Butterfly Kills (24 page)

Directly ahead, a woman dressed head to toe in a black burka stood framed against the blue horizon. Her back was toward Kala and she was looking out at the lake, her arms flapping up and down as she yelled into the wind. Kala moved a step to look past her and for a split second could not believe what she was seeing. A young man who had to be Ghazi was holding a woman’s head under the thigh-high water while her arms flailed and pounded at him, trying to break his hold. Ghazi was laughing, wide-mouthed, toward his mother sitting on the shore. He let Nadirah’s head out of the water for half a second and she sputtered water and tried to inhale before he thrust her back under.

It was a sight so grotesque and unthinkable that Kala stood stunned, but only for a moment. Her horror was followed by a rage so intense that it burned through her like wildfire. She kicked out of her shoes and dropped her cellphone as she ran full tilt toward the lake.

The woman in black provided Kala some cover until she got closer. Kala lunged past her before the woman could react and barrelled into the water directly at Ghazi. The woman’s screams increased in volume as she warned her son. As Kala rushed into the lake, part of her registered that Nadirah had stopped struggling, but she couldn’t stop to think what that meant.

Ghazi’s face transformed from gleeful to shocked as he realized what was happening. Kala was on him before he released his hold on Nadirah. She punched him hard between the eyes, hearing the bone in his nose crack. Blood streamed down his face and he grabbed his nose with both hands and screamed in pain. He punched blindly toward Kala’s face. One punch made contact with the side of her head and Kala momentarily saw stars. She regained her balance and attacked again, this time thrusting her knee as hard as she could between his legs and punching him in the stomach with her balled up fist. The impact sent him backwards with another shriek of pain. He hit the water with a splash, incapacitated for the time being. The screaming from shore intensified.

Kala turned to search for Nadirah. Fear surged through her at the sight of the girl lying on her stomach, her body bobbing gently in the waves that lapped against her. Kala reached her quickly through the knee-deep water and flipped her onto her back, pulling her under her armpits toward shore. They reached the edge of the water and Kala turned Nadirah onto her side, checking her mouth for obstructions. She rolled her over and onto her back and began performing CPR.

The mother waded out to Ghazi, screeching venom while Kala breathed air in and out of Nadirah’s mouth, praying that she wasn’t too late. She was aware of the frenetic movements of Ghazi and his mother nearby, but she kept up the CPR. Ghazi had almost reached her when a stream of water spurted out of Nadirah’s mouth. She coughed and gasped in air. Kala rolled the girl onto her side, then stood ready to defend herself from the two bearing down on her. They were a frightening sight. The woman was screeching through the veil that covered her face and pounding the air with a fist. Ghazi was covered in scarlet blood streaming from his broken nose. His hands were raised in fists and his eyes were already turning black and blue and bulging with anger.

Kala spread her feet wider. She raised her arms and squeezed her hands into fists. She mentally prepared to withstand a blow. Ghazi came at her like a charging bull, thrusting himself at her and catching her around the waist in a head butt. She was flung backwards into the water, winded by the impact and struggling to breathe. She kicked at him as he scrambled to leap on her and caught him under the chin. His head snapped back but he only took a second to come at her again. Kala got into a sitting position and pushed herself back but not in time. Ghazi flung himself at her and weighted her down, pushing her face under the water.

Kala flailed like Nadirah had done before her but Ghazi was too strong. She tried to gain traction to shove him off balance. Nothing worked and she let herself go limp, willing him to loosen his grip. Darkness and shooting lights filled her brain as she began to black out.

G
undersund
took exit 659 toward Charleston Lake and searched ahead for the gas station and family restaurant that Rouleau had assured him were in plain sight. He’d made record time down Highway 417 once he left the city limits, sticking to the fast lane and managing to avoid being pulled over. Stonechild couldn’t be that far ahead unless she’d broken the sound barrier.

He spotted Wolf alone in the parking lot, pacing back and forth like a man waiting on his wife to deliver a baby. Gundersund drew alongside and Wolf jumped into the passenger seat without waiting for an invitation.

“Let’s go,” Wolf said, slamming the door. His hair was wild and his beard scraggy. Not a look that brokered confidence. He shifted sideways and looked hard at Gundersund as if sensing his reluctance. “I didn’t like letting your partner go to the cottage alone and have had a bad feeling.”

“Where are the girls?”

“I called a friend, who arrived five minutes ago. Claire will take Dalal and Meeza to her place and we can pick them up when this is over.”

Gundersund wasn’t liking this change in plans. “I can’t take you with me, Wolf. I can’t bring you into a potentially dangerous situation.”

“I know the risks. We can make better time if I’m along to direct you to the cottage.”

The door of the restaurant opened and Gundersund looked over, the ringing of the bell on a chain catching his attention. A pleasant-looking woman in her fifties dressed in pink Lulu Lemon workout gear exited with Meeza and Dalal right behind. Both girls were eating ice cream cones and the younger one was smiling. He watched them cross the parking lot to her SUV and noticed the vanity plate: 4CURLERS. She wouldn’t be hard to track down.

“Okay,” Gundersund said, “looks like I haven’t really got much of a choice if we’re going to find them before nightfall. Buckle up.” He pulled onto the road heading north. “So what makes you believe Leah hid Nadirah away at this cottage?”

“It’s isolated and the first place she would think of. Leah also went away overnight a few weeks back ‘to clear her head,’ she told me. I thought she was having a night away with her married boyfriend.” Wolf stared straight ahead. “I should have trusted her. A Ph.D. in psychology and I couldn’t even read my own girlfriend.”

“You’re only human, buddy. She didn’t want you to know and she was acting secretive. I understand a co-worker also stirred the pot.”

“Jucinda.” He groaned. “I should never have listened to her. Take this turn off.”

“Left here?”

“Yeah. It’ll take us to the side road that leads to Sand Bay.” He slumped back against the seat and folded his arms across his chest.

They travelled in silence past stretches of woods and marshland. The side road to the Sand Bay turnoff came ten minutes in.

Wolf started speaking as if there hadn’t been any break in their conversation. “Leah was always helping people. She was soft-hearted and never knew when to say no. She also had this conscience that wouldn’t let her do the wrong thing. I know she was trying to protect me from getting involved in helping a caller because we’d both get fired if Mark or Tadesco found out I’d known and said nothing or helped her. The irony was that I quit the night Leah was murdered so it wouldn’t have mattered.”

Gundersund shot him a glance. “Leah must have known that if Nadirah was in danger, helping her to escape her family would put both of them in danger. Perhaps Leah was keeping you out of it to keep you safe.”

“Then we have to protect this person that Leah died trying to help. It’s the only thing that makes sense anymore. Helping Nadirah might make up for me doubting Leah, you know?”

“Yeah. I get it.” Find meaning out of chaos. Assuage one’s own guilt whether real or imagined. When somebody close died violently, family and friends would go searching for answers and try to set things right. Gundersund had seen it play out before.

Wolf suddenly pointed toward the right side of the road. “Is that your partner’s truck?”

Gundersund felt the adrenaline start to kick in. “Yeah. She’s here.”

He cranked the steering wheel sharply to the right and slid in next to her. They both jumped out. Wolf waited for Gundersund to walk around the front of his car. He said, “The cottage isn’t far. It’s up on a bluff of land overlooking the lake.”

They ran up the gravel hill through the trees, Wolf leading the way. He stopped at the top of the incline and pointed at the black Nissan. “Company,” he said quietly.

Gundersund’s worry meter spiked but he tried not to let it show. “Looks like the Shahans made it here ahead of us.” He reached inside his jacket and pulled out his handgun. “Stay behind me, just in case.”

They circled the cottage with Gundersund taking the lead. He was relieved not to come across any scenes of carnage but each passing moment began to seem more critical.

“Looks like the cottage is empty,” Wolf said, scanning the deck and windows from where he stood near the path down to the water.

“Maybe, but we should go carefully.”

They silently climbed the steps to the deck and Gundersund eased his way through the sliding door just as Kala had done earlier. He completed a quick search and returned a minute later to where Wolf stood guard on the deck.

“The good news is that nobody’s inside with any injuries. The bad news is that they have to be out there somewhere. You were right about Nadirah staying here. She’s set up in the back bedroom. I found her wallet with ID.”

Wolf nodded. “It had to be this place. I don’t see anybody on the dock from here, but we could go check it out.”

Gundersund would have missed Stonechild’s clue, pointing them down the path to the beach, if he hadn’t had his head down. Smart girl. She’d left one of her turquoise earrings hanging from a broken branch that pointed down an overgrown track between the trees. His admiration for her resourcefulness kept growing.

“Wolf,” he said and reached up to take down the earring. He tucked it into his pocket. “This way.”

“The path leads to the beach about half a kilometer around the point,” Wolf said.

Three minutes running full tilt through the woods felt like a lifetime. When they broke through the green cave of trees into the blinding sunshine, Gundersund’s heart was near to bursting in his chest. He struggled to catch his breath, vain enough to try to keep his discomfort from Wolf, who looked unfazed by the run. Gundersund promised himself that he’d get back in the gym when this case was over. No two ways. It took him a second to adjust to the brightness bouncing off the water. He squinted.

“
Merde
,” he exclaimed when he’d finally absorbed the horror in front of him. The sight was surreal.

Wolf’s voice held equal disbelief. “There’s a woman’s body lying near shore. He’s holding somebody else under water.” Wolf began running and so did Gundersund. He remembered his handgun.

“Police!” Gundersund yelled. He stopped and raised the angle of the gun into the air and fired one shot skyward.

The man in the water looked up and raised his hands. Even from this distance, Gundersund could see that Ghazi’s face and shirt were smeared with bright-red congealing blood. It was difficult to make out his features under the pulpy gore. He froze for only a moment before turning his back on them and belting it across the beach toward the wood. The woman in black trailed behind him, wailing and screaming at the top of her lungs in a foreign language.

Gundersund and Wolf ignored their flight as they raced toward the two bodies lying on the beach. Gundersund waded into the deeper water and grabbed onto Stonechild by her waist. He flipped her over and dragged her from the water onto the edge of the beach. Laying her down, desperation made his movements feel clumsy and rough. His initial assessment of her condition had him fear the worst. Her normally glowing skin had a bluish tinge and the pulse in her neck beat faintly under his fingers.

Please, please.

He rolled her onto her back and tilted her head, lifting her chin, putting his ear next to her open mouth. He couldn’t see her chest rising and falling; there was no feeling of air on his cheek.
Don’t die on me.
He pinched her nose and sealed her mouth with his, giving her a breath big enough to make her chest rise.

Come on. Come on.
He repeated several times.
Come on, Stonechild,
breathe.
The clock was ticking. He lifted his face to get more air. A sudden movement of her neck where he held her and then she bucked upwards. A frantic struggle for breath and a choking cough. Water began to spew from her open mouth. He managed to lift his face and roll her onto her side before she vomited a stream of water. Her eyes fluttered open, fighting, scared. She rolled back and saw him. The fear in her eyes died away before she closed them and moaned.

Thank Christ.
“You’re okay, Stonechild,” he said, taking hold of her hand. “I’ve got you.” He glanced over at Wolf.

Wolf had found Nadirah lying unconscious on her side in inches of water near shore. He’d hauled her farther onto the beach and had been trying to bring her around. He’d taken off his shirt and wrapped her in it. Wolf met his eyes. “She’s alive,” he said. “Breathing okay, but unconscious. I want to kill the bastard.”

“Join the line.”

Gundersund felt the surge of adrenaline that had brought him this far begin to fade. He suddenly felt overwhelmingly tired. He could have stretched out next to Stonechild and slept, but the day was just beginning. He pulled the phone out of his pocket and dialled 911 as he leaned down and said, “Hang on Kala. Nadirah’s doing fine. You’re both doing fine. They won’t get away with this.”

R
ouleau
was picking up the folder for his meeting when the phone on his desk rang. He glanced at the number before picking up. He heard his voice lighten when he said, “Laney, how are you?”

“Good. I received a message to call you? Was the latest listing not suitable?”

“No, it’s actually a great spot, but I’ve decided to put the house hunting on hold for the time being. My father just had heart surgery and I’m going to stay with him for the next month or so.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.” She paused and he heard the sharp clicks of a mouse across the telephone wire. “You know, Jacques, a condo has come up in your father’s building. Ah, here it is. A two bedroom a few floors down from your father, but it also faces the lake. I could show it to you tomorrow if you have time.”

He hadn’t considered a condo. When he’d been married to Frances, they’d bought a fixer-upper in Westboro, a neighbourhood in Ottawa, that he’d never gotten around to doing much work on. He still liked the idea of a house though. Maybe one in better condition with a backyard big enough for a barbecue and lawn chair and a place to garden. He liked flowers and figured it was a pastime he could take up.

“Won’t hurt to have a look,” he said. “Any chance of just renting it for a year?”

“I can check. Meet you there around five tomorrow afternoon? It’s number 405.”

“Perfect.”

He hung up the phone. Renting in his father’s building for a year might be the solution for keeping an eye on his dad while giving them both some privacy. He smiled. It also wouldn’t hurt to take the opportunity to see Laney again. He might never ask her out, but that wouldn’t preclude enjoying her company when their paths crossed.

Heath held up a finger and finished his phone conversation while Rouleau waited. He was wearing his full police uniform and his round face beamed with boyish exuberance. After ending his call, he strode around the desk and shook Rouleau’s hand, pounding him on the shoulder.

“I’m heading to the downstairs meeting room for the news briefing. I’ve invited a Queen’s professor who’s an expert on these honour crime cases and she’s arrived. I don’t have to tell you how good this looks on the department to have solved this one. We were starting to take a hit in the media for the number of unsolved cases we’re carrying. Well done to the team.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“We’ve got that Chalmers retirement party Friday night. Will Stonechild be out of the hospital by then?”

“From what I hear, she’s out now. Gundersund is driving her back to Kingston. I told him to take her home so she can rest.”

Heath’s forehead creased. “So soon? How about the other girl?” He looked down at the notes on his desk. “Nadirah Shahan.”

“Nadirah will be spending the night in the Brockville Hospital for observation more than anything. She’s conscious and stable.”

“Well, good that they’re making such full recoveries so quickly. Of course, I won’t share anything of a medical nature with the press except to say that they are expected to make full recoveries. Privacy laws and all that.”

Rouleau checked his watch. “You’ll be on the six o’clock news.”

“CTV and CBC are covering my news conference. Sure you don’t want to be part of it?”

“That’s alright. I’ve got a bit of work to finish up.”

“Well, don’t burn any midnight oil. Today is a time to celebrate. God knows we get little enough reason most days.”

Rouleau checked in with Vera to confirm the new hire was starting Monday before he headed back to the office. Woodhouse glanced up from his computer. He raised an arm in the air and motioned Rouleau over.

“I’ve just come across something odd.” Woodhouse’s tone and expression were puzzled.

“Oh?”

“This Ghazi Shahan who tried to drown Stonechild and his sister, he’s got the same name as the man I saw coming out of Della Munroe’s house this morning. Can there be two of them with the same name?”

“How did you get the name of her visitor?”

Woodhouse held up a form. “I had a check run on his licence plate and it came out Ghazi Shahan. I thought I was hallucinating when I heard his name again in relation to Leah Sampson and the attempted drownings today.”

Rouleau took the piece of paper and studied it. Then he studied Woodhouse to see if he was trying to get a piece of the day’s glory. He had the hopeful look of a man who might have landed on a good idea after a long drought.

“You’re sure this fellow was in Della Munroe’s house this morning?” Rouleau asked.

“Ghazi Shahan’s black Nissan four-door was parked across the street from Della Munroe’s house and he definitely came out her back yard and down her driveway. He was at her residence for approximately fifteen minutes.”

Rouleau slapped the paper against his hand and smiled. “Brilliant work, Woodhouse. You’ve just possibly given us the connection that could put Della Munroe away.”

Woodhouse grinned and leaned back in his chair with his hands behind his head. He swung his legs onto the desk and crossed them at the ankles. “All in a day’s work, boss. All in a day’s work.”

The clock turned over to nine o’clock when Gundersund eased Stonechild’s truck into her driveway. The adrenaline rush from the arrests was long gone and Gundersund felt weariness weighing him down. He turned off the engine and looked across at Stonechild. She’d leaned her head against the headrest and hadn’t spoken since they left Brockville. In the half-darkness, he couldn’t tell if she was asleep or unconscious. A flashback to her limp body in the water sent a shudder through him. He reached over and touched her shoulder.

“We’re home, Stonechild,” he said. “Time to wake up.” Relief filled him when she stirred. He slowly let out his breath.

She turned her head sideways and looked at him. Her eyes were black pools in the shadowy light. “Thanks for … everything. I’ll see you tomorrow.” She pulled the handle and swung the door open.

“You’re not getting rid of me that easy.” He pushed his door open too. “The doctor would only let you come home if I promised not to leave you alone overnight.”

She looked across at him before stepping out of her truck. “I’m releasing you of your promise. I’m fine. All I’m going to do is get some sleep.”

“Sorry. That’s not on.”

He followed her up the driveway and onto the back deck. She stopped at the top of the steps and looked down at him. “Seriously, Gundersund. I don’t need a babysitter. Go home and spend some quality time with your wife.”

“She’s not there, so I’m all yours tonight.”

“What about your dog? She must be due for an outing by now.”

“Once I get you settled, I’ll take Taiku and pick up Minny. The four of us will have a sleepover.”

He listened to her grumbling as she unlocked the door. She stepped inside and let the door shut behind her. He caught it before it clicked shut. She was standing a few feet away from the door, watching him and shaking her head.

“I’m too tired to argue with you,” she said, bending down to rub Taiku’s head. “Could you let him out? He’ll walk with you to your place if you call him when you go outside.”

She’d disappeared down the hall by the time Gundersund shut the door and he followed her into the living room. The lights were off but he could see the outline of her sitting on the couch from the light through the window. He turned on a lamp, then crouched next to her and undid her shoes, slipping each one off and swinging her legs onto the couch. “Pillow?” he asked.

“Upstairs in my bedroom at the end of the hall.”

He returned with a pillow and blanket and helped her to get comfortable. “Are you hungry? I make some mean scrambled eggs.”

“You’re fussing, Gundersund. I hate when people fuss.”

“Actually, I’m hungry. If I make you something, I can make extra for myself.”

“Well, you’re in luck. I stopped at the store yesterday so you’ll find bread, milk, eggs, and cheese. Cook away.”

He turned the radio on low and hummed along to golden oldies as he worked. Cooking was something he enjoyed in his down time even though he joked that he was bad at it. Pasta and seafood dishes were his specialties. Fiona had said the fact he knew his way around the kitchen was one of his better features. He prepared a tray for Stonechild and filled a second plate for himself. As he was about to bring the food to her, he heard a scratching at the door. He let Taiku in and filled his bowl with dry dog food that he’d found in the cupboard, then proceeded to the living room. Stonechild was awake. She propped herself up and accepted the tray.

“It’s good,” she said with her mouth full. “I didn’t think I was hungry, but all of a sudden, I’m starving.”

Gundersund sat across from her in the recliner and began eating.

“When will Meeza and Dalal get to see Nadirah?” Stonechild asked.

“Wolf and Claire are taking them over first thing in the morning.”

“You trust Wolf with your fancy Camero?”

“It’s just a car. He offered to drive the Shahan girls back tomorrow, and since you insisted on leaving, I took him up on his offer.” He smiled at her and speared another forkful of eggs.

She put her fork down and sighed. “Do you ever get weary of it all, Gundersund? All the awful things people do to each other?”

He took his time answering. “I focus on the good we do and don’t try to spend much time on the nastiness. For every bad person, there are thousands of people trying to do the right thing. We’re making a difference in their lives. That’s what gets me through the shit.”

“It’s just hard to deal with sometimes.”

He waited until she met his eyes and kept her gaze. “If we stop feeling, we stop being good at our jobs. You saved a life today, Kala. Maybe three lives, when you count Nadirah’s sisters. Wolf says he’s going to take them in until they get on their feet. There are details to be worked out, but they’re going to do okay. He told me that he can offer counselling in his home, basically a residential setting. He’s also taking in Gail Pankhurst when she gets out of the hospital. He’s a decent guy. He’s one of many decent guys out there.”

“Yeah, I guess. Thanks.”

He knew she was thanking him for more than his words of wisdom. “You’re welcome. Are you done with that?”

She handed over her plate. “I can’t eat anymore.”

He ate the rest of her meal while she watched. Her eyes closed a few times and he knew she was fighting sleep. He stood and picked up the dishes.

“I’m heading over to get Minny but I won’t be gone long. See if you can sleep.”

She stopped him at the doorway. “Gundersund, I’m not going to stay around Kingston much longer. I haven’t told Rouleau yet but thought you should know since you’re my partner.”

“And I felt like we were just getting started.” He said the words lightly to cover his disappointment. “I’ll be sorry to see you leave.”

“Maybe not too sorry after today.” She shot him a quick smile.

He took their dishes into the kitchen. On his way to the back door, he stopped in front of the sliding patio door and looked at his reflection in the glass.

He could still hear the shrill screams of Mrs. Shahan as he chased her down the beach, leaving Wolf with Nadirah and Stonechild once he knew help was on the way. She’d switched to screaming in English when he’d finally caught up with her in the woods. Her hijab had slowed her down. He’d tackled her, pinned her arms behind her back, and cuffed her. The evil in her words had shaken him: “My daughters are better off dead than bringing shame on our heads. They do not deserve to live. I wish they had never been born. I should have cut off their heads when I had the chance.”

The local police had caught up with Ghazi in his car outside of Brockville.

He heard a cellphone ringing and Stonechild saying hello. He moved back down the hallway and listened in case the call concerned the case. By the time he realized it was a personal call, he’d overheard Stonechild say that she would drop everything to help. Gundersund moved back down the hall and stepped outside onto the deck.