Pine bugs and 303s, p.12
Pine Bugs and .303s, page 12
The news of Jack’s arrest and a car being seized from Jean’s old stables spread quickly. Frances, Louise, and the children were just getting home from church when her neighbour came over and told them. The neighbour, Gillian, a retired schoolteacher, said, “I heard there was a murder. Who was murdered I do not know. Of course, Jean had nothing to do with the car in his stables. The murderers must have hidden it there.” Gillian realized she did not have any more information. Satisfied she had said something important, Gillian went back into her house.
Louise turned ashen. Frances helped her to the porch and then retrieved the children. Louise stared at Frances. “Why would a car be in the old stables? How did it get there, Frances?” she asked. The questions were more for herself than for Frances.
Frances answered, “I do not know, mother. Let’s wait for Father before we jump to conclusions.”
Feebly, Louise shook her head in agreement.
It was an hour before Jean showed up. Rejean was delighted to see his grandfather and ran into his arms right away. Both Louise and Frances stared at Jean until he said, “What have you heard?”
Frances quickly related what Gillian had said. Louise said nothing. Jean sat down heavily while holding Rejean. “It is true there was a car in the old stables. I did not know it was there. I swear this, Louise.” He looked at Louise as he said it. He turned back to Frances and continued, “The police officer said the car was part of the investigation into the death of Gilbert.” He paused to let the words sink in for the women. “I got a call the police had been in my building, and I went to where the police car was parked at Jack’s house to ask him what he was doing. When I got there, they were arresting Jack,” he finished. Jean did not add he took several men with him in case there was trouble.
It was Frances’s turn to go pale, then crimson. If Gil had been killed by a criminal, why would the criminal be comfortable enough to hide a car in her father’s building? Her father must know this person, she thought, and this person must be from Lac Ville. She looked down because if she looked in her father’s eyes, he would have seen the suspicion and rage welling up inside her. Francine began to fuss, and Frances picked her up. Your grandfather has many secrets, my girl, she thought, and she held Francine in her arms. Jean watched quietly as Frances rocked her. Louise said nothing.
* * *
The police officer had given the garage owner a printed card with the criminal code section which compelled a citizen to come to the aid of a constable in a lawful investigation or arrest or face being arrested themselves. The constable told the garage owner to show it to anyone who gave him a hard time when he got back to Lac Ville. He knew he would need it when Jean came to his garage. He put the card on the shelf under his till right next to his shotgun. The garage owner also knew he would not have to wait long.
Constable Brooks lent Walter his personal vehicle so he could get back home. He got home late Sunday evening. Mary and Lucy were waiting. The news from town had reached the reserve. Lucy wanted to know if Walter was in any danger. Walter just grinned and shook his head. Walter reported to work on Monday on time. People were staring and whispering. Walter did not care. In his lunch box in the original holster was the Walther pistol, loaded and ready to go.
Jean sat by himself in the kitchen thinking, I had ordered the pumps he had taken from the business to be stored at the old stables; I should have gone there myself. He had sent Alphonse and a couple of Alphonse’s crew to secure them in the stables. No one had mentioned a car being parked there. On Monday morning, he went to Alphonse’s house and Alphonse was gone.
Chapter 20
Claude Talbot sent Gabriel Cote to Georgetown to inquire on the status of Jack. Talbot instructed Cote to see if charges had been laid and to gather as much information as he could. Jean was paying the bill. When Gabriel arrived at the detachment, he saw several police cars parked outside in the lot. He knew there were more cars there than the detachment warranted. When he entered the detachment, he saw an officer who appeared to be an inspector and two plain clothes detectives talking to Sergeant McNeil, who he recognized from the August fire. McNeil looked tired and was without his usual tie. Gabriel cleared his throat to get their attention. McNeil looked up and yelled to the back office, “Constable, there is someone here. Take care of him will you.”
A moment later, Constable Brooks came out. Cote introduced himself and explained his purpose. Brooks countered with questions. “Do you know if Jack Turk had any relatives in the area?” he asked.
Cote answered he did not know.
Brooks told him politely he could not provide Cote any information and showed him the door. Dejected, Gabriel went to the tavern. After ordering a beer and a sandwich he asked the owner if he knew why all the police were at the detachment. The owner smiled. “That smart ass Constable Brooks arrested a guy in Lac Ville yesterday and the guy hung himself in his cell is what I heard. I hope they fire his ass,” he said.
Cote drank his beer quickly and took his sandwich to go.
McNeil, the inspector, and the two detectives laid out what would happen in stark and clear terms to Brooks. There will be a coroner’s inquiry, they told him. There are no more suspects and Brooks will close the investigation with “death of suspect by suicide.” This will make the coroner’s inquiry a straightforward affair. Brooks would receive a commendation for his work on finding Gilbert Bertrand’s killer and the matter will be closed by summer. There will be no further complications that could embarrass the force. The inspector closed his notebook and stood up. “Are we clear on all this, Constable?” he asked.
Brooks answered, “Yes sir.”
The Inspector added, “After the inquiry, we can have you transferred if you wish.”
As the inspector and his driver were leaving the detachment, one of the detectives put his hand on Brooks shoulder and said, “It’s all for the best, young fellow. Keep your chin up.”
McNeil went into his office and closed the door.
Walter returned Brooks’ car the following Sunday, his first day off. As Brooks drove Walter back to the reserve, Walter told him how the news of Jack’s suicide had spread in Lac Ville. The people in Lac Ville were divided on the news. Some felt Brooks had not proven Jack was responsible for Gil’s death and others were glad for the justice. All of this happened, of course, before Brooks even had a chance to tell Frances what had transpired in an official capacity. He was going to Frances’ after he dropped Walter on the reserve; he hoped Jean would not be there. Walter told Brooks, “The rumour in town is Alphonse has high tailed out of Lac Ville after he had heard about Jack’s arrest.” Walter had not personally seen him at all.
“The still and Alphonse,” Brooks told Walter, “will have to wait again.”
Walter was anxious to see the man he believed was responsible for Elmer’s death brought to justice. He could wait, though, he told Brooks.
Constable Brooks knocked on Frances’ door. Frances opened it and invited him in. There was no surprise on her face. She had been waiting. When Brooks came in and removed his coat. Frances got up and locked the door. “I want to hear every word you say, Constable, and I want no one to interrupt us,” she said. Frances had made sure her mother had taken Jean to church. They would have at least an hour to talk.
Brooks opened his notebook and held it in his hand in case he needed to check facts. He did not as he told Frances everything he knew about the death of her husband and his investigation. When he got to the part about the investigation being shut down, he decided not to mention “Al” because he would compromise his informant. Frances listened carefully and dabbed at the corners of her eyes when the tears came. Rejean was playing with his toys and did not disrupt them once. Francine cooed and smiled at Constable Brooks. An hour passed quickly and Frances heard a truck pull up. “Someone must have told my father you are here,” Frances said. “Thank you for everything you have done, Constable. I have one last question if you don’t mind.”
“Go ahead,” Brooks said.
“Do you know how the car came to be in my father’s stable?”
Brooks looked her directly in the eyes. “No, I am sorry, Mrs. Bertrand. I never got the chance to ask.”
Brooks’ answer shook Frances to the core. Suspicion and doubt about the complicity and motives of people she knew, loved, and lived with had been growing, and now they began to swirl into a storm. Jean rattled the door. Frances opened the lock. “I am sorry, Father, I must have locked it out of habit,” she said.
Brooks pulled on his coat and told Frances, “If you have any further questions do not hesitate to call me, Mrs. Bertrand.”
Jean glared at Brooks and Frances glared at her father.
* * *
It was the first week of October, twenty days after Jack Turk had hung himself, before Constable Brooks was finally able to pick up Walter to raid the still. Brooks had brought the game warden with him. They left the patrol car at house 12 and headed to Lac Ville in Elmer’s truck. Mary was happy to lend it if it meant an end to the flow of homebrew onto the reserve. Mary and Lucy watched as the three men drove off at seven in the morning into a light rain. The heavy grey clouds seemed appropriate for the tasks at hand. “Seems like everything happens on Sunday,” Lucy said as she rubbed Elias’s head.
Elias had asked Walter if he could go, too. Elias was disappointed at first when Walter told him, “No, you have to stay here and keep watch over your family. You are the only man here right now.” Elias had nodded in agreement and when he realized he had an important role, his disappointment was replaced with pride and purpose. Elias had his .22 caliber rifle ready and had to put it back in the rack.
The day before this, Alphonse had sent a message to the police building work site for Everett. Alphonse’s man gave Everett the note and walked away. Everett read it and then crumbled it into a ball before sticking the note in his pocket.
Before the sun even came out on Sunday morning, Everett and two other men from the reserve launched his boat. They paddled through the remnants of the early morning fog until they were under the highway bridge going over the river before he started the motor. Everett steered around the lake at a low speed. Anyone looking out from Lac Ville would assume it was a boat full of fishermen getting an early start. Everett drove to a little sand spit behind Sam’s cabin and cut the engine. The momentum carried the bow into the soft sand. All three men got out with their rifles ready and walked the trail to the cabin. There was no smoke coming out of the chimney. “He must still be drunk,” Everett said to the others. Everett cautiously went to the door and called. “Sam, you degenerate. It is Everett. I have a message from Alphonse.”
Everett did not want Sam taking a pot shot at him, so he made one of the other men push the door open. The gray dawn gave just enough light for Everett to see Sam laying on the dirt floor of the cabin. His face was contorted, and his fists were balled tightly across his chest. It looked as if he had been dead for a few hours. “Heart or liver probably. Who gives a shit.” Everett laughed and kicked the body. “He is as stiff as cordwood,” he said. The other men did not laugh and looked at Everett wanting to know what to do next. Everett looked at them as if they were stupid. “Load the finished product and toss the still in the lake,” he ordered. He quickly checked for money and anything else Sam would not need anymore. He left the cabin door open. “Animals got to eat,” he said.
Brooks, Walter, and the game warden had walked the last two miles on the lake side of the trail leading to Sam’s cabin because it gave them better cover. It was wet and cold going. Walter raised his hand to motion them to stop about five hundred yards from the cabin. When they stopped, they heard the unmistakable sound of a metal boat being loaded. “Shit,” Brooks said, picking up the pace.
When they were about three hundred yards away an outboard motor started. Walter looked at Brooks and said, “Go to the cabin.” He broke right and scrambled up a hill leading to the lake. When he got to the top, he saw a boat at full throttle heading north with three men in it. They were about five hundred yards out, the bow throwing up spray with every wave they hit. Walter let his breath slow and sighted his .303 on the driver. “Everett,” he whispered.
Walter came down the hill and found Brooks over Sam’s body making notes. “Looks like a heart attack but who knows,” the game warden said.
Walter nodded in agreement. Walter went to the location of the still and lean-to. The still was gone. There were tracks leading to the water’s edge. He followed them and saw a stain on the water. The still had been thrown in the lake. It was too cold to go in and get it. Walter did not know if it would even have any evidentiary value. There was nothing in the lean-to. Except for a small stove and some copper tubing, there was nothing left. Brooks knew there was no way the men could walk back to the truck and get to Lac Ville before the boat was docked. Although Sam’s death looked like a heart attack, he still had to investigate it. He was done for the day. He sent Walter and the warden to get his police car with his equipment and camera. “Son of a bitch,” he muttered as they walked away. The daylight only highlighted how dull and gray the day was.
Chapter 21
Constable Brooks and the game warden went back to Georgetown after bringing Sam’s body to the funeral home at Lac Ville. The doctor in Lac Ville did not hide his distaste about the police officer bringing him extra work. He wanted to know where to send his bill and findings even though he already knew. The local coroner had only recently been appointed and did not really know what he was doing even with the short training in Fort William. Brooks could not help feeling he had failed Elmer, Mary, and Walter. It was late when he arrived at the detachment. He walked in, and after hanging up his jacket, Brooks felt as tired as he could ever remember. Deflated, he suspected if he closed his eyes sleep would take him in seconds. The sergeant had turned the oil stove to its lowest setting when he left for the day and Brooks shivered as he loaded the piece of paper in his typewriter. It was going to be a long night.
In the weeks since Brooks had paid her a visit, Frances had gone over all the things that had happened before and since Gil had died. The strain and grief which had overwhelmed her was changing into anger. The bone numbing fatigue she felt since Gil had died now became energy. She, at last, had a routine with her children, so she began to think clearer. Her father had taken Gil and Elmer’s business, this was abundantly clear to her. Claude Talbot had helped to make this happen. He was no friend to her, and she knew he would side with her father without any regard to her. Her father and mother’s relationship was strained, but Frances knew her mother would side with her father because this was where the money came from. Louise always had a mercenary side. As long as everything was going well, she was a supportive mother. If it appeared there was a threat to her security or income, she became a lioness.
At the centre of everything there was her father: a manipulator, a liar, and a cheat, she thought. It hurt Frances deeply to think of her father in those terms, but she could not help it. He was as strong as anyone she knew, and yet, on the other hand, he was weak.
At the church, the beautiful mixed blood girl had not recognized Jean as her father. Louise and Frances had in seconds. Frances had been so distracted and overwrought afterwards, it was not until the fire did she see Eva as her sister. She chose not to say anything at the time. There will be a time and place, she thought. Her eyes welled as she thought of Elmer’s death. It had been as sudden and unexpected as Gil’s. Two strong noble men, gone. Now she had to deal with lesser men. “Pine bugs,” Gil had called them. She wiped her eyes and smiled, thinking of how well it described them. Gil had explained that pine bugs thrived after the calamity of forest fires because they planted their eggs in the still smouldering remnants of trees. The following year, the pine bugs are everywhere, ugly, and universally disliked by almost all the people in the North. Rejean came over and put his head on her lap. She stroked his hair and thought about how much he adored his grandfather. The future was going to be difficult, “no doubt about it,” her father used to say, just to irritate her.
* * *
October was cold and wet. Every home on the reserve started using winter wood before the first snow fell. Mary, Elias, and Lucy struggled to cut wood during the days. Walter helped in the evenings and on his day off. They were barely keeping up. The band elections took place on the night of the first snowfall. Everett won the position of chief and two of his cronies won as councillors. His first motion was to have all non-status residents removed from the reserve by January 1. Some elders opposed the motion, and it was delayed until the first day of March. Eva, Luke, and Walter knew Everett would have the motion passed the next time. Mary was at a loss. Everett had not talked to her or his niece and nephew since Elmer had died. “There is so much hate in that man,” Mary told Lucy.
Lucy replied, “You are in danger too, Mary.”
Mary nodded her head in agreement. “I know,” she said, “I know.” Mary expected Everett would have been over in a minute if not for Lucy and Walter. Everett was afraid of Walter; she saw it in his eyes.
Indian Agent Price came to the reserve in early November. He did not come to Mary’s house. He went to Everett’s. Mary saw with satisfaction that he was limping as he got out of his vehicle. He looked nervously towards Mary and quickly went into Everett’s house. Elias surprised Mary by saying, in a voice that sounded like Elmer’s, “This will not be good, Mother.”
Mary told Elias, “We will be alright, whatever happens.” Mary was not sure she believed it herself.
