Jay had the distinct impression Tran was about to stop, because he’d said too much.
“Please, Uncle,” Tony said.
“There was so much confusion. I went to the airport. Some of the embassy staff were loading their limousines onto transport aircraft. So many people trying to leave, and they took the cars!”
Jay noticed the tears in Uncle Tran’s eyes.
“I walked up to the aircraft. Near one of the cars was a box wrapped in black fabric. I picked it up, walked onto the aircraft, and hid. We landed at night. I carried the box off the plane.”
“Tell him what was in the box!” Tony said.
“A jade elephant.” Tran smiled as he stared into the past.
“It’s over there.” Tony pointed to a shelf behind the bar. The elephant stood with its curled trunk touching the top of its head. It looked like it was smiling.
Monday, October 12
Chapter 5
HARPER PRESSED “PLAY.”
Bobbie’s radio voice was smooth as butter on a fresh-from-the-oven muffin. “Vivaldi. Four Seasons. One of my favorites.” A three second pause. “As some of you already know, my daughter has been abducted. This morning’s show will be devoted to the topic of missing children. I’m Bobbie. Speak to me.”
Harper hit “Stop.” The scent of coffee filled the air between them. Lane leaned forward to listen more carefully to the voice. They were in a room with space for a table, four chairs, and two people. Harper pressed “Play” again.
“We’re back. This morning’s topic is missing children. My daughter disappeared a few days ago. We had her birthday party recently. My ex-husband was there. He demanded he be allowed to take the children on a camping holiday. I declined. Now, my daughter is gone. The police have yet to find my ex-husband or my Kaylie.”
Harper hit “Pause.” “Her ratings have been increasing since she started up a little over a year ago. She sounds sincere.” He sipped coffee.
“Think so?” Lane stared at the white wall.
“You don’t?”
“No.”
“You may be the only person in the city who thinks that way. She’s very popular.” Harper released the pause button.
Bobbie said, “This is a direct appeal to my exhusband. Charles! Bring our daughter back. Cole misses her desperately. Bring our child home.” A three second pause. “I know I’m not the only woman who has gone through this. I want to hear from others like me. What happens to mothers who go through what I’m going through? How do I cope?”
Lane stabbed the “Pause” button. “What else do we know about her?”
“You want me to find out, right?” Harper asked.
“Yes,” Lane said.
“What about the father?”
“That’s my job.” Lane leaned back.
“What do you need to know about Bobbie?”
“Her past. People who’ve known her for a long time,” Lane said.
“Why, in particular?” Harper opened his laptop. It chimed after he pressed the power button.
“Just curious,” Lane said.
Harper looked over the laptop at his partner.
Lane asked, “How come we never see her face anywhere? The promos show her hands or the back of her head. Never a face. How come? I want to hear from the people who know her best.”
“Maybe a little mystery helps sell the show.” Harper tapped they keyboard.
“Maybe. Maybe not,” Lane said.
“Why aren’t we looking for the father?”
“Every cop in Canada and the US is looking for him. His camper is missing. I don’t think we’ll find them in the city, so we have to rely on someone else,” Lane said.
“You’re assuming they’ll be found together.”
“Yes,” Lane said.
“So, why am I looking into Bobbie’s past?” Harper asked.
“I’ve lost objectivity when it comes to Ms. Reddie. We’ve got to have as much information as possible about her when dad and daughter are found.”
“What happens if they’re never found?”
“We have to work on the assumption that they will be,” Lane said.
Harper shook his head. “I still think we should check into the father’s background.”
“That’s my job,” Lane said before leaving the room.
Tuesday, October 13
Chapter 6
SUNRISE TAKES TOO long this time of year, Lane thought. I’ve become used to summer days when the sun is up by five-thirty and doesn’t set till ten o’clock.
Now, at eight o’clock, the sun was warming the kitchen. He stood, stretched, and soaked up the rays. The coffee maker spluttered its last drops over the freshly-ground Arabica beans. He rubbed at the ache in his left hip, leftover from sleeping on the couch.
Riley’s toenails pattered along the floor. The retriever grazed Lane’s leg to say good morning, then moved to the dining room where he settled down for a nap under the table.
Lane heard the toilet flush. The water rushed through the pipes under the kitchen floor. I wonder if sleep has softened Arthur’s mood, Lane thought. He poured a coffee for himself and another for Arthur-a peace offering. Arthur’s slippers scuffed down the hall and into the kitchen.
Lane thought, If he’s slept more than an hour, it doesn’t show in his eyes. They were red-rimmed with dark half-circles underneath. A tuft of hair stuck out at right angles above his left ear. Arthur reached for the cup of coffee, then added sugar and milk. A spoon clinked against the cup. He took a sip, closed his eyes, sighed, took a longer sip, then said, “Thanks.”
They sat in silence through a cup and one-half.
Arthur said, “I’ve got to get Matt into school and hockey.”
Lane was on the edge of saying, “Shouldn’t we talk about this?” Instead, he said, “How’s Martha doing?”
Arthur looked out the window, closed his eyes and said, “She’s in the Tom Baker Cancer Centre.”
Lane thought of at least ten questions. Instead, he decided on a sip of coffee.
“It’s breast cancer. They’re operating this morning. She made me promise not to tell Matt. She says he’s lost his home, his friends, and his father. Finding this out about her will be too much for him. She says, ‘He’s not as tough as he lets on.’ I always hoped I’d get a second chance to know my sister. I never imagined it would be like this, but… ”
“You’re going to have to tell Matt,” Lane said.
“I promised.”
“He’s probably already figured it out. He’s a smart kid. Takes after his uncle. Besides, how is she going to explain away the hair loss from the chemo?” Lane asked.
Arthur wiped a sleeve across his eyes.
Lane said, “Matt’s father is big on family values. He wouldn’t allow Martha to have anything to do with you or me. Last we heard, he was a big wheel in his church. How will he react when he finds out Matt is living with us?”
“How will he find out?” Arthur asked.
The phone rang.
“It’s not a matter of how. It’s a matter of when. We have to be prepared for that eventuality.” Lane picked up the phone. “Hello?”
Arthur stared at the coffee grounds at the bottom of his cup.
Lane said, “We’ll need a map. As usual, you’re way ahead of me. See you in a half-hour.”
Arthur looked up when he heard the ice-cold tone of Lane’s voice. “What’s happened?”
Lane held up his hand to get Arthur to wait. “As long as it’s cleared with the Mounties.” He hung up the phone.
“The girl?” Arthur asked.
“And the father.” Lane looked out the window and into the back alley. “A forensic team is on the scene. Initial indications are murder/suicide.”
By ten o’clock the road west of Calgary was free of commuters. The foothills rose up on the north side of the two-lane highway. On the south, the Bow River gathered breadth as it ran away from the mountains. Oranges, yellows, and reds were falling from the trees. Pastures on either side of the road were still green. More and more pine trees were in evidence as they approached the Rockies. Lane read the map. Harper drove in silence.