“How old is Matt?”
“Fifteen,” Lane said.
“You’ve got that deer-in-the-headlights expression.” Harper chuckled.
“It’s not funny.” Lane began to smile all the same.
“Sure it is. There’s nothing like a kid to upset your cozy little home. Your entire civilized little world is about to be turned upside down.”
“You ought to know,” Lane said.
“That’s right, and you know what?”
“What?” Lane asked.
“It’s worth it,” Harper said.
“You don’t understand. The kid began telling me things. Matt’s father told him he was a freak and that it runs in Martha’s family. It was a reference to Arthur and me and about Matt’s disability. You see I’m sure Matt has CP (cerebral palsy). It looks like it’s mild, but you can see it in the way he moves, and the way he concentrates when he walks.”
“It’s messy, isn’t it? You’re going through the adjustment phase. Erinn and I went through it when Glenn moved in. How’s Arthur handling all of this?”
Harper asked with a smile.
“We haven’t talked much. It feels like I’m along for the ride, while he makes the decisions. I don’t even think he’s noticed the kid has CP!” Lane said.
“Look, as soon as Glenn started to live with us Erinn and I had to be on the same page or we were sunk. Sit Arthur down and talk.”
“Martha made Arthur promise that if she dies we’ll take care of Matt. Can you imagine how crazy it could get?” Lane asked.
“Yes, I do. Some people in my family haven’t spoken with me since we took Glenn in. And for once, I know more about something than you do.”
“A lot more than I know about this stuff. Now you’ve got a baby on the way. You’re on your way to becoming an expert.”
“Scary, isn’t it?” Harper asked.
“Very,” Lane said.
“Answer one thing.”
“What?” Lane asked.
“Do you like the kid?”
“Yes.”
Harper said. “Good. You didn’t have to think about the answer. Besides, the kid will be sixteen soon, then he gets to decide where he wants to live. Erinn and I had to learn all those legal details when Glenn moved in.”
An RCMP cruiser pulled up on Harper’s side. He opened his window.
Lisa shifted into park before opening her window.
Lane noticed she was in uniform.
“Your place or mine?” Harper asked.
Lisa looked across at Lane. “You look like hell.”
Lane studied her tone of voice. All business. Lisa saved this tone for the worst news. He thought, this day is only going to get worse. “Thanks for noticing. How about we walk?”
They walked the paved trail running alongside the river. A few leaves rattled in the trees. Those on the ground crunched underfoot. The river moved in the opposite direction and chuckled over submerged rocks.
Harper said, “Did you two ever stop to think that maybe you don’t need to keep hiding anymore? I mean you’ve known each other for years. You even have each other over for dinner. Maybe nobody cares.”
Lane and Lisa looked at Harper like he had said something stupid. “Things haven’t changed that much, especially in this province,” Lane said.
“Charles Reddie died of an allergic reaction to penicillin, not from carbon monoxide poisoning,” Lisa said.
“And no fingerprints on the duct tape,” Lane said.
Lisa said, “That’s correct. Also, the child had an unusual mark high up on her left thigh. We’ve got a photograph if you want to look. I showed the photo to some of the guys. One said it looked similar to an indentation he’d seen before. A body was stored in the trunk of a car. The mark may have been caused by what’s used to fasten down spare tires in late-model DaimlerChrysler products. We’re trying to find out if the fibres found on Kaylie’s pants are used to carpet DaimlerChrysler vehicles. We’re almost certain her upper body was wrapped in a garbage bag.”
“So, Kaylie’s body could have been driven to the campsite,” Harper said.
A pair of joggers passed them. The police officers waited before continuing the conversation.
“That would explain why Kaylie’s runners were clean.” Lane recalled Cole’s immaculate white socks.
“One other thing. There was a cigarette butt on the cushion next to Kaylie’s head. It had burned down to the filter, but the cushion didn’t ignite. It had been treated with a fire retardant,” Lisa said.
There was the sound of an outboard motor. Lisa turned right along a chainlink fence and away from the river. Behind them, the fire department’s patrol boat roared up the river.
“Too many inconsistencies,” Lane said.
“So, the investigation will have to remain open,”
Harper said.
“That’s right,” Lisa said.
They walked a narrow path lined by trees planted in parallel rows. The evergreens reached up more than thirty metres.
“It’s funny,” Harper said.
“No it’s not,” Lisa said.
“No, you don’t understand. I got a fax this morning from the police in Jamaica. There was a fire at a resort during Bobbie’s second trip. Two sisters and a GO died of smoke inhalation. The police attributed the fire to careless smoking,” Harper said.
“GO?” Lisa asked.
“Guest organizer,” Harper said.
“Gigolo?” Lisa asked.
“You catch on fast,” Harper said.
“Do you have the names of the victims?” Lane asked.
“Not yet.”
“We’ll need them and any other details that might help,” Lisa said.
“Keep in touch.” Lane smiled at Lisa.
“I hear you’ve got an addition to the family.” Lisa smiled back. Her tone softened. “Arthur and Loraine talked on the phone. She said he’s really excited about having his nephew staying there.”
“And that’s not the half of it. We’ll have you and Loraine over when things settle down a bit,” Lane said.
Their feet crunched over the uneven gravel in the parking lot. Lane studied the fender liners of their Chevy. He remembered what he’d seen coating the wheel wells of Bobbie’s Chrysler. “You know, Bobbie’s place is maybe ten minutes away.”
After saying goodbye to Lisa, Harper drove north up Nose Hill Drive. “I forgot to tell you, some vet has been calling. Wants to see us. Says it’s important. She keeps leaving messages.”
“That’s it, nothing more?” Lane asked.
“That’s it.”
“We need to get a look at Bobbie’s car,” Lane said.
“How are we gonna do that without a warrant or naming her as a suspect?” Harper asked.
“We could ask her.”
Harper pulled up to the red light near Crowchild Trail. “Maybe she’s not even home. She’s probably at the radio station.”
“She does an afternoon show. Let’s give it a try. Do a quick check as we drive by. I remember seeing something the first day we went to meet with Bobbie.”
“What’s that?” The light turned green. Harper pulled ahead.
“The day I was sick, Bobbie’s car was freshly cleaned and waxed, but there was dust stuck to the wheel wells. It looked a lot like the dust stuck on this car after we drove out to see the bodies of Charles and Kaylie.”
“Why didn’t you say so?” Harper looked across at his partner.
“I didn’t think of it until just a few minutes ago.”
Within five minutes, they approached Bobbie’s house.
“That doesn’t look like her car in the driveway,”
Harper said.
“It’s a new Acura,” Lane said.
“About fifty-thousand dollars worth of automobile,” Harper said.
Both looked at the black two door gleaming on Bobbie’s driveway. The rear license plate read SPK 2ME.
Harper clicked the mouse. They sat in a borrowed office in the Silver Springs District Office. Lane sat next to him and studied the screen. Harper said, “She got the Acura yesterday. The news on the Chrysler is unusual, though. Looks like it was scrapped.”