The Travelling Detective: Boxed Set

by Joan Donaldson-Yarmey

  She had told him to sell the farm and come with her knowing he wouldn’t. When she had told Ben their affair was really over he, like Wayne, had tried to talk her out of it. But he had been more forceful, using physical violence. And last night, fearing for her life, she’d stabbed him.

  While listening, Wayne’s feeling progressed from shock to anger then hatred and finally a sense of deep loss. Up until tonight he had thought there was still a chance of him and Christine getting back together. He’d held out hope even against all that she’d said.

  Now he sat in silence having long ago withdrawn his hands from hers. How funny that he had thought his life was over when Christine moved out. Hell, he hadn’t even known the true meaning of the word ‘over’. Then, it hadn’t meant his feelings would be so totally, completely, thoroughly extinguished. Now, it did. He had no sensation, just a huge void.

  “Wayne?” Christine’s voice was timid, frightened, beseeching. “I’m so sorry for this. I had hoped to get away from here without anyone finding out. I didn’t want to cause anyone any pain.”

  He couldn’t answer. There was no answer to her statement. He looked at his wife. The only thought in his emptiness was that she still looked as beautiful as ever.

  Wayne suddenly felt a tightness in his chest as if someone had struck him a blow. The hollow feeling of a minute ago was quickly filled with a crush of thoughts and emotions. Ben, his childhood friend; his best friend for over forty years. Ben, who had been his best man at their wedding, who had farmed beside him for almost thirty years. Ben had been having an affair with Christine for two years. Christine killed him. Ben was dead. It was too much, just too much. He stood.

  “I have to go.”

  Christine nodded.

  He left the room. Outside, in the cold air, he inhaled deeply, feeling as if he had been holding his breath for a long time.

  “Are you finished?” Constable Keeley asked.

  He nodded, still unable to speak.

  “Let’s get a coffee and then I have some questions to ask you.”

  He followed him numbly, wondering when he would wake from this dream.

  Chapter 35

  “Tell us about the day of Anna’s death.” Elizabeth had been holding off asking that question. She thought it was up to Jared to bring that day up, but while he’d agreed earlier that he wanted to know, he hadn’t opened the conversation. And since time was running out for her she decided to do it.

  “We were eating lunch when the phone rang,” Sarah said. “Nick got up to answer it. It was Paul wondering if Anna was here. At first we thought she’d left him again but when he said he’d come home from the field and found Jared alone in the house, we figured she’d never do that.”

  “So what happened?” Elizabeth asked.

  “We waited and when he called again he said he couldn’t find her anywhere and he wanted us to come and help look for her.”

  “I asked him if she’d gone to her parents alone this time,” Nick said. “But he said he’d called there and they told him she hadn’t phoned them. Wayne and Graham were already there along with some other men,” Nick continued. “There wasn’t any news. I asked Paul where he had already looked and he said he’d done a quick check of the buildings and drove up and down the road.”

  “While the men began to search I went into the house.” Sarah looked at Jared. “I don’t know if you remember but you were watching Sesame Street.”

  Jared, who had sat through this without any expression, shook his head.

  “You asked me if I had come to see your mother and I said yes. You told me that she wasn’t there and that your daddy had gone to find her and you were being good for him.”

  “I asked you if you were hungry and you were, so I found a can of soup and heated up. By then more women had arrived. Meredith had brought a whole bunch of bread and ham so some of the women went to help with the search while others came in the house to make sandwiches.”

  “Did the police come?” Elizabeth asked.

  “Not at first. Someone said Paul had to wait forty-eight hours before he could report her missing.”

  “How long did the search last,” Elizabeth asked Nick.

  “It lasted until almost dark”

  “How was she found?” Jared asked. His voice was passive, almost lifeless. This was obviously hard on him.

  “You went out to the well and said she was down there,” Sarah said.

  “I did?” Jared asked astonished.

  “Yes. They pushed the rock off, lifted the lid, and saw her floating.”

  “I don’t remember that.” Jared said quietly. “You’d think something like that would always be in my memory.”

  “Maybe it was so traumatic that to protect you, your mind erased it,” Elizabeth suggested.

  * * * *

  Anna’s Story

  Anna was dishing the bacon and eggs onto Paul’s plate when he came up behind her and slapped the side of her head. The blow caused her to stagger sideways and she almost dropped the plate. He put both his hands on her shoulders, squeezing hard, while he whispered angrily.

  “First you drive Willy away then you try to make a fool of me by leaving with Jared.” He shoved her back against the stove. “And now you’re telling people that Jared isn’t my son and neither is that kid.” He pointed to her belly. “Will you never stop causing me pain?”

  Paul turned and slumped onto his chair at the table. He put his head in his hands.

  Anna’s ear and side of her face stung and she blinked back the tears as she dropped hash browns beside the eggs. She put the plate on the table and left the room. He’d been gone for a few days after the dance and it had been heaven. Now he was back and she knew it was to stay.

  When he’d gone to the field Anna picked up the receiver and dialled a number. Meredith was the only one she could think of to call, the only one who might do as she asked. She listened to the phone ringing at the other end and was just about to hang up when Meredith answered, her voice breathless.

  “Hi, Meredith, it’s Anna.”

  “Anna. Where are you? Are you okay?”

  “Yes.” She hated to burden Meredith right now; she was probably in the middle of packing for her move into town. But Meredith was her only friend. She knew what Anna had been going through and she would understand.

  “I’m sorry that I didn’t call you,” Meredith said. “I’ve been so busy with my move.”

  “That’s okay. I was wondering if you were going to be there for the next little while this morning.”

  “Uh, yes.” Meredith sounded confused. “We’re loading boxes but we still have lots to do.”

  “Do you mind if I come over for a few minutes.”

  “Of course not. Come when you can.”

  “Thank you.”

  Paul was in the field and, other than coming in for lunch, would be there all day. Anna dug out the paper and a pen and finished the letter. It was important for her and for Jared that she do this. She signed it and put it in an envelope. She tucked the envelope in her short’s pocket and called Jared.

  “We’re going for a ride,” she said to him.

  “Are we getting on a bus again?”

  “No, not this time.”

  “I liked riding a bus. Can we do it again?”

  “Sure we can someday.”

  She pulled into Meredith’s yard. A pick-up was backed up to the door. She could see Brittany and Tylar helping Meredith load her furniture. Anna walked over to Meredith. When Tylar and Brittany had gone into the house she pulled the letter out of her pocket.

  “What’s this?” Meredith turned it over in her hand and read Victor and Olga Dombroski on the front.

  “Will you give it to my parents when they come?”

  “When are they coming?”

  “Sometime soon.”

  “Can’t you give it to them?”

  “I think it’s better if you hold it for me. I don’t want Paul to find it.”

  Mered
ith stared at her. “Is there anything I can do?”

  “Don’t tell anyone about the letter,” she said, quickly.

  Meredith hesitated.

  “Promise me you’ll tell no one.” She had to promise, she had to.

  “I promise.”

  “Good.” Anna said, with relief.

  “But...”

  “I’m sorry I can’t visit,” Anna said, turning away. “I have to get back.”

  Meredith reached out and touched Anna’s arm. “I wish there was something I could do.”

  Anna nodded. “You’ve done a lot for me and I want to thank you.”

  On her way back Anna saw Sarah walking along the road. She waved but Sarah ignored her. At home she didn’t hurry. She knew she’d exhausted all avenues and there was nothing more she could do. She felt so much calmer now. She put Jared down for a nap and when he was asleep went out to get some water from the well. The heat of the day was getting to her.

  At the well she looked down into the serene water. She could see her reflection looking back. The water was so inviting. It would feel so good to sink into its depth, to have it cool her all over. Suddenly, she was falling towards the water seeing her startled face coming at her. She knew she was going to die. She was facing head down. With her bulk there was no way she could turn around and get her head above the water. She’d heard drowning was an easy way to go. She hoped it was true.

  Chapter 36

  “I don’t think Sarah told us all of it,” Elizabeth said, after they’d left the Munter-Thompson’s place. “Do you want to go and find out if Meredith’s version of the search is different?”

  Elizabeth waited a few moments. “Jared?”

  Jared took his eyes off the road to look at her. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I’m having a hard time concentrating this morning. I’m just getting overwhelmed with everything that I’m suddenly learning.”

  “We can quit any time,” Elizabeth said. “You can go home and digest everything then come back and try again. I think everyone will be around for a while yet.”

  Jared shook his head. “I just have to pull myself together and keep going because I do want to find out the truth.”

  “What do you suggest we do next?” Elizabeth had run out of ideas. She had the feeling that they were going in circles. Everyone was giving them the same message. Anna killed herself, Christine killed Ben. It was getting to the point where she could think of nothing more to ask.

  “There’s something that’s trying to break through my memory. It almost makes it then disappears again. Maybe a chat with Meredith will bring it out into the open.”

  “Okay,” Elizabeth nodded in agreement.

  “Do you mind asking the questions,” Jared asked, when they got there. “I’m hoping that by listening, that niggling in my mind will develop into something concrete.”

  “Sure, but jump in anytime you want.”

  “So, have you had a chance to read much of my new book?” Meredith asked, when they were settled. Apparently her anger from the last visit was gone.

  “I have and I liked it as much as the first two,” Jared said. “I’m really interested in what your last book will be about.”

  “I’m glad to hear you say that because I emailed you some poems from that book just five minutes ago,” Meredith said. “My publisher is getting anxious and I need the feedback quickly. If you could read them as soon as possible, I’d appreciate it.”

  “Okay, I’ll look at them when I get back to the B&B.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Have you read any of my poems?” Meredith turned to Elizabeth.

  “Yes,” Elizabeth nodded.

  “What do you think of them so far?”

  Elizabeth wondered why she was so curious about her reaction. As a writer she understood how great it was to have a reader like your work. But she didn’t think she herself could push so much for a comment. Elizabeth decided to be honest. “I’ve never been a fan of poetry but I really like yours. The script poetry approach is different and you get very personal about your love for Ben.”

  Meredith beamed. “How far have you gotten?”

  “I’ve finished them all, too,” Elizabeth replied. She wasn’t sure if she should state that she found them very sad. She didn’t want to make that sort of comment on Meredith’s life.

  “Good.” Meredith seemed pleased. “Feel free to read the ones I emailed Jared.”

  “I will.”

  “So, what do you want to know today?” Meredith asked Jared.

  “We heard that you went to Paul and Anna’s place on the day Anna disappeared,” Elizabeth answered for him.

  “Yes, that’s right. I was in the middle of moving. Brittany and Tylar were helping me. We stopped loading their truck to go to see if there was anything we could do. I didn’t really know what was happening so I took sandwich makings and coffee. People always have to eat.”

  “Can you describe what the day was like?”

  “Pretty chaotic. People were randomly wandering around the fields and up and down the roads calling her name.”

  “Did you mention the envelope to anyone?”

  Meredith shook her head. “I carried it with me but it was addressed to her parents and I had promised Anna.”

  “Can you tell us how Mom was found?” Jared asked.

  She looked at him quizzically. “You don’t remember?”

  Jared shook his head slowly. “Sarah told me I was there and something keeps trying to surface in my mind but so far it hasn’t. I’m sure that whatever it is on the outer edge of my memory has something to do with that day.”

  “You were looking out the living room window when I arrived. You looked so small and my heart went out to you. I wondered if I should say something to you about your mother or just let you continue your vigil. I did go over and put my hand on your shoulder but I don’t think you even noticed.

  “Then I got busy making sandwiches with the other women. We set up a table outside and put the sandwiches and coffee and juice on it so the searchers could help themselves as they wished. When I looked again you were still at the window.”

  “I remember,” Jared said, suddenly. “I had woke up from my nap and couldn’t find Mom anywhere in the house. She’d always told me to stay in the house if I woke up and she wasn’t there. So I went to look out the window and see if I could find her. Then Dad came home and wondered where she was and then a lot of people came.” His face clouded. “That’s all I remember.”

  “All at once you started for the door,” Meredith resumed her story. “I reached out to stop you because I didn’t want you getting in the way. But you kept saying that you wanted see your mommy. I didn’t know what to answer to that. How could I explain to a four-year-old that his mother was missing? So I told you that she wasn’t there right now.”

  “And I said. Yes, she is.” Jared jumped in, excited.

  Elizabeth leaned forward to catch every word. It looked like Jared’s memory was coming back.

  “And I wrapped my arms around you and told you again that she wasn’t. But you kept insisting that she was and you asked that if you put on your shoes would I let you go see her?’”

  Elizabeth watched them relive this thirty-year-old conversation. Maybe they were close to getting to the bottom of what had happened.

  “And you agreed. I remember you tying my laces, and we went outside.” He began to slow down and put his head in his hands. “There is so much flooding my mind right now. I need time to sort it all out.

  Elizabeth was glad to see that Meredith waited for him to continue.

  When he didn’t, she said. “Outside the men were discussing how they should organize the search. You ran across the yard to the old well and began to push at the large rock on the lid.”

  Jared looked up. “Yes, I asked you to get it off for me,” he said. “I’m slowly picking out the sequence in my mind.”

  “I don’t think we’d better, I told you,” Meredith prompted. “You
might fall in.”

  There were tears in his eyes as he said. “I said that my mommy was down there and I wanted to go to her.”

  “When I asked you what made you think your mommy is down there you said...?” Meredith left the sentence open.

  “Because I saw her.” He pressed his chest.

  Elizabeth immediately stood and went to him. “Are you okay?”

  “I’ve got a terrible pain in my chest,” he whispered.

  “You should quit now.”

  Jared took a deep breath. “No, I can’t. I just can’t.” He looked at Meredith.

  “It seemed to take forever to get someone’s attention,” she continued. “I didn’t want to look because you were right there. I finally saw Nick and yelled for him to come. He wanted to know what the matter was and he didn’t understand at first when I said Anna was down there. He finally pushed the rock off the lid and lifted it. Paul had also come over and the two of them looked down.

  “They stared into the well then Nick looked away. It seems your mom used to get water from there to cool her feet and when your dad came home he saw that the lid was off. He replaced it, not thinking to look down.”

  “I remember running to the edge of the well and someone picked me up,” Jared said. “I wanted so badly to get to my mom.”

  Meredith nodded. “You were screaming. ‘I want to see my mommy! I want to see my mommy!’ I picked you up and took you back to the house so you wouldn’t see your mother being pulled out of the well.” She smiled slightly. “You fought hard. You punched and kicked me all the way.”

  “I ran to the window. I saw the flashing lights of the police cars and ambulance.”

  “You asked what they were for and I said they were going to get your mother out of the well. You wondered if your mother was coming into the house after that and…”

  “You told me that Mommy was all wet and she wouldn’t be able to come to see me. Then you said she had to go to the hospital.”

  “You wanted to know if she was sick and I said yes. I just couldn’t say that she was dead.” Jared nodded.