Submerged

Tormented by self-blame, Marcus had driven off into the night. He found himself in a downtown alley inhabited by dealers and hookers. Sex didn’t interest him, but the drugs did. So he drowned his sorrow in a drug-induced fog that left him passed out on the floor in his bathroom. In his own vomit.

He hadn’t gone to the last three memorials. He couldn’t face the condemnation in their eyes. He’d told his mother-in-law he was working and couldn’t get the time off. It was a lie, of course. Even Shipley wouldn’t be so heartless as to deny such a request.

Marcus considered Wanda’s invitation. No, I can’t do that again.

He deleted the message.

Behind him, Arizona barked twice. When he glanced in her direction, she had the leash in her mouth.

“Okay, okay. I get the hint. I’ll get off my lazy ass and take you for a walk.”

Arizona wagged her auburn tail and dropped the leash by his feet.

The residential area Marcus lived in had few houses. Most were separated by decades-old trees and spacious yards. In the shadows, nothing moved. No cars, no people.

“Looks like everyone’s asleep,” he said to Arizona. “So no barking.”

The air was cool, no breeze.

As Marcus neared the end of the road where it opened into a wooded ravine, he glanced at the charming two-story Victorian on the corner. There was a For Sale sign on the front lawn.

Old Mrs. Landry’s house. She’d lived there, alone, up until a week ago when she died in her sleep. He’d seen the ambulance parked in front. The paramedic said she died from a heart attack. Poor woman. No family that anyone could find, but more friends than the mayor himself. Yeah, Mrs. Landry could charm the stinger off a wasp.

Prior to her death, the ninety-seven-year-old woman had been a gem of a neighbor, always friendly to anyone who passed her house, and she’d talk up a storm to anyone who listened. She hired neighborhood teens and foreigners to keep her yard the envy of the neighbors, but mostly, Marcus guessed, so she had regular company. It wasn’t uncommon to see her sitting on her front porch sipping lemonade with the unwitting prey of the day. Though, in her defense, her visitors seemed happy to oblige.

Marcus had obliged a few times and was regaled with stories from the Second World War and her late husband, Richard, a recipient of one of the highest honors for a Canadian war veteran—the Victoria Cross.

He inhaled deeply. The air was fragranced by the numerous pine and lilac trees that lined Mrs. Landry’s property. Jane would have loved that house. And the yard. She probably would have adopted Mrs. Landry too.

Arizona eyed the ravine, her tongue lolling to one side, and he debated on letting her go off leash. They could cut through the ravine. It opened up near a small strip mall with a 7-Eleven, and he had a craving for a bag of chips.

The ravine offered more than a shortcut. It presented a complete immersion into nature, and it was often used as a meeting place for local drug dealers, something Marcus had zero tolerance for. It wouldn’t bode well to have temptation just outside his door. He’d taken to scaring off any of the young hoodlums he came across, threatening to sic Arizona on them.

He looked at his dog. “I know you want to go in there.”

Arizona would be one happy dog. She’d also end up being one big tangled mess. Did he really want to spend the next hour brushing twigs, leaves and dirt from her fur after she dove into the brush and rolled around on the path?

“Sorry, girl,” he said, patting her head. “Not tonight. We’ll take the long way around.”

Seemed like that was what his life had amounted to―taking the long way around everything.

Chapter Six

Edmonton, AB – Friday, June 14, 2013 – 1:49 AM

Rebecca awoke to a dark house. It left her disoriented. Hadn’t she left the lights on? Had the power gone out? Wait, that couldn’t be. The TV was still on, but the movie was long over. The clock on the TV read: 1:49.

She stood, stretched, then reached for the lamp. She flicked it on, and light filtered into the room. Must have been a power outage.

Wesley had always looked after anything electrical or automotive. Now that he wasn’t around, she had to call a handyman and mechanic to fix those problems. She was useless around anything mechanical. She’d never even changed a flat tire, though she could stop on the exact penny in one shot when filling her car with gas. Not exactly something she bragged about. Except to Kelly.

She wandered into the kitchen, turned on the light, then set her glass on the counter. Fastened to the fridge by a peacock magnet was her latest To-Do list. Have someone check circuit breaker, she added to the bottom.