Are You Listening to Me? : A Detective Toby Mystery (9781927899403)

by Cushnie-mansour, Mary M.

  “How many times was it, Emma?” Jack asked.

  “Too many in the past six years.”

  Jack thought for a moment before he asked the next question. Emma saying the word six had triggered a thought in his mind. “Do you have any idea what significance 666 might have to your brother?”

  Emma pondered for a moment. “I don’t really know. Isn’t that some sort of religious thing to do with the end of time? One of the foster parents we had was really into religion, and she was always talking about 666 being the mark of the devil. Why do you ask?”

  “Your brother sent emails to his victims before he poisoned them and the signature he used was 666.”

  Emma shook her head. “No, I have no idea.” Abruptly, she clammed up and looked out the window. When Jack stopped in front of her house, she got out and thanked him for taking her to see Toby. “If you’re going tomorrow, I’d like to come along,” she mentioned as she shut the van door.

  Jack spent the rest of the afternoon tidying up his place. At five o’clock he thought to call Tessa and invite her over for supper. He was getting used to her company. There was no answer.

  Tessa heard the phone ring, but when she saw it was Jack, she decided not to answer it. She had been thinking about what might happen if she let him into her life any further, and she was scared. Relationships scared her more than profiling and dealing with criminals, and Jack was someone Tessa knew she could get real comfortable with. She wasn’t sure if she was ready to cross that line and was glad she hadn’t suggested anything romantic the other night when her emotional guard had been down.

  She’d call him later, but she didn’t.

  Sunday, July 5, 2009

  A

  ndrew stopped in at Jack’s house with a couple of coffees on Sunday morning. “Boss gave me two days off. Just thought to drop in and see if you and Tessa would like to join Jody and me for brunch.”

  Jack looked at the clock. “I’ll give Tessa another hour and then call her.”

  “How’s the sister holding up?” Andrew asked.

  “Better than I thought. In some ways, Emma looks almost relieved. I have no idea what their financial state is or how she’s going to support herself when her brother is in jail, but I do know she wants to stay in the house and I intend to help her out in any way I can.”

  “Crazy how she didn’t know all these years.”

  “Camden was good at hiding what he was doing. And, in all fairness to him, he loves Emma, and I don’t think he would ever intentionally hurt her. He’s done what he’s done for some deep-seated reason that I am hoping will be exposed sooner rather than later.”

  “How’s my hero, Toby, doing?”

  “He’s going to take a while to recover, but he’ll be okay. He purred yesterday when Emma stroked him.”

  “I’m glad to hear that; he’s an amazingly brave cat.”

  “That’s what everyone is saying.”

  The two friends talked on about other things. Andrew touched on his hopes about Jody; Jack was glad to hear Andrew might have found someone to share his life with. At ten o’clock Jack called Tessa. Still no answer.

  “Maybe she’s gone out of town; they do call her in for other cases sometimes. You and Jody go along and have a nice lunch. I think I’ll just hang around here and keep an eye on Emma. She wanted to go see Toby, too.”

  Andrew finally left: Jack walked over to see if Emma was ready to go to visit Toby. She was in her living room unpacking boxes. She looked up when Jack came in. “I don’t know how I’m going to be able to stay here,” she said, tears brimming in her eyes. “But I want to.”

  “If there is anything I can do to help, I will.”

  “Thank you, Jack, you are a good friend … first one I think I have ever had … that I remember, anyway.”

  Jack and Emma ended up going for a drive after visiting Toby. He was still heavily sedated, but his purr seemed a bit louder when Emma stroked him. Jack took her down to the Wilkes Dam and then they drove along the river road to Cambridge. On the way back to Brantford, Jack called Tessa again. Still no answer.

  “How about I rustle us up some grub?” Jack suggested to Emma as they turned onto their street. “A couple of burgers and a salad?”

  “That sounds lovely; I just have to go and check on Duke.”

  “Why don’t you bring him over; I’ll throw an extra burger on for him.” Jack smiled.

  Emma returned the smile.

  After supper Jack put a movie into the DVD player––he didn’t have cable––and the two companions spent a quiet evening together. Duke sprawled across the carpet and went off to sleep. At ten o’clock Jack walked Emma home and saw her safely inside.

  “Your brother may be getting out of the hospital tomorrow.”

  Before Jack could elaborate further, Emma said “Give him my regards.” Her tone was cold. “Thank you for the lovely evening, Jack. Goodnight.” And the door closed.

  Jack went home and called Tessa. Finally, on the sixth ring, she picked up. “You okay?” he asked.

  “I just needed some time to unwind,” she answered.

  “See you in the morning?”

  “I’ll meet you at the station at nine o’clock. I have an email from Cole; he found Doctor Lucy. They are flying into the Hamilton airport tomorrow at noon. Would you like to go with me to pick them up?”

  “Sounds like a plan. See you in the morning.” Jack hung up the phone, went around and turned his lights off, and then headed off to bed. It was a lonely house without Toby.

  Monday, July 6, 2009

  J

  ack checked on Emma before he headed to the station. She assured him she was doing fine; she was busy cleaning the house. Jack asked her not to touch anything in Camden’s room and also not to do anything with the castor bean plant. She guaranteed she wouldn’t.

  Tessa was already sitting in Bryce’s office when Jack arrived. They motioned for Jack to come in and have a seat. “Camden is being released into our custody today. He is still weak, but he’s out of danger. The hospital doesn’t want the responsibility of looking after him any longer. I think we’ll have to keep a twenty-four-hour guard on him,” Bryce specified.

  “Good idea,” Tessa confirmed. “The fact he tried to kill himself by ingesting the beans shows he is emotionally unstable.” She turned to Jack. “How’s Emma doing?”

  “Surprisingly well under the circumstances. She’s unpacking the boxes her brother packed. She wants to stay … doesn’t know how yet, but I said I would help her in any way I could.”

  “You are a good man, Jack Nelson,” Tessa stated. She turned to Bryce. “What time is Camden supposed to be here?”

  “Any time now. I just sent another officer up to the hospital to help escort him.”

  “I think we should wait on questioning him until we talk with this Doctor Lucy. She may know something that could help focus our interrogations in the right direction.”

  “Whatever you think, Tessa.” Bryce stood and walked to his window. “You know, in all my years on the force, I have never been able to figure out why some people do the things they do. When do they break down and cross that line of being a human and decide to play God with other people’s lives?” Bryce returned to his chair and shuffled through some papers.

  Jack and Tessa got the message and took their leave. They waited long enough to see Camden brought in and put into a holding cell. Tessa left instructions for him to be watched every minute and that anything he might be able to use to take his life should be removed from his person and from his cell. She mentioned that she and Jack would be returning shortly after lunch with a doctor who would hopefully be able to enlighten them on Camden’s past.

  “Want a coffee?” Jack asked on the way out the door.

  “Why don’t we head to the airport and just have a coffee there, save us from stopping twice,” Tessa suggested.

  Jack nodded. “Your car or my beast?”


  Tessa was still tired. “Your beast,” she chuckled.

  By the time they arrived at the airport, they only had about an hour’s wait until the plane landed. Cole and Tessa embraced, and then introductions were made all around. On the way back to the station, Doctor Lucy was briefly filled in on what had taken place. “I’d like to talk with Camden alone if possible,” she expressed.

  Tessa nodded affirmation. “That won’t be a problem, but we will be watching and listening through the two-way mirror, if you don’t mind?”

  “Not at all.”

  Doctor Lucy was escorted to the interrogation room as soon as they arrived at the station. Tessa had called ahead and asked for Camden to be moved in there before they arrived. Once again, she emphasized that he not be left alone.

  Doctor Lucy sat down. Camden was sitting with his head buried in his arms on the table. “Hello, Camden.”

  He didn’t look up.

  “How’s Emma?” Lucy knew Camden had a soft spot for his sister.

  Still, he did not look up.

  “I hear you have been busy since you came to Brantford,” Lucy tried another avenue.

  Camden finally looked up and smiled, but his eyes were like lost tombs buried in a dark abyss. “Who told you that?” his voice was scratchy.

  “I heard it through the grapevine. I also heard you were busy in other places.”

  The same smile presented itself.

  “So, how is Emma?” Lucy asked again.

  This time Camden answered. “I don’t know; they won’t let me see her.”

  On the other side of the wall, Tessa turned to Jack: “I thought Emma didn’t want to see her brother.”

  “She doesn’t.”

  “Why then…”

  “Because it’s our fault he is not seeing her, not hers. Camden wouldn’t blame her,” Jack explained. They returned their attention to the interrogation.

  “Why is that?” Lucy asked, continuing her questioning.

  “Because they’re evil.”

  “Who is evil?”

  “Them … the police … evil … evil … evil!” He hit his head with his hands, an action that was becoming a habit.

  “In what way?”

  “Like all the rest were evil.”

  “Who are all the rest? The victims?”

  “There were no victims,” Camden snorted. “These people weren’t victims––they victimized!”

  “Who did they victimize, Camden?”

  “Everyone around them … I want to see my sister.” Camden put his head back down on the table.

  “I don’t think that is possible right now, but I will see what I can do later––after you have answered a few more questions.”

  “I’m not saying anything more until I see my sister,” Camden mumbled into his arm.

  “Okay, I’ll go out and ask the officers if they will allow it,” Lucy said and walked out of the room. She approached Tessa and Jack. “Any chance Emma will come in and talk to him?”

  Jack shook his head. “I can try, but she seemed pretty set on not seeing him just yet. I think she is afraid, but I don’t know of what.”

  “So he doesn’t know it’s his sister who doesn’t want to see him?”

  “No, he doesn’t know,” Jack replied.

  Doctor Lucy returned to the room and sat down. “They said no,” she stated. “But I will keep working on them for you if you answer a few more of my questions.”

  Camden looked up. “Why should I believe you?”

  “Have I ever lied to you, Camden? I thought we had a good relationship during our sessions.”

  “That’s right … everyone thinks. How would I even know how much you lied to me? The only person I can trust is Emma.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “She’s my twin … she can’t betray me.”

  “Who betrayed you, Camden?” This was territory that hadn’t even been touched on when he had come to her in Vancouver. There had never been talk of betrayals.

  “Everyone.”

  “Name names.”

  “Can’t remember them all … there were too many.” Camden returned his head to the table.

  “Would you like something to drink, Camden?”

  He didn’t answer.

  She stood. “Well, I’m going to grab a juice … sure you don’t want me to get you something?”

  Silence.

  Doctor Lucy left the room again. “He is really closed up, more so than when I was seeing him. Makes me think he was hiding a lot then, especially since I know now what he has been up to here. I have also been in touch with a couple of doctors who treated him in other cities. They both mentioned that Camden can appear quite normal most times, but they always felt there were some very gloomy underlying issues going on in his head. One of the doctors felt there was a possibility that Camden was paranoid delusional, which would explain a lot.”

  Lucy looked through the window. Camden was still sitting with his head on the table. “I should have read the signs, but he left before I could get into deeper issues with him. I thought I was making progress, but I guess I was just scratching the surface––only what he wanted me to know. He’s smart.” She paused. “I am the only doctor he went to who was allowed to meet Emma––so he told me.”

  “Would you like me to get you something to drink?” Jack asked.

  “An orange juice would be nice, thank you.”

  Jack come back with the juice and Lucy returned to the interrogation room. She sat opposite Camden, sipping on her drink. Finally, he looked up. “Shall we continue?” Lucy suggested.

  Camden sighed.

  “Why don’t we start from the beginning? Who was the first person to betrayed you?”

  “There were two.”

  “Who were they? Can you remember their names?”

  “Mommy and Daddy.”

  Lucy didn’t flinch. “How did they betray you?”

  “By not caring.”

  “How did they not care?”

  “They only cared for themselves. Our parents didn’t care about Emma and me. That’s why I had to look after her. She was always frail––because they didn’t care enough to love us, to make sure there was enough food in the house … to pay the bills so we could be warm. They were selfish, mean people.” Camden hit his head a few more times, then rested it back on the table again. “I want to go back to my cell. I won’t say another word until I see Emma. I have to know she’s okay.”

  “Okay, Camden. I think you have had enough for today. I will see what I can do to get Emma here tomorrow. You are going to have to talk to me, though, you know. The district attorney is laying some pretty hefty charges on you––and those are just here in Brantford. You are going to have to face criminal charges elsewhere, as well.” Lucy paused. “There is a police officer here who flew in from Vancouver with me; he has an entire file devoted to you. Six victims … just like here…”

  Camden looked up and smiled. He’d thought Andrew had expired. He hadn’t seen him in the hospital.

  Lucy continued: “Well, not quite like here. There were only five victims here. Apparently, a cat saved the intended sixth one.” She stood and walked out, having dropped her bomb. “You can take him back to his cell,” she nodded to the officer waiting outside the door. “We are finished for today.” Lucy turned to Jack. “What are the chances of getting Emma here tomorrow?”

  “I’ll try. Maybe she’d come if you asked her. It seemed as though she liked you when she spoke of you,” Jack suggested.

  “Well, it’s worth a try. Lead the way.”

  Jack dropped Tessa and Cole off at his place, suggesting it would be better if just he and Lucy went to see Emma. Tessa agreed. “We can make ourselves at home,” she stated.

  “We won’t be long,” Lucy said as she and Jack went out the door.

  Emma didn’t answer the front door, so Jack and Lucy went around back. She was in her three
-season room, watering her plants. Emma had put a sheet over the castor bean plants. Her face brightened when she saw Lucy. “Doctor Lucy! Come in, please. Forgive the mess,” Emma said as she led her visitors into the kitchen. “I’m just getting things put away again. Have a seat.” She pointed to the chairs around the table.

  Lucy looked around. “You have a lovely little place here, Emma; are you comfortable?”

  “I am now.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Now I don’t have to move again.”

  “Yes, I think one of the times I met you, you mentioned moving around so much bothered you, and you hoped you would be able to stay in Vancouver.” Lucy paused. There was no easy way to say what had to be said. “Camden is very sick, Emma.”

  Emma looked away. “I think I know that. In fact, I think I have suspected it for a while now; I just didn’t know what to do.”

  “But he really needs to see you, Emma.”

  “I don’t know if I can … yet.”

  “He says he is the stronger of the two of you, but I don’t think so. What do you think, Emma?”

  Emma looked out the window. “I believe he is wrong. I think … maybe … he kept me weak. I’ve been reading a lot. I saw some programs on television and I looked up stuff on the computer Camden gave me for my room. He never allowed me to use his personal laptop. I began to realize it would have been better for me to get counselling after the rape––especially after the guy got off. But Camden said no; he said it was just another example of how the system failed us. So we moved. And moved and moved.” She turned back to Jack and Lucy. “If you think it will help I’ll see him, but not until tomorrow.”

  “That will be good enough; we will pick you up in the morning around nine. Is that too early?” Lucy asked.

  “That’s fine. I don’t sleep much anyway.” Emma turned to Jack. “How’s Toby doing?”

  “The vet said I could probably bring him home by the weekend.”

  Emma’s face brightened, despite the moisture in her eyes. It was good to see her so relaxed. Jack and Lucy took their leave. On the way to Jack’s, Lucy said she was sure Emma was going to be okay now that she was free of her brother.