Dan Sharp Mysteries 4-Book Bundle (111 page)

“Well, let’s get going then,” she said. “I’ll put a call in to my boss so he knows what we’re up to.”

She didn’t add that she’d wait until they were on their way out of Kingston before calling. Rouleau likely would veto the plan if she called any earlier.

Rouleau woke up to find his father’s doctor leaning over him, shaking his shoulder. The fog lifted quickly. “Is my father okay?” he asked, pushing himself upright. “Has something happened?”

“He’s awake,” she said, “and asking for you. All of his vitals are stable so he’s come through the surgery with flying colours.”

“Good. He had me worried.”

Rouleau followed her through to the semi-private room where they’d moved his dad. He was hooked up to beeping machines and an intravenous drip. Rouleau sat near the head of the bed and covered his father’s hand with his own.

“How are you feeling, Dad?”

“Been better.” His dad said the words slowly, but managed a shaky smile afterwards.

“Doc says you’ll be home soon. They’ll keep you overnight to keep an eye. It was a blocked artery, but all clear now. No lasting damage.”

His father’s eyes closed and his breathing deepened. The doctor finished checking the heart monitor and smiled at Rouleau.

“He’ll be sleeping the day away if you want to go home and get some sleep. We’ll call you if there’s any change.”

“I’d like to stay a few more minutes if that’s okay.”

“Certainly.”

She left after writing on his father’s chart and giving a word to the nurse.

Rouleau held his father’s hand and watched the shallow in and out of his father’s chest. He tried not to think of what could have been. A few more hours and he wouldn’t have made it. The enormity of what Rouleau nearly lost made him want to gather his father into his arms and flee to somewhere safe, where time stood still and they both had their youth and health. A time when his father was the strong one and he was still a child. That time was long past and was now but a bittersweet memory. It was a sad truth that the passage of time left no prisoners. Yet, they had been blessed with a reprieve.

Rouleau kissed his father on the cheek and brushed a lock of white hair back from his forehead. He stood and watched him sleep a while longer, until the fear constricting his own breathing loosened enough for him to walk away and leave his father in the capable hands of Hotel Dieu’s medical staff.

Vera reached him as he was driving north on Division toward the station. He put the phone on speaker.

“How’s your father?”

“Doing well. I’m on my way in.”

“Stonechild’s been trying to reach you.”

“I had to turn my phone off in the cardiac unit. Is everything alright?”

“She has a lead that she’s following up on and wanted to let you know. She’s on her way to Brockville.”

“Brockville?” Rouleau racked his tired mind. “Leah Sampson grew up there.”

“A girl called the university help line looking for her sister, Nadirah. Stonechild believes that Leah has her holed up near Brockville.”

“Why?”

“Nadirah’s family is after her. They aren’t happy that she ran away.”

“An honour killing?”

“That’s Stonechild’s fear. She asked us to pick up Nadirah’s brother Ghazi and the parents. She’s convinced they had a hand in Leah’s murder. Heath agreed there was enough evidence to question them. I sent a unit over about five minutes ago.”

“Good. Where’s Gundersund?”

“He called in sick. Should I try to reach him?”

“I don’t see the need at this point. I’ll be in the office in ten minutes. I’ll interview Nadirah’s family when they arrive.”

Vera disconnected and Rouleau increased pressure on the gas pedal, the overwhelming fatigue replaced by a surge of adrenaline.

The noise of the shower woke Gundersund for the second time that morning. He moaned and rolled onto his side to check the clock. Five after eleven. Damn.

He rolled out of bed and tried to ignore the pounding in his head as he stood up. His clothes were scattered across the floor. He searched around for his jeans and found them under the bed. Grabbing a clean sweatshirt from the pile on the dresser, he dressed quickly. The effort cost him and he sat back on the bed, pressing his temples between his hands while he concentrated on not puking.

The shower stopped and a moment later Fiona strolled out of the ensuite vigorously drying her hair with a towel. She wore a smile on her face and not much else.

“How are you feeling, lover?” she asked.

“Fiona, I’m not sure how …”

She lifted a hand to stop him talking while her mouth settled into a straight line. “You don’t have to say anything, Paul. I know that tone of voice.”

She walked over to the chair where her clothes were neatly folded and began dressing with her back to him. “Last night was fun but you’re questioning it this morning.” She hooked her bra in the back before turning. “You didn’t have any questions last night.” She attempted a cheeky smile but her bottom lip trembled and the words came out more desperate than teasing.

He looked at his beautiful wife and felt so empty he could have cried. He couldn’t forget what she’d done to their marriage; he knew that now. He’d known it even as he’d drunkenly lowered himself onto her the night before in the darkness of his bedroom while she called out his name. He’d made love to her, but the feeling of being close to her never came. Just a hollow sadness. His last thought had been of Stonechild as he drifted off to sleep.

Fiona met his eyes and her face paled. The towel dropped to the floor. She crossed the short distance to him and knelt at his feet, her cheek resting against his leg. He rested his hand lightly on her damp hair.

“It’s not going to work, Fiona,” he said. “You must know it too. I thought maybe, but I can’t get past you leaving me last year. I can’t go back there, to what we were. I wish I could.”

She looked up at him. Her eyes shimmered with tears. “I wish I could take back what I did. It doesn’t feel over for me. Can’t you just give us some more time? I’ll prove to you that I’ve changed.”

“It’s not that easy. I honestly wish it was.”

After she left, he put on a pot of coffee and retrieved his cellphone from his jacket hanging on the back of a kitchen chair. He scrolled through the missed calls and recognized Stonechild’s cell number. She’d tried to reach him twice but hadn’t left a message. Her last call had been half an hour ago.

He hit her number and poured himself a cup of coffee while he waited for her to pick up. His headache was becoming manageable after two pain killers but he still felt rough. Now add guilt to the mix. He had let Fiona convince him to call in sick and in doing so had left his partner in the lurch.

No answer.

Worried, he dialed Vera’s number. She picked up after one ring.

“Gundersund.”

“I’ve tried to reach Stonechild. Is something going on?”

“She’s on her way to Brockville, chasing down a lead. Rouleau’s on his way in.”

“She’s not picking up. What happened?”

“The girl called back to the help line. Stonechild thinks Leah Sampson was killed because she hid the girl’s sister Nadirah at the family cottage near Brockville. We’ve got some officers picking up the brother and parents now.”

“The girl’s family killed Leah?”

“That’s Stonechild’s premise. Can you hang on a minute?”

“Sure.”

He heard muffled talking and then Vera was back. “They brought in the father but the mother and brother are missing.”

“Do you have the location of the cottage?”

“No. Wolf is with Stonechild and he’s taking her there.”

“Listen. I’m going to start heading to Brockville in my car. If she calls in, get her exact location and phone me on my cell. Do you have any info on the brother’s vehicle?”

“Not yet. I’ll call as soon as we know anything.”

“And I’ll be on my way to find Stonechild.”

Chapter Forty-Two

 N
adirah Shahan sat on the dock and dangled her feet into the lake. She’d made friends with a flock of ducks who paddled nearby but just out of reach. Ducks she’d been bribing with crumbs so that they’d stick around and not leave her all alone.

“No more bread for you,” she said aloud. They looked in her direction but didn’t come any closer. It was almost startling to hear her own voice. She’d been here for nearly a month and hadn’t spoken to anyone. That would change soon. Leah was overdue for a visit and had promised to bring a bus ticket and money for a fresh start in Halifax. Nadirah frowned and tried not to worry about Leah’s long silence. They’d agreed to make as little contact as possible through September, but she’d been expecting Leah’s arrival for over a week. Leah had promised to check up on Dalal and Meeza and would try to get word to Dalal about her sister’s whereabouts. Nadirah worried about them too. Still, the best thing would be for her to relocate and send for them once she was settled and had a job.

It was a lovely morning: sunny and warm, although not with the heat of a few weeks before. “You ducks should be thinking about trekking south,” she said. “You don’t want to get trapped here for the winter.” A twinge of guilt struck her at the thought that she was responsible for their lingering so long as the weather began to turn the corner into autumn.

She stood and looked at the sparkles of sunshine shimmering across the water. The water reminded her of Kingston and homesickness welled up. No matter how awful her family could be, she still loved her sisters and father, even her mother if it came down to it. She’d tried to be a good daughter but her mother wouldn’t bend an iota. She’d tried to understand the old ways that her mother clung to so desperately from her own childhood in India, but could not. Perhaps it was her own failings keeping her from doing as her mother asked. She’d been told often enough that she was the bad seed, bringing dishonour on a respectable family. Her mother thought Mr. Khan was the answer to mending her oldest daughter’s rebellious ways and had refused to see Ghazi for what he was. Nadirah trembled at the thought of what her life had become at home and what it would be if she hadn’t found Leah.

She walked back down the dock toward shore and started up the path that wound upward through bushes and pine trees to the cottage. She was out of milk and fresh fruit and had taken the last loaf of bread from the small freezer. She’d have peanut butter toast and tea with powdered milk for lunch. Leah had to come soon. She’d know how little food was left and wouldn’t let it go on too long. She must be having trouble getting away.

The sound of tires on gravel greeted Nadirah as she reached the deck jutting out over the cliff at the top of the hill. Her heart jumped happily at the thought of Leah’s arrival, and she ran lightly across the deck and through the sliding glass door into the cottage to meet her at the front door. The front door looked out toward the parking area and the rutted track that passed by the property. She pictured the purple coneflower, Queen Anne’s lace, and buttercups that grew in profusion amidst the raspberry bushes and cedar just outside the door. Leah had been right about the cottage being secluded and free from passersby. It was a safe haven, but Nadirah had never quite gotten used to being so alone. She could now admit that she’d been worried about Leah leaving her there much longer.

She flung open the door and raised a hand in greeting. Horror filled her like a douse of ice water. She barely had time to realize her mistake before Ghazi had shut off the engine and stepped outside the car. Her mother’s face turned to glare at her through the front passenger window.

“Hello, Nadirah,” he said. “We’ve come to put you out of your misery.”

Kala kept her speed just above the limit, the two girls wedged between her and Wolf. The sisters barely spoke in the back seat the entire time. Wolf sat stone-faced, watching out the passenger window.

Kala looked across at him. “You been to this cottage?”

“Leah had parties at her cottage in high school and I went to a couple. Her parents moved to Montreal after she left home for university and only kept the cottage because Leah planned to use it more when school was finished. She loved the place.” He pointed to a sign. “Take that exit. The road to the cottage is five minutes from here.”

She’d ignored her ringing phone, concentrating on her driving. When she got the chance, she’d check in with work before the last leg of the trip. Very likely it was Vera or Rouleau trying to reach her. She took the exit and spotted a gas station and country diner.

She looked at the girls. “Anyone need to use the washroom?” she asked.

“Yes,” Dalal said.

“I’ll take them in and will get them a drink,” Wolf said.

“Great. I’ll get some gas and will check in at work,” Kala said. “See you back here in ten minutes.”

She watched the three of them cross the parking lot and enter the restaurant while she filled the tank. When she finished, she pulled into a parking spot next to the main entrance.

Gundersund had called a couple of times. Rouleau’s number popped up last. She returned his call first. “Hello, sir. How’s your dad?”

“Out of surgery and doing well. Where are you?”

“At the truck stop at the 659 exit west of Brockville and about to take the back roads to the Sampson cottage on Charleston Lake. Wolf is with me and knows the way. I should also tell you that I have Nadirah Shahan’s two younger sisters with me. They ran away from home and it seemed safer to keep them with me.”

She was relieved when Rouleau didn’t get upset with her. She knew bringing them along wasn’t the best move. After a brief silence, he asked, “How old?”

“Dalal looks to be about thirteen and Meeza’s around eleven. The parents were giving Meeza away to some man this weekend. That’s why they ran away as far as I can tell.”

“We’ve had a slight hiccup at our end. Mr. Shahan is at the station but his wife and son Ghazi are nowhere to be found.”

“Is there any way they could have found Nadirah? I’m making the assumption that Wolf is right about Leah bringing her to this cottage. It makes sense though. Leah was secretive and leaving the office for meetings, which Nadirah’s sister now says were with Nadirah at the Sunshine Bakery. Leah disappeared for a day and everybody thought she was having it off with a married man. It could have been the day she brought Nadirah to the cottage. I still haven’t figured out how Ghazi made the connection between Leah and Nadirah though.”