We have to look everywhere.”
He bowed his head. “This makes no sense. Adele isn’t flighty or unpredictable. She wouldn’t do anything to put Violet in harm’s way. I know that as surely as I’m standing here.”
“We don’t need to jump to any conclusions either, but we need to eliminate possibilities, no matter how remote. My partner and I will walk around the grounds before we leave.”
“I understand, but I must insist that wherever they are, Adele wouldn’t just leave me unless she was being forced. She’s my wife, Detective. I know her better than anyone. Something is very wrong.”
Descending darkness and mist made the search difficult and less than thorough. Kala walked the east perimeter of the half-acre yard, venturing several feet into the woods when the foliage allowed. Gundersund was mirroring her search on the western edge. The temperature had dropped along with the disappearing sun and Kala shivered in her short-sleeved shirt, having left her jacket in the truck. Her shoes were soaked through from wet grass and pooled rain that had fallen earlier in the day. Her hair was damp from the moisture in the air. She cursed quietly when a branch slapped back and struck her cheek. Maybe they shouldn’t be stumbling around back here in the semi-dark. If something untoward had happened, they might be trampling on evidence that would be more apparent in daylight. Something told her that Violet and Adele were not going to be found this close to home. She pushed back a low-hanging branch and stepped back onto the lawn. Gundersund’s tall, dark shape was moving toward her across the last stretch of property. He stopped a few feet away, closer than felt comfortable.
“Find anything?” he asked.
“Nothing. Unless we have a better idea of where they are, this could be a fool’s mission.”
“Yeah. They might be halfway to Europe by now. I phoned Rouleau a few minutes ago. He said to give it a night and see if Adele makes contact. He agrees the whole situation is suspicious, but we can’t be sure a crime has been committed. She might have run off with a boyfriend for all we know.”
They started walking toward the lights of the house. They should have led to a safe, warm harbour. Now, they seemed eerie in the foggy night air. “What do you make of this?” she asked.
“Not sure. He’s an odd one though. I wonder if he would have reported this if the neighbour hadn’t entered the house. Maybe he did something to chase them off … or worse.”
Kala stopped. “You think he killed them and then planned to come back after work and tidy up the kitchen and carry on as if nothing happened? He’d never get away with it.”
“I’m just running around possibilities. We both know that a husband is suspect number one when a wife goes missing.”
“I just don’t get that vibe off the guy. Why kill his child?”
“No idea, Stonechild, but people do crazy stuff all the time.”
“So, we just leave him here tonight?”
“Nothing more we can do. I’ll check in with Rouleau and we can be on our way.”
“I suppose we don’t have any other choice. Let’s hope they turn up by morning and Ivo’s dire prediction that something is wrong proves unfounded.”
Chapter Four
Kala pulled into her driveway just past eight thirty. She was relieved to see the lights on. The feeling of having someone inside waiting for her return was still strange. Of course, Taiku awaited her return, but this was different. Dawn was somebody she had to interact with and learn how to mother. Kala wasn’t sure the responsibility suited her. She had no role model to draw from. Sometimes, in the middle of the night when she couldn’t sleep, having a thirteen-year-old girl in the house felt like a noose around her neck.
She opened the truck door and jumped onto the ground. The night air was even foggier here, so close to Lake Ontario. The stars and moon were hidden from view and the darkness was absolute this far from town. She started up the driveway and heard the back door slam as loud as a pistol shot in the evening’s stillness. A soft thudding of paws and then Taiku was upon her, jumping up and licking her arm and face. She laughed and pushed him down, then bent and rubbed his head all over while his tail thumped against the pavement.
“That’s my good boy,” she said and looked up as Dawn ran around the corner of the house. The girl stopped a few feet away and stood silently watching Kala with Taiku. She was tall for her age, long straight hair braided, black staring eyes. Her body language was unsure, neck bent, arms wrapped around her stomach. Kala wanted to reach out and hug her slender frame but resisted. The last time she’d tried, Dawn had stood frozen with her arms stiff at her sides. The counsellor had said to give her time and space. The past year’s events had made her fragile, untrusting.
Kala settled on a neutral greeting. “How was your day?”
“Fine.”
They started walking toward the back deck, Taiku between them. “Sorry I’m so late. The case was at a house the other side of Kingston. How was school? Bus on time?” She stole a sideways glance. Dawn’s eyes were fixed on the ground as she walked.
“Yes.”
Inside the brightly lit kitchen, Kala glanced over to the table. It was filled with Dawn’s school books. A pencil lay on a half-filled lined sheet in an open binder. “How’s the homework going? All done?” She mentally kicked herself. Dawn’s one word responses were turning her into an inquisitor.
“I just have to finish my story.”
“Well you do that and I’ll get supper heated up. Stew okay?”
“Yes.”
Another question. She’d done it again. Shit.
The stew was soon bubbling away in a pot on the stovetop. Kala cut thick slices of multi-grain bread and poured Dawn a glass of milk. She poured herself a glass of iced tea and set bowls of the thick beef stew on the table. Taiku stretched out at Kala’s feet.
“I’ll pick you up tomorrow,” Kala said when they were nearly done eating. “You have an appointment with Dr. Lyman that’ll run until five. I’ll be waiting in the parking lot.”
Dawn nodded, head down.
Kala resisted reaching out to brush back Dawn’s bangs from where they fell into her eyes. “If you want to go watch TV before bed, I can clean up,” she said instead.
Long after Dawn had disappeared into her bedroom and shut the door, Kala sat outside watching the band of lake from her spot on the deck. She’d wrapped herself up in a wool blanket and tucked her feet under herself. Taiku was off chasing shadows in the woods. She’d received a call that morning that Gil Valiquette, Dawn’s mother’s boyfriend, had been sentenced to ten years in Millhaven Pen. Her mother, Rose, would be doing five years in Joliette prison outside Montreal. Armed robbery and a police chase through Manitoba with Dawn in the car. When Kala had taken custody, Dawn was nothing like the girl she’d met twice in Ottawa. The light in her eyes had died and been replaced by something flat and lonely. She hadn’t even asked when she’d see her mother again. Compounding the misery, her father, Paul, was already in prison and not due out for four years. He’d been friends with Valiquette and while they’d been partners in crime Valiquette had managed to stay out of
