Closing Time

by Brenda Chapman

  Father Vila performed a full Catholic mass, beginning with readings from the Scriptures broken up with prayer. He looked pale even from where Kala sat, as if the strain of the day had worn on him. Rachel’s brothers each read a passage from the Bible. Then Father Vila took Communion before offering the wafers and wine to those in attendance. Kala didn’t file up the centre aisle with the others, but Faraday made his way to the altar, giving her a chance to study everyone without his intense gaze on her. She was relieved when he took a seat in Martha’s pew instead of returning to sit next to her.

  Father Vila waited until the last person had settled into their seat before he rose behind the pulpit. He raised both arms in a motion meant to bring stillness to the room. “We are gathered here today to celebrate the life of Rachel Eglan,” he began. “A life taken from us much too soon. I was lucky enough to get to know Rachel during the time she spent here with her mother, often taking care of our youngest parishioners downstairs in the nursery.” His voice faltered and he bowed his head. The silence lengthened.

  Restlessness filtered through the pews as the seconds ticked by. Finally, when it felt time that someone surely must step in, Father Vila raised his face and stared over their heads. Another awkward moment and he rubbed a hand across his forehead before resuming his sermon as if nothing had transpired.

  How odd. Kala sensed a puzzled relief in the pews. The tension lifted, but she noticed several heads turn with people exchanging glances. Father Vila finished the sermon and the choir sang another hymn that Kala understandably didn’t recognize since none of her foster families had ever taken her to church. Afterward, he stood on the top step with his arms raised and gave the closing benediction. The organ burst into song as he walked quickly up the centre aisle with the altar boys trailing behind. Colour had returned to his face, but he kept his eyes fixed on the red carpet in front of him. The casket followed more slowly, flanked by Rachel’s brothers, father, and grandfathers. Isabelle and the grandmothers kept pace a few steps back. People stood as they passed by and the murmur of voices and shuffling of feet spread in Father Vila’s wake as more people joined in at the tail end of the procession.

  Kala exited her pew and fell into step with Greta and Phil Bocock. They didn’t notice her and she overheard Greta say, “What was that all about? I thought Father Vila wasn’t going to be able to finish his sermon.”

  “He thought a lot of Rachel,” answered Phil.

  Greta made a noise and began to respond when Phil put a restraining hand on her arm. “Good afternoon, Officer,” he said. “Such a sad day.”

  “It is. It looks like most of the town is here.”

  “Everyone knew Rachel.”

  “Will you be joining us for tea and sandwiches in the hall downstairs?” asked Greta.

  “Thank you, but I have a phone call to make. Perhaps later.”

  They parted ways in the foyer and Kala stepped outside in time to see the Eglan family and Father Vila getting into two cars that would follow the hearse to the graveyard. Owen Eglan nodded at her after he helped Isabelle into the passenger seat. He got in the other side and the procession made its way slowly down the drive and onto the highway.

  Kala walked down the steps and around the corner of the church where she could watch people coming and going without being noticed. She kept one eye on the church doors as she pulled her cellphone out of her pocket. She’d turned off the volume during the service and reset it. A quick glance let her know that Clark hadn’t tried to reach her. “What the hell is holding you up?” she asked out loud before clicking on his phone number. The call went straight to voicemail. She left a message and scrolled through her other messages. Nothing from Dawn or Gundersund. She shoved the phone back into her pocket.

  With no Clark to divvy up the surveillance, she could go downstairs for tea and mingle with the townspeople or she could wait near the main doors and catch them on their way out. Her stomach rumbled with hunger. The promise of a hot cup of tea and a sandwich made the decision easy. She took a step away from the church wall, but immediately drew back as far as she could into the shadows. Darryl Kelly was standing at the top of the stone steps next to a girl who looked the same age. Kala remembered seeing her in line for Communion. Short brown hair, a pixie face and a pear-shaped body. Average height. Her eyes were red from crying. She started down the stairs ahead of Darryl and he called for her to wait. He caught up on the walkway and grabbed on to her arm.

  “You’ve got it all wrong,” he said.

  She spun around to face him. “She told me that you wouldn’t leave her alone.”

  “I never would have hurt her.”

  “How do I know that?”

  “Because I wouldn’t. She was seeing somebody else.”

  “Yeah, right. Who?”

  “She wouldn’t tell me.”

  “Probably so you’d leave him alone … if he even existed.”

  Darryl was silent and the girl shoved him hard with the palm of one hand. “You’re such a loser, Kelly. Leave me alone or I’ll tell everyone that Rachel was scared of you.”

  Darryl backed away from her. His face turned blotchy red with anger. “You’re the fucking loser. Rachel hated your guts.” He turned and leapt up the steps, letting the church door swing shut behind him.

  Kala stepped out from the wall, startling the girl, whose expression of surprise turned to one of distress, much like someone caught cheating on a test. She looked from Kala to the church doors and back again. “You’re the cop,” she said. “Darryl … that wasn’t what it looked like.”

  Kala moved close enough to reach out and touch her. “What’s your name?”

  “Carrie Blackmore. I’m in Rachel’s class. We … looked after the kids together during church service.”

  “Were you her best friend?”

  Carrie shrugged. “Maybe once. Rachel grew away from everyone this year. Me, Darryl, everyone. She changed.”

  “Did something happen?”

  “She never said.”

  “Do you know who she was seeing?”

  “Someone from that lodge? I don’t really know.”

  “Okay, thanks, Carrie. Here’s my card with my cell number if you think of anything that might help me to find out what happened to Rachel.”

  Carrie took the card without looking at it. “Rachel wanted away from this town,” she said. “We used to talk about moving to Toronto and getting a place together. I hoped we still could once she figured things out.”

  “When was the last time you saw her?”

  “About a month ago. My parents and I went to visit Mom’s family in Winnipeg for a couple of weeks, and I didn’t feel like going to church last week … wait, it was July first at the town party. We were supposed to meet up, but Rachel came late and we never had a chance to talk. When the fireworks started, I turned around to say something to her, but she was gone.”

  “Was Darryl there?”

  “Darryl was always hanging around somewhere. Like a creepy shadow you couldn’t shake.”

  “Did you notice Rachel talking with anybody else that night?”

  Carrie stood still and closed her eyes, trying to put herself back in time. “When I first saw her, she was talking to her mother and father. They were standing with Father Vila. Rachel stopped and said something to the people from the lodge after that. I can’t remember who exactly. Mr. Bocock arrived, and he came over to say hi. I was standing with a few girls from school. Rachel took her sweet time coming to see us, and I was mad about that since we were supposed to be there together.” Carrie’s lips pushed out into a pout. “And then she left without even saying goodbye. I never saw her again.”

  “Well, thanks for sharing what you remember. You have my card if anything else comes to mind.”

  Kala left her and made a trip downstairs to the reception. The room was packed with townspeople standing in small groups, teacups and plates of finger food balanced in their hands. She located the tea urn at the back of the hall and th
readed her way through the crowd. The Eglans returned from the cemetery as she was taking her first sip of sweetened tea. By the time she’d paid her respects and met the grandparents and Rachel’s brothers, Martha and Neal were gone. She decided it was time to follow them back to Pine Hollow Lodge. Taiku needed a walk before she returned to town to make another attempt at reaching Clark.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  A white Ram truck that she didn’t recognize was in her usual parking spot. She pulled up beside it and looked for its owner as she walked past the main lodge and took the path to her cabin. The heat of the day was fading, but the sun wouldn’t set until past eight thirty. The leaves would be turning in early October. One good frost was all it would take to transform the woods into shades of red and gold. She was sorry that she wouldn’t be around to see autumn in the northern woods.

  She opened the front door of her cabin. Taiku had been waiting on the other side and bounded past her toward the dock. She turned and raised a hand to shield her eyes from the sun’s rays. Someone — a man — was sitting on the dock, facing outward to look across the water. She started toward him and stopped when he turned his head in profile. Taiku had reached him and was jumping and bumping his head against the man’s chest. He laughed and stood, swinging around to face her.

  “Jordan?” She was having difficulty believing that he was truly here. A wave of joy coursed through her, followed by dismay. She quickened her steps and reached the dock, stopping at the end farthest from him. “What are you doing here?” she asked. Her mind was making connections even as she stood breathing in the sight of him. “Is it Valerie? The baby? I haven’t been able to reach Clark all day.”

  “Hello to you, too.” The boyish grin crossed his face. The same smile that used to change her knees to Jell-O. He was staring into her eyes as if erasing all the time and distance she’d put between them. “Can I hug you at least?” He opened his arms and she was suddenly in them, head against his chest, hearing his heartbeat. Inhaling his scent. Feeling at home. She broke away first. “What are you doing here?” she repeated.

  “Valerie had the baby boy in the early hours, a few weeks early. The little guy had some complications and was flown to Toronto SickKids for heart surgery to fix a valve. Clark asked me to drive out here to fill you in. I’ve been staying with them the past few days.”

  “How worrying. Is the baby going to be okay?”

  “The doctors say yes, but I won’t kid you, this isn’t a piece of cake. They should be operating about now, so we’ll know soon.”

  “And Valerie …?”

  “Clark flew with the baby to Toronto. Valerie stayed in the hospital in the Soo. I’m going to check on her as soon as I’ve caught you up on what’s going on.”

  Kala studied him. “Were you planning on seeing me if this hadn’t happened?”

  “No. Maybe. I wasn’t sure. Clark tells me you’re in a relationship and living in Kingston. You’ve got a kid you’re looking after?”

  “All true. And you?”

  “I’m living in Thunder Bay. I own an electrical business and it’s going well. Long hours. This is my first holiday in a few years aside from the odd long-weekend canoe trip.”

  She felt a longing she’d thought long buried. Taiku wasn’t helping. He’d wedged himself between them and glued himself to Jordan’s leg, his chocolate eyes watching Jordan’s every move. She and Jordan had been tight once, as tight as she’d been with anyone. But that ended after she’d left town so he’d go back to his pregnant wife. “How’re your kids?” she asked to bring herself back to reality.

  “Good. I see them every other weekend and holidays.”

  “Oh.”

  “Listen, I have to go, but Clark wanted me to tell you that he’ll be waiting for your call at seven o’clock tonight if you can get into town.”

  “No problem.”

  “Can I meet you for a drink in town after I visit Valerie? I’d love to catch up.”

  She hesitated. She’d almost married this man and reconnecting was not something she’d ever considered. The wisest course of action was to say no, and she opened her mouth to say that she was too tired, but he beat her to it. “Of course, you’ve had a long day and you’re in the middle of a case, I shouldn’t …”

  “I’ll be at Mountainview Lodge until eight thirty. Just show up if you can make it, and if not, no worries. I have to eat anyhow.”

  He pulled out his phone. “Give me your number so I can text you.”

  Is this how it begins? she wondered as she watched him enter her cell number into his contact list.

  After he left, Kala put on her workout clothes and track shoes and took Taiku for a run. They jogged past the main lodge and up the road for a couple of kilometres before turning back. Halfway home, she cut off the road onto a trail that took them to the beach. The beach where Rachel spent her breaks — where she posed for Thomas Faraday’s camera.

  She took off her shoes and walked the length of the shoreline, enjoying the sensation of the warm sand between her toes. Taiku bounded in and out of the water, never straying far from her. She tried not to think about Jordan, but his visit to her cabin had been a shock. When she’d left Nipigon, she’d closed that chapter in her life and never expected to see him again. His reappearance upset her equilibrium. His eyes made her remember all the intimacy they’d once shared.

  She showered when she got back to the cabin and put on jeans and a washed-out denim shirt. She rolled the sleeves up to the elbows, added turquoise earrings, silver bracelets, lip gloss, and a spray of musky perfume. This means nothing, she thought. I’m only catching up with an old friend over dinner.

  She left Taiku eating his supper and drove to Mountainview Lodge in the waning hours of daylight. The season was definitely changing — a coolness in the air when the sun went down that hadn’t been there a week before. She preferred the crisp, frozen northern winters to Kingston’s fluctuating temperatures. She hated to think about another damp, slushy winter on the horizon.

  She parked and entered the rustic restaurant: knotty pine floors in a honey brown, darker stained log walls, softly glowing lamps on wooden tables. The wide-screen television was the only decor concession to the modern era, but happily the sound was muted. She took a seat with her back to the TV facing the entrance and connected her laptop to the Wi-Fi. A cheerful server took her order, eggs and bacon with a side of herbal tea. In her opinion, the all-day breakfast was the best idea since sliced bread.

  She checked her watch. Close enough to seven to call Clark. She thanked the server for a fresh pot of hot water for her tea as she hit Clark’s number and settled back in the chair. He answered on the first ring.

  “How’s the baby?” she asked after they said their hellos.

  “Holding his own. They say the surgery was a success.”

  “I’m sending positive thoughts. Are you able to rest at all?”

  “I’ll try for some shut-eye after we talk. I’m sorry I missed the funeral service.”

  Kala took a sip of tea. “The service was interesting. I noticed a few things I want to follow up on.”

  “Care to share them?”

  “Nothing tangible.” She had to give him something. “I spoke with Rachel’s girlfriend Carrie Blackmore and she told me Rachel had changed this past year. She said that Rachel was seeing somebody besides Darryl. Carrie and Darryl had a bit of an argument in front of the church after the service and neither is all that fond of the other. Based on what I overheard, Darryl had been harassing Rachel, trying to get back with her, and she wanted none of it. I believe we can safely conclude that Rachel was seeing an older man, possibly married, although he wouldn’t necessarily have to be married.”

  “Why not?”

  “He might have worried about his reputation if he was a lot older than her. Might have been a woman, for that matter.”

  “Cracky.”

  “Cracky?”

  “Sorry. First word that came into my tired head. Rachel seeme
d to lean toward men, didn’t she? There was Darryl.”

  “Keep an open mind, Harrison. This is the twenty-first century. Kids experiment.”

  He groaned. “Fatherhood is going to be a minefield. I can see that now.”

  She didn’t want to add to his angst and so kept from him the dark place her suspicions had gone during the service. “I’m going to keep digging,” she said.

  A pause on both ends of the line. He broke the impasse. “Jordan was in touch?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Sorry about blindsiding you. He showed up a few days ago to help prepare for the baby. We thought it best that he know I’m on this case with you.”

  “You don’t need to apologize.”

  “Yeah, I do. Listen, I’m dead on my feet. Is there anything I can help with on my end?”

  “No, get some rest and we can talk tomorrow.”

  “I’ll try to be back to you in a couple of days. If this goes much longer in Toronto, I’ll ask HQ to send someone to work with you.”

  “I like working alone.”

  He laughed. “I seem to recall.”

  They signed off and she punched in Gundersund’s number. The phone went straight to voicemail. She didn’t leave a message, but he’d get a notice that she’d tried anyway. She ended the call and hit Rouleau on speed dial. This time, she was in luck.