Dan Sharp Mysteries 4-Book Bundle (88 page)

After she left, he put on a pot of coffee and retrieved his cellphone from his jacket hanging on the back of a kitchen chair. He scrolled through the missed calls and recognized Stonechild's cell number. She'd tried to reach him twice but hadn't left a message. Her last call had been half an hour ago.

He hit her number and poured himself a cup of coffee while he waited for her to pick up. His headache was becoming manageable after two pain killers but he still felt rough. Now add guilt to the mix. He had let Fiona convince him to call in sick and in doing so had left his partner in the lurch.

No answer.

Worried, he dialed Vera's number. She picked up after one ring.

“Gundersund.”

“I've tried to reach Stonechild. Is something going on?”

“She's on her way to Brockville, chasing down a lead. Rouleau's on his way in.”

“She's not picking up. What happened?”

“The girl called back to the help line. Stonechild thinks Leah Sampson was killed because she hid the girl's sister Nadirah at the family cottage near Brockville. We've got some officers picking up the brother and parents now.”

“The girl's family killed Leah?”

“That's Stonechild's premise. Can you hang on a minute?”

“Sure.”

He heard muffled talking and then Vera was back. “They brought in the father but the mother and brother are missing.”

“Do you have the location of the cottage?”

“No. Wolf is with Stonechild and he's taking her there.”

“Listen. I'm going to start heading to Brockville in my car. If she calls in, get her exact location and phone me on my cell. Do you have any info on the brother's vehicle?”

“Not yet. I'll call as soon as we know anything.”

“And I'll be on my way to find Stonechild.”

N
adirah
Shahan sat on the dock and dangled her feet into the lake. She'd made friends with a flock of ducks who paddled nearby but just out of reach. Ducks she'd been bribing with crumbs so that they'd stick around and not leave her all alone.

“No more bread for you,” she said aloud. They looked in her direction but didn't come any closer. It was almost startling to hear her own voice. She'd been here for nearly a month and hadn't spoken to anyone. That would change soon. Leah was overdue for a visit and had promised to bring a bus ticket and money for a fresh start in Halifax. Nadirah frowned and tried not to worry about Leah's long silence. They'd agreed to make as little contact as possible through September, but she'd been expecting Leah's arrival for over a week. Leah had promised to check up on Dalal and Meeza and would try to get word to Dalal about her sister's whereabouts. Nadirah worried about them too. Still, the best thing would be for her to relocate and send for them once she was settled and had a job.

It was a lovely morning: sunny and warm, although not with the heat of a few weeks before. “You ducks should be thinking about trekking south,” she said. “You don't want to get trapped here for the winter.” A twinge of guilt struck her at the thought that she was responsible for their lingering so long as the weather began to turn the corner into autumn.

She stood and looked at the sparkles of sunshine shimmering across the water. The water reminded her of Kingston and homesickness welled up. No matter how awful her family could be, she still loved her sisters and father, even her mother if it came down to it. She'd tried to be a good daughter but her mother wouldn't bend an iota. She'd tried to understand the old ways that her mother clung to so desperately from her own childhood in India, but could not. Perhaps it was her own failings keeping her from doing as her mother asked. She'd been told often enough that she was the bad seed, bringing dishonour on a respectable family. Her mother thought Mr. Khan was the answer to mending her oldest daughter's rebellious ways and had refused to see Ghazi for what he was. Nadirah trembled at the thought of what her life had become at home and what it would be if she hadn't found Leah.

She walked back down the dock toward shore and started up the path that wound upward through bushes and pine trees to the cottage. She was out of milk and fresh fruit and had taken the last loaf of bread from the small freezer. She'd have peanut butter toast and tea with powdered milk for lunch. Leah had to come soon. She'd know how little food was left and wouldn't let it go on too long. She must be having trouble getting away.

The sound of tires on gravel greeted Nadirah as she reached the deck jutting out over the cliff at the top of the hill. Her heart jumped happily at the thought of Leah's arrival, and she ran lightly across the deck and through the sliding glass door into the cottage to meet her at the front door. The front door looked out toward the parking area and the rutted track that passed by the property. She pictured the purple coneflower, Queen Anne's lace, and buttercups that grew in profusion amidst the raspberry bushes and cedar just outside the door. Leah had been right about the cottage being secluded and free from passersby. It was a safe haven, but Nadirah had never quite gotten used to being so alone. She could now admit that she'd been worried about Leah leaving her there much longer.

She flung open the door and raised a hand in greeting. Horror filled her like a douse of ice water. She barely had time to realize her mistake before Ghazi had shut off the engine and stepped outside the car. Her mother's face turned to glare at her through the front passenger window.

“Hello, Nadirah,” he said. “We've come to put you out of your misery.”

Kala kept her speed just above the limit, the two girls wedged between her and Wolf. The sisters barely spoke in the back seat the entire time. Wolf sat stone-faced, watching out the passenger window.

Kala looked across at him. “You been to this cottage?”

“Leah had parties at her cottage in high school and I went to a couple. Her parents moved to Montreal after she left home for university and only kept the cottage because Leah planned to use it more when school was finished. She loved the place.” He pointed to a sign. “Take that exit. The road to the cottage is five minutes from here.”

She'd ignored her ringing phone, concentrating on her driving. When she got the chance, she'd check in with work before the last leg of the trip. Very likely it was Vera or Rouleau trying to reach her. She took the exit and spotted a gas station and country diner.

She looked at the girls. “Anyone need to use the washroom?” she asked.

“Yes,” Dalal said.

“I'll take them in and will get them a drink,” Wolf said.

“Great. I'll get some gas and will check in at work,” Kala said. “See you back here in ten minutes.”

She watched the three of them cross the parking lot and enter the restaurant while she filled the tank. When she finished, she pulled into a parking spot next to the main entrance.

Gundersund had called a couple of times. Rouleau's number popped up last. She returned his call first. “Hello, sir. How's your dad?”

“Out of surgery and doing well. Where are you?”

“At the truck stop at the 659 exit west of Brockville and about to take the back roads to the Sampson cottage on Charleston Lake. Wolf is with me and knows the way. I should also tell you that I have Nadirah Shahan's two younger sisters with me. They ran away from home and it seemed safer to keep them with me.”

She was relieved when Rouleau didn't get upset with her. She knew bringing them along wasn't the best move. After a brief silence, he asked, “How old?”

“Dalal looks to be about thirteen and Meeza's around eleven. The parents were giving Meeza away to some man this weekend. That's why they ran away as far as I can tell.”

“We've had a slight hiccup at our end. Mr. Shahan is at the station but his wife and son Ghazi are nowhere to be found.”

“Is there any way they could have found Nadirah? I'm making the assumption that Wolf is right about Leah bringing her to this cottage. It makes sense though. Leah was secretive and leaving the office for meetings, which Nadirah's sister now says were with Nadirah at the Sunshine Bakery. Leah disappeared for a day and everybody thought she was having it off with a married man. It could have been the day she brought Nadirah to the cottage. I still haven't figured out how Ghazi made the connection between Leah and Nadirah though.”

“He might have followed his sister to the bakery. He would have recognized Leah from the psychology class. Dalal tells me that he was forever following them around and spying on them.”

“Makes sense.”

“We have no way of knowing what else Ghazi has figured out. Gail Pankhurst kept details about everyone on her laptop. She might have known about Leah's hometown and cottage. You have to be extremely cautious since he could be headed the same place you are. I'd prefer you wait for Gundersund. He's on his way.”

“How far back?”

“About half an hour.”

“If Ghazi has figured out that Nadirah is at this cottage, she could be in real danger. I'm convinced that he killed Leah and put Gail into a coma trying to find out where she was hiding out. I can't wait around here for Gundersund.”

“Do you have your firearm?”

“No. There wasn't time.”

“I don't want you taking the civilians to the cottage. Can you get there without Wolf?”

“It would be quicker with him, but I'll get Wolf to draw a map. He says we're about fifteen minutes away.”

“Good. I'll have Gundersund stop at the gas station to get directions from Wolf as well. I'll also put a call in to the local police, but I doubt they'll get there in time even if they take this seriously. We don't even know if she's at this cottage. Be careful, Kala. You have no idea what you're walking in on.”

“I will be, sir.”

“I'd like to see you back here in one piece.”

“That's my plan.”

Wolf wasn't kidding about the cottage being hard to find. Kala passed the track twice before she spotted a carved board with the word “Sampsons” nailed to a tree stump set in an overgrown thicket of raspberry bushes. She wondered if Ghazi could really have found this location on his own. She doubted it and for the moment felt optimistic that Nadirah was safe if she was holed up here.

She would have enjoyed this drive into the woods if she hadn't been so worried about Nadirah. Oak and cedar trees were interspersed with pine and balsam trees. Sunlight streamed through openings in the green canopy with glimpses of a satin blue sky. The smell of vegetation and rich earth assailed her through the open window. This would be a lovely spot as the leaves changed colour over the next few weeks. Maybe she'd make a return trip to the lake when life calmed down.

The truck jostled along the track and Kala bounced up and down like a bed spring for about a kilometre before a grassy opening appeared on her right. The opening disappeared around a bend and up a hill. Just past the cedar trees, gravel covered the ground, giving traction for cars as they drove up the hill. Wolf had said that she could park at the top of the hill in front of the cottage, but the stones would make a crunchy entrance if she kept going in her truck. Instead, she pulled over and parked in full view of the road. Gundersund would see her truck as he searched for the turn-off and he'd know she was here.

As she climbed the hill, she saw evidence of a vehicle having disturbed the gravel recently. The driver had taken the hill at a high speed, spinning gravel and dirt.

Kala began to have a very bad feeling.

Keeping to the trees along the north side, she walked up the hill and slowed as she reached the crest. The cottage was directly ahead: a rustic one-storey with stained white siding out of the seventies. In Northern Ontario it would have fit in nicely as a camp, not one of the pretentious summer getaways people owned in the south. At the same time as she took in the details of the structure, she processed the four-door black Sentra parked near the front door and facing downhill. Any hope that Nadirah was here alone vanished.

Kala checked for signs of life before walking over and resting her hand on the hood. The engine was hot. They hadn't arrived long before her.

She scooted around to the side of the cottage and circled down the incline until she was beneath the large deck that jutted out over the cliff. Standing still amongst the beams, she strained for sounds of people above. All was silent except for a bumblebee busily extracting nectar from a bed of clover off to her left and a cardinal holding court from one of the pines further down the hill. His call was a low whistle repeated over and over, haunting and melodic.

Where could they be?

She moved silently to the steps and stood in their shadow under the deck. All of her senses were on high alert as she scanned the woods and listened for voices in the cottage. Hearing nothing, she climbed the steps and quickly crossed the deck to stand near the wall. The windows were open and she checked the living room and kitchen, but the rooms were empty. Easing open the sliding glass door, she slipped inside.

The interior matched the exterior. In the living room, wood panelling lined the walls. Reading lamps were spaced strategically next to an old plaid couch and well-worn chairs. Bookcases filled with paperbacks, tasselled throw rugs, and an old television with a VCR. A book on local birds lay open and face down on the coffee table. The cottage smelled musty and damp with the peaty aftertaste of a portable toilet. She ducked into the kitchen and saw a coffee cup resting on the drain board. The fridge and stove were ancient. An old yellow table filled most of the room with mismatched wooden chairs. Wide windows looked out over the woods and lake. It was a rustic getaway perched high above the water with a stunning view. She bet the sunsets were spectacular.

She kept going down the short hall and counted three bedrooms, with bunks in two. The last room had a double bed. The sheets and blanket were pulled back. A woman's toiletries filled the bedside table. Kala checked the chest of drawers and found her clothes neatly folded. Her wallet on the dresser confirmed her identity. Nadirah hadn't brought much.

Kala walked back to the sliding door and looked down toward the water. She took one step onto the deck when a scream pierced the silence like a gunshot. One scream and then nothing, but it had been enough for Kala to locate Nadirah and her brother somewhere down at the lake.

She raced across the deck and down the stairs, not caring that the wood creaked under her feet and her steps pounded like hammers. She picked up speed as she ran down the steep path leading to the dock, her arms stretched in front in case she fell. At the bottom of the hill the lake spread out like a gigantic glittering jewel. The land tapered into a rocky flat stretch with the dock at its tip. This bit of the lake was a bay cradled by stretches of thick forest on either side.

Kala stopped and lifted a hand to shield her eyes from the sun. She searched for Nadirah and Ghazi the length of the dock and land in both directions, but they were nowhere to be seen.

Frustration filled her. Nadirah was running out of time, and Kala felt helpless. She started back up the trail, head down, eyes frantically looking for signs in the earth. Steps from the rock landing, she spotted a foot path through the underbrush that she'd missed on her flight down. She squatted and traced an index finger above scuffled footprints. A handful of torn leaves lay scattered on the path. She glanced up. Branches on leafy bushes were bent as if someone had grabbed onto them to stop from being pulled forward.

Kala straightened and thought for a second. She broke a branch on one of the younger trees at the entrance and took out her earring, dangling it from the end that pointed down the path. It wasn't much, but all she had that would mark the way for her partner.