Bleeding Darkness. Brenda Chapman

home by morning, we’ll reassess the situation. If Vivian turns up or contacts you, please be sure to let us know right away.”

      “Of course.” Evelyn rose and picked up a picture in a silver frame from the mantle. “This is their engagement photo from a few years ago. You can make copies and return it to me in the same condition.”

      Stonechild stood to accept the picture and Gundersund pushed himself off the hard cushion to stand beside her. He pulled a business card from his pocket and handed it to Evelyn. “Call me as soon as you hear from Vivian.”

      They left the McKenna house and crossed the street. Gundersund leaned against the side of her truck while they discussed next steps. Stonechild held the framed photo and studied it in the light from the streetlamp. “She’s pretty: black hair, brown eyes, and Tristan looks vaguely familiar. I might have seen him on television or something to do with his book. He’s got a pleasant enough face and quite piercing brown eyes behind his glasses.”

      “Let me have a look.” Gundersund took the photo from her. “A good-looking couple. I can’t say that I’ve ever seen either of them before. I’ll keep this and go get things started back at headquarters while you get home to Dawn.”

      “Are you sure?”

      “Yeah, no problem.” He pushed himself off the side of the truck. They were standing so close that he could smell coffee and spearmint on her breath. He resisted the urge to cup his hand around the side of her face.

      “You need to move and let me in the truck before my hands freeze up and I can’t work the key.” Her eyes held his and he felt something unspoken pass between them. Her smile was amused and regretful at the same time … or perhaps that was only his imagination.

      He nodded and pulled away from her before crossing the street to his car. He had a few hours’ work ahead of him and needed to get things moving. He’d handle the hospitals after he got word out to the officers on patrol. Hopefully Evelyn McKenna would call him with good news by the time he reached Division Street.

      All the way to the station, he saw Stonechild’s haunting black eyes — the eyes that filled his dreams and kept him from patching things up with his wife, Fiona. The eyes that he couldn’t get out of his head. The only consolation was that she had no idea how much she filled his thoughts or the effect she had on him.

      And now that she was involved with Bennett, he fully intended to keep it that way.

      Kala found Dawn reading at the kitchen table when she arrived home just after eight, Taiku stretched out at her feet. She was bone weary but the sight of her niece and her welcoming smile lifted Kala’s spirit. The smell of chicken roasting in the oven made her mouth water. “You’re so good to come home to,” she said, and then crouched down to rub Taiku’s head.

      “The chicken and potatoes will be ready in fifteen minutes,” Dawn said, closing her book and standing up. “I thought you might not make it home in time.”

      “It has been a long day.”

      They ate at the kitchen table. Dawn said little in response to Kala’s questions about her day. Dawn ate quickly and stood to clear the plates as soon as Kala set down her fork. Kala watched her scrape the plates and put the kettle on for tea. How much to tell her about the trip to Joliette?

      While the tea steeped, Dawn washed their few dishes and left them in the rack to dry. She poured Kala a mug of tea and brought it to the table. “I’m going to skip our walk tonight,” she said. “I have to study for a test.”

      “I’m going to skip the walk too. I’m exhausted. Sit for a minute.”

      Dawn glanced at her from under her long bangs and then lowered herself onto the seat next to her. She dropped her head. “Have I done something wrong?”

      Will you be sending me back to foster care? Kala knew this was the question lurking in Dawn’s mind every day, every moment. “Of course you haven’t. I can’t thank you enough for this meal and cleaning up. You’ve made this place a home.”

      Dawn raised her eyes to Kala’s. “Have you decided to buy it?”

      “I sign papers next week.” Dawn needs stability. Buying the property will start her believing you mean to keep her. Dr. Lyman’s words replayed in Kala’s head. “Time you, me, and Taiku put down roots.”

      Dawn seemed to think about this before she said, “I’ve never lived in one place longer than a year. I wonder what it will feel like.”

      “We can take a holiday if we feel the need for a bit of freedom.” Kala smiled at her. She took a cleansing breath. “I saw your mother today. That’s why I went to Montreal.” No secrets.

      “Is she okay?”

      “Yes, but sad to be away from you.”

      “Dr. Lyman said she made bad choices but that doesn’t make her a bad person.”

      “Do you want to see her if I can arrange it?” She’d have to convince Rose but was sure she could if given time.

      “I’ll think about it. Do you need me to do anything else?”

      Kala studied her bowed head and bit her bottom lip. Now might not be the time to spring her father’s parole on her. Better to find out where he’s living and what he’s up to first. She might not have to tell Dawn anything at all if he’d moved away from the area. In all likelihood, he’d headed west to find work. She reached over and rubbed Dawn’s shoulder. “No, we’re good. Make sure you take a break from studying before bed. You’ll sleep better.”

      “Okay.”

      Kala sat thinking and sipping tea long after she heard Dawn climb the stairs to her room. Dawn had been roaming the house in the wee hours of the morning for the past month, the only outward sign that she was struggling. Kala would fall asleep again only when she heard Dawn return to bed, Taiku padding behind her, trusted companion and the one source of comfort that Dawn would allow. If Dawn was considering visiting her mother, this was a big breakthrough. She’d refused to talk about Rose since Kala picked her up at the police station after a wild police chase in a stolen car across the prairies that saw Rose and her boyfriend Gil Valiquette serving long sentences in Joliette and Millhaven respectively.

      Taiku stood from his spot at her feet and stretched. She rubbed his ears and said, “Such a life, my boy. So much pain in one so young.” She pointed toward the hallway and raised her voice to a command. “Go find Dawn and keep her company. I’ll be up in a bit. Go on now. Find Dawn.”

      Taiku followed the direction of her finger toward the entrance to the kitchen and moments later she heard him galloping up the stairs. Taiku had helped to heal her and he was doing the same for Dawn even if some days it felt like they had made little progress. Taiku was the tonic. She just had to learn to be as patient as her faithful dog.

      David McKenna was dreaming that he was a boy again. His mother was in the kitchen mixing up something in a bowl. The radio was on and she was singing along to a Frank Sinatra song. He tried to listen to the words and recognized her favourite, “Moon River.” She used to pick up his baby brother and rock him to this song while she walked around the apartment singing the words. Oh, dream maker. You heartbreaker. She was calling his name. No, it must be his father. Wherever you’re going. He opened his eyes, expecting to see his father standing in front of him in his grey work shirt, a cigarette hanging from his bottom lip. I’m going your way. David squinted in the sudden shock of light.

      “You’re awake.”

      He turned his head. It took a few seconds for him to recognize his neighbour’s grizzled face. He moved his lips to say, “Hey Boris,” but wasn’t sure the words came out. Boris was sitting in a chair as close to the bed as he could get. His head was at a level with David’s own, less than a foot away. His breath smelled of stale garlic and cigarettes. Rye and coke.

      “I would have come sooner but I’ve been busy in the basement building the houses. Trying a new model for chickadees.