“Arthur wouldn’t like that.”
Lane looked at his computer screen. “Christine says it’s a warning. People from Paradise are saying they can get at Indiana anytime they want.”
“Toilet paper?”
“Apparently toilet papering someone’s property is a prank played by people from her old community.”
Nigel’s eyebrows met in the middle. “How did Christine react?”
“It’s funny. It kind of made her more resolved. Like they’d gone too far. Now there’s no way in hell anyone from Paradise will get near Indiana.”
Nigel tapped the space bar of his computer. “You can tell her she has nothing to worry about. Things will work out.” He turned to face Lane. “It will just take a little time, that’s all.”
Lane read the certainty in Nigel’s eyes and in his voice. What are you up to? “What do you mean?” He glanced over at Nigel’s screen. VENEER & PLASTIC was written on a green sticky note stuck to the near side of the monitor.
“I’m just saying things like this have a way of working themselves out.” He pointed at his computer screen. “Harper’s message is hitting the news. Maybe it will lull Cori and Andrew Pierce into a false sense of security if they believe we have no leads.”
Why did you change the subject, Nigel?
Cori Pierce sat in the passenger seat of the Porsche Cayenne. Her husband drove as they eased their way along 17th Avenue SW. Western Canada High School, a hodgepodge of connected buildings, was ahead. A white war memorial stood out front of the main building.
“I applied there, but they wouldn’t let me in. I’ve done well for myself despite them.” Cori looked sideways at her husband, frowning as he looked side to side for a place to park. “I want to get a pair of shoes before we leave.” She pointed at the retro windows of a shoe store.
“Okay.” He stopped, putting on his signal light. A car ahead of them was pulling out of a parking space in front of the restaurant.
“What day do I sign the papers for the house?”
“Tuesday.” He pulled ahead, shifting into reverse, then turning to look over his shoulder.
“We’ll have enough?” Cori began to button up the front of her white winter jacket.
“More than enough. All we’re taking with us is the X5.” He grimaced when the right rear tire rubbed against the curb.
“Careful. This one’s already sold.” She caressed the leather seat. “I’m going to miss these heated seats.”
“We won’t need heated seats anymore.” Andrew shifted into drive, easing ahead.
“How about we do a two-fer on Saturday night?”
Andrew looked right at her. “What do you have in mind?”
“Two houses. Two families. Two jobs. A two-fer. Then we get in the car and leave for Cancun.”
“Two families? I’ll have to get two kits ready, then. Tell me more.”
Cori looked at the crowd jammed inside the nearly opaque front door of the restaurant. “Did you make a reservation?”
Lane and Nigel parked a block away from the Pierces’ Porsche. Snow and ice stuck to the roof and hood of the detectives’ grey mid-sized Ford. Lane watched from the passenger side as Cori and Andrew stepped onto the sidewalk and into a restaurant.
Nigel left the engine running to keep them from freezing to the seats.
A stroller with three large wheels passed on Lane’s right. The toddler held a bottle between hands covered with blue mitts. The child was bundled in a snowsuit and blanket. A pair of adults followed. The mother pushed with one hand, sipping steam from a white paper cup. The father followed, took a white cup away from his mouth, smiled, exhaling warm air. There was a relaxed way about them as the stroller bumped over the uneven, snow-cleared sidewalk. The woman leaned into the man, then leaned over to check on the child.
“Don’t worry. Your niece and her baby will be fine. I’ve got a good feeling.” Nigel looked left down the length of 17th Avenue. The road rose up to intersect with 4th Street.
Lane turned, studying his partner. “I’m the one who runs on intuition, not you. What the hell is going on?”
Nigel smiled, pointing ahead. “They’re getting back into the Porsche. Maybe the restaurant is full.”
Lane stepped through the front door of his house, noting the kitchen was filled with family even though it was after eight o’clock. Matt turned right. Lane saw his nephew was holding a plastic bag of ice against a red and swollen left eye and cheek.
Lane kicked off his boots, dropping his winter jacket on the front room easy chair. “What happened?” He moved into the kitchen where Arthur, Matt, and Dan sat. Indiana was sucking eagerly on a bottle. Sam lay on the rug by the door, watching Lane without lifting his chin off the floor.
“Two guys jumped Matt,” Arthur said.
“Where are Christine and Alex?” Lane stood at Matt’s shoulder.
“They went shopping. Matt took the dogs out for a walk.” Dan spoke quietly. Indiana released the bottle. There was a sound of hissing air. His eyes closed, opened, then he resumed eating.
Something is missing, Lane thought. “You okay?” Lane looked down at Matt.
“I’m fine. Just got punched once. Then Roz went after the guy. Sam thought it was a game and jumped in as well. I took out the second guy’s knee just like you taught me. Then this lady in an SUV drove up. She started honking her horn. There was a baby in the back seat of the vehicle. The one guy helped the other into a pickup. He shouted they’d be back with more guys to take care of me. Then they drove away. The lady in the SUV – she said she knew you – helped me put Roz in the back of her truck, then drove us to the vet’s.”
Lane looked around and under the table. “Where’s Roz?”
Arthur said, “Roz is dead. One of the guys kicked her. The vet says it broke a couple of ribs. A bone fragment penetrated her heart.”
Lane felt his shoulders drop. Matt stood up, got his uncle a chair, waited for him to sit down. “When did this happen?” Lane asked.
Arthur said, “A little over two hours ago.”
Matt pulled the ice away from his eye. “I don’t know what else I could have done.”
Sam rubbed up against Arthur, who scratched the dog behind the ears. “The woman who helped Matt, her name is Donna. She got the licence plate of the attacker’s pickup. She drove Matt to the vet’s and then home. I called it in. The officer took the information and said he’d call back. I left a message with Erinn. About twenty minutes after that, Harper phoned, asking what happened. He said he would call back.”
Lane looked at Indiana, now snoring in Dan’s arms. The baby had a smile on his face.
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 3
chapter 15
Accused’s Donation Clouds Legal Process
Efram Milton of Paradise, Alberta, has made a major gift to the Alberta Children’s Hospital’s Neo-natal Intensive Care Unit in Calgary.
Rhonda Kruden, spokesperson for the Alberta Children’s Hospital, confirmed the contribution. “Last Friday, a donation in the amount of one million dollars was made in the name of Mr. Milton. Needless to say, we’re thrilled.”
Crown Counsel Robert Wilson was asked how Milton could afford a donation of one million dollars when has he previously requested legal aid.
At a court appearance in January, Milton testified that he was unable to afford legal representation. Wilson says, “If the report on the donation is confirmed, then Mr. Milton will also be charged with perjury.”
Milton’s current attorney, Joseph Lane, says, “Mr. Milton made a substantial contribution to a worthy charity. He deserves praise for his generosity, not threats of prosecution.”
But Milton’s actions may not be so clear-cut, says Mount Royal University law professor Lyle McDougal. “If this is an attempt by Milton to garner public support for his fight to protect his ‘religious freedom’, after his alleged involvement in an attempted child abduction, the tactic appears to have backfired.”