Read Online A Door in the River by Inger Ash Wolfe - Free Book Online
Authors: Inger Ash Wolfe
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station house and the hospital?”
“Absolutely,” said Travers. “And the skating rink, and the community centre.”
“Isn’t it a little hazardous having a casino right in the middle of the reserve?”
Bellecourt answered, smiling. “For who? Natives suffer from gambling addictions at about the same rate that non-natives do. But we keep an eye on the communityand we try to identify problems before they get serious.”
“So some of the profits here go into your addiction-counselling programs?”
“No,” said Bellecourt. “The province pays for that. Part of the original arrangement.”
Hazel was shaking her head. “I’m sorry if this comes out the wrong way, but that’s a hell of a sweet deal.”
“Well, it’s certainly better than being landless and homeless, I agree.”
She decided it was time to take her leave. “You’ve both been most helpful,” she said. She exited through the cacophony to the rear doors and back into the fresh air.
The back parking area was much like the front: big lots with high light standards. In the intervening fifteen minutes, night had fallen and the lamps cast giant pools of warm light over the asphalt. She wondered how much light there had been in the back of Eagle Smoke and Souvenir. Because here, there were dark zones where the circles of light did not meet. Perhaps something untoward could happen in scraps of darkness that would not be seen by others. Clearly it was time to pay a visit on her own to the smoke shop. There was nothing in the QBPS report that mentioned the presence of surveillance cameras, but maybe there was some footage of
something
. If she owned a smoke shop on the main road in the middle of an Indian reserve, she’d have surveillance cameras. Hazel walkedquickly toward the rear of the property and stood at the edge of the lot. There was no one parked this far away from the casino. Who would bother? Beyond her was a riot of trees and scrub, the same forest that surrounded everything down here, including the smoke shop’s parking lot. Plenty of places for hives – no mystery why the cause of death had been so easy to settle on. She leaned her body in toward the trees and listened and thought, for a moment, she could hear a distant buzzing. Then, suddenly, she did, and it was coming from very close to her body. She startled back two huge steps and then slumped. It was her radio vibrating on her hip. She unhooked it. “Micallef,” she barked.
“Hazel? It’s James. Where are you?”
“I’m at the Five Nations Casino. Haven’t you left yet?”
“I didn’t get a chance. Something’s happened to Cathy Wiest …”
] 9 [
It took her thirty minutes to get to the emergency clinic in Kehoe Glenn. Wingate was waiting for her when she arrived.
“Have you seen her? Is she okay?”
“She’s okay,” he said quickly. They went down a short hallway. “She’s in a room now.”
“So it
was
a Taser?”
“I don’t know. The paramedic said she had two puncture wounds in her chest.”
“Just punctures?”
“Like the ones on her husband.”
“Oh man,” Hazel said. “What the hell is going on here? Have you been able to talk to her?”
“Not yet. I’ve told you everything I know.” He opened a door and Cathy Wiest was sitting up in a hospital bed with a white bandage wrapped around her skull.
Hazel turned in the doorway. “Everything?”
“Sorry,” he said. “And she was hit over the head with a rock or something.”
“Good lord.” Hazel dragged a chair around to the side of the bed. “How are you feeling, Cathy?”
“Oh, my head is just killing me.”
“She has to stay overnight for the concussion watch.”
“What happened?” Hazel asked.
“I woke up in the bathroom. There was blood all over my blouse. And the door was closed …”
“You told the paramedics it was a girl who attacked you? Did you know her?”
“No.”
“Do you think Henry knew her?”
“I guess he must have.” Her voice was faint and
“Absolutely,” said Travers. “And the skating rink, and the community centre.”
“Isn’t it a little hazardous having a casino right in the middle of the reserve?”
Bellecourt answered, smiling. “For who? Natives suffer from gambling addictions at about the same rate that non-natives do. But we keep an eye on the communityand we try to identify problems before they get serious.”
“So some of the profits here go into your addiction-counselling programs?”
“No,” said Bellecourt. “The province pays for that. Part of the original arrangement.”
Hazel was shaking her head. “I’m sorry if this comes out the wrong way, but that’s a hell of a sweet deal.”
“Well, it’s certainly better than being landless and homeless, I agree.”
She decided it was time to take her leave. “You’ve both been most helpful,” she said. She exited through the cacophony to the rear doors and back into the fresh air.
The back parking area was much like the front: big lots with high light standards. In the intervening fifteen minutes, night had fallen and the lamps cast giant pools of warm light over the asphalt. She wondered how much light there had been in the back of Eagle Smoke and Souvenir. Because here, there were dark zones where the circles of light did not meet. Perhaps something untoward could happen in scraps of darkness that would not be seen by others. Clearly it was time to pay a visit on her own to the smoke shop. There was nothing in the QBPS report that mentioned the presence of surveillance cameras, but maybe there was some footage of
something
. If she owned a smoke shop on the main road in the middle of an Indian reserve, she’d have surveillance cameras. Hazel walkedquickly toward the rear of the property and stood at the edge of the lot. There was no one parked this far away from the casino. Who would bother? Beyond her was a riot of trees and scrub, the same forest that surrounded everything down here, including the smoke shop’s parking lot. Plenty of places for hives – no mystery why the cause of death had been so easy to settle on. She leaned her body in toward the trees and listened and thought, for a moment, she could hear a distant buzzing. Then, suddenly, she did, and it was coming from very close to her body. She startled back two huge steps and then slumped. It was her radio vibrating on her hip. She unhooked it. “Micallef,” she barked.
“Hazel? It’s James. Where are you?”
“I’m at the Five Nations Casino. Haven’t you left yet?”
“I didn’t get a chance. Something’s happened to Cathy Wiest …”
] 9 [
It took her thirty minutes to get to the emergency clinic in Kehoe Glenn. Wingate was waiting for her when she arrived.
“Have you seen her? Is she okay?”
“She’s okay,” he said quickly. They went down a short hallway. “She’s in a room now.”
“So it
was
a Taser?”
“I don’t know. The paramedic said she had two puncture wounds in her chest.”
“Just punctures?”
“Like the ones on her husband.”
“Oh man,” Hazel said. “What the hell is going on here? Have you been able to talk to her?”
“Not yet. I’ve told you everything I know.” He opened a door and Cathy Wiest was sitting up in a hospital bed with a white bandage wrapped around her skull.
Hazel turned in the doorway. “Everything?”
“Sorry,” he said. “And she was hit over the head with a rock or something.”
“Good lord.” Hazel dragged a chair around to the side of the bed. “How are you feeling, Cathy?”
“Oh, my head is just killing me.”
“She has to stay overnight for the concussion watch.”
“What happened?” Hazel asked.
“I woke up in the bathroom. There was blood all over my blouse. And the door was closed …”
“You told the paramedics it was a girl who attacked you? Did you know her?”
“No.”
“Do you think Henry knew her?”
“I guess he must have.” Her voice was faint and
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