Tumbled Graves. Brenda Chapman

hand back and forth in front of her face. “Hot flash. Getting damned inconvenient. Randy’s sleeping in the spare bedroom, I sweat that much at night. Nobody’s ever died of them though. Where were we?”

      “Your sister and her marriage.”

      “Oh yeah. Ivo seems like a nice enough man. A little bland maybe, but Adele was looking to settle down. She seemed happy with him.”

      “I hear some hesitation in your voice.”

      “Adele and I weren’t exactly close growing up, being so far apart in age, so it’s hard for me to pass judgment. I just, well, I wondered if Ivo was enough for her.”

      “Was she happy being a mother and living in the country?”

      “I guess. It’s not where I thought she’d end up by a long stretch.” Leanne laughed. “She was a wild one back in the day.”

      “How so?”

      “We grew up in Gananoque but she moved to Montreal after high school. Couldn’t wait to leave. Had to see the big city. She ended up working in a bar in the east end the last six years she lived there. We lost touch for several years until she moved back to the area. From the little bits she let drop, I gathered she was running with a wilder crowd in Montreal.”

      “Do you know the name of the bar where she worked?”

      “Let me think. It was a man’s name. The … Henri? No, that’s not right.” She snapped her fingers. “The Louis. She worked at the Chez Louis. She told me that it wasn’t a place that Randy and I would like. A bit rough.”

      Gundersund jotted both names down in his notebook. “What was your surname before marriage?”

      “Dufour. My father owned a hardware store on the main drag. Randy works at the Home Hardware on Stone Street. Life can be one big circle.”

      He had her spell the name and wrote it down too. “Is your husband at home?”

      “Randy?” She hesitated as her cheeks flushed bright red for the second time. A fresh coating of sweat covered her nose and cheeks. “No, he’s gone to town. I don’t expect him back anytime soon.”

      “I’ll give you my card with my email, cell number, and the central police number. I’d appreciate if you would call if you hear from Adele.”

      “Of course. I imagine she just took Violet on a vacation somewhere for a few days. Maybe someone from her past life showed up and surprised her and she jumped at the opportunity to have a change from her routine. I wouldn’t be surprised.”

      “You’re not worried then.”

      “Not overly. I know Ivo is though. He probably has no idea what my sister can get up to when she gets it into her head to kick up her heels.” Leanne held his gaze. “Just one thing, Detective. I’d appreciate if you keep our names out of the press. We value our privacy and I don’t want any media at our door asking us about Adele. My sister and I weren’t close and I don’t want to have to explain that to anybody.”

      “Of course. We’ll keep your names out of it.”

      “You can do that?”

      “Yes, we certainly can at every stage of the case.”

      “Thank you. I’ll hold you to that.”

      He was surprised by the relief on her face because the world had turned into a reality TV show with everyone trying to become famous. He found it refreshing to know that she and her husband had no desire to make themselves into media stars. He’d respect their request for privacy and make sure that they weren’t bothered by journalists looking for a family connection for their stories.

      Chapter Six

      Kala was shocked at the paleness of Ivo Delaney’s skin and the tortured look in his eyes when he opened the front door at ten past nine. His tall body was more stooped than she remembered; his expression defeated. Had something happened between the time she’d left him the evening before and now? She followed him inside the hallway and touched his shoulder. “Tell me what’s going on.”

      “Nothing. I’m just losing faith with every passing minute.” He turned to face her. “I didn’t sleep at all last night.”

      “Understandable, but we have no reason yet to think anything bad has happened. I checked the newswire before coming here and there’s nothing of concern. No need to fear the worst.” Unless you know something. She could sympathize with his distress, but whether it came from worry or guilt, she had no way of knowing. She pointed through the open door toward the driveway. Bennett and Woodhouse stood talking on the lawn next to their car. They’d convinced her to take one vehicle, although she didn’t like to be without her own truck.

      Another police car pulled in behind them. Rouleau had rustled up two more officers for the search. Bennett looked toward her and smiled. He was smiling at her way too much, as if trying to get on her good side. She frowned and looked back at Ivo. “We’re going to check deeper into the woods, just to be sure that Adele and Violet aren’t roaming around lost. I wanted you to know before you spotted us trooping around.”

      “Go ahead. I know they aren’t there.”

      “Oh? How would you know that?”

      He closed his eyes. “Violet hates the woods. She thinks it’s full of monsters. Adele wouldn’t want to frighten her.”

      “We’ll check just to make absolutely certain and then I’ll come back to see if we’ve forgotten to ask you anything from yesterday.” She started to leave the house but stopped in the doorway. “Is there anybody you could call to come stay with you? Waiting can be more difficult alone.”

      “No, I’ll be fine. We liked … like our privacy.”

      “Right. I’ll be back soon.”

      She left him and walked over to Bennett, Woodhouse, and the two uniformed officers. The day was warming up and she unzipped her leather jacket before she reached them. Woodhouse had taken charge. He’d brought up a map of the area on his iPad and was pointing to different sections of the property. The others took turns looking at the screen. Kala leaned in past Bennett.

      “Is that a creek?” She traced her finger along a ribbon of dark terrain.

      Woodhouse enlarged the image. “You’re right. It is a creek of some sort.”

      “It’ll be larger with the spring thaw,” Kala said. The snowfall had been nearly record-breaking in February and March. She pointed along a route through the bush. “I’ll hike that way to the water to have a look around.”

      “I’ll come with you,” Bennett said. “Two sets of eyes are better than one.”

      Woodhouse nodded. “We’ll do a sweep and if you’re not back we’ll check the houses along this road. Maybe someone noticed the two of them leaving with somebody else. Stay in touch by text if you find anything.”

      Kala would have liked to head out on her own. She knew Bennett would put up an argument so she decided not to fight his offer. “Let’s get going,” she said to him. “I saw a path over there somewhere. It was dusk when I looked last time, but it shouldn’t be hard to find.

      They crossed the lawn and separated to search. It wasn’t long before she found the opening in the underbrush and a path heading north. “This looks like the route,” she called to Bennett, who was several metres away. He jogged over and she started into the woods.

      “The path is a bit overgrown but not hard to navigate,” she said. “I’ve been through thicker bush up north.”

      “Lead on then. I’ll try not to hold you up.”

      She kept a keen eye on the ground and bushes, searching for signs of recent activity. She remembered that it had rained the day that Adele and Violet went missing. A steady rain near lunchtime that turned to drizzle mid-afternoon.