The Brutal Heart (20 page)

“The daffodils are putting on a show,” I said. “Do you want to have breakfast on the deck?”

“Sure. Everything’s ready to go. The porridge and coffee are made, but you might want to stay inside. That hyper kid who’s running Ginny’s campaign called.”

“Milo.”

“Right – the one who mainlines candy bars. Ginny’s going to be on
Canada This Morning.”

“Good for her,” I said. “But I opt for daffodils and no newspapers. Let’s just eat our porridge and let the universe unfold without us for a while.”

It wasn’t that simple. While Zack was making calls on his cell, I got a call of my own. It was Keith saying that the interviewer on
Canada This Morning
had sandbagged Ginny with a question about whether her campaign had fuelled the rumours circulating about Jason’s unsavoury business alliances. There’d been some troubling follow-up questions, and Keith wanted me to watch when the show was broadcast in our time zone. He thought Ginny had handled the situation, but he wanted my opinion about whether she needed to make a statement.

When Zack got off the phone, his expression was grim. “According to Debbie Haczkewicz, Cristal kept a journal from the time she left home. There are dozens of her diaries in a personal storage unit on the north side. The journal I have was the last one, and Debbie’s chomping at the bit to discover how it happened to fall into my hands. She’s sending someone over.”

“No breakfast on the deck?” I said.

“Not today, my love. And there’s another shovel of shit on the pile. I can’t find Blake. His housekeeper, Rose, says he didn’t come home last night, and he’s not answering his cell.”

I poured more milk into the porridge, turned up the heat under it, and began stirring. “So we’ve got Ginny, Blake, and Bree Steig to worry about.”

“I don’t think there’s much you or anybody can do to turn Bree’s life around.”

“I wasn’t thinking about rehabilitation; I was thinking about police protection outside her room at the hospital. Zack, I don’t believe for a minute that the attack on Bree was random.”

“You think I should call Debbie?”

“I do.”

Zack hit the speed-dial. When he rang off, he looked satisfied. “There’ll be a uniformed officer outside Bree’s room in twenty minutes.”

“Good start,” I said. “Now let’s see how Ginny makes out. After breakfast you can start trying Blake again.”

When the porridge was ready, I called Taylor for breakfast and Zack and I headed to the family room. She had just joined us with her bowl and her juice when the interview with Ginny started. “How come we’re eating in here?” she said.

“I want to hear what Ginny has to say.”

Taylor spooned on brown sugar, reached for the pitcher, and flooded her porridge with cream. “Is she going to win?”

“I think so, but there’s many a slip between the cup and the lip.”

“I don’t get it,” Taylor said.

“It means life is full of surprises.”

As the interview segment opened, there was no reason to suspect things would go badly. The establishing shots of Ginny and her daughters attending church on Mother’s Day were a portrait of family devotion, and as the host turned towards Ginny, his mouth curled in a practised smile. He didn’t look dangerous.

“Our guest this morning is the Honourable Ginny Monaghan, minister of Canadian heritage and the status of women. Welcome, Ms. Monaghan.”

“Thank you, Troy, I’m pleased to be here.” In a lemon suit that revealed her powerful athlete’s legs, Ginny looked like a woman who could run the country, but she had looked like a winner before. That promise had evaporated in a miasma of whispers and scabrous jokes and as Troy Selwyn framed his question, Ginny was alert.

“This has to be a good day for you,” he said. “As far as your party’s concerned, the big picture’s still in doubt, but there’s no doubt about your future. The polls show you’re headed for victory in Palliser, and you’re already being talked about as your party’s next leader.”

Ginny’s voice was cool. “Troy, I’m sure you’re aware that kind of talk is premature. Until the ballots are counted, nothing is certain. As for the leadership, we have a leader, and I support him.”

It was a careful response that left the door open. Ginny knew that sound bites have the power to draw blood as well as attention, but this one was toothless. It was also ambiguous. Those steadfast in their allegiance to the prime minister would remember Ginny had reiterated her support for him; those hungering for new leadership would remember that Ginny’s statement of support had not been effusive.

“Still, even you must be surprised at the turn of events in Palliser,” Troy Selwyn said pleasantly. “Two weeks ago, most political observers had written you off. You were sitting in a courtroom fighting for custody of your daughters, and the accusations about your personal life were, to say the least, damaging.”

“My daughters are now safely under my roof,” Ginny said, but her eyes were wary.

“So they are,” Troy said. “But your twins are with you because your ex-husband suddenly withdrew his suit for custody. You’re a powerful political figure, Ms. Monaghan. Were pressures brought to bear upon Mr. Brodnitz? Was he intimidated?”

“He came to his senses. We both did.” The camera, hoping for a flash of fear or anger, zoomed in, but Ginny didn’t crack. Eyes on the camera, voice strong, she explained. “We were finally able to get over our anger and focus on our children. We reached the kind of agreement Canadians reach every day. We decided jointly that the interests of our girls would be best served if Jason withdrew his demand for custody and the twins lived with me.”

“You must be aware of the rumours that have circulated about your husband.”

“Rumours circulate about all political spouses and ex-spouses.”

“Are you aware of the rumour that the stories about your husband’s activities originated in your campaign?”

Ginny looked genuinely surprised. “No. I hadn’t heard that one. The stories about Mr. Brodnitz were out there from the beginning. I didn’t dignify them with a response then and I won’t now.” If she’d stopped there, Ginny would have been home free, but in politics, it’s the human moment that makes the difference – the flash of temper, the eyes welling with tears. Ginny’s discipline held, but her voice was ice. “Whatever else he is, Jason Brodnitz is my children’s father. I owe it to them to protect his reputation.”

“Are you aware that Jason Brodnitz has called a news conference for this afternoon to discuss these rumours?”

“No I wasn’t aware of that.”

“What do you think of it?”

Ginny smiled through tightened lips. “I think it’s ill advised.” The camera lingered on Ginny’s face, but she had nothing more to say, and so Troy Selwyn thanked her and wrapped up the interview.

Zack clicked the remote and the screen went blank. Taylor frowned. “What was that all about?”

Zack turned his chair to face her. “Do kids still play Truth or Dare?”

“Little kids do,” Taylor said.

“Well, I think we just saw the beginning of a pretty high-stakes game of Truth or Dare.” He wheeled towards the door. “Now I’d better get a shower. I’m going to be late for work.”

I called Keith. “What did you think?” he asked.

“Zack says Jason’s started a game of Truth or Dare.”

“That’s what I think too. I’m just not sure why. I know Jason’s reputation has taken a beating, but that wasn’t Ginny’s doing. All this crap about the rumours originating in our campaign.”

“Did they?” I asked.

There was a pause. “Good question,” he said finally. “I’ll find out. Yelling foul before I knew for sure there’d been a foul would be a pretty elementary mistake.”

“You’ve got a few things on your mind,” I said.

“Thanks, but there’s never an excuse for stupidity.”

“How’s Ginny doing?”

“She’s furious. She’s got a bunch of interviews lined up for this morning. They were supposed to be the first steps down the yellow brick road to the leadership, but now she has to deal with Jason’s press conference.”

“Has she talked to him?”

“He’s not taking calls,” Keith said. “As soon as Ginny’s through with her interviews, she’s going to go to Jason’s and see if she can work something out – maybe some kind of joint statement about the heat of the moment and cooperating. Anyway, I’ve changed my plane ticket. I’ll hang around Regina until this is worked out. It shouldn’t take long.”

I’d just got out of the shower and into my jeans and shirt when the police cruiser pulled up outside. Zack greeted the officers at the door with the journal and a smile. “Here you are, and I’ll need a receipt.”

One of the officers was female, and both were very young. The male officer scribbled a receipt and handed it to Zack. “We have a few questions.”

“Shoot.”

“You are Zachary Shreve?”

“I am.”

“And this journal belonged to the deceased Cristal Avilia?”

“It did.”

“How did it come into your possession?”

Zack gave them his shark smile. “Can’t answer that. Lawyer-client privilege.”

“Who’s your client?”

Zack’s smile grew wider. “Come on – you know better than that.”

“Did you read this journal?”

“Yes.”

“Did anyone else?”

Zack smiled and remained silent.

The officers may have been rookies, but they knew enough not to waste time on an immovable object. They gave Zack his receipt, thanked him for his cooperation, nodded in my direction, and left.

A minute later Blake Falconer pulled into our driveway. I opened the door for him. Blake’s shirt was fresh, his tie smartly knotted, and his slacks had a knife-edge press, but he looked haggard and spent.

“What were the police doing here?” he said.

“Taking possession of Cristal’s journal,” Zack said.

Blake winced. “Well, that was the right thing.”

“Where the hell have you been?” Zack said.

“Here and there.”

“You’re going to have to do better than that,” Zack’s tone was scathing.

“Can I at least sit down?” Blake said. Without waiting for an answer, he walked into the living room and sank into the armchair by the fireplace.

“I’ll leave you two to talk,” I said.

“Don’t,” Blake tried a smile. “Zack’s always easier to deal with when you’re around.”

I sat in the other armchair. Zack wheeled close to Blake. “Okay. Where exactly is ‘here and there’?”

“After I read Cristal’s journal, I drove around for a couple of hours.” Blake’s eyes met mine. “Did you read it?”

I nodded.

“Then you know that Cristal lived in hell for the last month of her life.”

I nodded.

“Jason Brodnitz is a fiend,” Blake said. “What he did to her was sick … inhuman.”

Zack’s voice was soft. “No one knows for certain that Jason Brodnitz was Cristal’s boyfriend.”

“I know,” Blake said.

Zack’s head shot up. “Cristal told you Jason Brodnitz was her pimp?”

“Not in so many words, but I knew Brodnitz was managing her finances. A few months ago, Cristal asked me to review her real estate portfolio. I’d handled the original purchases and she wanted to liquidate her assets. I refused. Her holdings were all in the warehouse district and prices were skyrocketing. I advised her to hold on. A few days later she called me back. She thanked me, and said she’d found someone who she trusted to protect her interests.”

“And she told you the person she found was Jason Brodnitz?” I said.

“Yes,” Blake said. “But I didn’t tell her what I should have told her: that Jason was a terrible choice, had a lousy track record, and was living off his wife. I didn’t say anything. I was afraid that if I did, I’d lose her.” Blake turned to Zack. “I know, I know – exactly the same mistake I made with Lily.” His voice broke. “Same result too. I lost them both.”

“Blake, you look exhausted,” I said. “Why don’t you get some rest? You and Zack can talk about all this later.”

“No,” he said. “Because I may have screwed up, and Zack should know. When I read Cristal’s journal and saw how that sick bastard Brodnitz had manipulated her, I went to his house. He wasn’t there. I pounded on the doors and on the windows, but he never came. Then I got in my car and waited for him. Apparently, I fell asleep. When I woke up, there was a car parked in front of his house – I guess it was his. I stood on the lawn and screamed his name for about twenty minutes. Then, suddenly, it was as if I could see myself – this raging beast. I thought about Gracie, growing up without either parent. I went back to my car, drove to the office, showered, changed, and came over here.”

“Did anybody see you?” Zack asked.

“You mean last night?”

Zack nodded.

“I’m sure they did. I was hardly rational. I’m surprised no one called the cops.”

“You were lucky.”

“I know.” He held his hand out to Zack. “Lucky in a lot of ways. Thanks. I’d better check in at home now. Let them know I’m all right.”

Zack looked at him curiously. “Are you sure you are?”

Blake stood. “I’m sure. The worst is over.”

Zack and I went to the door together to watch Blake drive off. “Well, that was a hell of a way to start the day,” Zack said.

“But you heard the man. The worst is over, and you know what I’m going to do?”

“What?”

“I’m going shopping.”

“Retail therapy? That’s not like you.”

“I’m going to food shop. How do you feel about going up to the lake tonight, just the two of us?”

“What about Taylor?”

“She can stay with Mieka. Taylor loves being with Maddy and Lena, and I thought I’d sweeten the pot with Mieka by offering to take the granddaughters up to the lake with us this weekend.”

“Give Mieka a chance to invite Sean over for a candlelight dinner?”

“No. I think that fizzled. I haven’t heard anything about Sean in a while. Mieka seems to have decided that she and the girls are doing fine on their own.”

“Well, that solves a problem for me.”

“What to do about Sean?”

Zack nodded. “Actually, Sean may have solved the problem himself. I’m pretty certain he’s going to work for Ginny. If Mieka’s heart won’t be broken, it’ll be a win-win situation all around. Good for Sean, good for Ginny, and good for Falconer Shreve. Disgruntled associates have a way of poisoning the well. Now, I’d better get going. I’m in court this afternoon, and if I don’t want to step on my joint I should go through the files again. There’s other stuff, but I guess I can take that to the lake with me.”