Bone Dust White (25 page)

Sofia sips her soft drink straight from the can. “Leanne shouldn’t have taken the car. I’m lucky I don’t lose my job.” She thanks Macy for getting it back to her so quickly, apologizing once again for the trouble Jared had keeping it running. “Twice I beg for rides off men I hardly know.” She makes a face like she’s just swallowed something unpleasant. “There are many assholes out there.”

“How come you didn’t report the car as stolen?”

“Leanne watched my kids. I prayed for her to come back. Without help I do not know how I will manage.” She hands a thick brown envelope to Macy.

Macy turns it over in her hands. “What’s inside?”

“Photos, papers. Things I found in her room.” She picks at the frayed edge of a place mat. “I need money so I took what she owed me for rent. All her other stuff is in there.” She juts her chin out toward a battered nylon case that sits bloated and heavy in the hallway.

“How did you meet Leanne?”

Instead of answering, Sofia stares into the darkened living room where the silhouette of her eldest child sways only inches from the brightly lit television. “Sometimes I want to give up. I don’t know if I can do this on my own.”

Macy doesn’t know how to respond. The same doubts have been keeping her awake for months. She slides a box of tissues across the table to Sofia and remains silent but Macy wants to say something, to agree.
I feel the same way. I don’t know if I can do this on my own either.
But saying it aloud isn’t a risk Macy is willing to take. Saying it aloud might make it true.

Sofia smiles sadly. “Leanne was difficult but I miss her now. I get so lonely.”

Macy thinks of the vandalized road sign.
Please die slowly.
In a town like Finley it is far better to get dying over as quickly as possible. “So how long had you known Leanne?”

“I’m not so sure. A long time. I can’t remember how we met. Maybe through Tommy.”

“Did you realize she was ill? The medical examiner said it was hepatitis C. She was dying of liver failure.”

“Yeah, I knew. She lost so much weight. You see how she looked like.”

Macy’s memories of Leanne are limited to the black-and-white photos provided by the coroner. They weren’t flattering. “You were quite young when you immigrated to Canada. It must have been difficult for you without any family around.”

Sofia glances over into the living room, checking on her kids again. “It didn’t exactly turn out as planned.”

“Did you originally intend to go to the U.S.?”

She shrugs. “I wanted to but it didn’t work out.”

“Sofia,” she says, meeting the young woman’s eyes. “I think I know what really happened to you when you arrived in this country. I’m hoping that you’re willing to talk about it.”

Sofia runs her fingers along the edge of the table. “I’m worried I’ll be deported if the truth comes out.”

“The truth is going to come out anyway.”

Sofia looks away and her eyes flutter. “I still have nightmares.”

“How many girls flew over with you?”

“There were four of us. We all knew each other back in Poland but we weren’t close.”

“What can you tell me about the trip?”

Sofia presses a tissue to her eyes. “I was so stupid. I just wanted to get to Chicago where I have family. Back in Poland they made it sound so easy. We flew into Montreal on tourist visas and a nice Polish lady met us at the airport. After she took our money, she drove us to a warehouse a few miles from the airport.”

“What went wrong?”

“Everything. As soon as we were inside that truck, the drivers locked the doors and said they wanted more money.”

Macy waits quietly. She already knows what happened next. It’s not the first time she’s heard stories like Sofia’s.

“We didn’t have any so they took turns with us. There was a bed behind the driver’s seat. Whoever wasn’t driving would pick one of us to come up front. I was lucky because I wasn’t the prettiest. Poor Anya spent a lot of time in that bed.”

“What happened when you got to the U.S.?”

“It was dark when we arrived so I have no idea where we were. They locked us in a basement. We had to sleep on mattresses on the floor. If we didn’t do as we were told they chained us to the wall.”

“Did you see any other men?”

“There was one, but he was older. I think he was the boss. The drivers seemed to do whatever he told them.”

“How long were you kept there?”

“I think it was two days before they moved us again.”

“Was it the same truck?”

“It was a different truck but this time I didn’t see the driver. We thought we’d be on the road a long time but we only drove a short distance and stopped for a day. It was hot but at least they gave us water. We took turns sitting next to the air vent.”

“How long was it before Leanne rescued you?”

Sofia doesn’t lift her eyes from the table. “Leanne didn’t get us out of that truck.”

“Then who did?”

Sofia picks up a folded newspaper from the kitchen counter and points at Grace’s photo. “Grace. We all thought we were going to die and this little girl opens the door and sets us free.”

Macy spends a few seconds thinking about what she’s just been told. It’s not what she expected. “But Grace was only seven at the time.”

“She was just a little thing. I don’t know how she managed to break the lock.”

“What happened after Grace let you out?”

“She took us to her trailer and we waited for her mother. We were all frightened of Leanne but Grace stood up to her. Leanne wanted to kick us out but Grace talked her mother into driving us to someplace safe.”

“How did you end up in Canada?”

“We drove all night, taking back roads. We only realized we were in Canada when Leanne’s car broke down outside of Calgary.”

“What about the other girls? Have you had any contact with them?”

“We went our separate ways.”

“And Leanne?”

“I always thought she went home, but I ran into her a couple of years ago. She was living in a shelter in White Sulfur Springs so I took her in.” She points to the photo of Grace again. “I didn’t do it for Leanne, though. I did it for Grace.”

“Did she say why she didn’t go back to Collier?”

“She said there were people who wanted to kill her because of what happened. She’d get upset when she talked about how Grace was living with her sister.”

“Do you know why she left Grace behind?”

“I don’t think she meant to. She planned on going back right away but then her car broke down. Things kind of went downhill from there.”

“We have reason to believe Leanne left the States with a great deal of money.”

“As far as I know she never had any money. She talked about sending for Grace but then wouldn’t because she couldn’t afford the medical bills. She said Grace’s uncle paid for everything.”

“Do you know where the money she sent Grace on her birthdays came from?”

“I never asked. I think she was ashamed of how she earned it. When she couldn’t pay rent she’d tell me she had a lot of money back in Collier. Once she offered me half if I went and got it for her. To tell you the truth, I always thought she was lying.”

“She wasn’t any more specific?”

“No. I helped her out, but she never really trusted me. I don’t think she trusted anyone.”

“When we spoke yesterday you said you had a recent phone bill?”

“Yes, it’s just here,” she says, reaching for an envelope. “Leanne made two calls and received one.”

“This bill is from the past month?”

“Yes, it’s only just arrived.”

Macy runs her eyes over the numbers and recognizes the Flathead Valley area code. The first phone call Leanne made lasted for a little over ten minutes. A few minutes later she called another number. Three days before Leanne was murdered someone called Leanne from that same number.

Macy holds up the phone bill. “Do you mind if I take this? I’ll send you a copy.”

“It’s not like I can afford to pay it anyway.”

Macy looks at the amount that’s due. “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it.”

“You don’t have to.”

“Honestly, this is the best lead we’ve had so far. It’s the least I can do.”

“I only noticed because I think it was the first time someone called Leanne.”

Sofia’s son tugs at his mother’s arm and whispers something in her ear before pulling her toward the living room. Sofia kisses the top of his head and looks up at Macy. “I’m just going to put a DVD on for him. I’ll be right back.”

While she waits, Macy lays out a series of photos lifted from the DMV records of some of the truck drivers that worked for Cross Border Trucking. In the next room, she hears Sofia speaking to her son in Polish. Even though Macy doesn’t understand a word she knows they’re negotiating which film he can watch.

Sofia comes back and stares at the photos Macy has laid out on the table. “How much longer? I’ve got to feed my boys lunch soon.”

“I promise we’re almost done. I just need you to look at these photos and tell me if you recognize anyone.”

Sofia reaches over and picks up a photo of Brady Monroe. “He was one of the drivers who took us across the border. This one I know from the news as well. He shot himself, yes?”

“What about the other driver?”

Sofia inspects each image in turn, studying the faces until she finds the one she’s looking for. “Him,” she says, swearing in Polish. “I know him anywhere. He’s the bastard who raped me. His name was Walter, I think.”

“Walter Nielson.”

“Are you going to arrest him?”

“I can’t. He was murdered four years ago.” Macy slides another photo out of her files and taps it with her index finger. “What about this man? Have you seen him before?”

“That’s the older man from the house.”

“Are you absolutely sure?”

“Yes, that’s him. Who is he?”

“That’s Grace’s uncle, Arnold Lamm.”

Sofia pushes the photo away. “I don’t understand how Leanne could have left Grace with such a man. I would have let my children die before I let him near them.”

Jared doesn’t bother knocking on the back door. Loaded down with shopping bags from the grocery store, he bustles into the kitchen and starts unpacking the contents without any explanation. Sofia’s face collapses and when she starts crying, it takes a long while to calm her down again. Jared gives her a big bear of a hug and from her chair Macy quietly winces. It’s the type of hug she’s always hated—claustrophobic and unyielding—but there is a twinge of something she can’t quite put her finger on—a type of jealousy. In those few minutes she wants what Sofia has. She wants someone to care.

Macy clears her throat. “Sofia, do you mind if I have a look at Leanne’s room?”

“Yes, of course. I show you.”

“Just point me in the right direction. You can stay here with Jared and help him unpack.”

Sofia wipes her eyes. “It’s at the end of the hall just past the bathroom.”

All Macy finds in Leanne’s room are empty drawers and dust. She spreads the contents of the envelope Sofia gave her on the bed and starts picking through what’s left of Leanne’s life. There isn’t much to go on. There are no tax returns, insurance forms, or bank statements and most of the pages have been ripped out of her address book. Elizabeth Lamm’s phone number and address are jotted down in neat handwriting and there are a few numbers listed for White Sulfur Springs, including the homeless shelter. Less than a hundred Canadian dollars are neatly secured with a paper clip. Wrinkled receipts and nonsensical notations on bits of paper make up the rest. There’s an old newspaper clipping folded up inside a small coin purse. It’s an article that was published in the
Collier Gazette
after the bodies were found dumped in the roadside picnic area. In the margins a child’s hand has written down a license plate number.

The first phone call Leanne placed matches the number listed for Elizabeth Lamm. The call was made only three weeks before Leanne died. She checks the other phone number with the Collier area code against the entries that are left in Leanne’s phone book and finds nothing so she picks up her cell phone and dials. It goes straight to voicemail.

“Hello, you’re through to Larson’s Used Cars in downtown Collier. Your call is important to us. Please leave your name and number and we’ll get right back to you.”

Macy switches off her phone and holds it to her chin. She doesn’t like being lied to. On the same day Leanne spoke to Elizabeth, she also called Toby Larson’s car dealership. They spoke for thirteen minutes. Less than three weeks later there’s an incoming call from the same number at the dealership. Macy notes the date is three days prior to Leanne’s murder.

She closes the bedroom door and dials Warren’s number. “Hi, Warren,” she says.

“Are you still up in Finley?”

“Yeah, my hunch was right. Sofia did cross over the border to Collier eleven years ago. She’s identified the drivers as Walter Nielson and Brady Monroe.”

“Did she say anything about the night Leanne took her back to Canada?”

“It wasn’t Leanne who rescued the girls from the truck, it was Grace.”

“Really?”

“Yep, surprised me as well. I didn’t think she had it in her.”

“Anything else?”

“She’s identified Arnold Lamm. He was in that basement with them. She said that he appeared to be in charge of things.”

“I’d say it’s been worth the trip.”

“I also have a copy of Sofia’s phone bill. Leanne called someone at 153 Summit Road. It could have been Grace she spoke to but I doubt it. More likely it was Elizabeth. The call lasted around ten minutes and was placed about three weeks before Leanne was murdered.”

“I wish Elizabeth hadn’t kept that to herself.”

“Shortly after Leanne talked to Elizabeth she called Larson’s used car dealership. The call lasted thirteen minutes.”

“So Toby lied too.”

“It gets better. Leanne received a call from Larson’s Used Cars three days before Leanne was murdered.”

“Are you sure?”

“It’s all here in black and white.”

Warren sighs. “I’ll bring Toby Larson in for questioning. What about Elizabeth?”

Macy looks at her watch. “I’ll deal with Elizabeth tomorrow. My gut feeling is that Leanne called because she wanted access to Grace and Elizabeth told her to stay away.”