Henry leaned toward Deidre. “Are we interested in what you bring us? Absolutely. Will we cooperate? To the fullest. Is this an isolated case? It’s the tip of the iceberg.”
With those words he went silent, but Joseph began to speak. “There are few statistics to support what Henry’s told you because most of the victims are killed before they can speak out. Thunder Bay’s police spokesperson has gone on record saying he isn’t aware of any problem. However, the Ontario Provincial Police, headquartered in this city, recognizes the crimes against our people. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the OPP, and the Canada Border Services struggle to combat human trafficking, but still, it’s a trade that flies under the radar. The wilderness border is as porous as a sieve. Anything can leak through, especially in the summer when the waterways are open to tourist canoe traffic. What can we do to help you in your investigation?”
Deidre sat in deep contemplation for several moments. “You can begin by helping me find out if our dead girl is from your nation, and if she is, what her history is. If we do find an answer to that question, then we must find out how she reached the town of Silver Bay. Finding that answer, we must then locate the party or parties who brought her to Minnesota. Then we go after the killer or killers.”
Without realizing what she was doing, Deidre was formulating the sequence of a plan she would follow to the end of the case. Her dead girl deserved to be heard in a court of law, if only by the silent testimony of her wounds and death.
“We appreciate your desire to move forward on this issue as quickly as possible. The information from your secretary was passed on to NAN’s chief of police, Charles Freeman. He’ll meet with you at four o’clock today, and I believe he has some answers for you. Joseph will accompany you to his headquarters and help you find your way around. Charles is a good man, hard working, and very intelligent. He is eager to meet you and to seek your cooperation on this case. Is there anything else I can do to facilitate your work?”
Deidre sensed the meeting was over and stood to leave. She extended her hand. “No, not right now, but I hope the lines of communication will remain open between my office and yours.”
The grand chief smiled warmly as he held Deidre’s hand for a moment. “After speaking with your secretary over the phone, I don’t think I have a choice.”
Joseph Walkin escorted Deidre through the maze of hallways to his car, and together, they rode to the NAN police headquarters. On the way, Deidre phoned Inga to tell her not to expect her home that night. Then she called her friend, Terry, who owned a bait store a few miles from her cabin and asked him to stop by and check on Pete and to give him some food and water. Even if she was done with her meeting by early evening, she didn’t want to drive one hundred-fifty miles home in the cold and the dark. By the time she finished her calls, Joseph had parked his car in an underground garage. They took an elevator to the fifth floor of the headquarter building.
Again, she followed Joseph through a maze of hallways until he walked into one of the offices. The receptionist looked up from her work. “Joseph, how are you today?” Not waiting for an answer, her gaze swung to Deidre. “And you must be Deidre. Welcome to Thunder Bay. Your secretary called and left a message for you. She has made reservations for your stay tonight at the Valhalla Inn. It’s only a few minute’s drive from here, and is one of our best lodgings for the money. You’ll be comfortable there.”
Deidre was beginning to wonder if Jill was some sort of psychic. She wasn’t accustomed to having someone being one step ahead of her all the time. She smiled and took the paper from the receptionist.
Joseph was holding the door to the inner office open and motioned for Deidre to go in first. A black-haired man stood by his desk, a welcoming smile on his face. Deidre thought he looked like a man who could have modeled for one of those calendar pictures of a Royal Mounted Policeman.
“Deidre, so good to meet you. I feel as though we’ve already met. Your secretary faxed me a brief bio of you. Your work experience is more than impressive, and I, for one, am delighted to be able to work with you. I’m equally impressed with your secretary’s initiative. She pointed out what might be most useful to meet your needs. You’re lucky to have her working for you.”
Deidre found herself mumbling something about being grateful for her assistance, but she really wasn’t quite sure.
Charles, the NAN chief of police, bypassed any small talk and got down to business.
“We know your schedule’s tight, so let’s get to the point. You’re aware, I’m sure, of the monumental problem our staff is facing, and it’s taxing our resources, both in personnel matters and financially. For decades, centuries would be more accurate, our women and girls have been preyed upon by men who have used them as prostitutes. But the problem has become increasingly more sinister because they are being coerced in more systematic ways by gangs and criminals. There are so many girls missing, it’s difficult for us to stay abreast of the situation. Fortunately, we have made considerable progress since receiving Dr. Coster’s report yesterday.”
With that news, Deidre became acutely focused on his words.
“Of the six hundred some missing females registered in our files, our computer system was able to quickly select those between the ages of fourteen and nineteen. That brought the number of possible leads down to three hundred forty-seven. Selecting those who had type O blood, further narrowed the search to three hundred twenty-six. Considering height, we narrowed the field to one hundred eighteen. We were getting closer.”
Deidre was getting fidgety in her chair, and she wished that Charles would skip the process and tell her what they had found, but he continued. “Next, we checked the dental x-rays you sent us against the records of the one hundred eighteen. Unfortunately, most of our missing women and girls come from conditions of extreme poverty. Many have never seen the inside of a dentist’s office, and so no records exist for them.”
Deidre’s hopes began to plunge.
“In our case, we were lucky. Your victim comes from a moderately successful family. In her record file was a complete set of dental x-rays. Fortunately for us, unfortunately for her family, we found a perfect match.”
Charles handed a paper to Deidre. “This is the information you’re looking for.”
She quickly scanned the page. Name: Anna Joyce Woodsong. Deidre read more. Age: 16 yrs. 9 mo. Judy had nailed this one perfectly. Height: 160 cm., Weight: 50 kg.
She wasn’t used to metric measurements, but a rough calculation mixed with a little guesswork led her to the figures about five feet three inches and a weight of about one hundred ten pounds. That seemed to fit the corpse, although she appeared to be much lighter than one-ten.
There were other data on the page, but Deidre’s eyes were too full of tears to read.
Joseph cleared his throat. “We’ve located Anna’s parents, and they’d like to meet with you this evening. Charles will accompany you to their home and sit with you during your meeting. I’m sure there are questions you’ll want to ask her parents, but we ask that you be respectful of their feelings and their heritage. They are solid people who have been held up as an example by our people, but they are hurting deeply right now.”
“I know what they’re feeling. You needn’t worry about my ability to respect them. I’ve been there myself,” she said as she wiped her eyes with a tissue. “I’ll be gentle with my questioning.”
*****
After retrieving her SUV and checking into her hotel, Deidre ate a light supper before Charles arrived to take her to visit Anna’s parents. Neither of them said much on the way, each facing his and her own sense of dread over the uncertainty of how the visit would go.
He pulled into the driveway of a modest home. “This is it. Before we go in, I think you should know that her parents are keenly interested in their heritage and in preserving some of the old ways. Not that t
hey’re trying to live in the past. They’re very progressive. They simply want to preserve their native language and some of the traditions. Under other circumstances, you’d find them to be interesting people.”
They walked up the sidewalk, and Joseph rang the doorbell. It was answered by an attractive woman who looked to be in her late thirties. Deidre could see a distinct resemblance between her and the picture of her daughter she’d seen back at Charles’s office.
“Come in, please,” she invited them. Deidre noticed the lady’s hands were trembling, and her voice quivered. She and Joseph removed their shoes in the entry and followed the victim’s mother to the living room.
“This is my husband, John Woodsong. I’m Mary. Thank you so much for taking the time to come to our home.” She sat down next to her husband, and there was a moment of awkward silence. No one seemed to know what to say.
Finally, Anna’s father cleared his throat. “We understand you have confirmation our daughter has been found dead.”
Deidre shuffled her feet. “I was called to a suspicious site in the town of Silver Bay last week. It appeared that something had been struck by a car and thrown off a bridge. When I investigated, I found your daughter’s body under the bridge. I called in experts from the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension of the state of Minnesota. Their medical examiner, who is also a forensic anthropologist, determined that her death was a homicide. She also believed the body to be that of a Nishnawbe Aski girl. That’s why we contacted the NAN officers, to seek their assistance. From their forensic data, a positive identification was made.”
Deidre waited for a response, and another long period of silence followed.
“Did she suffer?” Mary asked. She held her head high as though bracing for a slap across her face.
Deidre didn’t tell the whole truth. “I think death came painlessly.”
She thought it probably had. Hypothermia would have set in and the girl drifted into death. Deidre was not about to go into what had transpired before death released her from her torment.
Anna’s father asked, “Was she badly broken from the impact of the car?”
Deidre took a deep breath. “She wasn’t hit by a car. I’m sorry if I left you with that impression. Unfortunately, your daughter was accosted by an individual or individuals and was left for dead.” She didn’t go into details. Mary began to weep into a towel she had been worrying. John clenched his teeth so hard the veins in his neck stood out.
“I have a few questions to ask you, if you’re willing to share with me.” She needed information, but she also wanted to move the conversation in a different direction.
“How long ago was it that your daughter disappeared?”
Mary Woodsong tried to speak, but each time she would begin, the words were cut off by a sob. Finally, she shook her head and looked at her husband.
John was able to speak, although he had to stop repeatedly and take a deep breath. “It will be six months tomorrow.” He paused to control his voice, then continued speaking, looking nowhere. His eyes were blank. “We had an argument that day. I insisted that she go to tribal classes that night to study our native language, but she wanted to go to a concert with friends. I said, ‘No.’ We had words. She didn’t come home for supper, and we thought she had gone off with friends to the concert, but later that night we called her friends. They said the last time they saw her she was walking alone on a path in the park by the lake.
“We called the NAN police, but they found no trace of her. We haven’t seen her since.” He paused again. “When can we see her body?”
“I’m not sure. Your daughter’s remains are at the BCA lab where they are still looking for clues as to who her killers might be.” She wasn’t lying. “Here is the number for their central office. They’ll have the details you need.” She handed a card to Mary. Do you know if your daughter had any involvement with older men?”
Mary glanced at her husband. She said, “No, I’m sure not. Her friends were all her own age. She was a good girl, officer, no trouble at all. It’s just that she was exerting her independence lately. She was growing up and wanted to make her own decisions.”
Deidre nodded her understanding. “Do you know anyone who might have wanted to hurt your daughter?”
“No one. She was popular and friendly with everyone. Why would anyone want to do this to her? And how did she end up in the States? Do you have any idea?”
Deidre had to admit that she didn’t, but in her mind she made a vow she would find the answers.
“I want you to know that I appreciate your taking the time to visit with me,” she told the grieving parents. “I won’t say I know how you feel. I’m sure your pain must be beyond comprehension. I promise you I’ll do everything I can to bring your daughter’s killer to justice. I also promise to keep you up to date on what we’re discovering. I may not be able to divulge everything we’re doing for the sake of the investigation, but I’ll be in contact on a regular basis. Again, thank you so much, and I’m sorry for your loss. I’m sorry.”
Joseph stood up, and Deidre followed suit. John escorted them to the door. As they were walking away, they heard his fist pounding on the inside of the door.
“That was difficult.” Joseph agreed.
Sleep did not come easily for Deidre that night. She dreamed she was chasing a formless figure through the woods, but the snow was knee deep, dragging at her every step. She dreamed that she finally collapsed, exhausted, while the figure lurked in the shadows of the tree line.
By six the next morning, she had packed her few belongings and checked out of the hotel. The ride home was long.
Chapter 11
Pete barged out of his dog house when she drove up her driveway. He stood waiting, his tail wagging exuberantly and his ears perked expectantly. When Deidre opened the car door, he almost crawled into her lap.
“Well, aren’t you the perfect welcoming committee,” she laughed as she scratched his ears. If dogs could smile, Pete did.
“Come on, boy. Let’s get you some food, and then I have a call to make. What do you say we take a trip to Duluth this afternoon?”
It was early afternoon when she pulled into Ben’s driveway. By then the day had taken its toll. Deidre had logged over two hundred miles on icy, winter roads, had skipped lunch and had put herself through an emotional wringer, wondering where to go next in the investigation. She needed a friend.
Before she could exit her car, Megan and Maren burst from the door, running down the sidewalk in their stocking feet, oblivious to the cold.
“Girls! Girls, get back here and put on your jackets and boots,” Ben shouted, but they were deaf to his voice.
Deidre swooped them up in her arms and carried them back to the house. Pete was left in the backseat, trying desperately to join the excitement. The children were deposited safely in their father’s arms, and Deidre returned to let Pete out. He immediately checked the shrubbery to see what other dogs had been around, then left his yellow mark on a juniper bush protruding above the snow.
They all went inside. Pete, being comfortable with the place, lay down on his pad in the corner of the entry, and Deidre took the twins from Ben.
“Oh, I’ve missed you girls so much,” she said as she kissed each girl. “I could just eat you up,” and she made a snuffling noise as she pretended to nibble on their cheeks.
The girls giggled and twisted as though they wanted to escape, but they didn’t really want to be put down. Ben stood in the background, looking on.
“Okay, you two hunyucks, let’s give Deidre some air.”
Megan retorted, “We’re not hunyucks.”
“Oh, yes, you are,” Ben shot back, and he tucked each child under an arm as he carried them into the kitchen. They squealed with delight. It was Deidre’s turn to watch, and she thought, If any children have a shot at a go
od life, it has to be them. She smiled at the unforced expression of love she was witnessing.
After a quick snack, Ben suggested they go to the Duluth Zoo. A sliding hill had been prepared, and for any donation to the Zoo’s coffers, children could play all day.
They packed up four inner tubes Ben had stored in the loft of his garage and bundled the girls against the cold with bright colored scarves ready to drape around their chins as they careened down the hill.
Conditions were perfect, hard packed snow, crisp air, and not a huge crowd to slow their fun.
“Come on, Deidre, I’ll show you how we do this,” Maren urged Deidre to follow her to the brink of the hill. “We line up our tubes this way,” and she placed the rides side by side. “Megan, that one is yours,” and she pointed to the one at the far end.
“No, that’s not fair!” Megan spat out. “I want to be in the middle.” Maren ignored her sister’s complaint.
“Daddy, you get this one. Deidre, you get to be next to Daddy, and I’ll be on the other end.” That arrangement placated Megan.
“Now we all sit in our own tube and hold each other’s hand,” and she plunked down in her spot, reaching for Deidre.
When all were ready, Ben gave a slight push to get them started down the hill, and the chain of sliders picked up speed until the snow beneath them was flying past. Near the bottom of the hill was a man-made mogul, and the string of sliders hit it at top speed. In rapid succession, they were catapulted in the air, separated from their tubes, and ended up in a heap on the snowy ground.
Megan picked up a handful of snow and rubbed it in her dad’s face. He, in turn put his cold, wet fingers down the back of her neck, and she squealed in delight. For an instant the four wrestled on the ground, trying to untangle their arms and legs. Deidre found herself entwined with Ben, and for a moment they stopped laughing.
Then Ben, with a forced laugh, said, “Sorry about that. My bad,” and he got up, dusted the snow off his clothes, and started up the hill.
A River Through Two Harbors Page 8