By the time she reached the last bus stop before the depot, the sky rumbled and a raindrop plopped onto her forehead. As she moved to the covered area, she spotted two men, possibly Mexican, heading for the stop at a quick pace.
They were staring at her. The older man wore a suit while the younger one sported jeans and a T-shirt. She had no idea how long they’d been behind her, but their grim expressions didn’t indicate a leisurely stroll. As they drew near, Casey’s breathing quickened. She looked for signs of weapons.
The men walked past the covered area. The older man kept his eyes forward and the younger one lowered his gaze. His hair hung to his collar. She watched the men until Lou’s bus came into view. Neither of them looked back at her.
The bus pulled to a stop, Casey climbed on board, and wondered if she looked as shocked as Lou did. Bruises surrounded his eyes. Another purple-green bruise discolored his chin. He opened the door and Casey climbed the steps. Cuts and scrapes covered his cheeks. He looked far too battered to be working.
“Casey!”
As Lou stood, she wrapped her arms around him. Two large tears spilled onto his shoulder. “I’m so sorry, Lou. If I’d stayed home this wouldn’t have happened.”
“Then he would have gone after you.” He stroked her cheek and then closed the door. “Have a seat, or passengers will think we’ve got something hot and heavy going on.”
Casey looked around. “Your last passenger just left.” She chose the seat closest to him.
“How was Europe?” he asked, merging into traffic.
“Lousy. I’ll tell you everything over beer and pizza.”
“Could we eat in? I’m kind of tired.”
“Sure.” She was amazed he’d managed a full shift at all.
“I stayed over three times,” he said. “Summer seemed fine, and I never saw Darcy near her.”
“Did you meet him?”
“No, the guy was always out; big coincidence, huh?”
“Yep, and he’s pretty much ignored Summer since he’s become involved with Rhonda.”
“I figured that, yeah. So, now that you’re home, what’s your next move?”
“A talk with Dad’s old associate, Vincent. After that I’m pulling the covers over my head and not coming out until the guilty parties are in jail.”
“Parties? Meaning more than one?”
“Sure, why not? I’ve learned that nothing about my family’s ever been simple and straightforward.”
Her eyes filled again and she wanted to sink through the floor. Where was all this emotion coming from?
Lou pulled into the depot and turned off the ignition. “What has you so upset?”
She wiped her eyes. “The deception went much deeper and for much longer than I thought. Why wasn’t Dad straight with me?”
“Lots of parents don’t want their kids to know about their dark side, or their failures, or things they’re ashamed of. I remember how mad Dad was with Mom for telling us about his mistress.”
Lou’s parents had been divorced almost as long as Casey’s. Every year, he went to see his dad in Winnipeg. Every year, he came back out of sorts, fluctuating between love, anger, and pity. It usually took a couple of days to cheer him up.
“Dad and I went through a lot of crap,” she said. “I really believed it was just the two of us sharing secrets and troubles and good times, until he and Rhonda hooked up. Turns out he and Mother had had this whole other life all along.”
Lightning flashed. Thunder exploded and the rain that had been sprinkling the windshield became a deluge.
“I talked to the security company,” Lou said. “No one’s tried to break into the house since the guard was attacked. I don’t get why someone had to destroy the floorboards, though.”
Probably to look for three million bucks, but why choose that spot?
“The alarm’s been installed,” Lou added, “and another guard’s patroling the grounds, which must be costing you a fortune.”
“I’ll be discontinuing that. Did they catch the guy who beat up the first guard?”
“No, but he’s the same maniac who ambushed me—tall guy with shaded glasses, wearing a hoodie.”
Casey forgot to take a breath. “Were the guy’s lenses blue?”
“It was too dark to tell, why?”
“Did you see his hair?”
“The hood covered it.” Lou winced as he got to his feet. “What’s up?”
“Are you sure you’ve never seen Darcy? When we left for the airport, he was watching us from the porch.”
“I don’t remember looking back.”
The rain tapped the windows. It was the only sound she could hear.
“Remember me telling you that I hit my attacker with the flashlight and never saw his face?”
“What about it?”
“When I met Darcy the next day, he’d claimed to have had knee surgery, and went down the stairs awkwardly. The knee seemed fine by the time I left for Europe. Darcy Churcott’s tall and he wears blue tinted glasses.”
“Shit.” He shook his head. “I want to see this loser.”
“Rhonda said your attacker spoke to you. What did he sound like?”
“Gravelly voice.”
Casey shivered. “It’s him.”
“How does the jerk fit into this?”
“He knows Theo Ziegler and he may want the money.”
“What money?”
“I’ll fill you in while we eat.”
Lou put a comforting arm around her. “We’ll need evidence against this freak.”
Casey nodded. “I gather you didn’t describe your assailant to Rhonda?”
“No, she seems hyper-sensitive these days. I didn’t think I should go into detail.”
“Good move. She really likes the sick bastard. I’ll call Lalonde.”
Another bus pulled into the depot. Casey breathed in the familiar smells of diesel fumes. Someone shouted a greeting to a coworker and again her eyes filled with tears. She was home.
Seventeen
CASEY STOOD IN Vincent Wilkes’s humid kitchen and sipped a mug of coffee. She’d shown up unannounced to catch him off guard, and the plan had worked, more or less. Vincent was surprised all right, but he was also with a client in the work area upstairs; not something she’d anticipated on a Sunday. When she asked if she could wait, Vincent suggested she pour herself a coffee in the kitchen. He hadn’t looked happy to see her, but then Vincent and happiness
had always been at odds. Or was there another reason he didn’t want her here?
Casey tried to ignore the plate of congealed porridge and ketchup-streaked eggs by the sink. A large bowl of raw vegetables sat on the counter.
The room’s pine decor hadn’t changed in twenty years. Out of curiosity, she opened drawers in search of loose lining paper, but the drawers had no paper. What about Dad’s old desk? Was evidence of illegal imports and exports still in there? Had Vincent given all of TZ Inc.’s files to Detective Lalonde, or had he held something back?
As Casey tiptoed down the hall, she thought about her chat with the great detective yesterday. She’d told Lalonde everything she’d learned about Dad’s other life: the missing money, Gislinde Van Akker, Theo, and Darcy. Lalonde responded by lecturing her about taking unnecessary risks.