then she joined Gina's just-arrived mom in Godmom 's bedroom, of all places. Anna had announced earlier the least she could do for everyone while she was here was sort through her mother 's closet and box up the clothes to give to Goodwill.

  "Hey, Anna, " Becki said.

  "Hello again, dear."

  The song "My Favorite Things " tinkled in the air around them.

  "So can I help you now?" Becki asked.

  "No. Thank you. I 've managed to shoo you and everyone else away so far. Haven 't been here to support you all up 'til now. Let me do this."

  Although her tone was firm, Becki noticed Anna's hand holding the music box trembled. She sensed pending tears. Perhaps she 'd best give the woman more time to grieve. "I 'll go make you tea to sip while you work. The other day I bought Crème Brûlée Rooibos , and it 's delicious."

  "Sure, love."

  Several minutes later, Becki returned with a tray. On it a teapot, two cups and saucers—one set was the one she bought at the antique store—a strainer, a little pitcher of milk and a plate with several of the c hocolate c hip c ookies Carla baked yesterday. "I 'll set it here for whenever you 're ready, " she said and found a spot on the nightstand.

  "Does smell good, " Anna said. "What kind of tea did you say it was? Herbal?"