Fall of Night, page 21
“I don’t want you to go anywhere,” she whispered. “Stay with me.”
“Always.” He leaned in, catching her lips again.
Lou’s mind was abuzz, her body weak. She pushed her hands under his shirt, her fingers shaking where she touched him. Could she have let him go, she wondered, sent him to face Gabby’s father?
Her throat ached as she broke the kiss and tugged Rich’s shirt up over his head. They shed their outer clothes, their bodies burning despite the coolness of the kitchen. Lou’s mouth moved to Rich’s throat and she reached for the waistband of his boxers.
“We should go upstairs,” Rich chuckled.
“Mm-hmmm…” She nipped the edge of his jaw. “But I’m a little busy right now.”
“Lou…” Rich groaned.
“Uh-huh?”
“Baby, please.”
“Please, what?”
“Not here…” With a growl, he lifted her up, walking them to the stairs.
Lou squeaked and looked up. “We going somewhere?”
Rich dropped his chin and kissed her again, hard.
“There are windows in the kitchen,” he chuckled, the rumble of laughter moving from his chest to hers. “I want some privacy. And a bed.”
She laughed as he jogged up the stairs. She wrapped her arms over his shoulders as they reached the landing. “Your legs are going to be sore from carrying me.”
“Don’t care,” he said, kicking the bedroom door closed behind them. “Need a bed.”
With the curtains closed, the room was swathed in velvet half-light. Rich tumbled Lou onto the bed and she pulled him down on top of her. Rich’s mouth moved over Lou’s skin. A second later, his fingers found the edge of her panties and slid them down while she wriggled out of her bra.
You need to choose the right path… Lou had struggled for so long to figure out what her mother had meant, but now she knew: She wanted this life… this man.
In the dim light of the bedroom, Rich moved over top of her. Lou clung to his shoulders, her body humming with emotion. Rich Evans had been the most unsettling force in her life, but he’d also been the most joyful. He’d broken down walls she’d spent a lifetime building. As their passion grew, tears of happiness filled her eyes.
“Love you!” she gasped.
“Love you too,” Rich gasped. He slumped against her, his face pressed into the sheet of her black hair, then rolled sideways, “That,” he panted, “was a good idea.”
“Yeah, it was.”
Rich pulled her into the crook of his arm. With her ear pressed up against his ribs, she could hear his heartbeat. It was a sound she knew. The sound that had marked her almost-death years before. Rich had been the tether. The line that ran between them had grown stronger in the time since.
What am I waiting for?
Like that, she knew what she wanted.
“Rich?”
He lifted his head. “Yeah?”
“I want to go to Lethbridge today.”
“Uh, okay?” He ran his fingers over her shoulder, brushing away her hair. “Any reason?”
Lou rolled onto her side and put her hand against his chest. She smiled. Two years ago, she’d been terrified of the thought of sharing her life—herself—of being open and honest. Today she couldn’t think of any place she’d rather be.
“I want to marry you, Rich,” she said with a smile. “And I want to do it today.”
***
Audrika Kulkarni was on a mission.
She spent her day sitting at the front counter, reading page after page of fine print as the connections came together. Encountering the name “D. Xavier” would have meant nothing to her a week ago, but after Lou’s panicked warning, Audrika knew exactly who he was. The chain linking Borderline to Tom Farrel grew shorter with each page.
Late in the afternoon, Vasur popped his head in to ask if she was coming up for dinner.
“I’m going to stay here,” she said. “I’m feeling a bit off tonight.”
“Can I take over the store for you? Let you lie down for a bit?”
“Oh, no, I’m fine, Vasur.” Audrika swept the papers she’d being working on into a messy pile.
Vasur glanced at them and frowned. “Audrika, you’re not—”
“I’m just doing a bit of inventory,” she lied. “Almost done. You go on up and make a sandwich for yourself. Isn’t there a hockey game on tonight?”
“There is, but if you’re not feeling well, I can—”
“I’m fine. I just overate when Mirran and I met for lunch today,” she said, patting his arm. “You head on upstairs. I’ll stay here.”
“Okay, but shout if you need me.”
“I will, dear.” She gave him a peck on the cheek. “Off you go.”
***
Around the tiled floor of Lethbridge’s city hall, knots of people milled. Businessmen and farmers, Hutterites and university students alike paid bills, argued over fees, and—in the case of Rich and Louise—got married.
Rich took a deep breath and tucked the marriage license into his pocket. A line from an old Stevie Wonder song—“Signed, Sealed, Delivered”—ran through his head. He couldn’t keep the grin from his face.
“Wow,” Lou said with a giggle. “That was… fast.”
“I know, right?”
“I feel good. Different, but…” She laughed and twirled in a circle. “I feel like I’m where I’m supposed to be. Here, with you.”
“Me too.” He held out his hand: “Ready to go, wife?”
Lou giggled and slid her fingers into his. “Absolutely… husband.”
“I like how that sounds, you know.”
The two of them headed out the doors. Married. It still didn’t feel real. Rich pulled her in for the hundredth kiss that day just as a gust of wind sent Lou’s hair swirling.
He looked up at the sky. “Looks like the weather’s starting to change.”
“It’s Lethbridge. Wait five minutes and that’ll happen.”
“So what now?” Rich said. “You want to grab dinner before we head home? O’shos maybe?”
“Excuse me?” Lou laughed. “It’s our wedding day. We might have eloped, but I still want a wedding night.”
A bright grin broke across his face. “Hotel?”
She nodded. “How about that fancy one Stu stayed at when you were on trial? The one with the pool and the courtyard inside it. I always wanted to stay there.”
“The Lodge?”
“Yeah, that’s the one.” Lou slid her arms up his chest and looped her wrists around his neck. “I want late night room service and pay-per-view and…” she pulled him in until his lips were just above hers. “I don’t want to sleep.”
“You got it.”
***
With Vasur out of the way, Audrika got back to work. Between customers, she organized the data from Mirran, reading through the details until nightfall. They provided a fascinating view into the dark forces that had once controlled Waterton.
Tom Farrel wasn’t just a businessman. He, Dax Xavier, Edward Rice, and a variety of other individuals were listed as shareholders in the now-defunct Borderline. Through a complex network of documentation and legalities, the business was foreclosed, but much of the cash remained. Various withdrawals and deposits had been done for years through “designated trustees,” and that, Audrika thought gleefully, was her way in. All she needed was proof that she worked for one of them. Mirran would smooth out the rest.
But as the streetlamps came on outside the windows, Audrika’s plan hit a snag. She needed legal identification of one of the shareholders. She chewed the end of a pen. Tom was the most likely target, but he’d been unexpectedly elusive.
Sometime later, the door jangled and Audrika jerked. She gathered the papers scattered across the counter in one efficient movement, tucking them back into the box between one heartbeat and the next.
“Audrika, dear?”
Margaret waited just inside the doorway. “Margaret! How are you?”
“Fine. I saw the lights on and got worried.” She glanced at the watch on her wrist. “It’s almost ten.”
“Oh, goodness! It is?”
“Yes, dear.” Margaret bustled to the counter. “Is everything alright? Are you fighting with Vasur?”
“Oh no, not at all.” She shoved the last few papers into the box, hoping none had been misplaced. Vasur was already suspicious and she couldn’t have him discovering her subterfuge. “But now that you mention it, Margaret, I was wondering if you could keep something for me.”
“Of course. What?”
Audrika put the lid on the box and shoved it toward her.
“If you could just set this aside for me…” She glanced behind her to the stairs where the familiar strains of Hockey Night in Canada rang out. “Vasur gets so irritated by the clutter. I’m going to tidy up but…” She laughed. “You know me.”
Margaret glanced down at the box. “So you just need me to store it?”
“For a few days, if you don’t mind.”
Margaret smiled. “Of course not! Why would I?”
***
The following morning, Audrika and a handful of Waterton locals were back at Hunter’s Coffee Shop for one of their unofficial coffee meetings. After this yesterday’s drama, Audrika had expected Lou to show up again, but the mechanic hadn’t appeared. Mr. Farrel, however, the focus of Audrika’s attention, was having lunch at the front of the café and she watched him with narrowed eyes. Mirran’s research had given her much to consider.
What was Mr. Farrel up to? she wondered.
As people left the coffee meeting to reopen their shops, she lingered. First, because she’d always believed that a cup of tea always tasted better when someone else had brewed it. Secondly, because after yesterday’s investigation into Mr. Farrel’s ties to Borderline, she had come up with a plan. And for this particular plan, Audrika needed someone to help her.
Audrika scanned the thinning crowd as they gathered their items from the tables and headed off to enjoy the rest of their day. Her gaze paused on a woman’s wrinkled face. Margaret was Audrika’s friend and had been for years, but she had no mind for intrigue. She was too honest by half.
Margaret stood from the table.
“You heading off?” Audrika asked her.
“Yes. I’ve got to get back to the shop.” Margaret blinked. “Should I have brought your box back? Do you—”
“No, no,” Audrika interrupted. “I’ll get it later.” She dropped her voice. “And please don’t go mentioning it to anyone”
Margaret frowned. “Alright…?”
“Vasur and all that,” Audrika said, waving her hand. “I’ll pick it up from you later.”
Margaret smiled. “Okay then.” She waved on her way out the door. “Bye now!”
Audrika took another sip of tea, watching as Grant headed out the door into the gusty autumn wind.
“I should get going too,” a man said loudly. “I’m expecting a call from my daughter this afternoon.”
Ron could barely hear, Audrika thought. She couldn’t tell him or she’d have to use a megaphone to explain.
“And I should head back to the bookstore,” Murray answered.
Audrika watched as Ron, Arnette, and Murray stood from the table, still deep in conversation. Murray glanced around warily. The man was as jumpy as a newborn deer these days. He’d spent at least ten minutes telling the group about the team of ‘cleaners’ who’d gone through the cabin yesterday, and the stink that had been strong enough that Grant had warned him about attracting bears.
No, Murray was much too wrapped up in his own troubles right now. But there had to be someone else she could trust.
Her gaze moved down the line of townspeople. Sam Barton, the Park Superintendent, sat at the end, dipping a half-eaten donut in his coffee. His shirt was pressed, hair combed childishly back. Audrika rolled her eyes. It was no good to tell Sam, she thought. He’d just go right to the police; and they’d have her arrested. No, Audrika knew she needed someone who’d see the benefit of the drama. Who—like her—would be willing to exploit it… She took another sip, watching friends and neighbours over the rim of the cup.
Who, she wondered, would see the opportunity in her plan?
The coffee group had thinned since fall had arrived. Only a few of Waterton’s inner circle remained at the tables, finishing cups of coffee and plates of pie. She set back her cup and turned the other way. She jerked in surprise.
Levi Thompson stared back at her. “You look like yer up to no good.”
“Whatever can you mean, Levi?”
“Measuring the group up. Watchin’ ’em leave, one by one. Don’t go tryin’ to lie to me about it. Yer up to somethin’… and it ain’t no good.”
“Hardly!” Audrika laughed. Levi’s advanced age hadn’t dulled him in the least. And while he wasn’t her first choice to be lookout, she knew his distrust of the police. If she got him involved, he’d say nothing, of that she was sure. Audrika pushed her cup aside and gave Levi a warm smile. “But now that you mention it,” she said. “I do have a little something on my mind.”
Levi rolled his eyes. “You don’t say.”
“Be nice, Levi,” she tutted. “And maybe I’ll tell you about it.”
He made a noise that could have been a snort or a laugh
Audrika scooted her chair closer. “If I do tell you,” she said. “I’d need to know you won’t share it with anyone else.”
“I ain’t promising you nothin’. I don’t know what’n the world you’re even talking about.”
Audrika’s smile tightened. “I figured something out. Something that might be… useful.”
“Useful?”
“To people in Waterton.” She tipped her head to the side. “But I can’t possibly tell anyone until I know that it won’t be blabbed all around. And until I have proof. I have my reputation to preserve, you know.”
“Your reputation, hmmm?” Levi smirked. “Sounds like you’re lookin’ for a reason to spill the beans.”
“Oh no. It’s not like that at all.”
“No?”
“I… I’ve found a few things, but… I need some help to prove some of the things I’ve found.”
“Why’s that?”
“Because it’s something that might be… a useful bit of information in the right hands.” She leaned in, heart pounding. This was the best part… the subterfuge. “The town of Waterton could benefit from it.”
“How?”
“Well, I’d have to explain what I found for it to make sense.”
“Then git. I’m listening.”
Audrika pouted. “But you never promised…”
“Yes, yes, woman. I’ll keep your damned secret for Chrissake!”
“Good,” she said, “because this is an opportunity, Levi, but it’s one that has a bit of risk.” Audrika narrowed her eyes, all pretense of coyness gone. “You cannot go to the police. You can’t go off and talk. Understood? Not even to Hunter.”
“Fine,” he grumbled. “Now spit it out.”
“The investigator,” she whispered, nodding to the front of the shop where Tom was finishing up the last of his lunch. “Have you met him?”
“Who’s that?”
“Mr. Farrel,” Audrika huffed. “Right there. The one who’s been going around asking everyone questions. I said, have you met him?”
Levi turned and squinted. As the two of them watched, Tom stood, dropped several bills on the table and headed out the door. “No,” Levi said as the door closed behind him. “But Hunter did.”
“But you know who he is, right?”
“I do.”
“Well, I’ve been doing a little checking on my own. Records and that.”
Levi narrowed his eyes. “How?”
“Well, I’m friends with Elaine, for one. And whenever she can’t get the computer at the hotel to work, I give her a hand. I couldn’t help but notice who her guests were. She had the booking page open on the desktop after all.”
“You snooped.”
“I simply read.” Audrika slid her chair even closer. “The investigator who Hunter met is staying at her hotel, and his name is Tom Farrel. I might have… looked up the scan of his I.D. and credit cards. Poked around a bit.”
“And what’d you find out?”
“Tom Farrel is not just an investigator. He works for Mr. Edward Rice, the father of poor Gabrielle.”
“Who’s that?”
“That young woman who was killed out at Indian Springs. Mr. Farrel is here on Mr. Rice’s bidding.”
“So what if he is?”
“Goodness, Levi!” Audrika hissed. “Think what Louise told us yesterday. There’s a daisy-chain of people between Mr. Farrel and Gabrielle’s father and that chain goes all the way to Dax Xavier, the man who set up Colton’s Borderline scheme.”
Levi scowled at the mention of Colt’s name.
“A lot of people lost money with Borderline,” she said. “And I’ve always wondered if we could get that money back. From the looks of the files, it’s still there.”
“So what if it is?” Levi growled.
“That’s money people in Waterton lost. Now, if I can find the right information, I should be able to get into the account and the money could be transferred—”
“I never lost any money to Borderline.”
Audrika narrowed her eyes. “Well, Colt was your relative, after all, I wouldn’t expect he’d—”
“I had nothin’ to do with his mess!”
“No,” she said. “But lots of other people did. I never had a lease with Borderline, but I had a few… personal loans, so to speak.” She smiled coyly. “Now, can I ask for your help, or not?”
Levi leaned back, his white brows dropping low over his eyes. “Help with what, exactly? All you’ve given me is gossip. I hardly think—”
