“Did you know that your husband contacted a divorce lawyer?”
Laurel leaned back heavily against the couch. She covered her eyes with her hands. “No. I had no idea. He never told me.” When she lowered her hands and looked Kala in the eyes, hers weren’t as defiant as they’d been. She managed a shaky laugh. “I always believed that I would be the one to leave him. I knew something had changed in him recently, but I didn’t know how much. Perhaps, if you find out what that something was, you’ll find out why he was killed.”
“Can you describe what had changed?”
“He didn’t seem interested in work like he had been and he was moping around. I got the feeling something was gnawing at him, but he never spoke about it. I thought it had to do with his latest project, although going to see Hunter and changing his will … I don’t know. It was as if he was making restitution.” Laurel turned her body toward Kala and turned her palms heavenward. “It’s almost as if he knew he was going to die.”
Kala believed that some people had premonitions of their impending death. It wasn’t clear if Tom Underwood knew the universe was turning on him. Perhaps he’d been threatened. Had he known someone was planning to murder him?
“Is there anything else?” Laurel looked through the doorway at Charlotte, who’d finished her snack and was trying to catch her mother’s attention. “What is it Charlotte?”
“Can I go watch my video now?”
“Just for a bit. I’m taking you to play at Amber’s as soon as we’re done here.” She turned toward Kala. “Any more questions?”
“You and Tom were at a party the night before he disappeared.”
“Yes, but he left some time before me. He was tired but asked me to stay since he was co-owner of the company.”
“Who was looking after Charlotte while you both were away from home?”
“Winnie. She’s our live-in nanny and has a room in the east wing.”
“Is she here today?”
“No, she’s gone to visit her family for the holidays. I spoke with her when I found out Tom died, but she said that she hadn’t seen anything that morning. She didn’t hear him come home from the party either.”
“We’ll need to confirm that. Can you provide us with contact information?”
“Of course.”
“Do you have other staff?”
“I have cleaners come in twice a week on Mondays and Thursdays, but that’s it. Tom was never home when they came so they didn’t know him.”
“Officer Bennett will take their contact information too. Thank you again for your time today.”
“I just want you to find who killed Tom.”
Bennett turned toward Kala, his hands on the steering wheel. “Where to now?”
She checked her watch. “It’s almost four o’clock. Let’s go back to the station so I can fill in the report. Thanks for taking notes, by the way. You can track down the nanny and the cleaning staff and see if they have anything to add. I doubt it, but we need to cover those bases.”
“Phone calls okay?”
“I’d say so, yes.”
Bennett put the car into gear. “Wolves chewing on a dead deer. Nice.”
“Paints a picture. Who knows how much of what she said was true? At certain points, she seemed honest enough.”
“She was startled by the news her husband had contacted a divorce lawyer.”
“Yeah. Interesting since they obviously weren’t a close couple even though she’s been trying to make us believe otherwise. Rouleau and I learned about their separate bedrooms on our first visit.”
“She’s got the grieving widow thing down.”
Kala looked over at him. “Do you work on many murder cases, Bennett?”
“No, but I always thought I’d like to.” He grinned at her. She hadn’t noticed his dimples before. “I don’t even mind the grunt work. You know, door to door and surveillance. I could get into it.”
“Good to know. You’d also have to like writing reports.” She sighed. “Seems like I’ve spent most of my time at the computer since I got here. Whoever said being a detective was glamorous hasn’t got a sweet clue. You did well in there too, by the way. I think she forgot you were sitting behind her.”
“Thanks. We make a good team.” He took his eyes off the road to glance at her.
Kala smiled back. She turned her head to look out the side window, her thoughts already on Laurel, sifting through the things she’d said, the flashes of emotion in her eyes. What was the significance of the will additions and why had Underwood made them? The answer to his murder had to be tied to his changed behaviour in the month leading up to his death. If she could just find the trigger to his recent need to seek restitution with his son and ex-wife, she might have the piece to break the case open.
23
Wednesday, December 28, 8:00 p.m.
It was nearly eight o’clock and dark and cold as any northern night in the dead of winter — a starless night with heavy cloud cover. Kala shivered in her red wool coat and decided to give one more pass around the apartment building before heading for her truck. It was her second evening patrolling the entranceways of two identical towers, the buildings next to the one where Glenda Martin had been assaulted. Kala was doing it on her own time without telling anyone, but only because she agreed with Rouleau that the guy was getting more dangerous. She didn’t want to think too deeply about the reason she wasn’t telling Rouleau about her after hours surveillance. He wouldn’t understand her need to work alone, to avoid being controlled. It was easier just to get on with the job until she had something to share. This way she could focus on the puzzle and not have to deal with the eternal bureaucracy. A couple of coats and hats from the Sally Ann gave her different disguises in case the perp was staking out the buildings. The trick was not to look like she was hanging around because that would tip him off that she was on the hunt.
A man exited the building ahead of her, and she tensed, ready for his approach, but he took an immediate right and got into a car idling in the visitor parking lot. The dropping temperatures appeared to be keeping nearly everyone indoors, even Grab ’n Go, the nickname Malik had given the suspect.
Kala walked slowly up the sidewalk, holding a grocery bag in her left hand and leaving her right hand free. He normally attacked from behind and her senses were on high alert. Somebody was coming up the path behind her. She entered the lobby and pretended to fumble with the bag, keeping herself turned away from the door.
“Need help?” a man asked.
She looked over her shoulder at him. “No, I just forgot something in my car and have to go get it. But thanks.”
She stepped back outside and checked her watch. Grab ’n Go didn’t appear to be on the prowl tonight. It was disappointing to have a second night coming up empty, but she wasn’t deterred. Stalking an animal quarry sometimes took days in the woods. Human targets demanded equal patience. The advantage she had over this serial predator was knowing he preferred hunting in his own back yard. He’d be back to his familiar hunting ground sooner or later.
She started toward her truck parked across Richmond Road in the Lincoln Fields parking lot. Finding Rosie was going to be a trickier business and she’d have to rely on a certain degree of luck. There was still time to cruise around the ByWard Market before packing it in for the night.
Kala spotted Grayson and Malik on her way in to the station at seven the next morning. She parked her truck and hurried after them. Malik held the front door open and waited for her to catch up. Grayson had already disappeared inside the building.
“You’re up bright and early,” she said to Malik, slightly out of breath.
“Rouleau called us at home around five a.m. to get over to the General and interview Susan Halliday.” He yawned. His breath came out in a stream of white frost. “I could have used another hour’s sleep.”
“The General?”
“Hospital. Halliday was found unconscious in the Gatineau Hills late yesterday a
fternoon.”
Kala stopped. “Is she okay?”
“She’s doing better than she was last night. We were able to speak with her for about ten minutes before the doctor told us we had to leave. She’s suffering from hypothermia and has some frostbite to her feet and hands.”
“Is this tied to Underwood’s murder?”
They’d begun walking down the hall toward the office. Malik lowered his voice when they stepped inside the main office.
“Not likely. Her Mazda was out of gas and had to be towed. She said it wouldn’t start so she started walking toward the main road. She was lucky a park ranger was on patrol or she wouldn’t have lasted the night.”
“What in the world was she doing out there?”
“Cross-country skiing. She said it was her favourite trail. She likes to go there during the week when there aren’t a lot of people around.”
Kala shook her head at the insanity of someone heading into the woods without checking their gas tank. “Craziness,” she said.
She left Malik and sat down at her desk. Something didn’t feel right. Susan hadn’t struck her as a stupid woman. She’d appeared logical and organized, not the type who would leave the city without checking if there was gas in the car.
Rouleau called them over for the morning briefing just after eight. They filled up their coffee mugs and gathered around the crime scene photos posted on the wall.
Grayson stood first to give the report on Susan Halliday. He read the details and ended with, “So no connection to Underwood’s murder. She was still a bit out of it this morning but blamed herself for going into the park without checking her gas gauge.” He shut his file and started back to his seat.
“Where was her husband when this happened?” Kala asked.
Grayson hesitated and looked around the group as if waiting for a better question. Finally, he looked toward her. “On his way home from the base in Trenton for a surprise visit. He arrived at their house shortly after six p.m. and was concerned to not find her there. He started checking around. The hospital called him less than an hour later. He was in her hospital room when we spoke with her.”
“Your thoughts, Stonechild?” asked Rouleau.
She forced herself to look away from Grayson’s stare. “It seems odd to me that a woman close to Underwood and his family has this kind of accident.”
“Shit happens,” said Grayson. “She’s an old woman who forgot to check the gas before heading out. She said as much in the hospital. You can’t go looking for a conspiracy theory when accidents happen.”
“Do you have anything to add?” Rouleau asked Kala.
“No.”
“If Susan Halliday admitted she was careless, we haven’t got reason to believe someone was trying to hurt her.” Rouleau smiled at her. “By the way, I’ve told Whelan he can have until the new year off. His wife has come down with the flu and with the new baby and the son in the hospital, he can’t be spared at home.”
“No problem, Sir,” said Kala. “Bennett and I can cover.”
“Good. I’d like you both to give Gage a hand going through the phone records and the documents on Underwood’s home and office computers. There’s a lot to go through and I’d like that wrapped up today.”
She nodded even though she’d just been demoted to the drudgery work.
Grayson shifted in his seat and crossed his legs. He said, “Gage found one email from Underwood to J.P. asking to meet the day before he died. Malik and I are going back to their office to talk to him about it.”
“I’m in meetings all morning but you can reach me on my cell if anything breaks. Stay in touch,” said Rouleau. He turned to Malik. “Any sign of Annie Littlewolf yet?”
“No, but the cops patrolling the ByWard Market are keeping an eye out. She’s not in her usual haunts. I’d like to think she’s visiting family for the holidays, but it’s not likely. We can swing by the Rideau Centre later if you like.”
“Let’s hope we get a lead on something today. We could use a break.”
Just before one o’clock, Kala stretched and turned her chair toward Bennett. “I’m going to an appointment and might have a slightly longer lunch hour than usual. If you and Gage can keep at this, I’ll stay late and finish up what you don’t get through.”
Bennett looked up from his computer screen. “Take your time. I’ll cover. I’ll stick around to help if it goes late.”
“You don’t need to do that.”
He looked up and smiled at her. “I know, but I want to.”
She found herself smiling back. “Call me if anything comes up.” She grabbed her coat and a stale doughnut from a box sitting on the filing cabinet as she headed out the door.
Twenty minutes later, she parked her truck in the General Hospital parking lot. She followed the trail of visitors through the sliding glass door at the front entrance and asked the woman at reception for Susan Halliday’s room number. She walked toward the elevator and watched the people streaming out of the open doors as it reached the ground floor. Clinton Halliday stepped off behind a woman dressed in green scrubs and a man in a wheelchair. Halliday was a hard man to miss with his buzz cut and wrestler body. He appeared to be alone and immediately snapped open his cellphone. Kala stepped back from the doors behind the other visitors until he’d passed by. For now, she’d rather he didn’t know she was there.
She got off on the fourth and slipped past the nurses’ station. The two nurses on the desk were busy working on charts and didn’t look up. She located the number to Susan’s private room half-way down the corridor and entered after a quick knock on the door that she hadn’t expected to be answered. She approached the bed. An I.V. bag hung on a pole dripping a clear liquid through a needle into Susan’s arm. Her hands lay on top of the sheet and were wrapped in gauze. Her eyes were closed.
Kala stood for a moment, uncertain whether to wake her. She was likely doped up on pain killers and it might be better to return later. Just as Kala decided to leave, Susan opened her eyes and blinked at the ceiling. She turned her head slowly sideways and focussed on Kala. Her lips moved with effort.
“You’re the detective who came to our house.”
“Yes. I wanted to ask you a few questions about your accident. Do you feel up to it?”
Susan gave a small nod and Kala drew a chair close to the bed so that her head was at Susan’s eye level.
“Had you checked the gas level before you went into the Gatineau Hills?”
“No.”
“I find it odd that you would have set out on your own without making sure there was gas in the car. You don’t strike me as disorganized.”
“I get … confused sometimes. Forget things. I thought I’d filled it up last week. I must have been mistaken. I can’t even remember the warning bell go off.”
“Did you use a credit card?”
“I’m not sure.” Susan reached a bandaged hand toward the bedside table, then carefully placed it back onto the bed. “Clinton took my purse home for safekeeping. If I charged the gas, the receipt would be in my wallet.”
“Does Clinton drive your van?”
“Yes, but he’s been away all week.”
“Could someone have siphoned off the gas?”
Susan’s eyes widened as if she remembered something. She closed them quickly and her breathing became more laboured.
Kala stood and filled the water glass from a jug on the tray next to the bed. “Sip this,” she said. She helped to prop up Susan’s head so that she could swallow from the glass. Susan leaned back against the pillows.
“Do you feel better or should I ring for the nurse?”
“No, I’m fine.”
“What bothered you just now?” asked Kala, sitting back down in the chair.
Susan’s forehead furrowed in deep lines. “Tire tracks. There were tire tracks in the snow next to my van and footprints. I wondered who’d been there because I didn’t meet them on the trail.”
Her strength was weakenin
g and Kala touched her shoulder. “You should sleep now. I’ll be back to talk when you feel better.”
Susan’s eyes had already closed as Kala backed away toward the door. She’d wanted to ask about Clinton and where he was that day but would have to wait until tomorrow for Susan’s response. In the meantime, she would try to find out on her own.
Kala pushed the door open and almost collided with Hunter Underwood as he pulled the door open from his side.
“Officer Stonechild,” he said, taking hold of her arm to steady her. “I think it’s time we talked.”
24
Thursday, December 29, 12:15 p.m.
They left the hospital separately and met up at the New Edinburgh Pub on Beechwood. Hunter arrived ahead of her and secured a table near the back. The lunchtime crowd had thinned and they had a degree of privacy. She stood in the entranceway for a few moments and studied him. He was dressed in jeans and a navy sweater, his curly hair blown about from the wind. He’d begun growing a beard since she’d seen him last and it made him look even more appealing. She mentally kicked herself for noticing.
Hunter spotted her and waved her over. A pretty blond waitress was at the table as soon as she sat down, her smile all for Hunter. She flipped coasters onto the table and asked what they’d like to drink. She stood close to Hunter as she waited for Kala to order.
“Coffee please, and a club sandwich on brown,” Kala said.
“I’ll have the Irish stew and a Guinness,” Hunter added.
The girl took their menus and smiled one more time at Hunter before leaving.
“You know her?” asked Kala.
“I’ve seen her in here before, but not waitressing. She must have just started.” He shrugged and grinned back at her. He leaned forward, his smile disappearing. “So, it looks like Susan is doing okay. I could hardly take it in when I got the news. First my father and now her. I’m having trouble believing the two events aren’t linked somehow.”
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