Closing Time

by Brenda Chapman

  Clark gulped the last of his coffee. “I know it was a long shot. I’m running out of ideas.”

  “She’ll show up. Girls of this age can be unpredictable.”

  “I’m right here,” sang Dawn from the couch, the first sign she was listening in.

  “I didn’t mean you, big ears,” Stonechild said. She smiled fondly in Dawn’s direction.

  Clark pushed himself off the stool. “I’ll be going, then. Here’s my card in case you overhear anything that would help me locate her.”

  Stonechild stood as well. “You’re heading back to the Soo?”

  “I’ll canvas the route she likely walked one more time. Then it’s home for the day. The drive’s about an hour.” He crossed to the front door and stooped to put on his boots before stopping with his hand on the knob. “Can I tell Jordan that I saw you and you’re doing well next time I speak to him on the phone?”

  “If you like. Tell him … tell him that I hope everything works out for him in Thunder Bay.”

  “I will, and I know that he would wish the same for you.”

  Kala watched Clark walk through the wet grass to the path opening until the trees and brush swallowed him up. She could tell that he was worried about Rachel even while he’d been downplaying her disappearance. She clearly remembered the girl from the night before. She was slender with long red hair tied back and a dusting of freckles on her nose and cheeks — not classically pretty, but attractive with creamy skin, dancing blue eyes, and a wide smile. She’d been eager to please and friendly. While she served their dessert, she’d talked about the town with Dawn and the lack of things to do there. Nothing in her interactions with them had seemed out of the ordinary.

  Kala turned from the window. Dawn was in the kitchen making sandwiches as they’d agreed in the canoe on their way to shore. They’d eat and drive into town around suppertime to Skype with Gundersund. Already the afternoon was slipping away. Kala sat on the stool vacated by Clark, set her elbow on the counter, and cupped her chin in the palm of her hand. She watched Dawn slice the bread and put the kettle on for tea, her thoughts turning back to her life in the two neighbouring towns of Red Rock and Dryden in northwestern Ontario and the man she’d wanted to spend her life with. She hadn’t thought about Jordan in a long time.

  Their affair took place over the year that he was separated from Miriam while Kala was living in a cabin in the woods outside Nipigon. On Miriam’s invitation, he’d dropped by their old house one evening to speak with her about a divorce. She’d brought out the Scotch, defences had dropped away, and she’d ended up pregnant. Jordan swore he could barely remember how it happened and it meant nothing. Kala would have forgiven him, but she couldn’t let him turn his back on the child. She wouldn’t let herself have any regrets. Not now.

  “Just peanut butter for me,” she said. “If you want jam, there’s a jar of blueberry in the fridge.”

  “Okay.” Dawn was at the cupboard, taking out mugs. “We can check out the ski resort when we go into town. I was looking online and it has a cafeteria.”

  “Might be a good place to drink hot chocolate and use the Wi-Fi.”

  “Exactly.”

  After they ate, Dawn took Taiku for a walk up the road while Kala tidied the kitchen. When she was done, she hung up the dishcloth and walked to the front of the cabin to look out the window. Dawn should be returning any minute. The rain appeared to be letting up, although the sky was still grey and bloated with clouds. A strong wind made the treetops sway in intermittent gusts, the weather having worsened since their canoe ride. Kala strained to look up the path into the woods, searching for Dawn and Taiku. She couldn’t see them but knew they wouldn’t be much longer. She returned to the kitchen to top up Taiku’s water bowl and to grab her phone. She heard a knock at the door as she was taking her raincoat down from the hook.

  The dark-haired man who’d first greeted them when they arrived was standing on the bottom step. She was relieved to see Dawn and Taiku over his shoulder exiting from the woods.

  “Neal,” she said remembering his name at the last second. “Can I help you?”

  “We found Rachel partway toward Searchmont. She must have been hit by a car on her way home. They just left her there to die in the culvert.” His face was ashen and his mouth seemed to be having difficulty forming the words.

  “Oh no. I’m so sorry. Does Clark want me to come with you?”

  Neal nodded. “He asked if you minded.”

  Kala was already putting on her raincoat. “Of course not. Let me tell Dawn where I’m going and I’ll be right with you. I’ll follow you in my truck.”

  She bent to put on her boots. Not here, she thought, angry at whatever fates had let death pursue them to this isolated retreat. Can’t you even give us a few weeks’ peace? She straightened and took a moment to breathe deeply and to centre herself before stepping outside to meet Dawn and Taiku and to break the news that their trip into town would have to wait.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Kala stood on the edge of the road next to Clark’s OPP cruiser. The rain had slowed to a drizzle, but the wind was building in strength to compensate. She let it buffet her without seeking shelter, liking the feeling of being outdoors in the full-blown wildness of nature. Clark finished talking into his car radio’s speakerphone and exited the car to join her. He’d sent Neal back to the lodge after he led her to this spot. They both looked down to the bottom of the gully where Rachel’s body lay under a makeshift tarp that Clark had fastened with stakes. He’d driven the metal posts into the dirt amassed at the sides of the culvert in an attempt to preserve any evidence. A sheered rock face jutted above the road some ten feet back on either side. The path had been blasted through the Canadian Shield to make way for the dirt road that connected the Pine Hollow Lake to town.

  “Ambulance and coroner are on their way,” he said. “I called this in to the Sault about forty minutes ago so they’ll be here within the half hour, hopefully. Searchmont has a volunteer fire-paramedic service, but they’re of no use to us this time with her already dead.”

  “Does her father know?” Kala asked.

  “No, I’d driven him home to be with Isabelle before I started the search. Neal was with me as a second set of eyes. He was actually the one who spotted her. As you can see, Rachel didn’t get that far from the lodge before she was struck. Would you like to have a look at her body?” He gave her a sideways glance.

  Kala knew that accepting would mean she was agreeing to help him. She hesitated. “Are you going to be lead on this case?”

  “Looks that way. I was just speaking to my sergeant, and while serious, a hit and run won’t be top on the list of priorities. We’ve had two homicides that our Major Crimes team is handling while also juggling a detective on maternity leave and another out on long-term disability in the Sault detachment. I mentioned you were staying in Pine Hollow Lodge and suggested you might be amenable to helping out. We can make a formal request to your detachment if required.”

  “Your headquarters is in North Bay.”

  “Correct.”

  “I’ve taken an assignment with the Kingston force.”

  “You’re still OPP, though?”

  “Well, officially maybe. The paperwork for a formal transfer is in progress.”

  “Works for now then.” He grinned and for a moment she saw Jordan in his face. Her heart caught and she scuffed at the ground with her foot.

  “Dawn and I are here on vacation.”

  “I get it.” He took a step away and looked back at her. “Do you want to have a look anyway?”

  She could tell he was tired and remembered how dogged he’d been when they worked together. He’d taken the less-pleasant shifts to give her time off. “May as well,” she said.

  He got her a pair of white boot covers from the trunk of his car. She put them on and they scrambled down the culvert some distance away from the tarp and walked carefully through the tall wildflowers growing in the shallow soil toward Rach
el’s body. Kala followed in Clark’s footsteps so as not to disturb the scene more than necessary. Out of the wind, the rain was a white mist that lingered like wisps of hazy smoke. The culvert felt eerie and she had to fight back the claustrophobic urge to get back in her truck and drive away.

  Clark squatted and carefully lifted back the tarp with gloved hands. Kala crouched down next to him. She took a deep breath, looked up at the grey clouds and steadied herself. This broken girl was only a year older than Dawn. She’d served them dinner the night she died. Kala’s heartbeat slowed and she looked down at Rachel’s face, pale as alabaster with her eyes bulging and staring straight ahead at nothing. The blood that must have pooled around her had all but washed away. Her face was shiny, and her red hair was plastered to her head from a day and night in the rain, her jacket and pants soaked through. The right side of Rachel’s face was bruised and concave from where she’d been struck or thrown against the ground. Kala closed her eyes and said a silent prayer for her spirit to soar free. Clark waited silently beside her.

  “Did you take photos?” she asked.

  “I did.”

  “You haven’t turned her over?”

  “I thought it best to wait.”

  They retraced their steps. The culvert was steep and it took an effort to climb back onto the road. A car drove past as they stood on the shoulder, but the driver didn’t give them more than a passing glance. “We could wait in my car out of the wind if you like,” said Clark.

  “I am a bit chilled.”

  They got inside and Clark turned on the engine and jacked the heat up before answering a call on his radio. “The team is passing through Searchmont now,” he said. “Are you warm enough?”

  “Yes, thanks.”

  “I have to make a call to my wife, Valerie. She’s due in a few weeks with our first and jumpy as a cat where I’m concerned. She thinks something bad is going to happen to me on the job. Normal paranoia, her obstetrician tells me.”

  “I could wait outside.”

  “Don’t even think about it.”

  After the call Clark shifted positions so that he was looking directly at her. “You seem different.”

  “Oh, how so?” Her heart had picked up speed, but she kept her hands and body still.

  “I can’t put my finger on it. Are you happy?”

  “Happy enough. I own property outside Kingston on the water. I have friends and a good job.” And I’m thinking about throwing it all away.

  “I never thought you’d really put down roots, but I’m glad that you have. You deserve to be happy.” He checked his watch. “I know this is a lot to ask, but would you come with me to tell Rachel’s parents? You can follow me in your truck.”

  She could have said no, but she didn’t want to say goodbye to him yet. He was a link to her past and to the time she’d loved his brother. She had to let all that go again, but a few more hours of reliving old attachments before putting them away wouldn’t do any harm. She swivelled her head to smile at him. “Of course I’ll come with you.”

  Telling parents that their child would no longer be coming home never got easier. Kala supposed that if it did, she should give up policing. They were in the front entrance when Clark broke the news because Isabelle had refused to invite them farther into the house until they said their piece. The news hit both parents like blows to the stomach, as if they’d been holding on to hope since the night before even while expecting the worst. Afterward, Kala put an arm around Isabelle’s waist and led her into the living room. She heard Owen’s fist smash the wall behind her and then the murmur of Clark’s voice calming him down. The front door creaked open. The two men went outside and the door slammed behind them.

  “Who would do this?” Isabelle’s face was a shocked mask that could crumple like shattered glass at any moment. Her eyes beseeched Kala. “Who would hit her with their car and just drive off without trying to save her?”

  “Perhaps the driver didn’t realize they’d struck a person. We have to locate them to find out what happened that night.”

  Isabelle jolted up from the chair. “I want to see her. I need to see her.”

  Kala stood and put a hand on her shoulder. “She’s being taken to the Soo and Officer Clark is going to drive you both to her when he gets word that she’s arrived.”

  Isabelle flopped back in the chair. She looked straight ahead.

  “Let me make some tea,” said Kala bending and rubbing Isabelle’s two hands in hers. “Can I call anybody to be with you?”

  “No. My boys will have to know, but I’ll call them later. My church … Father Vila. His number is by the phone.”

  “Would you like him to come here now?”

  “No. No. I’ll call him when we get back from seeing her. We’ll have to make arrangements for burial.” She sobbed but quickly gathered herself. “My faith will keep me going.”

  Kala made a strong cup of tea and brought it to her. She sat on the edge of the couch with their knees almost touching. “Would it help you to talk about Rachel?”

  Isabelle sobbed and recovered. Her voice wavered before gaining strength. “Rachel came later in our lives. I’d all but stopped believing we could have another child. She was such a shining light in my life right from the start. God’s gift to us. She loved being in the woods with her father and helping out at home. We often cooked supper together and she’d tell me about her day. She was introverted but smart. Always a book on the go and a dreamer. You know? From the time she was a little girl she liked to imagine — played dolls and dress-up all the time and never lost the magic of that. I don’t know if she went to church to humour me, but we’d go most Sunday mornings. She liked to help with the younger kids. She said that she wanted four of her own someday.” Isabelle’s voice cracked on the last words and she took a sip of tea. “Owen wanted her to join him in his outfitting business and I think she would have after this summer at the lodge. She was good in the outdoors. Owen used to take her canoeing and camping. He’s going to miss her so much. She was his favourite, although we’re not supposed to think that way.”

  Kala stayed with her another half hour until Clark re-entered the house and motioned for her to leave Isabelle and come with him into the kitchen.

  “I’ll be right back,” she said and joined him. “What is it?” she asked.

  He kept his voice low and turned his back to the living room. “I got a call a minute ago. Rachel wasn’t hit by a car. Somebody took a solid object to her back and head. The coroner thinks a tire iron.”

  “So not a hit and run.”

  “No. She was beaten to death. I’m not sure how to break this to her parents.”

  “Where’s Owen?”

  “He went for a walk but said he won’t be longer than ten minutes. He wanted to clear his head.” Clark gave her a rueful smile. “Wait until I refill it with this news.”

  Clark had always hated this part of the job. Kala had been the one to tell the families when a son had been in a car accident or a daughter raped. She knew her matter-of-fact demeanour was better than his stilted attempts to explain the unexplainable. She took pity on him. “We’ll tell them together when he gets back.”

  “Thanks, Stonechild. I know this isn’t what you envisioned in your holiday plans.” The Jordan-grin was back on his face. “I wonder if I could ask one more favour of you?”

  She steeled herself not to feel anything. Not to let the past unbalance her. “What do you need?”

  “I have to take them to see Rachel’s body, but now this is a murder investigation. Could you return to the lodge and be my eyes and ears? Don’t correct the idea that Rachel was the victim of a hit and run. Let them believe that for now. Only the killer will know the truth. They might slip up.”

  “It could be somebody from town. There were several at Pine Hollow Lodge for supper the last night she served. Her mother also said that Rachel had a boyfriend.” She caught herself getting caught up in the investigation while Clark waited for her to run thr
ough possibilities. They both knew this was the moment when she’d commit to helping officially or not. She stared at him, the cop she’d known and liked when they were on the same team. Jordan’s brother. “Dawn is waiting for me to go into town.”

  “You could take her tomorrow. It’s getting late in the day.”

  She took her time answering. “I’m not agreeing to do more than this, you understand, Clark?”

  “Of course. I know that what I’m asking of you is above and beyond.”

  They locked eyes. The front door opened and Owen stomped into the hall. She nodded even while knowing that she was going to live to regret her decision.

  “This is it, then,” said Clark. “Time to break more devastating news. Thanks again, Stonechild. I know you won’t be sorry for giving me a hand. It’ll be like old times.”

  CHAPTER NINE

  Martha heard Neal enter their house late afternoon. She was putting the last pan of bran muffins into the oven for the next morning’s breakfast and stayed in the kitchen to let him come to her. It feels as if I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop, she thought.

  “I have some terrible news,” he said from the doorway. He’d taken the good bottle of Glenlivet from the sideboard in the dining room and held it with both hands. His face was sickly pale and sweat beaded on his forehead. “Rachel’s been found dead at the roadside on the way to Searchmont. She must have been hit by a car and left in the ditch last night on her way home.”

  Martha put a hand on her chest. “Oh, dear God, no. Are you sure?”

  “I saw her.”

  The raw pain in his voice made her open her arms and cross the floor to him. They clutched each other for a moment until Neal pulled away. He turned from her and took two glasses out of the cupboard. With his back to her he poured them each a healthy slug. “I can’t believe this,” he said when he turned and handed her the glass.

  Martha took it with a trembling hand and swallowed a long, burning mouthful. She held the lip of the glass against her chin and said, “The poor girl.”