Lion's Head Revisited

by Jeffrey Round

  Sometimes you were able to withstand the change; other times you crashed and burned. He thought of Eli Gestner. One moment you were alive, the next you were gone.

  At least for now, Dan was still here. He would weather the new owners till they forced him out. Nick would stand up to a new boss till one of them cracked.

  Nick was there when he got home. Dan thought of telling him that Ked had said goodbye, but that would be a lie. Instead, he said the leave-taking had been quick and painless. Ked would see them at Christmas.

  “Any news about the new boss?”

  Nick shrugged. “Nothing I don’t already know. Sometime before the end of the year is what it looks like.”

  “So you’ll have time to adjust.”

  “Should do, yes.”

  Ralph was lying on his cushion in the kitchen, already moping over his absent master. Nick passed Dan a cup of coffee then pulled out a sheet of paper and placed it on the table.

  “Your list,” he said.

  Dan looked over. “Yes?”

  “First off, Eli Gestner.”

  “Was there an insurance policy dated about a year ago?”

  “Yes.” Nick stared at him. “Lots of people have insurance policies. How did you know it was made out a year ago?”

  “That’s when they got Jeremy’s official diagnosis. Eli knew it was going to cost them a lot of money.”

  Dan thought of Eli that first day on leaving his office: My son is everything to me. I would do anything for Jeremy. Had it included killing himself? It would be nice to be sure. But then that was the point. If anyone could prove it was suicide there would be no insurance. He might never have the certainty of knowing.

  Nick was nodding. “There are no other benefactors. Not even Janice Bentham. Just his son.”

  “Something to ponder,” was all Dan said.

  “I also did a little follow-up on his finances. He was well off after both parents died a couple years apart about a decade ago. He lived on that for a while, but something took a chunk out of his savings a few months ago.”

  “The bad business deal,” Dan said. “The one with Elroy James.”

  “Sounds like you’re already there.” Nick turned back to the papers. “And then there’s this little nugget: Marietta Valverde’s parents? The ones she sponsored to come to Canada?”

  “When are they coming?”

  Nick looked triumphant. “They’re already here. They’ve been in Canada for over a month now.”

  Dan felt a jolt. “Why would they —?”

  “Lie? You tell me,” Nick said. “It’s your list.”

  Dan sipped his coffee, pondering the unexpected information. “So where are they?”

  “Still working on that. I also followed up on the mothers. Clarice Bentham is a very successful businesswoman, no unanswered questions about finances or anything like that. If there’s dirt, I couldn’t find it. And as I already said, Ashley’s mother disappeared after she was released from the home. I couldn’t find anything new on her, but I found the mother of the surrogate, Sarah Nealon. She’s another one who checks out as clean as far as the law is concerned. Apparently there is very little contact between her and her daughter. And she plans to keep it that way.”

  “She said that?”

  “That and more. She’s all but disowned her daughter.”

  “So nothing useful then,” Dan said.

  “Not until we get to Janice Bentham. As a teenager, she went from being a model student to getting kicked out of one school after another for bad behaviour. Truancy, drugs.”

  “That would tally up with the abuse she was experiencing at home,” Dan said.

  Nick nodded. “It makes sense. But there’s more. I found a court-ordered ban on something that happened at her last school.”

  Dan put his coffee cup down. “A ban? Because she was still a juvenile?”

  “Not quite sixteen.”

  “That’s around the time she said she left home. Any indication what it was?”

  “There was nothing in the file.”

  “Can you find out?”

  Nick’s look was pure rebuke. “You want me to break a court order?”

  “If you can.”

  “Sure, no problem. I’ll just put my job in jeopardy for you. Again.”

  Dan reached across the table and took Nick’s hand. “Isn’t that what love is all about?”

  Nick sighed.

  “And Elroy James?” Dan asked.

  “Elroy James is the mystery man in all of this. Never finished high school, in and out of juvie for a few years. Then suddenly, hey, presto! He’s rich. Only it’s not entirely clear how. Elroy Enterprises owns a couple of small bars in the Caribbean and a strip club in Kapuskasing. None of those would have made him a millionaire, though.”

  “What about the recent trip?”

  “His flight was to North Bay. I pulled a favour and had him followed when he landed. Two hours to Killarney, in fact, where he spent the night at a cabin owned by some bikers. Great place up on some rocks overlooking the lake. It’s a meth lab. I couldn’t bust them, but I’m told that’s coming. At least now we know what he does.”

  “Sure, but does that make him a killer who would run a business partner off the road?”

  “Hard to say. Crooks don’t care where the money comes from. If you pay your debts, then you’re home free. But if you don’t …” He left it unfinished. “Now your turn. And don’t tell me you still don’t have any suspects, because there are enough here to sink a ship or cast a B movie. At least give me your theories.”

  Dan smiled. “Okay, theory number one: Eli and Elroy concocted the kidnapping together.”

  “So they just pretended to be enemies?”

  “No — I think they really were enemies after the business deal went sour. They stayed that way until one of them came up with a plan. Because Eli still needed to pay off Elroy.”

  “In that case, why would Elroy kill Eli if the kidnapping was successful?”

  “Good question. Which leads me to theory number two: Eli concocted the kidnapping on his own to pay off Elroy. But instead of paying him off, he decided to keep the money for his son.”

  Nick whistled. “So Elroy might have killed him for revenge.”

  “Correct.” He looked at Nick. “There’s a third possibility. Eli had nothing to do with the kidnapping and simply resorted to his original plan, which was to kill himself so Jeremy could cash in on the insurance policy.”

  “Then who has the money you left in the cottage in the Bruce?”

  “That I do not know. But someone has it. And it’s not Theda McPhail.”

  “Too bad you can’t ask her,” Nick said.

  “No, I can’t,” Dan said, as a thought struck him. “But I know someone I can ask.”

  It was a beautiful afternoon. The neighbourhood was calm and serene. Theda McPhail’s neighbour, Carole, answered his knock promptly.

  “Oh, there you are!” she said with a smile, as though she’d just been waiting all that time for him to return.

  “Good morning, Carole. How are you?”

  “I’m fine. I was just trying to figure out how to get in touch to let you know about the funeral,” she said. Her smile took a sudden downturn. “But then you didn’t know her, did you?”

  “No, I didn’t know her.”

  “You don’t look anything like her nephews. I’m not sure why I thought that.”

  “I’m a private investigator,” Dan said.

  Carole’s face lit up as though it made up for her disappointment. “That must be exciting!”

  “Carole — would you mind if I asked you a few questions?”

  The idea seemed to appeal to her. “If you think it would help. Yes, of course.”

  She glanced behind her into the house as though considering whether it was safe to invite him inside. Curiosity won out. They went into the living room, nearly identical in layout to Theda’s but with a mint-green carpet.

  Dan waite
d as she made coffee.

  “Did you speak to her often?” he asked, accepting the cup she offered.

  “All the time!” Her eyes widened, as though she suddenly realized it would never happen again. “Hardly a day went by that I didn’t see her, sometimes in the morning when she was leaving for work and again when she came home in the evening. She loved her job, you know. She was always friendly, always had time for a chat. A really good neighbour.”

  She cradled her cup and sat looking off, clearly thinking what a good neighbour Theda had been.

  “Had anything been disturbing her lately?” Dan asked. “Anything she might have mentioned, even casually?”

  “Apart from the cancer, you mean? Well, let me think.” She cast back in her mind. “Now what did we talk about recently? About her retirement, certainly. That had just started. And I seem to recall she said something about having the plumbing looked at. Her basement floods when it rains and she said how she needed to find someone to do that.”

  “Did she have someone in to look at the plumbing?”

  “No, I don’t think she did. In fact, I remember she said she would do it next week, because there was something else she needed to clear up first.”

  “What was that?”

  “Something to do with a former student,” she said. “She said she’d had a shock. This was a few weeks back now. She was sitting on her porch and she was doing the puzzles. But it wasn’t the same day she discovered her name was an anagram for death.” Carole stopped for a moment to glance out the window at Theda’s front yard. “Imagine going your whole life and not knowing your name is an anagram for death. Seems a bit odd, doesn’t it?”

  “Yes. It does.”

  “They’re funny, aren’t they? Anagrams, I mean.”

  “Listen,” Dan said. “Silent.”

  Silence had always worked for him. In fact, it was the only way he could hear his inner thoughts.

  “Hmm?” She cupped a hand to her ear. “I can’t hear anything.”

  He shook his head. “No, I was just … please continue.”

  She nodded. “Well, it got me thinking, you know.”

  “Yes?”

  “I started wondering what my name would be an anagram for. Carole — with an e. Can you guess?”

  “No,” Dan said.

  “Oracle!” she said. “I’m the oracle!”

  Dan sat tight. It was like waiting for Horace to get to the point.

  “But you asked what might be disturbing her. She did say it had something to do with the death of one of her students. A young man. She said something didn’t add up right.”

  Dan’s ears pricked up. “What was that?”

  She looked off for a moment then shook her head. “I’m afraid I can’t remember. But I got the feeling it was some time ago.”

  “Can you recall anything else? Where the death took place?”

  “Well, it would have been here in Toronto. Theda always taught school in Toronto.”

  “And did she say what she planned to do about it?”

  “I don’t know that she was going to do anything about it, just that she was going to look into it.”

  “Did she mention the young man’s name?”

  “Yes, I think she did. Now let me see.” She put a hand to her forehead, an oracle waiting for intuition to strike. “No, it’s not coming to me, but I seem to recall it was one of those ambiguous boy-girl names. Like Jesse or Robin.” She gave him a bemused look. “I once knew a woman who named her daughter Michael, if you can believe it. And also a boy named Shirley.”

  Another five minutes produced no further revelations. Dan put down his cup and held out his card.

  “Thank you for speaking with me, Carole. Please call me if you remember anything else.”

  “Dan Sharp, Private Investigator.” She read the card with a look of amazement. “I will certainly let you know if I do.”

  Pleasant Valley had probably never seemed so exciting.

  TWENTY-EIGHT

  O.D.

  DAN GOT NICK ON HIS CELL. He sounded as though he’d just woken up. It struck Dan that a great deal of their relationship took place over the phone between Nick’s shifts. Not unlike Ked’s different time zones.

  “The neighbour said Theda McPhail remembered something about the death of a former student. She said Theda told her that something didn’t add up right and she was going to look into it.”

  Nick was silent.

  “The court-ordered blackout in Janice’s record. You said the incident took place at a school?”

  “Correct.”

  “If it’s still on the records it would have to have been something serious. Like aggravated assault or even manslaughter.”

  “Sure — it’s a good likelihood.” He cleared his throat.

  “But it’s still being suppressed?”

  “Confidentiality, rules — you know how it is. I could try to find someone involved in the case. They might be able to tell me something. Unless there was money involved.”

  “Like a payoff for certain privileges?”

  “It’s possible.”

  “Janice said Theda McPhail showed up at her front door twice, but left without saying why she’d come. She came back a third time, but fled when Janice took a photo of her. Obviously she had something on her mind.”

  “And you think Janice was a former student of McPhail’s?”

  We met in a stupid posh school for rich kids, Janice had said when he asked where she’d met Eli.

  “That’s what I’m thinking. Her mother’s rich. She could have paid to have the file suppressed. Not necessarily out of love, but to protect her own reputation.”

  “I could look into it,” Nick said, “but what would it prove? What do you think is really going on here?”

  “I think no one is telling me the truth and it’s been like that from the beginning.”

  A beeping interrupted his reply.

  “Hang on a second,” Dan said. “I’ve got a call coming through.”

  He put Nick on hold. “Sharp.”

  “Hi, my name is Elaine. From Café Frederic?” The voice was hesitant. “I work with Ted.”

  “Hello, Elaine. How can I help?”

  “He said if — if I was ever worried about him to call you. He said you’d know what I meant.”

  “Yes?” Dan’s mind was instantly on the alert.

  “He hasn’t shown up for his shift. He’s never done that before. I’ve been calling his number, but there’s no answer. I went over to his place on my break, but he didn’t answer when I knocked. I heard his cat meowing inside.”

  “Is there any reason he might not be answering?”

  “His grandmother died yesterday. They were very close. Still, it’s just not like him to not return my calls. I’m just — worried.”

  “What’s his address?”

  She gave him the address and unit number.

  “I’ll head over now,” Dan said.

  He got Nick back on the line.

  “I’ll meet you there,” Nick said.

  It turned out to be a small walk-up with four floors and a shabby lobby. The front door was unlatched. Nick got there first. Together, they headed up the stairs.

  Nick pounded on the door. “Ted? Are you in there?”

  There was no answer. Nick looked to Dan and shook his head. “We don’t have time to wait.”

  He pressed his shoulder to the door and pushed once, twice. The third time it flew inward with a snapping of wood and frame.

  A neighbour’s head stuck out of the door at the end of the hall.

  Hey!” he called out.

  “Police business,” Nick called back. “Have you seen your neighbour lately?”

  “No.”

  Nick held out his badge. “Please go inside.”

  The neighbour hesitated then seemed to decide that Nick was the real deal. He closed his door softly behind him.

  Dan was glad to have Nick with him; he’d hate to break into T
ed’s apartment then have the police arrive. They stepped past the broken frame. The place was shrouded in a soft gloom. A cat hissed and cowered behind an armchair. The only window, on the far side of the room, emitted a faint afternoon light. There was a smell of sickness in the air.

  “Ted?”

  They headed down the hall. Ted lay on the floor inside a darkened bedroom.

  Nick was on his knees, shaking his unresponsive figure. “Ted! Ted, can you hear me?”

  Dan turned on the light and looked around. A dusting of grey-white powder streaked the bedside table. Several small see-through envelopes lay beside it.

  Nick pulled Ted’s eyelids down. The white was shot through with red. A tremor shook his hands.

  “He’s breathing. Call 911,” Nick commanded.

  Dan reached emergency services, giving the address and explaining the situation.

  “Come on, Teddy!” Nick slapped Ted’s face lightly. “Come back. Ted! Ted!”

  As he watched them, Dan felt a buzz. He pulled out his phone. The incoming number wasn’t familiar, but he answered anyway, thinking it might be Elaine again.

  “Sharp.”

  “Hello, Mr. Sharp?”

  It was a woman’s voice, but not one he recognized right away.

  “Yes.”

  “It’s Carole Dawson. Theda McPhail’s neighbour. You said to call —”

  “I’m sorry, Carole. It’s not a good time.” Dan cast an eye outside on the street. There was no ambulance yet. No sound of a siren in the distance.

  “It’s just that I remembered what she said. She said the wrong person got blamed. In the death, I mean. She also said there was a girl involved. That was what she wanted to look into. Theda said the girl’s name was Kathy.”

  Kathy.

  Janice’s real name. The name Theda had called her. It was exactly the sort of thing a school teacher would know and remember. And what had Eli said that night driving up to the Bruce? I used to take the blame for her.

  Dan looked over to where Nick was cradling Ted’s head.

  “Can you get him to the hospital?”

  “What?” Nick demanded without looking up.