Saturday, March 20th
Rosary, Parish Orphanage, 9:15 a.m.
The first thing Mario noticed, when he arrived at the gym in the orphanage, was that the picture of his uncle Luca was already hanging on the wall. He felt a pang of nostalgia for that smiling young man, always optimistic, always joyful. He looked around and saw that the orphans were already there, and that the other children were starting to arrive. Neil came down to the gym and said hello to the children.
There was something extraordinary about his new volleyball coach that Mario hadn’t been able to grasp yet. It was not only the admiration for a policeman who was famous all over Canada for his courage and his skills. There was something that attracted the attention of the children, that made them wish to get to know him better, something in the smile, in the general behavior of this brave man, in his generosity and affability and, at the same time, in his discretion and detachment.
Neil noticed the boy was looking at the picture on the wall, and he put a hand on his shoulder, without saying a word. Mario raised his gaze, and he looked into the beautiful blue eyes of the Inspector. He knew what Neil meant with that gesture: he expressed his sympathy and his respect for Father Luca and his grieving family.
Neil was going to say something, when Robin appeared in the gym and Mario went to meet him.
Neil turned to Robin and asked solicitously: “Robin, how are you? How are you holding up? I am glad you are here today.”
Robin sat down on the bench beside the court and kept his eyes downcast. He didn’t want to show his friends and his coach that he had been crying, and that he hadn’t been able to sleep much. Neil knelt down in front of him while the other boys stood around. He gently raised the boy’s head and forced him to look at him.
“Robin, what’s the matter? I know you are sad these days, but… Is there anything that worries you?”
Robin looked at him for a few moments, and then he said: “Neil, do you have a few minutes after the training? I would like to talk to you.”
Neil said immediately: “Of course, Robin, I have all the time you need, don’t worry!”
Robin, while they were starting to warm up, reflected that the Inspector’s answer was exactly what he expected his father and mother to tell him, when he asked to talk to them. Instead, their time was always limited, their attention to his problems lasted no more than a few seconds. They were always distracted, distant ...
When the training session ended, Neil said to the boys: “Guys, I have just spoken to Father George and to the sisters. We have decided to postpone your volleyball training next week to the afternoon at 3:30 p.m. I would like you to invite your relatives to watch a match. Father George is going to invite the community to the game. This will be a chance for me to meet your parents and to introduce myself to the citizens of your town. We are going to split your group into two teams. It will be a proper game. I already have two referees.” The children were looking at him in amazement. They had difficulty concealing their excitement. Neil noticed with pleasure that his idea had met their approval. He went on, smiling: “The tournament here in New Brunswick is starting next month and, from now on, we are going to warm up and then rehearse the various roles I have assigned you. Every week we will change the teams. But,” he added, noticing the worried expression on some of his players’ faces, “don’t worry if you don’t feel ready. The most important thing is to have fun and, if we don’t do so well this season, we are going to do better next year, ok?” The children nodded wholeheartedly. Neil was really good at soothing their fears and giving them confidence.
Neil recommended: “Don’t forget to tell your relatives and friends that they are all invited next week at 3.30 p.m. and, please, try to be here a little earlier, so that we can warm up.”
Peter asked: “Who will our referees be? Father Luca had told us it was a problem to find referees for friendly games.”
Neil grinned and said: “Father Luca was right, but two of the agents who arrived here a few weeks ago with me have always volunteered to be referees for my games. They have told me they are ready whenever I need them. You are going to meet them next Saturday and … be careful,” he winked at the boys jokingly, “they take their task very seriously, and they will be strict referees.” For a few moments, the children looked at each other with a worried expression, but then they realised that Neil was joking, and they grinned happily.
***
The children went back upstairs, and the orphans went to the kitchen to prepare lunch with the sisters, while the other boys waited for their parents to pick them up. Neil invited Robin to sit in the play-study room, and he sat down next to him.
“Robin,” Neil started, “I know it is very difficult for you because you were very close to your grandma.” He saw that Robin’s eyes were filled with tears, and he put an arm around the boy’s shoulders. Robin lifted his eyes and met the worried gaze of the policeman. He started tentatively, because he didn’t know how to tell Neil what he had seen in his grandmother’s bedroom.
“Neil, do you think my mum…?” He really couldn’t force himself to ask if the police suspected his mother. Why had she not come back to him, as she had promised? Why had she not tried to contact him on the phone? He was really worried and afraid. What would happen if they arrested his mother?
Neil understood what he wanted to say, and he replied: “Robin, we are investigating. We don’t suspect anyone for now.” Robin drew a sigh of relief, and Neil looked at him. “Robin,” he added quickly, “if you know something, please tell me. Whoever killed your grandma must be punished, don’t you think?”
Robin was shaking his head, debating within himself whether he should tell the policeman. He was saying something, when Barbara came into the room, followed by a worried Sister Theresa.
The sister said: “We told her we would call Robin, but she didn’t wait.”
Barbara looked at her stepson with impatience and told him: “I was waiting for you in the car. I saw all the children come out, and I didn’t see you. You know that your father and I are busy, and we don’t have time...”
She realized Neil was looking at her, and she tried to sound calmer when she turned to him. “Good morning, Inspector. I am sorry, but I have to take Robin home immediately.”
Robin looked helplessly at his coach, and Neil, not bothering to reply to Barbara, looked at him and said: “Robin, go now, but remember what I told you.” Barbara looked at him questioningly, and Neil told her calmly: “As you can imagine, Mrs. Lewis, Robin was telling me he is still very sad. I hope that, with the help and the affection of his family, he will be able to overcome this moment that is very difficult for him!” If Barbara noticed a hint of sarcasm in the Inspector’s voice, she pretended not to. She just waited for her stepson to stand up, and she followed him to the front door.
Sister Theresa had remained in the room, silently watching the exchange. Now she smiled at Neil and said: “I can understand that the woman is not Robin’s mother, but... Couldn’t she be a little kinder to him?”
Neil shook his head and smiled at the sister. He was thinking of what Robin had told him. Did Robin know that his mother was guilty? Was he trying to protect her? What had he seen when he had found his grandmother dead?
But, most of all, how could Neil talk to him without interference? Why was Barbara so nervous? Too many questions and still no answers …
***
Fredericton Police Station, 3 p.m.
Neil had left soon after lunch for Fredericton. He was eager to know something more about that woman who had been attacked in her home a few days before.
He entered the police station, and an officer led him immediately to Dan Gordon’s office on the ground floor.
The officer knocked on the door, and a voice inside said: “Come in!” Neil opened the door and found himself in a very small square room with a desk in the center.
The policeman sitting behind the desk stood up immediately and came to shake hands with his famous colleague.
“It is a pleasure to meet you in person, Inspector McKinley. Congratulations on your well-deserved award!”
“Thanks, Lieutenant, but it’s Neil, please.”
“And I am Dan, Neil. Please take a seat.” He added, showing a chair in front of the desk.
Neil sat down, and Dan went back to his chair under the window. He opened a folder that was ready on his desk, and he quickly scanned the contents. Then he looked at Neil and said, looking at his notes from time to time: “Last Tuesday, Alison Stevens was attacked in her home early in the morning. The police were alerted by her colleague Shirley Morley, who was waiting for her at the shop they manage together in the center of the town. My agents went to her apartment, and they found her unconscious on the floor.” While he was talking, he took out some photos of the scene of the crime that he handed to Neil. “In the apartment, everything was in apparent order, apart from the fact that the victim’s laptop, mobile and bag were missing. No fingerprints, of course...”
Neil looked at the photos and asked: “You said on the phone that she had been contacted by Mrs. Stacey Lewis ...”
Gordon looked at him and said: “Yes, I saw her colleague at the hospital, and she told me that Alison had been recently contacted by the lady. In reality, I gave little weight to this event because I didn’t see any connection to the attack. But, since Mrs. Lewis was killed ...”
Neil added: “Not only that, but the priest who had put them in contact died in a car accident just outside Rosary a month ago. The Lieutenant there is not convinced that it was a simple accident. I agree with him.”
Now Dan Gordon began to see a possible connection. He said: “Alison Stevens had tried to contact me the evening before her aggression but, unfortunately, I was away for an investigation. She had left this message.” He gave the piece of paper to Neil, who read it attentively.
Casting his eyes upward, he glanced questioningly at his colleague. He asked: “Do you know what she was referring to?”
Dan handed Neil a folder where he had collected all the results of his investigation on the murder of Alison’s mother, and he explained: “Alison Stevens’s mother was killed during a burglary. Let me see ... She died in hospital on the 15th of May, but she had been attacked on the 10th almost two years ago.”
Neil was reading through the papers, and he said: “I remember the newspapers talked about a series of crimes perpetrated by a man and a woman. I think they killed an old lady in Vancouver a few years ago, if they are the same people, of course. But they have never been able to identify them.”
“Yes, but Alison Stevens had been able to see the woman because she had unexpectedly arrived at her mum’s when she was still there. She had helped draw a sketch,” he handed the drawing to Neil, “but she had had just a fleeting glance at the woman, and I think the sketch is too imprecise to be useful. Furthermore, she didn’t recognize her among the photos of suspects we showed her.” Neil was looking intently at the sketch, but it just depicted the face of an angry looking woman without any details, and it was difficult to see any clear resemblance to the women connected to Stacey Lewis’s murder.
Gordon went on: “When Miss Morley told me about an old lady who had tried to contact Alison, I didn’t see a link to her mother’s death, but now… The message she left was certainly referring to that woman, the one she had seen at her mum’s.”
Neil thought for a few moments and then asked: “How is Alison Stevens now? What do the doctors say?”
Dan shook his head and answered: “She is still in a coma. She has never regained consciousness. The doctors say that the problem is that she lost a lot of blood, and she was not found immediately. The positive thing is that the hematoma in her head is slowly absorbing on its own. They promised to call me if there are any signs of recovery or improvement, but I call every day all the same.”
Neil asked: “Can I have a copy of the papers concerning the investigation into the murder of Alison’s mother? And can I keep a photo of Alison?”
“Yes, of course, and I will keep you posted, Neil. The more I think about it, the more I am convinced that the attempted murder of Miss Stevens and the murder of Mrs. Lewis are connected.”
“I think so, too, Dan.”
Neil put Alison’s photo in the folder Dan was handing him, but he remained sitting in front of his colleague. He waited for a few moments, then he asked tentatively,
“Dan, I would like to know something more about another case involving a little girl ...”
Dan looked at him surprised, but he answered: “Tell me, even if I am in the homicide department.”
Neil continued: “In the parish orphanage in Rosary, there is a little girl who seems to suffer from a shock or a personal trauma. She was found here in Fredericton by the police, and she was taken to the orphanage here, but, a couple of months ago, she was moved to Rosary, because the place there is little larger than a family home. They thought she would have more possibilities to recover from her shock. I would like to know if you have heard something about that case. It was more or less six months ago.”
Why did Dan have the impression that the Inspector’s interest in the case was more personal than professional? It was public knowledge that he was an orphan, but ...
He smiled at Neil and answered: “I heard a child had been found at the station, alone, exhausted and beaten. I didn’t follow the case, but I can collect the information from my colleagues ...”
“Thank you, Dan. The fact is that I am afraid that the people she was able to run away from will start looking for her, especially if she saw or heard something that she could remember, once she gets over her shock or block or whatever it is.”
“I understand. Next Monday I will put you in contact with the agent who found her. You could talk to the people in charge of the orphanage here in Fredericton. It is managed by the Parish, and I can give you the address.”
“Thanks, Dan. Can you give me the address of Alison Stevens’s shop as well?”
“Of course.” Dan took a piece of paper and wrote two addresses and two phone numbers. He gave it to Neil. McKinley put it in the pocket of his jacket, and he stood up. He shook hands with Dan Gordon, and they agreed to keep in touch.
***
Fredericton, Alison and Shirley’s clothes shop, 4:30 p.m.
When Neil opened the glass door of the shop in the center of the town, there were just a few women. They all instinctively turned their gaze to watch that handsome tall man with striking light blue eyes who looked around him, evidently looking for someone. Every woman present wished for a moment that she was the person he was looking for. He was conscious of being the center of attention, but he just smiled. He spotted the person who was behind the counter, and he approached her. She was a woman in her forties with a charming smile and curly brown hair gathered in a ponytail.
She grinned at him, and she said politely: “Can I help you?” The shop sold only women’s clothes and accessories, but she thought maybe he was looking for a present for a girlfriend or a wife, ‘a lucky girlfriend or a wife’, Shirley thought.
Neil didn’t have a badge on his belt because this should have been his day off, so he simply said, after reading the name on the tag on her dress: “Madam, I am the police inspector in Rosary. I have been at the police station here in Fredericton to talk to Lieutenant Gordon, and he gave me your reference. Can I talk to you a minute about your business partner, Alison Stevens?”
Her face clouded and, for a moment, Neil thought she was going to cry, but then she regained her composure and, after checking out the last customer, she invited him to the back room, which was partly a storage room and partly an office.
She said apologetically: “I am sorry, but I have no other place to talk.”
Neil smiled and said: “Don’t worry. I am sorry to disturb you, and I am very sorry for your friend. My name is Neil McKinley. I am the Inspector in Rosary.” She smiled for the first time since he had mentioned Alison, and she said: “Oh, I was sure I had seen you somewhere. You were on TV before Christmas with the Governor. I was watching the news with Alison, and we saw you.” She didn’t think it was appropriate to say that they had both thought that he was one of the most handsome men they had ever seen, and that they had tried to find out more information about him on the internet. They had spent all evening fantasizing about his private life, his girlfriend or his wife.
Now he was in front of her in person, and, oh, how she wished Alison were here with her to see him. She felt a wave of sadness overwhelming her, as it had often happened in the last few days, since her dear friend had been attacked. She cast down her eyes to conceal the tears that were rolling down her cheeks. Neil understood it was difficult for her to talk about Alison, and he said kindly: “I know it is hard for you. Dan Gordon told me that your friend is still unconscious. I can assure you that I will pray for her recovery...”
In the newspapers, she had read that Neil McKinley was a tough and courageous man, but in front of her she had a gentle person, who was talking with a deep, calm voice and was trying to comfort her. It was true that the press never told the whole story behind a person. She slowly raised her face. Her troubled expression testified to days and nights of worry and apprehension.
Neil said: “I just wanted to know what your friend told you about a person she intended to meet. The old lady...”
Shirley interrupted him and said: “Oh, I had almost forgotten, because Lieutenant Gordon didn’t seem interested.” She sat down on a chair. Neil took another chair from the corner of the room and sat down next to her. “It all started more than a month ago. I don’t remember exactly when. She called me one evening after work to tell me that a priest from Rosary had called her. He had explained that an old lady in that town wanted to meet her. Before his death, her husband had revealed to her that he had had a daughter prior to meeting the old woman, but Alison’s mother had prevented him from forming a relationship with her.” She didn’t tell him about the money. She didn’t know why, but she shared her friend’s apprehension that the old lady’s children would want the money back or would complain.
Neil was listening intently, and now he asked: “And did she speak to the old lady recently?”
“Yes, a few days before she was attacked, she was all excited because she hadn’t heard from the priest for some time and then... The old lady herself called her, and they had planned to meet ...” she stopped, and tears filled her eyes once again; “they intended to meet today!” She buried her head in her hands, and she started to sob. Neil put a hand on her arm and waited for her to calm down.
When the sobs subsided, she stood up and went to take a handkerchief from her bag. She wiped the tears, and she tried to smile at the Inspector. She locked eyes with the man, and she said: “I am sorry. I have tried to go on with my job all week but every day I hope she will wake up and instead ... She is always there. I miss her so much. But,” she stopped for a moment, and she asked: “Do you think that what happened has something to do with the old lady? Lieutenant Gordon didn’t seem to believe it was possible.”
Neil debated for a moment what to tell this frightened worried woman, and then he said: “The fact is that the day before she was attacked, she had tried to call Lieutenant Gordon.”
“I am sorry, Inspector. Lieutenant Gordon asked me if I knew why she wanted to contact him, but I don’t know. I have seen that there is always an officer outside her bedroom at the hospital. The Lieutenant told me she could still be in danger, but ... Who would want to hurt her? She has never done anything wrong.” Her voice was really anguished, and Neil decided not to tell her about Stacey Lewis’s murder.
Instead, he asked her: “Did you know Alison at the time of the death of her mother?”
“Yes, it was a terrible thing. She had to go to the police station many times to look at photos, to help the technician draw a sketch. She didn’t find any woman who looked like the one she had seen at her mum’s. When she had met her on the stairs in her mum’s apartment building, she remembered a hard face and an angry look, even though she had only seen her for an instant. She often told me that her mother had been surprised because, when she had told that woman that her daughter was coming to visit her, she had said immediately she had another commitment, and she had left in a hurry.”
Neil knew that Shirley was worried for her friend, and he decided to leave her for now.
He simply told her: “Thanks for your time, Miss Morley. I really hope your friend will recover.”
They both stood up and went back to the shop. Neil took his leave and drove away. He was more and more convinced that the death of Father Luca, Stacey Lewis’s murder and the attack on Alison Stevens were connected, but he had to find the link, the person who was ready to kill three people ...
***
Fredericton Parish Orphanage, 5:30 p.m.
The Parish orphanage was on the outskirts of the town, not far from the motorway that led to Rosary, so Neil stopped there on his way home. This orphanage was much bigger than the one in Rosary, but certainly smaller than the big institution where he had grown up. Every time he entered a foster home or an orphanage, all the memories of his childhood came back to him: he had never complained about his early life, because Father Thomas had been a father to him. He had guided him through a difficult childhood, and he had always been the person he turned to when he had a problem or a doubt, even now that he was an adult. He had fun with the other children. They had had a lot of happy moments, and they had kept in contact, even when they had started their adult life and had left the orphanage. Nevertheless, he was glad because the newspapers had spoken about his being an orphan and had spared him talking about his past life.
In a parish institution, there was usually a priest in charge and a few nuns, in addition to the volunteers. The orphanage in Vancouver was really big, and they had a school, a church and many people who worked as cooks, maids, and assistants. Here in Fredericton, as in Rosary, the structure was much smaller. Surely there was no internal school.
He entered, and a smiling woman in her sixties approached him. She had small glasses and gray hair; she was tall and slim and had an affable face. In the room next to the entrance hall, Neil could hear the joyful noise of children’s voices talking and laughing.
He smiled and introduced himself. “Hello, I am Inspector Neil McKinley from Rosary.”
The woman smiled: “Oh, Mr. McKinley, it is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Mandy, Brown. I am one of the volunteers here. Is there anything wrong?” She hinted at the fact that he had introduced himself as a policeman. He reassured her immediately: “Oh no, Mrs. Brown. In fact, I am here on a personal level.” Since she didn’t invite him to sit, he started: “I have recently arrived at the police station in Rosary. I met the children at the orphanage there, and I noticed a little girl, Amy...” His voice trailed off because, when she heard the name of the child, Miss Brown stopped smiling and asked worriedly: “How is that poor girl? Wait a minute, I will call the headmistress. She was here a minute ago.” Without waiting for Neil to go on, she opened a door, and she talked for a few moments with the person who was in that room. Then she went back to him and told him: “Sister Frances would like to see you, please ...” He thanked her and knocked tentatively on the door. A voice invited him to go in, and he entered. The room was, in reality, a small classroom with a few desks and a teacher’s desk on the opposite side, in front of a modern interactive board. Behind the desk, a really tiny nun was sitting, evidently correcting homework. She raised her eyes, and she smiled.
“Inspector McKinley. It is a pleasure to meet you. I have heard that you have been assigned as inspector in Rosary.”
He approached the desk and he shook hands with the nun, who stood up and went to stand in front of the policeman, accentuating the difference in stature between her and Neil.
“Inspector, when I heard you are in Rosary, I thought I would call you,” Neil looked at her questioningly, and she went on: “We saw the award ceremony with our children and, knowing,” she stopped and she looked into the blue eyes that were watching her intently, “I am sorry, but it is publicly known that you are an orphan. I think it would be a good idea to tell the children here about your life, your choice to become a policeman, nothing too personal, but it would be positive for them to know that an orphan like them has been able to achieve so much good, to save the lives of people in danger ...” Now she looked at him with a troubled face, afraid of having said something wrong.
Neil smiled and answered: “Don’t worry, sister. You have had a wonderful idea, and I will certainly think about it. In fact, in Vancouver, Father Thomas called me a few times in the orphanage where I had grown up to talk to children or teenagers.”
Sister Frances was relieved, and she said: “But, I am sorry. You came here to talk about Amy, didn’t you?”
“Yes, sister. I have made myself available as volleyball coach for the children of the community and of the orphanage in Rosary, because one of the priests died recently, and they hadn’t found another person who would train the children. When I went to visit the orphanage, I saw this little girl, and they told me she had recently moved there from this orphanage. The police here have told me they found her at the station, but nobody seems to be looking for her.”
Sister Frances was shaking her head sadly. Now she said: “Yes, when they found her, they took her here, but she stayed here for… I think three or four months. We tried in every way to make her talk. We even called a children’s psychiatrist, but Amy just shook her head and refused to say anything. She was very good at school. She was calm, but she didn’t want to be touched by anyone. When we tried to comfort her, she just curled up on the bed or on the sofa. She remained there, shaking and trembling. The psychiatrist told us she has a kind of block, that she received a shock, and she kind of stops her memories from hurting her. He even said that he didn’t know what her reaction would be if one day she removed that barrier.” Neil nodded, because this was exactly his concern. “We spoke to the nuns in Rosary because the orphanage there is very small. There are only a few children, and we thought that maybe ... They accepted her, but they told me a few weeks ago that she hasn’t had any improvement so far.”
“But,” Neil ventured to ask, “Has anyone come to look for her?” The sister was looking at him perplexed, and he was forced to explain: “What I am thinking, sister, is that the police here confirmed that she ran away. She wasn’t abandoned by whoever was keeping her. If she saw or heard something before escaping, would that person or those people try to find her? Maybe I am influenced by my job, but I can’t help feeling that, when she starts to talk or to remember, she could be in danger.”
Sister Frances was nodding slowly, and she said, after a few moments: “I have never thought of this possibility, but, now that you speak about it, when she arrived...” She stopped and Neil could see that she was trying hard to recollect something, then she went on: “Please give me a few days, because I have to verify… I remember that Amy frequently looked frightened when someone came into the room where she was. Then, when she saw who it was, she relaxed, but her first reaction was always panic. You can ask the sisters there if she still reacts in the same way... Oh, poor child! God knows what she has experienced.”
Neil smiled, trying to conceal his emotions, because he was really worried for Amy, and he was feeling a powerful impulse to protect her.
He told the nun: “I will try to investigate and to discover what is frightening her so much, I promise.” He added quickly, to conceal a personal interest, “There are too many children who disappear and experience all kinds of violence and threats. I would like to stop this at all costs.”
Sister Frances smiled at him and nodded. He gave her a card with his phone number, and he asked her: “Please, don’t hesitate to call me if you remember anything important about the time when Amy was here.” The nun took the card. The policeman was turning to leave, when the nun said abruptly: “I have just remembered something about Amy.” After a few moments, she went on: “Yes, we all noticed it. Amy always kept her eyes downcast and avoided eye contact. I think she still behaves in the same way. While we were watching the ceremony with the Governor on TV last Christmas, we saw that Amy was watching attentively, especially when you received the award. It was as if she already knew you… I don’t know, it was our impression…” Neil tried to conceal his emotions. How and where could he have met the little girl?
He promised to think about her proposal to have him talk to the children about his experiences, and he took leave. All the way home, he kept on thinking of that sweet and sad little girl with beautiful emerald green eyes.
ns216.73.216.204da2
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