turned right onto King Street West, which became Front Road once out of the downtown. Front Road in turn fed into Old Front Road some twenty minutes on. Old Front Road wound along the shoreline of Lake Ontario, both sides lined in houses set back in the trees on large lots. She was lucky to have landed in a house with prime property backing onto the lake. Her lawyer friend Marjory owned the land but was away for at least the year working in the North on a land claims case.
Kala followed Old Front Road past Gundersund’s property. His car was in the driveway but there was no sign of him. Nor was there any sign of Dawn walking along the road. She rounded the corner and took an immediate turn into Marjory’s driveway. She slowed and eased past the birch trees, parking between two old growth pines. She craned her neck to look out through the windshield for any sign of life. The lights were off in the front of the house and her heart dropped. She stepped out of the truck.
It was nearly dark now. The wind had come up and she could hear waves striking the shore. Taiku would be desperate to get outside after being stuck in the house all day. She’d let him out and then start making some calls. The problem was that she had no idea who Dawn knew in Kingston. Perhaps Gundersund and Rouleau would help with her search. She started walking toward the back of the house but slowed as she neared the back verandah. A man’s laugh warned her that she was not alone. A girl’s voice answered and Kala exhaled relief, but she was immediately on guard again. Dawn had made it home, but who was she with?
Kala skirted silently around the side of the house until she had a view of the deck. Looking up, she saw the two figures sitting in the deck chairs close together, out of the wind. The light was on in the kitchen, backlighting them from behind. It took her a few seconds to recognize Gundersund. Dawn was talking and Kala stopped to listen, surprised to hear the girl speaking in more than monosyllables. The sudden relief that Kala felt knowing everything was okay was followed by anger. Her partner and Dawn were settled in having a nice chat while she’d been worried out of her mind.
“I liked living in Ottawa. My mother was a waitress until she got sick but she wouldn’t let me stop going to school. She wanted me to go to art college when I get older. She used to like my drawings and always made me tape them up on the wall in the kitchen.”
Gundersund’s voice carried toward her on the evening breeze. “You still can go to art school, you know. Have you been doing any drawings since you came to live with Kala?”
“No. I don’t feel like painting. I just don’t want to anymore.”
Gundersund nodded. “Sometimes that happens. I remember when my brother died, I didn’t play baseball for an entire summer. We used to be on the same team and it made me sad to go to the ball diamond without him.”
“How old were you?”
“Fourteen. Charley was a year younger than me. A drunk driver hit the car and Charley was sitting in the front passenger seat. It was his turn, so I was in the back.”
“You must have felt bad, but it wasn’t your fault.”
“I know that now. It took me a while to believe it.”
A rush of motion came from the back of the property. Taiku was bounding toward Kala with Gundersund’s dog, Minny, at his heels. Kala stepped out of the shadows and waved up at Dawn and Gundersund before Taiku reached her. “There you are, Dawn,” she said, knowing she’d been caught eavesdropping. Embarrassment made her voice sharp. “I went to pick you up at Dr. Lyman’s and couldn’t find you. Why didn’t you answer your phone? You must have known I’d be worried. Did you just not care?”
Gundersund was quiet for a moment. Then, he spoke with the same reassuring voice that he’d just used with Dawn. “I met Dawn walking home at the start of Old Front Road so offered to drive her the rest of the way. She was upset because her phone was dead and she hadn’t been able to reach you. I left you a message on your cell to let you know where she was, but I guess you didn’t get it. Anyhow, we stopped to get Minny and then decided to walk her from my place to let Taiku out.”
Kala climbed the steps. She should have answered Gundersund’s call. “I was driving when you called.” She looked at Dawn, not quite ready to let her anger go. “I’m sorry I was late picking you up, but you shouldn’t have left without telling Dr. Lyman or Stella. You knew that I was coming for you.”
Dawn’s head dropped. “Sorry,” she mumbled from under her veil of black hair.
Kala felt herself deflate like a pricked balloon as she looked at her niece’s bowed head. After all, she was mainly to blame for having left Dawn waiting so long without sending word that she was late. Gundersund’s eyes were studying her and she stared back at him.
“I guess I’ll go in and heat up that leftover stew,” she said. She walked past the two of them and turned with her hand on the door handle. “You’re welcome to stay, Gundersund.”
Dawn lifted her head.
“I’d enjoy that,” Gundersund said. “All that’s waiting for me at home is a frozen dinner and two weeks’ worth of dirty laundry.”
Dawn finished eating and disappeared into her bedroom to do homework. Kala watched her leave, regretting her earlier harsh words. Dawn had become even more withdrawn during the meal and she knew that it was her fault.
“Well I better be pushing off,” Gundersund said. “Busy day tomorrow.”
They both stood at the same time and Kala followed him toward the back door. “Any theories on what happened to Violet Delaney?” he asked as they stepped outside onto the deck. Stars glittered above in an ink black sky. The spring wind was still up, but the cold edge was gone.
“I’m leaning toward murder-suicide, but not yet convinced of anything,” Kala said. “Ivo Delaney seemed genuinely in shock when he identified her raincoat and mitten.”
“Maybe. Hell of a shame when a mother takes that way out. Better to just end her own life and leave the kid.”
“She must have been in awful pain.”
“It’s hard to understand.” Gundersund hesitated. “Say, I wonder if I could take Dawn to an art show a friend of mine is having on Wednesday night. I know it’s a school night, but I’d get her back early. You could come too, if you like.”
“I don’t know. Let me think about it.”
“Sure, but it would be a chance for her to maybe get inspired again.”
“I’ll think about it. I promise.”
“Great. Well, see you tomorrow.”
“Yeah. Bright and early.”
He climbed down the steps and whistled for Minny and then disappeared into the darkness. She waited a few moments before calling for Taiku. She’d just decided that she’d have to go in search of him when he appeared at the bottom of the steps, tail wagging.
“Time to call it a night, boy,” she said. “Get in the house and let’s get to bed.” She waited while Taiku had one last sniff around the lawn below the deck before he climbed the steps and padded past her into the house.
A half hour later, lying in bed staring out the open window, Gundersund’s words replayed in her head. Losing a brother so young would leave a pain that time would ease, but never completely erase. Sharing his
