Rescued Runaway

by Bill Sanderson

Chapter 15

  Frank shook his head as he opened his briefcase and saw the huge almond and raisin filled dark chocolate bar with the ribbon and a note from Cassie that read, Just in case my good luck wishes and prayers aren’t enough.

  He looked up as he heard a giggle from the doorway.

  “Chocolate? For breakfast?” Marie-Ève raised an eyebrow at the chocolate bar in his left hand and said, “Welcome back, Frank. You seem much relaxed.” Then she spotted the wedding ring as she plunked down into the visitor’s chair. “You were married? That was fast.” Then she crossed her arms and said, with a teasing sniff, “I think that I’ll be insulted we didn’t receive an invitation. Who is she?”

  Frank gave her a quelling look, which slid past her frown so he shrugged and said, “Cassie Marcussen. It was love at first sight and I wasn’t willing to wait. Thankfully she said yes.”

  “Congratulations, then.”

  “Any problems while I’ve been away?”

  “No. Same old same old.”

  Frank nodded. “Your English is getting much better.”

  “Eric is in TimBits soccer and Genevieve commenced taking the dance lessons. I’m getting very much practice speaking with the other parents.”

  While Marie-Ève was speaking, Frank took out three framed photos to put on his credenza. “This is Cassie.”

  Marie-Ève nodded as she examined them. “She’s very beautiful. But she seems young.”

  Frank nodded. “She is young but she had to grow up too quickly. On the other hand, I took far too long to grow up, so we’re even.” Frank looked at the clock and said, “I know it’s early in the day but I’d like to buy you a coffee and fill you in on what’s happened in the last three weeks.”

  ———

  Marie-Ève folded her hands on the table and looked Frank in the eye. “So you believe that Tony, Reg, J. David and Jacquie are all in on it?”

  “And probably Phil, too. I’ve already spoken with Henry Menzies about it. I’m putting in my resignation late this afternoon. J. David can’t fit me in until 4:30.”

  Marie-Ève looked puzzled. “Why resign? It sounds like there will be changes soon.”

  “I’m buying into a small accounting firm in Ottawa. Anne Menzies’ accountant wants to reduce his workload and Trevor, that’s Henry’s lawyer, wants to hire us to coordinate the forensic investigation. But I’m going to need your help, if you’re willing.”

  “With what?”

  “I’d like you to pull the original invoices on this list.” He showed her a key chain with USB stick and a padlock key attached. “I need notarized copies for the investigation. I’m going to arrange for a local lawyer to notarize them but I’m reasonably certain that J. David will give me pay in lieu of notice when I hand him my resignation letter this afternoon. So, if you are willing to help, you’ll find a letter of instruction on the stick from me dated today while I’m still your boss.”

  There was silence while Marie-Ève thought it through. About a minute later she nodded and said, “Yes. I’ll do that. There were too many bizarre transactions I discovered in the accounts when I was helping Phil with the preparation of the reports for June.”

  Frank said, “The key is for the padlock I put on an empty security cabinet in the engineering records room. The cabinet number is on the key. Those are all of the originals from prior years. You’ll have to do this in the evenings this week. Would you like me to authorize overtime for a special project?”

  “Evenings are good this week. Gaétan’s mother is visiting for the summer. But I’m not working weekends.” She paused and thought before continuing, “You could authorize a special project for me. I was bored the first week you were away and made a list of accounts we should send to the collectors. You were too busy to take care of it properly after Reg’s heart attack.”

  Frank smiled. “That’s perfect. If you’re okay with being called to the witness box you might want to keep your eyes open and make notes of any other anomalies.”

  Marie-Ève got an eager glint in her eyes. “Well that will be more interesting than pursuing the receivables.”

  “Henry Menzies should be down later this week to talk to you. I recommended that you take over the corporate reporting but until the dust settles you’ll likely end up working for Phil.”

  Marie-Ève’s smile got broader. “Thank you for the recommendation. Will you be back after the police are finished the investigation?”

  “No. I’m fairly effective as a CFO but it isn’t what I want to do long term. You’re a better fit for the CFO job than I am.”

  “And Cassie’s more comfortable remaining in Ottawa?”

  “She says she doesn’t really care where we end up. She still has to finish school, so it doesn’t matter where she starts her career. But she speaks very good French and there are more opportunities in Ottawa than Halifax, especially for bilingual people.”

  “So when do I get to meet her?”

  “How about tomorrow night? I want to have a few people over, so why don’t you bring Gaétan and the kids for supper. Your mother-in-law is welcome, too.”

  “We’ll be there. Now, tell me more about your wife.”

  Frank stood up and said, “We should get back to the office.” He looked thoughtful for a second and started, “Well, I didn’t notice how beautiful she was when I first met her because she’d been standing in the rain most of the evening and she looked like a drowned rat. So I offered to get her some food and a hot drink …”

  ———

  J. David looked up from the resignation letter with a falsely sad smile. “I don’t suppose I can change your mind?”

  Frank put on a stubborn look and said, “Not really. I haven’t been entirely happy with the work or the workload that being CFO here entails. Charles needs a partner and I want to learn more about charities and the non-profit sector.” He shrugged. “I’m sure that Phil or Marie-Ève will be happy with a promotion and a raise.”

  J. David let a smug calculating look slip though the sad face he was trying to maintain. “How long do you think you’ll need to transfer everything to Phil?”

  “He’s already up to speed. He was acting CFO while I was on vacation.”

  J. David nodded as if he’d made an unpleasant decision. Frank suppressed his smile as the anticipated words came out. “Because Phil is up to speed I won’t ask you to work your notice. I’ll come with you to your office and we can fill out the separation forms.” He leaned forward and hit a speed dial key on the telephone. “Peggy? Can you bring Frank’s personnel file, please? He’s given me his resignation and I need to know what assets he needs to return. Oh.” J. David paused to think. “Could you please bring in a separation form, as well? And can you ask Phil to cut a cheque for Frank’s severance and any bonus or vacation we owe him?”

  Frank sat back and studied his hands. J. David noticed the wedding ring and said, “Does the new job have anything to do with your wife?”

  Frank looked up and grinned at the reminder of Cassie. “Only peripherally. The opportunity to buy into the practice happened about the same time. Cassie still needs to finish her education. She told me could easily transfer anywhere we decided to settle, but I think we’ll both be more comfortable in Ottawa.”

  “So she’s younger than you?”

  “By a few years.” Frank wasn’t about to tell him the real number. “But in some ways she’s more grown up than I am.”

  J. David nodded sagely. “It can be like that. Women do seem to grow up faster than us.”

  Frank’s response was interrupted by Peggy. “Here’s the file, Mr. Brown. And the forms you requested.”

  “Thank you, Peggy.” J. David flipped through the pages attached to the left side of the folder. “Ah. Here it is. Just the Blackberry and the laptop.” He looked puzzled. “No docking station at home?”

  Frank smiled. “I liked the company laptop well enough that I bought an identical one for my own use. If I had to bring my work laptop home I coul
d use my own docking station so I didn’t need to have the company buy me one. But we should let Phil know to stop paying for the business line and network connection at my apartment.”

  J. David ran a finger further down the form. “Right. Let’s go get this signed off then.”

  Frank led the way past a curious Peggy and allowed a satisfied smile to escape.

  ———

  Cassie looked at the clock and thought Frank should be home soon. She put the garlic mashed potatoes in the oven to build a crust on the top. The baked chicken breasts were in the cast iron casserole staying warm and she would wait for Frank to get home before she steamed the vegetables and made the gravy. A small salad of tomato and cucumber with a mint yogurt and olive oil dressing was chilling in the fridge.

  Remembering part of the sermon from the previous week, she paused to say a prayer of thanksgiving before she raised the glass of freshly squeezed orange juice to her lips. A few seconds later, she heard a thunk on the landing outside the front door of the apartment and the scratch of a key. After turning on the burner under the beans, she went into the living room to see the door open. Frank carried a medium sized box into the apartment and kicked the door closed.

  She gave Frank an indulgent smile and said, “I guess we owe Trevor and Fiona a night out.”

  Frank put down the box and gathered her into a hug. “I am so glad to be home, sweetheart.”

  She pulled his head down for a kiss but tensed when Frank tried to extend it. She pushed him away with moist eyes. “I’m sorry, Frank. I am trying, but it’s so hard not to panic, especially when you hug me too tight or put your hand near my neck.”

  He stroked her arms and sighed to release some of his frustration. “I’m sorry, Cassie. It’s hard for me, too, but I promised I’d wait for you.”

  “Thank you.” She caught his hand and gave it a squeeze before moving towards the kitchen. “How was the rest of your day?”

  He shrugged off his suit jacket and hung it on the hall tree. “Very good, actually. I called Stephen as soon as I got in. He agreed to notarize everything, so I took Marie-Ève for coffee when she got in and she agreed to work with him to get everything assembled. I spent most of the day clearing my in-basket then I had a late meeting with J. David to give him my resignation. He tried to look sad but he was very quick to appoint Phil to replace me. And he didn’t raise an eyebrow when I said I’d asked Marie-Ève to prepare a list of accounts to send to the collectors and that I’d authorized overtime for her.”

  Cassie raised an eyebrow. “You implied they were linked, when they weren’t, right?”

  Frank shrugged. “I don’t control what J. David thinks.” But he had a smug half-smile as he continued, “I have to give Stephen a call tonight and confirm the timing of things with him.” The scents of supper came to his nostrils. “What smells so good?”

  “Herbed chicken breasts, garlic mashed potatoes and green beans. There’s a salad in the fridge. I only have to add the thickener to the gravy and we’re good to go. You could set the table.” She gave him a sunny smile to reinforce the hint.

  He stroked her arm as he passed her on the way to the cupboard. “As I get to know you better, Mrs. Ellis, the more I realize that I couldn’t have picked a better wife if I’d created a job description and conducted hundreds of interviews.” He turned to see Cassie flush with pleasure at his compliment before the usual flash of sadness crossed her face. Well, now that he had some extra time on his hands he was going to see how he could convince her that he was committed to her. But he was pretty certain that it was only a matter of being there for her over the long haul. He suppressed a sigh and gave another brief prayer asking for patience.

  Cassie remained certain that this was a temporary marriage but Frank’s words and actions so far implied otherwise. She turned to the stove and banished the sadness and anticipated hurt by concentrating on serving a good meal.

  As he took milk and orange juice from the fridge, Frank asked, “Is the salad in the covered bowl?”

  Cassie answered, “It is.” She took the potatoes and chicken out of the oven and put the serving dishes on trivets then transferred the gravy and vegetables to serving dishes. “Could you put it on the table please?”

  Frank did so then sat and said grace. “This looks wonderful, my dear.”

  Cassie mumbled her thanks and served herself.

  After a few moments of silence, Frank said, “I hope you’re up for guests tomorrow. I’ve invited Marie-Ève and her family over, for dinner if you’re up to cooking or pizza if you aren’t, and I was hoping to get Stephen and Kiera to come for dessert.”

  Cassie said, “Then Marie-Ève is a friend? Not just a colleague?”

  Frank smiled. “I offered to be their local guide when they moved here from Quebec City because I’m one of the few people at the office who speaks French well enough. I was very surprised when her husband Gaétan and I clicked as fast as we did but we’ve done quite a few things together in the past year. He’s a fellow scuba diver. And I’ve known Stephen for years and I’ve known Kiera longer than him.” He shrugged. “I suppose I would have proposed to Kiera long ago if she was at all interested in me that way. But she’s been a very good friend since Grade 2 and has been one of my few allies since Dad and I stopped getting along.”

  “You mean since you started expressing your own opinions.” Cassie took a bite of the tender chicken and said, “Oh. This turned out just right.”

  Frank’s eyes crinkled as he allowed himself to enjoy Cassie’s pleasure in the food. “Are you sure you don’t want to be a chef?”

  “Too much like work.” Cassie waved her fork around. “I like cooking for an appreciative audience, like you and Granny and the neighbours, and Mum when she was clean. Cooking for people like Gord is just work and if Iron Chef is anything like reality I wouldn’t want to work in a high end kitchen anyway.”

  “Well, this is very good,” he said, pointing at the chicken. Then he took his first bite of the salad and said, “And this is excellent. Where did you learn to make this?”

  “Mrs. Soares taught me how to select the best vegetables, which accounts for most of the taste, and the dressing is the rest. Yiayia used to make tzatziki from scratch but she’s Cypriot not Greek, so she uses mint instead of dill. I can make it both ways but I like the mint tzatziki better for most things. If you use a good thick yogurt, it makes a lovely salad dressing if you add some olive oil. Towards the end, tzatziki was one of the few things Granny could keep down while she was taking chemo.”

  He saw a tear welling in one eye and said, “You still miss your Granny, don’t you.”

  Cassie put on a brave face and wiped the tear away. “I really do, Frank. It isn’t that I don’t like being married to you – you’re a wonderful man and you’ve been so good to me – but it would have been nice to do all of this in the right sequence. You know, school, university, getting to know each other, and then marriage. And Granny should have been at the wedding and Dad should have been there to give me away.” She wiped another tear away. “At least we don’t have a kid coming right away. It gives us the time to catch up the getting to know you part and learn how to be married to each other.”

  “Well, we’ve got six weeks or so with nothing scheduled before your school and my new job start, so as of now we’re on our honeymoon. How about we pack up the apartment this week then leave for Norway?”

  Cassie sat up straight. “Oh, I don’t think that would work. I got an email from Anne earlier today. She said Henry will be in town on Thursday night so he can tour Alawen and that she’d be joining him Friday evening. They want spend some time with us, too. She also said their plans aren’t fixed other than finding a church for Sunday morning and flying home on Wednesday evening.”

  “I would like to spend Saturday sailing with Kiera. She always needs crew when she takes the boat out. If not Kiera then I could borrow Dale’s boat. He’s got a beautiful forty footer that doesn’t get used often enough.” F
rank’s brows furrowed as he tried to remember something. “Tall Ships Festival… Captain’s dinner… That means it’s the annual yacht club fleet cruise. If they’re heading south, we could easily get to Lunenburg and back by Monday.”

  “I think I’d be more comfortable borrowing Dale’s boat, actually.”

  Frank thought for a moment. “Would you be comfortable taking orders from Jan?”

  “Jan Lang?”

  “Yes, my lovely bored niece who is otherwise grounded for the summer. She’s a very competent sailor and it would get her out of Bonnie’s hair for a few days.”

  Cassie didn’t respond immediately. Frank continued. “Dale’s boat sleeps six comfortably and eight in a pinch. The Menzies could join us in Chester Friday evening. There’s an early service at one of the churches in Lunenburg before sailing home Sunday.” Then he looked seriously at her. “We’d have to share a bed in the master’s cabin, though.”

  Cassie swallowed nervously. “I think I can handle that, if you can.”

  Frank smiled. “I won’t say it’s not a problem but I never pushed myself on an unwilling woman in my wild days and I’d like to think I’ve grown up a bit since then.” He gave her a look filled with longing and said, “I hope I can convince you to take a chance on me.”

  “Maybe. But probably not this weekend.” Cassie gave him a tentative smile to convey her apologies.

  Frank nodded acknowledgement and gave Cassie a tender smile. “So would you like me to set that up for us?”

  Frank could see Cassie’s enthusiasm return. “It sounds pretty exciting. You can make the calls while I’m putting everything away.”