by J. Valentine
Grace’s gears grinded as Olivia shifted from first to second after turning out of the long stretched out driveway. She turned on her headlights and was on her way. The short drive took her along Red Arch lake, and she could see the Cartwright lake house in the distance. She hoped they’d be as inviting as she was to Barry. Home field advantage was always nice in an interview, but Olivia desperately wanted to see what kind of living conditions the Cartwright’s wealth provided them. And she wanted the opportunity to look for any clues where she was permitted to look.
It was almost impossible to see the houses from the street. The long circling road along the adjacent lake was surrounded by trees on both sides. Olivia thought about how many trees must have been cut down to clear a path for the road, and clear the land for the beautiful houses. The entire city had gone up so fast, after it was discovered just how many rare earth elements, and resources were on the land. It’s continued to grow since.
Olivia’s GPS alerted her to turn left, and she quickly spotted the address marker sticking out of the road next to the clearing of trees hiding the driveway up down towards the home. As she drove down towards the lake, she thought of how difficult this area would be to plow, and how lucrative a business that had been in Red Arch. These families could all easily afford the hundred dollars per snowfall to have it professionally managed.
***
She drove down the long driveway and saw the back side of the lake house. The front side facing the water of course. A beautiful wooden open concept detached garage towered over her, as she drove the civic inside, hidden from the elements. The back of the lake house was just as beautiful as the front. This would cost millions down south, she thought to herself, wondering about the cost of the lake house. She walked up the steps and knocked on the door.
“It’s a beautiful home you have here Mrs. Cartwright,” Olivia told Anna, upon being let inside.
“Thank you,” Anna said flatly, a glass of wine in her hand. The robe she was wearing concealed her plain white t-shirt, and pajama pants. The slippers and scraggly blonde hair gave Olivia enough information that Anna had still been in the grieving process. Probably got out of bed a few hours ago, and didn’t have the energy to get dressed. Just enough to open a bottle of wine.
Anna’s daughter Layla was a little bit younger than Barry, likely in her early twenties. Similar hair to her mother’s, but straightened, and put into a messy ponytail situated high on her head. Her nipples poking through her spaghetti strap crop top reminded Olivia of Jennifer Anniston in Friends. Baggy sweatpants completed the look. She probably just got finished making a tiktok upstairs before coming down to see who had arrived.
“Olivia Guilbault?” The young perky girl asked, hesitantly.
“Yes, Layla, she has a few questions for us,” Anna told her daughter.
“It shouldn’t take too much of your time Layla,” Olivia relieved her.
“Let me go get changed,” she went upstairs to cover up with a sweater.
“Would you like a cup of coffee or tea while we wait?” Anna asked Olivia.
“Tea would be lovely, milk please. Would it be alright if I use your washroom before we get started?”
“Of course, down the hall on the right,” Anna told her.
The bathroom was just as nice and posh as the house. Decorative towels hanging on the wall that seemed untouched, a flowing beautifully crafted flowing water spout atop the cut marble sink, and a toilet with a very nice and pleasant bidet that Olivia was happy to use thoroughly. Hmmm, curiosity and investigative instinct was getting the best of Olivia. She opened the mirrored cabinet above the very nice sink, and was shocked at what she found.
Bottle after bottle of psychotropic drugs, Xanax, Zoloft, Lexapro, Risperdal, Abilify. All prescribed to Anna and Layla. Olivia looked through them, careful not to shake the bottle. Abilify, Layla Cartwright, take 2 per day, bottle of 14, prescribed 6 days ago, Olivia read the bottle. There should be two left, she thought. Olivia opened the bottle to check and found it practically full. Not only did they receive a lot of prescriptions, they weren’t the most diligent in taking them as prescribed.
It made sense to Olivia that the two would have a few medications together, with Maryam being such a prominent psychologist, but the astonishing number of pills was unprecedented. It didn’t make sense. What was Maryam thinking? Olivia considered.
“That’s some bidet,” Olivia joked, after returning from the washroom to see Anna and Layla patiently waiting for her. The tea was brewed just the way Olivia liked. The warm sensation down her throat was soothing in the harsh cold climate.
“Yeah we’ll never go back to just toilet paper,” Anna laughed.
Good to see they still have a sense of humor. “So would you like to get situated in the living room for the interviews? Anna would you like to go first?”
“We can’t be interviewed together?” Anna asked.
“Usually I just interview one on one, it’s a little easier that way. Not to worry, it’s standard procedure. Are you both comfortable with that?”
“Yeah that’s okay,” Layla looked towards her mother.
“I can go first,” Anna agreed.
***
A stuffed moose head hung on the wall of the living room. Incredible craftsmanship. Olivia wondered if it was done in Red Arch, or if the pelt was sent away to the city. The living room surprisingly didn’t have much natural light, the large windows Olivia had seen from the road were in the kitchen, dining room, and bedrooms. The living room was lit by a large gas fireplace, bringing the temperature of the room up to a toasty eighty degrees.
Book shelves lined the walls, filled with things neither of the girl’s had likely ever considered reading. Olivia noticed a section dedicated to just old school philosophers who helped develop Maryam’s science. Carl Jung, Sigmund Freud, Eric Ericson, Otto Rank, among many others. It seemed Maryam was a fan of their thought, or at least interested in their work.
The chair and matching couch the two were sitting on were dark maroon, almost the color of blood. The upholstery seemed to be quite old, but sturdy. A relic of the detailed craftsmanship of the past. Quite comfortable. Olivia sat on the couch, across from Anna who sat a few inches above her stature. Olivia sipped her tea before placing her audio recorder on the coffee table between them.
Anna’s eyes glanced towards the recorder.
“Is a recording okay?” Olivia asked.
“Yes of course, why would you have to record this though?” Anna hesitated.
“Oh nothing to be worried about, it’s just for my records.”
“Okay,” Anna relented.
Olivia leaned forward, set her tea down, and hit *record* on the device.
“So, tell me what happened?” Olivia asked her to begin.
“The Friday before Christmas Layla and I went up to the cabin.”
“Just you two, not Maryam?” Olivia interrupted.
“Yes… the cabin was something that Layla and I liked to do together, just the two of us. We used to call it a “girls only” trip before the transition.”
“Did Maryam want to come?”
“No, she was always accepting of us spending time together.”
“Please continue,” Olivia asked.
“So Layla and I went up to the cabin on the friday before Christmas, just to spend time together, relax, read, and get away from our electronics for some time. Like a reset you know?”
Olivia nodded.
“We came home on Christmas day, and Maryam wasn’t there. We were confused, but thought she would return soon. We didn’t start panicking until later that night. We left countless messages for her, and called everyone we could think of, like her brother in Winnipeg, and parents. But no one knew. It was a sleepless night, but we didn’t want to call the police yet, because we still weren’t sure.”
“That’s understandable, people do all sorts of things when put in stressful situations. You never know how you’ll react until you’re deep i
n it. When did you call the police to report the disappearance?” Olivia questioned.
“The following morning. Straight away at 7am,” Anna explained.
“And her body was found the next day?”
“Yes, the 27th.”
“Okay,” Olivia sipped her tea, deep in thought, “I don’t mean to offend, but may I ask some questions about the transition?”
“Go right ahead,” Anna agreed.
“When did she start the process of transitioning?”
“Five years ago.”
“You were married at the time?” Olivia asked.
“We were married in 2010, and she started transitioning in 2015,” Anna explained.
“How did you react to it?”
“I supported her 100%. I made vows agreeing to stay no matter what. Besides, I was still attracted to her, I always liked both men and women.”
“It must have been hard on Layla though?” Olivia pried.
“No actually, she supported her dad transitioning as well. It wasn’t a big deal to us at all.”
“I’m glad you all had such a nice home life. You all seem very supportive of one another,” Olivia complimented the woman.
“Yes, we’ve been very blessed up until this point. It’s hard to believe that such a short time ago we were all… just one big happy family,” a tear came to her eye.
“I’m sorry for your loss,” Olivia said, handing Anna a tissue from the box on the table.
“Thank you.”
“So, who do you think is responsible?” Olivia got to the hard question.
“Barry. It was him. He knew about the inheritance, and didn’t want to wait to get his cut. Layla and him had a bad split, and he knew it was only a matter of time before Maryam updated her will,” Anna said definitively.
“What makes you so certain?”
“He’s the only person with any motive!” Anna raised her voice at the question.
“Isn’t it possible there could be someone in town with hatred towards trans people? They are statistically more likely to be assaulted or murdered.”
“I don’t think so. Maryam was always so careful. I think it was someone she knew. Most murders are committed by someone you know. Not just some crazy sick stranger.”
The words hung in the air for a moment. “Well. Thank you, if I have any other questions may I call you?”
“Sure.”
Chapter 9
“So Layla, how are you today?” Olivia began, after Anna and Layla swapped places.
“I’m good, how are you?” Layla seemed timid, and uneasy about the situation. Understandable after a parent had been murdered.
“I’m well. There’s nothing to be nervous about, just answer my questions as honestly as you can,” Olivia reassured the beautiful young girl.
“Okay.”
“Firstly, I’m very sorry for your loss, I’m sure this has been a very difficult time for you.”
“It has, thank you,” she replied.
“So tell me in your own words, what happened?”
“Well, my mom and I went up to the cabin for the weekend before christmas. Just to take some time for ourselves. When we got back my dad was missing, we called the police, and the body was found after that.
“Your dad?” Olivia asked.
“It has always been easier to just call her dad, less confusion that way… was easier,” she corrected herself.
“Please continue,” Olivia told her.
“I wish we hadn’t waited to call the police when we got back, maybe we could have saved her,” tears began flowing down her face.
“I’m sorry, we’re almost through, just a few more questions,” Olivia handed her a tissue. “I wanted to ask about Barry.”
“I know it was him,” her sadness turned to anger.
“Why?”
“He’s a bad person. Too much drugs, and would cheat on me. After I dumped him he knew he had to kill my dad fast so that he would still be in the will,” she explained.
“Did you know about the will?”
“She never told my mom and I anything about it. I don’t understand why. She was always such a great father to me and a great husband, or wife, to my mom. It didn’t make any sense. Barry must have manipulated her somehow!”
“Was he manipulative towards you ever?”
“He was. He’d gas light me and made me think I was going crazy. He’s an awful man and should be locked up. I have no idea why he’d hire you. Some kind of sick game I think,” sadness was returning to Layla.
“I understand he was given a significant amount of money. It doesn’t seem right.” Olivia stated.
“No one even knows how much since the bitcoin price jumps so much.”
“Bitcoin?” Olivia asked her.
“It’s a currency like dollars or euros, but all online computer to computer. It makes transfers impossible to track, and has been booming the past year. My dad had hundreds of bitcoins stored on a hard drive. My mom and I don’t know what happened to it, but we’re pretty sure Barry has it.”
“How much is one bitcoin worth now?”
Layla pulled out her phone to check, “fifty thousand CAD. That hard drive was worth potentially tens of millions of dollars. Wherever it is. There was no mention of it in the will.”
“That’s very interesting,” Olivia jotted down more questions on her legal pad. “Did you tell the police about this?”
“No, I doubt they’d do anything. I’m not even sure if stealing the bitcoin was illegal. It’s so new, I don’t think there are many laws surrounding it,” she explained.
Chapter 10
The initial interviews are always interesting. Quickly you begin to see how naturally some people lie, and how often their stories contradict each other. Only through careful eloquent investigation of the cold hard facts does the picture begin to get clearer, and the truth begin to come out. It is so clear who had the most to gain, but something just doesn’t add up. Everything seems too obvious right now. More digging is necessary.
Olivia finished updating her blog. She hoped her followers would like this one. The sun was beginning to set, and the wind was blowing harder when she stepped out of the house, and into the beat up civic. A hell of a storm was on its way. She drove carefully on the treacherous roads back to her brother’s home. She could feel the wind blowing the car as she drove next to the lake back towards the north end of town where her brother lived.
***
Alvi greeted her at the door. Max was in the hallway, looking at himself in the full length mirrored door of the entryway closet. “So what are the Cartwright’s like?” He asked her.
“They were fairly forthcoming with their answers to my questions which was nice. Don’t always get that. I still have a lot of questions about this case,” she told him.
“I’m sure you’ll figure it all out soon enough.”
“Max I want you to be careful out there, the roads are getting bad. I think the snow is going to start soon.”
“Oh it’ll be okay, I got Penny,” he smiled, referring to his new Subaru SUV.
“Fair enough. You look really nice by the way, I think Stephanie is going to be very impressed,” she complimented him.
“Thanks, I sure hope so.”
He stood adjusting his shirt. A dark purple color, with a small collar, and thin tie hanging down just touching his belt buckle. A dark grey blazer overtop, and dark blue jeans, and sneakers. He did his best, but Olivia thought there was still room for improvement.
“Lose the tie,” she told him.
He took it off, and she was impressed by how much better he looked. Max smiled, brushing his hair to the side, and checking his face to make sure he shaved every hair, and that his sideburns were even enough. He was happy with the result, but Olivia could tell that part of him still missed the beard and scraggly long mountain man hair.
“Thanks, Olivia. It’s really nice having you around,” he said.
“It’s nice being around
, Max.”
“Any call from Brad yet? You sure looked excited when he asked for your number. Bet that brought you back to high school,” he smiled.
She smiled back, “nothing yet, fingers crossed,” she crossed her fingers, “maybe my feminine wiles can finesse some information about the case out of him.”
“Olivia! I’m your brother,” he laughed, “don’t talk that way around me.”
“Such a prude,” she told him.
Olivia waved to her brother after telling him to be careful on the roads once again. The snow had begun to lightly fall on the beautiful small town of Red Arch. He returned the wave and went to Antonio’s to meet the love of his high school life, Staphanie. Olivia hoped maybe he’d get lucky and bring her home tonight.
The loneliness of the small town was getting to her. Always a bit of a loner, but still missing the few friends she had made in Southern Ontario. What’s the big deal if I text him first, Olivia thought to herself.
She opened her phone, and keyed in the sexy detective’s number.
“Ready for the storm?” She began.
“Who is this?” He quickly replied.
Shit, “Didn’t mean to sound so ominous, sorry LOL. It’s Olivia Guilbault, silly!”
“I was just thinking about you.”
She prayed that that didn’t mean what she thought it meant. If she got an unsolicited picture in the next few minutes the suspicions would be found true.
“Me?” She replied.
“Yeah, you ;)”
“I was hoping you’d call me by now,” she complained.
“I thought the rule down south was to wait three days. I didn’t want to seem so eager.”
“I don’t mind eagerness. What are you doing tonight?”
“Now who is eager? XD”
Olivia laughed aloud at the message and replied, “Answer the question you dork.”
“Just laying down by the fire, drinking a glass of wine, reading a good detective novel.”
