The K Handshape (13 page)

“We will do our best.”

“The least I would expect,” he growled. He was not being at all friendly or sympathetic to these young women and I suspected he was holding it against them that they had been closer to his daughter than he was, that they were bonded in a world he couldn’t or wouldn’t enter.

Mrs. Scott switched on the computer and slipped in the DVD.

“I’ll interpret, but Jessica, if you or Hannah want to interrupt, please do so.”

I took out my notebook.

The disembodied hands appeared on the screen.

“Pause there for a minute,” said Leo, pointing. “Do any of you recognize them?”

“I’m afraid I don’t,” said Mrs. Scott.

Both girls shook their heads but I thought I’d detected a quick tensing in Hannah.

“Go on.”

Mrs. Scott began her simultaneous translation while I scribbled madly to keep up.

“Hello, Dee…”

“Hold it! Does he say Dee or Deidre?” I asked.

“Dee.” She automatically made the sign. Forefinger raised, other fingers bent.

“Did you refer to her as Dee or Deidre?”

“I always called her Deidre but I believe her friends called her Dee. Is that right, Jessica?”

“Yes. Dee was her pet name.”

Mrs. Scott looked at Leo hesitantly. “This person must know her quite well.”

“Not necessarily. He, if it is a he, could be claiming familiarity as a form of contempt and intimidation. Isn’t that so, Christine?”

It was indeed. I’d known rapists who’d abducted victims, found out their names, and used a diminutive to demonstrate power over them. A woman who was always called Susan became Susie; Ellen became Ell; Karen, Kar. All the victims reported how disturbing
this had been to them.

Leo nodded his head for Mrs. Scott to continue.

“This is a message from the anonymous man himself.” She stopped. “So it is a man!” she said, then continued translating. “I don’t usually look at the newspapers or TV, as you know, but by chance I came across the story of you and a baby you had made sure to be deaf. Believe it or not, I was in the crapper at the time and the newspaper was the only thing handy. Fortunately before I wiped my ass on your picture, I saw who it was. I thought to myself, Uh-uh. I might not be an A student like you but I can add up to nine as good as any man. According to the paper, your kid was born in December about three years ago, which would make her conceived in April. Unless you had a virgin birth, which isn’t likely. I had my doubts when you came on to me that time. I’m a modest guy. Why me, I says to myself? This chick is smart and cute as well. Very cute. She could have anybody, so why me?”

I glimpsed Jessica and Hannah grab each other’s hands. So did Leo.

“Pause a minute please, Mrs. Scott. Jessica. You know who this is, don’t you?”

This was not a good interviewing technique, and in other circumstances, Leo would have known better. Never ask a subject a question that you are also providing the answer to.

“No, I do not,” said Jessica. “Neither of us know him.”

I could see that Leo was on the verge of cracking and he lost it. He jumped to his feet, and standing only inches away from both young women, he screamed at them.

“You are a liar. I saw the look you gave each other. You do know who it is. You’ve got to tell me.”

Jessica hid her face in her hands and Hannah shrank away into her chair. At least the sound of Leo’s rage wasn’t hitting her nerves but his face was so contorted, you didn’t need to hear. I was afraid he’d start shaking one of them any minute and I got up and caught him by the arm.

“Leo. Cut it out. This isn’t helping. Everybody’s upset.”

He stared into my face, his eyes red and wild. I stared back as calmly as I could, although my adrenaline had shot up and my heart was racing.

“Would you like to take a break for a few minutes?” I asked.

He stepped back, took a deep breath, and lifted his chin to the ceiling, eyes closed as if he were praying. Then his shoulders slumped and he returned to the chair.

Mrs. Scott, bless her heart, was no wimp. These were her charges and she wasn’t going to allow them to be abused no matter what the excuse.

“Dr. Forgach, I quite understand your distress but you must promise me there will be no further outbursts like that. I shall not proceed unless you do.”

Leo knew that he was on shaky ground by even being here under the circumstances. He bent his head and mumbled. “I apologize. It won’t happen again.”

Mrs. Scott’s eyes met mine, soliciting an agreement from me as well. I wasn’t sure what I could do about him other than clap him in handcuffs, which I rather felt like doing. Leo was notorious for losing his temper. At least he didn’t discriminate. A lot of people, from clerical staff to politicians, had been at the receiving end of his anger. He tried it on me early on but I’m glad to say never again after that. I had developed a very thick skin against tantrums from a young age. I could give as good as I got and I didn’t have to raise my voice. Ice will reduce a fire to a splutter. However, I took the precaution of shifting my chair slightly so my body was more between him and the two young women.

“Are we ready to go on?” Mrs. Scott asked.

We were.

“We left off at, ‘This chick is so smart and so cute.’ … Now I thinks to myself, you went for me because you knew I wouldn’t stick around. I told you I was working and saving to buy my own sleeper van. A rolling stone gathers no moss. I’ve got one, by the way. It’s ten years old but does me fine. Even got the Scottish colours. But back to the point. You got me to … er, copulate with you,” Mrs. Scott translated awkwardly.

“What? What are you doing? Is that the word he uses?” Leo’s voice was loud again.

“No. But I don’t see why I have to repeat what he does say. I’m sure you get the picture.”

“I do indeed.”

Neither Jessica nor Hannah seemed fazed by the obscenity. I’d missed it completely and I have to admit I was rather curious about what the sign was in ASL. Probably the universal one.

Mrs. Scott hadn’t stopped the tape and she had to speak quickly to catch up.

“Er … I left as I intended. You didn’t seem cut up about it and I took that to heart. But I see now you had what you wanted. A kid you could flaunt in front of your parents.”

Mrs. Scott couldn’t resist a quick glance over at Leo to see his reaction. Hannah scowled at him. His face was tight.

“You wanted to embarrass them worse than anybody I knew. Lose it, Dee. It’s not worth it. When I got over my shock at reading the newspaper, I thought to myself, man, you have a kid, a daughter. I’ve always wanted to have my own family but who would have me? So it’s happened. I think she looks like me. She’s going to be a blondie. I’m making this DVD to send to you and I will follow soon. I’m going to park myself somewhere in Orillia. We must meet and talk. You can send a letter to PO General Delivery, Orillia, and I’ll pick it up. Don’t, er, don’t the F-word with me, Dee. You are dead if you do. You know me. I will kill you if you screw with me again. Signing off, the Big Bad Bogeyman. Zed.” Mrs. Scott added, “He uses the initial.”

Suddenly a face came into view. A young man, a straggly goatee, long fair hair, light blue eyes. He screwed up his face and stuck out his tongue. Then his hand appeared. Yes, it seemed the universal symbol for “fuck you” had travelled to the deaf language.

“It’s Zach,” said Jessica.

I managed to warn Leo before he leapt out of his chair again. He reined himself in.

“Who is Zach?”

Mrs. Scott started to interpret but he stopped her. “She can understand me. They both can if they want to. I’ll say it again. Who is Zach?”

Jessica’s face was sullen. “He’s a guy we were in school with.”

This must be Zachary Taylor, who she’d scratched off the list of males they were at school with. I was right. He was more important than they wanted to admit.

“Was he involved with Deidre?”

“Not that I know of. He was a jerk, a loner. Like he said, nobody would go out with him but the whole campus wanted to date Deidre.”

Hannah tugged on her friend’s arm to get her attention and signed vigorously at her.

Jessica shook her head and Hannah turned to face Leo.

“He wasn’t a jerk.” She spoke with the guttural flat intonation of those who can’t hear themselves. “He’s a goo guy. He wouldn’t ave urt Deedee.”

Jessica interrupted her. “Hannah is jealous because she thought she was his special friend. She didn’t know he had slept with Dee.”

Hannah flinched at this betrayal.

“When did you last see him?” asked Leo.

“Not since graduation.”

“Do you know where he lives?”

“Nowhere. He bought a camper van and he just travels from place to place. It is his moveable home.”

“Did he ever show signs of violence? Did he have a temper?”

Hannah had been watching my face intently. “Never. He was kind.” She made a sign in the air and raised her eyes. “He giant. Very tall. A gentle giant.” She circled her own face with her right hand. “Not handsome at all. Bad skin but he is a kind man. He would not have hurt Deedee. He loved her.”

“Why does he say, ‘I will kill you’ then?”

“It is a joke. Hearing people say it all the time.”

True enough. I’d scolded Tory yesterday in just that way. “If you wake me again before dawn, I’ll kill you.” She purred back at me.

“Did my daughter say anything to either of you about him coming into town?” Leo was struggling to keep his temper under control but his voice sounded peremptory.

More head shaking. I could see how hurt they were at this being a secret. But a secret it must have been. Given the message on the DVD and Dee and Zach’s previous relationship, it seemed most unlikely that she would have taken another lover. I could only suppose she hadn’t lost the desire to get back at her parents as Zach had said.

Leo stood up. “I’d like to go back to the office, Chris. We need to inform Katherine. Mrs. Scott, Jessica, Hannah. Thank you for
your co-operation. I do apologize again for my behaviour. It was unconscionable. If you can find it in you to forgive me, I would be grateful.”

I had never seen him so humble and my heart went out to him. Mrs. Scott smiled. The girls didn’t. I don’t know how much Hannah had understood but they both stared at him with angry eyes. Forgiveness would be a long time coming.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

We hustled through the driving rain to the shelter of the canopy that went from the parking lot to the side staff entrance. A couple of people were outside shivering, having a cigarette. Janice was one of them. She was an addicted smoker, always trying to quit but never succeeding for more than six months at a time. When she saw me she looked guilty and waved her cigarette in the air.

“This is my last one. I’m going on the patch as of tomorrow.”

Leo stopped. “Janice, can I bum one off you?”

“Sure.” She looked surprised, but she shook out a cigarette, low tar, low nicotine, the smoker’s illusory sop to conscience. He took it, lit up, drew in a deep lungful of tobacco, coughed a little, and exhaled.

“I quit years ago,” he said to me, “but it suddenly looked appealing.” He took another drag, coughed again, then stubbed it out in the ash bucket by the door. “Thank God it isn’t. It tastes like sawdust shavings.”

Janice laughed. “Hey, that’s my best friend you’re insulting.” She stubbed out her own cigarette. “That’s it. I’ll come in with you. I’m perishing.” We headed for the door and Janice keyed the security pad. We went inside, leaving the other sufferer to his addiction.

“There has been a report on the news channel,” said Janice. “They did use Deidre’s name but there haven’t been any calls here, so at the moment nobody is connecting the two of you. However, a woman called Trudy phoned three times. She said she was your,
er, wife and she had heard the news and wanted you to call her at once. Did you have your cellphone off?”

Leo winced. “Trudy still insists on identifying herself as my wife even though we’ve been divorced for twenty-five years. She’s Catholic and won’t recognize civil laws, only God’s or the Pope’s, which is the same thing in her mind.”

I suppose he wasn’t to know that Janice was a devout Roman Catholic and probably felt the same way. I noticed the glance she threw at him.

Leo took out his cellphone, snapped it open, and keyed in a number as we walked down to the elevator.

“Trudy? Leo … Well, what would you expect? … No, I’m not being rude, I’m under stress at the moment … No, there’s nothing you can do … No. Loretta? Yes, she should be here tonight … No, I don’t know how she’s taken it. Badly probably … Trudy please, I can’t go into that right now. Of course I intended to phone you, I just haven’t had time … No, I haven’t told Sig yet. I tried but I couldn’t reach him. Yes, I will as soon as I can … I realize that, Trudy. It’s you who aren’t being sensitive…” She must have hung up because he swore and closed the phone. His mouth twisted as if he were tasting something sour. “Where there’s a carcass there will Trudy be found.”

The three of us stepped into the elevator, thrown into uncomfortable intimacy. Janice smelled of cigarette smoke.

“By the way, Christine, a fax came for you from the Hebrides. I put it on your desk.”

Damn. I’d forgotten I’d promised Gill I’d take a look at his report on major crime in Lewis. I’d have to do it later.

Leo and I left Janice at her desk and went on to Katherine’s office. She was on the phone but beckoned us in at once.

“Yes … thanks, Ed. I’ll pass that along and get back to you. Bye.” She hung up. “Ed Chaffey says he can have the casino surveillance tape ready for us by tomorrow morning. They’d like us to go there to view it. Okay with you, Leo?”

I sat down in one of the chairs, but he walked over to the window and stood gazing out. The view from here wasn’t like the one from his condo. The office looked out on to Memorial Drive and cars coming and going. Definitely not interesting or beautiful. Without turning around, he said. “Tell Katherine about the DVD, Chris.”

I filled her in. “We should be able to get information on this Zach Taylor fellow from Gallaudet University, although from what I could gather off the tape, he’s a bit of a gypsy. He has his own camper van and he uses a post office box here in Orillia.”