Chapter 32
Frank came into the house to find a buzz of conversation coming from the kitchen. As he turned the corner he counted nine adults and five children, including one face he did not expect. “Mother, when did you get in?”
“I took the first flight I could after we spoke last night. I thought Cassie could use another friendly face.” She rose to greet him after handing William off to his mother.
He looked over to his wife who was looking a little subdued but seemed to appreciate all of the noise and confusion. “When did you start to call her Cassie?”
“When I met Cassandra Sokolov. It was too confusing and Cassie doesn’t really answer to Cassandra anyway, unless you say it with a foreign accent. Apparently Boston isn’t foreign enough.”
He gave his mother a hug and moved towards Cassie who came into his arms for a comforting embrace. “How are you holding up?”
“Pretty well, actually. We were having a nice chat when the phone started to ring.” She released Frank and they leaned against the prep island to observe the group chattering. “Anne called and decided that she wanted to meet Mother. By the way I asked your mother if I could call her that.”
“And she is just tickled pink, right?”
Dorothy said, “Right. But don’t think I’ll be calling you anything but Francis.”
Frank sighed and said, “Yes, Mother,” in a long-suffering manner. “And Anne called Ginette and Fiona?”
“And Fiona called her sister Janet and Mrs. Wilson from church who brought her granddaughter with her. And Mrs. J at school mentioned why I was away to Caitlyn who called Sharon…”
“And now we have an almost full house.”
“Kees is bringing Caitlyn and her brothers over for supper after volleyball, Charles and Henry should be here soon and Trevor’s taken Sandra to dance class. I put everyone’s food offerings to warm in the oven and made a big chocolate mousse for dessert. We’ll be eating as soon as everyone arrives.” Then she looked a question at Frank. “Did Alain have anything new to pass along?”
“Nothing substantive. They did find Hulk, whose name is Pete Commanda by the way, and brought him in for questioning. He admitted that he knew Penny quite well and Gord slightly but that he hadn’t seen either of them since July, just after you ran away from home. Gord asked him to try to find you but he didn’t like the look on Gord’s face so he agreed to shut Gord up but avoided going over since then. Alain said he appeared to be in genuine shock over Penny’s death. They apparently had an on-again, off-again relationship for the past ten years or so. He works as a bouncer and bartender at one of the, um, gentlemen’s clubs. He did identify the little weaselly guy you spotted him with as Deion Stricker. Stricker was caught in a drug raid a couple of weeks ago and is back in provincial jail because he was violating parole by being at the gang’s headquarters. The OPP are going to question Stricker later this week. But no one they’ve spoken to so far seems to know where Gord might be or who Vlad is.”
“Oh, and they found a match to Gord’s fingerprints. His real name is Réal Charbonneau, and he was arrested for aggravated assault and forgery in Trois Rivières fifteen years ago but disappeared while he was out on bail. He’s used a couple of other aliases over the years, but they’ve never caught him. There was another suspicious death that he was involved with in the Eastern Townships. Alain says they’ve issued a Canada-wide warrant for his arrest but he’s probably already started using a different name.”
Cassie gave a brief nod then moved to get another hug from Frank. She relaxed into the comfort of his arms. Then the doorbell rang and she went to welcome Trevor and Sandra.
———
“She was such a beautiful girl. So much potential wasted.” Mrs. Robertson spoke softly in French to Cassie as she paid her respects to Penny.
The undertakers had done a good job preparing the body for the visitation. Cassie thought that it was possible to think of her mother as a beautiful tragic figure but she knew the truth of her mother’s too short sad life. Remembering there were reporters present, she kept a serene sad smile on her face as she said, “I kept praying that she would grow up, but she never did. I can only pray that she is safe now.”
“That is in the hands of the good God now. Only He knows for certain. But I will pray that she knows Him.”
“Thank you for coming.”
“Your Frank said you needed us. So we came.”
Cassie looked over to the chairs on the side of the room to see Frank bringing a cup of tea to Parayiayia and her face briefly showed all of the unacknowledged love she had for her husband. “How did Frank manage all of this, Grand-mère?”
“Rather simply. He hired a limousine to take us all to the train station and we took the train here. First class. He offered to charter a plane to take us from the island airport but Natalia’s age was a concern for the charter company. And the train is very comfortable. I’d forgotten how pretty this part of Canada is in the autumn.”
Dorothy Ellis joined the conversation, also speaking in French. “I’m very glad that I have an excuse to visit more often now. Ottawa is pretty most of the time, except for the few weeks around spring thaw.”
Mrs. Robertson gave Cassie a subtle hint with her eyes. Without reacting outwardly, Cassie recovered quickly and said, “Grand-mère, I’d like you to meet my mother-in-law, Dorothy Ellis. Mother, this is Thérèse Robertson, one of my extra grandmothers.”
“Enchanté.” Dorothy took the older woman’s hand.
“Who are all of these vultures?” Therese asked Dorothy.
Dorothy was quick enough to understand that Thérèse was asking why the reporters were so interested in Penny. “My family is wealthy enough that we are occasionally fodder for the paparazzi. Usually it is my youngest daughter who ends up in the scandal sheets although Cassandra’s very quiet and sudden marriage to Francis has piqued their interest.”
“They are still vultures.” Therese glared at a reporter who came close enough to eavesdrop. “My father was blamed for several diplomatic failures over his career. The press were brutal but he always had the support of the foreign ministry even though he was forced to resign after the last debacle. But it was hard on him.”
One of the reporters finally confirmed Cassie’s identity with someone and pushed her way into the group. “Are you Cassandra Marcussen Ellis?”
Cassie drew herself up taller and replied, “I am.”
“Do you know how your mother died?”
Cassie gave him a sad smile. “The coroner confirmed it was a drug overdose.”
“Was she an addict?”
Frank eased up to Cassie and put a hand on the small of her back. “Yes and she had been for years. I kept hoping and praying she would go into rehab.”
“Is it true that you are only seventeen?”
Cassie looked at Frank for support. His expression was guarded but he seemed to encourage her to answer. “Yes.”
“So how does a seventeen year old nobody from that kind of background manage to land one of the richest single men in the country?”
Cassie suppressed her annoyance and turned her face to Frank to mask her sudden flare of anger.
Frank responded as if he was explaining something obvious to a child. “By being the right woman for me, the one I fell in love with. The dedicated woman who nursed her grandmother through years of terminal illness; the kind woman who cared for her elderly neighbours by running errands and helping them with cooking and cleaning; the intelligent woman who maintained a ninety average while spending every spare moment for a full year at the hospice watching her grandmother die; the stubbornly persistent woman who made certain her grandmother had the best care possible from overworked nurses; the sociable young woman who graciously permitted you and your colleagues to attend this family event and ask rude questions. She is much more diplomatic and forgiving than I am. And she is far more mature than either of us; which is another reason that I am so very grateful she married me.” Frank finished that with
a smile that was more like a predator baring his teeth. “Do you have any other questions?”
The reporter shrugged and consulted her tablet. “The police are treating the death as suspicious. Do you think her husband killed her?”
Cassie looked a question at the reporter. “Someone had to inject the drugs into her. It’s logical to conclude it was Gord. He was very charming in public but not so much in private.”
“Was he abusive?”
Frank looked at Cassie to gauge if he should interfere. Cassie put on a patently false smile and said, “Never towards my mother.” Then she said, “I should go greet some people that just arrived.”
“One more question…”
Alain Bastarache, in his RCMP duty uniform, tapped the reporter on the shoulder. “I don’t think so, miss.”
The reporter whirled, ready to get into the face of the person who dared interfere, but her protest died when she saw the uniform. Alain continued. “Please don’t upset the deceased’s only child. This is a private event and I would be more than happy to have an excuse to escort you and your colleagues off the property.”
Cassie came forward to greet Alain with a brief hug and kisses on the cheek. “Alain. Thank you for coming.”
The reporter hung around for a few seconds, hoping to get some more gossip for her story but decided to go talk to someone else after she was given a warning look from Alain.
Alain greeted Frank with a handshake then stood next to them and dared any of the other reporters to come close. Dorothy Ellis came forward and Cassie said, “Mother, I’d like you to meet Sergeant Bastarache. Alain, this is my mother-in-law, Dorothy Ellis. Alain met Frank through something work related and he’s become a good friend.”
Alain flashed a practiced smile at Dorothy, who deflected it with ease, recognizing it as automatic flirtation. But Mrs. Robertson almost tittered when he gave her the same smile after she was introduced and Cassie elbowed Alain in the ribs. “Stop flirting with my grandmothers.”
Frank said, “He can’t help it, Cassie. But he could try harder.”
Mrs. Robertson sighed. “Thank you for chasing that vulture away.” Then she gave him an appreciative once over. “It’s been a while since a handsome man smiled at me like that.”
Alain said, “I find that hard to believe, Thérèse. Are the men in Toronto that blind?”
Cassie hissed, “I said stop it.” But her face softened at the pleased look on her Grandmère's face.
Mrs. Robertson said, “They are not all blind, but they aren’t all handsome either.”
Dorothy smirked, “I’d guess you handle many of the interviews with the older women?”
“As a matter of fact, I do, Mrs. Ellis.” Then he put on a patently false charm and laid it on a little thick. “But I was wondering if you were Mr. Ellis’s second wife because you don’t look old enough to be this guy’s mother.”
Dorothy said, drily, “Nice try, Sergeant.”
He shrugged and continued in a more serious tone. “Most of my work is in commercial crime. There are too many widows who get taken in by con men. I try to put them at ease so they’ll talk to me, even if they feel really embarrassed by getting fooled. And really, I find women to be the most beautiful creatures that God put on this earth. All women are beautiful to me in some way, although some are more photogenic than others.” He nodded towards Cassie.
Dorothy tilted her head and said, “Francis. Do you realize that you didn’t mention Cassie’s beauty at all when you were defending your choice of her to that awful reporter?”
Frank took Cassie’s hand and said, “I beg to differ, Mother. That’s exactly what I was doing. She is beautiful for all of those reasons. The fact that she turns heads every time she dresses up is a bonus.” Then he gathered Cassie close and murmured in her ear. “But it’s a very nice bonus.”
Cassie allowed herself to feel cherished for a moment then squeezed Frank’s hand before walking towards the Trimbles to greet them.
———
“Can I get the name of your designer, Francis? We need to have the shore cottage renovated because the electrician found some rot while he was checking a short in the wiring.”
“It might take a while. She’s quite busy over the next few months.”
Dorothy waved off his objection. “That’s fine. But I’d like to book her services soon, if I can convince her to take an out-of-town job. Good designers are harder to find than you might think. And I would like to get some ideas on layout before we hire the architect and start to rebuild. We’ll have to go back to the beams anyway and while it has some charm the way it is I always felt that the main floor rooms were too small. It doesn’t need three sitting rooms.”
Frank shrugged and beckoned to Cassie, who was chatting over tea with Mrs. Soares. She rose and joined them. “Yes, Frank?”
“Mother was wondering if you’d like to give her some advice. The shore cottage has to be gutted and refurbished.”
Cassie looked puzzled. “The shore cottage?”
“Yes. The one near the dock at the summer house.”
Dorothy clued in. She waved her hand around the room. “You mean…?”
“Exactly.” He turned to Cassie. “She was admiring what you’ve done with the house and assumed that we’d hired a designer.” He turned to her mother. “She’s modest about her accomplishments but she does have an innate sense of style that many of your artist friends don’t.”
Mrs. Bountoulous commented. “I think she inherited some of her grandfather Horace’s artistic talent. He painted the tree house in the foyer for Penny’s eighth birthday. And he did a number of murals at Sick Kids and in the children’s sections of the libraries around Toronto. He said it made a nice change from painting houses.”
Cassie sat next to Frank. “I’d forgotten that you knew Grandpa Horace.”
“He was the caretaker at the apartment building when mother moved in. He and Nan helped her get settled after my father died.” She turned to Dorothy. “The apartment building is owned by a Christian charity and other than the caretaker, they only rent to widows and widowers. For the longest time Cassandra was the only child in the building but recently two young mothers have moved in. Brittany Powers is in Cassandra’s old apartment. Her husband was killed on a construction site five months ago and she’s got a newborn boy and a three year old girl. It’s been good to have some young people in the building again.” She lowered her voice and pointed at Mrs. Robertson. “That one won’t admit it but little Danielle has her wrapped around her pinkie.”
Cassie said, with a twinkle in her eye, “And I suppose that you and Abuela are ignoring her?”
“No, but we don’t spoil her like Therese does.”
“No, you spoil her differently.”
“We help when Brittany lets us.”
Mrs. Papandreou gestured at her watch. Mrs. Bountoulous rose and said, “I think I have to help Mother to the door. The limousine will be here shortly.” Cassie and Frank both stood to say farewell to their guests.
“I’m sorry you can’t stay longer.”
“Funerals are never convenient but I’m sure we’ll be back in the spring. Elizabetta and her family have invited us to dinner tomorrow and we need to be home for the long weekend. Stavros and his family will be visiting from Saskatoon and we haven’t seen them in more than a year.”
“Give him my best, Yiayia.” Cassie leaned forward for a hug.
“John will be disappointed to learn you have married.”
Cassie blushed. “He’s a bit young, Yiayia.”
Mrs. Bountoulous winked at Frank. “John is Stavros’ oldest. He is a year younger than Cassandra. He had an awful crush on her two years ago.”
Frank gathered Cassie closer. “I can certainly see why. You can tell him he has excellent taste in women.”
“I will.” There was a round of hugs and Frank began to carry suitcases to the limousine.
Dorothy emerged from the guest hallway with her suitcases. ?
??Unfortunately I have to be in Halifax for a board meeting tomorrow. But I will beg off if you still need me here, Cassie.”
Cassie moved to give Dorothy a hug. “I think I’m over the initial shock, Mother. And we will see you soon at the summer home.”
“Well, if you need anything, anything at all, call me.”
Frank came in. “Are you heading into town with Cassie’s spare grannies?”
“I thought it would be easiest.”
“Then I’ll walk you to the car.”
After he handed the suitcases to the limo driver, Frank turned to his mother and drew her into a hug. “Thank you very much for coming, Mother. Cassie needs her family to support her.”
Dorothy drew back and smiled. “That’s what I thought, Francis.” She dared a look towards Cassie, who was looking sad and brittle. “Take good care of her. We’re her only family now.”
“I will Mother. And I hope she’ll start to believe me that we’re in this for life.”
“Me, too.” She looked at her watch and said, “I must be off. See you a week Friday.”
Frank stepped back and waved as the limousine drove away. Cassie ducked under his arm and snuggled into him as she joined in waving goodbye.
———
Cassie sat on the sofa and put her head on Frank’s shoulder. “I’m glad there was a real funeral.”
“Oh?”
“I was there when Granny passed away, so I got to say a proper goodbye just before her spirit left her body. Mum had Dad’s remains cremated and there was a memorial service in Listowel but it wasn’t the same. It’s probably morbid but it was easier to say a real goodbye to Mum because the body I saw at the visitation was only a body, if that makes any sense.”
Frank’s brow furrowed in thought. “I haven’t really thought about it. But I do remember Grandfather’s visitation…” He nodded. “I think I see what you mean. My Grandfather Ellis was almost bigger than life. His willpower was incredible and when he looked at you, you knew there was a vital intelligent man inside, even after he had the stroke and couldn’t speak very well. Without his spirit to animate it, his body was just a body.”
“That’s why it was important to me to have a proper funeral. Well, and to have an opportunity to pray for her and for us.”
“Will you miss her?”
“Yes, but not in the way everyone will think. I’ll miss seeing her try to grow up. She was away so much when I was growing up and I missed her terribly for most of those years especially when I was caring for Granny in the early stages. I was so angry that she wouldn’t help us out but after I had to move in with her I learned that she couldn’t have helped me because she still hadn’t grown up. She was always chasing something.”
Frank sighed. “The God-shaped hole.”
Cassie raised her head. “God-shaped hole? What’s that?”
“A useful analogy. God made us to worship him; instilled in us a longing to be with him; like there’s a piece of us that is missing unless we know him. Before I came to Jesus I was chasing … something. There was a hole in my life that I tried to fill with booze and sex and staying as busy as I could with sports and travel but the hole was never filled. When I finally became a Christian that hole started to fill up the right way. But too many people try to fill that hole the wrong way with the wrong things.”
Cassie let her head sink back onto Frank’s shoulder. After a moment she said, “That makes a lot of sense. Granny and I did a lot of praying in her last two years and there was a kind of peace that filled the room, even if it was a sad kind of peace.” She started to feel the tears come. “Do you think it was too late for Mum, Frank? Was it too late for her to accept Jesus?”
Frank felt his chest get wet. “We’ll find out when we see Jesus on the day of judgement. I hope and pray that she was able to.”
Cassie began to cry, gentle waves of sobbing that Frank comforted her through. After the sobbing subsided, Frank asked, “You miss your mother, don’t you?”
Cassie left Frank’s embrace to sit up and get a tissue to blow her nose. “Yes, I do. On good days she was excellent company. Before Gord came along we were starting to get to know each other and do some of those mother-daughter things. She taught me how to use makeup properly and she never looked down at me for dressing modestly although she did give me some good tips on how to look more confident. I think she was starting to accept that she was in her mid-thirties and that she couldn’t trade on her looks for much longer. She was even managing her habit so she wasn’t out of it all the time. Then along came Gord and everything went south. I know she needed a man but she needed a good man she could grow old with. That’s the mother I miss, Frank, the one who started to treat me as a grown woman. I think she was happy that I would have a different path than hers.”
She blew her nose again. “She always encouraged me to study hard, saying it was the one thing she’d change about her life. One night last December after I got my report card with all the nineties on it Gord went out and she got maudlin saying that the only thing she was qualified to do was be a stripper and though the money was good there’s nothing respectable about it. She wanted to be sure that I had enough education to have a respectable job and the chance for a good life.”
Cassie turned to look at Frank’s sympathetic face and thought, I’m so lucky to have him.
He smiled and said, “I guess she got her wish.”
“A good start on it, anyway.” Cassie rose up and gave Frank a long sweet kiss.