Chapter Three

I returned home to find Richard had prepared the most delectable dinner. Although late, it was the only time that we had for ourselves. I felt guilty. I told him about a case I was working on… not at all related to what actually happened that day. Why the need to lie to him! I couldn’t explain the reasoning behind it. All I knew was that he would never completely understand me putting up a homeless man. He also knew nothing about my relationship with Lexus and I wanted to keep it that way. I kept questioning my dedication to our marriage. We were supposed to share everything with our spouses … and I was doing anything but. I was very much in love with Richard but was starting to realize true love should have no secrets. I had been alone a long time, fighting for my place on this planet and even though a small place, I found it difficult to share.

“You seem vague tonight. Is there anything that you want to discuss? Is your case load wearing you down? Or perhaps it is something else bothering you. I have free time on my hands and I can help you if you want. Adam all you have to do is ask.”

“That’s sweet of you; I am still looking for office space. The downtown core is really expensive. I’ve seen a few properties but in order to afford them, I would have to do extensive renovations. It’s really difficult. I want to open up another office within the next couple of months. That’s all! There is really nothing for you to worry about.”

“Adam, I am great at decorating and it would give me something to do. Let me help you. Until I find a job, a better position than what the Sunlight has to offer, I can search the classifieds and come up with a great alternative to what you have here. Please say yes!”

I could see the gleam in his eyes and felt he would definitely be of help. He looked the happiest that he had been in a long time. “Okay, do it! I will give you a copy of my budget and my requirements. Is this taking time away from you finding a job though?”

“Not at all,” replied Richard. “I do most of my searching online, and if an interview should come up, I will work around it. I’ll get on top of this tomorrow.” The rest of the night was spent going over colours and space requirements. Although I appeared to be interested, I let him ramble on. It was the perfect distraction from the real matters at hand. Richard was happy and so was I. I was nodding in reply to his many ideas, but my thoughts and emotions were running rampant. Gritty was monopolizing them.

* * * *

I could not wait to be up and on with my day. I used another excuse for my early departure and Richard did not question me. He was already searching the classifieds, anticipating this new task with the greatest of enthusiasm. We kissed each other and said our goodbyes. The moment the fresh air hit me I felt unrestricted. It was as if my body was cleansed. All the lies and deceitfulness from my previous day seemed like just a thing of the past. I was a liar and I despised how this made me feel. Richard did not deserve being treated in such a faithless way. The moment that I went outside it seemed to justify what was and what was about to happen.

I punched in the code. Looking at my watch I realized that it was not quite 8:00 a.m. yet.

I could smell the fresh scent of coffee. As I approached the kitchen I saw Lexus preparing a tray. She looked even better without makeup. Her bright red hair highlighted the paleness of her skin. She reminded me of a china doll. Her turquoise Japanese kimono accentuated every curve. Her sash was tied tightly around her waist, and because of her ample mid-section, it was forced to pull its way upward just under her bustline. She was barefoot with the most beautifully painted red toenails. With her buxom bust and her thick midriff, she would be obliged to perform a monumental task while bending over to see them, let alone paint her nails. I laughed at the thought.

“Oh, you startled me! What brings you here so early? And what are you snickering about?”

“I wanted to drop in on my way to work. I wanted to see how Gritty is doing?” I did not dare tell her my thoughts on her appearance.

“You seem very happy this morning. Now get that silly smirk off your face and take this tray up to your guest. It will save me the trouble.”

“I thought that they came down to the dining room to eat. Why are you serving him?” I asked.

“I heard him wandering around last night. He was probably finding his bearings. Sitting with other strangers; he might not be up to that yet. I will see how he is today and tomorrow he can join us in the dining room,” she answered, in an overprotective tone. “Oh, and I hate to bring up the subject but who is going to fork over for his accommodations?”

“I am.”

“Okay Adam, cut the crap! Is he a client of yours?”

“Look Lexus, I am good for it. If you want a deposit; just tell me how much.”

“I know you are good for it; stop avoiding my question. If you want me to put him up, you have to come clean with me,” she said, getting more frustrated by the moment. “I know what you have been through this last year. When things seem to go well, you have this uncanny ability to fuck them up. It is like you feel undeserving of a peaceful and loving life. You have Richard. You’ve just returned to Montreal and are starting over again. Get out of this before it is too late. Shit, are you having an affair with that bum? That’s it; isn’t it?” Now there was fire in her eyes. Even if I was having an affair, she was reacting way too much!

I jolted back as if I had been hit with something. “An affair! Lexus, you must be suffering from a minor case of dementia. Why would I have an affair when I am married to Richard?”

She started to laugh so loudly that I thought for sure the others would join us. It echoed throughout the building. Then when she composed herself, she said, “You seem to forget what I do here. I shelter every loser husband and cheater around. Affairs are the reason for this building being in existence. I make my living off of affairs. Do you know who you are talking to?”

“Yes, I guess that was a stupid statement on my part.” Without explanation, I started to laugh with her. She did not continue with her line of questioning but handed me the tray and I went up to see Gritty. Lexus and I would talk later. Now was not the time.

* * * *

I passed Peter along the way. “Hey Pete, what’s up?”

“I wish Lexus had an elevator. My knees are giving out on me. Ever since I broke my leg skiing, it has never been the same. Especially in the cold weather.”

“Sorry to hear that. I hope it gets better soon.” He nodded and continued down the stairs. Peter was slow. I guess you could call him mentally challenged. He had been with Lexus as long as I had known her. He had a waif-like appearance, very thin with a small bone structure. He walked with a limp, complaining about a ski accident which I found out to be a figment of his imagination. Lexus said that he had never been on the slopes. It made him feel important to let others assume that he had. As long as I had known Peter, he wore plaid shirts and jeans high with garish suspenders. His plaid shirts came in numerous colours and it soon became his style. He reminded me of Steve Urkel, the drop-in neighbor from the 90’s TV sitcom “Family Matters”. Peter always looked like he had been scrubbed clean with a good bar of soap. His hair was perfectly combed and gelled down holding it in place. What I always noticed was the oversized watch that he wore dangling loosely from his wrist. He would constantly refer to it as it seemed to bestow on him some greater importance than it really was. Lexus said that it had been a gift to him from his father. She did not willingly volunteer information about Peter. She looked after him and when I once asked about where he came from, she abruptly changed the subject. I knew then not to pursue the matter any further.

Did I mention that he had bright red hair? I think that might be the answer in itself. If and when she wanted to tell me, I would let her decide and support her fully.

Unsteadily I balanced the tray as I approached his room. Not wanting to put the tray on the floor, I used my foot as a knocker. There was no response. Finally, I had no choice but to put the tray down. I started to rap loudly and call out his name. Still no answer. I tried the handle and it opened. “Gritty, it is time to get up.” Looking around the room, I realized that he was not there. The bed was made and it appeared as if no one had slept there that night. I frantically assumed that he was in the bathroom at the end of the hall. All the rooms shared a common bathroom. I could see a light under the door and once again knocked.

“Take a number.” The voice was not his.

“Excuse me, but is that you Gritty?” With that the door flung open and a large black man was standing there with shaving cream dripping from his face.

“Do I look like Gritty to you? Now fuck off and leave me alone.”

I felt he was going to hit me. I could not get the words out because the saliva in my mouth was preventing them from coming forth. I finally managed to speak. “I’m sorry.” And before I knew it the door was being slammed shut in my face. Wow that was a close call!

I made my way back to the kitchen. “He is not there,” I said with a look of concern.

“What do you mean he is not there?” A worried look came over her face.

“Just what I said. I opened his door and the room appeared as if no one had slept there last night.”

“Well, maybe he realized this spot was not for him. Adam, he lives on the streets and sometimes they want to stay there. As hard as it is for you to understand … that is all they know… that is home for them.”

“Okay, but if he should come back, can you give me a call?” With that said I slipped her a one-hundred dollar bill and asked her to hold the room for another night. “Oh, and on a lighter note, would you please tell Mr. T. down the hall, that not everyone wants to challenge him!”

“Adam, you know how I feel about this Gritty situation but sure, I’ll call you if I see him. If he does not return by tomorrow the room is up for grabs. And Mr. T. has a name; it is Stewart. He has been through some really rough times … give the guy a break!”

“Thanks Lexus.” As crazy as it was, I felt betrayed. I had stepped out on a limb for Gritty and now he did not even have the decency to say goodbye. I exited the building by the back for fear of being seen. God forbid that Richard would be walking by or perhaps, someone that knew us. As I was approaching the street I noticed him. Gritty was sitting, back up against the wall, cigarette in hand, looking oblivious to my concerns. The cold weather did not seem to faze him. “Where have you been? Lexus and I thought you had left without saying anything. She prepared breakfast for you.”

“Man, I am just having a smoke. What’s your problem?”

“Did you sleep here last night?” I asked.

“Yes of course I did.”

“Your bed does not look like it has been slept in.”

“I can make a bed, you know,” he said with an insulting glare. “I got up early and needed a smoke.”

“Come inside and have a cup of coffee with me. Surely Lexus will still have something for you to eat. I want to talk.”

“Look Mr. Garwood, I appreciate all that you have done for me. But I must be on my way. I don’t take favors from strangers. The occasional loose change or so, but this is a little more than a hand out.”

“Alright, but will you please come in and have a coffee with me.” He got up obligingly and we made our way back into the kitchen. Lexus unquestioningly poured us coffee. She placed a plate of sweet rolls in front of us. Gritty dived in. You could tell he was really hungry.

I waited until he had finished and then began my so called interrogation. I noticed that he had shaved and cleaned up a bit. He looked presentable and rather handsome. I could not shake this feeling of knowing him from somewhere.

“We never did finish our conversation the other day. I was getting to know you and unfortunately we were rudely interrupted.”

“I’m sorry about that,” he answered. “If the others thought that I was getting friendly with people, I would lose my place.”

“What place?” I questioned.

“Even though we live on the streets, we respect one another’s space. We watch out for each other. No one is allowed to snoop or invade that space, especially strangers. I had to act like you were a bother. Man, I am sorry about that.”

“I figured that’s what happened. Can we please continue now?”

“What do you want to know? And to be very blunt Adam, what the hell business is it of yours?” he said with a disdainful glare.

“Actually, it is none of my business. I am wanting to help. Gritty, you have a story and obviously you do not belong on the streets… like I said, I want to help.”

“Okay, what do you want to know? Are you doing a story for some paper or something?”

“No, not at all! I want to know who you are and why are you living like this? You obviously have an education. I can tell by the way you speak. Were your parents British? I detect a bit of an accent.”

“British!” He laughed. “Anything but.”

I continued. “I know these streets. I am a private investigator with a degree in law. I have been helping people in this area for a long time.”

“You can stop there,” he said. “Who hired you? You were hired by them, weren’t you?” Gritty started to get very anxious and immediately got up to leave. Lexus quickly came to the rescue.

“Sit down. You can trust Adam. He is trying to help, that’s all! He has helped me in the past. How do you think a person like myself is able to own a place like this? Adam has assisted many of the people in this area. If he says he wants to help you, then he does! Now sit down while I pour you another cup.”

Gritty sheepishly obeyed. Lexus had a certain authority in her voice that not many would ignore. At first I was annoyed she was listening into our conversation, but now I was very grateful.

“I don’t have any money. You won’t be able to help me. The reason I am in this predicament is because I could not afford a good lawyer. They have all the means to afford the best.”

“You keep saying ‘they’. Who are ‘they’?” I questioned.

“You don’t want to get mixed up with them. I have been hiding a long time. If they knew where I was, for sure that would be the end of me.” Gritty started to sweat profusely. “They took everything from me, all my personal belongings, my friends and family. They took my life!”

“Okay, calm down! You have to be honest and tell me everything. I will try my best to help you. We will work out the payment later. Let’s just start from the beginning. Tell me!”

“Do you mind if I smoke?” I looked over and Lexus nodded in agreement.

“Sure, if that helps.”

* * * *

“You wouldn’t believe where my life was five years ago. I owned a house in Hampstead. I drove an Audi. I had the best designer suits and I could afford the latest gadgets money could buy. I travelled the world and enjoyed the fruits of life. But most of all, I had a great life with friends and family. And then it ended abruptly.” The expression that came over Gritty’s face was pitiful, but the look that came over Lexus’ was even more unsettling. I can’t imagine losing all that and could not wait to hear the rest of his story. My curiosity was getting the better of me and it took all my composure not to hurry him along. I had to win his trust.

He continued. “I worked for a company called Invor Research.”

“Oh, I’ve heard of them. They work hand in hand with pharmaceutical companies.”

“Yes, that’s right. Invor takes on a lot of contract work. They have laboratories in both Canada and the United States. They are responsible for the testing of many of the drugs that are distributed in these countries. They are associated with Health Products and Food Branch (HPFB) of Health Canada. Invor works with the physicians, chemists, pharmacologists and statisticians, and sometimes with outside sources to assess the safety and quality of these drugs. They compile information for drug approval for consumer buying. Invor is independent and unbiased. They are only the middleman and hand over this information. It is basically a research centre limited to research in the area of the components of these drugs, components meaning distributional sources.”

I almost fell off my chair when he said that. Here was a homeless bum who had worked for one of the largest companies in North America. “What was your capacity at Invor?”

“I was basically in charge of operations working with the stats but primarily the head chemist. Anything that left the lab came through me for approval. I worked hard at my job and was compensated well for my knowledge. I was greatly respected… or so I thought.”

“What happened? You go from that to this!”

“We were in the final stages of development for a cure of a disease that would have made a profound difference in the medical industry. I stumbled on this unapproved cure and handed over my review. Feeling very proud and waiting for a positive response seemed a long time coming. I questioned the absence of their reply, which seemed a long time coming, not knowing it would be the beginning of my demise.”

“But Gritty, you would think that with this breakthrough in the medical field they would be very excited with your findings.”

“Yes, you would think so! You must remember how much money is being handed over by consumers for needless drugs… keeping the public alive with optimistic dreams of a cure. They keep coming back with their money in order to purchase these pills. The big word here is money… pharmaceutical industry… money grabbing aristocrats that live off people’s health problems with a hope for a better life… anticipating a cure.”

“So you are saying you found a cure and were stopped in your tracks because of greed.” I looked over at Lexus and realized she was crying. I chose to ignore, not wanting to embarrass her.

“Yes, they don’t want cures! They want you to keep buying their pills. Don’t you get it? I was a threat to them, so they tried to eliminate me. They tried to kill me. I lost everything.”

“They can’t do that! It is illegal! Didn’t you try going to the authorities?”

“Of course I did. Who are they going to believe, some disabled chemist with a cleft hand or the people in power at Invor. They built a case against me that made me look like the insane professor. I was lost at how to deal with this. People who at first were rooting for me and supporting my work, my colleagues and friends, soon joined forces with the enemy. To this day I don’t know who got to them or what was said.”

“Obviously they were frightened of recriminations if they sided with you. They were either paid off or were threatened with their lives. Same old story… big corporation against little man. I want to help you.” I kept thinking to myself that this could be the case. This could be the big one that I was looking for.

“I don’t mean to be disrespectful but a gay lawyer or private investigator, living in the Plateau, is definitely not a match for Invor. Just leave it alone!”

“So, you are going to live in a box the rest of your life. You are going to hide from this!” I asked, getting more frustrated by the moment. “What do you have to lose?”

“If that is what it takes then I will. I have no choice. These people mean business. They took my life away from me.”

“You mentioned family. Were you married? Do you have children?”

“Yes, I had a wife. We were married for 25 years. She knew too much information. I told her everything. They knew that and made me pay for it.”

“Where is she now?”

Tears filled his eyes. He looked up as if realizing what he was about to say determined his condition, his present state. It explained his bleak situation and uncertain and dire future. Lexus reached out as his body started shaking with the memory.

“They killed her,” he sobbed.

I knew then that nothing could stop me from taking on this case. Richard would have to know about it and I, once again, was putting our lives at risk. This appalling injustice would have to be vindicated. I couldn’t believe that Gritty could not find help. I could only surmise that he was alone and had nowhere to turn. I was furious with this story. Once calmed down Gritty looked in my direction and I put my arm around his shoulder.

“I will take on your case. Not just for you, but for all those misled people with families wanting answers to their life threatening illnesses.”

“And you can stay here as long as needed,” whispered Lexus looking on knowingly. She seemed more protective of him rather than eager for me to solve the case. Her reaction was very puzzling. I felt that she knew more than she was letting on. Please don’t lie to me Lexus, anyone but you. I need you more than ever now.

“It might put you both in danger. These people have thugs that work for them and I mean there is no stopping their violence.”

“Don’t worry about me; I have handled the worst kind of danger. Gritty, you mentioned your wife. What happened to her? I’m sorry, I have to ask.”

“It was never proven but she fell in front of an oncoming vehicle. She would never have done that. Sandra was paranoid about traffic. Even when she stood at a curb, she stood four feet back. I know her. She was pushed. I lost it at that point and yes, I did seem insane with my actions. I wanted to kill someone. That is another story for another day.”

I listened intently and I am sure my expressions spoke volumes as to what had to be done. Once I composed myself, I said, “I have to go now, but Lexus are you sure he can stay here?”

“Of course he can,” she answered.

I hugged them both and was on my way.