by Garry Ryan
Sunday, November 1
Chapter 24
POLICE GUN DOWN
LOCAL RADIO PERSONALITY
Bobbie Reddie, the star of a popular afternoon radio show, was shot dead last night by police.
Police claim that Reddie threw a firebomb at the home of a police officer. It is believed to be the home of one of the detectives investigating the deaths of Kaylie and Charles Reddie.
The house was destroyed by the fire. Two of its occupants remain in hospital. The other two occupants were taken to hospital and released . . .
Lane stopped reading. He looked out Harper’s kitchen window. The snow left a twenty centimetre plateau atop the picnic table. Snow curled over the roof of the garage and hung like a tired dog’s tongue. Harper used a snow shovel to attack the metre high drift running along the sidewalk. He threw snow high into the air where the wind snatched it away.
“Uncle read the article this morning, then he went outside to shovel the walk. He’s pretty pissed off.”
Lane looked over his shoulder at Glenn. Harper’s nephew was about six feet tall and had his blond hair styled to accentuate the features of his face. He wore red sweats and a grey T-shirt. Lane said, “Can’t say I blame your uncle. It’s going to take Amanda a long time to deal with what she had to do. Some officers never recover from a killing. She saved our lives, and her partner’s too. There’s no mention of that. Or that her partner is in the burn unit and will probably need skin grafts.”
“What would have happened if she hadn’t shot Bobbie?” Glenn asked.
“At the very least, Arthur would be dead. If Bobbie had been allowed to throw another firebomb into the house, I wouldn’t have been able to get to Arthur in time.”
“Want some breakfast?”
“Ummm. That would be great,” Lane said.
“You’re lucky you took me up on the offer, I’m the best cook here,” Glenn smiled.
“I heard that! If you weren’t such a good cook, and my favorite nephew, I’d be offended.” Harper’s wife, Erinn came around the corner with one hand atop her belly. She’d cut her red hair short at the start of the pregnancy. “Does that mean I get breakfast too?” She sat down across from Lane. Seeing the newspaper headline, she picked up the paper, folded it and sat it on an empty chair. She looked out the window. “He’s going to be busy with that snow shovel for a while. He’s furious about the coverage. There’s no mention of the fact that Bobbie was tossing Molotov cocktails at people. How are your hands?”
Lane looked at the stitches scattered across his palms and fingers. “Sore.”
“And the knees?” Glenn asked.
“The same,” Lane said.
“Somebody named Loraine called this morning. She wants you to call her back,” Glenn said.
“Glenn, be a dear and hand him the phone.” Erinn looked at Lane. “Want us to leave?”
Lane took the phone, placed it on its back on the table and pressed the buttons. “No. Usually Loraine does all of the talking. I just listen.” He picked up the phone with his fingertips. It rang three times.
“Hello?” Loraine’s familiar voice comforted Lane. He was suddenly glad for old friends and new family.
“It’s me,” Lane said.
“Cole’s up and talking. You want the summary, or do you want to come and hear it for yourself?”
“The summary, for now,” Lane said.
“You okay?” Loraine asked.
“I will be,” Lane said.
“Arthur okay?”
“He’s got a bump on his head and a concussion. We pick him up this afternoon, I think.”
“Good. Listen, I’m sorry about Riley,” Loraine said. Lane couldn’t reply.
Loraine filled the silence. “We told Cole about his mom’s death when he woke up this morning. He started to talk. Apparently, his mother woke him up that night and ordered him to get in the car. When he asked where Kaylie was, Bobbie told him she was in the trunk. His mother drove to the gas station, filled up the car, bought a pack of cigarettes, and filled a thermos with slurpee. He watched her pour amoxil— you know, penicillin—into the slurpee. They drove out to the campsite. Bobbie made Cole stay in the car while she talked with Charles. Cole watched them at the picnic table. She and Charles drank the slurpee. Cole says his dad got red in the face, then had trouble breathing. Bobbie put on some gloves and helped him into the cab of the truck. Then, she opened the trunk, took Kaylie out, pulled a garbage bag up over his sister’s head, and put her in the back of the camper. After that, she taped a hose to the tailpipe of the truck, shoved it through an open window in the cab, and taped it shut. She turned on the truck and went back into the camper. On the way home, she told him what would happen if he said anything to anyone. The kid remembered every detail.”
“How’s he doing?” Lane asked.
“This is going to take a long time, Lane. The kid appears to be okay, but this kind of experience leaves indelible scars,” Loraine said.
“How’s Jay?” Lane asked.
“He’s not saying much. Just sticks close to Cole and listens,” Loraine said.
“Does he know he probably saved Cole’s life?”
Lane asked.
“I’ll tell him you say so. There’s another thing . . .”
“What’s that?” Lane asked.
“We need you and Harper for a ten o’clock meeting on Tuesday morning. I want you to promise me you’ll be there,” Loraine said.
Tuesday, November 3
Chapter 24
“ARTHUR’S GOING NUTS,” Lane said.
“Something to do with the head injury?” Harper concentrated on keeping them in the ruts on John Laurie Boulevard. The city crews were still catching up after the record-breaking snowstorm. The roads were sanded, snow covered, and slick.
“Maybe. Or he was tired of our old furniture, so he’s really happy to be shopping for new. The insurance company’s budget has got him grinning. Even Matt’s getting into it.” Lane looked up the road. Soon they’d see the sign in front of Bobbie’s church. He thought about last night’s nightmare. Two crucified children.
“And Martha?” Harper asked.
“Still in the hospital. The cancer is spreading.” Lane kept his hands palm up to keep from snagging the stitches.
“I don’t know what to . . .” Harper said.
“There’s not much you can say.”
They drove in silence for the next few minutes.
Harper said, “The media has been awfully quiet since those footprints matched up. Then Dr. Fibre came through with a match from the trunk of Bobbie’s car. Man, yesterday was full of good news. Chief came out of this smelling like a rose.”
The road curved. Bobbie’s sign came into view.
It stood tall against a white backdrop of snow. It said, The Truth Will Set us Free.
“Some things never change, I guess,” Lane said.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Harper asked.
“Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, some people will always believe the lie that was Bobbie Reddie,” Lane said.
Harper let the car coast as they neared a red light. The Chevy crabbed sideways when he pressed the brake pedal. “Don’t worry, I’ve got it under control.” He guided the vehicle out of its skid. “How’s the hotel?”
“Matt likes the waterslide and Arthur likes the food. It’ll be okay for a while.”
The light turned green. The wheels spun. They crept forward.
“I suppose Arthur’s already got a real estate agent,”
Harper laughed.
“As a matter of fact.”
“You’re kidding?”
“I told you he was going nuts,” Lane said. “I think it helps to keep him and Matt busy.”
Harper turned into the mall parking lot. He manouevred around mountains of plowed snow and dodged stranded cars before parking in front of the vet’s office.
Loraine, Jay, and Cole were getting out of Loraine’s Toyota. C
ole looked uncertain, and Jay held his nephew’s hand. They stepped through the door. Inside, they found the vet, Dr. Dent, who couldn’t suppress a smile.
“Dr. Ellen Dent.” Harper smiled.
“Come on in.” They followed Dr. Dent into a waiting room. They crowded around the raised examination table. “I’ll be right back.” The doctor stepped out the back door.
Loraine smiled at Lane.
Jay said, “It’s okay, Cole. It’s gonna be okay.”
“Where is he?” Cole asked.
A dog barked when it heard Cole’s voice.
“Eddie!” Cole said.
The dog skidded around the corner on three legs and a cast. Eddie looked hopefully at five pairs of legs, sniffing each in turn, before stopping in front of Cole. Eddie sat on his back legs to look up at Cole.
The boy leaned over and picked up the dog. Cole buried his face in the dog’s fur, grinning when Eddie licked his face.
Lane looked at Loraine who studied him. She shook her head at Lane’s apparent lack of reaction to Cole’s joy.
Lane thought, Years of hiding will do that to you.
Loraine moved next to Lane. “Some day it’s all going to spill out. The longer it takes . . .”
“The better it will be?” Lane tried to make a joke and failed. He couldn’t forget the sight of Riley’s charred body in the snow.
Jay said, “Uncle Tran says all of you have to come for lunch.”
On the way to the restaurant, Harper was in the driver’s seat. He said, “Guess Dr. Dent blew a big hole in your theory.”
“What do you mean?” Lane asked.
“Some people do recognize the truth, despite evidence to the contrary.” Harper leaned his head back and laughed.
Lane said nothing.
At The Lucky Elephant Restaurant, they found Uncle Tran, Rosie and Tony waiting for them.
Cole kept Eddie tucked inside his jacket. The dog poked his head out when he caught a whiff of food.
Uncle Tran shook hands with all who sat around his table.
Loraine said, “It’s a pleasure to meet you. Jay speaks very highly of you.”
“My pleasure, also,” Uncle Tran said.
Tony picked up Cole. The boy put his arm around Tony’s shoulder. “Wanna hang out at the mall after lunch?”
“Sure. Hi Rosie,” Cole said.
Rosie touched his cheek with her palm.
When they sat, Cole insisted on being next to her.
Conversation was slow. It picked up after they ordered.
“Uncle, tell them about how you got to Canada,”
Tony said.
Uncle Tran frowned, then told his tale of leaving Saigon. He finished by saying, “And the elephant I carried onto the aircraft was the same one I carried off.”
“What happened to the elephant?” Cole asked.
“It’s up there.” Uncle Tran pointed to the jadegreen elephant with its trunk curled into a U. “And
Mr. Lane? How are your wounds healing?”
“They get a little bit better every day.”
The food arrived. Lane spotted a white-gold wedding band with tiny-embedded diamonds on the waiter’s finger.
Uncle Tran had been watching Lane. Tran said, “He was married last week.”
The waiter set a bowl of satay beef-noodle soup in front of Lane. Exotic spices made his mouth water. He looked up at the jade elephant and remembered the name of the restaurant. Lane looked at the diamond fragments glittering in the waiter’s ring. He looked at Uncle Tran whose head was cocked to the right to get a better view of Lane. Uncle Tran smiled. All at once, Lane understood why Uncle Tran was not a Canadian citizen and might never become one. Lane also knew how it would be possible for Uncle Tran to educate and house so many people.
Lane smiled at Uncle Tran.
Cole studied Tran and Lane while his fingers lifted a shrimp from his bowl of noodles and guided it to his mouth. Eddie poked his nose out of Cole’s jacket and licked the boy’s chin.
Uncle Tran said to Lane, “I see now why you are good at what you do. We will find out if you are equally adept at keeping a secret.”
Cole said, “The secret of what was inside the elephant? I’m really good at secrets.”
“You might have to wait a while to learn this one.”
Rosie put her hand on the back of Cole’s chair. She looked at Jay and winked.
“No I won’t. It’s obvious. The elephant was full of diamonds!” Cole said.
Everyone at the table looked at Uncle Tran. His face paled.
Rosie stared at Cole.
Cole shrank down into his chair, evading eye contact. Tran noted Cole’s reaction and smiled. “Jay tried to warn us about your intelligence. We should have listened. Cole?”
Cole continued to look away.
“You’ve just taught us all something,” Uncle Tran said.
Cole looked at Uncle Tran. “Aren’t adults supposed to teach kids?” Cole looked shocked at his own words and tone of voice he’d used to say it. He lifted another shrimp from the bowl. Eddie’s head poked out of Cole’s jacket. The dog snagged the shrimp from Cole’s fingers.
Lane watched Cole, Jay, Uncle Tran, Harper, Tony, Loraine and Rosie. Their laughter spilled out. It was a crashing waterfall of emotions collected over weeks.
Rosie put her palms on the table to brace herself so she wouldn’t fall over. Tears rolled down Jay’s cheeks. Eddie barked. It took Lane a moment to realize he was laughing with them.
Acknowledgements
Bruce, for all things medical,
thank you.
For the toboggan idea,
thanks, Ben.
Kim, thanks for the
Oreo story.
Kent and Michael,
thanks for
the editing.
Ruth, Amber,
Rebecca, Katherine, Jennifer
and Doug
thanks for all that you do.
Thanks to creative writing students at
Nickle,
Bowness,
Lord Beaverbrook,
Alternative,
Forest Lawn and
Queen Elizabeth.
Sharon, Karma
and Luke,
thank you.
A Hummingbird Dance
A Hummingbird Dance
Garry Ryan
Copyright ©
Garry Ryan 2008
All rights reserved. The use of any part of this publication reproduced, transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording
or otherwise, or stored in a retrieval system, without the prior consent of the publisher is an infringement of the copyright law. In the case of photocopying or other reprographic copying of the material, a licence must be obtained from Access Copyright before proceeding.
Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication
Ryan, Garry, 1953–
A hummingbird dance / Garry Ryan.
ISBN 978–1 –897126–31–8 I. Title.
PS8635.Y354H84 2008 C813’.6 C2008–902312–9
Editor for the Board: Douglas Barbour
Cover and interior design: Natalie Olsen
Cover photo: Garry Ryan
Author photo: Karma Ryan
NeWest Press acknowledges the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, and the Edmonton Arts Council for our publishing program. We also acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Book Publishing Industry Development Program (BPIDP).
201–8540–109 Street
Edmonton, Alberta T6G 1E6
(780) 432–9427
newestpress.com
No bison were harmed in the making of this book.
We are committed to protecting the environment and to the responsible use of natural resources. This book is printed on 100% recycled, ancient forest-friendly paper.
1 2 3 4 5 11 10 09 08 printed and bound in Canada
For
Mike, Denise, Nick, Luke, and Indiana.
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Acknowledgements
SUNDAY, JUNE 30
chapter 1
“Christine called.”
Arthur was sitting in a lawn chair with a glass of lemonade atop his generous belly. He still wore dirtstained gloves, and the knees of his grey sweatpants were black.
Lane found himself unable to speak. His mind turned into a shovel, digging and turning over memories just as he’d spent yesterday turning over the soil in the flower beds. He thought, I had it under control; I could handle it by not thinking about it. Now, just mention her name, and I’m back where it all started. “The flowers look great.” He looked around the yard at the annuals and perennials Arthur had planted today for their first summer in this house. It looked like a Monet. All of those impossibly bright waves of colour running up against and into one another.
“Did you hear me? I said Christine called.” Arthur glared at Lane.
“I heard you.” Lane was already exhausted with memories of her. He thought about what she looked like and realized that today he probably wouldn’t recognize her if he bumped into her on the street.
“She wouldn’t leave a message. She did say that she’ll call back tonight at ten. It’s just enough time.”
Arthur drained the last of the lemonade and took off his gloves.
“Enough time?” Lane thought, Things should start to get easier now with this family. We’ve had more than enough time since it all happened.
“We have to pick up Matt at the bus station in thirty minutes.” Arthur took a closer look at Lane.