Chapter Fourteen

Richard was in his usual jovial mood as I picked him up at the airport. I did not want to get into details about Gritty just yet. I was relishing the idea of having alone time with my husband. I knew that if I told him what had happened, he would not stop questioning me and then feel a need to solve the situation immediately. I saw him approaching; I felt like we were in one of those romance movies, running towards each other like two lost lovers, with our feet barely touching the ground.

The moment Richard saw me he asked, “Okay, what’s up? Something happened… I can tell from the look in your eyes.”

“Nothing! I missed you terribly. That’s all.” It was getting harder and harder to keep things from Richard. He was very perceptive, seeing through people, especially when I was concerned. I guess it is called marriage, knowing your partner and having a keen sense as to when something was wrong. I decided to stop off for a drink at the airport lounge and come clean. It was not the way I wanted to tell him but I knew that he would eventually realize that I was hiding something. So, what better time than now!

“How about a drink? I could use one.”

“See I knew something was up. What is it?”

“Can we please sit down and order a drink first, then we can talk.”

“Okay,” replied Richard getting more exasperated by the moment. “I was wondering why you came to meet me. You usually let the limo drive me home.” Then he went from jovial to concerned. “Adam, are you alright? You’re not sick or anything, are you?”

The waitress brought our drinks and I began. “They found Gritty.”

“Great, where was the prick? Did he change streets? Find a bigger box!” he said with a teasing hint to his voice.

“No, they found his body. He is dead. Although the forensic work has not come back yet… I know it is him.”

“Fuck, are you serious! Wow, I feel like shit for kidding around about him. What do you think happened?”

“From what I gather; he had a lot of enemies.”

“He always said that someone was after him. Maybe, we should have taken him more seriously.”

“Based on what? The ramblings of a lunatic. Richard we did our best on this one. I will not take any responsibility for lack of helping him. He lied continuously and I could not tell what was real or really living in his head. He was delusional half the time.”

“How is Lexus taking it?”

“I don’t know. I only found out yesterday and I have not had the chance to speak with her yet. Until the body is identified only Marc and I would have that information. Remember she never let on that Gritty was even in her life. There would be no trace to link her and the body, therefore no one would go knocking at her door.”

“That’s right! It was only a few that knew of their relationship. Wow, that’s deep!”

“If this goes to trial, and I am sure once the homicide department gets their hands on it, Lexus will have to testify. She will have no choice then.”

“She will be found out. Crap, they all will be found out! This could be the scandal of the year. She will have to produce names and personal information. Her clients will be exposed for what and who they are. Adam this could get really out of hand.”

We looked at each other and for some uncanny reason started to laugh. We relished in the idea of those pompous bastards getting their just dues. The only problem was Lexus and how she would survive when all hell broke loose. What could I do? No one deserved it more than her! She was a grown woman who knew what she was doing. I’m sure that I also would be incriminated with having a connection to her.

“You know Richard, this could be the end of my PI work.”

“How?”

“I used Lexus and most of my clients came from her little abode. I don’t think the courts would make an exception for me. My client list was pretty shady and I knew it.”

“Even great lawyers defend criminals who commit murder. Everyone, guilty or not is entitled to legal defence. You were hired by them and they cannot hold you responsible for doing your job. Besides, they will focus on the murder of Gritty and that’s all. You should know that. One case does not have a bearing on the other. That’s the way the courts see it. I am not saying some shit won’t be disturbed. You might have a few worried clients approach you. Be ready!”

“Yeah, I bet the hush money that I will be offered will keep me happy for many years.”

“You wouldn’t!”

“No, but I am sure there will be some offers. You can bet on that.”

“Oh well, time to go. Is the car close by?”

“It is just out the door. I was lucky someone was leaving.”

There was no traffic to speak of and we arrived home in less than an hour. Richard hurriedly unpacked and got into something comfortable. We decided to make a quick sandwich and go over the questions that we might be asked. Better to be prepared than not.

“I thought his last name was Haze.”

“It is.”

“Didn’t you say his mother was Arlette Baton? Where did the Haze come from?”

“Good question. I really don’t know. Gritty never mentioned his father. I guess his name was Haze. There must be some record at the courthouse of his birth. He had to be registered somewhere. I will check tomorrow.”

“Adam, didn’t you say he spoke with an English accent? Perhaps his father was English.”

“That is probable. We can’t presume anything until I get his birth certificate.”

“I am sure Lexus would know. Why don’t you ask her?”

“Right! Once she finds out that Gritty is dead, she will have a total breakdown. I am almost positive of that. I won’t tell her anything until the body is positively identified.”

“Does Marc have anything in his files? When Gritty was arrested, there had to be some sort of identification. And that is where there might be a birth certificate of some sort. Why don’t you give Marc a call? It is still early in the evening.”

There did not seem to be even time for the phone to ring before he picked up. “Hey Marc. You were? What a coincidence, I was just calling you as well. Oh, I figured that; it is him. Why don’t you come over for a drink and we can talk more about it. Okay, see you in ten.”

* * * *

“Marc, that didn’t take long. Usually it is at least 48 hours or longer to identify the corpse.”

“Yes, but because he had a record and a recent one, all the lab work was done immediately. I must admit I asked for a rush on this one and he was identified within a couple of hours.”

“I always thought it was Gritty but now with it being validated it kind of sucks. I’m not looking forward to giving this news to Lexus. She will be devastated.”

“I am a firm believer that goodness prevails. I know, in my line of work it is hard to incorporate that kind of thought pattern but I personally try to live by that,” said Marc.

“How did you identify him? There was not much meat left on the body.”

“The forensic team took some hair molecules and with DNA it did not take long. And like I said, Mr. Haze was in our custody before. Everything matched and the body was tagged and sent to the morgue. Actually it was a pretty easy process.”

“What will happen now? Does he have some kind of funeral?”

“Only if someone claims the body. Right now it seems the city will look after all those details. What about Lexus? Do you think that she might want a proper burial for him? He is the father of her son! I could delay the procedures if you want more time.”

“I will talk to her today. What do you mean by time? How long do we have?” I asked.

“Well, seeing as it is a questionable homicide; until the case is closed Gritty will remain on ice. It could be a week or even as long as a year. Who knows at this point?”

Richard had remained silent throughout Marc’s visit but as he was about to leave he said, “Who was his father? When he was arrested before, was there any record of his parents?”

“Yeah I have that information. We just recently received it.”

“Marc, why didn’t you tell me?’

“I don’t remember reporting to you and you didn’t ask. His father was a Donald Haze. He was a prominent employee at the Montreal Stock Exchange. Arlette Baton and he never got married. They had an affair which produced Grenville and we all know her fate; she killed herself, and I can only imagine why from Donald’s lack of commitment. That is where Grenville must have inherited his money; a wealthy father and a successful actress. He lived in foster care but he was very well provided for. Most of that was public knowledge back in the 60s.”

“Amazing! Probably out of boredom he started to act out. That is also probably when he developed HPD. He wanted and needed attention. I bet you that he did not even have to work,” I said.

“No he didn’t. We were able to release his bank statements and he was a very wealthy man.”

“What are you talking, a couple of thousands?”

“No, a couple of million to be exact!”

I couldn’t believe that this millionaire was living in a box. It reminded me how you see cases of very rich people shoplifting. They are bored and need entertainment. That is the same in Gritty’s case; his Histronic Personality Disorder was him acting out and pretending to be someone else. It was all a game to him; a very sick game. I did not know whether to feel sorry for him or not. He was sicker than I thought. And there was Lexus, struggling for every penny she earned, raising this man’s son. I wonder just how much she knew.

“Marc, once this goes to court that would mean that Peter being his son, is a very rich young man!”

Richard suddenly jumped to attention. “Wow, I never thought about that! But this is only if Lexus comes clean with everything.”

“Unfortunately she will be subpoenaed,” said Marc with a defiant glare.

“No one knows about her! How can she be?” I questioned.

“I know and that is as far as it goes. I will not cover for her a moment longer. You are expecting a lot from me Adam. This is a murder case and I have to find out who killed Grenville. Just think, it might be Lexus at the bottom of it all. She was livid with him and the way he treated Peter and her. Don’t let that damsel in distress cloud your reasoning. She could well be the offender here. I will not cover for her or you anymore. This has gone too far now. I made an oath to see that justice prevails and my friendship with you guys will not stop me from fulfilling that oath. Sorry!”

Richard looked at me waiting for the roof to cave in. I knew that Marc was right. The game was over. Lexus would be told about Grenville and also be questioned by the law. What else was I to do? I was starting to think that Marc was right. Maybe Lexus did kill Gritty. She had the money and the means to do it. She could get inside help from the bums in the area to dispose of the body. Why didn’t I think of this before? I would meet with her and prepare her for the consequences. I would give her a heads up and let her deal with what was coming her way. This was her problem now and I could not cover anymore.

“Thank you Marc. I fully respect your decision. I would never want you to jeopardize your situation. Helping me the occasional time with information is one thing but covering up a murder case is a totally different ball game. Do what you have to do and if you need me to testify or pull up any information on my side, feel free to ask?”

“I am happy that you feel that way. We will be in touch.”

“Are you serious? You are going to turn on Lexus?” asked Richard.

“Lexus has it coming to her. And what if she did kill Gritty? Someone did! She had all the reason for doing so. He was abusive towards her and never took full responsibility for Peter. She struggled alone with it. And now he is a millionaire! What if she found out about his money and was really pissed off? I wouldn’t blame her for killing that bastard. What a piece of work he was! I am not looking forward to tomorrow but I want this over with. It was never going to be the same with Lex and me anyway. She burned too many bridges with me, her lies have finally caught up to her. I could never trust her again. It is sad but it is over.”

* * * *

She answered the door as if she were waiting for someone. “Do you have any news?” she asked.

“Do you have the coffee pot on?” I felt that giving her such unsettling news at the front door was not an option. I was happy that Marc let me be the one to tell her. He could have sent a cop over. “I have some information. Let’s go and sit in the kitchen.” There was a sprint to her step. I could not read the look that came upon her face. She was more anxious than concerned. She seemed to only want a report of what was happening. She slid the coffee cup over to me so quickly that I grabbed it for fear that it would land on the floor.

“Did they find Gritty?”

“Lexus, they found his body. It was dragged up from the Lachine canal. I’m sorry.” Nothing, not even a blink of an eyelid… she remained calm. At first I felt that she was in some comatose state. Her stillness was unnerving, no reaction what-so-ever! I did not know what to expect from her. I reached out only to have my hand pushed away. She got up and started to whimper something only for her own ears to hear. I approached her and her demeanor was dead. She appeared to be another person, not the Lexus that I had grown to admire and love. “Talk to me Lex,” was all I could say.

“That son of a bitch! How dare he leave us like this! I hate him. I am happy that he is dead and I hope he rots in hell. All the time and effort that I put into that bastard!”

“You’re upset: time will heal. Lexus he was sick. You told me that yourself. He had demons that no one could fix. They were living inside his head.”

“I am only happy that Peter never knew that he was his father. He is better off without him. Adam, I am so mad. You will never understand!”

“Of course I understand. He was a pathological liar. He played everyone: you, me, Peter and the system. Who knows what other stories might crop up with his death being made public?”

“What are you crazy? This must never get out,” she said pleadingly.

“Lex, it is out of my hands now. The homicide department is involved and unfortunately we will all be questioned. Even you!”

“Adam, you have to protect me. I could lose everything. This is my living, Peter’s and my only income.”

“He died a millionaire. They found his bank account and I would say that Peter will inherit his father’s wealth.”

“But there is no record of Grenville being his father.”

“Have you heard of DNA? Of course they can prove him to be Peter’s father. We live in a new world of technology. That’s the easy part. The hard part will be coming clean to Peter and explaining that Gritty was in fact his father.”

“I want to be alone now. Please go.”

“Okay, but answer all calls. You will definitely be called down to the precinct. I’m sorry, this cannot be avoided.” She slammed the door behind me and I knew she just might be planning her escape. I could only hope that she would not do anything stupid. I no sooner left when I got a call from Marc.

“You located him. He is still alive! You knew that already. Why didn’t you tell me this before? Are you free for lunch?”

I couldn’t believe that Donald Haze was still alive. He had to be well into his late 80s. I was anxious for answers and hopefully Marc would have some. I had so many questions for him.

How did this Donald Haze fit into the scheme of things?