his arms and took his face in her hands. “Chéri, this is our home now. We’ll take it apart, every board and wall, and we’ll make it ours.”
A frisson passed through him. “But they are everywhere! Their initials are still carved on the windowsills, their names are glued to the bedroom walls. And the worst thing—” He paused. “Isabelle, they said the wife hung herself in the very room where we are sleeping!”
* * *
Fifteen minutes after leaving Robbie’s apartment, Sullivan was inching the Impala through the Glebe in bumper to bumper traffic. To save time, Green radioed ahead to Gibbs, but before he could even relay his request, the young constable’s stutter burst over the wire.
“I—I’m afraid I struck out on Derek Pettigrew’s dentist, sir. Seems the man who used to treat the family died about ten years ago, and the old files have been destroyed. So we have no dental ID.”
Green sighed. That meant they would have to identify the body by process of elimination. He instructed Gibbs to find out as much background as he could about the Pettigrew family. Gibbs was Green’s favourite gofer, eager, tireless, relentless and intelligent to boot. By the time the two detectives reached the Major Crimes Squad room, he had not just the full names, but the dates and places of birth and death of four generations of Pettigrews.
“I’m sorry I don’t have all the current addresses yet, sir, but I’m working on it. None of them are in the system.”
Green had doubted they would be, for until amalgamation a few years ago, Ashford Landing had been under the jurisdiction of the Ontario Provincial Police. He advised him to check with the OPP.
“I already did, sir.” Gibbs smiled and met his eyes. The kid’s finally getting some confidence, Green thought with relief. Gibbs had a wonderful investigative nose, but he was scared of his own shadow, which was a major drawback in Criminal Investigations. “They’ve nothing on them either, sir. Except for one son, Benjamin, victim of a one-car fatal in 1990.”
“Any particulars?”
“It was labelled driver error, but the accident occurred at one-thirty in the morning, so alcohol might have been a factor. Although County Road 2 is pretty dark and deserted at that time of night.”
County Road 2 is also pretty straight, Green thought, remembering their recent drives along the road leading to Ashford Landing. He looked at Benjamin’s date of birth and did a quick calculation. Benjamin had died on his twenty-first birthday, possibly on his way home from one too many celebrations. Green felt a twinge of sorrow for the beleaguered family. Had this been the tragedy that had turned their lives upside down?
He returned his attention to Gibbs’s notes. Benjamin had been the second youngest son, but still seven years older than Robbie. The mother had died twelve years ago, two years after Benjamin. Gibbs had not yet been able to track down any additional details beyond the name and birth date of the remaining three sons. Derek, Tom and Lawrence. Green pointed to their names.
“Concentrate on Derek, but just to be thorough, see if you can locate the present whereabouts of all three—or at least their most recent known address. Lawrence would be the fifth son we forgot to ask about. Check if Robbie Pettigrew or any of the villagers know where he went. Let Brian know if you find anything useful.”
After Gibbs had scurried off, Sullivan eyed Green with disapproval. “You just gave him the work of two officers. You know, just because he’ll do it, it doesn’t mean you should ask him to.”
Green smiled. “That’s why you’re going to give him a new partner. The new woman you just got from General Assignment? Sue Peters? I think she’d be a great fit for Gibbsie.”
Sullivan laughed without humour. “Where did you get that bright idea? She’ll scare him half to death.”
The idea had only just occurred to Green when he saw the new confidence in Gibbs. It was about time he took on a more senior role and began training others in that wonderful investigative nose. And who better than the cocky young detective who was clawing her way resolutely through the ranks. Learning to dot every i and cross every t under the meticulous tutelage of Bob Gibbs ought to slow her down a touch. As well as maybe make a decent investigator out of her.
But he said none of that to Sullivan, who was clearly irked by Green’s cavalier invasion into his territory yet again. “It’ll do them both good,” he replied instead, tossing a wink over his shoulder as he headed for the third floor. “I’d like a quick update after my meeting before I go home. And I’m leaving at three.”
“Three!” Sullivan’s tone registered his disbelief, for Green almost never left before six.
“I have to see a kid about a crucifix.”
* * *
Hannah flounced into the passenger seat and immediately changed the radio station from Green’s classic rock to extreme rock, casting him a look that dared him to object. Ignoring the bait, Green pulled out of the school drive and accelerated up Carling Avenue towards the Queensway. It was half past three, and the autumn sun was slanting through the window onto her face. She jerked the visor down and hid behind dark glasses.
“How was school?” he ventured neutrally.
“Kyle wasn’t there today.”
“Oh? Sick?”
She shrugged. “Seemed fine yesterday. Till you started asking him all those questions.”
“Well, we’ll try to make this like a game today. Make sure you explain to him that he hasn’t done anything wrong.”
“He understands English, Mike. He’s not an idiot. I mean—” She broke off, flushing.
“I know he isn’t, but I’m a police officer, and he may think that means he’s done something wrong. Tell him we just want him to help us figure out who the chain belongs to.”
To her credit, Hannah tried her best when they arrived at the McMartin farm. Kyle was in the barn, looking perfectly healthy as he mucked out stalls. The reek of manure clung to his clothes, and he seemed oblivious to the flies that swarmed around him. Green was struck by how big and muscular he was in his overalls and rubber boots. A boy’s mind in a body that was fast becoming a man’s. Green’s impression was reinforced by Kyle’s reaction to Hannah, which was pure adolescent male. Red-faced, tongue-tied and tripping over his limbs.
But as soon as she mentioned the crucifix, he started to wag his head back and forth.
“I don’t remember. I get mixed up.”
Green watched him carefully. “What were you doing when you found it?”
“Walking.”
“Morning or afternoon?”
Kyle began to shake his head when Hannah stepped in again. “Was lunch finished?”
A nod.
“Was dinner finished?”
“No. Not started.”
“Good.” She smiled and squeezed his hand. “Were you walking home from the village?”
“No.”
