“Then she decided to go to work in Redwater and she slowly changed. Her garden got smaller, she spent less time working on the farm, and she quit coming to our farm to pick the extra raspberries I had. Over the years we still visited but Christine and I had little in common to talk about. Christine told me about her job and I talked about my garden. Sometimes I thought it was just our husbands that kept us together. During the last year I noticed that Christine had become distracted, thoughtful, as if she had something important on her mind. But I never asked her. Maybe if I had….”
“So why did Christine go to work in the first place?” Elizabeth asked
“I thought it was to earn money to pay the farm off. But she didn’t quit even when it was paid up.”
“When did she begin working?”
Meredith shrugged. “I don’t remember. Graham was in his early teens.”
“Did she find it hard to leave him and go to work?”
“I don’t think so,” Meredith said. “I couldn’t understand why she would want to leave her home to work in town. I had never had the inclination even though we didn’t have any children. I liked my home, my farm. In fact I seldom went anywhere, only making two or three trips to Edmonton a year to shop or visit. When we paid off our mortgage Ben wanted to take winter holidays to Hawaii or Mexico. I went on two trips and then refused to go again. Lying on the beach or haggling with vendors was not my idea of a good time.” She blushed. “He began calling me a stick in the mud.”
“Did you have other troubles in your marriage?” Jared asked.
Good. Elizabeth sat back and let him take over.
“Not that I knew of. I thought we had a comfortable, though quiet, marriage.”
“We heard a rumour that you and Wayne were also having an affair.”
Meredith looked a little startled then said. “Is that rumour still floating around after all these years?”
“We’ve heard it more than once,” Jared nodded. “Plus you mention it in one of your poems.”
“If you read the poem then you know that we weren’t having an affair.”
Elizabeth allowed a look of skepticism to cross her face. “Some people saw you two at a hotel and then later you were seen at the auction market together.”
Meredith reddened. “We did go out one evening when Ben and Christine were at a concert in Calgary.”
Elizabeth raised her eyebrows.
“Yes, I know. We were totally gullible. They wanted to go to see some popular band and we didn’t so they went together and we stayed home.”
“And spent the night at a hotel...” Elizabeth prompted.
“No. I told you, it wasn’t an affair. It was only one night when we were both a little drunk. And we were only in the hotel room a few minutes before we realized how stupid we were being.”
“In one of your poems you describe a visit from Wayne,” Jared said.
“I’ve written so many poems,” Meredith said.
Jared asked Elizabeth to get the book out of his backpack. “This is the one I mean,” he said, riffling through the book until he came to the right page.
Fade In
Act Three
Exterior-Farm Yard-Night
The man opens the door and leaves the house. He is lurching a little. The woman follows him also a bit unsteady. At the vehicle she reaches out and pulls on his arm. He turns to her.
The whiskey has made me light headed and dizzy.
I try to tell Wayne that
he is drunk, too drunk to drive.
“You better stay here for tonight,” I say.
“No.” He staggers, “I’ve got to tell her now.”
He opens his truck door then turns to me.
“Thank you for listening.”
“That’s what friends are for.” I say.
He drives out barely missing my flower beds.
I wonder if I should phone Christine
then decide against it. This is serious.
I don’t need to make it worse.
End Act Three
Fade Out
“So why would Wayne come to see you?” Elizabeth asked. “Didn’t he have someone else to go to, some male friend?”
“You just don’t let go, do you? As I said, there was no more to our relationship than friendship,” Meredith said tersely.
“It does sound like you two spent a lot of time together,” Jared said.
“I have work to do.” Meredith stood.
“I’m sorry,” Jared said. “I guess I’m just trying anything to learn the truth about Mom’s death.”
“Well, her death had nothing to do with Ben’s.”
“Do you think Christine may have heard the rumours about you and Wayne?” Elizabeth asked, hoping this was a more reasonable question.
“I did wonder but reasoned that if she did she would have said something. Plus, then Ben would have known, too.”
* * * *
“For them not having an affair, they did seem quite chummy,” Jared said, as they drove away. “I wonder if we shouldn’t try some of the other names on the list.”
Elizabeth reached over Chevy who was sitting on her lap and pulled the list from Jared’s pouch. “Tylar and Brittany Heigh. Who did you say they were?”
“Brittany was Ben’s sister. She and Tylar bought the farm from Meredith.”
“Where did they live before that?”
“In town.”
“So, it isn’t likely that they will know much about your mother.”
“Probably not.” Jared turned to her with a smile. “But they should know a lot about Ben.”
Elizabeth grinned. “Okay, let’s go see them.” She was enjoying this immensely and at this point would rather be with Jared than working on her article. As they pulled into the yard, Elizabeth wondered if the flowerbed by the driveway was the one in Meredith’s poem. An older woman dressed in jeans and plaid shirt was walking from the chicken coop with a basket of eggs in her hand. She came over as Jared lowered himself in the lift.
“You’re Jared Jones, aren’t you?”
“How did you know, Mrs. Heigh?” Jared asked.
“Oh, everyone in this community and half of the town of Redwater know about the man in a wheelchair who is going around trying to tie his mother’s and my brother’s deaths together.”
“And this is Elizabeth Oliver, my care giver,” Jared said.
“Ah, yes. The care giver who asks a lot of questions.”
Elizabeth felt herself redden. Obviously, she hadn’t been very subtle.
“What a cute dog.” Brittany knelt down to let Chevy sniff her hand. “What’s his name?” She rubbed his head.
“Chevy.” When Brittany had stood again, Elizabeth put Chevy back in the van and closed the door. He immediately jumped up on the passenger seat and looked out the lowered window.
“So I imagine you’re here to talk about Anna and Ben,” Brittany said.
Elizabeth liked this woman immediately. She was direct and her voice had a lilt to it that suggested a happy person.
“Yes, we are, Mrs. Heigh,” Jared answered.
“Well, I don’t know what I can tell you but please come in.” She led the way to the house which had a ramp built beside the steps. “And call me Brittany.”
Just as Elizabeth was wondering who in the family was in a wheelchair, Brittany said. “This ramp was built for my aunt who lived with us for a year before her death. We just never got around to removing it.”
In the kitchen Brittany poured them all an iced tea. “Tylar will be home soon. He’s a part time real estate agent and he’s showing a house right now.”
“So you don’t farm?” Jared asked.
“No, never have. You probably know we bought the farm from Meredith after Ben died. We sold the farmland keeping an acreage for us to live on.”
“Then may I ask why you bought it?” Elizabeth said.
“I was raised on a farm. Tylar was raised in town and we lived there after we marrie
d. He sold real estate full time then and I worked in the hospital. But I always wanted to live in the country. So when Meredith approached Tylar about listing the farm with him, he bought it for me as a twenty-fifth wedding anniversary present.”
Wow, she’d like to meet this Tylar. Where were all the men like him in her generation? She looked at Jared and her heart warmed. Maybe she had found one.
“Did you know my mother at all?” Jared asked.
“She went to high school with our daughter, Fay, so she did come to the house a few times. But I never knew her as anyone other than Fay’s friend.”
The door opened and a tall man with a thick head of gray hair entered. Brittany stood up and ran to greet him.
She was pretty spry for her age, Elizabeth thought.
They hugged then Brittany introduced her husband Tylar to Elizabeth and Jared.
“Yes, we’ve heard about you two,” Tylar smiled. “So, it’s our turn for the inquisition, is it?”
Elizabeth grinned. “Just let us get our tools ready.”
Brittany laughed as she set some cupcakes on the table. “Ask away.”
Jared began with the usual questions about his mother and her life. When he didn’t get any better answers then they’d already heard, he pulled her graduation picture out of his wallet.
“Do you know these people with her?” he asked.
“Gee, that’s a long time ago,” Tylar said. “It brings back memories of Fay. She graduated in the same class, you know.”
“Yes, I was just telling them that Anna had been to our home in town a few times as a teenager,” Brittany said, as she looked at the picture. “That’s Penny Dixon, Graham Dearden, and Nick Thompson.”
“Nick Thompson?” Both Elizabeth and Jared leaned over. “Which one?” Jared asked.
“There, the boy with his arms around your mother’s shoulders.”
“Were they dating?” Elizabeth asked.
“Yes. Hasn’t anyone told you that?”
Jared shook his head as he stared at the picture.
Elizabeth watched him. She knew what questions were going through his mind. Why hadn’t Nick admitted to dating his mother? Why hadn’t Paul said it was Nick in the picture?
“How long did they date?” Elizabeth asked.
“All through high school,” Brittany answered. “Fay kept telling us about the crush Anna had on Nick. Apparently she told everyone that she was in love with him and that they would marry when they finished school. Then after graduation Nick moved away and Anna began dating Paul.” She shrugged. “That’s about it.”
“Do you know how long Paul and Anna dated before marrying?”
Tylar shook his head. “It wasn’t very long. We were all surprised that they married so soon after meeting.” He looked at Jared.
“That’s okay. I know that she was pregnant with me.”
Tylar nodded. “Then you should know that everyone wondered if you were Paul’s child or Nick’s.”
There was a moment of dead silence. The statement hung in the air. Elizabeth looked at Jared. He was staring at Tylar, his mouth open.
“Are you suggesting that Jared isn’t Paul’s child?” Elizabeth asked.
“I’m just telling you what could have happened,” Tylar said.
Chapter 31
Anna’s Story
Why had Paul decided that they had to go to a dance tonight, Anna wondered. Did he want people to see that he had his wife back, that she hadn’t left him? The dance was a fundraiser for a family whose house had burned down, but it wasn’t as if they knew the people who were burned out very well. They only saw them at the occasional community event.
“It doesn’t matter how well we know them,” Paul had said, when he told her they were going. “It’s that they are part of the community and we have to help them.”
Where was your generosity last Christmas when I needed money for a gift for Jared from Santa at the hall, she wanted to ask but knew it would just lead to a fight.
Anna didn’t have much in the way of fancy maternity clothes. Most were for around the house. Sorting through her closet she found a pair of white pants that she seldom wore even when she wasn’t pregnant. She cut the front of them out for her belly, then hemmed the cut and sewed elastic to the sides of the waist band. Holding them up, she scrutinized her handiwork. Not bad. With a top covering it no one would even know. And it might keep her cooler.
The hall was a large, white building two kilometres from their farm. The parking lot was at the back and Paul found a place amongst the other vehicles. They stepped out of the truck and were greeted by two couples who were standing to the side talking. One was Nick and Sarah, the other Tylar and Brittany Heigh, who had come out from town. Tylar knew some of the farmers because he had sold them their farms.
Nick made the introductions. “Sarah, this is Paul and Anna Jones.”
It was an awkward moment for Anna. The last time they’d met she’d told Sarah to leave. Now they were face to face and she didn’t know what to do. She was saved by Tylar asking Sarah. “So how do you like country life?”
“I really haven’t been here long enough to judge, yet.”
“Oh, yes, well...” Tylar stammered. “I guess we should get inside. Talk to you later, Nick.”
“Well, that was really nice.” Anna overheard Nick say.
“What?” Sarah asked.
“You could have shown a little more enthusiasm.”
“About what?”
“About living here.”
“Well, it’s true. I haven’t been here very long. And why did he assume that I’d like it better here than in the city?”
“Because it is better here.”
Anna watched them walk away. Trouble in paradise? As she walked into the hall she wondered if tonight would be a good time to tell Sarah about Nick’s past. Maybe she should first ask Nick if he’d already told her. She doubted it. He wouldn’t admit it to himself so why would he tell his young bride. There was a donation box set up just inside the door. Paul dropped a twenty dollar bill in it.
Yellow and white streamers were strung from corner to corner with yellow bells hanging where the streamers crossed in the middle. It looked almost like a wedding was taking place, Anna thought.
Lines of tables ran at an angle from the side walls leaving the centre area open for the dance later. Some people were already seated while others milled around talking. Children ran in and out the door and between the tables, playing hide and seek or tag. The band was tuning up their instruments.
Paul found a place for them to sit at a table then went to the bar for a drink. Anna encouraged Jared to go play with the other children. He hung back watching them run up and down the floor. Finally, he went over and sat beside another boy about his age. Soon they were talking.
Anna watched the hall fill up. She knew most of the people but was friends with none. No one came over to talk with her. She didn’t know if she should be embarrassed or disheartened by it. This was not the life she’d envisioned for herself.
She saw Meredith enter the hall and look around. No one went to greet her either. Anna had heard that in the months since Ben’s death she had been shunned by most people in the area. It was almost as if they blamed her in some way or weren’t sure what to say to her. She’d also heard that she had sold the farm to Tylar and Brittany and was moving soon. Anna waved and when Meredith saw her, she came over, limping on her right leg.
“Hi,” Meredith said.
“What happened to your foot?” Anna looked down at the bandage.
“Oh, I slipped off a curb and sprained it two days ago.”
“Shouldn’t you have crutches?”
“I do,” Meredith grinned. “But I hate using them.”
There was an awkward silence between them. Meredith glanced around the room. “Quite a crowd,” she said.
“Yes. Looks like everyone in the community showed up.”
“It’s too bad about the Bakers,” Meredith s
aid. “But it was an old house.”
“Did you know them well?” Anna asked.
“We saw each other occasionally when Ben was alive,” Meredith said. “I haven’t seen them since his death. In fact, I haven’t seen many of my friends since then.”
Anna almost said. “Well, I only have one friend.” but didn’t. No use the two of them sitting here feeling sorry for themselves.
“It was nice of you to come out for them,” Anna said.
Meredith shrugged. “This is the first time I’ve gone anywhere since… Well you know what I mean.”
Anna nodded. “I suppose you’ve heard about me going to Edmonton,” she said.
Meredith nodded. “Everyone is talking about it. Paul never should have gotten Harvey to drive him to the bus depot. I heard that man was in the coffee shop two minutes after Paul pulled out of town.” She put her hand on Anna’s. “I’m sorry you didn’t make it.”
“I am, too.”
“Will you try again?”
“I don’t know. Dad made it very plain that I wasn’t welcome in his house and there is no one else I can turn to.”
Anna looked around for Paul. He was standing with a group of men near the bar. He wouldn’t be back until it was time to leave. She saw Nick by the table with the coffee urn. Now would be a good chance to speak with him. She stood.
“Would you like a cup of coffee or a juice,” she asked Meredith.
“Oh, I can get it,” Meredith said.
“You’ll hurt your foot worse. I don’t mind.”
“Okay, coffee would be good. Cream, no sugar.”
Anna headed to the table. “Hi,” she said to Nick.
He nodded.
“When are you and Sarah coming for a visit?” she asked, pouring Meredith’s coffee.
He shrugged. “I don’t know, we’re kind of busy. Why?”
“I just thought Sarah should know about the type of man she married.”
“What do you mean by that?” He looked around as if to see if anyone was close enough to hear them.
“You mean you haven’t told her about us and how we used to make love in the hay fields and in the barn and in the school yard? And you haven’t told her about your other girlfriends, girlfriends you had when we were going together?”
The Travelling Detective: Boxed Set Page 46