A Hummingbird Dance

by Garry Ryan

  “Did Aidan know?” Lane asked.

  “Nope.” Eva kept her eyes on Lane when she answered.

  “Who else could he have told?” Harper asked.

  “If he told anyone else, I would’ve heard about it,” Eva said.

  It was still too hot inside the house at nine o’clock, so the four of them sat on the deck and sipped drinks. Ice clinked against glass. The sky above the mountains was painted yellow and orange. Roz lay under Matt’s chair.

  “How’s the job going?” Arthur asked. “Fine.” Christine chuckled. “Just never saw myself making money in a coffee shop. There wasn’t much coffee in Paradise.” She looked down at Roz.

  “I applied at the golf course,” Matt said.

  Lane smiled at him. “What kind of work?”

  “I wanted to drive the beer cart, but they said I had to wait until I was eighteen. They do have some openings for greenskeepers.” Matt aimed his chin in Christine’s direction.

  Lane turned to his niece. “Christine?”

  Christine turned toward him.

  “Arthur and I were wondering about your plans.” Lane sat straighter in his chair.

  “You want me to move out, don’t you?” Christine began to stand.

  “No! Will you stop that? We wondered if you were going back to school in the fall. We hoped you’d consider staying, actually.”

  Arthur looked at Lane.

  Lane stumbled along. “We thought you might want to go to university or college?”

  “We weren’t allowed,” Christine said.

  “Weren’t allowed to what?” Matt asked.

  “Women in Paradise weren’t supposed to go to school past grade ten.” She looked back and forth between Lane and Arthur.

  “Do you want to go to school and do you want to live here?” Lane asked.

  “Yes,” Matt said. “Of course she does.”

  Christine looked past them to the end of the deck where honeysuckle grew out of pots and a fuchsia plant hung from a hook on the fence. “What is that?”

  Lane turned his head to see a hummingbird with its beak deep into a white honeysuckle bloom. There was a blur of green wings, some red at the bird’s throat. It reversed and, with impossible speed, was gone.

  “Cool,” Matt said.

  Lane thought, She hasn’t answered the question.

  acknowledgements

  Bruce, for caring for us all of these years, and for early detection, thank you.

  Justine, Colin, Don, Barry, and Holly, thanks for answering odd questions.

  Doug, Bob, Nicki, and Luke, thanks for the skilled editing of scenes.

  MaryAnne and Jim, thanks for the elephant and hummingbirds.

  Amber, Ruth, Lou, Katherine, Alice, Diane, Doug, Michael, Tiffany, and Jennifer, thanks for all that you do.

  For many kindnesses, thank you Herb, Anthony Bidulka, and Wayne Gunn.

  Thank you, Lambda Literary Awards.

  Thanks to creative writers at Nickle, Bowness, Lord Beaverbrook, Alternative, Forest Lawn, and Queen Elizabeth.

  Thank you, Sharon, Ben, Karma, Luke, and Indiana—the family.

  Find out how it all began! Pick up the first two Detective Lane mysteries from your local bookseller.

  The Lucky Elephant Restaurant, winner of the 2007 Lambda Literary Award for Gay Mystery

  Detective Lane is back, tracking trouble on the streets of Calgary with his sharp-eyed partner Harper in tow. The duo must find the missing daughter of local radio celebrity Bobbie Reddie before it’s too late. But is Bobbie as saintly as her fans believe? Lane must uncover the truth, or this time the danger will hit much closer to home.

  Queen’s Park

  After a brutal attack on his young nephew, ex-mayor Bob Swatzky has disappeared with 13 million dollars worth of taxpayers’ money. Is he simply on the run with the cash, or is it something more sinister? A zany cast of characters lead Detective Lane on a thrilling romp through the streets of Calgary as he tries to uncover the truth before someone ends up visiting Queen’s Park cemetery … permanently.

  Garry Ryan was born and raised in Calgary, Alberta, where he lives today. He received a B.Ed. and a Diploma in Educational Psychology from the University of Calgary, and now teaches junior high and high school students. His first Detective Lane mystery, Queen’s Park, sprung from a desire to write a mystery with an emphasis on the rich diversity and unique locations of his hometown. The Lucky Elephant Restaurant is the second title in his Detective Lane Mystery Series and winner of the 2007 Lambda Literary Award for Gay Mystery.

  Garry Ryan was born and raised in Calgary, Alberta, where he lives today. He received a B.Ed. and a Diploma in Educational Psychology from the University of Calgary, and now teaches junior high and high school students. His first Detective Lane mystery, Queen’s Park, sprung from a desire to write a mystery with an emphasis on the rich diversity and unique locations of his hometown. The Lucky Elephant Restaurant is the second title in his Detective Lane Mystery Series and winner of the 2007 Lambda Literary Award for Gay Mystery.