Reservoir of Secrets - PP14 ebook

Chapter 1
It was the perfect day for a picnic in Glenmore Park. Margie was glad it had warmed up and they could get in their first real outing of the year. Moushoom needed a sweater to keep his old body warm, but the rest of them were in shirt sleeves, enjoying the freedom from coats and mittens and other winter gear. Christina’s brown face glowed in the sunlight. She looked happy and carefree, as if school and its accompanying stresses were distant memories. A gentle breeze blew over the reservoir and fluttered the bright green leaves of the trees.

It should have been the perfect day, unfolding just as Margie had planned.

It wasn’t even like it was a big family get-together. She and Christina wanted to get the extended family together and have a big gathering of the cousins, but they were starting small, with just their little family, and would work on planning something bigger in the summer, getting everyone organized. Like the family at the picnic area next to theirs. Three generations with a vigorous-looking patriarch at their head. Maybe in his seventies, considering the ages of his children, he looked like he could have challenged any of the other adults there or even the grandchildren to a sports challenge. Running, swimming, weightlifting. She didn’t know what his sport was, but it was clear that he followed some kind of regimen to keep himself in shape. He appeared to be a wealthy businessman, but his body was not going to seed from sitting in an office chair all day.

“Mom?” Christina prompted.

Margie pulled her gaze away from the larger family group to look into Christina’s inquiring eyes. “Uh, sorry. Did you say something? I was distracted.”

“When is Detective Riley supposed to be here? He is coming, right?”

Margie’s cheeks warmed. She tried to suppress her body’s reaction. She wasn’t a silly schoolgirl with a crush. She was a grown woman, a professional, a homicide detective, and yes, she liked Lewis, but she didn’t know for sure where their relationship was going. She had invited him to the family picnic on a whim, but she was regretting it.

It wasn’t like Christina was upset about it. She hadn’t complained about an intruder on their family fun. She seemed to like Lewis and didn’t show any jealousy at Margie’s attention being taken by someone else. But Margie felt vulnerable and was anxious that things would go well.

“He should be here any time,” she told Christina casually, checking the time on the face of her phone. She glanced toward the road that wound around to all the parking areas, looking for his car. “As long as nothing came up. Sometimes our plans get derailed by a call.”

Christina snorted. “Like I don’t know that!”

Margie looked toward her grandfather. “Are you warm enough, Moushoom? Do you want a blanket?”

He looked thin in the wheelchair. He had always been a small man, probably the result of poor nutrition in his childhood. As he aged, he was shrinking still more. She didn’t like to see him diminishing in front of her eyes. If only people didn’t have to decline as they got older. She wanted him to be there forever, her strong, spry, energetic grandfather. But that man was fading.

“I am fine,” Moushoom insisted, giving her a broad smile. “I’m here with my daughters, enjoying the outdoors instead of being cooped up inside, and I don’t need another blanket.” He smoothed the one she had already laid across his thin legs to keep him toasty. He wasn’t moving around like she was, generating heat with her activity.

Moushoom took a deep breath and let it out, smiling. His eyes went over to the family that Margie had been watching earlier. “What a beautiful family. They must be so happy to all be together.”

“We are still going to get the cousins together, aren’t we, Mom?” Christina asked, even though she knew very well that they hoped to get the extended family together during the summer. Since Margie and Christina had moved to Calgary in the midst of the COVID lockdown, they had been unable to get together for a large gathering. Restrictions had eased by now, and many people had returned to their previous practices, but Margie was still nervous about the risks of a large gathering. COVID was not gone, despite the creation of the vaccines, and it could easily kill an old man like Moushoom. She was terrified any time there was a viral outbreak at his care center.

“Yes, of course,” she agreed. “We will get together as many of the Alberta cousins as we can and have a big party.”

“Good,” Christina pronounced. “It will be a lot bigger than that party.” She indicated their picnicking neighbors with her gaze and looked smug. The extended Patenaude family was considerably larger than the one next to them. They would have to reserve a venue, rather than just hoping to find a free table as they had today.

“It’s not how big a family is that matters,” Margie pointed out. “It is how close they are. What their relationships are like. They all seem to be getting along pretty well.”

But appearances could be deceiving, and it turned out there was a lot more going on at the neighboring family’s picnic than Margie imagined.

The smiling faces and warm, cheerful voices were as misleading as the mirrored surface of the reservoir. It looked as smooth as glass, hiding the danger beneath the surface.

Chapter 2
Stella started barking wildly, making Margie jump. She automatically patted her leg to call the dog to her and looked around to see what had agitated her. The midsize dog, mostly brown, was focused on something across the green space.

“Come here, Stella. What is it?”

Stella did not look back at her, continuing to bark. But her ears were forward, curious and welcoming, rather than alarmed or aggressive.

Margie thought at first that Stella had seen a squirrel, but then saw the long-legged man walking across the green grass toward them, a friendly smile on his face.

“Oh, here he is,” she told Christina, who, of course, could see with her own eyes. Christina rolled her big brown eyes and busied herself with unpacking more food from the cooler.

“It looks like this is the right place,” Lewis told Margie with a big smile. “The park is certainly hopping today.”

“Yeah, good thing it isn’t dead,” Christina quipped. “Or Mom would have to get to work.”

“Well, Detective Parks Pat is on the scene,” Lewis acknowledged, “she wouldn’t have to go too far.”

“No dead bodies today,” Margie declared. “No accidents, no homicides, just people enjoying the warm spring day, each other’s company, and the beauty of nature.”

Lewis nodded and gave Margie a friendly smile. He didn’t shake her hand or hug her, both of them a little awkward and not sure how to handle the relationship. They were not a couple and this was not a date. They were just friends. Detective Lewis Riley had been invited along as an afterthought when Margie had realized that, back from his latest undercover job, he would be spending Victoria Day by himself. Margie didn’t think he should be alone. He needed to be surrounded by friends, to be able to relax in a gathering where he didn’t have to pretend to be anything other than what he was.

“Can I help you with anything?” Lewis offered, dispelling the awkward moment.

“I think we’ve got everything under control,” Margie said, looking around. “Just waiting for the fire to burn down a bit so we have some good coals and can get the perfect roasted hot dogs.”

Lewis looked at the fire, and to his credit, he did not see the need to grab one of the wiener sticks and push the logs around to “fix” her fire. “Looks great. It’s about time I had a good cookout. Thank you for inviting me.”

“Christina, Moushoom, you remember Detective Riley?” Margie introduced, though, of course, they all knew who the others were. But they had only met a time or two, and Margie thought it was important to repeat names, for her grandfather especially, to make sure they knew each other.

“Welcome to our fire,” Moushoom said, and held out one gnarled hand for Lewis.

Lewis took it and shook gently. “Thank you, Sir.”

“Sir,” Moushoom chuckled. “We’ve come a long way from what cops used to call an Indian.”

Lewis nodded and smiled. “I hope so,” he agreed, “Sir.”

Moushoom smiled at that and fingered his Métis sash. He had not worn it as a young man, but it was a badge of honor now, and he showed off his heritage proudly every opportunity he got with the colorful woven sash and other traditional clothing.