I told her that he got called away and asked if I could help. She asked that he call her to set up another time later in the afternoon because she had to be in court. She left her card. It said ‘Sandra Woosley, divorce lawyer,’ plain as day. I asked Tom about it when I passed on the message and he said he was investigating his options.”
“You never mentioned this before.”
“You never accused me of killing my partner before.”
“For the record, we have not accused you of killing anyone. So that would fit in with Tom deciding to leave the business,” said Grayson. “Ditch his wife and make a lifestyle change.”
“You might think so,” agreed J.P., “except that after Tom spoke to the lawyer, we went out for a beer and he told me that he’d decided to get a few things in order before he made a move. He told me the best thing he could do was hire a hit man and be done with her. He said it all jokey like, but with everything that’s happened, I wonder if she got to the hit man first.”
21
Tuesday, December 27, 11:30 a.m.
Kala took Rouleau’s phone call on her way back into the city. She was to interview Geraldine in Kanata before coming into the station. She pulled over and took down the address and directions.
“I know it’s a stat holiday so take the rest of the afternoon off,” Rouleau said before hanging up. “Fill in your reports tomorrow.”
“Yes, Sir,” she answered into the dial tone.
She merged onto the Queensway and continued past downtown taking the split toward Kanata. She took the March Road exit and turned left on Campeau Drive and right on Knudson, past the Kanata Golf and Country Club to Goulding Crescent — a road that circled around eight large detached houses with tiny front yards and garages sticking out toward the street like eyesores.
She found the house number and pulled into the empty driveway. It looked like nobody was home, but she rang the bell a few times anyway before returning to her truck. She drummed her fingers on the steering wheel and thought about her next move. It was a long way to head back downtown and return. Better to grab some lunch and try again in an hour or so.
She backtracked to Campeau Drive and followed it south until it crossed another major road. It didn’t take her long to find a commercial area and a diner that was open on the holiday. She was one of five customers.
She took a table near the window and ordered coffee and the full breakfast special. While she waited for her food to arrive, she pulled out a file she’d been keeping on the investigation. She jotted down notes about her encounter with Hunter. The fried eggs, hash browns, sausage, and toast arrived before she’d gotten through the first paragraph. She loaded the food with ketchup and ate quickly, cleaning her plate with the last of the toast. The waitress returned to clear her plate and Kala asked for a coffee refill. There was lots of time to finish her notes and to reread Hunter’s previous interview before she set out to try his sister again. She’d give Geraldine an hour at least to return home from wherever she’d gone. In all likelihood, there was a family gathering somewhere and she’d have to wait until the next day to see Geraldine, but she’d give it one last try.
When she returned to Goulding Crescent, a van was parked in Geraldine’s driveway. Kala left her truck on the street and walked toward the house. She peeled off a glove and felt the hood of the van. It was still warm from its trip home.
Geraldine took a while to answer the door, but Kala could see that Geraldine recognized her.
“Sorry to bother you on a holiday, but I wonder if you have a few minutes to talk?” She took a step back as Geraldine swung the door open further. “I guess you know by now that I’m with the police.”
“Sure, why not? Come on in.”
“Is your husband at home?” Kala asked before stooping to pull off her boots.
“No, Max is working.”
They sat in the family room off the kitchen. Geraldine offered tea but Kala declined. She’d drunk enough coffee at the diner to keep her buzzing the rest of the day.
“This is a nice room,” said Kala, looking around. The mid-afternoon sun warmed the wood panelling around the fireplace and gave the Persian carpet a golden hue. They sat on a leather couch with aqua satin cushions.
Geraldine’s eyes swept around the room and back to Kala. “This is where I do all my thinking. I’d light a fire, but the wood is in the basement and it would take a while.”
“Don’t trouble yourself,” said Kala. “Are you up to telling me what you know about the evening of the party?” She took out her notebook and pen. She added, “I know this has been difficult for you.”
Geraldine wrapped both arms around her bulging stomach. “It’s been a nightmare. I’ll tell you what I know though. I want you to find who did this and send them away forever.”
“How did you father appear the last time you saw him?”
“My father hadn’t seemed like himself for a few months. He was distracted and unhappy with work. He’d become distant.”
“Do you have any idea what was bothering him?”
Geraldine shook her head. “Perhaps the contract he was working on. The rest, I shouldn’t say.”
“The rest?”
“Well, I have no proof.”
“It’s okay to share your thoughts with me. They could give me avenues to pursue.”
Geraldine squirmed in her seat, trying to get comfortable. She hesitated before saying, “My father wanted out of his marriage with Laurel. He’d known for some time that it was a mistake.”
“Did he tell you this?”
“About a month ago, he told me that he wished he could go back and redo some of the decisions he’d made. He didn’t say his marriage exactly, but I know it’s what he meant.”
“How can you be certain?”
“Afterwards, he said that regardless of his bad decisions, he wouldn’t change Charlotte’s birth for anything. It wasn’t a day or two later that he went to visit Hunter. I know he was also seeing my mother more often. She … seemed hopeful that they would be back together.”
“Even after all this time?”
“She never stopped thinking of him as her husband. They were high school sweethearts and more suited than he and Laurel could ever be.”
“What about his business? Did he get along with his partner?”
“J.P.? I couldn’t say.”
“Your husband Max has taken over your dad’s files.”
“So he tells me.”
“How long has Max worked at your father’s company?”
Geraldine’s eyes slid away from Kala’s. “Right after university.
