Turning Secrets

by Brenda Chapman

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  Kala hiked back to her truck through a break in the rain. She was chilled from the wet chase to the Delta and eager to get home for a hot shower and supper with Dawn. Even if Dawn had already eaten, they could share a pot of tea before taking Taiku for one last walk down by the water, or up Old Front Road if the yard was too muddy. She felt her phone vibrate in her pocket as she dug for her truck keys and pulled both out. She opened the text from Gundersund as she slid behind the wheel.

  At HQ. Will bring dessert. Hope you and Dawn like chocolate.

  Kala smiled. She checked to see if Dawn had been in touch. She hadn’t. Kala almost pressed speed dial but thought better of it. She’d be home within the half hour and Dawn wouldn’t appreciate being checked up on like a child. Kala knew that she herself hadn’t welcomed parental oversight at that age, not that anyone had cared where she was. When she’d dropped out of high school and skipped out of her last placement, nobody had come searching. She never would have believed back then that she’d end up owning a house and property and looking after a teenager. Even considering a future with someone like Gundersund would have seemed fantastical during those years she was living on the street in Sudbury.

  She opened the window halfway to let in the night air even though she’d turned the heater all the way up. She drove west out of downtown Kingston, enjoying the sight of stretches of lakefront on her left and stately limestone buildings on her right. When had she fallen in love with this university town? When had happiness wormed its way into her soul?

  She kept the radio off, preferring the night sounds: the buffeting wind, the clanging of the harbour bell and the waves striking the breakwall. The houses gradually dwindled away once she passed the vacant Kingston Pen, now a tourist draw for the city. Night had settled in completely and woods and shadows replaced the city lights as she turned toward the lakeside on Old Front Road. The first stretch of road gave her an open view of the water, and she drove slowly to savour the fresh air and the wide expanse of sky before trees filled her sightline. She passed several properties and had driven most of the sweeping curve of road when she spotted activity ahead. A red light pulsed in the darkness, and she realized that the street was crowded with police cars, an ambulance, and a fire truck.

  People stood in small groups at the ends of the closest driveways. In the sweep of red light, she spotted Frank from the house across the road. He was talking to a police officer. She backed up until she reached a driveway and eased the truck into the lane, not wanting to block the emergency vehicles’ exit. Whatever was happening was on this side of her property so it wasn’t a house fire. Perhaps someone had fallen ill or slipped on the wet roads.

  She jogged back up the road and was in time to see the paramedics lifting a man onto a stretcher, though her view was blocked by their backs and by the others milling about. They hefted him into the ambulance and two paramedics got in with him before the door shut. The ambulance pulled away. The neighbours were off to the side and she was ushered that way by an officer whose job, it appeared, was to keep everyone away from the accident scene. She saw Frank standing alone and hurried over to him.

  “Hey, Frank. What’s going on?”

  “Oh, hi, Kala. Looks like a hit and run. I found the fella when I drove home from visiting a friend. He was lying on the side of the road and it’s a wonder I didn’t run him over.”

  “Do you know who he is?”

  Frank shook his head. “Never saw him before.”

  She squinted through the darkness at where the man had been lying. “Was he conscious?”

  “He groaned a few times but seemed out of it. He was bleeding from his face and legs.” Frank rubbed a hand across his forehead. “Seemed in bad shape. Good thing the paramedics showed up right away to give the poor guy a fighting chance. I thought at first you might have known him.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “He looked like he might be visiting.” Frank started walking away from her without explaining what he meant. “Gotta get home and let the dog out. Take it easy, Kala.”

  She wanted to call after him to find out why he’d said that but he’d been swallowed up by the darkness. Instead, she moved closer to the activity and called over one of the uniformed cops.

  “I’m sorry,” he said, “but we’re asking everyone to go home unless you have information.”

  “I’m Officer Kala Stonechild. I live up that driveway. Can I help in any way?”

  “You’re off duty?”

  “I am.”

  He told her to wait and left to speak with another officer. A minute later he returned with his notepad out. “I can’t tell you anything but let me take your contact information. My supervisor will speak with you later, if he needs to.”

  After giving him her cell number, she got into her truck and drove back the way she’d come. She could access Old Front Road by its other entrance off Front Road. The route was longer but she’d reach her driveway on the other side of the accident.

  The rain started up again as she ran for the back door. The front light was on a timer but none of the lights in the house were on. Had Dawn already gone to sleep? Kala rounded the back of the house in the dark and stepped gingerly up the stairs, fumbling with the key to the back door. Taiku was waiting for her and he zipped past her to pee on the lawn before bounding back up the stairs. An uneasy feeling started in Kala’s stomach. He hadn’t been let out since morning by the look of it.

  “Dawn!” she called, even though she knew there’d be no answer. She went from room to room anyway, finally returning downstairs to the kitchen with Taiku following at her heels. “Where is she, boy?” Kala sat and ran her fingers through his fur while she called Dawn on speed dial. A message told her that the phone was not in service.

  Kala stood and began pacing. Why did she have the feeling that Dawn was in trouble? Was the hit and run related to her disappearance? She couldn’t sit here doing nothing. She crossed to the back door and grabbed her coat, calling for Taiku to follow her. She’d drive Dawn’s bus route home and check in at the art gallery where she sometimes went after school. She hit Gundersund’s number on her phone as she locked the door and raced across the deck. Maybe he knew something that would lead her to Dawn.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  Gundersund set the package of chocolate cupcakes and sugar cookies down on the front passenger seat of his Mustang outside Sydenham Sweet Bakery, a delicious find located in a strip mall on the way home. His phone rang as he pulled into traffic but he ignored it for the time being. He’d be at Kala’s within fifteen minutes; nothing could be so important that it couldn’t wait that long. Likely, it was Fiona anyway. She had finely tuned radar when it came to him and Kala.

  The rain had let up some but his headlights cut through a wall of mist that limited visibility. He checked the clock and turned on the radio. The news would be on in a few minutes and he’d get a weather report. Bryan Adams filled the cab, singing about his life peaking at sixteen. Gundersund sincerely hoped that he himself hadn’t already passed the pinnacle of his life. He wanted to believe the best was yet to come. Otherwise, what was the point?

  He pulled into his driveway, happy to see the Camero was gone. Fiona had talked about visiting some friends for supper, which made his life a whole lot easier. He opened the front door and whistled for Minnie. She did her greeting dance and then scooted ahead of him through the darkness toward Kala’s, turning at regular intervals to make certain he was following, her tail wagging double time. “I’m excited too, dog,” he said.

  At Kala’s driveway, he stopped and squinted up the road. A cop car straddled its width, and an officer was attaching police tape to a tree. Flares were positioned nearby. Gundersund called to Minnie again and lifted her under one arm before making his way toward the officer. It was a woman he didn’t know.

  “Something going on? I’m Officer Gundersund. I live up the road.”

  “Hit and run.”

  “Do you know
who it is?” His voice wavered and he glanced back toward Kala’s laneway.

  “A man, early forties, not from around here, apparently.”

  Thank God. “No ID?”

  “Nope. We believe he might have been a homeless man, based on the state of his clothes and hair. Indigenous.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “As much as one can be from looking at him.”

  What were the odds of an Indigenous man being hit right outside Kala’s driveway? “Did you speak with the woman who lives right there?” He pointed toward her property.

  “Another officer took her contact info. She arrived after the paramedics took the victim to emergency but the neighbour who found him said the man wasn’t from around here. I’m going to speak with her when I’m done securing the site.”

  “I’ll let her know.”

  Gundersund set Minnie on the ground once he’d started up Stonechild’s driveway and the dog raced ahead. It was only then that he noticed Kala’s truck was gone. He followed Minnie around the back of the house and banged on the door. When nobody answered, he sat down on the wet step leading up to the back deck and tried to make sense of what was going on. Kala should have been at home. Had she driven off to buy something for dinner or to pick up Dawn? Taiku must be with her because he hadn’t come to the door. Gundersund would have seen him through the window. He stared at the black line of trees at the end of the property and at the rim of sky. A wind had come up and the clouds were breaking up, scudding eastward. Clearing overnight and warmer tomorrow, according to the radio report. They could do with some better weather.

  Minnie tired of racing around the yard and came to lie at his feet. He tugged gently on her ear while pulling out his cellphone. The missed call was from Stonechild. He kicked himself for not checking earlier. She hadn’t left a message but had followed up her call with a text.

  Dawn didn’t come home from school. Gone into town to look for her. Let me know if with you.

  Before he had a chance to call her back, he heard tires crunching up the gravel driveway. A door slammed and Taiku came bounding around the corner with Stonechild close behind. Taiku and Minnie chased each other into the darkness as Gundersund met her halfway.

  “Any word from Dawn?” he asked, although he knew from looking at her face that there wasn’t. He waved his phone. “Sorry, I just read your text a few seconds ago.”

  “I can’t imagine where she is. She’s not answering my calls — in fact, her cell is out of service. I went to the art gallery but nobody has seen her. I’m frantic, Gundersund. She should be home by now.” The wind whipped Kala’s long hair into her face and she held up a trembling hand to push it away.

  “Has she ever gone anywhere without telling you before?”

  “Not lately because she knows I fret. Her phone has never been disconnected before.”

  “What about her friends? Could she have met up with someone?”

  “Emily!” Stonechild’s face brightened. “Her number’s on the list inside the house. I had Dawn write down her friends’ phone numbers in case I ever had to track her down.”

  “Smart thinking.”

  They entered the house and Stonechild searched the desk in the front hall until she found an address book. “I’ve got it!” she called. Gundersund waited in the kitchen and listened to her place the call. She talked to Emily for almost five minutes. When she joined him in the kitchen, her brow was furrowed and eyes deeply worried.

  “Emily said that another one of their friends went missing yesterday. Vanessa Jefferson. They think she ran off with her boyfriend, Leo, but Vanessa’s parents were worried enough to call in the police. Morrison took the call. Vanessa must have been the missing teenager Morrison told us about at the Merchant.”

  “Leo who?” Gundersund had his phone out.

  “Emily said they don’t know his last name. She’s never even met him. Vanessa has been dating him a few months behind her parents’ backs and was keeping him something of a secret, even from her friends. He’s older. Out of school.”

  “Did Emily know how Vanessa met him?”

  “On the internet. She thought maybe he friended her on Facebook.”

  They stared at each other. Gundersund knew that Stonechild had noted the same red flags he had: a high school girl, lured into the lifestyle by a more experienced man, who kept her away from friends and family. Girls got tricked into the sex trade without knowing what hit them until it was too late. Being trafficked was a very real danger. “Dawn wasn’t dating anybody, was she?”

  “No!” Stonechild put a hand on her forehead. She moaned. “At least, I don’t think so. Surely I would have known.”

  “Okay, let’s think this through. I’m going to call Morrison to hear what she’s found out. You check Dawn’s room to see if you can find any clues as to who she might be with.” He didn’t say in case she was seeing someone behind your back but Kala was no fool. She nodded and ran up the stairs as he looked up Morrison’s number in his phone contacts.

  “Morrison,” he said after she answered hello. “It’s Gundersund. Kala’s niece, Dawn, didn’t come home from school today, and she’s friends with Vanessa Jefferson, the girl you told us went missing yesterday. Have you made any progress locating her?”

  Morrison’s voice was worried. “No. There’s been no word from her. We think she’s with her boyfriend but nobody seems to know Leo’s last name or anything about him.”

  “Well, now we have two girls missing.”

  “I don’t like the sound of this.”

  “Me neither. I’m going to call Rouleau and get things escalated.”

  “I’ll return to HQ. Have you got a photo of Dawn that I can distribute? Should we request an AMBER Alert? Both girls are under sixteen.”

  “Let me get back to you on that after I speak with Rouleau. I’ll be in touch soon and I’ll send over Dawn’s photo.”

  Stonechild was still upstairs. Gundersund placed the call to Rouleau who listened without interrupting. He was silent for a moment after Gundersund finished.

  “Have you checked the road and talked to the neighbours?”

  “Not yet.”

  “I’ll ask a patrol car to swing by and I’ll also call Morrison. It looks like the two disappearances are connected. How’s Stonechild holding up?”

  “I think she’s in shock, but she’s upstairs searching for clues in Dawn’s room.”

  “Okay. Tell her we’ll move quickly on this.” He paused. “Tell her not to jump to any conclusions. We’re going to find Dawn.”

  “I’ll tell her.”

  His phone rang as he was about to tuck it away. He checked the caller before answering. “Fiona, I’m a bit busy.” He could hear the clink of dishes in the background and the murmur of people talking.

  “Has something happened?”

  “Dawn didn’t make it home from school. Another girl in her class has been missing since yesterday so we’re trying to find them.”

  The background noises faded and her voice sharpened. “My God. I saw Dawn walking home just a few hours ago, about four-thirty.”

  “Where?”

  “She was turning the corner onto Old Front Road and I waved at her. I was driving toward downtown.”

  “Did she look upset or scared?”

  “No. She smiled and waved back. Could this have anything to do with the hit and run on Old Front Road that I just heard about on the news? They said the victim wasn’t from the neighbourhood.”

  “I don’t think so.” Even as he said the words, he hesitated. The fact that the guy was Indigenous made him wonder. He reminded himself to run the coincidence past Stonechild when she came downstairs. He asked, “Did you notice if anybody was following Dawn in a car or on foot?”

  “Not that I saw. I’m sorry. It was raining and I thought about asking her if she wanted a ride but I’d reached the main road and it was difficult to turn around. I wish now that I had.”

  “We might need to get a statement from
you.”

  “I’ve got my phone handy.”

  “Well, I have to go. I won’t be home tonight.”

  “Keep me updated. I —”

  He ended the connection before she finished talking. Fiona always closed with a guilt trip and he didn’t need it today. This latest piece of information was disturbing and he wasn’t sure how to tell Stonechild. Dawn was nearly home before she disappeared. The possibilities were becoming more and more ominous with every passing minute. A knock at the front door stopped him from going upstairs. The dogs barked on the landing but he beat them to the door and opened it to find the female officer he’d spoken with earlier. A male officer stood next to her.

  “I’m glad to see you,” Gundersund said. “There’s been a development that may or may not be connected to the hit and run.” He called upstairs to Kala and they all gathered in the living room. Stonechild was calm on the surface but he knew she was churning inside. He filled in the officers about what they knew, including Fiona’s sighting of Dawn. Stonechild looked stricken, and he remembered too late that he hadn’t shared this information with her yet. Events were unfolding too fast.

  “I didn’t find anything in Dawn’s room,” she said. She turned toward Gundersund. “I sent a photo of her to Morrison. She texted me.”

  The female officer, who identified herself as Pagett, radioed her supervisor. Her partner, Officer Chow, asked, “Have you looked on the waterfront and in the woods at the back of your property?”

  Stonechild blinked twice. “No.”

  “We’ve got a few officers going to the beach now. I’ve asked others to search along the road.”

  Stonechild closed her eyes and swayed backward as if she was about to pass out. Gundersund grabbed her wrist and put an arm around her shoulders. He leaned close. Her voice was so low he could barely hear her.

  “I should have been home. I should have been here for her.”

  Gundersund looked over at Chow. “Stonechild’s dog, Taiku, could help with the search. He knows every inch of the woods and the beach. He’ll take us to anything Dawn-related.”