Harper glanced at Arthur as if something had just occurred to him.
Lane smiled when he realized Harper was beginning to see through Arthur’s foppish facade.
“I also found out that the RCMP are looking for Lester and Marvin Klein. Two brothers who have been long time business associates of Swatsky. Apparently, they have been traced to this city. They’re connected to this $13 million land scam.”
Arthur cut in, “Where were the Klein brothers sighted?”
“Motel Village near McMahon Stadium.” Harper took a sip of iced tea before lifting his fork.
“What’s eating at you?” Arthur said to Lane.
“I went to see Keeler.”
“Who’s Keeler?” Harper said with his mouth full.
“A doctor I confer with from time to time,” Lane said.
Harper swallowed. “Forensic?”
“Family medicine.”
Harper smiled.
“What?” Lane said.
Harper looked at Arthur and back to Lane.
“Don’t think, just answer the question.” Arthur smiled in an attempt to soften the bluntness of his words.
“I wasn’t sure what to expect when I came here. I mean you have no reason to invite me into your house after what I said to you. In fact, I was surprised you didn’t put up a fight when I requested to be your partner. So, I kept telling myself not to come here with preconceptions. I’m smiling because of your performance, Arthur.”
Arthur bowed.
“Making a partner a partner is a novel idea,” Harper continued to smile as he spoke, “and using a family doctor is another… ” he searched for the right word.
“Novel approach?” Arthur completed the sentence for him. “Why the change?”
“What change?” Harper said.
“Since the night you were shot and the horrible things you said to Lane,” Arthur said.
Lane shifted in his chair, uncomfortable with the question yet anxious for the answer.
“My nephew, Chris, took an overdose of drugs,” Harper looked at his salad.
Arthur set his fork silently on his plate.
Lane studied Harper’s face.
“At the time, Chris was 16. He’s my older sister’s son. I watched him grow up. My brother-in-law kicked Chris out when he came out.”
“How long ago?” Arthur said.
“About three months after Lane found me on that front step. My nephew came to live with us. That’s when my education began. Chris still lives with us, by the way.”
Lane reached into his pocket and pulled out a pager. He lifted it to eye level. “I’d better take this.”
Arthur lifted his eyebrows.
“It’s Rapozo.” Lane pushed his chair back. “I really have to take this.”
Arthur turned to Harper, “I’ll be deeply offended if you don’t at least try to finish your salad.”
Harper smiled and hefted his fork.
Lane stepped inside the back door and into the kitchen. He sat at the table, picked the phone off the wall and slid pen and paper closer. He dialed. It rang once, “Ms. Rapozo, it’s Detective Lane.”
“You said not to hesitate to call. I can’t find my mother and Ernesto, my father-in-law, isn’t at home. A couple of Bob’s buddies were by a few days ago. They tried to intimidate my mother and then sent a disgusting letter. I’m afraid,”
Beth said.
Lane heard the fear in her voice and kept his tone even. “My impression is that she’s quite sharp mentally. Is that an accurate assessment?”
“Sometimes too sharp,” Beth said.
“You mentioned two of Bob’s buddies.”
“Yes, they’re too old friends of Bob’s. Named Lester and Marvin.”
“Klein?” Lane said.
“How’d you know?” Beth said.
“A… ” He felt the bits of evidence coming together. He said, “Anything else unusual happen?”
“Mom’s been sitting up in her room the last couple of days, watching out the window.”
Lane waited.
“Watching for the Three Stooges.”
“Three Stooges?” Lane said.
“Sorry. That’s what I call Bob, Les and Marv.”
“Why not contact me after they came to the house and sent the letter?”
“Mom said it wouldn’t do any good. She said it didn’t help 25 years ago and the police wouldn’t be able to help this time.”
“What happened 25 years ago?” Lane said.
“My sister ran away. Around that time, our house, the truck, our business, were all vandalized. Rumours were spread around town. People stopped coming to the store. Mom and Dad had to sell out. Ever live in a small town?”
“Nope.”
“The rumours start and it’s hard to stop them. Later on, we found out that Bob got Lester and Marvin to do most of the dirty work but there was no way to prove it.”
Lane waited for her to continue.
“Mom said she’d take care of it herself. I didn’t really listen. I mean, in her condition, what could she do?”
“Anything else?”
“She left an envelope up in her room. Addressed to me,” Beth said.
“What did it say, exactly?”
There was the sound of rustling paper and then, “To Beth. Love Mom. Then a phone number. And $10,000 in cash.”
“That much?”
“Mom didn’t spend much.”
“Whose phone number?” Lane said.
“When I dialed, it turned out to be Ridley’s Funeral Home. She prepaid her funeral expenses.”
Lane saw the pieces of this case like glass on the floor. After staring long enough, sometimes it was possible to see what everything looked like in the moments just before a shattering event.
“What do I do?” Beth said.
“Stay at home. Stay by the phone. Is Ernie there with you?”
“Yes,” she said.
“Both of you stay home. Keep the dog inside with you. I’m going to make some calls. I’ll get back to you before the evening is over.”
“Thank you.”
Lane thought, I wonder how much she knows about Bob. I mean, would she call me if she knew what happened to him?
Beth said, “One other thing. It bothered me at the time but living with my mother, I kind of got used to her erratic behaviour. She was looking for lighter fluid. Got me out of bed early. This morning, I think. I can’t remember. Anyway, it bothers me now because Ernie told me what she said to Les and Marv.”
“Yes?”
“She said she’d burn them if they came back to bother us again.”
“I’ll call you back this evening,” Lane said.
“Thanks.”
Lane hung up the phone and thought about their next move. He looked out the kitchen window and saw Harper and Arthur talking. The phone rang.
Arthur sat in the back seat of their Jeep. Lane drove and Harper squeezed into the passenger seat. Harper gathered information from his radio. They followed 9th Avenue east into Inglewood. The neighbourhood had decided to be trendy. Coffee shops, restaurants and antique stores lined the avenue.
Arthur said, “I hope you’re wrong. It could be someone else.”
Harper said, “Ernesto’s van was found abandoned on the Center Street Bridge. The keys were in it. Witnesses say a woman was thrown over the side of the bridge by a man who pulled her out of a green van. Apparently, the driver of Ernesto’s van was seen to jump into the river. Now there is a report of two bodies caught in the weir. Unfortunately, the facts are leading to one conclusion. Just to complicate matters, there are fatalities on Deerfoot Trail.”
“There’s a unit in front of Beth Rapozo’s home?” Lane said.
“Yes, that’s just been confirmed.” Harper turned around and said to Arthur, “You’re sure quiet.”
“Lane’s putting it all together. Just watch,” Arthur said.
They turned down a residential street where prewar houses sat on narrow lots near the railway yards.
Blue, white and red lights flashed. A cruiser blocked a white metal barricade. The officer turned away a cyclist and then an inline skater. The cyclist stopped, reached into his back pack and pulled out a cell phone. Lane lowered his window and held out his badge. The officer spotted Harper and waved them through. They drove down the bicycle path. Through the trees on the left, it was possible to see a cable and red buoys stretched across the river to prevent people in rafts or canoes from going over the weir. They reached a clearing. Lane pulled the Jeep off the paved path and onto the grass.