“Well, he is not my father. I like that just fine. After all he has put us through, I’m glad he’s not my father. So, now: Are you going to tell me what is upsetting you?”
“Somebody has been calling regularly, at all times of day and night, but without saying who he is. I have been trying to guess who it is.” She went into deep thought and then looked at Sasha and asked, “Do you think what I think? Could it be Larry, trying to mess with my mind? He used to be very successful at it, you know.”
“What is he saying when he calls? Is he threatening you with anything?” Sasha tried to recall how he had approached her on her way from work at night, by asking, “Are you afraid?” Who else would be enjoying seeing someone afraid? What’s more, he had that slimy way of saying it, which she had never analyzed; but lately, she had thought about it more and more.
“He asks if I am afraid for my children. He calls from somewhere outside — probably a phone booth — because I can hear the sounds of traffic in the background.”
“That’s it. That is what he wants — to scare you. Mom, you should report this to the police. Then maybe they will trace the calls.”
“Sasha, I don’t think I can go through all that procedure with the police.”
“Fine, then. Next time he calls, let me answer the phone. I will know if it is him. I will also give him something to be afraid of because I know something that will scare him. I want him to be afraid.”
“No, no, Sasha. Don’t get involved. Please, you must promise me!” Susanne was frightened now.
“Fine, but you have to let me listen to his voice.” Sasha had plenty on him. She’d heard stories about him at the store, and they weren’t pretty. He had to be stopped.
The next morning, Susanne didn’t feel like going to work. She had a headache and was not up to dealing with all those children. She told Sasha and Dominic how she felt and that she was unable to go to work that day. They were not to worry about her, as to her safety, but she knew how they felt. They were still apprehensive regarding her mood swings at times. Even though their mother was now fine for the most part, she still had issues. So Sasha offered to stay home as well; she was exhausted with all this. As expected, her mother tried to get some sleep; but Sasha stayed awake in case the caller decided to harass them again.
Around eleven o’clock, the phone rang, and Sasha answered it; the person on the other end said nothing. Luckily, Susanne had no idea about the call. Then, half an hour later, the phone rang again. Sasha picked up the receiver and said nothing, which surprised the caller for a moment, and a disguised voice asked, “Who is on the line?” Sasha said nothing and waited . . . then the person on the other end hung up. This went on for a while, and finally, the caller gave up. Sasha was upset. She wanted to scream. She wanted to call the police and ask them to trace these calls, only she knew that would have to come from her mother, or the police would not act on it. By the time Susanne woke up, the caller had taken a break.
“I just don’t know how I will feel tomorrow morning . . . Did anybody call?” Then before Sasha could even think of what to say, her mother said to herself, “Not that I want to know, anyway. I thought we were free of our burdens for the time being but I guess I was wrong.”
“Mom, will you be all right if I go to the store to get us something for supper? I seem to have misjudged our supply. Do you need anything from the store?”
“No, dear, not just now. I don’t even know what day it is, with my head throbbing like this.”
Sasha wanted to see if she could find Henry and ask him how she should deal with these calls. She found Henry at home, but Dominic and Nicole were there, asking Henry for advice regarding the calls. Sasha was annoyed at her brother for involving Nicole in their private problems. She wanted to keep things in the family. It wasn’t actually Nicole that Sasha resented; she didn’t want Olivia to find out about their problems. This went way back: When she and Olivia used to confide in one another, Olivia, craving attention, betrayed their confidence quite often. Sasha never quite forgave her for it. However, Nicole was nothing like that and was worthy of trust.
The problem was that Henry didn’t have a whole lot of confidence in the police at the moment. After all, they had not been much help to him so far. On the other hand, he did not want to discourage the young folks when they came to him seeking help, rather than taking the law into their own hands. So he did his best to guide them in the right direction. He chose his words carefully, while explaining what he felt would be the best approach.
“I realize your mother doesn’t wish to deal with a lot of complicated questions; but at the same time, these calls could extend indefinitely and that is longer than your mother should be exposed to. She might well sink right back into her shell and perhaps even worse. You need to act quickly and call the police right away when he calls — every time he calls. I wish you good luck, and don’t forget — you have my support any time you need it.” He felt exhausted just thinking about it.
Sasha said, “Thanks, Henry! Dominic, I will see you at home. I have to get back as soon as I can, before Mom gets herself into some kind of trouble. Can I count on you to come home soon? Goodnight, Nicole; and thank you, Henry, once more. I don’t know what I would do without you!”
“You are very welcome, Sasha, and I will chase these two out of my house as soon as you leave. I promise.” Henry was trying to ease her heavy heart. He could feel the weight that Sasha was carrying on her shoulders. Ever since she started working and taking on more responsibilities, she seemed to have gotten loaded with more than she should have. I wish my Lily were still alive to help that poor girl, Henry was thinking to himself, as he often did.
Sasha arrived home and found her mother drinking again. She ran upstairs and felt like throwing everything out the window, just to get even with the world that was so cruel to her, time and time again. She wanted no part of her mother’s problems at the moment. Dominic, who was right behind her and saw the shape his mother was in, decided to call the police at once, without taking the time to ask his mother what her problem was. He’d had enough . . .
By the time the police responded, Henry was there. Dominic had called him and asked him to be present. Nicole was not aware of this, because she had gone home after they left Henry’s place. Consequently, the Prestons were not aware of what was going on at the Lamberts’ place.
Dominic greeted the police and explained to them what had been happening lately regarding the mysterious phone calls, and the effect these calls were having on his mother. So Detective Osborn made an attempt to have a talk with Susanne, but without much success. She was yelling how the caller wanted to destroy her life, while slurring her words and waving her arms all over the place. Sasha was hysterical and tried to answer some of the questions directed to her mother.
“Mrs. Lambert, how do you know that the caller wants to ruin your life?”
“Are you here to help, or not?” Susanne had had more than one drink by now and was not worried about anybody’s feelings at that point. Her mind was made up, and nobody was going to convince her otherwise. “Who called you, anyway?” These people were wasting her time. “Dominic, I don’t want these people here.” She tripped over a small stool and spoke a few choice words over that, but the incident seemed to have sobered her a bit and she realized she was being less than co-operative to these people who had come to help her. “Look, Officer: Can you do something about those calls? I am going to lose my mind if they don’t stop. I have a huge headache and I can’t go to work when I feel this way.”
“Mrs. Lambert, you need to rest tonight, and we will return tomorrow morning to speak with you.” Inspector Osborn was being gentle with her and tried to calm her.
“Fine, then; I do need to get some sleep. I haven’t been sleeping well lately because of those calls.”
The police left, and Sasha and Dominic looked after their mother and got her to bed. She was ranting and calling Larry all kinds of names, which proved her suspicions. He s
till had a hold on her. Henry also returned home, reluctantly; worried about the children. He offered to return the next day if they needed him.
The next morning, they were all exhausted. Their lives were still at a standstill. After the police completed their task, Susanne went back to sleep, Sasha watched over her, and Dominic prepared himself for a crucial exam for a much-needed credit. He and Sasha worked well together when one of them needed extra time to deal with important tasks.
One thing they wondered about: How come the calls stopped right after the police got involved? This person must somehow have known what was going on at the Lamberts’ house.
It was now Friday, and Susanne was feeling better and was preparing to return to work on Monday. Sasha and Dominic were happily surprised and relieved that their mother was willing to pick up the pieces and move forward. She would have some explaining to do when she returned to work but she was willing to do so. Her superiors were aware of the calls, as well as her history of problems. The good thing was that Susanne had a gift for dealing with young children.
The phone rang, and it was Henry. Dominic answered it and at first he listened and then tried to get a word in. Henry was in a state of shock and was having a hard time holding back his emotions. It was unusual to hear Henry reacting so strongly to anything . . .
“I was taking Serge for a walk and all of a sudden he collapsed. Luckily, we were not far from home and I carried him home. He is at the clinic right now, but it doesn’t look good. They will keep him overnight. I have no idea what brought this on. I am sorry to bother you but I feel better just talking with you.”
“What’s going on? Is something wrong with Serge? Dominic, talk to me!” Sasha was genuinely upset.
Her brother waved her off as if to say, give me a moment, will you? He listened to Henry, who was extremely upset, and Dominic didn’t want to interrupt the flow . . . the man loved his dog . . . Serge was now the only thing he had left that was dear to him.
“How can I be of any help to you? Do you want me to come over?”
“That won’t be necessary, Dominic; not tonight. Should I need you tomorrow, I will let you know. Just talking with you makes me feel better; thank you.”
Henry felt better but couldn’t help worrying about his beloved Serge. He hardly slept that night. In the meantime, Dominic apologized to his sister and told her all about it. He failed to understand how it was possible for the dog to collapse just like that.
Later that night, a call came from the clinic asking Henry to come; Serge was not doing well at all, and it was by now clear that the poor animal wouldn’t last the night. He immediately rushed over to the clinic.
“Hello, Mr. Dobbs; we have been expecting you. Please come in.” The night staff were pleasant, but sad to tell him that it didn’t look good. As soon as Henry entered and saw the attending veterinarian, he was asked to make some snap decisions regarding Serge, who was in great distress. Although partially sedated, the dog recognized his master but was unable to show much life. It was only a matter of minutes and it was over. The poor animal had been poisoned and could not survive the damage that had been done.
Henry was unable to hold back his emotions and promptly cried openly. Here was the once-strong Commander Henry Dobbs, who had a soft heart for animals, as well as for people. At this point, he was just another human being who had lost a loved one. Lily also came to mind while he held his beloved Serge in his arms and let the tears run down his cheeks.
Early in the morning, he called Dominic to tell him what had developed during the night. Needless to say, he and Sasha were both devastated over the loss of their mutual friend. Dominic called the Prestons and told them what had happened. Later in the evening, they all gathered at Henry’s place to be with him in his grief and to help him with his decision regarding what he wanted to do with Serge’s remains.
Henry decided to bury his best friend at the cottage, where the two of them, as well as Lily, had spent a lot of good times. It was there where they were the happiest. The word spread about the unfortunate development, and people in the area were having a hard time believing that anybody would want to poison that beautiful animal.
Needless to say, Henry was not the only one mourning the loss of his best pal. Dominic, Sasha, Nicole, and Trevor felt totally lost without the precious dog. Serge was often a good excuse for them to visit Henry, because they felt a bit awkward bothering Henry all too often. So taking Serge for a walk helped them to stay close to the gentle old man, whom they loved and who often helped solve their problems. They loved Serge just as much.
Since the Millers’ store reopening was coming up, there were a number of things to prepare. Dominic and Sasha had their duties to perform, before as well as on the day of the actual opening. That actually provided a welcome distraction. Being busy helps, as one doesn’t have time to dwell on sad things. Luckily, the weather was good, as most of the celebrating took place outside. It helped, because there were many people who were actually invited, and there were those who were simply curious and came to see what was going on. The food was plentiful, as were the drinks. There were speeches, and after that, the band took over, and one could hear them far and wide.
Sasha had a brand-new dress. She and Marianne Miller bought the dresses together, so that they wouldn’t clash on the day of the opening.
Dominic looked very handsome. The only thing that he borrowed from Henry was a tie. At his age, he hardly ever needed one, so he’d never bothered to buy one. Henry was happy to oblige.
Anna Miller stood there proudly on the platform beside her husband, George.
“As you all know, George and I are proud to have this opportunity to introduce to you our employees. Most of them are local people and well acquainted with the way our store is operated. Yes, there will be some changes, but we hope to serve you even better from now on.” She proceeded to introduce them all, one after the other, and shook their hands. After that, she asked her husband to take over but not before adding: “As you can see, I have enough work carrying my weight around, so George will have to carry the rest of the load for us.” They all laughed.
“Don’t let that fool any of you; my wife is the REAL BOSS, and we are all quite happy to listen to her. She may be a big woman, but her heart is even bigger, and that is what makes us all love her.”
At that point, their son Greg took over. “Now all of you feel free to enjoy the food and drinks and have a great time.” The band played and people ended up dancing right in the street.
The opening was quite a success!
“Dominic, what do you think about the way Mrs. Miller introduced me?” Sasha wanted to know.
“I think it was wonderful. It seems to me you have a good chance to end up right there one day as a manager. Is that what you meant by asking me about it?” Her brother was proud of her and happy for her. Sasha deserved that kind of future with them, and it sure looked that way.
When Mrs. Miller had introduced Dominic as one of their hardest-working employees and a future psychologist, she made sure that people paid attention to what she was saying. Next was Sasha: “This is Sasha Lambert; she is one of our youngest employees. She is heading for business administration, and I would like to think of her as one of our future leaders.” People applauded. Sasha was on cloud nine. Luckily, the store didn’t open until the following Thursday, which allowed her to come off that cloud and grasp reality once more.
Susanne was very proud of her children.
Henry was another one who enjoyed seeing the Lambert children (not really children anymore) happy, which they deserved. “Perhaps there is hope for the two of them after all!”
Nicole also helped at the opening. It felt good being there and perhaps being distracted from the loss of Serge.
However, Henry was absent from the celebration, and the Millers understood. He stayed out at the cottage for days at a time the first two months after Serge left him, even though the cottage wasn’t ready for permanent habitation. The es
sentials had been completed in a very short time at the very beginning. The outside walls were in, the windows were also installed, the electricity was wired, and the plumbing was completed, but the rest was put on hold.
First of all, Henry did not wish to compete with the Millers and their renovations. He was willing to wait until after they had completely finished their renovations. That way, there would be no tug-of-war between priorities . . .
Second, he wanted to see if the culprit would strike again, while he waited.
Tom, his neighbour, was willing to have him there any time . . . they would reminisce about the good old times. Henry also felt closer to Serge that way. He was missed at work, if even just for his positive kind of spirit. However, for the third time his spirit had been crushed: first his brother, then Lily, and now Serge. Even someone like Henry can take only so much.
“Barb, would you be willing to be a pest and go see Henry once more?” Sam was worried about his friend. There was a piece of the puzzle missing.
“Oh, Sam, I’ve been having the same sort of thoughts. I don’t mind at all if it will help. Are you telling me that he hasn’t been to work at all?” Now she was worried.
“He comes in but can’t find the right thing to say or do. He feels useless, from where I see it.” There was a lot of truth in Sam’s statement.
Barb took a break from the office and drove in to see Henry. “Hi, Henry; I was just in the area and —”
Before she could continue, Henry interrupted her by saying, “I know, I know. You just happened to be worried about me; or Sam sent you. Am I right?”
“How did you know? Oh, Henry, let’s not kid ourselves. We are all worried. You have got to come out of that shell, or I am going to kick you out. You are starting to remind me of Susanne. It’s just not like you, to carry on like this. We want our old Henry back.
“Tomorrow, I want you at our dinner table promptly at six. Of course, dinner might not be on the table right then, but you’d better be there. We have some things to discuss, if you don’t mind. Do I have your word that you will be there?”
Henry Page 20
