The Frailty of Flesh (20 page)

Lisa had cried on the stand and blamed herself.

The profile that had been put together on Lockridge pegged him as an average kid, destined for a blue-collar job. He didn’t have the grades for university or, as far as Craig could tell, the interest. Lockridge wasn’t a big guy, but he’d been fit and strong and done a lot of jobs involving manual labor. As far as the case against him went, they had motive, means and opportunity. The physical evidence was thin but not nonexistent.

Yet Donny Lockridge had persuaded a lawyer that he’d been railroaded and that there was a case against the RCMP, the prosecutor, everyone involved. What could Lockridge have that would persuade a lawyer like Smythe to take legal action? And why against the RCMP? As far as Craig could tell they’d followed the evidence. It wasn’t airtight, but it wasn’t all smoke and mirrors.

Unless Lockridge knew who had the missing locket or the source of the mystery DNA, Craig couldn’t even see grounds for an appeal. He leafed through the folders and eventually found what he was looking for. Donny Lockridge had appealed his conviction.

The appeal had been denied.

Craig took his mug to the kitchen and filled the kettle. As he plugged it in he heard a knock on the door.

His father was on the front step, and he didn’t wait to be invited in. Craig followed him down the hall, toward the living room, but Steve caught a glimpse of what was spread across the dining room table and stopped.

He picked up a photo of Hope Harrington and stared at it. The kettle whistled, and Craig went to the kitchen.

When Steve entered a moment later Craig reached for an upper cupboard. “Tea?”

“I want you to drop this.”

Craig let go of the cupboard door and turned around. “Why?”

“Is it really so hard for you to understand?”

“Do you have something to hide?”

“How can you even ask me that?”

“Then what difference does it make if I check the files or if someone else does? It’s still the same truths or lies that will be found.”

Steve’s face lengthened. Not much, but paired with how his shoulders sagged it was noticeable. He turned away from Craig and then walked over to the counter and picked up the bottle. “You’re drinking?”

“Don’t start.”

For a moment, Steve stood looking at the bottle, then set it down. “Seems there’s nothing I can say to you.”

“That’s on you. If there was nothing to hide I can’t imagine why you’d be upset about this. Even if Zidani took me off, someone else would be ordered to go over these files. I already have. I still have to find Ted Bicknell—”

Steve looked up then. “You haven’t talked to J.T.?”

“J.T.?”

“His first name is John.”

Craig hadn’t pulled their service records. In part, because he’d hoped his dad would tell him whatever it was he needed to know so that he wouldn’t have to go digging.

“That’s what I still need to do. Talk to Ted, talk to you.”

Steve turned abruptly and headed for the door. Craig followed him. “I think it would be a good idea for you to stay away from your old partner. It looks bad enough that you aren’t cooperating—”

“I’m doing what I have to do.” Steve turned and pointed a finger at Craig. “There are some things that should be left alone, and this is one of them.”

“So you are trying to keep yourself out of trouble?”

Steve shook his head. “The only thing I’m trying to protect is you.” He yanked the door open and walked out.

Ashlyn and Tain hadn’t even reached their desks or taken their coats off before Zidani appeared in their work area, the cantankerous glare back in place.

“My office. Now.” Then he paused and pointed at Ashlyn. “Just you.”

As soon as he was out the door Ashlyn pulled off her coat and tossed it over her chair.

“Don’t have too much fun without me,” Tain said.

“I’ll try not to.”

When she arrived at Zidani’s office he wasn’t waiting at the desk. He had his hand on the door and as soon as she was inside he slammed it. “What the hell happened this morning? I’ve just had a call from the Port Moody police.”

She rubbed her forehead. “Parker and his partner were sent to Eagle Ridge Hospital as part of the canvas, to make sure Shannon Reimer hadn’t gone there. They only looked at anyone admitted. Shannon was treated Friday afternoon.”

Zidani grunted. “At least we know she’s not dead.”

“Actually, we don’t know that. The injuries were consistent with a severe beating, and she’d been stabbed. The doctor left to discuss the case with a colleague and we know how overworked nurses are. Shannon snuck out.”

“You have her file?”

Ashlyn shook her head. “Legally, our hands are tied here. With the Reimers already having a lawyer on the case, it could take days to get the records. The doctor did tell us he suspected long-term abuse.” She thought about what he’d said to Tain about the look in his eyes. “He hinted that the X-rays had supported that conclusion.”

Zidani sighed. “What you’re saying is, if they hadn’t messed up, we might have found her.”

“Worse. The doctor said when he returned about ten minutes after leaving Shannon, she’d disappeared, but there were two police officers talking to the nurses. We double-checked. If these guys had done their jobs we could have had Shannon on Friday afternoon. The reason we figured it out was because Tain checked up on the address where the 911 call came from.”

“Eagle Ridge Hospital.”

She nodded. “Can you imagine how long she must have been there for, waiting for treatment? And we still managed to get officers there in time to practically cross paths with her. If they hadn’t messed up, if they’d done their job properly…”

“Christ, what a mess.” He sank into his chair. “None of this changes the fact that you got physical with Parker.”

“Not before he pushed Tain.”

“So you let Tain get in his face and get him angry, and basically accuse him of incompetence.”

“He’s worse than incompetent. Parker’s reckless and he’s a sexist asshole.”

Zidani pointed at a chair, and she sat down. “Makes me wonder why you partner with Tain.”

“He’s a good cop. I know he gives other people a hard time, but that’s not how he is with me.”

“So that’s all that matters to you? If you don’t have a problem with somebody, nobody else should?”

She was starting to wonder where this was going. “I didn’t say that. If Parker has a problem with women, it’s his problem, but if I’m in charge of an investigation and he’s working on it, I expect him to do his job. And I don’t think that’s too much to ask.”

Zidani nodded and leaned back in his chair. “So what do you want to do about Parker?”

“I don’t want him on this investigation.”

“You realize he’s filed a complaint against you.”

“What?”

“You deny hitting him?”

“Not for a second. He shoved Tain into me, and then…” She took a deep breath. “What’s going to happen now?”

“Nothing. I already told his commanding officer that Parker’s an arrogant asshole and a sexist pig. If you say it, you sound petty, even if it’s true. If I say it, it’s harder for him to argue with. It isn’t Parker I’m concerned about. It’s Byron Smythe.”

Her annoyance had produced some heat in her cheeks, but Ashlyn felt that dissipate. “What are you talking about?”

“Someone worked him over. Good. Bruised ribs, split lip, sprained wrist. And a dislocated knee.” He looked at her quietly for a moment. “Is there something you want to tell me?”

She closed her eyes for a moment. Craig…
What have you done?
“Smythe got physical with me at the mall.”

“When was this?”

“Saturday night.”

“So you kicked the shit out of him?”

She shook her head. “No. Just kicked him in the leg. I-I’m probably responsible for the knee injury. But the rest… It wasn’t me.”

Ashlyn rolled up her sleeves and Zidani was quiet for a moment as he looked at the bruises.

“Smythe grabbed you and you kicked him, and that’s all that happened?” He nodded at her, looking at her arms. “Did you show those bruises to Tain?”

“No. It happened Saturday night and yesterday we barely saw each other.”

“Nobody knows about this?”

“I didn’t broadcast it in the office, if that’s what you mean.”

Zidani picked up his phone, dialed and relayed instructions. Within minutes there was a knock at the door. A woman came in, carrying a camera case.

“Take your shirt off and let Lucy photograph you. If Smythe files a complaint it’s going to make this thing with Parker harder to shake off.”

“I told you. It wasn’t me.”

“I’m not taking any chances. A guy like Smythe, it could have been any of ten dozen scumbags. Guys he represented who feel he let them down when they still got time. Guys he’s trying not to represent who won’t take no for an answer. Word is, Smythe took a bit of a beating a few months back, but I never saw it myself.” Zidani walked to the door and opened it. “The thing is, he can produce witnesses, people who saw you kick him. If he needs a scapegoat he could lie to save his own ass. And if your problems with Parker come out, well, it won’t look good, will it? Just do what I say and I’ll cover your back, okay?”

Ashlyn knew there was no point arguing, knew he was right, but when he closed the door and she reached up to undo the buttons she felt her hands shake.

When she’d finished buttoning her shirt Ashlyn thanked the photographer, who let Zidani in as she left.

“You okay?” he asked.

She nodded, and started unrolling her sleeves just as Tain came in.

“We’ve got—” He stared at her arms.

Ashlyn yanked the sleeves down. “What is it?”

“Byron Smythe just phoned. The family received a call this morning from someone claiming they kidnapped Shannon Reimer.”

Zidani’s face had registered shock and disbelief initially. When he turned his gaze to Ashlyn he asked, “What’s your gut telling you?”

“Not impossible.”

“That’s not exactly helpful, Hart.”

“Look, there’s motive. I’ve had Sims looking at the family and their connection to Byron Smythe. Richard Reimer does a lot of land deals, worth a lot of money. Sims is checking the history of all the properties, looking for any links to organized crime or drug trafficking.”

“Because?”

“Because most of Smythe’s clients have connections to criminal enterprises.” She took a breath and then gestured for Tain to close the door. “Look, I’ve got nothing to back this up, and it may be a wild-goose chase, but from the beginning things were wrong. I’ve interrogated career criminals who’ve volunteered more during questioning than Christopher Reimer did. He blames the murder on his sister, who’s conveniently missing. At the house there are photos of Shannon and Jeffrey, and they looked close. Like they adored each other. Maybe the reason Christopher lied was to get us looking in the wrong direction. It’s not uncommon. Christopher’s a kid, so he thinks if we realize his dad’s a criminal we’ll arrest him, and Christopher’s scared. On the other hand, if Richard Reimer has ties to drug trafficking the family may have been threatened. Now we know Shannon was hurt. If I was the type to place bets on such things, I’d still put my money on someone in the family killing Jeffrey, but if someone really did kidnap Shannon Reimer…”

“It would explain why the Reimer family phoned their lawyer immediately and hasn’t cooperated with the investigation,” Tain said.

“We thought it wasn’t much to ask to search Shannon’s room, but if she’d written about anything in a diary or on a computer it could expose the truth,” Ashlyn added. “Of course, that’s assuming there’s truth to expose here. Right now, it’s just a theory. I don’t like working off theories, but this case…it feels thin.”

“And this theory fits the facts. And it suggests possible avenues of investigation.” Zidani scratched his head. “Why didn’t you mention it sooner?”

“That’s not how I work. Initially, there was nothing to contradict the evidence we had that made Shannon our main suspect. What we’ve learned since then still makes me suspect someone else in the family. Sims can monitor the cell phone and dig for background. If there’s something there, we follow up on it. Meanwhile, we pursue the most likely leads we have.”

“What about the kidnapping?” Zidani asked. “How do you want to work it?”

“Like we would any other case. The family will have to give us access if they expect us to track the callers.” Ashlyn looked at Tain. “Did Smythe give you anything to go on?”

“The call came in on their cell phone, but don’t count on complete cooperation. According to Smythe, Richard Reimer had the presence of mind to tell the kidnappers not to use his primary cell, in case the police were monitoring it. He gave them a number for a pay-and-talk phone.”

“Pay and talk,” Zidani said. “The phone of choice for teenagers and criminals.”

“He just happened to have a pay-and-talk phone hanging around that he could offer exclusively to his daughter’s alleged kidnappers?” Ashlyn threw up her hands. “Unbelievable. But we’re still monitoring a cell phone, which means we can bring them here and wait it out.”