Pumpkin Eater. Jeffrey Round

nodded. “I intend to.”

      She smiled ambiguously then turned to Donny. He walked her to the door then returned to the sitting room. For a moment, no one spoke.

      “Well, that was a blast from the past,” Dan said at last. “She still makes the grandest exits this side of Buckingham Palace.”

      “She wanted to see you,” Donny said with a hint of apology in his voice. “I’m sure you’ll forgive me for inviting her in time.”

      Dan smiled slightly. “It’s all right. It was overdue.”

      “She means well,” Donny said, still in apology mode.

      “I know.”

      “Another drink?”

      Dan shook his head. “I’m good.”

      Trevor was looking from one to the other of them. “Will someone please let me in on the secret here?”

      Dan shrugged. “Domingo interferes with things. She used to, anyway.”

      “‘Interferes’?” Donny said ironically.

      “What things?” Trevor asked.

      Donny sighed. “She does this ‘seeing’ thing where she goes off in a sort of trance and says whatever comes into her mind. Sort of like a vision or a prophecy.”

      “It’s creepy,” Dan said.

      Trevor looked at the two of them. “Is it real?”

      “Real?” Donny repeated.

      Trevor nodded. “Does it have validity? The things she says? There was someone on Mayne Island who could do that.”

      Dan just shook his head. “Who cares? It’s creepy and invasive.”

      Donny nodded thoughtfully. “It often has an eerie sort of insight or validity, but not always at the time. More often with hindsight. The problem is — or Dan’s problem with it is — she does it without being asked. She just holds your hand and looks into your eyes and lets fly.”

      Trevor turned to Dan. “Is that what she meant when she said ‘it’s not over yet’?”

      Dan made an irritated noise. “Who knows? It just bugs me when she does it.” He turned and went out onto the balcony.

      Donny looked at Trevor. “The man doesn’t like it. What can I say?”

      Trevor smiled. “It’s okay. I’ve seen his stubborn side. What do you think?”

      Donny smirked. “About Domingo? I think that there are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than you can shake a damned stick at, so why get uptight about it?”

      Trevor laughed. “I’m with you there!”

      Dan returned to the room. “Want some help with cleaning up before we get out of your hair?”

      Donny looked at him. “You’re not in my hair, and no, I don’t require any help. I have a built-in dishwasher and a robot for a vacuum cleaner. And I’m not referring to the boy, who always did a little bit of tidying here and there, but thank you for the offer. And thanks again for the Chartreuse. Now that you no longer drink twelve beer at a gulp, I can handle what you leave behind for me to tidy up.”

      Donny went down to the lobby, leaving them where he’d met them three hours earlier.

      Six

      Heat

      The night felt as though it might combust. The coolness of Donny’s condo was just a memory. Each breath seemed a chore as they stepped into the car. Neither of them spoke till Dan flipped on the AC full blast and they sat back, shocked into inertia. Five minutes later they were heading east over the Don Valley, mulling over the news that Lester had left Donny and gone back to his family.

      “There was more to it than that,” Trevor said, looking down at the black glass of the river beneath them. “He told me about it when we went out onto the balcony together. He said he didn’t want to bring it up in front of Domingo.”

      Dan turned to look, curious that Donny would have confided in Trevor. “Bring what up?”

      “Donny thinks Lester got scared and decided he needed to get out of town.”

      “Scared of what?”

      “Apparently he ran into someone from his past. A man he used to live with who abused him.”

      Dan thought this over for a moment. “I knew about the man. Donny never told me Lester had seen him since then.”

      They passed through Chinatown East, with its reams of fruit and vegetable stands over-ripening in the heat. Red and yellow lights winked and flashed, giving the impression the city was on fire. Pedestrians plodded with leaden footsteps, as though enduring a stronger gravity field than normal. No one was oblivious to the temperature.

      “Lester didn’t mention it till last week,” Trevor told him. “That’s when he decided to leave. Donny wants to talk to you about it when he can speak to you in private.”

      Dan mulled this over. Obviously it hadn’t been a total secret, or Ked wouldn’t have known about it. He wondered what explanation Lester had given Ked for wanting to return to his family.

      They passed on into the heart of Leslieville. An overhang of branches held sway as the car turned onto their street and edged up to the house. A whiff of smoke hung in the air when they got out of the car. Dan thought of the garage arsonist and looked around. Nothing. Probably just a backyard fire burning somewhere.

      They turned to the darkened house. A blast of stale heat hit them as they opened the door. The interior carried an air of quiet torpor. Ked’s hoodie lay draped over the banister, as though he’d returned while they were out. Even in the heat, he was seldom without it. He must have forgotten to take it when he left for his game earlier, Dan thought.

      Ralph thumped a greeting with his tail. Too hot to move, he was nonetheless alert for the possibility of a walk. Since Trevor’s arrival, Ralph’s behaviour had improved noticeably. His longstanding disagreements with Dan had diminished: fewer accidents on the front hall carpet, fewer items of clothing destroyed when he got frustrated at the long wait between walks.

      “How’s my favourite puppy?” Trevor intoned, giving Ralph a quick rub behind the ears.

      “Is that how you get him to behave?” Dan asked.

      “That and the occasional treat. Bribery and flattery work for most humans, so why not dogs?”

      Everyone needed love, it seemed.

      “Why not indeed?” Dan echoed, heading for the hall phone.

      The first message was a goodnight call from Ked at his mother’s house. His words were touching. “I miss you guys already,” he said. His voice lowered confidentially. “But I’m not telling Mom that. Give Ralph a scratch behind the ears for me.”

      Done, Dan thought, bemused as the message ended and another began. The next voice was strange to his ears — curt, metallic. It sounded as though a very officious robot were talking.

      “This is a message for Mr. Dan Sharp. Mr. Sharp, sir, this is Detective Karl Danes of the Toronto Police, 11 Division. We met last night at the North York Pork Slaughterhouse.”

      Dan pictured the fleshy police officer. The man’s name had been something like Danes.

      The voice continued. “Sir, something further has come to light in this regard and I would appreciate an hour or so of your time. If you could call the following number, day or night, and let me know when it would be convenient to meet with you, I would greatly appreciate it. My number is …”

      Dan switched off the message. “Domingo,” he said.

      Trevor had followed him into the hall. He looked over.