Harmony House Read online

  Not one of the women noticed the trodden snow at the side of their current home in the rush to get inside and warm up.

  Chapter 12

  Hilary Dempster had been well schooled in safety measures by her husband who was very conscious of the value of property and the need for good maintenance. He had left her a schedule for changing furnace filters and having regular inspections of heating and cooling systems. Since Eve had joined them, Hilary was even more particular about being the last person to lock up before going to bed. She would walk around, checking windows, adjusting the heating for the night and listening for dripping taps. She was also responsible for the garbage collection schedule and although Mavis insisted on taking the bags and recycling boxes to the curb, Hilary would do a last look around the garage to see that nothing had been left behind.

  It was as she was standing by the switch to close the garage doors that she suddenly saw footprints that were obvious not those of Mavis who had just finished placing the recycling by the street side of the driveway and gone up to bed.

  Hilary had a strange feeling of discomfort and remembered the dark figure she had glimpsed. She already had winter boots on her feet to avoid the wet floor of the garage. She quickly grabbed a spare coat hanging on a peg and walked out carrying a torch from a shelf in the garage.

  In only a few moments she could see the footprints that did not belong there. Treading carefully, so as not to obliterate the evidence, she followed along the side of the house to the tall wooden gate leading to the back yard. Someone had pushed open the gate in the fence, using a considerable amount of force to overcome the resistance of the snow piled up behind it. The footsteps continued for a few more steps then stopped for some time as the impressions were deeper in one spot. She began to imagine what the intruder could see from that spot and realized he would have a good view of the living room including all of the people sitting there to watch television.

  Of course, it must have been Howard Dobrinski. A red rage flooded her mind obliterating any fear she might have of encountering the man on his nasty spying missions. He had tracked down Eve and now he was watching the house and its occupants. Immediately after the rage filled her, she was incensed by the realization the expensive security camera had not given her any warning of this. She left the footprints in place and continued over to the other side of the house where a walkway gave access to the side door of the garage. She would close the garage and enter the house without making any comments. She would not alarm Eve or Mavis at this time of night.

  Better they should sleep in peace for now.

  As for herself, she went swiftly to her office, closed the door and dialed the number of the security firm. They must have a film record of the surroundings of the house which could be used as evidence when she went to the police to inform them Howard Dobrinski had broken the bonds of his warrant to stay away from his wife. She intended to get action on this matter after which she would castigate the manager of the company about the serious deficiency in the protection promised to his customers.

  * * *

  Early the next morning, Hilary informed Mavis not to bother doing her usual patrol with the camera. It had snowed heavily during the night so Mavis was glad of the warning although she thought her friend looked tired and anxious as she said it.

  After breakfast, during which the topic of discussion was the ‘Niagara House’ as they called it, Hilary said she had some errands to do and she drove off without any further explanation.

  Mavis decided it would be a good time to ask Eve if there were any items of Hilary’s furniture she might want for her bedroom in the shared house. She needed to have an idea of Eve’s requirements in case Hilary’s sale came up quickly and things began to move rapidly. Eve was reluctant to claim anything for herself but decided the single bed she was sleeping in suited her well and she would be glad of any other items not needed by her hostess.

  “The furniture in this lovely house is mostly teak wood so all the pieces fit together so well. I would be pleased with anything, but I really need very little. I think your kitchen supplies could be moved straight into the new home if that suits everyone. The toaster and microwave and the coffee maker are all new appliances.”

  “Not a bad idea. I suppose all of us would like to have some facility to make a hot drink in our rooms.”

  Mavis made a mental note to talk to Hilary about whether electric appliances in rooms required special safety permissions. This business of sharing a home was not going to be a simple process.

  * * *

  Hilary’s expedition to the Police Headquarters downtown on Dundas Street did not go as well as she had expected. A sergeant behind the desk recognized her as his former teacher and ushered her into a small office, accompanied by a running commentary of fond memories of his days at school.

  “Derek!” she interrupted, after five minutes of this. “I don’t have time for reminiscences today. I am here on a serious matter. I have reason to believe a member of my household is being stalked by her husband, a man who has abused her and who is under warrant to stay away from his wife.”

  Sergeant Derek Price immediately blinked hard and resumed his normal mode of efficient professionalism.

  “Oh, I see! When did you come to this conclusion?” He began to make notes.

  “Yesterday, I found a set of large footprints around my residence after previously noticing a stranger in the neighbourhood.”

  “You say there is a formal complaint against this man? What is his name and address?”

  “Look, Sergeant Price, you can find all this out easily. What I am most concerned about is our safety. There are three women living in my home and I have just discovered the safety camera I had installed shows only a dark, hooded figure. I am afraid by the time we can identify this intruder on my property, it may be too late.”

  She stopped and tried to breathe normally. She had not intended to let her concerns come out in such a dramatic fashion but once said aloud, she realized she was really afraid and it must have been obvious to her listener.

  Derek Price hid his surprise. He had never seen his highly-respected teacher exhibit such uncertainty and he immediately decided to help, even if it was not strictly standard procedure.

  “Right then, Mrs. Dempster, leave it with me. Give me your address and contact information and I will make sure a patrol car checks your location today. We will talk to neighbours and see if there are any sightings of this man. Don’t be worried. We’ll soon apprehend him and the courts will deal with him.”

  He rose to escort her out and managed to stop himself from patting her arm. It would feel good to do something to help this fine woman who had had such a positive influence on the lives of several people he could name.

  Hilary pulled up her coat collar against the blowing snow and decided not to alarm her companions until it was absolutely necessary. Eve was still in a fragile state and the worry would be detrimental to her recovery. For now, she would leave everything in the hands of the police.

  With the decision made, she drove carefully through town and headed back home. The next thing on her mind was her Real Estate agent. She needed to know if there was any activity related to her house sale. There was now a new urgency about moving out of Camden Corners to a location unknown to one Howard Dobrinski. The topic of the next group meeting must be a better focus on the amount of money required for the proposed joint house purchase.

  Mavis presumed Hilary was seeing her realtor. She was still thinking about the ‘Niagara House’ and wondering if the cost was prohibitive. There was only one way to find out. She retrieved the newspaper clipping and gave the listed agent a call. At the very least she would get more information and save Hilary the trouble of removing the house from their list of possibilities.

  To her surprise, the agent, a man with a young and pleasant voice, answered at the second ring.

  “Evan Mahavolich here. How may I help you?”

  “Ah, I am enquiring about a prope
rty you have listed on Belleview Crescent.”

  There was a slight pause during which Mavis could hear the clacking of computer keys.

  “Yes, a very interesting property. If you wish to view it, I need a day or two of warning so I can get the driveway and the porch cleared of snow.”

  “At the moment, I, we, are seeking further information regarding price, availability et cetera.”

  “I see. Well, it has been vacant for some time and I believe I can get a reduction in price from the owner if that is an incentive for you?”

  There was another pause. She could almost hear his brain clicking over.

  ‘’The owner suggests a guide price of $750,000 but it is a large home with many attractive features and well worth a look.”

  The price was as ridiculously low as Mavis had thought. For such a large property it indicated something was far wrong. It might still be a serious contender as a shared home. Everything would depend on the condition of both the exterior and interior.

  “Mr. Mahavolich…”

  “Please call me Evan.”

  “Evan, it’s winter. It’s cold outside, I need to know more about the condition of the house but I will say on behalf of others who would be involved, that there is a certain amount of interest here already.”

  “Mrs. Dempster, I will be honest with you. This lovely property in an excellent setting, as you would have seen, needs an unusual purchaser.”

  Here it comes! The word ‘unusual’ again. He can identify who the caller is from the phone number. I won’t correct him. He knows enough already.

  “The outer appearance is not similar to the interior. The home is only a few years old and in good condition but the developer made the mistake of trying to do two different things to please his wife, I believe. You see, the traditional style of the house is not carried through inside the property.

  Some clients have stated that there is a stark contrast between them.”

  Mavis tried to work her way through this description and come out with a conclusion. Evan was not being straight with her, despite his promise.

  “Do you mean the inside is modern?”

  “Exactly!”

  “How modern? Ultra modern? She was imagining black walls and murals and strange metal accents that would jar with the charming features of the exterior.

  “Nothing too extreme for you, I am sure. I can send you some photographs and you can judge for yourself. Remember, of course, that many interior items, like décor, are inexpensive to alter.”

  Another red flag!

  “Please do that Evan. I will call again if we want to arrange a viewing. Thank you.”

  Well, this explains the length of time without a purchase, the use of the word ‘unusual’ and the remarkably low price. I will inform Hilary when she gets home, and hope the photos are not too shocking.

  Chapter 13

  Honor Pace was enthused by her reception at Camden Corners. Everyone seemed welcoming and there was no liability in her late introduction to the shared-home project. No one had questioned her about finances which gave her sufficient time to gather her resources. A new home had not yet been purchased and from what she could determine from the meeting, most of the participants had some kind of preparation to complete before the move. This all fit into her plan to get physically stronger and be able to pursue her business from a new location as long as it was not too far out of London.

  When a deposit of some kind to retain the property was requested, she would be ready.

  In the meantime she would enjoy these women and learn more about them. After all, she was relinquishing a solitary, confined existence in favour of a possible lifetime with five females who would all have their quirks and preferences. Mavis and Hilary seemed nice on the surface but until she was confident about the actual details of the legal agreement and the nature of the investment particulars, she would not be fully committed to the venture. She dared not risk her savings on some get-rich-quick scheme.

  Perhaps this is a way I can help out, she thought. I have clients who are financial wizards and I maintain computer programs for a company of lawyers. When I see the details, I can ask these experts to vet the viability of the plan.

  She glanced around her small apartment. Whatever was on offer at the shared home would be an improvement on her present accommodations. She would leave behind anything that did not fit her new space. It was time to alert the building manager he would have another space to rent within the next six months.

  Jannice O’Connor was glad she had overcome her fear of allowing Vilma into her home. The results were heartening in so many ways.

  “Look, girl!” Vilma had declared as soon as she entered the dingy front door, “I may be a fancy dresser with a perfect house at my disposal but that doesn’t mean I started out in life with these advantages.

  I was born in Prince Edward County, Ontario, on a farm with four older brothers and parents who worked like slaves every hour of the day and some of the night as well. My brothers made sure I was as strong as they were but at the same time they protected me from other farm boys. They had ambitions not only for their own futures but also for mine. A life of drudgery in the countryside was not for them.

  We all struggled at school. Only by dint of helping each other did we pass the exams and move on to higher education. We were like a team. When guys approached me for dates in high school, they had to go through my brothers first. The result was that I was able to concentrate on school and finally move on to a kind of charm school where I got an agent and good work as a model. I had a lot of success because I knew about hard work and my brothers had never allowed me to get a ‘swelled head’. They treated me like another one of the team and made no allowances for my looks.

  At first one of the boys would accompany me to photoshoots but when I was asked to travel to the United States and beyond, I was finally on my own.

  It was on one of those swimwear photoshoots on an island in the Caribbean when I was spotted by a handsome younger son of a rich family who spent most of the winters in their vacation home in the sun. I fell for him like the proverbial ton of bricks. He was my first love. He introduced me to a lifestyle I had only seen in movies. I was in way over my head but the values my brothers had instilled in me kept me from becoming immersed in the extravagances of the rich and vacuous.

  Vaughan persuaded his father we should marry soon and it all happened very fast. I was a trophy wife, shown around at parties. I suppose I was something new in their circles; unspoiled and feisty about my beliefs.

  We returned to New York and more parties, more fancy restaurants and more spending. Eventually, and I am ashamed it took as long as it did take, I rebelled for the last time. My husband made the fatal mistake of chasing after a very pretty waitress in a restaurant we used for business acquaintances in his family’s banking empire. I quickly found out he was staying overnight with her in a hotel.

  My first instinct was to cry my heart out, but I recovered fast and called my oldest brother in Toronto. He flew down and whisked me out of there. I made him promise not to lay a finger on Vaughan or I would stay married to him.

  As we waited in the airport to fly back to Canada, I reviewed my disaster of a relationship and vowed never to get involved with a young, empty-headed, juvenile again.”

  Jannice was listening to this vivid account open-mouthed and amazed. It was like a movie. She could see all the scenes rolling by in her head as Vilma spoke. The movie stopped abruptly as Vilma broke out into wild laughter.

  “I swear, Jannice, I was such an idiot! I got the divorce and started over in Toronto. What I did next proved my lunacy for all time. I met an older man at the office where I worked as receptionist. He insisted on taking me for dinner each time he came to town. He was a perfect gentleman who treated me with respect. I had no idea he had made a deal with my bosses that I was to be available as a dinner partner whenever he was in Toronto. When he offered to buy me a swanky apartment in a highrise hotel, I slap
ped his face and fled, only to discover the next day that I had been fired for ‘insubordination’.

  I may have been stupid, but I had acquired a few ideas along the way including one about my rights as an employee. I found a firm of lawyers on the internet. One of those firms who insist there are no fees up front until they win your case. The lawyers were delighted to sue such a big company. Their investigator found two more girls who had been dismissed for similar trumped-up reasons, and the company soon settled with me rather than have their name dragged through the courts.

  I lived quietly on that settlement for several years until I met my Nolan. On our first date he told me about his divorce. I told him about my chequered past which he refused to believe, preferring to think my style and manner were more natural than acquired through experience. At last I had the genuine article in him. We married and I helped him in his showroom where he sold high-end motor cars from Italy. We had many wonderful holidays together in Europe and I loved him dearly until the day he died.”

  “That is an amazing story! What a pity his children did not admire you as they should have done.”

  “Well, Jannice, it’s hard to get perfection. I was very happy with Nolan and I believe he felt the same about me. I count my blessings every day.”

  “So, you want me to know you are no stranger to hard work and I shouldn’t expect you to go off and marry again?”

  Vilma laughed that infectious laugh.

  “You could put it like that, I suppose. In the meantime, let’s get the oldest junk in here ready for the remover and we will see what else needs doing before we stage this place for its new owners. I predict a decorator with lots of paint will be required.”