Ava leaned down, so she was face to face with the man while Nick stepped in front of Ms. Levitt to keep her from interfering.
"Gone?" Ava asked in a low voice as she crouched down beside him. "Gone where?"
"No," he shook his head suddenly. "That's not right."
"What's not right?"
"You're not Sharon," he said, his eyes filled with fear. "You can't be. They killed you. You're dead!"
"Who?" Ava asked. "Tell me."
The man suddenly became agitated, like a caged animal trying to get out. He kept screaming no, and it was clear she wasn't going to get any more information from him.
"I'm sorry," the nurse said, trying to calm him down as Ms. Levitt pushed around Nick.
"Nurse Dubner, take the patient somewhere more calming right away," she said before turning to Ava and Nick. "I'm sorry about that. Some of our patients are further gone than others. You should leave. I'll be happy to answer any additional questions you might have by email."
They said their goodbyes as Ms. Levitt almost pushed them out the door.
"What just happened?" Ava asked once they got back inside the Jeep.
"I think we found Adam Walker," Nick said. "Let's just hope nobody follows us after this visit."
"I found his file," she said. "He's definitely there. That man was almost unrecognizable. If he didn't mistake me for Sharon, we wouldn't have known that was him."
"They either pumped him up with drugs, or he has some serious health issues," Nick said. "Ms Levitt implied as much. For an extra charge, they can pump your loved one with enough drugs to keep them docile and cut off from the world."
"That's horrible," she whispered.
The drive home was uneventful. Whatever plans they had for working through the information they uncovered all fled away the moment they got back. As they walked up the walkway, Stan's door opened, and a tall man stepped out.
"Shit," she said under her breath. "That's my father."
"Ava," Michael came down the steps to greet her, his arms open wide for a hug. "We just got in. Figured we'd surprise you."
She let him hug her but didn't say a word, not ready to fully forgive him for his lies.
"You must be Nick," he said, extending his hand for a handshake. "Michael. We've heard so much about you."
"Nice to meet you." Nick shook Michael's hand, not reacting to the deliberate handshake and the warning look in the man's eyes. Sensing a family dispute in the making, he figured it would be easier to let them figure it out. "I'm sure I'll see you around."
"Why don't you come in," Michael said. "We ordered pizza. There is plenty to go around."
"Another time, perhaps," he said. "I'm sure you have lots to catch up on."
Ava watched him slither away. Traitor, she thought as she followed her father inside.
***
Ava woke up to the realization that her parents were here. The two people she didn't have time to deal with right now. Last night she updated them on Stan's condition, the investigation and her podcast. She decided to omit specific details, not wanting to worry them.
When she came downstairs, Joan was prancing around the kitchen like a fairy godmother.
"Good morning, darling," she smiled when Ava walked in. She reached over and lightly brushed the bangs from Ava's eyes. "Did you sleep well?"
"Yes," Ava said. "How about you?"
"It's jetlag. It gets me every time," Joan smiled. "I couldn't sleep, so I came down to make tea. Would you like some? There is coffee as well."
Ava opted for coffee. She filled up her mug, added sugar and sat down at the table. Joan did the same then set a plate filled with muffins on the table.
"We should talk," Joan said. "I know you're angry with your father."
"Can you blame me?" Ava said. "You both lied to me."
"Your father told me about your conversation," Joan continued. Her face pinched with concern. "With me, with both of us. And I know it sounds cliché, but we thought we were protecting you."
"By lying to me?"
"You were so little when Sharon went missing. It broke your father's heart to see you in so much pain. It didn't seem relevant at the time to tell you the truth about us," a vague ghost of a smile touched the corner of her lips. "Your father and I love each other. We always have. I can't and won't apologize for that."
"So why not just say that? Instead of lying."
"It was never that simple, Ava. I was married to another man. I broke my marriage vows to be with your father. We both knew it was wrong, but we couldn't help it," she shut her eyes at the memory. "I was so ashamed of what I've done. The affair could have ruined my marriage, your father's job, his career. So, I pushed him away."
"Did Sharon know?"
Joan took a sip of her tea before she answered.
"Sharon was a very astute young woman. But no, she didn't know. At least not at first," she set the cup down in front of her. "I'm sure you've already heard this. Sharon was intelligent, beautiful and charismatic. You couldn't help but be drawn to her. When I made the decision to break things off with Michael, he was so broken. Sharon was in his class, and she dazzled him. How could he resist her?
"I didn't blame him when they started dating, but it was killing me inside to see them together, knowing she could be with him when I couldn't. We ran into each other at a party. That's where that photo was taken. That night Sharon told me she was pregnant, and I knew I had lost him forever. I thought I was good at hiding my feelings, but she was smart. She found out the truth."
"What did she do?" Ava asked.
"She gave me an ultimatum," Joan said quietly, choosing her words carefully. "She told me to leave Michael alone and go back to my husband, or she was going to tell everyone about the affair. I had no choice but to leave. I couldn't let her ruin everything."
"Did Dad know about this?"
Tears shimmered in Joan's eyes as she shook her head. "I never told him, but I think he might have suspected something. Maybe she told him at some point. All I know is that when they started having problems and talking about divorce, he came to me. I couldn't turn him away again. Then my husband died, and the rest, you know."
Ava reached for Joan's hand and gave it a light squeeze. She was torn between her loyalty to the woman who gave her life and the one who raised her. "I'm sorry, Joan."
"You have nothing to be sorry about." Joan cradled Ava's cheek with her hand. I told you this to explain why we lied to you. Please don't blame your father for this. He loves you so very much. We both do."
"How can you?" Ava asked. "When I am so much like her. It must be so hard to look at me and not see her."
"Ah," Joan said knowingly. "I see what this is about. Darling, you might look like Sharon, but you're not just your mother's daughter. You are also your father's, and there is a lot of him inside you too," she smiled gently. "I thank Sharon every day for having you and for the privilege of being able to raise you. I wouldn't trade that for anything."
For the first time in her life, Ava realized that in all the time she spent looking for her mother, she overlooked the one she always had. The one who raised her and treated her as her own. The one who's always been there for her. Joan.
Chapter 14
"I got some information on Mitchell's property," Nick said as Ava walked into his living room. They temporarily set up the workspace in his parents' house if someone came looking for information again. Now with Joan and Michael as houseguests, this gave them space to work uninterrupted.
"Anything interesting?" she asked.
"Well, it might interest you that Mitchell and his wife bought the property for just under one million dollars back in 1998," Nick said. "That in itself doesn't seem significant."
"I sense a but," she said.
"You'd be right," he continued. "But, while a million dollars today is pretty much the average price of a home in Toronto, it wasn't so back then."
"So there goes the idea that Mitchell sold his house in the city a
nd used the profit to buy the house in the country," Ava concluded. "Unless he was bringing home some serious money."
"It doesn't seem so," Nick shifted his chair over to give her room. "You see, just after Sharon went missing, the government started publishing an annual salary list for the highest earners in the public sector. The Sunshine List, as it's still called today, listed everyone making over one hundred thousand in salary annually."
"I take it that Frank Mitchell wasn't on that list," Ava guessed as she pulled up a chair and sat. "Back then, a hundred thousand was way more than it is today, no?"
"Significantly so," he agreed. "So that leads us back to the question of how does a cop on an average salary afford a house way out of his price range? He also retires early, meaning his pension wouldn't be as large as if he stayed the whole term."
"I'd say that unless he won the lottery or the money came from his wife, someone paid him off."
"It sure looks that way," Nick agreed. "And there is no way of asking him, now that he's dead.
"Again," Ava said. "Very convenient. I think I should pay Tyler another visit and see if we can swap updates."
"Is that all you gonna swap with Tyler?" he asked.
"Grow up," Ava rolled her eyes as she sent a quick email to Burnett.
She thought of the conversation she had with Joan earlier about Sharon. The picture her stepmother painted was still unclear.
"Do you believe in true love?" she asked suddenly.
"Ooh, are things getting serious with Tyler?" Nick asked with a raised eyebrow.
"What? No," she said. "This has nothing to do with him. It's about Sharon."
"You lost me."
"Remember when I said that I found out that my father was keeping certain information from me?" When he nodded, she continued. "It turns out that my father and Joan had an affair before Sharon."
"Lots of people have affairs," Nick said carefully. "What does it have to do with Sharon?"
"Well, they both said it was love, like deeply-rooted love that led to the affair. Joan was married at the time to my father's boss."
"Ouch."
"The affair would have ruined them all. Joan, my father, his boss. So she broke it off with him." Ava paused, trying to figure out how she felt about this. "My father was Sharon's teaching assistant. After Joan dumped him, he and Sharon got together."
Ava grabbed her bag and pulled out the picture she found of all of them together.
"I found this picture. They are all in it," she gave it to Nick to see. "Anyway, Sharon found out. Threatened to expose the affair unless Joan backed off and went back to her husband."
"Understandable," Nick said as he gave her back the picture. "Can you blame her?"
"I don't," Ava said. "I probably would have done the same. But they got back together anyway. My father and Joan. After her husband died. That's why my parents divorced."
"Do you think they had something to do with her death?" he asked.
"No," she said. "But I think this gives me a clearer picture of who Sharon was. She wasn't as nice and easy-going as everyone seems to believe."
"Would you be nice if your husband had an affair with an old lover?"
"It's not that," Ava said. "It's hard to explain, but I don't think she cared that much about my father. She demanded things in the divorce but didn't want him."
"So, what does that mean?"
"I'm starting to think she was definitely capable of blackmail. She was brash, arrogant, and that's what got her killed."
***
Nick considered her words.
"So you think the records we found are proof that she was blackmailing someone?"
"Yes and no," she said. "I think that, yes, Sharon was capable of blackmail if she thought she could get what she wanted. Did she want money? Maybe. But she was smart. If she was blackmailing someone, she would have original copies of the accounts, not copies. I also don't think she would keep those electronically."
"You think she would have had physical records with names and the incriminating information?"
"Yes. That's why I still think she found something and used it as leverage. It was like a game to her," Ava said excitedly. "Yes, everyone agreed that she was brilliant. Some described her as selfish, ruthless and persistent. Others insisted she could do no wrong. So, which one was it?"
"Maybe she was both," Nick suggested. "People can be both ruthless and charismatic."
"I think we should plant some information online," Ava suggested. "People are always asking questions in the online forums and chat rooms. I haven't provided many updates, but maybe it's time."
"That could be dangerous," he pointed out. "Remember what happened when we didn't announce what we found?"
"You can always back out of a job," she said. "I will fully understand."
"Oh please," Nick rolled his eyes. "I live for excitement."
"That's what I like to hear," Ava smiled at him. "Now, let's do some more digging and plan out what we will leak."
Ava's phone buzzed as a message came in.
"Stan's awake," she said excitedly. "I have to go to the hospital."
"I'll drive."
Michael and Joan were already at the hospital when Ava and Nick arrived. She rushed into the room. Stan looked pale. He was hooked up to machines, but he was awake and talking. Feeling relieved, she rushed to his side.
"Oh, Grandpa," she said as she grabbed his hand and squeezed it. "I was so worried about you."
Stan touched her cheek and smiled. "It takes a bit more than a knock on the head to take me out." He pointed to his head and said proudly, "It's hard as a rock."
"Now, Stan," Michael said. "You were lucky Ava found you when she did. This could have ended up very differently."
"But it didn't, Dad," Ava said. "Let's not dwell on that."
Michael shook his head in frustration but let it go.
"The doctors said you'll need physiotherapy," he said. "We could get an occupational therapist to come to the house to help with the recovery. You definitely can't stay alone at the house until you're better."
"I won't be alone," Stan said. "I have Ava."
"We could stay for a while longer," Joan chimed in. "Until you get better. Ava has a lot of stuff on her plate right now."
"Oh, no, dear," Stan quickly reassured her. "That won't be necessary. Honestly."
"I can stay with Grandpa," she told them. She would stay as long as he wanted her to.
Everyone had an opinion on the best arrangement but couldn't reach a consensus. Nick watched the scene with amusement. Joan was fussing over Stan and calming her husband as Ava explained how she would take her of her grandfather.
"I can't believe how stubborn you are, Stan," Michael said in frustration.
"I'm not stubborn," Stan insisted. "I'm a grown man. I don't need to be treated like a child."
"Really now?" Michael said mockingly. "You can't even stay home alone right now. I swear, stubbornness runs in this whole family. It's like arguing with a rock sometimes."
"You aren't always as reasonable as you think you are, darling," Joan said with a twinkle in her eyes that made Ava laugh.
"I can definitely think of a place," Nick told Ava when they were out of earshot. "They might already be expecting a call about Dr. Novak."
"Oh god," Ava shrugged. "I'd never put anyone in that place. It's like a Victorian asylum. I wouldn't be surprised if they had torture rooms in the basement."
"I wouldn't put it past them," Nick laughed. "How did you come up with Dr. Novak anyway?
"Well, he is a doctor, "she winked. "Just one of those PdD ones. They didn't ask for clarification."
They stayed with Stan for a while longer, arguing over whose suggestion was best, but couldn't reach a compromise. When the nurse finally came in, signalling the end of the visit, they all agreed to sleep on it.
***
"I can't believe you managed to get inside Breezy Oaks," Tyler adjusted his tie as he listened. "It's a pr
ivate facility with very tight security."
"We weren't trespassing," Ava assured him. "I called ahead and made an appointment to see the palace. I told them my grandfather was in a hospital recovering from a brain injury, and I needed a place for him ASAP. That's not a lie."
"Maybe not, but it could have ended differently if you were caught," he pointed out.
"But we didn't," she pointed out. "Plus, now we know Adam Walker is in there. I think he might be drugged."
She opened her bag and took out several printouts, and handed them over.
"I took pictures of his file," she said. "He is supposed to be suffering from dementia, but they are giving him a lot of strange drugs."
Tyler looked over the papers. "You know this is highly problematic."
"Yes," she agreed. "I think they are purposely keeping him sedated."
"No," Tyler clarified. "You broke into confidential patient files without permission."
"Oh, yeah."
"I do not see this," Tyler shoved the papers back at her. "You never told me about this. But, I will go see Mr. Walker and have a conversation with him."
Ava smiled at him. "Do you have any updates on Sharon's case?"
"Yes and no," Tyler said as she put the printouts away. "We got some information on the accounts Sharon had on the floppy disks. They look like two sets of books. The notes in her notebook corresponded with some of the names in the accounts. Those are of various shell corporations and offshore bank accounts."
"Is that what she took pictures of as well?" Ava asked.
"Yes," Tyler confirmed. "It would suggest Sharon took pictures as a backup. It's taking some time to figure out who owned the numbered corporations. Some of them don't even exist anymore."
"So she could have set them up?" Ava asked. "The offshore accounts and shell corporations?"
"It's possible. But that takes time and resources. But, since many of them were set up before Sharon even stepped foot in Studio 416, it doesn't look like she had anything to do with that."
"In her notebook, Sharon made notes of what looked like names and dates besides the amounts. Was that a list of people she had something on, or was it proof there was something shady going on at the gallery?"
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