New excerpt from Into Thin Air

Leanne Brock lived on Maple Crescent in Elmsdale. Her brick home, set behind a small cluster of trees, had white accents and a dash of blue siding around two windows on the second floor. Near the foundation, on either side of the front entrance, someone had planted gardens, and the flowers in them had started to bud and bloom.

The woman who answered the door resembled a business professional in her fuchsia blouse and black pencil skirt. At 54, she was attractive and looked fit for her age. Her bob cut, streaked with golden blonde highlights, flattered her tanned face. She stood straight and met Audra’s eye.

“You must be Detective Price?” she said, sticking out her hand.

Audra accepted it. “I am. And you’re Ms. Brock?”

“Mrs. now,” she corrected.

The comment threw Audra off guard. “Oh,” she said. “Sorry.”

“No worries. I remarried about two months ago. Third time’s a charm, apparently. I hope it turns out to be true.”

“So you decided to keep your maiden name?”

Leanne nodded. “Of course. I’m too old now to be bothered taking another man’s name. Besides, I like to be addressed in a way that feels familiar to me.”

Audra sensed something fiercely independent about this woman, and she liked it. “Well, good for you.”

“Yes.” Leanne drew aside. “Come in.”

Audra walked into a bright split-entry foyer. A half flight of oak stairs ascended to a kitchen and living room; another lowered into the basement area.

“I have to be back to work at two,” Leanne said, leading the way up the steps.

“This won’t take long,” Audra assured.

“I must admit, I found this a little unusual. You wanting to see me about Shane. We’ve been divorced for five years.”

“It’s standard procedure in all death investigations to consider victimology. When it comes to suicides, I like to interview friends, associates, and family members to help me determine the subject’s state of mind prior to death. Was there motive and intent?”

“I’m the wrong person to ask.”

“You two haven’t spoken since the divorce?”

“Not a word.”

Audra grimaced. “Well, dang. Unfortunately, you’re the only person I could find in my search so far.”

Leanne pulled out a chair from the kitchen table. “Please, have a seat. Would you like a coffee?”

“No, thank you. I had lunch already.”

“Have you spoken to Shane’s children?”

“Not personally. But they’ve been notified of his death.”

Leanne sat across from her. “Shane Jr. called me last night. He’s flying in Saturday for the funeral. He told me he hadn’t heard from his father since Christmas.”

“Did the two of them have a strained relationship or something?”

“I can’t—” Leanne looked around the kitchen, as though for help. “I mean, I don’t know how Shane was with his kids during his former marriages, only what I saw while the two of us were together. I wouldn’t say the relationships were strained. He was what I would call a low-energy parent. He didn’t seem to have an emotional connection with his kids.

“For their birthdays, he would call them. But only after I reminded him of the day. For Christmas, he would give me some money to pick up a present for each of them. But that’s about it.”

“None of his kids ever lived with you guys?”

“No. When Shane and I married in two thousand two, Junior had just entered Depot. Samantha was off to the University of Maine at Presque Isle. And Victor, well he was still living with his mother.”

“If you don’t mind me asking, how was he with you? Was he prone to mood swings, anything like that?”

“At the beginning of our marriage or towards the end?”

“I, um, don’t know how—”

“It takes two to make a relationship work,” Leanne said. “And only one to destroy it.

“When Shane and I first started dating, he was an open and warm companion. But maybe a year, year and a half after we married, he became this closed, bitter man.”

Audra leaned forward. “Oh?”

For a moment Leanne laid her hands on the tabletop and began playing with her watch, a Bulova with a white strap. In a low voice, she said, “Personally, I thought he might be bipolar. There were nights he would come home and I knew just from the look on his face that he had a bad day at the office.

“He would sit at the other end of the supper table with his head down and shovel food into his mouth like he was some kind of machine, the whole time never speaking a word to me. Afterward, he would take a glass of scotch downstairs to his man cave and sit in his favorite recliner among his woodland critters—”

“Woodland critters?”

“That’s what I used to call them. He had a bunch of dead animals, stuffed. The things creeped me out. I didn’t want them in the house. I made him put them all in the basement so I wouldn’t have to see them.”

Audra didn’t want to let on she had already seen Christaki’s eerie display. “Did he hunt those animals himself?”

“Most, yes. The big-game ones anyway, and the ducks. A few others he bought from the taxidermist up here in Lantz.”

“How big was his collection?”

Leanne blew out a sharp breath. “Huge.”

“Really? Like how many pieces are we talking?”

“Forty, fifty. I didn’t exactly count them all.”

“Did he hunt them around Nova Scotia?”

Leanne frowned. “Not all. The deer, bears, and ducks he did. The small game as well. The exotics, he went on hunting excursions to get those. He told me he bagged his cougar in BC. He got a wolf in Ontario one time, an elk in the Rockies.”

Audra asked, “So he already had this collection before you guys married?”

“Most of it. He added a few pieces while we were together. Like a coyote, maybe a fox. I can’t remember now. I do know the last one he brought home before we separated was the bison. Boy, was he proud of that.”

“Where’d he hunt something like that?”

“Alberta. He told me he wished he lived out there again, he’d not likely ever come back here.”

“Hunting was obviously a big part of his life.”

“Outside the RCMP, it was his second life.”

“Did he become less involved in it after he married you?”

Leanne seemed almost amused by that. “No. No, no. I remember sending him a text sometime during the second year of our marriage. I was getting frustrated. He had gone hunting again. Anyway, I told him to have a good hunt and to pencil me into his schedule when he got the time.”

“What was his response?”

“He didn’t respond. I asked him about it when he got home two days later. He claimed he didn’t receive the text. I think he just deleted it.”

“Did you ever go hunting with him?”

“No, I’m not into it,” Leanne said. “He took me to his camp once. I didn’t like it there, so we left.”

Audra perked her chin up. Camp?

“Where’s that at?” she asked.

“Do you know where the Caddell Rapids Park is?”

“Um, not right off.”

“It’s on Riverside Road near Green Creek. Probably a few kilometers past the park, there’s a trail leading through the brush. More suitable for a four wheeler, but Shane used to take his truck in there.”

Audra paused. Other than Christaki’s house on Flat Lake Drive, she couldn’t find any other properties listed under his name.

“Did he own this camp?” she asked.

Leanne shook her head. “His uncle Robert did. Well, now Shane’s cousin does since Robert passed away about seven, eight years ago.”

“Did Robert use the camp at one time?”

“Yes, whenever he was in the province for a visit. That side of Shane’s family all live in Calgary. Robert had about twenty acres of land in Nova Scotia that he inherited from his grandfather back in the seventies, I think. Shane told me the grandfather originally built the camp back in the sixties. If you ever saw it, you’d believe it. Shane fixed it up enough so it wouldn’t collapse.”

Audra wondered if the camp was the same one she saw in the picture at Christaki’s house. She needed to find out.

“I’m assuming Shane did most of his hunting while staying at the camp?”

“Yes.”

“You told me hunting was his second life. How often did he go exactly?”

“During the hunting seasons, he would be gone every weekend and any day he had off through the week. I hardly saw him.”

“What about the off-seasons, like spring and summer?”

Leanne sat back in the chair and crossed her arms. “He went to his camp almost as much then too.”

“How about winter?”

“Depended on how much snow we got and whether he thought he could get his truck in there. I do remember him going out there the odd day in January and February.”

“If he wasn’t hunting during these times, what do you think he was doing?”

“I have no idea. Maybe he wanted to get away from his job or civilization. Maybe he wanted to get away from me.”

Audra gave her chin a rub as she considered that. “He must’ve had hunting partners, didn’t he? Surely he didn’t go by himself.”

“As far as I know he went alone.”

“How about guys he chummed around with? You know, best buddies. I’m trying to find someone who was close to Shane, someone he might’ve confided in.”

Leanne’s face turned thoughtful. “Nope. I can’t think of anyone.”

Audra reflexively arched an eyebrow. No one? She found that hard to believe.

She asked, “Did any fellow RCMP members stop by the house from time to time?”

“Umm, Shane, well, I hate to say it, he wasn’t exactly popular at the Bible Hill detachment.”

“Did he tell you that?”

“I kinda heard it through the grapevine,” Leanne revealed. “The wives of other members would talk. Truro and Bible Hill being the small communities they are, nothing stays secret for long. Everyone there seems to know everyone else’s business, or thinks they do. That’s why I like it here in Elmsdale. I’m out of that small-town, small-minded environment.”

Audra found that somewhat ironic, considering Elmsdale was smaller and had a much lower population density than either Truro or Bible Hill.

“Did Shane leave a note explaining why he killed himself?” Leanne asked.

Audra studied her for a brief moment. Did she know about the note? Was she in touch with members inside the RCMP? Who exactly told her about Christaki’s suicide?

“He did,” Audra decided to admit. “He indicated his suicide was because of the despair he had over the Parkinson’s.”

“Hmm, that sounds like Shane. He would want to go out on his own terms.”

“Oh? Did he ever make a comment like that to you before?”

“No, but he was the type of man who would want to maintain power over his own life. Not allow some disease to take it from him.”

“So, he never expressed any suicidal ideations to you in the past?”

“No.”

“You mentioned he would have a glass of scotch after work. Did he drink a lot?”

“I wouldn’t call one glass a lot. And the Glencairns he used weren’t very big.”

“Did he have this drink every evening?”

“Usually, yes. I got the impression he did it to unwind from whatever had gone on that day.”

“Have you ever seen him get intoxicated?”

“No, not intoxicated like stumbling around or slurring his speech. More like, mellowed out.”

“Do you know if anyone in his family ever committed suicide?”

“I have no idea. He never mentioned it. Is there some doubt over the authenticity of Shane’s note? I think that would be a key piece of evidence.”

Smart girl, Audra thought.

“I’m just being thorough,” she said. “Crossing all the t’s and dotting all the i’s, so there are no issues down the road.”

“Sure, okay.”

Audra decided to shift gears a bit. “If you don’t mind, can I ask you about your bipolar comment? Was Shane prone to extreme mood swings?”

Leanne sighed. “Wow, how do I explain it? Big issues never seemed to bother him. But the smallest of things seemed to flip a switch and send him into a full-fledged rage. We’re talking face beet red, nostrils flaring, veins standing out on his forehead.

“I remember one time we were in Halifax for something. And you know how bad the traffic can get down there. Well, we were sitting in a lineup and apparently the cars in front of us weren’t moving fast enough and he just popped his cork. He started beating on the steering wheel so hard I thought he was going to break it.

“He used to scare the hell out of me when he got like that.”

“Did he get like that often?”

“Not really. But it did get to the point where being around him was like walking on pins and needles. I never knew when he was going to snap and over what. Near the end of our marriage I actually felt relieved when he went off to his cabin.”

“Was he ever abusive toward you?”

“No. Not physically.”

“But you feared he could’ve been?”

Leanne hesitated before answering. “Yes, in a way, yes. His unpredictable mood is what ultimately led me to leave him. I couldn’t take it any longer.”

“How did he respond when you did?”

Leanne jerked her shoulders. “He took it in stride. Like I said, big issues never bothered him that much. I think the only thing that really made Shane happy was hunting and being out at his camp.”

Audra said, “I read a study recently that stated fifteen to twenty percent of people with bipolar disorder also had signs of OCD. Did you ever see any indication Shane had that?”

Leanne’s brows flashed up and held for a second. “Funny you would ask. I always thought he had an odd quirk, but maybe it was OCD. Everything had to be set the correct way with Shane. How he used to align the plate and utensils at the dinner table. How he arranged his clothes in the closet by color. How he would always jiggle the front door handle several times to make sure it was locked. How he would always be cleaning his rifles, even though I swear I had seen him cleaning them the day before.”

“Do you know if Shane ever saw a therapist?” Audra asked.

“If he did, I never knew about it.”

“How about the Parkinson’s? Was he diagnosed with it when you were together?”

“Not officially. But before our separation, I remember Shane saying he had weird tremors in one of his hands. He never was one to rush out to a doctor.”

“When was the last time you saw him?”

“Two thousand seven. We’d already been separated for a year at that time. And you have to wait a year anyway. I mean, what kind of rigmarole is that?

“So we both agreed to a desk divorce because it was the cheapest option. Besides, there wasn’t much for either of us to contest in court. We sold the house, split our assets, and went our separate ways.”

“And you never spoke to him since?”

“No.”

Audra glanced at her watch and felt her heart shrink a little. 1:54 p.m. The interview hadn’t been a total wash. She had learned some vital info on the whereabouts of Christaki’s hunting camp, and of his personality. Still, she would have appreciated a name.

A cell phone chirped. Audra automatically reached for hers only to realize the sound had come from the kitchen counter.

“Excuse me,” Leanne said, rising off the chair.

Picking up the phone, she grinned at whatever the screen displayed. She typed a message back, then set the phone down again.

“Hubby asking me how my day was going,” she said. “Is there anything else? I must really be getting back to work. I took a late lunch today.”

“Sure,” Audra said. “I won’t hold you up.” She produced her card and passed it over. “If you do think of anyone Shane might’ve confided in, please call me, okay?”

“I will.”

“Thanks for your time, Mrs. Brock. Have a nice day.”

Audra saw herself out. As she walked to her car, she noticed the sky had become covered by a blanket of dark clouds. The moist feel in the air told her the rain was close.

She drove to Highway 2 and traveled south until she reached the parking lot of the East Hants Sportsplex. There, she took out her cell phone and brought up the maps app. She typed Caddell Rapids Park in the search bar, then tapped driving directions. Three different options appeared. All of them led to Stewiacke, a small town twenty minutes from Elmsdale.

Audra picked the fastest route. It took her north on Highway 102. By the time she reached Exit 11 for Stewiacke, a light drizzle began to speckle the windshield. Turning on the wipers, she cruised down Main Street, past a couple of gas stations and fast-food outlets.

Not much had changed in the area, she realized. What was it, six or seven years since she had last been here? She remembered one summer afternoon when she and Daniel brought Daphne and her friend Tabitha Landes to Stewiacke to show them the life-size replica of a Mastodon. While the girls said the mammal was super big and looked pretty cool, they seemed to delight more in the Flintstone house and car. And of course, the ice creams afterward.

Audra smiled at the memory as she braked for a stop sign. She turned left and drove a short distance before pulling over to the side of the road. She double-checked the directions on her phone, then carried on.

One kilometer farther, she shot across a small bridge. On the other side she took another left onto Highway 2 Loop. A sign ahead directed her to Riverside Road.

Farms and rolling fields surrounded her. There was hardly any traffic, just the odd car coming the other way.

Audra got a sense of being in a true rural countryside. A place where you could watch a sunrise or sunset over the tree line, without the obstruction of tall buildings. A place where you could walk outside at night and actually see the stars. And the only sounds you could hear would be the crickets and frogs, not the incessant noise pollution brought on by a bustling city.

Yes, Audra reasoned, she could see herself retiring to a spot like this one day.

Soon after passing a hog farm, the fields fell away and trees moved in to hug the shoulders of the road. A minute later she came upon the Caddell Rapids Park, a grassy little area off to the side with picnic tables and overlooking the Shubenacadie River.

The asphalt ended there and Audra continued on a winding gravel road. Scattered along it were a series of mailboxes and long driveways leading to modest homes.

She stopped the car at a path on her left that disappeared into a thicket. It appeared wide enough to get a car through, but someone had blocked access by stringing up a chain across it. A “No Trespassing” sign hung from its middle.

Was this it? she wondered. Didn’t Leanne Brock say Christaki’s camp was a few kilometers past the park? If true, this obviously couldn’t be the location. The odometer revealed Audra hadn’t traveled a third of that distance.

She came upon some more homes and a meadow with three cords of firewood piled in it. Eventually the houses became fewer, the surrounding trees more dense.

As she crept along, the clouds opened up without warning. Rain began sleeting against the windshield and plashing the roof.

Audra let out a heavy sigh. Great. Just my luck.

She turned up the wipers, squinting out the windshield and side windows. The downpour was like a gray curtain, making it hard to see.

She discovered another trail on her right, much narrower than the first and heavily overgrown. Several moldering pallets were stacked by the entrance.

More suitable for a four wheeler, but Shane used to take his truck in there.

Audra stopped the car. Did this lead to the camp? She imagined scraping the sides of her car if she tried to drive in. To go on foot would be a much better option. Maybe tomorrow when the weather improved.

She picked up her phone and pinned the location on the map app. Then she decided to explore further.

Not far along, she found another derelict path into the trees. Once more she marked the spot before continuing on.

The road ahead took a gradual climb and then wound downward into open marshland. Audra peered out past the sloshing wipers to see a single-lane bridge spanning Green Creek.

She pulled over and checked the odometer again. It showed she had driven nearly six kilometers from the Caddell Park. Christaki’s camp had to be up one of those trails she had passed.

All at once her cell phone rang. The name on the display gave her pause.

“Hello, Captain,” she answered.

Thorne breathed into the phone. “Where are you, Detective?”

Audra caught the haughty, superior tone in his voice. “Just out and about. Why, what’s up?”

“Out and about, huh? I just had Chief Morris jump down my throat.”

Audra felt a tick in her blood. “Oh?”

“I thought we were clear about the Sergeant Christaki matter? The RCMP are going to handle it.”

“Who told the Chief what?”

“He got word you’re still pursuing the case. And he’s pissed.”

“Who told him that?”

“He didn’t elaborate. Is it true?”

Audra drew a breath. “I had made an appointment with his ex-wife before our talk yesterday. I decided to keep it and see what she had to say.”

More breathing. “And did you learn anything helpful?”

“A little, yeah.”

“Look, Detective, leave this matter alone. Do you understand?”

Audra shrunk slightly into the seat, unable to find her voice.

“Detective?”

“Understood,” she said.

“I’ll smooth things over with the Chief,” Thorne told her, and hung up.

Audra set her phone on the console and dropped her head, disappointed. Who the hell had tipped off Chief Morris? The Mounties? Had to be. But how had they found out? Had they been they following her?

As she sat there with the rain beating a steady cadence on the roof of the car, a face formed in her mind—Leanne Brock’s.

Could it have been her? Audra wondered. Does she have contacts within the RCMP?

Audra nodded to herself. The notion seemed valid enough. How much did she really know about the woman? Nothing. Nothing much at all.

Perhaps she needed to take a closer look at Leanne Brock.