The Travelling Detective: Boxed Set

by Joan Donaldson-Yarmey

  “What happened before I met her is none of her business.”

  “Then you haven’t told her that you have a child with another woman.”

  Nick stepped close to her. “I don’t have a child,” he said, through clenched teeth. “And don’t you dare spread that rumour around.”

  Anna smiled sweetly. “It’s not a rumour,” she said, walking away.

  She put Meredith’s cup in front of her and sat down. She was hot and she really didn’t know how Meredith could drink coffee in the heat. But other people were doing it, too.

  The band began to play. The lights were dimmed and a few couples got up to dance.

  Anna sat and fanned herself with a napkin. It wasn’t working. “I’m going outside to cool off,” she said to Meredith.

  “I’ll come with you.”

  Others had the same idea and the sidewalk in front of the hall was full. Anna saw Sarah standing by herself. “I’m going to talk to Sarah.”

  “Hello, Sarah,” Anna said, checking to see if Nick was nearby.

  “Anna.” Sarah took a deep breath. “I’ve been hoping we would have some time together. I’d like to ask you why you said those words to me that first day?”

  Anna thought about the best way to tell her. She’d only been married a short time and there were many ways she could take the news. She looked away then back at Sarah. “How much has Nick told you about his past?”

  “What about it?” Sarah asked.

  “Nick’s not the man you think he is,” she said, quietly.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, I’m just wondering if he told you about his girlfriends.”

  “We’ve decided not to discuss old boyfriends or girlfriends.”

  Anna smiled slightly. “Yes, I’ll bet he would want an agreement like that. Whose idea was it, yours or his?”

  “Both of ours,” she said, crisply. “And why are you asking?”

  “I just thought you should know a few things about him.”

  Sarah hesitated then asked. “Such as?”

  Anna had known that her curiosity would be aroused. Whose wouldn’t be?

  “Well, we were almost engaged to each other during high school. But he always thought he was a lady’s man and was still seeing other girls behind my back.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that. What has that got to do with him today?”

  “Well, he’s the father of my son and you might ask him about kissing me in his garage last spring.”

  Sarah gasped. “Are you saying Nick had an affair with you when he moved out here?”

  “Sorry to have to be the one to tell you.” Anna rubbed her belly, suggestively. “But I thought you should know.”

  “I don’t need to listen to this.” Sarah rushed away with tears in her eyes.

  When Anna got back into the hall the band was taking a break and two of the fundraising organizers were on the stage making speeches. One held up the donation box and handed it to the Bakers who cried when they received it.

  “Thank you so much,” Mrs. Baker said.

  “We’ll use this to help us rebuild,” Mr. Baker added.

  There were three Baker teenagers who stood self-consciously on the stage and hurried off when the speeches were finished.

  People got up to stretch their legs. Some went outside, some visited friends at other tables. Once the band began to play again the dance floor remained full for the rest of the evening.

  Chapter 32

  “I’m sorry you had to hear that Nick could be your father,” Elizabeth said, when they were back in the van.

  Jared stared straight ahead. “You and Dad ... or is it just Paul ... did warn me that I might find out things I didn’t want to hear,” he said softly. “And this is certainly one of them.”

  They were quiet as Jared drove.

  “So now what do I do?” he finally asked.

  “If you want to continue with this we can go talk to Sarah and Nick. If you don’t we can pack up and go home to Edmonton.”

  Jared stopped the van. He laid his head on his hands. Elizabeth reached out and rubbed his back. This was a tough decision. Jared looked up, his face grim. “I’ve come too far. I’ve raised so many doubts about who I am, that I can’t quit. I can’t leave this hanging over me for the rest of my life.”

  He turned the van around and they headed to see Nick and Sarah. Nick was in the garden. “Sarah’s lying down,” he said. “The heat bothers her.”

  The subject was very delicate and Elizabeth wasn’t sure how to bring it up. She decided the direct approach was the best.

  “We’ve heard that you and Anna dated through high school,” Elizabeth said.

  Nick looked startled. “Yes, we did,” he said, tentatively.

  “Why didn’t you tell us that when we were here before?”

  “I’ve never talked about my old girlfriends in front of Sarah and she’s never talked about her old boyfriends. It’s just an unspoken pact we’ve had.”

  “According to what we heard, Anna wanted to marry you.”

  “We did discuss marriage,” Nick admitted. “But I wanted to get away from here and she wanted to marry right out of high school.”

  Elizabeth had been comparing Nick and Jared and there was some resemblance. If Jared could stand he would be as tall as Nick. Both were slender. Nick’s hair was mostly gray so it was hard to tell what the original colour would have been. What would be a good way to ask him if he and Anna had had sex?

  “Could you be my father?” Jared asked.

  Nick blushed a deep red. He looked over their shoulders. “I don’t think…”

  “Well, hello,” Sarah said, coming up behind them on the grass.

  How much had she heard? Elizabeth wondered.

  “Nick, it’s time to take your parents’ anniversary gift and card to them.”

  “What…Oh, yes. Uh. Right.” Nick looked at Jared then hurried away.

  “We’ll come back another time,” Elizabeth said.

  “You don’t have to leave. I’m not going with him.”

  It was on the tip of Elizabeth’s tongue to ask why not but she restrained herself. Maybe there were some bad feelings between the in-laws. Then she remembered their previous conversation.

  “Come and sit in the gazebo out of the sun,” Sarah said.

  Elizabeth noticed that she didn’t offer them lemonade.

  “Now tell me what you want to know this time.”

  If she’d heard Jared ask Nick if he could be his father, she gave no indication of it. And while Jared could ask Nick outright, they couldn’t do the same with Sarah. So, Elizabeth thought they might as well find out more about her life on the farm and see if they could find out more about how well she knew Anna.

  * * * *

  Christine’s Story

  Christine climbed the steps of her porch. It had been a long day. It was the beginning of the tax season and their customers were bringing in their boxes of receipts and other papers and wanting the office to complete their taxes immediately. Christine knew she would be working late most nights from now to the end of April. She was relieved to get home, knowing she could put her feet up and relax. She had just put her key in the lock of her door when a figure loomed beside her. She screamed in fright then stopped when she recognized who it was.

  “Oh, God, you scared me.” She leaned against the side of the porch, holding her chest where her heart threatened to beat itself to death.

  “It’s about time I got your attention.” He reached over, turned the key in the lock, and opened the door for her.

  When she had regained some of her composure Christine stepped to her doorway then turned to block it. “I don’t want you in my house, Ben.”

  “Well, that’s too bad,” he said, lifting her and carrying her into the kitchen. He kicked the door shut with his foot.

  “Put me down,” Christine yelled, pushing her hands against his chest. “Can’t you leave me alone?”

  “That’s no
t what you want and you know it.” Ben kissed her neck.

  “Let me go.” Christine struggled harder.

  “Okay, okay.” He removed his arms and held his hands up in front of him. “See, I let go.”

  “Now, get out.”

  “Not until we’ve settled this.”

  “There is nothing to settle.” Christine took off her coat and hung it up on a hook by the door. “I’m breaking all ties with this place and my life here. And that includes you. Why can’t you understand that?”

  “You can’t do this,” Ben said, angrily. “We’ve meant something to each for a long time. You can’t just throw it away.”

  “Yes, I can and I have. Now go.”

  “No,” he yelled, shoving her against the wall. “You’re not going to leave me. I won’t let you.”

  Christine pulled herself away from the wall. “You have no say in the matter,” she said, her voice low and angry. “It is my life and my decision.”

  “But it is affecting my life and I don’t like it.”

  “I really don’t care anymore what you like.”

  “You used to care. You used to care a lot.”

  “Can’t you understand,” Christine yelled. “It’s over. It’s over. It’s over.”

  “No!” His hand shot out and slapped her across the face.

  Christine’s head snapped back and she had to take a step to keep her balance. She stared at him as she raised her hand to her stinging cheek. She could feel the heat from the slap. No man had ever pushed her or hit her, not even her father.

  He glared back at her, his face full of rage. For a few moments she thought her life might be in danger. She had never seen him so furious. She hadn’t known he had such a temper.

  “I didn’t think you’d ever do that,” she said, looking up at him.

  Suddenly, he was holding her, kissing her hair, her cheeks. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to do that. I don’t know what came over me. It’s just that I care for you so much and I don’t want you to break us up.”

  Christine shut her eyes to his kisses. She stood still, not wanting to say or do anything that would set him off again. She waited until he was finished, then pulled herself free of his arms.

  “I’ve had a long day,” she said, trying to keep her voice level. “I’m tired. Can we discuss this some other time when we are both in a better mood?”

  “Why do you keep putting me off? Why can’t you just stop and talk to me?”

  “I have talked and I’m tired of explaining over and over again. Why are you not listening to me? What combination of words can I use that will make you understand that I mean what I say?”

  Should she call the police? Could she call the police without him knowing? The closest phone was in her bedroom and there was no way she wanted to go in there. “Would you please leave?” She had no energy to argue with him anymore.

  He was prowling around the kitchen and living room, looking in cupboards, in drawers, turning on the television. He stopped and looked at her.

  “What are you making us for supper?”

  “Go home. Meredith will have supper ready for you.”

  “You’re not very friendly.”

  “That’s right, I’m not. Now, will you go?”

  He looked at his watch. “I’ll leave if you’ll agree to go out with me tomorrow night. I could take you to our favourite restaurant in Smoky Lake then maybe we can visit our favourite hotel afterwards.”

  At this moment she was willing to agree to anything if it meant he would leave. “Fine.”

  “What time should I pick you up?”

  “Call me at work. It’s tax time so I don’t know when my day will end.”

  “Okay.” He walked over to give her a kiss. She turned her head away. “Don’t be mad at me,” he said. “You’re the one who’s causing all the trouble.”

  Christine locked the door and leaned against it. He was gone. That was the second time she’d been scared for her life. She’d actually thought she would have to defend herself against an attack. She couldn’t believe he’d acted like that, that he’d actually struck her.

  There was no way she was going to make time tomorrow night to go out with him. She’d drive her vehicle to work, stay late, and make sure no one was in her yard or around her house when she got home. And she couldn’t call the police, couldn’t charge him with assault. Too many questions would be asked and too many hurtful answers would be given.

  But she had to do something. This was getting out of hand. She picked up the Vancouver paper. Maybe she should move there now. She had enough money to rent an apartment and to keep her going until she found a job, if it didn’t take too long. She could send a change of address for her course. Yes, she decided with a nod of her head, that was what she would do. Get away from all this hassle.

  Christine looked at the clock. It was nine-fifteen here, eight-fifteen in Vancouver. She looked up her cousin’s number in her personal phone book and dialled. They had been as close as possible for children to be who only saw each other in the summer. Brenda would come out to spend a week on the farm and then Christine would spend a week in Vancouver. During the rest of the year they wrote back and forth telling each other about girlfriends and boyfriends and school and teachers.

  Once they were grown their letters had dwindled to Christmas cards and their visits were once every two or three years. When she had written to Brenda asking for a copy of the paper she had also told her about the separation and her plans.

  “Hi, Brenda. It’s me, Christine.”

  “Hi. Did you get the paper?”

  “Yes, it’s in front of me right now.”

  “So when are you moving here?”

  “Well, it might be sooner than I thought. I’m having some trouble with Wayne and I need to move now instead of waiting until after getting my certificate.”

  “That’s too bad. Is there anything I can do to help?”

  “If I move now would I be able to use your address for my mail?”

  “Certainly. And why don’t you stay here instead of finding an apartment?”

  “Oh, I couldn’t put you out like that.”

  “You wouldn’t be. Our oldest son has moved out so his bedroom is free and you can store your furniture in the garage.”

  “Oh, thank you.” Christine could not keep the relief from her voice. She immediately began to make plans. “I’ll have to give notice, pack, and hire a moving van. It’ll take about a week, so I’ll call you then and let you know when I’ll be there.”

  “Good. I’ll be waiting. We can catch up on the past twenty-some years.”

  Christine put down the receiver. She felt elated, as if a burden had been lifted. She had set a deadline and was leaving, getting away from the horrible predicament she was in. All she had to do was get through the next week.

  Chapter 33

  “You said you had a hard time getting used to the farm life,” Elizabeth said to Sarah.

  “What does that have to do with Anna’s or Ben’s deaths?”

  Good question. She needed a good answer. Unfortunately, she didn’t have one. “Nothing I guess, but you had just moved here when Anna warned you to leave. I’m just wondering if you ever thought about going back to Regina.”

  “Oh, many times,” Sarah admitted. “You wouldn’t believe what I had to go through. Nick changed once we lived on the farm. He was always pointing out the differences between farmers and city people. Like the first time I saw Ben and Meredith’s place. They had a small, park-like area beside their house. I said I liked it and could spend a lot of time there. ‘Well, they don’t get to use it very much,’ Nick said. ‘Farmers,’ and he emphasized the word, ‘don’t have time to lay around.’”

  Elizabeth attempted to say something but Sarah kept talking.

  “When we married I had some money in a savings account. Can you believe that Nick expected me to just hand it over to him?

  “I can remember standing o
n the verandah and watching Nick work on the hay mower. I had just started down the steps on my way to see if he needed any help when I heard a clang, saw a wrench fly through the air followed by, ‘God damn this piece of frigging junk.’ I turned on my heels and headed for the garden.

  “As I worked I heard more banging and swearing. This was a new side of Nick. I had never seen him lose his temper before and he certainly hadn’t sworn like that when we were dating.”

  Elizabeth didn’t know what to say to that. “Yes, a different environment can change people.”

  “Or maybe something in that environment changes them,” Sarah said, her voice resentful.

  Again, Elizabeth was at a loss on how to keep up her end of the conversation. She looked uneasily at Jared. Sarah was getting worked up about the past. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. But Sarah didn’t care if anyone answered her or not.

  “He wanted me to quit wearing red and he hated pierced ears. For the first few months I went along with it and then I decided I had a right to do what I wanted so I went back to wearing red, putting on make-up and I began wearing my pierced earrings again.”

  “Life must have been hard back then for you.” Elizabeth tried to sound sympathetic.

  “Hard is not the word for it. I was miserable much of the time. I just couldn’t do anything right. I didn’t know how to plant a garden or how to milk a cow. When people asked me how I liked the farm and I told them that I hadn’t been here long enough to judge, yet, Nick would get mad.

  “‘You could have shown a little more enthusiasm.’ he’d say to me.”

  She was quiet for a few moments, a distant look in her eye. “I remember the first time I went to help Meredith and Brittany kill chickens. I went there so I could learn another part of farm life. I’d never seen a chicken killed before and didn’t know what to expect. Meredith grabbed a chicken by its legs and carried it to the chopping block. She lifted the axe above her and brought it down, cutting off its head. As soon as the axe landed I lost all interest in the lesson. Blood spurted from the open neck and when Meredith threw the chicken into the grass its wings whacked the ground as its legs launched it first in one direction then another as if frantically looking for its lost head. It hurled itself towards me and before I could react, it bounced against my pant legs smearing them with blood. To me, a city girl, the slaughter was just horrid. I just made it to a small bush nearby before losing my breakfast.”