Butterfly Kills (21 page)

W
olf
got to the help line just after Mark. He’d decided that he might as well give Mark a few hours while he waited for the okay from the police to leave town. Answering calls might take his mind off the drunken black hole he’d wallowed in since Leah died. It was past time he pulled himself together.

“Thanks for coming in, man,” Mark said. His hair was pulled back in a ponytail and he wore tan khakis and a white shirt. “I’m interviewing people today and wasn’t sure how I was going to swing it.”

“Yeah, no problem.”

Wolf steered away from Leah’s chair and sat at Jucinda’s desk.

“Java?” Mark lifted the coffeepot skyward and Wolf nodded. Another cup might chase away the beer fog.

“Been to see Gail?” Wolf asked, taking the mug from Mark.

Mark leaned against the desk and sipped on his coffee before answering. “Nate went over with some flowers but didn’t get in. They have a cop on the door. Family only, or at least it was when he went. You?”

“Thinking about it. I was kind of waiting until they don’t think I was the one who beat her up.”

“I hear you, man, but none of us seriously thinks you did it. The cops’ll come around. That Stonechild’s been hanging here a lot. I expect she’ll be back soon.”

“Great.”

Wolf took a few calls but the line was quieter than usual. He thought word had gotten around that the place was jinxed.

Mark exited his office at ten. “I’m just heading to the deli for a sandwich. Want anything?”

Wolf looked up from the
Psychology Today
magazine he was flipping through. “No thanks. I’ll grab something when Nate shows up at two.”

“Good enough.”

After Mark had been gone twenty minutes, Wolf took a chance and went to the washroom. The phone was ringing when he got back and he dashed across the room. He picked it up and was relieved not to hear a dial tone.

“Help line,” he said, catching his breath. “What can I do for you?”

“I have to speak to Leah Sampson.”

The voice was a girl’s, older than twelve, but not by much. Wolf lowered himself onto the chair, gripping tightly onto the receiver. “Did Leah give you her name?”

“Nadirah.”

“Excuse me?”

“My sister, Nadirah gave me her name. Can I speak to Leah, please?”

“Are Nadirah and Leah friends?”

There was silence on the other end of the line and Wolf feared he’d lost her. He had to keep talking. “I’m Leah’s boyfriend. She’s not here today, but she asked me to look after her callers. Can I help you with anything?” He leaned onto his knees and strained to understand what this caller asking for Leah could mean. How could this girl know her name? Was this part of the puzzle that had led to Leah’s murder?

“We need to find Nadirah. Leah knows where she is. Nadirah said if we were in trouble to call Leah at this number.”

“Leah knows where she is.” He echoed her words, giving non-judgmental, positive reinforcement as trained. He had no idea what he was wading into.

“Can you come get us?” Her voice wavered. The fear was stark.

“Of course I can. Where are you?” He spoke gently, keeping the urgency from his voice.

She’d covered the mouthpiece and he heard her talking to someone. She released her hand. “We’re at the Frontenac Mall. Near the Harvey’s.” More talking to someone and then her voice, stronger. “What’s your name?”

“Wolf. They call me Wolf. I’m tall with dark brown hair and a beard. I’m wearing blue jeans and a white shirt with red flowers embroidered under the collar.” Silence again. He needed to convince her. “Leah would want me to help you. She’d want to make sure you’re safe.”

The long silence again before the girl said at last, “Please come.”

“I don’t know your name. How will I know who you are?”

“You don’t need to know. We’ll find you.”

The phone went dead in his hand. He leaped up and started toward the door before remembering he was alone. “Damn!” He returned to the desk while hitting Mark’s number on his cellphone. The phone went directly to voicemail. “Have to leave, Mark. An emergency. Get back right away.”

He snapped the phone shut and found a pen and paper to leave Mark a note as added insurance. The guy was due back any minute and the place would be safe until then. The phones had been quiet and hopefully nobody needing help would call in the next ten minutes. If Mark made a stink later, Wolf would deal with it.

Kala waited at the top of the crest of land for Taiku. He’d run the length of the beach and swum in the lake but disappeared into the underbrush when he realized they were heading back to the cottage. It was his old trick to gain time outside. Kala couldn’t blame him. She’d been putting in long days and he’d been shut up alone in a stranger’s house. She checked her watch. Twenty more minutes wouldn’t hurt anything.

She found a lichen-encrusted slab of rock and sat down to wait. A white mist hung over the water. Gulls circled overhead, their shrill call breaking the morning silence. The breeze had died down and the lake was still. She couldn’t see much past the shoreline and felt alone and cocooned in a foggy netherworld. Her navy pullover was enough to keep the chill out once she tightened the hood over her head and tucked her hands into the pockets. She closed her eyes and cleared her mind, letting the morning peace seep into her being.

Taiku finally darted out of the bush just as she thought it was time to go in search. He stood in front of her with tongue hanging to one side of its mouth and tail down. A leaf and twig had entangled themselves in his fur.

“Got that out of your system, then?” she asked. She called him to come and knelt down to remove the debris. She slung an arm around his neck. “When these cases are over, I promise we’ll go on a canoe trip. We’ve both earned one.”

Back in the house, she fed him and went upstairs to change for work. Her cellphone rang as she finished braiding her hair. She checked the number before answering.

“Ray?”

“Hey, Kala. Good to hear your voice. I guess you know why I’m calling.”

“Lily?”

“Yup. She showed up here at Birdtail with that con Gil Valiquette she’s hooked up with and her daughter Dawn, oh ’bout twenty-four hours ago. I tried to talk her into going to the cops, but she wasn’t having any of it. She always was more bull-headed than was good for her.”

“It’s not really any of my business, Ray. Lily made that clear when she took off without leaving a forwarding address.” Kala didn’t quite succeed in keeping the bitterness from her voice.

Ray was silent for a moment before saying, “I could talk your ear off about why that girl runs away from people who care about her. You of all people oughta know. She’s in trouble and she’s dragging that girl Dawn down with her.”

Kala considered what he said. His concern overrode her resolve not to get involved. “What do you want me to do? Are they still there with you?”

“Nah, they headed west to Calgary before light. They were gone when I woke up. I was scared to call you with Valiquette watching me the entire time they were here. I was hoping you had some contacts who might intervene, you know, unofficially. The guy she’s with is a first-class loser and I’d like to see him locked up. She’s scared of him.”

“She said that?”

“No, but I could tell from the way he spoke to her that there’s a problem. She kept trying to keep Dawn away from him. The man is trouble through and through.”

“They robbed a liquor store with a gun, Ray. They took hostages, which raises this crime into another category altogether. I got a call a few days ago.”

“Shit. I knew it had to be something like that. He’s behind it, Kala. Lily wouldn’t do anything like that. Not with Dawn to look after. I know Lily’s been trying to turn her life around, but this guy is pulling her back down. Can you help?”

“I’m not promising anything, but I can try. She’ll still be charged once the police catch up with them, but the court will have to look at her entire history. That should count in her favour, having such a lousy childhood and all.”
And they’d never find out the half.

“Well, that’s all I can ask. If she calls, I’ll let her know you’re working things from your end. Maybe if she sees a way out …”

“You can give her my cell number. I’ll do what I can.”

“Thanks, kid. And how about you? Doing okay down there in Kingston?”

“Yeah. I’m doing okay. Not sure if I’m going to stay here into the winter, but I’m working on a few cases for Rouleau and will see them through. Speaking of which, I’d better get a move on.”

“Well, talk to you soon, then. Let me know if you hear anything from Lily.”

“Take care, Ray.”

Kala leaned against the doorframe and looked out the kitchen window without seeing anything. She felt an urgency to drop everything here and go rescue Lily and Dawn from this man who had Lily under his thumb. If only she hadn’t gotten so deeply involved in the Leah Sampson murder case. The best she could do now was to call Shannon in the Dryden OPP office and get her to use her contacts in Calgary to help out. Shannon had cop friends in every city and most towns across the country. The important next step would be to get Lily and Dawn away from this guy.

Kala slammed the palm of her hand against the wall. “Damn. Damn. Damn, Lily. Why do you keep messing up?”

She pulled her cell out of her pocket and opened the address book to find Shannon’s number. She tried to ignore the flicker of hope that she’d be reunited with Lily and Dawn when this was over. That was a road that would likely lead to more heartache. Still, knowing that Lily might have had little choice but to leave Ottawa without saying goodbye meant she could have misread the situation.

That could count for something.

Kala found a parking spot across the street from the University Help Line. It was later than she’d meant, but she comforted herself with the knowledge that Mark Withers was going to have the girl call her cellphone if she decided to make contact. Kala had to concede that the odds of a call were diminishing with every day that passed.

She got out of the truck and locked the door. Two cars passed by before she was able to dash across the road. She reached the sidewalk when the help line front door burst open. Wolf was halfway down the stairs before he saw her.

“I’m glad you’re here,” he said. “I got a call from some kid who was asking for Leah and I’m on my way to meet her.”

“I’ve been waiting for her to call again. Didn’t Mark tell you?”

“No. He must have forgotten. I’m off to meet her now at the food court in the Frontenac Mall, although it sounds like she’s got somebody else with her.”

Kala waved him off. “Thanks for the information, but you can stand down. I’ll be going alone.” She turned and took a step away from him.

“You need me,” Wolf yelled above the rumble of a passing truck.

“Excuse me?” Kala half-turned and squinted up at him. The angle of the sun hurt her eyes as she tried to make out his features through beams of light.

“She’s expecting to see a man of my description. She sounded jumpy and I doubt she’ll show herself except to me.”

Kala hesitated. This kid was scared and could run. Wolf moved down two steps closer.

“You need me,” he said again. “Admit it. You can’t make contact alone.”

It was crazy to bring along a civilian, who was still considered a murder suspect. Things could turn ugly real fast. Still, her options weren’t all that plentiful and time was ticking. There was only one choice really.

“We’ll take my truck,” she said, scowling up at him. She turned her back and began walking. “Get a move on,” she tossed over her shoulder. “I don’t want them bolting before we get there.”

F
or
the second straight day, Zack Woodhouse parked his car a few doors down from the Munroe driveway just after seven a.m. He had a clear view of the house but wasn’t in direct view if Della looked out the window. The day before, a couple of times, he’d seen her standing in the living room, arms crossed and looking out. A mom and little girl came mid-morning and drove away with the Munroe kid but had him back before lunchtime. Della hadn’t left the house.

Woodhouse organized his Thermos of coffee, large bottle of coke, three peanut butter sandwiches, two Coffee Crisps, and two packs of chips on the seat and hunkered down. It was going to be a sunny, warm day once the morning chill burned off. Thank Christ for small mercies. The windshield and windows were tinted so he was barely visible from the outside. He’d brought binoculars and took a few seconds to scan the Munroe yard and windows. All quiet on the western front. Not a creature was stirring.

Damn that old dog Chalmers for bailing again today, although Woodhouse had to admit he’d have done the same that close to retirement. If Chalmers was here with him now, he’d have the seat back and would be sawing logs. They’d go for a long liquid lunch around noon and claim overtime. The report would be fabricated accordingly. Woodhouse hated to think about the changes that were sure to happen with Chalmers gone.

He shifted the seat back to give himself more room to stretch out his legs. He ate one of the sandwiches and polished off the coffee. Some of her neighbours left for work or school. It wasn’t the best end of town, but safe enough during the day. A few blocks over on Princess Street you could get yourself tattooed and pierced before going for a drink in a scum line bar. Could probably get a mini-skirted escort out on the street, no problem. Could even join a biker gang if you were so inclined.

The morning passed slowly. He had a bladder like a camel’s hump but even it had limits. The pressure was getting uncomfortable. Nobody would be the wiser if he headed over to the community centre down the street to relieve himself. After all, if Rouleau had cared that much, he would have sent someone to spell him off now and then. They wouldn’t have left him alone all day like an outcast on a deserted island.

A side mirror check and he caught the glint of sunlight bouncing off a car as it slowly pulled into a space three houses down. Woodhouse kept his eyes on the mirror, hoping some hot chick in short shorts and a skin-tight top would slide out of the open door. He was disappointed to see a young East Indian kid in his mid-twenties finally step onto the street. Disappointment turned to suspicion as it normally did whenever he saw a member of the jihad nation. As Chalmers liked to say, nothing wrong with keeping a watchful eye on the movements of citizens from the terrorist countries.

The kid took his time locking his car, a new black Nissan Sentra, before he checked up and down the street.

“Now just what are you up to, my lovely?” Woodhouse said out loud.

He picked up his binoculars and angled the side mirror to read the licence plate. He repeated the number to himself a couple of times as he searched for a pen in the front dash. He jotted down the plate number at the top of the newspaper he’d picked up along with the bag of salt and vinegar chips. Task completed, he looked up and surveyed the street. Where had the kid gone? It was like he’d disappeared into thin air. Woodhouse sighed. They were a race that had learned to make themselves invisible when need be. Stonechild’s people had the same gene. Mostly because they were always up to no good. He picked up the paper again. He may as well check out the sports page and find out if the Jays had gotten another win against the Red Socks. He could wait twenty more minutes before he’d have to answer nature’s call.

Della Munroe turned on the Little Mermaid and settled Tommy in front of the television with a bowl of Cheerios while she considered how to get rid of Ghazi, waiting for her in the other room. She also needed a few minutes to collect herself so that he wouldn’t sense her rage. Of all the stupid things for him to do, showing up at her doorstep had to be the stupidest.

“You stay here, Tommy, and Mommy will be back in a few minutes.”

He lifted his chin and looked at her, with his father’s curly hair flopping in his face. It would be a life-long reminder of her sins.

She took a moment to rake her hands through her hair and to smooth down her purple silk blouse. A glance in the mirror and three deep breaths.
Just get rid of him,
she told herself.
Whatever it takes.

Ghazi was sitting at the table when she entered the kitchen. His eyes were black and angry, the expression on his face was dangerous. She felt a momentary sense of foreboding combined with a rush of heat between her legs. For a split second, she was back to the first time she saw him standing in the hall outside the psychology classroom. He was so perfectly delicious: twenty-two years of raging testosterone. All dark smouldering eyes with the body of a male athlete. He’d been a worthy partner in the sack once he learned to follow her lead. He liked it as rough as she did. After a few months, she’d lost track of who was the teacher and who was the student. The plan came later when she realized he could help her get rid of Brian. It hadn’t taken much convincing to have Ghazi take the roughness up a notch and fake the rape. He’d framed it as a favour to help her get away from her domineering husband. Ghazi had started confiding in her after that. She’d found him seriously depraved, dangerous … and exciting. It was too bad he’d become a major liability. His appearance here today confirmed it.

She forced a dazzling smile.

“I wasn’t expecting to see you. I thought we’d agreed to cool it until my … predicament concluded.”

“I thought you might want to come with me on another adventure. I know how much you enjoyed hearing about my last one.”

“Who?”

“My whoring sister Nadirah. I want to get to her before she influences my other sisters any further. I think they’re on their way to find her. Luckily, I’ve figured out where she is.”

“How did you do that? Leah never told you anything as I recall, even with your ample … persuasion.” Della shivered as she remembered his lurid description of what he’d done to her. She still didn’t understand the lengths he’d gone to over his so-called family honour. It was as twisted an obsession as she’d ever seen.

“I got her co-worker’s laptop, which surprised me with intimate details of Leah’s life. For instance, Leah grew up in Brockville near to where her family still owns a cottage on the St. Lawrence River. I’ve got a map of the area and found the location on Google Earth, or close enough that I can get there. It’s secluded and the perfect place for Nadirah to hole up.”

“Your sister could be anywhere. She might have left the country even.”

“Not without her sisters. I know Nadirah. She’ll want to stay close by until she thinks it’s safe to make contact. Then she’ll try to get my other sisters to join her. Dalal anyway. Now the two of them have gone missing.”

“Why haven’t you gone to get Nadirah already?”

“My father wanted me to hold back and overrode my mother, but now she’s decided that Nadirah’s behaviour must be punished. We can’t wait any longer.”

“What do you intend to do when you find her?”

Ghazi straightened and puffed out his chest as if he was a warrior on a holy crusade. “Save my family’s honour. She’s better off dead than carrying on like a common slut.”

“Surely your parents wouldn’t be pleased if you kill her.”

“Who do you think sent me to avenge our honour and bring back Dalal and Meeza before they also bring shame on the family name?”

He stood and paced from one end of the room to the other, stopping a foot from where she stood. He reached up and grabbed the back of her neck, pulling her to him. His mouth was on hers like a sledgehammer and his tongue forced its way between her lips. She gave in to his deep kiss but broke away as his hand reached up under her blouse and fumbled with the clasp on the front of her bra.

“Not here,” she gasped. “Tommy’s in the other room and could come to find me any minute.” She pushed him back and stepped away.

“Fine time for you to act like the good mother.” His eyes blazed but he didn’t move toward her. “I just wanted to see you one more time, Della, before … I wanted you to come with me.”

She kept her eyes on him, acutely aware of how unstable he was. The look in his eyes was crazy with the fervent passion of the demented. Why hadn’t she seen it before? She needed time to figure out how to neutralize him without being linked to him. They’d been very careful not to be seen together; if she could just get rid of him now, she’d buy some time to come up with a plan.

She traced her hand down his chest. “Baby, I can’t just leave Tommy here alone. You go take care of your sisters and we’ll meet up to celebrate, I promise. I’ll post a message on the board at the entrance of the University Centre next week like I did before. It’ll give a time and place to meet up in that code we set up. I’ll want a full account of how it goes down today. The wait will be just so sooo exciting.” She slowly circled her tongue around her lips before leaning in to kiss him one more time. She bit his bottom lip before lifting her mouth to whisper into his ear, “Now be my good boy. You go do what you need to do and don’t let anyone see you leave. We have to be careful.”

The tension left his body as her hands moved their way down his back. He stepped away from her and smiled a cheeky, little-boy smile. “Okay. One more week. But don’t keep me waiting any longer. I can’t live without you. You and me belong together, even if we have to keep our love a secret.”

He didn’t say from his mother, but she knew that was the fear still barely keeping him in line. She cringed at the veiled threat implicit in his words and their pact that would keep her under his thumb. Letting him pretend to rape her might have been a mistake. The thought of spending her life as the object of his latest obsession was chilling. She ran her fingers across his cheek.

“I want you bad too, Ghazi. Just be a wee bit patient and I’ll make the wait well worth your while. We’re going to party like there’s no tomorrow, and nobody is going to get in our way. I promise you that.”

Woodhouse might have missed seeing the East Indian kid come out of Della Munroe’s driveway if he hadn’t looked up from the sports section at just that moment. His blood quickened when he realized the boy had come from the back of her house as cool as you please, dark sunglasses hiding his eyes. He turned his head to look up and down the street again before sidling across the road and passing just in front of Woodhouse’s car. Woodhouse was worried the kid had spotted him, but relaxed when he hustled on by without anything more than a glance at his car.

Woodhouse tried to ingrain a description of the kid in his memory. He was good-looking enough if you liked that sort: brown-skinned, stylish short haircut, masculine features, and physically fit. He wasn’t carrying any merchandise so probably hadn’t been on a robbery mission. He’d only been in the Munroe yard for all of fifteen minutes so likely hadn’t gotten into too much mischief. The question was, had he been inside the house visiting? If so, why had he come out the back way and why did he keep looking around as if trying to see if anyone had followed him?

Woodhouse heard the Nissan start up, and a few seconds later the kid sped by, one hand holding a cellphone to his ear. He would have liked to stop the kid on principle, but figured he’d better not blow his cover. He looked down at the licence plate number scrawled on the newspaper lying next to him on the passenger seat. Might not hurt to phone the number in and get someone to check on the owner. At the very least, he’d look like he was being thorough, and that wouldn’t be a bad thing with Rouleau in charge and a new partner soon. Odds were that he wasn’t going to be lucky enough to get another Chalmers in this lifetime.

Woodhouse turned the key in the ignition and eased his car away from the curb. First things first. He’d make the call as soon as he got back from the community centre, otherwise his bladder would be exploding all over the front seat. He winced at the image and at the never-ending hazing that would follow as sure as the sun was going to rise tomorrow. He tried to think of anything but the pressure in his bladder as he sped up the street to a community toilet and some blessed relief.