Tumbled Graves

by Brenda Chapman

  She turned her head sideways to face him. “You warned me. I should have been more careful. This is on me, Partner. Not you.”

  He shook his head. “If anything had happened …”

  “But we’re alive and Lebeau isn’t. It all worked out. That is, except for Bennett being in surgery.”

  Gundersund held her eyes for a few seconds more before he rested an arm across the seat and started backing up. “You’re aging me, Stonechild,” he said. He glanced over at her and smiled. “My hair has gotten a darker shade of grey since the phone call came in about the shooting.” He straightened the wheel and aimed the car toward the exit. “Next time you decide to investigate a crime scene, I won’t let us get separated. I promise you that.”

  She knew that fear and guilt were driving his words but they made her feel warm inside all the same. He was concerned about her, and for this moment she’d pretend that he cared for her more than a little bit. Her eyes began to get heavy. She said, “When Lebeau was aiming that gun at me, my last thought was that you’d take care of Dawn. I could die with no regrets knowing.”

  Gundersund stopped the car at the entrance to Division Street and reached over to take her hand. She opened her eyes and he was watching her, the fierce look making his blue eyes even bluer. “I’ll always have your back,” he said. “Just like I know you’ll always have mine. We’re in this together, Stonechild. Don’t ever forget.”

  “I won’t,” she said, and for the first time, she believed it to be true.

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Kala agreed to meet Tamara Jones at her office in the Family and Children’s Services building on Division Street, not far from the police station. The building was new — three storeys of brown and grey rectangles layered on top of each other. Tamara greeted her at the front door and they took the elevator to a third-floor meeting room. Even though they’d rounded the corner into May and the temperature hovered around twenty degrees Celsius, Tamara was dressed in a winter blue pantsuit and severe white blouse buttoned to the top of her neck. Her eyes weren’t as chipper as on their last encounter.

  “Can I get you some tea or coffee?” she offered as they sat down.

  “I’m good.” Kala was eager to get this over with so that she could finish the last of her days off with Dawn, who was reading a book and listening to music with her iPhone in Kala’s truck in the parking lot. She hadn’t wanted to come in and Kala hadn’t pressed her.

  “I understand you had quite the horrific experience a few weeks ago. How’s your partner doing?”

  “Better. He’s with his parents in Ottawa recuperating.”

  “And the aunt?”

  “Leanne is coming along too.” Kala saw Tamara’s eyes linger on the bandage above her eye. The scar on her cheek was healing although still bruised and rough looking. Gundersund said he and she were now a matching set. “I was hit by flying glass but no lasting effects.”

  “Good. That’s good.” Tamara crossed her legs and shuffled some papers on the table with her head down. She seemed to find what she was looking for and looked up at Kala. “The thing is, and there’s no easy way to say this, after talking over your file with my supervisors, we’ve decided that Dawn should be placed with a foster family who has some experience with traumatized children or adolescents.”

  Kala stared at her. “I don’t understand. She’s doing well with me. I want to keep her, as I promised my cousin.”

  “But her mother isn’t really your blood cousin, is she? Legally you’re not family. We have to think what’s best for Dawn. I know we can agree on that.”

  A condescending edge had entered her voice and Kala struggled to keep her own voice level.

  “What’s best for Dawn is that she lives with me. She’s happy, and so am I. You can’t do this.”

  “I’m sorry, but I can and I will.” Tamara’s mouth tightened. “The newspaper story that came to light about your alcoholism and past living on the street is a factor, I will admit. More importantly, however, you missed all the appointments with Dr. Lyman and your job has you working long hours with danger involved. Dawn needs more stability. A foster family will provide this.”

  “I missed the last appointment because my partner got shot. Another officer picked Dawn up for me. My past on the street has nothing to do with my situation now.”

  Tamara pursed her lips and looked back at the papers on the desk. The silence lengthened.

  Kala knew by the stubborn look on Tamara’s face that she wasn’t going to win this round today. Tamara was taking her rebuttal as a personal attack and digging in her heels. Kala gave it one more try. “Have you asked Dawn what she wants? If she isn’t happy with me, she’ll tell you.”

  “These decisions are best left to the professionals. She’s too young to know what’s best for her future.”

  And you think you’re old enough? This conversation was useless. Tamara was not going to budge. Kala asked, “How long before you move her?”

  Tamara looked up and past Kala’s right shoulder. “I have a placement lined up for Tuesday.”

  “In Kingston?”

  “Yes. You’ll still be able to visit her. You can have a big part in her life if you choose. I know we recommend that you do.”

  Kala wanted to weep. She heard herself begging. “What do I have to do to get her back? I’ll do whatever you say.”

  “I’m sorry, but that won’t be possible at this time. The papers have already been drawn up and approved. Perhaps, in time, we can reassess, but for now this is what is best for Dawn.”

  “Then I guess I won’t waste any more of your time.”

  She took the stairs and exited the building still trying to absorb what had just taken place. She needed time to figure out what to do because she had no intention of letting this happen. Tamara Jones was playing God with their lives, but there had to be a way to stop her.

  Kala opened the cab door and climbed into the truck. Dawn had her feet on the dashboard and was leaning against the passenger door. She closed her book and smiled. “Hey, Aunt Kala. How’d it go?”

  “Fine, but I think we should enjoy my last day off and go for a drive. We can talk about the meeting later. What do you say?”

  Dawn’s face brightened. “Yes, please!” She dropped her feet from the dash and tossed her book on the seat before doing up her seatbelt

  Kala drove out of the city and took the turnoff to Gananoque. She’d booked tickets for the Thousand Island boat tour and was glad now that she had because the trip would be a distraction. They reached the dock with minutes to spare. Dawn’s delight at being on the water and seeing the islands was bittersweet. Kala had no idea how to tell her that she’d be moving away in two days. The boat docked at an island and they disembarked to tour Boldt Castle. Dawn stayed at Kala’s side the entire time, wide-eyed, taking everything in.

  “I love it here,” she said when they stood in the great hall under the stained-glass ceiling. Her eyes shone with wonder. “Can we come again in the fall, Aunt Kala?”

  Kala forced a smile. “I’m sure I can arrange it.”

  The trip back to the dock went too quickly. Dawn jumped in front of Kala onto dry land raced over to watch a mother duck with her string of ducklings bobbing off shore. She knelt down and reached out a hand, trying to coax them over.

  Kala sat on the park bench behind her and laughed along with Dawn as two of the ducklings paddled over to her. Dawn turned to look at Kala. “If only I had something to feed them.”

  “How about we get some lunch, speaking of food, and then I have one more stop.”

  “Okay.”

  They ate at the pub across the street. It was a cozy spot down a few steps with a bar along one wall and booths and tables tucked into every available space. They both ordered hamburgers, fries, and chocolate milkshakes. The food tasted like sawdus
t in Kala’s mouth, and she had to choke it down. Dawn looked at her curiously a few times, but didn’t say anything.

  At two o’clock, Kala parked across the street from the Scott house. The front yard was fragrant with flowering lilac bushes and Leanne had planted a bed of pansies along the sidewalk. She answered the door before Kala lifted her hand to ring the doorbell. She looked at Kala for a moment before hugging her tightly.

  Leanne poured cups of coffee and they sat in Adirondack chairs in the backyard, which was also filled with purple and white lilac bushes and flowering apple trees. Dawn took her book and a glass of lemonade and went to sit by the pond at the far end of the garden.

  “You’re looking so much better than last time I saw you,” Kala said. “How’re you feeling?”

  “I’m good. Randy hovers like an old mother hen, but he’ll get back to normal given a bit of time. We’ll be putting the house up for sale next week.”

  Kala nodded. The news didn’t come as a surprise. “Where will you be moving?”

  Leanne’s face reddened and she fanned herself with one hand. She couldn’t seem to fix her eyes on anything. “Well, we always wanted to live in British Columbia. We haven’t decided on our exact location but it will be near the sea.”

  Kala leaned forward until her head was close to Leanne’s. She waited until Leanne lowered her coffee cup and looked her in the eyes. “Where’s Violet?” she asked. “I know you took her that morning before Philippe Lebeau arrived at Adele’s.”

  Leanne began to deny, but something in Kala’s eyes made her stop. Kala waited motionless, keeping her gaze on Leanne’s face.

  Leanne said softly, “What will you do if I tell you?”

  “Nothing. I’m not going to tell anyone where Violet is because then her mother Cécile will get her back. Even if Cécile was to gain custody, I believe that Violet will end up in the child welfare system before long because Cécile will do something illegal and end up serving more time. She managed to keep herself from being implicated in Adele’s murder and your kidnapping, but I have no doubt she knew what was going on. She was waiting for Lebeau to join her at a motel in Cornwall when she was located. So, I will do nothing if you tell me the truth. I’m here as a citizen, not a cop.”

  Leanne listened without saying anything. She was silent for several seconds afterwards, appearing to consider Kala’s words and searching her face. Finally, she slapped her hands on her knees and said, “Then let’s go for a drive.”

  Kala called to Dawn and they got into Leanne’s car. Kala also thought it might be wise not to have her truck spotted wherever it was they were going. Dawn sat in the back seat and Kala rode up front with Leanne. Dawn put on her headphones to listen to music while she read her book.

  Leanne backed out of the driveway and glanced over at Kala.

  “You were right. I was there that morning. I got a frantic call the night before from Adele. She told Ivo she was getting milk but went and used a payphone because she knew she’d be disappearing and didn’t want the call traced later. She’d seen one of the men from her past in a restaurant the week before on an outing with her neighbour, but thought he hadn’t seen her — that is until he followed her car to the plant nursery. She was even too scared to tell me his name.”

  They were driving east. In the centre of town, Leanne was silent as she put on her turn signal and took the main road north. After a few minutes she resumed talking as if there’d been no break in her monologue.

  “Adele called me a few times that week later in the evening, using Ivo’s phone when he was in bed sleeping. I have a work phone that she called me on. I never shared it with your officers.” Leanne smiled an apology at Kala. “Adele was jumpy as a cat until she came up with this plan, which I thought was sheer lunacy. When she called me that last night, she asked me to get to her place by seven the following morning to take Violet. Once we were gone, she was going to make it look as if Violet had gotten out of the house while she was making breakfast and drowned in the creek. Adele figured that the people she knew from her time in Montreal believed Violet was dead, they might not come after her. She was just buying time until she could disappear again and collect Violet. She was out of her mind with panic.”

  “Why did she think they were after her?”

  “She saw Violet’s father in town that morning, asking questions at the corner store. She figured he wouldn’t come after her that night with Ivo home.”

  “We learned that Etienne had booked a visit with his brother Benoit at Millhaven the day Adele went to the plant nursery. He asked Lebeau to call and cancel it, but Lebeau decided to make the trip in his place. He borrowed some ID from Etienne’s wallet and convinced Benoit to say that he was Etienne once he arrived so that he wouldn’t get into trouble. Seemed like a harmless enough switch to Benoit at the time. Lebeau signed the visitor log as Etienne. It was only later when and we showed up asking questions about Adele’s past and murder that Lebeau used the lie to implicate Etienne.”

  “Such horrible men.”

  “What about Ivo? Was she going to leave him behind? Was she going to let him believe their child was dead?”

  “She never said, but I imagine so. It sounds harsh when you put it like that.”

  They drove thirty minutes until they reached a town named Cheeseborough. Leanne slowed but kept driving north. “Not much farther,” she said.

  Kala asked, “So, was Adele planning to confront Lebeau at her home?”

  “Oh no. She was going to call the police and tell them Violet had disappeared from the house. Media would pick up the story as they do, and Lebeau and the Manteau brothers would hear about it. After a few weeks, Adele was going to leave for a weekend change of scene, get Violet, and disappear. She hoped the bunch of thugs in Montreal would stop trying to find her if they thought she didn’t have their kid. Lebeau must have shown up that morning before she could finish her plan.”

  “Did Adele know who Violet’s father was?”

  “She knew because Cécile and Lebeau had her kidnap the baby to keep Benoit from finding out that he wasn’t the father. She never told me the name of the father, though. I only figured all this out after Lebeau tried to get Violet from us. The pieces connected from things Adele told me. Anyhow, Cécile and Lebeau hated Benoit and Etienne for reasons that were unknown to me. I found the whole situation a soap opera but Adele was petrified of them. She said they told her that they owned her. I think they had her hooking, if truth be told. She tried to tell me once but I wasn’t sympathetic.” Leanne sighed. “I told her that she’d made her bed and she should figure a way out. I’m ashamed to say that I was a bit of a judgmental prig at the time. I’ve been trying to make up for it.”

  They came upon a few houses tucked in from the road in clear-cut properties surrounded by woods. “This is Maple Grove. My friend lives in the last house before the intersection.”

  Not even a minute farther on and Leanne turned into a driveway lined in pine, birch, and maple trees. She honked her horn and continued slowly up the drive. By the time they reached the front door, a woman in her fifties was standing on the front steps, wiping her hands in an apron. Her smile turned to a frown when she saw Kala and Dawn get out of the car.

  She walked down the steps and over to Leanne. “I wasn’t expecting company,” she said.

  “It’s okay, Sharon. Kala knows but she’s not interested in telling anybody.”

  Sharon didn’t look convinced but reached out a hand. “Let’s shake on that.”

  Kala extended her hand. “You have my word.”

  “She’s out back playing with Mia and Tom. I was keeping an eye on them from the kitchen. You can just follow the flagstone path around that side of the house.”

  Leanne said, “I’ll take them.”

  Kala and Dawn followed her to a closed gate and a six-foot-high wooden fence. They step
ped inside and Kala stopped by the steps. The yard had several oak and poplar trees but the rest was grass. A boy and girl who looked to be about seven were rolling a beach ball to the blond-haired girl Kala had seen in the photos in Ivo’s study. They’d cut Violet’s hair into a pixie cut but Kala still recognized her. Violet was giggling and running between the boy and girl, clutching onto the ball. They pretended to try to catch her. All of a sudden, Violet spotted Leanne standing near the fence. She threw the ball onto the grass and ran on chubby legs into Leanne’s outspread arms. Leanne picked her up and hugged her hard before turning her to face Kala.

  “Violet, meet my friends Kala and Dawn. Can you say hi?”

  “Hi.” Violet fixed them with her blue eyes. She scrunched her face. “Is Mommy coming soon?”

  “No, sweetheart.” Leanne gave her a kiss. “We just stopped for a minute. I’m going to come back for supper.”

  “Later!” Violet squirmed out of her arms and waved at Dawn and Kala before racing back to the join the others.

  Leanne looked at Kala. “Randy and I are going to give her a good life. We owe that to Adele. I promised her.”

  Kala nodded. She reached her arm around Dawn’s shoulders and gave her a squeeze. “I know what that feels like,” she said. “Thanks for putting my mind at ease. It’s time Dawn and I get on our way home.”

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Kala didn’t know what to do with herself. The house felt empty and confining so she put on her running shoes and sweater and took Taiku down to the beach. She threw a stick into the lake for him to retrieve for half an hour or so before they walked the length of the shoreline and back.

  The sun was into its descent and the shadows were lengthening when they made it back to the house. She sat on the steps of the back deck with Taiku resting in the grass. He seemed as lost as she felt. A slight wind had come up off the lake and was keeping the bugs at bay. She’d sit until darkness came before going in for supper. Her appetite had disappeared but she knew she had to eat because she had to work in the morning.