I left the two girls to the cold comfort of their memories and headed out of the building. The jackhammers were back to full blast and the air outside the door was filled with dust particles. One of the workers, a young square-faced guy, sort of attractive if you like macho, glanced up at me as I walked past but lost interest as he gauged my particulars with one swift look. On the edge of forty, doesn’t really care about being smart and sexy. Cross her off. I was annoyed with myself that it even bothered me.
I climbed into the car and turned on the ignition, warming up the car while I made my calls. I phoned Leo first but got his voice mail.
“Leo, it’s Chris. I’m on my way over.”
I hoped he was asleep but I needed to talk to him. I checked my own phone for messages. Katherine’s voice.
“Chris. Give me a call if you’re still out or come by when you get back to the office.”
The second message was from a man and at first I didn’t realize who it was. He spoke hesitantly and quietly as if he was standing away from the receiver.
“Miss Morris. Sorry to bother you, it’s Sylvio here. I’m the man who was in the park this morning, Sylvio Torres, like the baseball coach but with an ‘s.’ I was calling because I wondered if I could have my coat and gloves back. I know you have a lot on your plate at the moment but I would appreciate it.” A little deprecating laugh. “It’s my warmest jacket and Lily needs her usual walk tonight. I think winter has come early this year. I gave you my address but here it is again in case you lost it. 72 Mississauga Street West. I’m just around the corner from the young lady who died … have you found out any more about what happened yet? Thank you so much. Er. That’s Sylvio Torres.” He repeated his phone number and hung up.
Damn. I’d forgotten all about his jacket. I’d better get it to him before Lily lost out on more walks. I keyed in the number of the Centre and Katherine’s extension. She answered promptly.
“Katherine, it’s Chris.”
“Is Leo all right? You’ve been a long time.”
I wasn’t sure how Katherine would feel about my detour over to the OHHA. She could be a stickler for following protocol. On the other hand, she had to know what I’d found in Deidre’s locker. I filled her in and I had anticipated correctly. Her frown came right through the phone at my ear.
“We mustn’t trespass on Ed’s turf, Chris. We’ve got to wait to be invited.”
“I know but if I hadn’t gone over there Leo would have and that would probably have been a disaster. This has sped things up a bit.”
“Let’s be careful.”
I heard Janice’s voice in the background come over the intercom.
“Oops, I’ve got to go, Chris. A managers’ meeting. More goddamn shift and shuffle.”
Katherine almost never swore.
“I hope that doesn’t affect you.”
She chuckled. “They know I’d go kicking and screaming and it isn’t worth it to them. I’m here till I’m carried out quietly.”
“Good.”
I meant it. Our department was clicking along nicely now. Even though I’d only been there for two years, I felt really at home. I liked everybody, yes, even Alternative David, and I thought our respective skills and strengths balanced very well.
We hung up and I set off for Leo’s apartment.
Orillia is a pretty town in an old-fashioned, country way. Stephen Leacock didn’t call it the Sunshine Town for nothing, but today you wouldn’t think that. The miserable weather had emptied the streets and dulled the colourful gables and storefronts. It was quieter at this time of year anyway but at the moment, the streets were virtually empty, only a few diehards, clutching umbrellas, scurrying along the rain-slicked sidewalks. Sometimes I think I suffer from seasonal affective disorder, or in layman’s language, “winter blues.” Grey chill wet Novembers days make me want to pull the covers over my head and not stir until spring. This was, although I hadn’t really admitted it to Gill, one reason why I wasn’t keen on relocating to the Hebrides. Only seven hours of daylight for five months a year did not appeal to me. I wrenched my thoughts away from that particular dismal path.
Leo lived at the end of Elgin Street, near the lake in a brand new condominium building. The land surrounding it was barren, landscaping not yet completed, but the building was elegant and inviting. A discreet sign out front said “The Elgin Bay.”
As I turned into the parking lot, I heard the familiar rumble of a skateboard. There was a skate park adjoining the building, and unbelievably, a dedicated young lad was ignoring the rain and was out practising his flips and twists. I watched him for a moment as he caught air, twisted, and landed solidly again on the board. He was good. I hoped he made it to the Olympics.
I parked the car and called Leo’s number again. This time he answered.
“Hi, it’s Chris, I’m outside.”
His greeting had sounded grim but his voice livened. “Come right up. Entrance code is 235. I’m on the fourth floor, first door on the right.”
I walked into a foyer that was so spacious and airy I felt like moving into it, never mind one of the condos. The décor was a novel blend of North American Indian and Regency, taking the warm earth tones from one and the elegance of line from the other. I particularly liked the light fixtures of leaded glass. Everything said good taste but not in a pretentious way.
Leo was waiting outside his door. Rather to my surprise, he pulled me into his arms and gave me a hard and painfully awkward hug.
“Thanks, Chris. You’ve been a brick.”
One of the doors in the hall opened and an elderly woman, dressed for the outdoors, stepped out. She beamed at him, rather coyly, I thought.
“Good afternoon, Dr. Forgach. No work today? Lucky for you.”
He let go of me at once. “Quite so, Mrs. Pagel.”
Grabbing my arm, he hustled me past her and into his own apartment.
“Let me take your coat … I’ve just made some fresh coffee, can I get you some?”
“Thanks, Leo. That would be great. Just black, please.”
He stowed my coat in the hall closet.
“I mustn’t forget to give that fellow his jacket back. Do you think it would be appropriate if I bought him a bottle of wine?”
“He’d probably appreciate that.”
Leo disappeared into the galley kitchen. The apartment was spacious, the furnishings very contemporary, very masculine, in shiny chromes and dark brown leather. I walked over to the windows, which were floor to ceiling. He had a stunning view of the lake and even on this dreary day it was impressive. No civilizing boats or swimmers or Sea-Doos, just an expanse of slate grey water whipped into white caps by the wind which was soughing at the windows.
He came back into the living room carrying a tray with two mugs and a plate of cookies. He placed the tray on a white wooden cube of a coffee table.
“I hope the cookies aren’t stale. I don’t eat them really and I haven’t had visitors since I don’t know when.”
I sipped the coffee; the best that could be said of it was that it was scalding hot. The cookie was so bad I almost spat it out. I put the remainder on the plate.
“So did you get to meet with her friends at the OHHA?” he asked.
“Yes, I did.” I picked up my briefcase. “I got the letters and emails that were sent to Deidre after the news broke in the media about Joy. She’d kept them in her locker. Are you up to taking a look?”
He nodded. “Indeed, I am. The worst thing at the moment is sitting around in a state of helplessness. The more I feel as if we are making progress the easier it is.”
I removed the manila envelope from the plastic bag. “I have an extra pair of sterile gloves if you need them.”
Before we could get started, his phone rang. He checked the call display.
“It’s Katherine.” He picked up the receiver. “Hello. Yes … Yes…” he looked over at me. “She’s sitting here in front of me. I’ll put the phone on speaker.”
He put the receiver on the table and Katherine’s voice came through.
“I wanted to let you know right away that the coroner has done an autopsy. It’s Dr. Machamer, bless her speedy little socks. I’m going to have Janice send her some chocolates. She gave us top priority.” I could hear breathlessness in Katherine’s voice and it was not particularly like her to natter on. “Are you all right with me reading this out to you, Leo?”
“Of course I am.” His voice was impatient. “Please stop treating me as if I might have hysterics at any moment.”
I could tell by the short silence how much Katherine was struggling to cut him some slack. She continued. “There was no water in the lungs. Death was from strangulation. The scarf around her neck broke her hyoid bone. She was dead when she was put in the water.” We heard Katherine shuffling papers. Leo jumped in.
“What else? There’s something else, isn’t there? Was she sexually assaulted?”
“No! Nothing like that. Dr Machamer is certain there wasn’t any molestation … but she did determine that Deidre was pregnant.”