An Image in the Lake Read online

  An Image in the Lake

  A Joanne Kilbourn Mystery

  Gail Bowen

  Contents

  Dedication

  Character Guide

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Acknowledgements

  About the Author

  Copyright

  Dedication

  For Jack David, Nathaniel Bowen and Ted Bowen, with thanks for the gift of another very good year

  Character Guide

  Joanne’s Family

  Zack Shreve: fifty-five, Joanne’s second husband of seven years. Once a hard-driving, hard-drinking paraplegic trial lawyer who lived like an 18-year-old with a death wish, he fell in love with Joanne and decided to clean up his act.

  Taylor Love-Shreve: turning twenty-one, a gifted visual artist. Joanne adopted four-year-old Taylor when her mother, Sally Love, Joanne’s half-sister died. Currently dating Vale Frazier.

  Mieka Kilbourn-Dowhanuik: thirty-five, Joanne’s eldest daughter. Married to Charlie Dowhanuik (second husband). Mother to Madeline (thirteen) and Lena (twelve) from her first marriage and soon-to-be new baby, Desmond Zackary Dowhanuik.

  Peter Kilbourn: thirty-three, Joanne’s son, married to Maisie. Peter and Maisie have twin boys, Colin and Charlie, turning four.

  Angus Kilbourn: twenty-eight, Joanne’s youngest son, a lawyer in the Calgary branch of Zack’s law firm and a great admirer of his stepfather.

  Charlie Dowhanuik (Charlie D): thirty-five, Mieka’s husband. Host of the hugely successful radio show, Charlie D in the Morning. It’s a mix of in-depth interviews, fun interviews, music and Charlie D’s riffs on life.

  Maisie Crawford: thirty-three, Joanne’s daughter-in-law, married to Peter. One of Zack’s law partners and a killer in the courtroom.

  Esme and Pantera: Joanne and Zack’s dogs.

  MediaNation-connected Characters

  *Joanne and her family are connected to MediaNation through Sisters and Strangers.

  The Summer Interns (Students from the School of Journalism)

  Austin Brinkmann: twenty, member of the University Park Road Gang.

  Clay (Evanson) Fairbairn: nineteen, twenty soon, step-grandson of the CEO, Hugh Fairbairn. Adopted his step-grandfather’s surname. Member of the University Park Road Gang.

  Ronan “Farky” Farquhar: twenty, member of the University Park Road Gang.

  Thalia Monk / Morgan: just turned twenty-one, daughter of Patti Morgan and Joseph Monk. Reverts to father’s surname, becoming Thalia Monk after her brother’s death. Member of the University Park Road Gang.

  Employees and Associates

  Ainsley Blair: midforties, director of Sisters and Strangers, long-time professional partner of Roy Brodnitz.

  Ellen Exton: midthirties, a MediaNation employee for eleven years. Worked her way to producer of the company’s number one show. Devoted to her cats, Mary and Mr. Grant.

  Etienne Simard: fifty-eight, actor in Sisters and Strangers (plays Izaak Levin).

  Georgie Shepherd: forty-four, executive producer and co-writer on Sisters and Strangers.

  Hal Dupuis: forty-five, costume designer for Sisters and Strangers.

  Hugh Fairbairn: late sixties, Julie Evanson’s third husband and Clay’s devoted step-grandfather. CEO of MediaNation.

  Jared Delio: late thirties, previous host of the morning show. Fired after three women charged him with sexual harassment.

  Jill Oziowy: midfifties, worked her way to the top at MediaNation. Takes on Rosemary Morrissey’s role to ensure a successful launch of the new season of programming. Ex-best friend of Jo. Former chief of staff and mistress of Ian Kilbourn and godmother to Jo’s kids.

  Joseph Monk: late forties, Thalia and Nicholas’s father. Head of HR for MediaNation. Based in Toronto.

  Kam Chau: early thirties, associate producer for Charlie D; takes on executive producer role.

  Mark Evanson: thirty-five, wife Lori, dad Craig, former Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA), son Clay (Fairbairn). Works at MediaNation as officer for visitor management.

  Mike Braeden: late sixties, married to Patti Morgan, ex-football player. First wife Sylvie (d.).

  Nicholas Monk (d.): Thalia’s brother.

  Patti Morgan: late forties, former host of Sunny Side Up. Mother to Thalia and Nicholas (d.), ex-wife to Joseph Monk. Married to Mike Braeden.

  Rosemary Morrissey: late forties, former executive producer for programming at MediaNation.

  Vale Frazier: twenty, actress in Sisters and Strangers (plays Sally Love) and Taylor’s girlfriend.

  Chapter One

  As our Bouvier, our bullmastiff, and I set out for our morning run on August 29, the muggy heat that had shrouded our city for over three weeks showed no signs of abating. It was shortly after five, but the acrid scent of heat was already rising from the pavement, and mist was burning off Wascana Lake. The city was in for another scorcher, and Esme, Pantera and I were in for a short run. Even a twenty-minute jog was punishing. By the time we circled back to the Albert Street bridge, the dogs were shooting me baleful glances, and my hair, T-shirt and shorts were soaked. When the light changed, a beaver appeared on the other side of the bridge and, with stolid deliberation, began crossing the road towards us. Spotting a beaver usually sent the dogs into a state of high alert, but on that blistering Saturday, Esme and Pantera watched without interest, as the beaver ambled towards us, then scrambled down the creek bank to the shade and cool water.

  “That’s one smart critter,” I said. “Let’s follow his lead and head home.”

  My husband, Zack, was at the breakfast table checking his phone, but he turned his wheelchair to greet us. At the sight of me, his face creased in sympathy. “Whoa! Did someone turn a fire hose on you?”

  “I wish someone had,” I said. “I’m hitting the shower.”

  When I came back to the kitchen, the dogs were fed, watered and sprawled on the floor, and a bowl of strawberries, yogurt and granola was waiting for me.

  My husband held out his arms. “Feel better?”

  I bent to kiss his head. “Infinitely,” I said. “And guess what? We met a beaver on the bridge.”

  Zack raised a quizzical eyebrow. “Is that supposed to be good luck?”

  I pulled out my chair and sat down. “Beats me,” I said, “but considering that I am no longer sweaty, our dogs are no longer panting and the man I love laid out the perfect breakfast for me, I would say that particular beaver brought me luck.” I tasted a spoonful of parfait. “Mmm. Good. And bonus, our entire day is free of outside demands.”

  “So, what do you want to do with our freedom?”

  “You said you need to catch up on your files, and I should pull some research together for the speech the new leader of our party is giving in Saskatoon next week.”

  Zack scowled. “All work and no play?”

  “Nope. Just work first, and then chilled gazpacho, warm baguette, a glass of crisp Sauvignon Blanc and a long nap.”

  Zack grinned. “Sold, and thanks to our prescience, we don’t have to brave the heat to get to work.”

  When we had converted our former junk room into a home office, I’d wondered how much time we would spend there. As it turned out, the answer was a lot. On New Year’s Day, Zack and I celebrated our seventh wedding anniversary. Our gift to each other was an agreement to cut back on work and focus on time together.

  Zack, a senior partner in his law firm, has since the beginning of the new year only gone into the Falconer Shreve offices three days a week, unless he’s in a court. I’d spent much of my adult life either teaching political science at a university or as a jill-of-all-trades in political campaigns. I enjoyed the work, but Zack’s and my wedding rings were inscribed with the words “A Deal’s a Deal.” We had agreed to step back, and we did.

  That morning, Zack and I were just settling in when we heard our son-in-law’s staccato knock and the front door opening. I had known Charlie Dowhanuik literally from the day he was born, and when he called out, “Anybody home?” my nerves twanged. Charlie’s wife, our daughter Mieka, was eight-and-a-half-months pregnant, and within seconds, I was out of my chair and halfway down the hall. “News about Mieka?”

  Charlie gave me a one-armed hug. “Mieka’s fine. She’s anxious to get our baby out in the world, but she’s blooming. Everything at our house is great, but something’s come up at MediaNation I’d like to talk to the Big Man about.”

  Zack wheeled out into the hall. “And here I am,” he said.

 
I turned to Charlie. “Should I make myself scarce?”

  He shook his head. “No, it’s not a legal problem — not yet at least. It’s something else, and I value your opinion, Jo.”

  I gestured towards the open door behind Zack. “In that case, let’s go into the office and make ourselves comfortable.”

  Charlie had inherited his mother’s striking good looks — penetrating hazel eyes and coal-black wavy hair — but he was born with a port wine birthmark that covered half his face like a blood mask. Marnie had explored the medical possibilities available at the time, but until Charlie was well into his twenties, the blood mask remained. Ultimately, he underwent laser treatments that almost erased the birthmark, but a faint trace of the blood mask remained, as did Charlie’s immense well of empathy for the outcast and the alienated.

  He had been a wild child, a danger freak and a magnet for other kids. Marnie Dowhanuik’s wry assessment that her son didn’t have friends, he had fans, had proved to be prophetic.

  For thirteen years Charlie has hosted a national radio call-in show on CVOX in Toronto. The World According to Charlie D was a blend of cool music, edgy riffs on life, careful listening and dogged efforts to convince callers that life was worth living.

  Charlie D’s audiences depended on him, and he depended on them. Had it not been for the #MeToo movement, Charlie would probably have spent the rest of his working life at CVOX. But as #MeToo raised public consciousness about sexual harassment in the workplace, a trio of brave women exposed the ugly private life of Jared Delio, the host of MediaNation’s two-hour morning radio show, and the network was forced to act. Charlie D not only had a big on-air personality; he had a reputation of working well and respectfully with women, and he was a hometown boy.

  The corporation had just acquired the old Nationtv building in Regina, and kicking off their retooled morning show from a new location was a shrewd publicity move. Someone with clout in management had heard good things about The World According to Charlie D and urged MediaNation’s decision-makers to check out the show. They moved fast. The network needed a new broom to sweep away the ugly shards left by the precipitous fall from grace of their tarnished golden boy, and Charlie Dowhanuik was the perfect fit.

  MediaNation signed him, and for the first time in years Charlie and Mieka were in the same city. The bond that had connected them since they were children deepened into love. Now Charlie was family, and that morning as he pulled out the chair beside me, Zack and I both leaned forward, ready to help.

  “Start at the beginning,” Zack said.

  Charlie’s smile was sardonic. “Good advice, except I’m not sure where the beginning is. All I know is that until late yesterday afternoon, everything at Charlie D in the Morning was normal. After the show was over at noon, my executive producer Ellen Exton, the production staff and I met to continue planning for Labour Day and beyond. During July and August we’ve been coasting on our ‘best of’ interviews, but Labour Day begins our new season, and we need to start strong.”

  “From what Mieka tells me, the show is flying high,” I said.

  “It is. Our audience is continuing to build, especially among our target demographic of listeners between twenty-five and fifty-four. Our podcasts are getting one hundred and eighty thousand downloads per episode. Four more stations in the U.S. have picked up Charlie D in the Morning, and the publicists of people with big names and big careers are lining up to book interviews for their clients.

  “We’re on a roll and we’re all excited about what we’re putting in place for the new season. There’ve been a few bumps along the way, but we’ve dealt with them. When the meeting yesterday ended, we wished each other a good weekend and went our separate ways.”

  “But something happened,” Zack said.

  Charlie D grimaced. “Boy, did it ever,” he said. “At four o’clock yesterday Ellen phoned me, saying she’d just had a call from Joseph Monk, the head of Human Resources for MediaNation in Toronto. Monk told Ellen that a man who identified himself as a friend of Jared Delio’s said Ellen had sent him sexually explicit videos. The man threatened to take the videos to a competing network unless MediaNation paid him a substantial sum of money for the Jared Delio Defence Fund.”

  Zack sneered and leaned back in his chair. “Is there really a Jared Delio Defence Fund?”

  “Your guess is as good as mine,” Charlie said. “But MediaNation was spooked. They gave Ellen an option. If she resigned and signed a non-disclosure agreement, the company would give her six months’ salary and a glowing reference. Monk told Ellen the corporation believes that if she’s no longer an employee of MediaNation, the extortionist will lose his bargaining chip and walk away.”

  “And if Ms. Exton refuses to resign, the corporation will fire her,” Zack said, and his tone was scathing. “No six months’ salary, no glowing reference. Nothing.” He paused. “How long has Ellen Exton worked for MediaNation?”

  “Eleven years,” Charlie D said. A pen lay on the desk in front of him, and he gave it a spin. “She does a terrific job. She says MediaNation deserves the best, and that’s what she delivers, even if it means working overtime or on holidays.”

  “How many videos are there?” I said.

  “Just three — all of Ellen masturbating. According to her, they were pretty tame — nothing wild and wacky. The recipient was a man she’d met online.”

  “Had he reciprocated?” I said.

  “No. Apparently, he promised to, but he never did.” Clearly frustrated, Charlie picked up the pen and began thumbing the cap. “Ellen is unflappable. No matter what goes wrong, she’s always in control, but when she called me, she was shattered — humiliated and furious at herself for being a fool and at MediaNation for cutting her loose.”

  Zack frowned. “I’m missing something,” he said. “I don’t mean to underestimate Ellen Exton’s value or her contribution to the success of your show, but she’s a behind-the-scenes person who lives in Regina. Why would anybody care about innocuous sex videos she sent to a man she met online?”

  “Two words,” Charlie D said. “Jared Delio. MediaNation really stepped on its joint there. When the first three women went public with their accounts of Delio’s sexual aggression in the workplace, he denied everything. MediaNation defended him and defamed the women.”

  “Jared was a valuable property,” I said, “and the women were dispensable. I remember reading the network’s press release. It said the charges against Delio had been looked into internally, and there was nothing to substantiate them.”

  “And then Jared took to the air with his tearful monologue about how wounded he was to be lied about by colleagues he trusted and how grateful he was for the enduring faith of his listeners and his employers,” Charlie said. “The sick thing is that Delio’s behaviour was an open secret. The powers that be at MediaNation knew he was a sleaze, but he had the ratings, so . . .”

  “Mieka and I took Madeleine and Lena to the protest outside the MediaNation building the day Jared had his on-air meltdown,” I said. “It was bitterly cold, and no one from the corporation came out to speak to us, but we were determined. It wasn’t long before we saw on social media that there were protests outside MediaNation stations across the country. That other women were coming forward with stories that supported the accounts the first three women gave.”

  “Jared was fired the next day, and a week later I was offered his job,” Charlie D said. “The goddess Fortuna gave her wheel a random spin: I got the windfall, and Delio got the shaft.”

  Zack chuckled. “I suspect the MediaNation board laid a guiding hand on Fortuna’s wheel to make sure they got the outcome they needed. Ana Sorenson, who started her career at Falconer Shreve, works at the same Toronto firm as Delio’s first lawyer. After the Delio trial was over, Ana and I were hammering out an agreement on a case that involved both our firms. Ana has always been a sharer when it comes to scuttlebutt, and she passed along what she’d heard at the office.”

  “Is that ethical?” I said.

  “The trial was over, and lawyers like to talk shop,” Zack said. “Most of us see it as part of our ongoing education, and learning how Delio’s lawyer handled his case was a master class in what not to do. Ana told me that when Delio’s lawyer heard that three of his client’s former colleagues were coming forward with charges that he had forced them to have sex with him and that the sex often became violent, he advised Delio to make a pre-emptive strike by handing management the material the women were about to make public.”