I met Jeffers outside Glynn and Al’s house in St. David’s, a small village that retained its original name despite having been part of the Niagara-on-the-Lake Township for decades. A series of woofs answered Jeffers’ knock on the door of a converted farmhouse. After a moment the barking subsided and the door opened.
“Bella, please—Detective Jeffers?” Glynn Radley had obviously been crying. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you two—”
“No, I’m sorry,” I said. “Detective Jeffers and I have worked together in the past. When I told him I was coming by he asked if he could join me. I should have checked with you to see if that was okay.”
“It’s fine. Of course. You’re both welcome. Come in.”
An enormous Great Dane came to greet us.
“This is Roger,” Glynn said, taking the huge dog by the collar and leading him away into the living room where another one, only slightly smaller, was curled up on a cushion on the floor. “And this is Edith.” He bent down and stroked her sleek head gently. “She’s taking Al’s death really hard.” He indicated that we should sit. “Can I get you anything? Coffee? Water?”
“No, we’re fine,” Jeffers said.
“So, the fact that you’re here too, Detective, does that mean there’s been a lead? Have you found something?”
“Unfortunately, no,” Jeffers said, and new tears sprang to Glynn’s eyes. “Mr. Radley, I assure you, we are doing everything we can.” Glynn nodded. Jeffers went on. “I know you answered many of these questions when we first met but sometimes it’s helpful to revisit them. I’d like to try that today. Often the initial shock can cloud the mind and now that some time has passed there’s a chance you’ll be able to access more information.”
“I’m not sure I know more now than I did then, but go ahead.”
“You said you were out of town when you got the news?”
“Yes, I’m a firefighter in Toronto. We work twenty-four hour shifts. Gerald Harvey called me just before eight that morning. Told me what happened.”
“Do you have any idea why Al would have been at the school so early? He must have been there before six.”
Glynn nodded. “He was redesigning the drama AQ courses. The courses teachers take for additional qualifications. He had to get it done by next week and his laptop was acting up so he’d been going in to the school early and staying late to work on his computer there.”
“How long had he been doing that?”
“A couple of weeks I guess.”
“Did anyone else know he was at the school outside of regular hours?”
Glynn shrugged. “I suppose any one of the staff.”
“Mr. Radley, I need you to think very carefully about anything that may have been troubling Al recently. Had he received any threats? Had he had any arguments with anyone?”
Glynn closed his eyes and took several moments before shaking his head.
“What about Vince?” I asked. A look of disgust flashed across Glynn’s face. “I couldn’t help but pick up on some tension when I was with you both in Al’s office.”
“Al always laughed it off, but I think Vince was obsessed with him.”
“Was Vince stalking him?” Jeffers asked.
“No, nothing like that. It’s more like he wanted to be Al. They met at theatre school and ever since it’s like Vince has been trying to copy Al in everything. When Al stopped acting and started giving workshops, Vince did the same a few months later. Al took over as artistic director of a children’s theatre here in Niagara, and a year later we’d heard that Vince had been hired by a theatre for young audiences in Toronto. When Al finally went into teaching full time, guess who also made the move? I heard he even tried to date men at one point.”
“It’s possible that’s all coincidental.”
“Anything’s possible but—”
“Were they friends when they were at school together?” I interrupted.
“I don’t get the impression they were. Al never said so. There’s something off about Vince though. I’ve felt it every time I’ve met him. Al was always nice to everyone, but even he got a little unnerved when Vince was around. He’d be polite and professional when they saw one another, but that’s all.”
“And how often did they see each other?”
“A couple of times a year, I guess. If there was a function for the school board. But that’s only recently. Vince didn’t work for the Niagara region until a few years ago.”
“And now he has Al’s job,” I mused.
Glynn nodded sadly. “Listen, on the phone you said something about a picture?”
“Um, yeah,” I said, handing it over. We didn’t really need it now, but as it was what got us this meeting in the first place, I felt I should continue the ruse. “I found it in one of the books in Al’s office.”
“Look how young he is here. God, he was so beautiful. And that smile. I remember the first time he smiled at me.” A small tear ran down Glynn’s cheek. “This was in one of Al’s books?”
“I assumed it was Al’s,” I lied. “Come to think of it, it may have been one of Vince’s.”
“That would make more sense. I can’t imagine Al holding on to this. He wasn’t a keepsake kind of guy.” He handed the photo back to me without commenting on Vince’s presence in the picture. “Bella, I know you’re going to be working with Vince and I’m sorry if I’ve coloured your impression of him. Regardless of my feelings, he is, reportedly, a very good teacher. I wonder if you would do a favour for me. For Al actually.”
“Sure. If I can.”
“Al was coaching a student privately. Secretly, I guess you could say. He told me the girl’s family didn’t want her taking drama. Her father even came to the school one day and pulled the girl out of class. Since then he’s been working with her one-on-one.”
“That’s pretty risky, going against a parent’s wishes,” Jeffers said.
“Al tried to work things out. He went to talk to the father but was met with so much resistance. He told me the girl was one of the most promising students he’d ever had. Such raw, natural talent. He knew she was destined for great things and he was excited to have the opportunity to be able to mould and shape and be a part of her development. It was important to Al. She was important to Al. I know he’d want Vince to continue. Will you tell him?”
“Absolutely. Do you know the name of the student?”
“Ellie.”