The Drowning Child

30

The parking lot of The Crow Bar was filled with police cars, SUVs, Crime Scene Investigations trucks. Ren and Ruddock stood by the hood of his car with a map of the property opened out on it. It marked out twenty-seven structures: The Crow Bar and adjoining house, twenty cabins, a reception area, a storage room, a laundry room, and a shower block.

Ruddock pointed to Cabin 5. ‘Aaron’s body was found in the water here.’

Ren nodded. ‘By whom?’

‘A woman out walking her dog. She called it in to us.’

‘And have we got keys to all these cabins?’ said Ren.

‘I’m not sure,’ said Ruddock. Shannon Fuller walked over to them. ‘Hey there,’ she said. ‘We’re missing a key to Cabin 8. Clyde reckons it’s gone from the big ring he keeps all his keys on.’

‘Since when?’ said Ren.

‘He doesn’t know,’ said Shannon, ‘but he’s only had that for the past six weeks.’

‘Unless he never had that key in the first place,’ said Ren.

Shannon nodded. ‘It’s a possibility.’

‘And where were those keys before he was given them?’ said Ren.

‘I keep them in the house,’ said Shannon.

‘And when’s the last time you remember seeing that key?’ said Ren.

‘I couldn’t tell you,’ said Shannon. ‘It’s more Seth who’s been dealing with the cabins.’

‘Who else might have keys to the cabins?’ said Ren, as they walked down.

‘Apart from the remaining individual owners?’ said Clyde. ‘Just me. I don’t know if John Veir kept copies, but I doubt it – he wasn’t too concerned with the cabins even when he owned the place. Maybe some of the tradesmen who have worked here over the years still have keys, but I doubt it. And I guess, if any of the former owners rented out their properties privately, they would have had copies too – they could be anywhere.’

‘Yeah, that’s not really narrowing it down for us,’ said Ren.

Ren and Ruddock took the map with them and followed the path past the shabby Reception hut with a pale rectangular space above the door where the sign used to be.

‘It’s hard to believe that this was the place to be,’ said Ruddock. ‘Well, up until about ’85. Then, as it always goes, somewhere fancier was built nearby and that was that – Lake Verny was pretty much wiped off the map for most people, and all the kids around wanted to go to Rainbow Rapids.’

‘And did Rainbow Rapids survive?’ said Ren.

Ruddock nodded. ‘Yes, it’s still going strong. But the owners know to keep reinventing it.’

They walked on.

‘How’s your hotel working out for you?’ said Ruddock.

‘It’s... OK,’ said Ren. ‘The food isn’t exactly dazzling.’

‘Well, you’re not going to find sushi there, that’s for sure,’ said Ruddock.

Sushi! ‘A roast chicken with crispy skin would do it for me right now,’ said Ren.

‘Despite appearances,’ said Ruddock.

What the heck?

‘That was a compliment,’ said Ruddock.

Ren laughed. ‘I’m a girl of simple tastes, really.’

They arrived at Cabin 5, the cabin closest to where Aaron’s body was found. Clyde Brimmer was standing at the top of the path beside a Crime Scene Investigations van.

‘Nice work, Clyde,’ said Ruddock. ‘Thank you for persisting with what you believed in. It’s very sad news, but the kind we need to know.’

What a sweet man.

Clyde nodded sadly.

Ruddock and Ren walked down to the water’s edge.

‘The body was found here,’ said Ruddock, pointing. He turned and waved the crime scene techs over. Three divers had arrived, and descended along with them.

‘Do your best,’ said Ruddock, ‘but we know there’s a slim chance of any evidence being found at this stage.’

Ren turned to him when the others started to work. ‘So,’ she said, ‘was he drowned close by? Or driven here in a vehicle to be disposed of? Shannon was out for the count that night, she wouldn’t have heard anyone drive in. Seth didn’t report hearing anything.’ She looked around. ‘There’s no access point here, is there?’

‘No,’ said Ruddock. ‘All vehicles have to come through the front.’

‘Where could Aaron have been drowned near here?’ said Ren.

Ruddock shrugged. ‘In one of the cabins... in a bathtub? A sink? You could drown someone in a bucket of water, if you really wanted to.’

‘Is there water running to all the cabins?’ said Ren.

She turned to ask Clyde. He was gone.

‘Oh,’ said Ren. ‘Clyde has vanished.’

‘It’s probably all too much for him,’ said Ruddock.

‘Jumping-into-the-lake too much, or just having-a-quiet-cry too much?’

Ruddock smiled. ‘I wouldn’t say we have to worry.’

Not as simple for me.

‘I’m going to go see if I can find him,’ said Ren. She walked up the path and passed a crime scene tech coming down.

‘Did you see a guy leaving here?’ said Ren. ‘Late forties, but looks a little older, short, slightly bedraggled-looking.’

‘Nope.’

‘Clyde?’ Ren called. ‘Clyde?’

She walked back to the cabin. There was no sign of him. She walked up to the edge of the lake, looked up and down.

He’s fine. Relax.

Ren went back to Ruddock and they went together to Cabin 5, where two crime scene techs were at work. The place looked like it hadn’t been opened in decades.

‘I don’t think it happened here,’ said Ren. She went over to the faucet and turned it on. Water sputtered out of it.

Where the heck did Clyde go?

He’s going to kill himself.

Stop.

Ruddock turned to her. ‘You’re worrying about Clyde, aren’t you?’

She laughed. ‘I am.’

‘Why don’t you call The Crow? All he might have needed was a stiff drink.’

Ren called the bar. Shannon picked up.

‘Shannon, it’s Ren Bryce. Firstly – is there water running to all the cabins?’

‘Yes,’ said Shannon.

‘And is Clyde with you?’

‘No,’ said Shannon.

‘Can you take a look out the window and see if you can see him on his way?’

‘Sure,’ said Shannon. Ren could hear her move out from behind the bar, she heard her footsteps on the timber floor. ‘No,’ said Shannon. ‘I can’t. Is everything OK?’

‘I wanted to talk to him, but he’s disappeared.’

‘Where are you?’ said Shannon.

Shit. Not far from where Aaron was found.

‘Try Cabin 8,’ said Shannon, sidestepping the answer that had just dawned on her.

The cabin with the missing key.

‘Why eight?’ said Ren.

‘Because Clyde’s in beating-himself-up mode – he feels responsible for Aaron, no matter how many times I tell him he’s not. Cabin 8 is where Clyde’s sister fell through the deck all those years back. The kids all think it’s haunted. Clyde sometimes goes there to feel bad about himself.’

Bad things happen around Clyde Brimmer.

Stop.