by Amber Boffin
“Hello, Tina, how are you doing today?” Raj asked, irritated by people who didn’t greet others first, as if they were nobodies and best ignored when they seemingly weren’t of any use.
“Yes, hello. Busy. No time. I need to speak to the sergeant now before I publish my article. It changes everything.” She looked flushed and avoided his eyes, which was very unlike her.
Raj smiled. “I understand, but he’s in a meeting now.”
This wasn’t exactly true. Sergeant Humphries had been on the phone with the detective sergeant leading the search for the missing woman. But Raj wanted to find out what Tina had to say. Now that a detective sergeant was in town, he was eager to shine in front of him, which would get him closer to his dream of becoming a detective sergeant himself. A position that Sergeant Humphries ensured he would have to earn the traditional way, with no short cuts.
Tina shuffled in her bag and snapped it shut. “I’m sorry. I really have to speak to him in confidence.”
“If it’s about this man and you know something, you can talk to me.”
“When will the sergeant be free? I’ll come back.”
Raj felt the typical vibration through his feet of Sergeant Humphries’s approach on the thin floor of the police station.
“Hello, Tina, were you looking for me?” He turned to Raj. “Constable, why didn’t you let me know she was here?” He smiled at Tina. “I have some news for your article, come along to my office.”
Tina threw a black look at Raj as she walked through the swinging doors. The vulnerability he had seen in her was replaced by the superior look of a person with a valuable secret to be shared with high-ranking officials only. “Yes, and I have something for you, but I haven’t told anyone yet. It’s very important and might change your case.”
Raj watched as his chance for promotion disappeared behind Sergeant Humphries’s door.
Chapter Eleven
“When did you last see Ben Fearon?”
“It was with his girlfriend, the woman you’re looking for, at my mushroom class. Not people you want as students. Probing me all the time, with no regards for my other clients. Maybe it was because they had a problem with each other. They kept arguing. I felt something was brewing between them.”
“Mushrooms, you say? Now, that is interesting because we know that he was most likely poisoned by an omelet he ate, which happened to contain bad mushrooms.” Sergeant Humphries omitted that the coroner wanted more time to conclude, because there were a few more possibilities for the cause of death he wanted to rule out: a toxic plant, among others. Sergeant Humphries was convinced it had to be the mushrooms, and the final report would confirm it. At present, they considered it might have been an accidental poisoning but weren’t ruling out murder.
“He died from mushroom poisoning! I knew it. I’m not surprised. I wondered why they seemed only interested in the toxic ones. They kept mixing things up and contradicting me, as if I didn’t know the good from the bad ones. Me.” Tina pointed to her chest with her finger. “Can you believe it?”
Sergeant Humphries was worried she would print the story if he wasn’t careful, and he hadn’t read the latest autopsy report yet. “Not exactly. They still aren’t sure it killed him.” Tina’s words kept resonating in the back of his mind. Could she have misled them to pick the wrong fungus? He would get back to that later; the priority was gathering information about the missing woman. He slid the poster of the drawing of the woman under her eyes. “Tell me more about the woman. Is this her?”
“No, that’s not her.” Tina pushed away the poster. “I think you need to find her, and you’ll discover it was a murder.”
“All the same, that’s a big accusation. Couples often fight but don’t kill each other like that. It could have been an accident.” Sergeant Humphries felt a shiver down his back. He thought of his wife and the argument they had the night before about her cooking. He had really liked her mushroom soup that night. He had added salt, pepper, and cream, which had upset her. It wasn’t the first time he had tried to tell her that her cooking was a bit bland and needed a bit of spicing up. Later that night, when he crept in bed with her and after he had hugged her, she no longer seemed bothered.
He had never contemplated the idea that she might keep a grudge and pretend it was all fine until she would serve a different kind of mushroom soup… What if she were like this woman they were searching for, who, as Tina seemed to insinuate, must have had enough of her partner and poisoned him with a mushroom dish?
Tina shook her head, her lips pursed. “Poor woman. I don’t know how she could stand being with him. He was so condescending.” She was silent for a moment, her finger up in the air, preventing the sergeant from speaking. “That’s it. I have it!” She triumphantly tapped her fist into her palm.
Sergeant Humphries was a little afraid of this display of feminist power and took a mental note that he would compliment his wife on her cooking this evening; he might even buy her a rose. He was shaken back to reality by Tina, who was standing up and leaning forward, her round face above his. “Sergeant Humphries, with my help you will close this case quickly. I only need to be the first to publish the story, and I’ll put your photo on the front page, with the caption, ‘Sergeant Humphries has kept Foxton safe once again.’”
Sergeant Humphries sighed. He preferred all cases to be straightforward and dealt with quickly. He enjoyed the thought of his photograph on the front page of the Daily Stumble. Even though Stuart Harris, the head of the logging operation he had just met after all those years, was no longer a police officer and his superior, Humphries had difficulty getting over the original difference in rank between them. This might be his chance to flaunt his success and get the recognition that he pined for.
His silence had an unintended consequence. Tina couldn’t hold her thoughts any longer. “Once you speak to her, be nice. I’m convinced she was a poor woman defending herself, and she would have died if she hadn’t defended herself. Either way, it’s a murder attempt. There, I told you. Your promise?”
Sergeant Humphries didn’t like being pushed, and certainly not by a woman, even though it was a tempting proposal, but he had to stay professional. “You’re hooked on the idea it was a murder or manslaughter. What is your proof?”
“I told you, I saw them fight.”
“That isn’t proof. If you used that as a basis to lock people up, we might as well put everyone in jail! Now you’re wasting my time. You only recognized the man in the photo. What about the woman, what did she look like?”
Tina pulled out of her bag the crumpled portrait of the woman and slammed it on his desk. “The eyes are wrong, and so is the nose. I told you.” Her voice softened. “Maybe the shape of the face. Yes, it was very long. Not the kind of face to wear long, straight hair if you ask me. But she had that. Oh yes, and when she laughed, her gums were visible. If I see her again, I will recognize her, I am sure. I might even have a picture of them.”
Tina sat back down in the chair with a thump. “Do you know which mushroom killed him? You must have the autopsy. And?”
Sergeant Humphries looked down at the file on his desk. It was the autopsy. She must have seen the title. This was too much for him. It was as if he had Sergeant Stuart Harris in front of him all over again, having to divulge everything before he was ready to do so; that way he could never get any credit for any find he made.
He was irritated with her. What if Tina did give them the wrong information after all? He leaned forward. “No, we don’t, and I do hope the mushroom in question wasn’t one of the ones you pointed out to them.”
Tina jumped to her feet. “Now that is an accusation I won’t tolerate. This is how you thank me for being helpful? No more. You hear me? No more. For your information, I know my mushrooms.”
Tina stormed out of his office before he could say anything, leaving the door open behind her. She could be fast, despite her dislike of physical activity.
Sergeant Humphries shook his
head. He closed the door after a peek at what his constable was up to—typing away, just how he liked it.
He settled back at his desk and swung the top drawer open to reveal a selection of donuts. He plunged his hand into the box, twirled his fingers around, and picked one. He liked to be surprised by the outcome, as if he had rolled dice, and the outcome would give a hint of what was to come. This time it was a plain one. He put it gently onto a paper napkin next to the folder. The autopsy will simplify the story. After a bite from the donut, he opened the file.
*
Adam had dropped Maggie off at the garage owned by their friend Barrie. He had been taking care of Carrot and Beans while Maggie was away. The large garage door was open and a car was hoisted up on a lift, with tools lying around, but no sign of Barrie.
Maggie approached the back door to his apartment above the shop. Sniffing sounds came from under the door, followed by yelps of joy. Between the scratching sounds from her dogs, she heard footsteps rushing down the staircase.
Barrie opened the door with a big smile. “I didn’t expect you back yet.” He nearly fell over in a dog stampede. “Hey, hey! I have to say, I’m glad you’re back. You can take your monsters with you.”
Maggie was worried. It was the first time she had left them in the care of a friend other than Adam. It was never easy to ask for dog-sitting, even though Barrie had offered his help to compensate for the delay in fixing her little floatplane. “I’m so sorry. Did they bother you?”
Barrie shook his head. Beans and Carrot were sniffing at Maggie’s trousers then blowing the air out their snouts and sniffing again, seemingly wanting to be certain of what they had read on her boots and needed to read it again. The scratches on the front of the door left by her dogs jumped out at her. She looked at the turquoise coat hanging in the entrance for any other damage before shifting her eyes up the stairs.
“No worries, the door was damaged already by the previous tenant. No, no real damage. They just like stealing my tools and hiding them.” Barrie laughed. He ushered Maggie out of the hallway and closed the door behind him.
She was relieved, but she would have to find another dog sitter next time. She walked slowly through the garage to where her blue truck, Big Jay, was parked, chatting with Barrie about her adventure, when she stopped. “I nearly forgot the bowls, and if you have any food left for the dogs.”
“Ah, yes, it’s upstairs in the kitchen.”
“I can get it. You’ve done enough already.”
Barrie turned around and rushed to his apartment. “No, no, I will.”
Maggie followed, hoping to help with the dog food bags; she had left several behind just in case her trip would have lasted longer than planned. Barrie met her on the staircase and loaded her with the bags and bowls.
“I’ll get the rest. Why don’t you go to the car with this?”
This was so unlike Barrie. He normally would have offered her a drink and they would have had a chat, but for some reason he was trying to get rid of her. She knocked the coat off the hook. She put down her load and repositioned it then shook her head. Stupid of me, I should have known.
Barrie had a visitor, a woman friend. It explained the coat. She picked up her load and waited at her car for Barrie. He threw the last bags into the back of the pick-up.
“Thanks, and I hope Beans and Carrot were nice with her.” Maggie smiled, tilting her head toward Barrie’s apartment.
“Nothing escapes you. Yes, she likes animals.”
“When will we meet her?” Maggie pinched Barrie’s arm affectionately.
“It’s not like that. She’s not my girlfriend anymore. I’m just returning a favor till she sorts herself out.”
“You know, I have spare rooms if she needs a roof over her head for a while.”
“It’s complicated. She’s Miss Trouble, you don’t want to house her.”
“If you can, and she is an ex, it would be far easier for me as a stranger, no?”
Barrie shook his head vigorously. “She isn’t hanging around. I bet she’ll be gone by tomorrow. If I didn’t feel sorry for her, you wouldn’t have guessed she was here.”
Barrie scratched Beans’s head through the window. “I like them. Maybe next time I should dog-sit them at your house.”
“As I told you, you’re welcome to stay at my place. As long as you don’t invite everyone for a huge party. I know you!” Maggie laughed.
“You look tired. Adam must’ve dragged you through the woods. Why don’t we meet up at Heidi’s with Adam for a few drinks tomorrow? I want to hear all about your adventure.”
Maggie looked at herself in the side mirror. She did look a little disheveled, but not as bad as Barrie made her feel. She climbed into her truck, thinking she might have overstayed her welcome. Barrie rushed back to his garage as she started her car.
Feeling watched, she raised her head. A woman stood behind Barrie’s living room window. She must have been watching them all the time—a pale and frightened woman. As soon as Maggie exchanged a glance with her and waved, she disappeared behind the curtain.
During her entire trip back home, Maggie couldn’t get rid of the image of her face in the window. She had a familiar face, and yet Maggie was convinced she had never met her before. She must have been one of Barrie’s girlfriends before Maggie came back to live in Canada. Was it really fear she had sensed, or anger? The window pane had blurred her image too much to tell.
The vision of Brigit popped in front of her eyes—she too had a long face and long blond hair, although she had only seen Brigit’s hair in a braid. It couldn’t have been her. Brigit wouldn’t fit in the coat hanging in the entrance; she was too tall. She could be a relative of hers. That would be such a coincidence; it was rather wishful thinking that Brigit might move out of Foxton, just like this woman would by tomorrow, according to Barrie.
Maggie hit her steering wheel with both hands. Come on, be fair, Maggie, you know neither of them. Brigit might be your ticket to a breakthrough as a wildlife photographer…
Maggie had a tendency to fall for men who didn’t always see her as a partner but rather as a friend. She had promised herself not to fall into the same trap and keep it light. Adam was a good friend. Maybe she had to leave it at that and look elsewhere for a partner. She narrowed her eyes. I wonder how Adam would react if he saw me with someone…
Chapter Twelve
Barrie stood at the bottom of the stairs in front of his apartment door. “I’ve had enough. I won’t allow you to stay here longer if you don’t tell me what going on. You and your secrets, that’s exactly why you drove me nuts.” He thrust the turquoise coat at her, together with her backpack, which he had carried down and stuffed with her belongings. “And don’t give me your crocodile tears. It might work with that tree hugger of yours, or whoever you’re with now. Go see them for help.”
“Barrie,” she sobbed. “This time it’s true. I can’t tell you to protect you.”
“Yes, like when you were seeing that Andy Smith, Chainsaw, behind my back. Did you manipulate him too?” Barrie wondered how he had fallen for her. Kate was a pathological liar. With hindsight, he doubted all she had told him during their relationship. He had agreed to house her only because he had a soft heart and would always try to give a hand to an old friend in distress.
Each time he had questioned her about a lover or where she had been, she had skillfully turned the situation around to the point where he had felt guilty doubting her. That happened until he met Andy Smith, who explained in the gentlest of terms—a punch to the face—that he had better stay away from her. He had even added that he was being nice to him; it was for his own good.
At the time, Barrie hadn’t seen it that way. Who was Smith to say he was the boyfriend who refused to accept the breakup, when Barrie had been the one wanting to break up? Kate managed each time to twist his arm. Barrie looked her in the eyes; he had never noticed how close together they were. He no longer saw her beauty. She had finally broken all tie
s.
“Barrie, don’t look at me like that. You scare me.” She pointed to the bedroom upstairs. “What happened last night doesn’t mean anything to you? I really thought I’d found you again.” She began to cry, dropping onto the step of the staircase. “I’ll tell you, but I warned you. You’ll regret it. It was an accident. I didn’t mean…” She buried her head in her hands. “I could have died, and you never would have found my body up in the forest. Poisoned by mushrooms.” She peered through her fingers at him. “All that because we were told they were edible. It’s her fault he’s dead.”
Barrie couldn’t believe his ears. Maggie had only just told him about the man they had found dead in the forest and the missing woman. And now Kate was the woman they were looking for, and to make things worse, she was using him again. The last time he looked for her online, fearing she might return to Foxton after their breakup, he was relieved to see a video of her embracing a renowned activist at the end of his speech on illegal logging. With a little more research, he figured out from the pictures she posted of herself with the man that she had moved to British Colombia. Kate was back like a boomerang. Poor man—she could be mean. Barrie knew that from experience. Was it really an accident?
Tears stopped rolling down her cheeks. She looked at him as she measured the impact of her statement. “I’m lucky to be alive. And now I have you.” Kate stood up and tried to hug him.
He stepped back in disgust.
“You have to believe me. I was so sick, and I ran to find help at the loggers’ camp, but at first they didn’t believe me, they hate him. Ben was on to them and would do anything to stop their business.”
Barrie was silent, observing her every move, not trusting her for one second. He had the strength to keep his mouth shut and listen. He crossed his arms.
“I was so scared. The noises at night in that cabin. I had no choice but to run back to you. I’m so sorry. That’s the truth. I lied to you, I admit it, because I didn’t think you’d believe me.”
