“Wait and see—what?” Diane searched his eyes, looking for some understanding of what had happened to her.
“It’s too early to tell right now; however, the possibility exists that you might lose some fingers on that hand.” Diane’s eyes widened; what little colour she did have paled as the blood drained from her face. “I don’t want you to worry.”
“I can’t even remember my name, why?”
“You’re probably suffering from temporary amnesia. As I said, you took a severe blow to your head, and we’re doing blood tests. They may tell us something. I’m sure that it will all come back to you soon. You know, for a minute there, I thought we had your mystery solved. A policeman came in looking for a woman about your age. Sadly, you’re not who he was looking for. So, in the meantime, do you mind if we continue to call you Diane?”
“I guess not. It’s as good a name as any, I suppose. Are you sure about my memory?”
Diane searched her doctor’s face for some sign of assurance. She sensed a reluctance to commit, and at the same time she detected a sadness in his countenance. He wasn’t sure. She could see that. Yet, he would not withhold hope from her either. His eyes spoke volumes, but his lips belied his thoughts. “Yes, I’m pretty sure this is only temporary.”
* * *
June 2016
He was wrong, and now, twenty-five years later, the widow Dorsette found herself digging through old files in her late husband’s office. Sifting through dozens of folders, her eyes fell on the one she was looking for. Opening the folder, she found the results of her bloodwork for that day. She had read it many times but could make no sense of it until now. Instinctively, her hand went to her neck, touching behind her carotid artery as if taking her pulse.
“The patient exhibits minute traces of succinylcholine indicating recent sedation. Succinylcholine(Sux) normally dissipates from the bloodstream within minutes; however, extreme hypothermia may lengthen the process. Trace levels of “Sux” may also be caused by an abnormal genetic variant of pseudocholinesterase, which is not uncommon. Testing for this variant revealed a positive result. Therefore, a definitive cause for the presence of Sux is unknown at this time.”
Satisfied, she put the paper back in the folder. As she did so, a business card, clipped to the inside of the Manila folder, fell to the floor. She read it as she picked it up. Well, well, well. Now here’s something I didn’t expect. She tucked the card into her purse. A tidal wave of memories flooded her mind, ending years of living with a void in her brain that screamed for information. Long-repressed memories geysered their way to the surface, spewing forth in an endless spray of emotion. Yes, she did remember everything. The cards were right. She had a debt to pay.
* * *
“Colm, I need to speak to you. I think I’ve made a terrible mistake. Have you read the paper today?” Emily bit her lip as she spoke, hoping that he hadn’t.
“No, not today, I rarely read the paper anyway. Why what’s in it?”
“I really need to talk to you about an article that’s in there. I’m afraid I’ve put my foot in it. I asked a friend to write a short piece about Kallita.”
The silence from Colm’s phone told her she’d messed up. “Please, Colm, I really need to see you.”
“Grand. Meet me at the Tod’s on the east end of town. Fifteen minutes.”
Emily pondered her predicament. Frieda’s admonition that everything associated with Kallita would result in nothing but pain and heartache might be right. I guess I’ll have to suck it up and face the music. She turned the key, and the Mustang’s powerful V8 roared to life.
Tod’s Coffee Corner boasted two locations in Clarksville. One on the north end of town, and the other on the east. A sought-after franchise, the first location opened right around the time Roy took over the diner. Once the best place in town for coffee and snacks, Tod’s franchise soon cut into Roy’s trade. The second Tod’s location opened two weeks before Roy closed his doors for good. Both places did a roaring trade, and the parking lot at the east locale was full, forcing Emily to park on the street.
Emily spotted Colm sitting at a small two-seat table in the far corner of the restaurant. He was staring down at a newspaper, totally engrossed in what he was reading. Across the table from him sat a silver teapot and mug. Emily gulped in a deep breath of coffee-infused air. She summoned up the nerve to walk the few steps to her newfound friend, fiercely resisting the urge to turn around and run. Making her way through the crowded restaurant, she wove in and around tables and patrons careful not to bump into anyone. Finally reaching the table she slipped into the seat facing Colm, a sheepish look on her face as she bit at her bottom lip.
“Colm, please don’t be angry. I had no idea she was going to write that as a front-page spread.” Emily searched his face for some sign of understanding.
“I’m not angry. I’m worried.” Colm looked up from his paper. “Dan Clifford isn’t going to like this, and that means he’ll chew my arse pretty good. You know he doesn’t want me spending time on this. I don’t know why yet, but I suspect it has something to do with the way the original investigation was handled. I’m definitely going to catch hell when I go back to work.”
“I’m so sorry, I didn’t think—”
“Sure’n, you didn’t, but we can’t un-ring the bell, now, can we?”
Up until now, Colm had been choosing his words carefully.
“No. I guess not, so where do we go from here?”
“Well, it’s obvious that you won’t step away from this and leave me to it. So as long as I can, I will carry on. I am going to have to prove to my boss that I’ve dropped it entirely. So darlin’ you are probably going to be the tip of the spear in this. Assuming we keep going.”
“We? Are you going to continue on? You just said—”
“Yes, I know, of course, I’m going to keep on, but Clifford won’t sit by and leave me to it. That said, I’ll help any way I can. What’s done is done. We need to move forward and find out all we can quickly. Before I go back into work, I want to talk to Roy Prewitt. Will you talk to your boss again? Get as much information about her dead husband as you can.”
Emily finally relaxed and turning her attention to her tea, she realized she had let it go cold.
“I’ll get us a refill, then we can form a plan.”
Chapter 14
Frieda Gerst loved driving her Mercedes SLC. It was the only real indulgence she allowed herself in many years. Contrary to what people believed, Klaus had not changed his will before taking his own life. She was left broke with no job. Everything they had planned and dreamt of vaporized into thin air the day Kallita fudged Klaus’s books.
It took ages to set things right, by which time the sale of the business was a dead deal, as was Klaus. His estate went to his parents, and they were unwilling to concede anything to Frieda. Fighting it in court would be expensive and time-consuming, and although Frieda had the time, she didn’t have the money. Heartbroken and destitute, she abandoned any claim she had to Klaus’s estate and decided to move on. Kallita was long gone, and she needed to get her life back on track, eventually finding work in a local office as a receptionist. When All-Comm came to town, she successfully applied for a management position. Twenty-three years later, she was ready to retire. Six more months, and if all went well, she would turn over the reins of her job to Emily. All the girl needed to do was keep her nose clean and stay out of trouble. She couldn’t have guessed that after all this time it would be Emily who would bring Kallita back into her life.
The sight of a woman standing beside her designated parking sign surprised Frieda as she pulled into park. It was hard to tell from behind, but for the briefest of moments, Frieda thought she recognized her. Coming to a stop, she turned the ignition switch off and removed her seatbelt. As she pulled the latch handle to open the door, the woman moved to block the door from opening.
“What the hell—hey—what are you doing? Move! Get out of the way!” Frieda pushed ha
rder against the woman’s thigh, opening the door a fraction. Frustrated, Frieda rolled the window down.
“What are you doing? Who are you?”
The woman stood firm, saying nothing, she looked through the open window at Frieda. A thin smile formed on her lips.
* * *
The drive to Roy Prewitt’s hobby farm gave Colm a chance to think about the consequences of the newspaper article. Sergeant Clifford was not going to react well to the publicity. That much was sure. How he would react was the big question spinning through his mind. Turning into the long dusty driveway, he dropped the Mini Cooper down into second gear to navigate the winding and sloping laneway. Finally, emerging from the trees, he pulled the car up in front of a large white farmhouse encompassed by a wrap-around porch. Steps leading up to the door stretched from one end of the front facade to the other. An old dog lay at the top, soaking in the noonday sun, seemingly unaffected by the black flies that assaulted Colm the moment he exited his car. Rushing up the steps, he was met at the door by an attractive redhead. In her mid-thirties, approximately five foot five and about eight and a half stone, the young woman’s walnut, brown eyes captured his as Colm reached for the door handle, hoping she would let him in.
“Excuse me. How can I help you?” Erin held the doorknob to prevent its turning. “Roger, leave the man alone,” she chastised the dog who was sniffing Colm’s leg.
Colm swiped ineffectively at the pesky flies that bombarded his bare skin. “Aye-ahm, I’m Detective Sergeant Colm O’Byrne.” He struggled to remove his badge from his pocket.
“I’m looking for Mr. Roy Prewitt. I understand this is where he lives.” The flies were driving him mad.
Taking pity on him, Erin opened the door and invited him inside. Directing him through the spacious home, she led him to the kitchen where her father was making lunch. Roger followed, still sniffing at the young detective.
“Dad, this man is from the OPP, he wants to talk to you.”
Roy looked up from the counter and wiped his hands on a tea towel. “Something told me I might get a visit from the police. Please, come outside and sit with me. Can I make you a sandwich or maybe something to drink?”
“No, thank you, sir,” Colm had had enough coffee and wasn’t hungry. Eyeing the backdoor, he stammered, “Ehm, you don’t suppose we could stay in here? Those flies are murder.”
Roy smiled at the Irishman. “Ireland, right? Don’t you have black flies in Ireland?”
“Yes, but not like these. These little beggars bite. Look here, I’m bit to blazes, and I’ve only been out in them for a few minutes.”
Roy grinned. “I can tell you haven’t been in Canada very long. Not to worry, the porch at the back is screened in. The flies have been bad this year, we’ve had a lot of rain. They’re usually all gone by now. We need about two weeks of hot, dry weather. That normally kills them off.” He led Colm through the patio door into a large screened-in section of the back porch. Roger followed the two men and flopped down at Roy’s feet as they sat.
“I hope you don’t mind if I eat in front of you, I’ve had nothing all day.” Roy picked up his sandwich and took a large bite. “Please sit.”
“You’ve been expecting me?” Colm sat in a patio chair facing Roy.
“Not you specifically, but someone from the OPP. I suspect this is all about Kallita.”
“That’s right.” Colm pulled his notebook from his shirt pocket. “How would you know this?”
“I received a call from one of her old workmates. He heard through the grapevine that someone had found a purse that belonged to Kally. It’s hard to imagine after all this time.” Roy shook his head and allowed his gaze to wander back into the woods at the far side of the property. “You know, I haven’t thought of Kallita in a long time. I don’t know what I can tell you that isn’t already on file somewhere. Regardless of who found this purse or what it might mean, Kally’s long gone. I don’t know what happened to her or why. All I know is my life changed dramatically when she left, and I don’t want her back in it. I won’t allow her back in.”
“I take it then that you haven’t seen her or heard from her at all since the disappearance.”
“Hell, no!” Roy’s eyes locked onto Colm’s, “And I don’t want to. I don’t know if you realize it, but she made a lot of enemies in this town. She wasn’t liked at all, and when she went away, she really did this town a favour. It wasn’t good for me, for a lot of reasons, but I survived, and as you can see, I managed to come away in reasonably good shape.”
“What do you mean, good shape?”
Roy’s mind was transported back to that last day. He could still see the image burned into his memory.
“It was the last time I saw her. I remember Kallita standing there in the diner, defiantly challenging Mary to argue with her, waiting to pounce on any attempt she might make to defend herself, and Mary, poor Mary, God help her she was mortified. Kallita ripped a strip off her, totally embarrassed her in front of the whole restaurant. I’m ashamed to say it, I hid in my office until it was over. When Kallita left, Mary was in tears. I tried to comfort her, but she was inconsolable. She sat for a long time, sobbing her heart out. I finally had to call Mark to come and get her. That was when I decided to end it with her. I’d had enough, and she had to go. I had to get her out of my life. Little did I know that she would disappear that same day, and my life would be turned upside down.”
Colm flipped a page in his notebook. “That was the last time you saw your wife?”
“Uhm, yes.” Roy swallowed the last bite of his sandwich. “Yeah, for the next few weeks, though, everyone had me pegged for having killed her.” He wiped his mouth with a napkin and took a swig of water to wash down his lunch. “Constable Clifford had me down as having done it. He pestered me for a long time, but they never found her. No body. They found her car south of town. There was even a lot of blood in it, but they couldn’t determine whose blood it was.”
Colm was about to ask another question when Roy continued.
“You know, it struck me funny, and I didn’t make much of it until much later, mostly because Clifford eased up on me, and I was relieved that he had. However, as I think back on it, he dropped the whole deal—suddenly, as if he had the answers he needed. I was just happy he’d finally decided to leave me alone. I had enough on my plate with two kids and a business to run. As it was, I lost the business. I closed down not long after she went away, and before the year ended, the bank took our house back. It took me twenty years to rebuild, and now that I’m back on a firm footing, there’s no way she’s getting back into my life, or my kids’.”
“You say you called Mark Taylor to retrieve his wife?”
“You say that like she was a downed duck or goose or something. She was down alright, but no, I mean, Mark needed to know what happened and come and get her. She was in no shape to drive, mentally speaking. She was far too upset. When Mark saw the state of her, he was livid. I probably shouldn’t say this, but if looks could kill, he’d have had Kallita, and he was none too pleased with me. He took Mary home, but not before warning me to keep Kallita away from him and Mary or there’d be hell to pay. I told all this to the constable. That was years ago now, and the whole thing was dropped. I figured the police had better things to do, and even though I followed up a few times, I wasn’t too anxious to find her myself. After a while, life became routine and—peaceful—yes, peaceful. We were happy despite losing the business and our home. We survived. No way will I ever go back to it. Do us all a favour. Let this drop. Don’t bring that evil bitch back to life.”
“One more thing, Mr. Prewitt. I know you have answered this before, but tell me again for the record; can you account for your whereabouts on the day she disappeared?”
“I was at the diner all day. After I closed up, I went home to my kids. I never saw my wife again. That’s it. The only ones who can vouch for me are my babies. Ask Erin, she still remembers.”
Erin stood in the doorway, l
istening to every word. She did remember that time, and that mummy didn’t come home that night. She nodded at Colm and said, “That’s true, Dad came home that night, and by the time we went to bed, Mum had not come home. She—never came home…”
Her eyes welled up, and her voice faltered. “I don’t know what happened to her, maybe we’ll never know why she left us. For many years I blamed myself and Dustin. If only we’d been better—maybe she would have stayed.” The tears flowed, and Roy stood to put his arm around her, pulling her into him, he hugged her close and turned to Colm.
“I think that’s all, Detective. There’s nothing more we can tell you that you don’t already know. Now, if you don’t mind, we’d like to be left alone.” He turned to walk his daughter back toward the kitchen.
Colm closed his notebook. “I’ll see myself out, Mr. Prewitt. I’m sorry if I’ve upset you today. Please, understand, I’m just doing my job.” Roy nodded toward the detective and Colm made his way to the front door.
Two names jumped out at Colm as he surveyed his notes, Dan Clifford and Mark Taylor. What did you learn Dan, that made you drop this case?
Chapter 15
Emily wheeled the Mustang into her parking space at work. She had to talk to Frieda before the hammer came down from Sergeant Clifford. Maybe if we can compile enough information to justify the re-opening of Kallita’s case, then Colm will be off the hook. The parking lot was unusually full for a Monday. Looking around, she saw Frieda’s Mercedes parked in her designated space. The windows in the sporty coupe were almost black with the factory tint, and the silver-grey paint gleamed in the sunlight, making the contrast to the windows even sharper and darker. Emily checked her appearance as she passed by the mirror-like portals. She quickly straightened her blouse and brushed her hair back with her fingers before proceeding into the office building. The elevator seemed to take forever, finally announcing its arrival with a loud ding. The doors slid open, and she stepped inside, pressing the button for her floor as she did so.
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