“I’d like to have some knowledge of what they went through before I approach them again.”
Rouleau nodded. “Then I’ll see what I can find out.” He took a few steps away from her and stopped. “Did you come by the condo for any reason in particular?”
Woodhouse was on his way back to his desk and Bennett had entered the office. Kala shook her head. She couldn’t chance Woodhouse overhearing. “Nothing worth discussing now. I’ll catch up with you later.”
The rest of Kala’s day was spent lining up interviews in Edmonton with the help of Tanya Morrison and Bennett.
“I don’t know why they’re sending you alone,” said Bennett after Vera stopped by to discuss Kala’s itinerary.
“I don’t mind.” Kala preferred working alone and was eager to carry out the assignment now that the wheels were in motion. “We’ve got all the legwork done today and it’s only a matter of following the plan.”
She was putting on her coat to go home when a call was punched through to her desk phone. She sat down and picked up the receiver. “Officer Stonechild. Can I help you?” Empty air. “Hello?” She listened to the silence a few moments more before starting to lower the receiver.
“Kala? It’s Rose.” Her cousin’s voice sounded urgent and worried.
Kala again raised the receiver to her ear. “Rose? Is everything okay?”
Rose had never called her from prison before. She could have been right next to Kala, whispering in her ear. “He came to see me. Yesterday.”
“Who came to see you?”
“Fisher. He said he wants to meet Dawn. Can you believe it? For the first fourteen years of her life, he never gave a fuck and now he wants to be a father? ‘I’ve changed,’ he said. Like he could.” Rose’s breathing was heavy as if she’d been running a race and a keening wail filled Kala’s ear.
“Hold on. Hold on, Rose. Does Fisher know that Dawn is living with me?”
“I didn’t tell him but he knows she’s in Kingston.”
“How could he know?”
“I might have told somebody who knows him. I should have kept my mouth shut. When will I learn not to trust anybody?”
“Oh.”
“Can you take her away? Where he can’t find her?”
“I don’t think —”
“I did it once. I got her away from him.”
“I thought you said that he was never in the picture after Dawn was born.”
Silence.
“Rose?”
“I might have wished he wasn’t. I ran away with her when she was two.”
“He could have rights, Rose. You might not be able to keep her from him.”
“Even if he was crazy drunk and doing drugs half the time? Even if he gambled away all our money?”
“I’m guessing you don’t have sole custody?”
“No.”
“Is Dawn’s last name Dumont? I always thought she had your last name: Cook.”
“I changed her name to mine after we left him.”
Kala breathed deeply while she thought about what to do. She couldn’t run away. Dawn couldn’t take anymore turmoil. They had a life here. She said, “I’ll keep her safe, no matter what.”
“I need you to promise me.”
“I promise.”
“No, you need to swear on all you hold sacred that you will keep her away from him.”
“I swear on all I hold sacred that I will keep her safe.”
But I can’t promise to keep her away from her dad if he’s determined to find her.
Kala heard background noises on the phone and somebody talking. Rose covered the receiver and said something before saying to Kala, “Time’s up. Gotta go.”
“Take care, Rose. Don’t worry about Dawn.”
“Yeah. You take care too. Make sure you look after my girl.”
chapter twenty-six
Vera had booked Kala on the 6:45 a.m. direct WestJet flight to Edmonton Sunday morning. The flight arrived on schedule at 10:20 and Kala awoke disoriented and groggy as the wheels hit the runway. She hauled her overnight bag off the plane and caught a cab to police headquarters at 103A Avenue situated west of the North Saskatchewan River and northeast of the downtown. The sand-coloured building took up an entire city block, a grouping of interlocking rectangular concrete boxes with blackened windows breaking up the monotone monotony. Kala was greeted by a young female officer in a navy uniform named Julie Gaudette, who escorted her to a meeting room on the first floor. Gaudette asked if Kala would like coffee and said that a woman who worked with Vivian was waiting inside the room. Officer Gaudette would meet up with Kala afterward and they could go over the interview list and the search warrant.
Vivian’s supervisor and co-worker from the Bay, Beth Engels, was a smartly dressed woman in her early forties with lips painted a luscious red that reminded Kala of candy apples. The scent of sweet lavender settled around her like an invisible cloak as Kala sat down beside her. Beth opened by saying without prompting, “Vivian worked for me the last four years. I can’t believe she’s dead.”
“I know that this has been a terrible shock. What can you tell me about her state of mind last time you saw her?”
“She was excited about the baby for sure.”
“I hear a but.”
“Welllll … I don’t like to gossip,” Beth leaned forward and her silk blouse slipped lower over her cleavage, “but I was surprised when Viv announced she was pregnant and even more surprised that she wanted the kid.”
“Why’s that?”
“Because she was ready to leave her husband the year before.”
“Did she tell you that?”
“She did.” Beth bit her bottom lip. “She was having an affair.”
“Who with?”
“She never told me the name. Very secretive about it, I think because Tristan was such a jealous guy. She was apprehensive about the scene he was going to make when she left him for good.”
“Did she say if Tristan suspected or knew about the affair?”
“She said that he didn’t have a clue and it was better for everyone that he didn’t.”
“Do you know if Tristan was ever violent with her?”
“No, Viv never said that he was, and there were no signs, you know, like bruises or black eyes. She knew how to handle herself. Self-confidence in spades, that one. I think she was more concerned with him not letting go of her even if he found out that she was running around on him. She told me more than once that he was more obsessed than in love with her. I think it went both ways, quite honestly, at least in the beginning for Vivian until the money got tight.”
“Did you meet Tristan?”
“Only a few times when he picked her up after work. Couldn’t say that I know him except from the things Vivian told me about him.”
“Which would be …?”
“Well, like I already said about him being the jealous sort and underperforming when it came to his career. They had a chunk of money from his bestseller some years back but he hadn’t done much since and they were living frugally. Vivian complained about having to cut back on more than one occasion. She seemed, I don’t know, disappointed in him? She said he spent a lot of time slothing around the house. I could see why she looked elsewhere.”
After spending the rest of the afternoon working with Gaudette, Kala caught a cab to the Holiday Inn where Vera had booked her a room for the night. Resting her head against the back seat, she thought about soaking in the hotel tub followed by room service. First, though, she’d call in the tidbit about Vivian’s affair to Gundersund and see how Dawn was doing. He’d promised to pick up some food and bring his dog Minnie over to keep Dawn company. It would have been nice to be there with them but at least she could get a good night’s sleep knowing Dawn was in good hands.
Sunday evening, Gundersund finished his phone conversation with Kala and looked across the kitchen table at Dawn. “How was the steak?”
“Great. I’m glad we decided
to cook instead of eating takeout. The corn on the cob was good for the middle of winter.”
“They’re growing every vegetable under the sun somewhere in the world three hundred and sixty-five days a year. Our world is getting smaller.”
“And tastier.”
He laughed. “How about we clean up and then take the dogs down by the water? It’s a clear night and we’ll have a good view of the constellations.”
“I need to study.”
“Studying can wait. A walk will clear your head.”
“Well, okay.”
He hadn’t spent any time with Dawn since she’d returned from the foster home the summer before and hadn’t been sure if she’d accept him back into her life. But the easy camaraderie he’d felt with her had resumed where it left off, for which he was grateful.
They stuck to the path of packed snow that Kala, Dawn, and Taiku had made from their repeated trips to the back of the property. The dome of indigo-black sky spread before them when they stood on the flattened bit of land above the drop to the water, stars twinkling like sequins, the quarter moon casting a shimmery white light across the black water. The shoreline was sparkling white, ice and snow mounded in sugary heaps over the rocks. Gundersund lifted his face to the cold wind off the lake, a welcome feeling after a day spent working in the stale office air. The dogs and Dawn stayed close to him and he felt as if they were the only ones left in the world, cocooned from time and troubles in the enveloping darkness.
“Aunt Kala said that you don’t come over anymore because you’re trying to get your marriage squared around. Is that true?”
“Not exactly.”
They’d started walking back to the house and she was ahead of him with the dogs racing in front of them both. “Then why haven’t you come over? Are you mad at us?”
“Never. I’m not sure why I haven’t been over, to be honest, although work has kept me busy. I also thought your aunt needed space. She’s been seeing another officer from work.”
“You mean Andrew Bennett? They go to the gym after work but that’s not exactly a relationship.”
He was quiet for a moment, reading between the lines. “Perhaps I should start stopping by again.”
“Perhaps you should.”
They reached the back steps. “How’s it going at school?” he asked.
“Good. I’m helping one of the girls in my class with math at the end of the day before I catch the bus home. She passed her latest test.”
“No more skipping?”
“No.”
“You do me proud, kid.”
Long after she’d gone upstairs to study with Taiku following her like a bodyguard, Gundersund stretched out on the couch with Minnie at his feet. The room had a comfortable feel. Indigenous art on the walls, a stone fireplace, Hudson’s Bay blanket folded on the footstool. The smell of wood smoke and jasmine incense soothed him, and before he had time to think about what Kala had told him over the phone about the affair Vivian apparently had been having while Tristan was away, or to worry about Woodhouse, his eyes had closed and he drifted into sleep. He didn’t stir until morning. He awoke before sunrise, surprised to find a blanket covering him and Minnie upstairs sleeping with Dawn and Taiku.
Marci Stokes was waiting by the window in the Delta hotel lounge, an empty gin-and-tonic glass and a full one standing side by side in front of her. She was staring out the window at the harbour, chin resting on one hand, her laptop uncharacteristically closed on the seat next to her. Woodhouse slid into the seat across from her and set his beer on the table. He looked her over.
“Ah, you didn’t need to get your hair done just for me,” he said.
“You flatter yourself. I get a haircut once a year whether I need to or not.”
Christ, was that a smile on her morose face? “You wanted to see me?”
“I did. I’m looking into a possible internal complaint about Staff Sergeant Rouleau. Might even be a human rights complaint. Do you know anything about that?”
For a second he didn’t have to feign surprise. Then he remembered that Ed Chalmers had said he was going to leak the story to the press. His instincts had told him not to go that route but Ed had disagreed. Now, he was going to have to play along. “How did you find out?”
Nice and innocent. Slightly outraged.
She kept her eyes riveted onto his face. “You weren’t the source?”
“No. I don’t air my grievances in the media. You should know that.” He pretended to be thinking. “What if I told you that I’m the one who made the complaint, but I don’t want my name out there? This isn’t about making myself famous.”
She shook her head as if to say she’d known he was behind this all along. Her voice was flat. “What is the complaint against Rouleau exactly?”
“It’s not frivolous. He’s been giving acting positions without fair competitions and assigning the case lead to his favorites without regard to seniority or merit.”
“Which would be you, presumably.”
“Yes, among others. You can speak with Human Resources.”
“Okay. Anything else?”
“No, but I’ve been made lead field investigator on the Vivian McKenna murder, which in my mind is an irrefutable admission of guilt on the part of management. I’m thinking of withdrawing my complaint since they appear to have acknowledged the error of their ways and are open to making changes. I’ve also heard that competitions will be running to replace Captain Heath for a year and to replace his replacement.”
“Which you feel responsible for initiating with your complaint?”
“One could say. Aren’t you going to take notes?”
“I will after you leave. I have a memory like a steel trap.” She poked a finger at the slice of lemon floating in her drink. “Anything new on the McKenna investigation, since you brought it up?”
“No comment.” He threw back the last of his beer and stood. “Been nice chatting with you again, Ms. Stokes, but I really have to run. Thanks for the beer. I put it on your tab since you dragged me out here on my Sunday.”
“I’d expect nothing less.”
He savoured the flash of dislike in her eyes before she turned her head to look out the window. She was a smart old cow and he enjoyed matching wits with her. She might figure out one day that he held all the good cards, but until then, he’d use her on his path to the job he deserved in the Kingston force.
chapter twenty-seven
Lauren had honestly meant to confront Boris about the state Antonia was in, but her family returned home before Boris did, one thing led to another, and before she knew it, the day had disappeared. Invigorated after her trip to Brighton, Evelyn had a cleaning bee in her bonnet and insisted that everyone pitch in with a general tidy-up, including washing all the bedding and scrubbing the floors. Tristan and Adam weren’t included in the divvying up of chores — another “Evelyn Rule of Life” that decreed men should not do women’s work, so by everyone, she meant Mona and Lauren. Adam and Tristan bought Senators tickets online for the afternoon hockey game and left for Ottawa purportedly to “keep out of the way.” While Lauren thought she could happily tell them both where to stuff themselves, she was relieved to see Tristan occupied and out of his bedroom.
At 5:30, Lauren squeezed out the mop one last time and climbed the stairs down to the basement to rinse the bucket and put away the cleaning supplies. Her back ached but she’d found the work mindless and oddly rejuvenating. Shovelling snow and now scrubbing floors and cleaning toilets were so far outside her current life as to be novel activities. She had cleaners for her condo and business, and a service took care of the condo grounds. She couldn’t recall the last time that she’d cooked a meal.
Mona called to her as she started back upstairs. “I’ve made tea.”
“I could use a cup.” Lauren reached the landing and entered the kitchen. “Something smells good.” She looked around the room. “Where’s Evelyn?”
“She put a roast in the oven and w
ent to lie down. Supper should be ready at eight and hopefully the men will be back.”
Mona poured two mugs of tea and they took the easy chairs in the den. Lauren hadn’t been alone with her sister-in-law since Vivian disappeared and felt an awkwardness between them. It got even more awkward when Mona set down her tea, stood up and hugged her. Lauren smelled sweat and talcum powder and was thankful when Mona released her and returned to her seat.
“Even though it’s been over a week, I keep expecting Vivian to come through the door. How are you holding up, Lauren?” Mona had the earnest, caring look on her face that set Lauren’s teeth on edge. The sweetness made her want to lash out … or cry.
“I’ve been through this before, remember? Violent death gets easier with practice.” She picked up her phone from where she’d set it on the coffee table.
“Still.”
“Yeah, none of this is easy.” She looked at the crease lines on Mona’s forehead and the suffering around her eyes and softened. “Don’t mind me. Perhaps I’m having a harder time than I can admit even to myself. How’re you doing?”
“Not great. I can’t believe any of this. Adam is having nightmares and keeping us both up. I’ll be glad when we can go home to Simon and get into our routine again. That’ll be the only way to get some perspective on this horridness and put it behind us.”
Lauren knew that Mona’s words were wishful thinking. They would never completely recover from this blow no matter how often they talked about their feelings or found solace in work. The dead would be with them forever: haunting, bleeding, taking away the joy. They’d go through the motions, but the ghosts would not let them return to that carefree life they’d taken for granted. Broken. They were all broken for good. The knowledge made her kinder.
“Time heals,” she said. “You’re right.”
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