The Dime Box
Page 28
“I dunno. But maybe there’s a chance to put an end to this.”
Latoya groaned. “What happened to moving on with your life? Why can’t you leave it alone?”
With a sigh, she shook her head. “I wanted to unravel my mom’s history, and I did. Now I need to find my own.”
Latoya’s eyes widened. “G., it could be a needle in a haystack.”
“I get it.” Though Latoya wasn’t saying anything she didn’t already know, she still felt annoyed. Things were different; there were new pieces missing now. She drew a deep breath. “The least I can do is try.”
“So you’re leaving?”
“Hell no,” she said, with a shake of her head.
“Then what’s that?” Latoya pointed to the suitcase through the living room window.
She put her hand on her forearm. “I need to start in the parking lot in Parry Sound.”
Latoya’s jaw dropped. “You’re going back?”
“Officer Pappas is meeting me there tomorrow afternoon.”
“You’re sure about this, G.?”
She gave her a nod. “Readier than I’ve ever been.”
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I want to thank the many people who helped with the writing and publication of this book.
Though purely a work of the imagination, this novel is inspired by the many students I had the privilege of coming to know during over two decades of work as an educator at the Scarborough Board of Education, the Toronto District School Board and at TVO. Thank you for generously sharing your voices, your lives and your stories. You are beacons of light for the rest of us—our future is in great hands!
Thanks to Maria and Gerard Doyle, Bev Freedman, Wendy McCrae, Barb Omland, Nadine Segal, Jim Strachan and Cathy Vodden for providing feedback on early drafts. You’ve all been amazing cheerleaders. To Donna MacKenzie and Janet Piper, for the untold hours you spent sharing your perspectives, steering me in the right direction and providing your unfailing encouragement. I’m deeply grateful. Profound thanks to Phil Tsui, Assistant Crown Attorney with the Ministry of the Attorney General’s Guns and Gangs Initiative for giving me your time, expertise and answering all my questions about police protocol and the legal system in Ontario. Any and all mistakes are solely mine.
My biggest debt of gratitude is to my fabulous editor Adrienne Kerr and my mentor author Lawrence Hill. These two literary geniuses sat perched on my shoulders month after month, year after year, through the developmental process of the novel. Both possess rare gifts for storytelling and have been great readers and even better friends. Without their insight, patience, humour and willingness to challenge me, The Dime Box would still be a document in a folder on my desktop. Adrienne and Larry set it free and let it soar. I’m forever indebted to you both for your kindness, inspiration and coaching.
Thank you to my publishing team across the pond in the UK. To Hayley Paige who believed in this story from the beginning and to Notebook Publishing for taking a chance on me. To the dream team: Mark for designing a wonderful cover, to Hayley and Riley for copyediting, formatting and marketing. You’ve all been a delight to work with.
Finally, thanks to family. To my husband, John, who lived this adventure with me. When I took on a little more than I could handle, he took care of the big and little things every day along the way. I could not have done this without your love and support. To Gina, for sharing her perspectives regarding counseling and serving marginalized clients; Trisha who has always been creative and encouraging; and Jaime, for stepping in effortlessly time and time again with brilliant inspiration, the right words or a new idea when I got lost. Being your Mom is my life’s greatest gift. I love you all, and am so fortunate to have you in my corner.