paper and scribbled a heading. Thirty seconds later, he laid down his pen and just listened. He heard what he needed to hear, rang off, and turned to me. “So, do you want to know about Cristal’s will?”
“Is it ethical to tell me?”
“Sure. One of the two beneficiaries already knows, and the other one’s decided to make herself scarce. Anyway, it’s just a matter of timing. After the will is probated it’s registered on the Queen’s Bench file and anybody can see it.”
“Any surprises?”
“Enough. The will is dated two days before Cristal died. Blake did all the legal work. Cristal left $25,000 to Francesca Pope.”
“That doesn’t sound as if she was paying Francesca off to stay silent.”
“I agree,” Zack said. “It sounds as if Cristal was genuinely concerned about Francesca’s welfare. Apart from that bequest, everything was left to Mandy. Someone named Rhondelle Bakker is the executor. Does that name mean anything to you?”
“Rhondelle owns the hair salon where Mandy works.”
“Let’s hope Rhondelle has a good grasp of property prices in Regina. Cristal left some significant real estate. Blake appended the pertinent information. Mandy Avilia now owns Cristal’s condo and another two in the same building that Cristal sublet.”
“Those places cost three-quarters of a million dollars.”
“They do indeed.”
“According to Margot, when it came to real estate, Cristal didn’t make many missteps.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “And that raises a very large question.”
“Why was Cristal involved with a man who terrified her when she had all that money?”
“According to Cristal’s journal,
“You think this creep got off on terrifying Cristal?”
I bit my lip. “That’s exactly what I think.”
“So this prince among men is a power junkie.”
“Among other things. And Cristal spent the last fourteen years of her life trying to please him, but there was always another hoop for her to jump through.”
“Except at the end, she decided to stop playing. If Blake drafted her will two days before her death, he might know what was going on in her mind. Deciding who gets what in your will is a big step – clients have a way of justifying it to their lawyers.”
“Do you want me to call Blake?”
“Would you? It’s time my partner came home, and it’s best if I can truthfully say I haven’t known Blake’s whereabouts for the last few days.”
I found the number of Blake’s hotel in my address book and tapped it in. He answered on the first ring.
“It’s Joanne,” I said.
“Has something happened?”
“A lot. Zack thinks it’s time you came back to Regina. Are you up for that?”
Blake was silent for a beat, but when he answered, he sounded like the old Blake – open and hopeful. “I think I’m on top of it, but it’s weird, Jo. There are whole stretches of time I don’t remember.”
“For example?”
He laughed softly. “For example, I don’t remember getting to this hotel, and I couldn’t tell you how long I’ve been here. Remember when you were a kid just getting over the flu? That’s what I feel like. It’s hard to figure out what really happened and what was just the fever.”
“But the fever has burned itself out.”
He laughed softly. “Yes,” he said. “I think it finally has. Tell Zack I’ll be on the next plane home. I’ll come to your place straight from the airport.”
“It’ll be good to have you back, Blake.”
“It’ll be good to be back.”
I rang off and turned to my husband. “He’ll be here tonight,” I said.
Zack nodded. “Thanks, Ms. Shreve. I’m sorry to put you in the middle of this. You can have my onions at dinner.”
“You’d never give up your onions.”
“Wrong. I’m indebted to you, and I honour my debts.” He picked up his BlackBerry. “Just let me make one quick call. I want to see what Sean’s investigators have turned up about Jason’s business dealings.”
“What are you looking for?”
“I don’t know. What I’m hoping for is an innocuous explanation for that $50,000 the cops found at Brodnitz’s house.”
“You want Margot to win your tie?”
“Small price to pay for giving back Ginny’s daughters a father they don’t have to be ashamed of.”
Zack wheeled over and took my hand. “We’ve had enough for one day. Let’s get Taylor and eat some liver.”
The Chimney was a family restaurant in the strip mall next to Ginny’s condo, so it shouldn’t have come as a surprise to see Ginny standing at the cash register where customers wait for their takeout. She was wearing running shorts and a T-shirt, and her hair was slicked back. She looked pale and weary, but when she saw us, her smile was genuine.
“Friendly faces,” she said. “A welcome sight. I never realized waiting for a pizza could be so gruelling. Everybody who comes in gives me the eye.”
“The Chimney does deliver,” I said.
Ginny sighed. “You know, that possibility never crossed my mind. Our condo’s so close – we always just run in. I guess I’m not thinking very clearly.” She slumped. “The phone never stops ringing. And the media people seem to be taking turns leaning on the buzzer downstairs.”
I squeezed Taylor’s shoulder. “Why don’t you go ahead and see if you can score Zack’s favourite table?”
Taylor turned to Ginny. “He likes to sit near the fireplace even if it’s thirty-eight degrees outside.” Her face grew serious. “I’m sorry about all your trouble,” she said.
“Thanks,” Ginny said. “I appreciate that.”
We watched Taylor move through the dining room. When she claimed the table by the fireplace, she pumped the air in triumph.
“She’s a nice girl,” Ginny said.
“She is,” I said. “How are your girls holding up?”
“Not well,” Ginny said. “Chloe’s started cutting again. When I saw the blood on her stomach this afternoon, I wanted to scream. The whammies just keep on coming. I’ve got all these basketball cliches wired into my brain – usually, they do the trick, but ‘don’t give an inch until the final buzzer sounds’ seems to have lost its power. I’m used to the hits, but the girls aren’t. Two weeks ago they were the Incredible Brodnitz Twins. Now they’re just freaks. They’ve heard the same locker room talks I’ve heard: ‘How you respond to the challenges of the second half will determine what you become after the game – whether you’re a winner or a loser.’ But Em and Chloe aren’t getting a chance to regroup. Everything reminds them of what’s happened.”
Her voice was ragged. Zack wheeled closer. “Debbie Haczkewicz hasn’t got back to me yet about letting you go to the lake. Let me try her again.” He pulled out his BlackBerry and hit speed-dial.
It was clear at the outset that Debbie was turning down Zack’s request, but then he pulled out all the stops. When he mentioned that Chloe was reacting to the pressure by cutting herself, Debbie relented. She was, after all, a parent as well as a cop. Zack ended the call and gave Ginny the thumbs-up sign. “You can take off for the lake whenever you want.”
Ginny exhaled. “That is such a relief. The girls and I need to get some sleep so we can figure out where we go from here.” She turned to me. “I really can’t thank you enough.”
“We’re glad we’re able to help.” I took out a business card, wrote out the combination to the gate on the back, and gave Ginny my key to the guest cottage. “See you tomorrow night,” I said.
As we went into the dining room, I touched Zack’s shoulder. “You didn’t tell Ginny about the money the police found in Jason’s house.”
