The Frailty of Flesh

by Sandra Ruttan

  It also left him with a question.

  “Why didn’t you contact the investigators and tell them about the case here, that Darren and Donny had been suspects?”

  “I did.”

  Williams walked past Craig, who turned and started to follow him back to the car. He stopped for a moment and looked back at the clearing, trying not to imagine the suffering that girl had endured. It was starting to snow. The first flakes had drifted lazily to the ground while Williams had told his story, but now they were coming down thick and fast, and the wind was picking up.

  He hoped the weather would pass so that he could drive home in the morning.

  Craig pulled out his cell phone and flipped it open. It only took a moment to reply to Ashlyn’s text message, and then he put the phone away. On some level, he’d always known life was fragile, that at any moment something could happen that would destroy a person. He’d been doubting his father and had been so wrapped up in his own problems he hadn’t even thought about her case, and how it might be affecting her. He’d been looking at photos from years before. She’d actually stood over the body of a four-year-old just five days earlier.

  And he’d been so weak he’d started to crawl into a bottle.

  The drive back to the motel felt slow, slush pulling at the tires and the windshield wipers on high to keep the snow from obscuring their view of the road. When Williams pulled up at the motel Craig gave him his card. “If you think of anything else.”

  Williams reciprocated.

  “Does Brandy know about Jessie?” Craig asked as he opened his door.

  “I told her.”

  “She doesn’t believe you?”

  A cynical smile spread across Williams’s face as he shook his head.

  Craig got out and shut the door. He watched Williams drive away, then fished the key out of his pocket and unlocked his room door. As he reached for the light he felt the thud on the back of his head and saw the burst of stars against the black in his eyes before everything went dark again.

  “You know, I’m surprised you wanted to stick on this surveillance.”

  Liam’s voice cut through the darkness. A faint glow from the streetlights pinpointed his profile, but it was one of those black nights that engulfed people, objects, houses. For some reason, the darkness emphasized the cold.

  “Being stuck in a car with you in the middle of the night when it’s freezing out isn’t so bad,” Ashlyn said.

  “That wasn’t what I meant.”

  She heard the humor in his words and smiled. “Truth is, I feel the answer to this whole case is in that building. Or at least, the information that will lead us to the answers. Where else would I rather be?”

  “I’d settle for bed.”

  Was he flirting or just sincerely tired and making conversation? It was becoming obvious to her she’d spent so much time with Tain and Craig she forgot the subtleties of interacting with other men. With Sims it was so expected she only noticed when he wasn’t being pleasant, and she’d had plenty of practice ignoring other men in her department.

  She decided to play it safe.

  “Cases like this are pretty demanding.”

  “And you’ve been at it for days, but I’m the one whining.”

  “It’s okay. One of the things I love about the job is that it’s never predictable.”

  “Yeah. It’s hell on your social life, though. I suppose the thing to do is to date cops.”

  “That’s what I do,” Ashlyn said.

  “Really? And how’s that working out for you?”

  “Some days better than others.”

  They lapsed into silence again. As soon as she’d heard her own words she knew he’d either prove he was interested by pushing it, or back off because of the tone of her voice. She hadn’t meant for the words to come out as hard as they had, but it was too late to take them back.

  All day, part of her had hoped for a response from Craig. Every time the phone buzzed there was that flutter, followed by disappointment. Now it was almost 11 P.M. and she still hadn’t heard from him.

  Sometimes no answer was an answer, but she didn’t want to believe that.

  “Not that it’s any of my business…”

  Liam let his voice trail off, a way of opening the door. She knew he wanted her to invite him to ask. It was a safety net. You couldn’t get angry at someone if you’d encouraged them to speak their mind.

  She gave him his opening.

  “But?”

  “You and Tain?”

  Ashlyn started to laugh, and she had to put her hand over her mouth to muffle the sound. Once she felt in control enough to maintain her composure she wiped the tears from her eyes.

  “I didn’t realize it was that funny,” Liam said.

  “I’m sorry. It’s just…he’s Tain.” She chuckled. “It feels like I’ve known him forever. Why on earth would you think we were involved?”

  “Just a feeling I got when he looked at me. Like if I crossed any lines he’d take me apart, limb by limb.”

  “He probably would.”

  “So, is that why your dating isn’t working out so well these days?”

  There it was. He’d circled back around to the original question, and there was just enough of a lilt in his voice to tell her he was fishing.

  Her cell phone beeped.

  She pulled it out. A text message, and it only took a moment to confirm it was from Craig.

  Talk later. That was all it said.

  She’d texted him the first part of a quote she loved. “Nothing softens the arrogance of our nature…” The second part was, “… like a mixture of some frailties.” Funny how a few words could evoke such a strong memory, but she could almost taste the salt air and feel the sun on her skin as they lay together reading on a gorgeous September weekend when they’d gone sailing and stayed out for a weekend, just a little ways up the coast.

  She’d discovered the quote from Sir George Savile and loved it. It reminded her that life was fragile, that everyone made mistakes and that recognizing your own weaknesses helped you forgive the shortcomings of others.

  They’d used it as a way to apologize, or extend an olive branch, to each other ever since.

  Ashlyn closed the phone and put it away.

  “About the case?” Liam’s question cut through her thoughts.

  “Hmmm? No. Personal.”

  Her phone rang and her heart skipped a beat. She hoped it was Craig, hoped the reason he hadn’t finished the quote was because he actually wanted to talk instead of text, but the call display betrayed that it wasn’t him. “Constable Hart.”

  “Ashlyn, it’s Sims. I managed to track down who owns that house. It was tricky. The house is owned by a company, which is owned by another company.”

  “And?”

  “The family name is Patel. They live in Anmore.”

  “Do you know if there are tenants in the house currently?”

  “It’s supposed to be vacant.”

  “Have you told Tain?” she asked.

  “Yeah, he said to let you know right away.”

  “Thanks, Sims. I take it things are still quiet there.”

  “Not a creature stirring.”

  Ashlyn groaned. “How festive of you. Bye.”

  As soon as she hung up she dialed Tain’s number.

  He answered. “Constable Tain.”

  “You didn’t want to share the news with me yourself?”

  “Why should I have all the fun?”

  She laughed. “I’ll remember you said that next time I order you to do something you don’t like.”

  “Changes things, doesn’t it?”

  Ashlyn thought back to the day when they’d followed Matt Lewis to Nurani Patel’s house. The girl’s body language had suggested arrogance, which Ashlyn had attributed to the obvious family wealth. Now she wondered how much of that had concealed her guilt. “I’d love to get a search warrant for the Patel home.”

  “First things first,” Tai
n said.

  “Sims says this house is supposed to be empty.”

  “I’m sure the Patels would be most displeased to find out someone’s using the phone there.”

  Ashlyn smiled. “And using it for criminal purposes.”

  “Then again, perhaps they won’t mind. A vacant rental that will suddenly find itself in the news. They won’t even need to pay for an ad to get a new tenant.”

  “And who says you can’t find the positive in every situation?”

  Tain laughed. “I’ll call you if anything happens.”

  “Same here.”

  “I take it the house is a link to someone in the case,” Liam said once Ashlyn had hung up.

  “The family that owns the company that owns the other company that owns the house has a daughter who just happens to be good friends with Shannon Reimer.”

  “Let me guess. She insisted she had no idea where Shannon was.”

  “Better. When we talked to her and Shannon’s boyfriend, he said Shannon had been planning to run away and that Shannon wouldn’t say where she was going so that they couldn’t be forced to lie to the police or Shannon’s parents.”

  “Kids these days. They’re so considerate. Always looking out for their friends.”

  “Really warms the heart, doesn’t it?”

  They were silent for a moment before he asked, “Do you think Shannon’s in that house?”

  Ashlyn paused. “I don’t want to hope for that and be disappointed. The only thing I’m sure of is that Nurani Patel knows more than she told us.”

  “This makes it look less likely that it’s related to Reimer’s business interests.”

  “True. I’m afraid you’re missing out on bed for nothing.”

  “The pleasure of your company makes up for it, even if it means we missed out on dinner.”

  She turned and looked at him. “I think I should tell you, I’m involved with someone.”

  “It’s serious?”

  “It’s complicated.”

  “Huh. Isn’t it always?”

  “A few days ago it actually seemed pretty simple, in a good way.”

  “That’s who the message was from?”

  Ashlyn nodded.

  “And that’s this Craig guy, the one your sergeant was asking about?”

  She hesitated.

  “Hey, if it wasn’t Tain, it had to be him, right? No chance it was Luke.” Liam smiled. “He’s in some hot water right now?”

  “Not exactly. It’s…”

  “Complicated.”

  Neither of them tried to break the silence until it was half an hour until the drop.

  “They should be leaving any time,” Liam said.

  Ashlyn nodded. She had her cell phone in her hand and could feel her heart pounding. After all this time, she just wanted to feel they’d made some progress.

  And for things to go well, so that she wouldn’t have to second-guess her decision to handle the money exchange this way.

  “You made the right call, you know. We had grounds for a warrant, but if the people involved aren’t in that house it might have blown the whole thing.”

  “Still could. They said no cops.”

  “We both know nobody was going to play it that way,” Liam said.

  “Still, it’s a risk.”

  “That’s part of the job. And part of the uncertainty.”

  “Yeah, well, it’s not the part I like.”

  “Ah. You like the challenge but not the responsibility.”

  She thought about it. “I guess you could say that. This case has been tough. A dead child always is, but right before Christmas. It gets to you.”

  “Must really get to your partner.”

  Her head snapped up then. “What are you talking about?”

  “See, after you left this morning I checked you out. Plenty to work with, because of the shooting last summer. I guess you stopped at the front page when you saw how your old boss had been smeared in the press today. You had to dig deeper to see your partner’s name in print today.”

  Ashlyn was about to ask what the hell he was talking about when her cell rang. “Constable Hart.”

  “We’ve got movement,” Tain said.

  “We’ve got nothing.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  Ashlyn glanced at Liam. “Move someone else to our position and head to the park. The house isn’t going anywhere, and apparently neither is anyone inside.”

  She hung up as Liam radioed for a car to replace them.

  Tain snapped the phone shut. He’d already ordered everyone to hold their positions.

  “There she is,” Sims said.

  In the bottom corner of the screen, Tracy Reimer had entered the picture. It was the first time Tain had really seen her on her own, independent of a hovering husband or the family lawyer. She was as skittish as a newborn foal. One hand compulsively twisted the knapsack’s strap as she cradled the bag with the other, holding it tight against her chest. Tracy Reimer glanced over her left shoulder, then right, and back over her left again. Her foot snagged on a branch as she turned and backed toward the spot on the concrete where she’d been told to leave the money. Her one arm flailed wildly until she regained her balance.

  “Two minutes until the drop,” Sims said as Tracy looked at the watch on her wrist, then cautiously set the bag down. “You’d think there was a bomb in there, the way she carried that bag.”

  “She showed more affection for that bag than she’s shown for her own son in the last five days,” Tain said.

  “It probably isn’t the bag. It’s the money.”

  Tain grinned. “We’ll make a cynic out of you yet, Sims.”

  “One o’clock. What’s she waiting for?”

  Tracy Reimer smoothed her sleeves, looked at her watch, turned slowly and looked at her watch again. She stiffened and stared off into the darkness, toward the trails through the woods on the other side of the playground.

  After a minute Sims asked, “Are you going to radio for a visual?”

  “If anyone spots something they’re supposed to call it in.” Tain frowned. “I don’t like this.”

  As he reached for his radio Sims said, “Hold on. She’s leaving.”

  Tracy Reimer went back the way she came, this time moving with more confidence. Her arms were wrapped tight around her body, and she didn’t hesitate or look back even once.

  “I thought she was going to blow it,” Sims said.

  They spent the next ten minutes watching the bag. The only call they received confirmed Mrs. Reimer had returned to the vehicle she’d arrived in.

  Someone knocked at the van door, and Sims checked before opening it.

  “Nothing?” Ashlyn asked as she climbed inside.

  Tain barely took note of Liam following her in. “Not so far.” Then he noticed movement on the screen that displayed the wider shot. It was still in the edges, where it was dark. “Okay, I think we have something.”

  “Why aren’t they radioing in?” Ashlyn asked.

  “You can ask yourself after I kick their asses,” Tain muttered. Then he whistled as the figure came into view. “Well, well.”

  He radioed for some of the teams to hold their positions and then followed Liam and Ashlyn out of the van.

  “How—” he started. Ashlyn held up her hand.

  “This is your show, your call.”

  He gestured for her and Liam to approach from the other side of the washrooms, and radioed for two officers positioned near the beach to approach with caution.

  Once he got to the corner of the building he took a quick look. Matt Lewis was almost at the bag. He hadn’t even tried to disguise himself with a hoodie or a hat, and he wasn’t looking over his shoulder.

  Tain edged along the building and then moved forward decisively. “Police! Stop and put your hands in the air slowly.”

  From the corner of his eye he could see Ashlyn moving in from her side, Liam beside her. Matt froze for a moment and started
to raise his hands. Then he started to run.

  “Hold your fire,” Tain called into the radio. He raced after the boy. The darkness worked against Matt, and he couldn’t see he was running straight toward one of the officers near the playground. The officer jumped out and Matt tried to change course, but the hesitation was enough for Tain to tackle him.

  After he got to his feet and pulled the teenager off the ground, Tain said, “Matthew Lewis, you’re under arrest.”

  Once he’d determined Matt was unarmed and had handcuffed him, Tain escorted Matt to the parking lot. Ashlyn had the bag of money.

  Sims had driven over and slid open the side door of the van. “Nothing so far.”

  “Stay on it, Sims,” Ashlyn said. “Just in case.” She turned to Matt Lewis. “Looks like we need to have a little chat.”

  “Walking in the park isn’t a crime.”

  “Aw. And they say the youth of today are completely self-absorbed and unaware. I’m truly impressed by your legal knowledge, but extortion is a crime. And, of course, there’s the little matter of hindering a criminal investigation.” Ashlyn walked right up to Matt. “We gave you a chance to tell us where Shannon was. Instead, you tried to swindle her parents out of a million dollars.”

  “Wh-what?” Matt shrieked. “What are you talking about?”

  “Oh, come off it, Matt. You really expect me to believe you just happened to come to this particular park, in the middle of the night, for a stroll? On the same night that your girlfriend’s mother had been instructed to leave a bag filled with money at the spot where her son was murdered?”

  “Wh-why…” Matt looked at Tain, then back at Ashlyn. “Why would Mrs. Reimer do that?”

  “The callers claimed to have Shannon.” Ashlyn unzipped the bag and pulled out a bundle of bills. “They wanted a million dollars in exchange for her safe return. At least, that’s what they said. Personally I’m not convinced that’s what they really wanted the money for.” She looked at Tain.

  “I agree. I don’t think Shannon was kidnapped. I think she wanted the money to run away.”

  Ashlyn snapped her fingers. “You know, someone told us Shannon planned to run away. And they said they had no idea where she was. But then someone who knows the family and has Mr. Reimer’s private cell number starts making calls, demanding a ransom payment. And look who shows up to collect.” Ashlyn paused for a moment, her expression serious. “You better talk, Matt, because I’m in no mood to be jerked around. We’re taking you back to the station and if you don’t cooperate you’ll be charged.”