The Deep End

by Debra Purdy Kong

  Mia started to walk away when they heard the sound of raised voices coming from the gymnasium. Amir charged out the door, followed by Winson. Amir spun around and said something Casey couldn’t hear. When he noticed Mia and Casey, he abruptly shut up.

  “What’s going on?” Mia asked as she approached.

  The men frowned at each other. “Nothing you need to worry about,” Amir answered, then marched toward the west wing.

  Mia looked at Winson, who gave her a brief nod. He started to head inside the gym, but then stopped and stared down the corridor. Casey turned to see what he was looking at; it was just Phyllis mopping the floor outside the conference room. When Casey turned back, Winson had disappeared.

  “That was bloody helpful,” Mia muttered. “I’d better deal with Jamal.”

  Casey entered the girls’ unit. Ruby was chatting with the residents but stopped when she spotted Casey. “Good lord, gal. What happened to you?”

  “An altercation at work, but I’m fine.”

  “You sure about dat? You look all worn out.” Ruby placed one of her big hands on Casey’s left shoulder. It was one of the few body parts that wasn’t bruised. “Come sit and rest for a bit.”

  Casey was tired, so she let Ruby escort her into her office. “Mia told me you have a new resident.”

  “Kids comin’ and goin’, and comin’ back.” Ruby shook her head. “Dat new gal’s cryin’ like the world just up and tore itself in two. Maybe you can calm her down.”

  “I’ll try my best.” She doubted that she would be much help, though. “The police called me about Mac a couple of days ago.”

  “Dey was here, askin’ the same questions as before.” She waved a dismissive hand in the air. “Bosses came by and asked stupid stuff too.” Her expression became solemn. “Change is comin’ fast. Place might be shut down sooner than expected.”

  No surprise there. “Roxanne was due to leave when I was last here. Has she gone?”

  “For now, yeah.”

  Mercedes poked her head through the open door. “Hi, Casey. Are you seeing me tonight?”

  She thought of Cristano Cruz. Would he show up and try to get to Justin? “Actually, I’ve been asked to spend some time with the new resident. No visitors tonight?”

  Mercedes shook her head and gave a weak smile, but Casey wasn’t sure if the girl was relieved about that or regretful.

  “Mercedes is leaving tomorrow,” Ruby said.

  “Congratulations,” Casey said, turning to her. “You must be happy.”

  “Can’t wait.” Mercedes’s smile disappeared as she headed for the sofa.

  “Where will she go when she’s out?” Casey whispered to Ruby.

  “With the uncle.”

  “Not a great arrangement.”

  “Best dat gal’s got.”

  Cruz would no longer have his niece to visit. This was good news for Justin. Or was she kidding herself? Cruz was the type of man who trampled over rules and laws to get what he wanted. Had Mac known about Cruz’s drug business? Was this the reason he’d died? She’d love to know if the police were looking at a connection between Cruz’s visits and Mac’s death.

  THE NEW ARRIVAL HADN’T WANTED to talk to anyone, so Casey opted for a game of cards with Mercedes and two other girls. Forty minutes later, her bruised body began to rebel from all the sitting. The frequent bickering didn’t help either, so she tried to distract the girls. “Did anyone ever find out who pulled the fire alarm the other night?”

  It worked. The girls grew quiet until Mercedes said, “Some loser in Unit Three, for a joke.”

  Not a difficult stunt to pull off, since Amir had been with the police at the other end of the corridor. There might not have been enough staff to cover for him.

  Yelling outside the girls’ unit caught Casey’s attention. Now what? Those who heard the commotion scrambled to the door.

  “Stay back,” Ruby ordered, stepping outside.

  Through the open door, Casey heard, “Your incompetence could have gotten someone hurt, or worse.” It was Winson’s voice. She poked her head out, startled to see a knife in Winson’s hand as he scowled at the cook, Oksana.

  Oksana pointed her finger at him. “I’m not the one who lets inmates roam the hall.”

  “No. You simply left a kitchen full of knives unlocked,” Winson shot back. “I’ll have to report this.”

  “Ruby, stay inside with the girls,” Mia said as she rushed by, heading straight for Winson and Oksana.

  Ruby complied, but Casey stayed in the doorway. Mac had been right. This truly was a dysfunctional place. As far as she was concerned, staff were a huge part of the problem.

  “What’s going on?” Mia asked.

  “The new kid, Jamal, stole a knife while Oksana was out of the kitchen,” Winson answered.

  “I was gone just a few seconds to get more sugar,” Oksana blurted. “And why are these delinquents wandering the halls alone? I see it every damn day.”

  Mia looked at Oksana. “How did you miss seeing the boy when the supply room’s next door?”

  Oksana’s furious expression started to crumble.

  “Well?” Mia crossed her arms.

  “I was in the pool room.”

  “What for?”

  “There’s too much stock on delivery days, so Mac said I could have a couple of extra cupboards.”

  “You would have plenty of space if your organized your inventory and kitchen properly,” Mia said. “The pool room is now off limits to all staff except the janitors.”

  Oksana’s fat cheeks glowed red. Casey saw the barely contained fury in her eyes.

  Mia turned to Winson. “Jamal’s potential trouble for Casey and the other volunteer, Kendal. I’ll explain why later.”

  Winson stared at Casey but said nothing.

  “I talked to him a few minutes ago,” Mia added, “then escorted him back to the gym. What happened after that?”

  “He came in as two residents started fighting over the basketball. By the time I’d broken them up he’d disappeared. When he didn’t come back, I went looking for him and found him heading toward Unit One with the weapon in his hand.”

  As everyone turned to her, Casey’s skin prickled. Had that little puke planned to attack her? “I’d better get back inside.” She just hoped to hell she got out of this place safely tonight.

  BY THE END OF HER shift, Casey had managed to interview Ruby about the Special Unit and her time at Fraserview. Ruby had little to say about the altercation between Winson and Oksana, or about Mia’s intervention, which seemed odd. Maybe she’d been warned about gossiping, or maybe she’d had enough for one day. Either way, Casey had now acquired the research material she’d come for.

  She left the unit and started down the corridor. Visiting hours were over and all residents should have returned to their living units, but she wouldn’t put it past Jamal to be lurking in the shadows, ready to strike again. Casey tiptoed past Unit Two’s entrance. Glancing through the window in the door, she thought she saw a boy with short, dark hair. Casey picked up the pace, her senses alert.

  Once she reached reception, she looked back down the dim, empty corridor. Phyllis was mopping the floor outside the gym.

  Rawan put down the eyeliner she’d been applying. “How was your shift?”

  “A little intense, but otherwise okay.”

  “I heard yelling.” She handed Casey her coat and purse. “What happened?”

  After Casey briefly described events, Rawan said, “Just between you and me, Oksana should have been fired ages ago. She’s careless and rude. Mia will deal with her.”

  Casey tossed her visitor’s badge into the basket on the reception counter. “Did the police talk to you recently about Mac’s death?”

  “Yes. You as well?”

  “Uh-huh. The questions were pretty much the same, except for one.” Casey put on her coat. “They wanted to know who else was nearby while Mac was having his attack. The only person I remember was Mercedes’s
uncle, Cristano Cruz, who helped me place Mac on the floor. Do you remember anyone else?”

  “Just the corrections guy from the visitors’ area. The idiot crossed the hall and stood in the doorway gawking while you and Cruz were with Mac. When Mia showed up he scurried back to his post.” She picked up the eyeliner. “He should have been the one helping you instead of that creepy uncle.”

  Casey hadn’t noticed the corrections officer. “I was a little surprised that Cruz involved himself.”

  “He’s a nosy man.”

  “In what way?”

  Rawan studied her eyes in a pocket mirror. “He talks to the other residents. Makes a point of knowing their business, which Mac didn’t like, so he restricted Cruz’s visits.”

  Phyllis had said as much last week, and Justin’s revelation had provided a reason for the frequent visits. “Are his visits still restricted?”

  “No. The guy shows up at least three times a week.” Rawan wiped the old lipstick from her mouth, then prepared to put on a darker shade.

  “Why does Mia allow it?”

  Rawan shrugged. “She says it’s to show gratitude for his trying to help Mac.”

  Or was there another reason? Casey watched Rawan apply the lipstick. “Hot date tonight?”

  Rawan flashed a quick smile as she glanced at Casey. “I’m meeting someone for a drink.”

  “Good luck.” Casey left the building and checked her phone messages on the way to her car. There was only one, but it was from Stan. It was unusual for him to call at this time of night. She hit reply, and he answered on the first ring.

  “Sorry to interrupt your evening,” Stan said, “but I need to meet with you first thing tomorrow morning. It’s about the shoplifters.”

  “You can’t tell me over the phone?”

  “We need to talk in person. Kendal’s boss will brief her.”

  “Sounds serious.” When he didn’t respond she added, “Am I in trouble?”

  “We’ll talk tomorrow.”

  Oh, crap. Casey opened the car door. What the hell had happened? “Can you at least give me a hint?”

  He paused. “Strictly between us, all right?”

  “Sure.”

  “GenMart’s manager and the police reviewed camera footage. It looks like Kendal could have caught these boys a hell of a lot sooner if she’d been paying attention.”

  Not good. “Maybe she was dealing with other issues at the time.”

  “Could be. Anyway, that’s between her and the manager.”

  But it wasn’t sufficient reason to need her there for a meeting. “Is there more?”

  “Yes. Be here at 9:00 AM, sharp.”

  Casey rubbed her hands together while the car warmed up. She wished she could warn Kendal. A good friend would give Kendal a heads up, but Stan was also Casey’s friend, as well as her supervisor.

  Once the windshield had defrosted enough to drive, Casey pulled out of the parking lot. She was on the street and cruising through an intersection when she heard fire truck sirens. She glanced in her rearview mirror. Two trucks were heading her way fast. Casey cleared the intersection and pulled over, but the trucks didn’t pass her. They turned into Fraserview.

  NINETEEN

  TWELVE HOURS LATER, CASEY WAS sitting in Stan’s office on a quiet Saturday morning and wondering for the umpteenth time whether she should have followed those fire trucks into Fraserview. She’d been tempted to drive back and see what was happening, but it wasn’t her place. Besides, what would her presence have changed? Winson Chen would have died anyway. Anaphylactic shock killed quickly.

  Mia’s phone call late last night had taken a while to sink in. Casey understood each word easily enough. “Winson’s EpiPen was missing from his desk drawer. That’s where he ate meals he brought from home.” It was the meaning behind those words that Casey was still trying to process, the implication that his medication had been moved accidentally or—more likely—on purpose.

  Her head began to spin. Where was Stan with that coffee?

  Certainly, Mia had every right to ask if Casey had brought food into Fraserview, or if she’d seen anyone carrying food, which she hadn’t. Had it been necessary, though, for her to sound so accusatory, or to order Casey not to say anything about Winson and Oksana’s argument over the knife? “If you call Fraserview’s reputation into question,” Mia had said, “then don’t come back.” Casey had wanted to laugh. Wasn’t Fraserview’s reputation already in question? She should have replied that she didn’t plan to go back anyway, but the news about Winson had thrown her off.

  It wasn’t long after Mia’s call that the police contacted her. She would be providing a full statement later this morning.

  Stan came in carrying two mugs. “Sorry I took so long. Had to make a fresh pot.”

  “Thanks.” She’d been relieved to hear that Stan already knew about last night, thanks to Amy. The police had visited her in person. Amy had been angry and distraught enough to seek advice from Stan.

  “I’m worried about Amy and Justin,” Casey said. “Visiting hours were over when I left a few minutes after nine, so I didn’t see her around. Did she say when she left?”

  “About quarter to nine, before Winson had the reaction.” Stan scratched his beard. “She doesn’t think the police believe her about not bringing food into Fraserview.” He sipped his coffee. “She’s afraid Justin will become a scapegoat.”

  “How can that happen without proof?”

  Stan put his mug down and began tapping a pencil. She was beginning to hate that gesture. Casey watched and waited until she couldn’t take anymore. “What is it?”

  “A half-eaten chocolate bar, loaded with peanuts, was found in Justin’s locker.”

  “No way.”

  “It gets worse.” He tossed the pencil down. “The bar was in a wrapper showing plain chocolate.”

  “Then it was murder, and someone set Justin up.” It also meant that the cops might soon declare—if they hadn’t already—Mac’s death a homicide. The thought that someone had been arranging Winson’s demise while she volunteered last night made the hair on the back of Casey’s neck stand up. What really concerned her was Justin’s safety. “I didn’t see anyone with chocolate all night, but I saw Winson in heated discussions with the senior youth supervisor and the cook. Crazy as this sounds, the argument with the cook was about the kid who cut me on the M5.”

  After Casey highlighted events, Stan’s already grim face darkened by a couple of shades. “Did you tell the police all this?”

  “Yes, and I will again in a written statement this morning.”

  “I want a report on everything this Jamal kid said and did.”

  Terrific. More writing. She took a long sip of coffee. “Do people really think Justin would be dumb enough to leave evidence in his locker?”

  “I agree it wouldn’t make much sense, but Amy says he’d been in Winson’s unit for over three weeks before he took off. Justin would know the supervisor’s habits, which doesn’t look good for him.”

  “Staff knew Winson’s habits just as well. How hard would it have been for any of them to steal an EpiPen and plant a chocolate bar?” Casey stood and approached the window. She could see that the buses were all out, and there weren’t many staff vehicles in the lot. Never was on a Saturday. “Whoever killed Winson also killed Mac.”

  “Why would anyone want the director dead?”

  “Because Mac was apparently planning to fire more than one employee.” Casey filled Stan in on what she’d learned.

  “How many employees had motive and opportunity for both victims?” he asked.

  “Five or six, I think.” Casey returned to her chair. “The boys from Units Two and Three play basketball in the evening, so their quarters are empty a fair bit. The Unit Three supervisor didn’t supervise the Friday night games, so god knows what he was up to while Winson was refereeing.”

  “Who would have access to locker combinations?”

  “Supervisors, I suppose.
There’s probably a master list anyone could access from a computer in one of the supervisors’ offices.” Casey paused. “The gym bathroom’s out of service, so boys are allowed to use their unit’s bathroom, which is probably why I haven’t noticed any unit being locked during visiting hours. Some of the kids head to the visitors’ area alone, although I’m not sure they’re supposed to. Any of them could have made a quick detour.”

  “So, Justin could have left his locker open by mistake and another resident slipped the bar in?”

  “It’s possible, although where would they get chocolate, unless it was smuggled in to them by a visitor?” Casey cupped her hands around her mug as she thought of Cristano Cruz. Was he there last night after all? But why kill Winson? And Cruz would have needed an accomplice.

  “Much as I’d love to help Amy, this is out of our league, kiddo. The police will handle it.” Stan began shuffling papers. “So, on to other matters.”

  Right. The reason he’d asked her here. Casey fidgeted.

  “We know who triggered the fight on the bus, and why.” He leaned back and clasped his hands over his belly. “One of the shoplifters has a cousin with shady connections. The cousin picked the fight with Ingrid to keep her busy so the kids could take you down. Obviously, they hadn’t anticipated Marie’s presence.”

  “I had a feeling the fight was planned.”

  Stan paused. “We know how the shoplifters found out about you.”

  Based on his solemn expression, Casey had a feeling she wouldn’t like this.

  “Did you tell Summer about your assignment?” he asked.

  The question caught her by surprise, and it took her a few seconds to remember. “Indirectly. She overheard me and Lou talking about it, and I always let her know where I’ll be when I’m going out. Why?”

  Stan picked up a sheet of paper. “According to the constable I spoke with, two of the boys knew your name and about the assignment from someone named Devon Price, reportedly a family friend.”

  “Shit! Summer’s boyfriend.” Casey smacked the desktop. “I’ve never liked that little bugger.”