more and more suspicious. If I had to guess, I’d say that he had her in the woods tied up and decided to get rid of her before the police stumbled across her body. We just didn’t look in the right spot. How can we prove he didn’t dump her on the 401 without a witness?”
The waitress returned with menus. Gundersund and Rouleau accepted but Kala declined. “It’s getting late and I have to get home to my commitment.” She smiled at Rouleau to soften her words. “Thanks.”
“No thanks needed.”
“Do we have a plan of attack for tomorrow?”
Rouleau looked up at the waitress. “We need a few minutes. I’ll motion you over when we’re ready.” When she’d gone, he answered. “We’ll give the search for Violet another day and will expand the search to take in more of the woods around the Delaney property. If we’re lucky, we’ll find where she was being held. I’d like you both to interview Ivo when we get the go ahead from the doctor. It might not be tomorrow though. I’d like you both to return and interview Adele’s sister in Gananoque.”
Kala had forgotten about her. “Has she been informed?”
“Yeah. She decided not to view the body today. She wants to remember Adele alive. She’s expecting you tomorrow around nine.”
Gundersund looked at Kala. “I’ll pick you up at eight.”
Kala thought about turning him down but that made no sense. She was crazy to even think about how it would look to Fiona. “I’ll be ready.” She stood. “Well, I’ll leave you to it. If you find anything tonight, give me a call. I’m up until midnight.”
“You got it,” Rouleau said. “If you don’t hear from me before then, Gundersund will fill you in tomorrow when he picks you up.”
Chapter Eleven
Taiku met her at the door and led her into the living room where Dawn was huddled under a Hudson’s Bay blanket on the couch. She lowered the novel she’d been reading to her lap when Kala sat down next to her.
Kala tried to get a bead on Dawn’s mood but failed. “Sorry I’m so late again.”
“The missing woman and her daughter?”
“Yes. It’s turned into a murder investigation.”
“That’s horrible.”
“It is.” She paused. “I hate leaving you alone so much. How about I find someone to be here to meet you after school?”
“You mean like a babysitter?”
“More like a housekeeper. They could get supper going and clean up. They’d be company until I get home.”
Dawn frowned. “Taiku’s all the company I need. I could get supper going if you tell me what you want to eat. I can tidy up too.”
Kala patted her leg through the blanket. “Have I told you what a great kid you are?” She paused. “I know how hard this has been for you and I’m sorry. I’ve never … I’m not used to looking after anyone but myself and you’ll have to be patient with me.”
“It’s okay.”
“I want you to know that I’m happy to have you with me for however long. You’re family. I also need to talk to you about your mom and Gil.”
“I know about their sentences.”
Kala tried to keep the surprise from her face. “Did somebody contact you?”
Dawn shook her head. “I searched their names in the news on Google. I’ve known for a few days. Are you sure that you want me to stay so long? They won’t be getting out for a long time. Neither will my real dad.”
Nothing about wanting to contact her mom. Kala wondered at the toughness of this child. The wounds must lie deep. She chose her words with care. “I want you here as long as you need me. We can help each other.”
Dawn looked at Kala. “Then we won’t be alone.”
“No, because we’ll have each other.”
Dawn was silent for several seconds. The flash of vulnerability disappeared from her face replaced by an empty stare. “Okay.” She picked up the book from her lap. “I want to finish this chapter before supper.” She lowered her head, effectively ending the conversation. Kala watched her for a moment. The timing never was going to be right. She asked, “Do you want to visit your parents? I can make arrangements.”
Dawn kept her head down. “No.”
“Well, if you ever change your mind, promise you’ll let me know.”
“I won’t change my mind.”
“Well, if you ever do.”
Kala went into the kitchen and checked the cupboards. Grilled cheese sandwiches seemed like the right comfort food. She’d heat up some frozen chicken and rice soup to go with them. She was thankful for those marathon weekends of cooking she’d done the month before. The fully stocked freezer had turned into a godsend.
While the soup thawed in a pot on the stove, Kala leaned against the counter and looked through the window over the sink at the night sky. Until now, Dawn hadn’t responded to any overtures to discuss the situation with her parents. It must mean something if she’d been searching out information on the Internet. She hadn’t shut off her feelings altogether. Dr. Lyman would tell her not to read too much into this, to be patient and let Dawn reach out in her own time. Easier said.
Kala took the block of cheddar from the fridge. Ivo Delaney’s face passed through her mind as she straightened and walked over to the counter. Had she been fooled by his mental illness? Her gut instinct had told her that he wasn’t a killer. Now … well now the evidence was all pointing at him. Something had to account for the way he’d butchered his wife’s stomach. Everything a killer did was driven by a reason, no matter how bizarre or twisted. Delaney would be no different. The work was to figure out the logic behind his behaviour. Hopefully, tomorrow Adele’s sister, Leanne Scott, would give them the key.
Kala thought about Adele Delaney as she stirred the soup, a familiar uneasiness keeping her from closing off the case in her mind. What were they missing? Why had she married a man with mental issues? She’d walked into the bank and picked him out of all the men in the world. An attractive, self-possessed woman had chosen to live with a mouse of a man in the middle of nowhere. He’d hacked up her stomach and thrown their daughter into the river. If she were looking at this from Delaney’s point of view, he was venting his rage on the part of her body that he hated most and the child they’d created. But why? Kala stood silently, holding the wooden spoon motionless in the air while she tried to make sense of the facts.
As if controlled by ESP, her cellphone buzzed from her handbag tossed onto the counter. She turned the heat down on the soup and grabbed the phone from the side pocket.
“Hello?”
“Kala, it’s Fiona Gundersund. Sorry to bother you so late.”
“I wasn’t doing anything much. How can I help you?”
“I
