Deadly Fall (22 page)

“Sam and Callie were never together,” she said, “they weren't married.”

“We've known that from the start, having requested the marriage certificate.” His face relaxed. Presumably, he thought this was it.

“Sam inherits no money or property. Callie paid for the house with her settlement from Kenneth. She had full ownership.”

“We also requested her will and the title deeds.” He couldn't conceal a triumphant smirk as he tackled his second donut.

Paula was competitive, too, and would love to take him on in tennis. Imagine the reach of those arms and the power of his stroke. Hayden was a more even match for her.

“Everything goes to her children,” she said, “as well as a charity that helps street kids. You know all that, and also know that she and Kenneth are still legally married, having requested the divorce papers.”

Vincelli continued eating, presuming she had no volleys to slam.

“Did you interview Dimitri, Sam's son?” she said.

His eyes implied “what-do-you-take-us-for?”

“Did he tell you about his affair with Callie?”

He stopped mid-bite.

“It began two summers ago, at the Calgary Folk Festival.”

His eyes narrowed. “Bev Berwell told you this?”

“Kenneth did, last night. Callie and Dimitri ran into each other at the festival. Both were alone. They decided to keep each other company at the performances.”

He set the donut remains on the plate. “Two years ago?”

“It led to an affair. They met at Felix's house, where Sam and Dimitri were living. Their liaisons took place while Sam and Felix were out.”

“Sam and Felix didn't know?”

“Not until the night she told Kenneth about the affair. It led to a fight. Callie left and showed up at Felix's place, insisting she would never go back. That put Dimitri in a pickle.”

“Goddammit,” Vincelli said. “Sam, Dimitri, Felix, Kenneth—the four of them kept this from us.”

The four original conspirators—Dimitri, Sam, Felix, and Callie—spent the night drinking and debating how to deal with the problem. Dimitri was being groomed to run in the next federal election and the Conservatives had their pick of aspiring candidates. The party would turf him out. Between them, they hatched the plan of pretending Callie left her marriage for Sam. Kenneth believed he sparked the idea during their fight, when he railed he could understand her getting involved with Sam, but she was an idiot to mess around with a kid. A year later, the same gang of four vacationed in Hawaii, where Felix and Sam witnessed the beach commitment ceremony performed by Dimitri's preacher friend.

“It wasn't legal, of course,” Paula said.

Vincelli's hand banged the remaining donuts, squashing them flat. “This has cost us a week's work. I'll charge the lot of them with Obstruction of a Peace Officer. Had we known . . . why the hell didn't Kenneth tell us this?”

“He was a bit fuzzy about that.”

“Why protect the man who ruined his marriage? You'd think he would hate the son of a bitch.”

“He does.” Paula finished her first donut and wiped her mouth, hoping Vincelli would take the hint and wipe the sugar from his. He didn't. As Kenneth explained it, Sam was the first person the police interviewed after her death. He lied about his son's affair on impulse, out of confusion, he claimed, when he told Kenneth about her death. Kenneth believed Sam honestly thought it was a random crime that would be solved within days, eliminating the need for deep investigation into Callie's personal life. Kenneth felt nothing would be gained by bringing Dimitri down. What did any of that matter anymore? Callie was gone.

“Kenneth hoped to the end that she'd come back,” Paula said. “You have to credit him for not seeking revenge on Dimitri. Kenneth could have seized the chance to cause Dimitri a lot of public embarrassment.”

“Kenneth wouldn't relish the publicity for himself.”

“I was thinking that, too. He's a private person—”

“—who wouldn't like seeing his picture in the paper as the spouse dumped for a virile young man.”

“I suppose that's why Kenneth went along with the marriage charade in the first place. He never really answered that.”

Vincelli studied his flattened donuts as though he wondered if they were worth eating. “Who else knows about this?”

“No one, Kenneth says, not even Dimitri's mother, Anne. I can confirm that, unless Kenneth called her after last night. Anne will be broken up. The murder rap aside, Anne wouldn't like his having been involved with a woman her age.”

“Why?”

Sweet of him to ask and appear to mean it; Vincelli was roughly Dimitri's age. Dating a younger man was the trend, but what would she and a man Vincelli's age have in common, aside from donuts and tennis, assuming he played?

“Isabelle knows Dimitri was interested in Callie,” Paula said. “Isabelle believes it was all on his side. Sam convinced her to withhold this from you. It's a miracle she managed that.”

“It's a sad day when Isabelle can deceive a trained cop.”

“Isabelle's living with me now,” she said. “Do you mind if I tell her all this or should I keep it secret?”

He rubbed his lips, reflecting. “Don't say anything to anyone until we've had time to assess the new situation.”

“Another thing, Sam invited me to go hiking with Felix and him this Saturday.”

Vincelli's eyebrow shot up. “Are you going?”

“I . . . I haven't decided yet. With his son in a jam, Sam may not even want to go.”

“Would you be impersonating a police officer on this trip?”

“Very funny.” But she could learn so much. Sam or Felix might drop some evidence incriminating Dimitri, sad as that would be. She had liked Dimitri at the funeral. He was the son of Anne, her closest girlfriend, now. And Callie had loved him once. “If the hike is still on, would it interfere with the case if I went?”

He rubbed his jaw stubble. “I doubt it. We'll get to Felix and Sam today. But, I have to advise against your going on the hike.”

“Why?”

He bit into a squished donut, washed it down with tea.

“Are you saying I wouldn't be safe? Sam has no motive for Callie's murder.”

Vincelli wiped his lips. “This could change things.”

“Are you saying Sam didn't like his son's involvement with Callie and finished her off? That's so unlikely. Or do you still suspect Felix?”

His eyelashes flickered. “Stay home and let us take care of this.”

They finished their donuts in silence.

Paula squeezed her
Echo between Walter's pickup and the white Grand Am that occupied her usual parking spot in front of the house. Walter and Isabelle and Paula's daughter Erin stood on her porch flinging plastic hoops onto stakes planted in her yard. Tony stood beside them, smoking.

“I didn't know you were coming over,” she called to Erin.

“My class was canceled this afternoon.”

She ducked a wild shot by Isabelle. “How'd you get here?”

“Bus.” Erin ringed a plastic stake. “I win.”

Isabelle groaned. “You've had more practice. I get the game now. Let's play again.”

“How was Banff?” Paula asked Tony.

“Expensive.” He butted his cigarette on the freshly painted railing. “Now that you're here, we can eat. Lunch must be ready.” He coaxed the girls into the house.

Walter came down the stairs to collect the plastic stakes. “I haven't played that since my kids were little.”

He had kids? Paula followed him around her yard. “You should not have let Isabelle into my house the other night. Why didn't you tell me you had a spare key?”

“You didn't ask.”

“How did you get one? From the previous owner?”

“They were always locking themselves out. It's not safe leaving a spare in the garage.”

“I've arranged to change all the locks next week.”

“Good idea. You can't trust anyone these days.”

“Until then, don't let anyone in, except Isabelle and she's leaving tomorrow.”

“Is she? That's not what I hear. I'll look after your new key for you.”

“No thanks.” It was time she got to know her other neighbors, so she could leave a key with one of them. The yuppies in the house across the street spent long hours at work. Her neighbors on the other side weren't chatty types, but she might try them.

She entered her house to the sound of a
Cheers
rerun. Tony sat on the chair, Isabelle and Erin on the sofa, legs propped on the ottoman. Ginette came in with a beer for Tony. She and Paula hugged.

“Banff was wonderful,” Ginette said. “Warm enough for shorts. I can't get over those turquoise lakes. The mountains are even more amazing than they are in pictures.”

“Are there mountains in Banff?” Tony said. “All we saw were boutiques.”

Ginette tapped his shoulder. “Don't listen to him. I just bought a few souvenirs.”

“Paula and I are going to Banff tomorrow,” Isabelle said.

“Kananaskis,” Paula said. “We'll discuss that over lunch.”

Tony raised his beer bottle. “No need for discussion. Everything's settled.”

“We need Paula's permission, first,” Ginette said.

“For what?”

Isabelle stood. She adjusted her skort and sports bra top. “I'm moving in with Erin.”

Paula turned to her daughter. “How did that happen?”

“I kicked out my roommates.”

“All of them?”

“Only the ones in the small front room.”

“My old den?”

“They trashed it,” Isabelle said.

Paula looked at Erin. “I knew those ones sounded like bad news.”

“It isn't so bad.” Erin stuck her thumbs under the bib of her jeans. “Mainly marks on the wall. It was also about all their arguing that bothered everyone else. I was afraid the others would leave.”

“How many of you are there in this house?” Ginette asked.

“Six,” Erin replied, “including me; well, now three plus Isabelle.”

“How big is this place?” Tony said.

“It's a bungalow with a finished basement,” Paula said. “Erin and two tenants had the upstairs rooms, three others the down.”

“The couple I kicked out was getting the room cheap,” Erin said. “Isabelle can afford to pay as much they did together.”

“I'll be affording it,” Tony said, “until she finds work.”

The den in her former home trashed. Erin was probably underestimating the damage so Paula wouldn't get mad. She should have sold the place rather than give her daughter responsibility for renting it to students.

“We're fine with Isabelle living with your daughter,” Ginette said. “If you have a problem—”

“Erin says there are tons of restaurants and stores near there,” Isabelle said. “Or I'll look for an office job at the university.”

“She can't move in 'til the room is fixed,” Erin said. “Could you do it tomorrow, Mom?”

That explained the surprise visit and Erin's taking the trouble to get to Ramsay by bus. “I already have two other offers for tomorrow.” Going to Kananaskis with Sam and tennis with Hayden, who would also help with the house repairs if she asked.

“Is the pizza ready?” Tony asked Ginette.

“I started it late. It will take another ten minutes.” Ginette turned to Paula. “Isabelle says you've been shopping, too. I'd love to see the evening dress you bought.”

“That was money down the drain,” Paula said.

“We'll trade you the dress for a hundred Banff souvenirs,” Tony said.

“You'll be getting a bargain.”

“Want to bet?” he said. “Overpriced junk.”

She led Ginette to her bedroom, took the dress out of the closet and laid it on the bed.

Ginette stroked the silky fabric. “The color reminds me of those lakes in Banff. It's beautiful.”

The shade would highlight Ginette's dyed red hair and porcelain complexion. The latter was the only obvious physical trait she had passed down to Isabelle, who had inherited Callie's mouth and nose.

“Where did you buy it?” Ginette said. “I might drag Tony to some stores this afternoon. Since you and I live across the country, we wouldn't have to worry about running into each wearing the same dress at a society bash.” She laughed.

“I suppose I could wear it to the Stampede parade,” Paula said.

“That would be more fun.”

Paula could buy charity event tickets as a surprise for Hayden, to make up for her recent rotten treatment. Callie had willed her money to a street kids' charity that might host a ball. With his dark hair and muscular build, Hayden would look striking in a tux.

Ginette let go of the dress and faced Paula. “Do you mind having Isabelle living with your daughter? You can be honest with me.”

Paula reflected. Isabelle would get her wish to stay in Calgary and would be, basically, out of Paula's hair, assuming Tony came through with the rent. Isabelle and Erin were the same age. “I don't know if she'll fit in. The others are all students. She says she hates school.”

“Isabelle gets along with everyone. I'm not worried about that.” Ginette adjusted her glasses.

Would she be a bad influence on Erin? Isabelle had a casual attitude toward sex; a lot of students were worse. The skimpy clothes? Erin could use a little panache in her wardrobe that largely consisted of T-shirts, sneakers and bib jeans. Isabelle didn't smoke. She didn't appear to drink much and hadn't mentioned doing drugs. She seemed to enjoy innocent amusements like games. She was impulsive and naïve. Those weren't terrible traits. “She's bound to be an improvement over the renters who trashed the room. I dread seeing the mess.”

“Kids exaggerate.”

“Is Tony really okay with her staying in Calgary?”