Broken Faith

by Lois Cloarec Hart

  They both looked up at her approach and Rhi noticed how tired they looked. Glancing at the kitchen clock, she saw it was almost two in the morning. Feeling slightly guilty, she said, "Look, I'm keeping you guys up..."

  Before she could go any further, both of them were shaking their heads vigorously as David pushed out her chair and indicated she should take a seat.

  "Don't be silly, Rhi. It's hardly your fault that your home burnt down in the middle of the night," David insisted as the young woman sat down. "Now, I believe you were about to tell me about your parents."

  Glancing at Marika, Rhi didn't see any hint of surprise, so she assumed that David had briefed her while she'd been changing. Having made the decision to open up, she knew that these two, above all others, would listen lovingly and non-judgmentally. David topped up their cups, and she began again.

  "Okay, well, like I was saying, I was ten years old. We lived in Toronto, in one of the poorer inner city neighbourhoods, quite close to the railway tracks. Dad worked the night shift as a baker, and Mom worked days in a dry cleaning place. Looking back, I know we didn't have much money, but I never felt the least bit deprived as a kid. Mom and Dad were great about finding things to do in the city that didn't cost much money, and when I think of my childhood, I remember laughing a lot, and feeling loved and safe. My Dad was a real comic. He'd come home in the morning just when we were having breakfast, and he'd tell us stories of all the people at the bakery. He'd make us laugh so hard that Mom and I would leave for work and school with tears in our eyes."

  Rhi paused to take a drink and noticed her audience was fixed intently on her. She smiled at them, and resumed her story.

  "I can remember Dad dancing me around the kitchen while I stood on his shoes, but he really loved to dance with Mom. They'd turn up the radio and I'd sit on the counter clapping as they danced and danced." She smiled wistfully at the memory. "Dad worshipped the ground Mom walked on. He would tell me the story of how he'd come to Canada on a visit as a young man. He was with some buddies in a park and he saw a vision of a goddess, picnicking with her friends. Said as soon as he set eyes on Mom, he knew he was going to marry her. And he did. Mom used to laugh and say it was only because he was so annoying that she finally said 'yes' just to shut him up, but I knew she loved him too. Her eyes used to sparkle when she heard him at the front door."

  Rhi glanced at Marika and saw a yearning look in the gray eyes watching her. They looked at each other for a long moment before the younger woman took a deep breath and went on.

  "Mom used to baby-sit for some of the people in the neighbourhood, and one night she was looking after this little kid who just wouldn't settle down. I think he was teething or something. Anyway, Dad was at work, Mom was occupied with the cranky baby, and when it came time for bed, she didn't have time to read me my usual stories. I was mad at her, and I stomped upstairs to my bedroom..."

  * * *

  "Stupid baby!" Rhi muttered as she slammed the door behind her. The little girl knew she wasn't really being fair, but she loved story time with her mother and hated to lose it because of some squalling brat.

  Marching across the room, she dropped to her knees in front of the cage that held her pet. Opening the wire door, she scooped the white mouse out into her palm. Leaning back against her bed, she stroked the tiny creature with one finger, enjoying the feeling of his soft fur. She'd wanted a dog, and Elrod the mouse had been her parents' compromise. At first she'd rejected the pet, until her father took her aside and explained that Elrod would die if she didn't look after him, and that it was her responsibility to protect and care for him. That had changed her attitude, and now she cared for her pet religiously.

  Watching him now, Elrod sniffed her palms and then tickled her with his feet as he ran up her arm and across the back of her neck. She giggled at the sensation, then plucked him off her shoulder and, giving him a goodnight kiss, put him back into the cage.

  Sighing, she got into bed, picking up one of her books. She'd been reading since she was five, but didn't feel like doing it for herself. Grumpily, she tossed the book aside and pulled the covers up around her neck. When her mother came in to say goodnight, she pretended she was asleep and didn't react to the soft kiss placed on her cheek.

  She'd been quite sure she couldn't possibly fall asleep after being so gravely disappointed, but when her mother rushed into her room hours later, she was sleeping soundly. Wrenched awake as her mother grabbed her and pulled her out of bed with one hand as she cradled a wailing baby in the other arm, Rhi stared at her Mom in amazement.

  She opened her mouth to ask, but was cut off by her mother's frantic words. "We have to get out of the house...NOW! Hold onto my bathrobe and DON'T let go!"

  Scared into speechlessness, Rhi grabbed her Mom's robe and trotted after her as the woman hurried out of the room. As the little girl emerged from her room, she realized that the house was filled with smoke and she could barely see where she was going. She sensed her mother feeling her way with one hand and could hear the baby's cries interspersed with coughs, as she too fought to breathe.

  They were almost to the bottom of the stairs, when Rhiannon remembered Elrod and her father's admonition that the mouse was her responsibility. She dropped hold of the robe and bolted back up the stairs. Unaware that her passenger had jumped ship, the woman felt her way to the front door and outside to safety.

  Rhi burst into her room, grabbing the cage and turning back to the door. She was driven back by a blast of heat and stared in fright at the flames now visible in the hallway. Whimpering, "Mommy, help me!" she backed away, terrified. She cast her gaze frantically about the room, seeking an escape. She ran to the window, but couldn't get it open. Sobbing now, she rolled under the bed, pulling Elrod's cage with her. She could feel the heat of the approaching flames as she choked and gasped for air, when she heard the sound of the window breaking. Within moments, strong hands pulled her out from under the bed, and still clutching the cage, she was carried to the window. Over the fireman's shoulder, she could see the flames begin to engulf her bed, and then she was outside, being carried down a ladder.

  * * *

  In a flat voice she barely recognized as her own, Rhiannon said, "When Mom realized we'd gotten separated, she gave the baby to a neighbour and ran back into the house. She didn't make it out a second time. Someone called Dad at work, and he rushed home. I'll never forget his scream when they told him that Mom was inside."

  She didn't even realize she was crying until a gentle hand wiped softly at her cheeks with a tissue. Looking up, she saw Marika use the same tissue to dab at her own eyes.

  David gazed at her with infinite compassion. "Rhi, it's okay to stop..."

  She shook her head. "Not much more to tell, Ichabod. Elrod died a few days after the fire. Same day we buried Mom actually. Dad got an apartment, and he switched jobs so he could be home in the evenings and nights with me. But...it was like everything good had gone out of his life. I never heard him laugh again. I tried so hard..."

  Her voice trailed off as Rhi recalled the endless days she'd tried to take her mother's place, cleaning the sparse home, doing her best to cook her father meals, talking to the mostly silent man as they sat across the table from each other. One time she'd even tried to coax him into dancing, but he'd only gently pushed her away, telling her 'maybe later.'

  "One morning, he left for work at the usual time. I went to get my school lunch, and I saw that Dad had forgotten his, so I ran after him. I was half a block behind him and gaining when I saw..."

  Rhi stopped there, barely able to voice the horror she'd seen. In a scarcely audible voice, she said, "He stepped right into the path of a city bus. They tried to tell me later that it must have been an accident, that he wasn't paying attention, but I knew."

  Her friends shifted uneasily until David softly asked, "You knew what, Rhi?"

  Dark anguished eyes rose to meet his. "I knew he didn't love me enough to live for me. He walked into the path of that b
us deliberately because he couldn't stand life without her one more moment. He didn't even last a year without her."

  "I'm so, so sorry," Marika murmured, the tears again rolling freely down her pale cheeks. "To have that happen to a child...and for you to see it..."

  Her voice far away, Rhi looked beyond them to a past she'd never spoken of until this night. "I always wondered if losing Dad was my punishment for killing Mom."

  There was an outcry of protests, and she shook her head. "No, it's okay. I do understand that I was a kid, and I reacted without thinking. That it killed my mother was a horrible accident." She looked at them wryly, "Mind you, when I got dumped with Hettie, I was pretty sure THAT was my punishment."

  Her weak attempt at humour failed to wring the smallest smile from her friends, and she just shrugged. Looking up at the wall clock, she noted it was almost three now.

  Marika followed her line of sight and, closing her hand over Rhi's, said, "I'm taking you home with me. You can stay with me as long as you want, you know that."

  "Yeah," David chimed in. "I was going to keep you here, but I figured it might arouse less comment from the small minded in the parish if you stayed with a female friend."

  Rhi couldn't help a small burst of laughter at the irony, and she could tell by the priest's tiny grin that he was well aware of it too. Stretching a little, she nodded her head.

  "I'll take you up on that offer for a few nights, boss, but I'll get cracking on finding a new place in the morning."

  Marika shook her head, but stood when Rhi did. David picked up her documents and handed them over, before walking the women to the door.

  "Call me tomorrow?" he asked.

  Rhi smiled wearily. "You mean today, but yeah, I'll give you a call later on, okay?"

  David opened his arms hesitantly, but Rhi willingly moved into them for a hug.

  "Thanks, Ichabod," she whispered fiercely, squeezing him hard. He hugged her back for a long moment, then released her. Turning away, she missed the exchange of understanding looks between the priest and the lawyer as she headed out the door.

  * * *

  The brothers stood watching the smoking remains of the yellow house. The smaller of the two men sidled over to a fireman rolling up a hose.

  "Hey, pretty bad one, eh?"

  "Yeah," the tired firefighter grunted. "Least there was no loss of life this time though."

  Engrossed in his task, he missed the startled expression on the speaker's face and never noticed when the man trotted back to his bigger companion.

  "Shit! What are we gonna do?" the bigger man hissed at his brother.

  "Shut the fuck up, Eddie! I gotta think. C'mon, let's get outta here."

  The two men crossed the street. When Eddie went to mount the stairs to their home, Pike shook his head.

  "Nah, not a good idea. Let's get outta here for a coupla days."

  Eddie stared at his older brother. "He ain't gonna be happy, Pike."

  "Tell me somepin' I don't know, ya idiot," the smaller brother snarled. Turning, he stalked over to the brand-new pick-up parked behind their Harleys. Without waiting to see if his brother followed, he climbed in and started the engine. The truck was already backing up by the time Eddie swung himself into the cab. Pulling carefully out of the driveway, Pike navigated around the pumper truck and drove slowly down the street.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  "CAN I FILL YOURS too, love?"

  Dana finished topping up her own cup and extended the coffee pot towards her partner. Glancing at the kitchen clock, Lee nodded.

  "Yeah, I've got time for one more before I go." She stacked their breakfast dishes while her mate poured the coffee.

  "Would you mind switching with me this morning and letting me take the truck?" Dana asked as she slid the pot back onto the hot plate. "I promised Danny I'd get his mountain bike fixed by the time he got back from fishing, and I'd like to take it in to the shop today."

  "Sure, no problem." Lee stirred another teaspoon of sugar in the black brew. "What he'd do to his bike?"

  "He bent the rim on the front wheel when he and Tony were riding the hills down by the Bow last weekend." Dana shook her head in bemusement. "I suppose I should be glad it was only the bike that was in need of repair."

  Lee grinned. She was about to comment on Danny's knack for escaping scrapes uninjured when the phone rang. Sipping her sweetened coffee, she returned her attention to the newspaper as Dana picked it up.

  "Hello," Dana said, balancing the phone between ear and shoulder as she carried their bowls to the dishwasher. "Oh, hi, Rika. How's it going?"

  The sound of dishes clattering on the counter brought Lee's head up sharply, and she regarded her partner curiously.

  "Oh my God! Is she all right?"

  Dana was leaning on the counter, and Lee half-stood before her partner shook her head and motioned her back to her chair.

  "Well, thank God for that anyways," Dana said, shaking her head. "Does she need a place to stay? We have lots of room here, and she'd be very welcome."

  Lee's attention was riveted on her partner, her heart sinking as she noted the clear dismay on Dana's expressive features.

  "All right, if you're sure. But you let us know if there's anything we can do, Rika. I mean that! Look we'll call you tonight, okay? You take care of her...and yourself. Bye, hon."

  Literally on the edge of her chair, Lee waited impatiently as her partner hung up the phone. "What happened?" she blurted.

  Dana shook her head sadly as she sat down heavily in her chair. "Poor Rhi's house burned down last night. She and her aunt both got out safely, but all she saved was the clothes on her back."

  Lee felt an ominous chill go through her. Two near misses in one day? The odds against that were much too high for her comfort. Half of her mind listened to her partner as the other half began running through options and possibilities.

  "I told Rika that Rhi could stay here if she wanted," Dana said, "but she wants Rhi to stay there for now. Thinks she'll be more comfortable in familiar surroundings. Rika's going to take Rhi shopping for some clothes and things today. She said David is going to help out with some church emergency funds, and I'd like us to contribute too, eh, Lee? Lee??"

  Lee jerked her attention back to find her partner staring at her questioningly.

  "Um, yeah, of course we'll help, honey. Whatever you think best is fine with me."

  Dana continued. "I'm not sure if Rhi would willingly accept money from us. I don't have to be at work until noon, so I'm going to pick up a few things and maybe we can run them over after I get off shift tonight."

  The big woman nodded absently. Dana sighed and eyed her mate affectionately. "I know that look, Leandra Phyllis Glenn. You've got something going on in that head of yours."

  Lee couldn't help a small grin at the use of her full name. At least she wasn't in trouble this time. Reaching across the table, she patted her partner's hand.

  "Just doing some thinking, sweetheart. Something about all this stinks like yesterday's fish. I think I'll do a little poking and prodding around."

  Dana stood and came around to kiss Lee. "Well make sure it's not a hornets nest that you're poking and prodding, love." She squeezed the broad shoulder lightly. "I'm going to go shower. If you go before I'm out, don't forget to leave me the truck keys, okay? And if you plan to be home about eight thirty tonight, we can go over and see Rika and Rhi then."

  Lee nodded her agreement and watched as Dana left their sunny kitchen. Letting her gaze drop, she stared, frowning, at the tabletop, finally coming to a decision. Standing, she crossed to the phone and punched in her business partner's number.

  "Willem? Yeah, I know it's early. Look, I need a favour."

  Lee gave her old friend and longtime partner a few moments to complain about being bothered before he'd even finished breakfast, and when he wound down, continued. "Is your cousin still with the city fire department?"

  At the puzzled acknowledgement, she grunted approving
ly. "Good. Listen, a friend of mine lost her home in a house fire in Victoria Park last night."

  There was a brief burst of conversation. "Yeah, I guess that's the one. I haven't listened to the news this morning. Anyway, there's something more than a little suspicious about it, because she had another near-miss with a hit and run earlier in the day."

  Her voice had become very sober. "Willem, I have a very bad feeling that she may be in some kind of trouble, and I'd like to figure out what's going on before there's another so-called accident. Can you get in touch with your cousin and find out what the official word is on the fire?"

  Having realized the seriousness of the situation, Willem became all business and instantly agreed to do as he was asked. Lee nodded in approval. She knew he'd come through for her. He always did. Between the two of them, they had connections that covered most of the city, from boardrooms to back alleys...though Willem specialized in the former, while Lee was more at home in the latter.

  "Thanks, Willem. I'll be at the office in thirty minutes. I'll see you there."

  * * *

  Marika sat quietly at her kitchen table, thinking of the night's events as she sipped her coffee. Rhi was still sound asleep in the den, and she didn't want to wake her young friend until absolutely necessary. She'd called the office and explained the circumstances, booking both of them off work for the day, and she'd let Dana and Lee know what was going on. Now she had nothing left to distract herself from thoughts of what she'd almost lost.

  When David had called with the news, he'd taken pains to immediately assure her that Rhiannon was fine and safe at the rectory, but that hadn't prevented an overwhelming fear from sweeping through the lawyer. As she'd scrambled to put together a bag of clothes before rushing out of her apartment, the only thing running through her mind was a repeated prayer of thanks that the young woman had escaped unscathed.