by Jude Pittman
“Exactly, so why would Parker give her five hundred dollars?”
Martine shook her head. “I have no idea, but I can see why you’d find it curious.”
“Yes and then there’s this.” Jesse pulled out a matchbook and napkin. “According to Amy, one of Shannon’s roommates, she met a man Monday night.”
“I take it you mean someone older than her boyfriend from the Java Hut.”
“Shannon told her men paid for her company, but Amy wasn’t sure if Shannon was telling the truth. Apparently Shannon liked to brag about her exploits.”
“Poor Alex, I hope it isn’t true.”
“I know, but we’ll need to find out. Meantime do you mind if we stop by the Fish House?”
“Not at all, in fact, I’m really hungry.” Martine slanted a look in Jesse’s direction, but he wisely refrained from comment.
“Good. We can kill two birds, as they say, get some food and quiz the wait staff. I’m not too optimistic, there are a lot of tourists visiting the Fish House this time of year, so finding someone who remembers one particular couple will be a long shot.”
Martine grinned. “Since we have to eat anyway, it’s worth a try.”
“Sold.” Jesse opened the door of the condo for Martine to pass through and followed her down to the truck.
“Would you like to drive?” Jesse held out the keys, “that way we can stop at UBC and I can hop out and go show Alex this check will you circle around with the truck. We might get lucky and grab a parking spot, but you never can tell since parking can be hell over there.”
“Sure, and thanks, I’d love to drive.” Martine buckled herself into the driver’s seat, set the GPS for the University, and pulled smoothly into traffic.
Jesse took out his cell phone and selected Alex’s number. His sleepy voice answered on the third ring.
“Alex? This is Jesse. Did I wake you?” Jesse asked, guessing he’d caught the young man still in bed.
“It’s okay. I need to be up anyhow. I’ve got exams this week and I studied most of the night. Is there news?”
“I have a couple of questions. Can you spare fifteen minutes?”
“Sure as long as it’s soon. I’ve a class at noon.”
“I’ll be there in ten minutes.”
Jesse hit the call end button and turned to Martine. “If you go around to the museum of anthropology side, you can pull into the drop off zone and I’ll cut through the path behind the longhouse. You can probably sit there and keep the jeep running, I won’t be long. If the parking patrol comes along just tell them you’re picking up a facilitator. I do programs here all the time, so they might recognize the jeep anyhow.”
“Sure. I’m glad you’ve shown me this area. When I come over to do circles I drive myself crazy trying to find parking, I’m going to remember this lot in the future.”
“It’s expensive – like everything else over here – but at least it’s easy in and out and there’s usually room in the lot.”
At the museum, Jesse jumped out and Martine pulled up under a spreading maple tree. Jesse took off down a narrow pathway barely clear of brush and brambles and made his way to Alex’s section of student housing.
Alex came walking out the doorway of his building just as Jesse started up the steps.
“I figured I’d meet you out here and save you the climb.” The young man offered his hand and a grin.
“Thanks,” Jesse chuckled. “I guess my years are showing. I wonder if you know anything about this.” He handed over Ed Parker’s $500.00 check.
Alex took the check, looked at the signature and did a double take. “That’s our foster dad. But I sure don’t know why he’d give Shannon a check for $500.00.”
“Could he be paying her tuition?”
“I don’t believe it. Ed wasn’t exactly a fan of Shannon’s, especially after she ran away from the Island. No way he’d give her $500.00 for tuition.”
“Okay, so that’s something I need to find out.”
“Do you want me to call him?”
“No. I’m planning a trip over to the Island this weekend. If you don’t mind I’d just as soon drop in unannounced.”
“That suits me. I called Mina, my foster mom, to tell her about Shannon. She didn’t mention Ed and I didn’t ask.”
“I also found this.” Jesse held up the Fish House matchbook cover. “I don’t suppose Shannon mentioned this place?”
Alex shook his head. “That’s not Shannon’s type of restaurant.”
“She probably just picked it up somewhere.” Jesse put the check and matchbook back in his pocket.
“I wish I could be more help.”
“No sweat. I’m just looking for inconsistencies. Most of this stuff is meaningless, just details that don’t quite fit the picture. I’ll call you when I get back from the Island. If you think of anything, give me a call. I’ll have my cell.”
“Thanks. I appreciate it.”
* * *
“How’s he doing?” Martine asked when Jesse got back in the truck.
“He’s okay,” Jesse replied, “busy with exams.”
“That’s good, it’ll keep him from worrying. Did he know anything about the check?”
“No. He was mystified. He said there wasn’t any love lost between Shannon and Ed Parker and he couldn’t think of a single reason why Parker would give her money.”
“Even before this happened, I wondered about Shannon’s relationship with her foster family. She never talked about that family and if anyone questioned her about life on the Island, she ignored them.”
“I have an idea,” Jesse said, fastening his seatbelt and turning in his seat to face Martine.
“What’s that?”
“Didn’t you say you’d like to visit Vancouver Island?” Jesse fixed an innocent grin on his face.
“It’s at the top of my ‘must do’ list.”
“Since Shannon’s foster parents live in Victoria, I figured we might take a kind of busman’s holiday.”
Martine fixed her eyes on Jesse’s. “Separate rooms?”
“Unless you decide otherwise.” Jesse lifted his eyebrows in a lecherous twist and Martine smothered a laugh.
“You know the rules.”
Jesse nodded. “Subject to negotiation.”
“We go Dutch?”
“No.” He lifted his hand to stave off her objection.
“Working on this investigation is part of my job. For that matter, as the family response worker, it’s part of your job as well. If the killer turns out to be Native the backlash over this is going to hit our people hard.”
“I hadn’t thought of that.”
“We each pay for our personal stuff, but the trip and the accommodations go on the expense account.”
“Okay. I’d love to go. Thanks for inviting me.”
“I’m looking forward to the trip myself. It’s been a few years since I’ve visited the Island. Now, how about letting me drive to the Fish House? Traffic gets a little dodgy around the Park this time of day and I know a short cut or two.”
“Please do. I don’t want to complain, but if you’d taken much longer, that century old pack of crackers you have on the dash might have been history.”
Jesse jumped out of the cab and headed for the driver’s door while Martine slid into the passenger seat.
“Let’s get this show on the road,” he said. “Starving women scare me to death.”
* * *
Entering the Park and on the English Bay side, Jesse drove slowly along Stanley Park Drive giving Martine an opportunity to ogle the spectacular gardens.
“I’ve heard so much about this park, but actually driving through gives you a whole different perspective.”
“That’s the Fish House.” Jesse pointed to a genteel old mansion perched in the center of an enormous plantation style garden.
“Wow.”
“It’s a huge tourist attraction. Fortunately it’s late for lunch so we should be able to find p
arking. It gets dicey around dinnertime. How about that, front row.” Jesse swung the Jeep into a spot near the front steps and turned off the ignition.
“Do you have the photos Alex gave us earlier?”
“Yes, right here.” Martine took one of the pictures of Alex and Shannon out of her purse. “According to Alex this one is the most recent.”
“Good. We’ll order and then I’ll do some asking around.”
After a short wait, the hostess led them to a table for two overlooking the gardens. “You wouldn’t happen to recognize this couple?” Jesse asked holding the picture up for the girl to see.
“Sorry. Neither one of them looks familiar.” She shook her head and motioned to a gangly young man in his late twenties who trotted over with menus.
“The special today is cedar planked salmon,” he said, as he filled their water glasses.
“Sounds good.” Jesse looked at Martine and she nodded agreement.
“I’ll have the same,” she said.
“Excellent,” the youth jotted their orders in his book and retrieved the menus. “Are you visiting our city?”
“No we’re locals,” Jesse replied. “As a matter of fact, we’re hoping you might recognize someone.” He held up the picture of Shannon and Alex. “Do you remember seeing the girl anytime within the past two weeks?”
The youth looked at the picture and frowned. “She looks familiar, but our clientele is mainly tourist. We don’t usually see the same people more than once or twice, so it’s hard to remember any particular person.”
“Yes, I kind of figured that. It’s a long shot, but if you’d take a good look, we’d appreciate your help. The girl was murdered this past week. The man in the picture is her brother. Of course the police are looking into everything but Alex, that’s her brother, asked us to try and retrace her steps last week.”
“That’s pretty rotten. The more I look at the picture, the more she looks like a girl that came in here last week with a well-dressed native man. I was off on Sunday, so if it’s the right couple they were here Monday night. They had a reservation for six and he paid with a government credit card.”
“Any chance I could take a look at your reservation book?”
“Gosh, I don’t think I can do that. We’re not supposed to give out personal information on customers.” The young man looked over his shoulder and then back at Jesse. “I’d like to help, but I could lose my job.”
“That’s okay,” Jesse smiled and held out his hand. “There’s no need for you to risk your job. I’ll tell the detective in charge of the case that Shannon might have been here on Monday night. He’ll come in officially and look at the reservation book. He will question you, along with the rest of the staff, and you can tell him what you’ve told me, but he won’t single you out.”
“Thanks. I appreciate that. I hope they find the creep that killed her. I’ve got a sister too and I know how I’d feel.”
“I’ll let Mark know,” Jesse made a quick call on his cell phone, then settled down to enjoy the excellent salmon.
“Mark’s got a car on its way over here,” he said, after he’d paid the bill and they headed back to the Jeep. “They’ll check out the reservation book and by the time we’re back at the Friendship Center he’ll probably know all about the mysterious Native guy who took Shannon out to dinner the night before she died.”
“I guess the cops could be right about the killer being Native.”
“Maybe, depends on what this guy has to say for himself.”
“I’m just worried about how Alex will feel if his sister was murdered by one of her own people.”
“I guess we’ve done all we can for today. Did you want to go home or were you going back to work?”
“Work please. I’ve been letting things pile up the last couple days. I’ll need to burn some midnight oil tonight.”
Jesse dropped Martine at the entrance to the Friendship Center and headed for Vancouver Homicide. He wanted to clear his trip to Victoria with Mark, and then he planned to head home to make reservations. Just the thought of an entire weekend with Martine sharing the same suite, if not the same bed posed some intriguing possibilities.
Chapter Five
“All set?” Jesse asked when Martine answered his knock the next morning.
“I’m just about finished. I worked until after midnight last night, so I’m moving kind of slow. Would you like some coffee?
“Thanks. I brought my own.” Jesse held up a Starbucks cup. “It looks like we’re going to have a great day for crossing the Strait of Georgia. We might even spot some killer whales.”
“That would be fantastic.” Martine spoke from the open door of her bedroom where she had bent over to add a few more items to her suitcase.
“On another note,” Jesse said to her back. “I just got off the phone with Hanson. He had some interesting news.”
“About Shannon’s killer?”
“Her escort. I’m not convinced he’s our killer. The guy’s name is Lyle Miller. He’s a statistician for Indian Affairs in Ottawa. He’s been in town working on a federal aid program the government is set to roll out to the Bands. Miller is married, and he is not anxious for his wife to find out about his dinner with Shannon.”
“He should be more concerned about the fact that Shannon was only sixteen than whether or not his wife finds out that he’s been playing around.”
“He swears Shannon told him she was nineteen and Hanson is inclined to believe his story. According to Hanson, Miller didn’t even try to dodge questions. He came clean immediately.”
“That’s in his favor.”
“Yes. Miller met Shannon at the downtown library on Monday afternoon. She told him she was a student at UBC doing research for a term paper on Native culture.”
“That sounds credible. Shannon skipped my Monday afternoon circle. If this Miller is telling the truth that would explain why she didn’t show up.”
“Miller claims they talked for a couple of hours and he invited her to dinner.”
“So how did Amy see him outside of Evergreen house?”
“Shannon told Miller she had to tutor a student at Evergreen House. He dropped her off in a cab, then kept an appointment of his own and picked her up two hours later on corner of Hastings and Commercial.”
“I’m surprised Mark hasn’t arrested him given the fact that he’s admitted spending the evening with her.”
“That might happen yet. Mark’s under a lot of pressure to make an arrest.”
“If I were Lyle I’d get in touch with a good lawyer.”
“Apparently that’s already been done, and I know Mark himself has doubts about Miller’s guilt. He actually sounded excited when I told him I was following up a lead concerning Shannon’s foster father who lives on Vancouver Island.”
* * *
“This is awesome,” Martine leaned over the ferry’s rail and watched the Spirit of Vancouver Island pull away from the pier.
“Have you ever ridden a ferry?”
“No. I’ve wanted to, but I never seemed to find the time.”
“I’m glad to be along for your first.” Jesse brushed a strand of hair out of her face and let his hand linger on her shoulder.
Martine met his eyes, then, as if disinclined to spoil the day, turned back to the water. “How long before we have to go below deck?”
“The trip takes an hour and twenty minutes. They’ll signal a return to vehicles about 15 minutes before docking.”
“Let’s go up top.”
“It’s pretty windy.”
“I don’t care. I’ve never had a chance to look for whales. A minute ago, a woman told me she saw a whole pod of them her last trip. They haven’t seen anything today, but there are dolphins following the ship.”
“Well then, let’s get up there. Maybe we’ll have better luck.”
Unfortunately, the whales failed to make an appearance, but the breathtaking coastline, intricate waterways, small islands and numerou
s attractive bays and coves kept them so enthralled they nearly missed the call to return to the boat deck.
A short shuttle ride brought them to downtown Victoria, where they entered a picturesque harbor teaming with sailboats that glided in and out of the docks. Martine’s first sight of the Empress Hotel and the Parliament Buildings had her pressing her nose against the window.
“Look, over there.” Martine drew Jesse’s attention to a horse drawn carriage crossing the intersection “and over there,” she continued, grabbing his sleeve and pointing toward a double-decker bus. “I’d love to ride one of them.”
“Maybe we can take a tour. I think that one’s headed over to the House of Parliament.”
“It’s beautiful, and the Empress Hotel. I can’t wait to see the inside. I’ve heard it’s practically a palace.”
“Then you’ll be happy to know that’s where we’re staying.”
“Isn’t it terribly expensive?”
“Worth it. Besides, we get a government rate. I’ve booked a suite—with two bedrooms. Will you be okay with that?”
“Of course. I’m not that touchy.” Martine tossed her long black mane over her shoulders. “And like you say, it’s work-related.”
* * *
“What an absolutely perfect night.” Martine’s eyes sparkled as she stood in the living room of their decidedly Victorian suite. “This hotel is gorgeous, and the food at the Blue Crab was out of this world. How did you manage to find that place?”
“The Director suggested it. I’ll have to thank her.”
“I’m so full I can hardly move, and exhausted too. What do you have planned for morning?”
“I’m hoping to see the Parkers first thing. You’re welcome to come along, but if you’d like to do a bit of sight-seeing, please go ahead.”
“Thank you. I would like to see a bit of the city. If you’re sure you don’t need my help, I’ll probably take one of the tours they have listed down in the lobby.”
“Sound great. How about if we meet back here for high tea? From what I’ve heard it’s a ‘not to be missed’ experience.”
