“Give it a rest, Mr. A. They will only organize what’s out in the open. Your drawers are sacrosanct, haha. Park your pride for the afternoon, and you’ll have a whole new perspective on life.”

“I perused the advertising material you left me last time, Miss Cornwall, and I saw nothing about parking or perspectives. Still, I will retire to the basement and await my transformation. Send me your bill, but it better be the sum we agreed upon.”

“Remember to drink lots of water,” I called over my shoulder as he edged me onto the porch and slammed the door.

Dougal was enraged. Apparently the phrase book lacked engaging characterization, and the plot needed fine-tuning. Even after I bought him a Triple-Bypass Burger with a side order of poutine, he whined all the way back to the greenhouse. I glanced into the back seat at my costume.

I was going to knock them dead in that outfit.

CHAPTER

forty

“Got some bad news for you, bud.” Tony threw himself into the visitor’s chair. Melting snow from his boots formed a growing pool on the floor.

“If you tell me you’re dumping Glory, I’ll have to shoot you.”

“Nah. The babe and I are tighter than ever. You should be more concerned about me ending up with a broken heart than her. She’s got money, and class. Can’t see her settling for a working dude like me. Low pay, long hours.” He sighed and stared out the window at the grey sky.

“What’s the bad news, then?” Neil had a good idea, but hoped he was wrong.

“HQ is pulling me. I’ve been here, what, two weeks? They figure if we haven’t found the dirtbag by now, it ain’t gonna happen. I have to report this afternoon to London base, and spend the next few days finalizing my report. You should get a copy in a week or so.”

“This is Friday. Do they want you to work the weekend?”

“Nope. I’m off the clock. Glory and I are meeting up in Toronto after this charity bash tomorrow at the greenhouse. We’ll spend the rest of the weekend at some fancy hotel she booked.” Tony looked gloomier than ever at the thought. “Good thing, I guess. She wouldn’t be happy at my place.”

He was right. Glory had been born into privilege. She wouldn’t want to spend the night at a cramped city bedsit where sirens wailed by night and horns blared endlessly by day. Neil had seen Tony’s London apartment.

“Sorry to lose you. I’ll tell Cornwall you said goodbye.”

Tony’s rough laugh erupted. “I was hoping before I left, you and Miss Bliss would be on first name terms. Never saw an odder couple.”

“It’s her way of keeping me at a distance. When she’s ready, she’ll let me know.”

Tony laughed longer and louder. “Most people use first names before doing the horizontal hula. Maybe you need to resolve the Debbie thing before Bliss starts calling you Chief Redfern and kicks you out of bed.”

“That could happen. I’m working on my issues.”

“Just a suggestion, bud, but maybe work faster? Have you told Bliss you love her?”

Neil’s ears burned. “What’s wrong with you, Tony? When did you get so touchy-feely? Have you been through sensitivity training or something? Not that you didn’t need it, but I think they overdid it.”

“Just saying. Nothing wrong with the L-word. I’m fond of the little lady, and if you weren’t my friend, and if I weren’t attached at the moment, I’d take a run at her myself.”

“She’s attached at the moment, too, so fuck off.”

Tony shrugged. “Just don’t wait too long, that’s all I’m saying.”

What was up with all this personal shit? What happened to the deep undercover copper who had to be dragged back, kicking and complaining bitterly, from the biker subculture? It was almost like he had been reprogrammed and his button reset to “ordinary.”

“Look, Tony, I appreciate your help. Too bad we didn’t get the perp, but I’ll keep at it.” He regarded the whiteboard. “I hate that fucking thing.”

Tony stood up and flipped it around. “What are you sayin’, man? I wish I had one of my own. Look here. It self-erases if I turn this knob!”

“Don’t erase it yet. With Quantz dead, we’re down to four male names if we accept that Faith Davidson’s pregnancy was responsible for her death. Then, we further surmise that Sophie Quantz’s death occurred because she was present and threatened to expose Faith’s killer. Kelly Quantz died because he tried to blackmail the killer. And why was Cornwall targeted? We don’t know the answer to that. All this shit is conjecture at this point.”

He walked over to the whiteboard, picked up a marker, and stroked through the names Fang Davidson and Chico Leeds. “I can’t see Fang being responsible either for his sister’s pregnancy, or her death. As far as I know, Dogtown residents do not engage in rampant incest or inbreeding. They’re just a group of people who want to live in the country and enjoy family life without nosy neighbours. I have no sense that Fang is a deviant. And Chico can’t even stand up to Cornwall. I can’t find one person who links him to Faith back in high school.”

“That’s just your gut talking,” Tony said. “Not saying you’re wrong, but if you ain’t, we’re left with Earl Archman and Mike Bains. Fang could have lost his temper and offed his sister because she brought disgrace on the family. And nobody can stand up to Miss Bliss. Well, you come close. Maybe that’s why she puts up with you.”

When Neil was sure Tony was finished talking, he said, “Even if we get a DNA match from the fetal bones, we can’t prove the sperm donor killed Faith. I’ve felt all along we have to focus on Sophie, and now Kelly.”

Tony dropped into his chair again. “We have been. The Mauser’s a bust unless we get a match on that partial. It could be anybody’s. Nobody’s got an alibi. I hate leaving you with this mess, Neil, but I’ll stay in touch and let you know if I come up with any ideas. In any case, I’ll come back in the summer and we’ll take a trip on our bikes. As long as you get rid of that sissy Gold Wing and get yourself a man’s ride.”

Neil ignored his jab. “What if we add a new name to our suspect list?”

“Who you got in mind?”

Neil wrote the name on the board. From it, he drew two lines to Sophie’s and Kelly Quantz’s names. Then, without hesitation, he drew a line from one of the original suspects to Faith Davidson. “It would explain the attack on Cornwall, as well.”

Tony went silent. He tilted his head against the back of his chair and closed his eyes.

Neil watched his friend. Was he on the right track, finally?

Tony’s eyes snapped open and in their dark depths Neil recognized a flicker of hope and a reflection of his own frustration.

With one swift motion, Tony jumped to his feet and pounded Neil on the back. “I should turn in my badge and take a job as a security guard. You’re just as bad, pal. Why the fucking hell didn’t we see this before?”

CHAPTER

forty-one

When Dougal and I returned to the greenhouse from Mr. Archman’s, the walls resounded with unearthly but familiar screams. I breathed a sigh of relief. Glory was back to normal. We encountered a befuddled Pan in the centre of the anteroom, one hand clutching an aerosol bottle, and the other a wad of paper towel.

“What are you doing, Pan?” I asked. Dougal kept walking.

Pan’s black-agate gaze swept the expanse of glass walls and ceiling. “Her Holiness instructed me to clean the glass in here. I don’t clean, you know that, Bliss. Now that you’re back, you can do it. Here.” He tried to pass over the symbols of his servitude, but I backed away.