Underwood Productions

Chapter 2

Going Home

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lancaster Station[6]

Lancaster, Ontario.

3:01 pm.

As they stood up, Wood and Petrova started to attend to their luggage. The station was humming with activity as people left and came on the train.

“Do you want to come with me to apartment?” said Wood as they started to move out of the compartment.

“You don’t mind?” Petrova looked skeptical.

Wood smiled. “My father is picking me up. It will easy to talk him into giving you a ride too. Apparently, he bought himself a car.”

Petrova’s eyebrows shot up. “Really?”

“Indeed. Have you ever ridden in one?”

“No.”

“Nor I. Thought I heard that they are not the smoothest things to ride in, in the world.”

It was then that a black man came to the door of the compartment. He was in his mid-50s, though he still had the body of a much younger man. His hair was starting to grey though, as was his moustache. He smiled when he saw Wood.

“Well if it isn’t John Wood,” he said in a thick Caribbean accent, smiling.

Wood smiled back. “Hello, Marcus.”

“How are you, sir?”

“Well thank you. How are you?”

“Fine. My family is doing well also, considering.” He turned to look at Petrova.

Wood looked too. “Oh, this is Doctor Svetlana Petrova. Doctor, this is Marcus Esrom, a Negro from Jamaica.”

They shook hands. Marcus turned from one to the other. “Shall I take your trunks?”

“Please,” said Wood.

“You don’t mind?” said Petrova.

Marcus smiled. “It’s my job. Besides I have a trolley I can use outside the door.”

As Marcus picked up Wood’s trunk, he looked sad. “Peter was glad to have been able to serve. His last letter was full of joy about going into battle. I just wish he were coming home as well.”

Silence reigned as Marcus loaded Wood’s trunk onto the trolley. He picked up Petrova’s trunk and out it on top of Wood’s. After securing both, Marcus turned and smiled at them. “There you are. Do you want me to help you with it?”

Wood smiled awkwardly. “It’s alright. Marcus, if I could bring him back I would.”

Marcus waved him off. “You were able to get him on the front lines. If it hadn’t been for you, he would be digging trenches with that Construction Battalion.[7]”

Petrova smiled. “You and your family must be proud.”

“We are. It just hurts knowing he won’t come back. Anyways, I’ll get your things off the train for you.”

After they got off the train, Wood took hold of the luggage cart. Petrova paid Esrom then asked where the telephone boxes are. He showed them where. After Esrom left, Wood turned to her.

“Don’t worry, I’ll wait.”

Petrova went into a telephone box and paid for a local call.

“Operator.”

“City Morgue, please.”

“Right away, miss.”

As she waited, Petrova looked out and saw that Marcus and Wood were still talking. A look of confusion passed on her face. Then she heard a click as the line connected.

A Scottish accented voice came through on the other end. “Lancaster City Morgue, which one of our patients are after today.”

“Doctor Burns, it’s Doctor Petrova you said to call as soon as I got into the city. I’m calling from the train station”

“Yes, of course. I was expecting your call, though I expected you to call once you got to your apartment.”

Petrova paused a moment, deflated. “I thought that you would want to know that I was here as soon as possible.”

“Oh, I did lass. I just thought that you would want to settle in first.”

“Oh.”

There was an awkward pause at this.

“So do you want me to come in today?”

“No. Settle in to your apartment first. Come in at eight tomorrow morning. Besides I’ll be seeing you tonight.”

Petrova raised an eyebrow at this. “Why?”

“Don’t know. My wife and I were invited to the Woods’ apartment for dinner by Arthur. When we asked why he said it was to be a surprise. Anyway, I’ll let you go lass, there’s another body come in.”

“What about my working on the Sabbath?”

“The Sabbath? Oh that’s right….We’ll talk about that tonight.”

“You sure?”

“No, put him on the slab, I’ll tend to him. Yes it’ll have to be tonight.”

Petrova gave a sigh. “Alright. I’ll see you tonight.”

“See you tonight.”

After hanging up Petrova turned to see Wood arguing with an older bald man wearing wire rimmed glasses. What little hair he had left was brown. He was clean shaven and wore a black three piece suit, with matching shoes and a dark red tie.

The older man was saying, “Son, I know that you want to get back at it but you should rest, spend a few days with us.”

Wood smiled. “I know father, it’s just that I want to get things set up. With my detective business, I mean.”

Wood’s father put his hands on his son’s shoulders, his face relaxing somewhat. “Look, just wait a couple of days. Crime will be there on Monday. Besides, you have to look after your pension.”[8]

A confused look passed over Wood’s face. “Can’t I apply for a detective’s license at the same time?”

Wood’s father washed his face with his hand. “Look son, I can’t control what you’re going to do. Just know that-Who’s this?”

Wood turned. “Oh. Father this is Doctor Svetlana Petrova.”

Petrova held out her hand. “Charmed.”

Wood’s father held her hand briefly. “Arthur Wood, likewise. You’re my new tenant?”

Petrova smiled. “Yes I am.”

“Well, it’s $25 dollars a month.”[9]

“I think I’ll be able to afford that.”

Wood chuckled at that. “I’m sure you will. Horace usually tries to pay the morgue attendants quite well.”

As they exited the station, they past posters. Many of them were for War Bonds. There were a few movie posters as well. Eventually, they were outside the station and saw a group of people stealing glances at a car.

“Is that….?” said Wood.

“Yes. Cost me $650.[10] I’ll put your luggage on the back.”

As Arthur Wood put the trunks on the back to the car and tied them on Petrova turned to Wood.

“What was Mr. Esrom speaking to you about before your father came in?”

Wood thought back. “Oh, just warning me.” At Petrova’s look, he said, “I promised his daughter a job when I got back. She’s wanted to help me for years. Things is she’s seventeen. I can’t help but think that part of it is an infatuation with me.”

“But you’ll give her a job?”

Wood shrugged. “Nothing too dangerous. But I will have to have a discussion with her about it. She will probably come and see me as soon as her father tells her I’m back.”

Arthur came up to them. “Miss Petrova, would you like the front seat or a seat in the back?”

Petrova bristled, then said, “It’s doctor. And I will sit in the back.”

Wood offered his hand to help her up into the back seat of the car. She took it and they briefly looked at each other and smiled. As they settled into their seats, Arthur took out a handle, put it in the engine and started the car.

14 Maddox St.

3:59 pm.

The Cardiff Arms apartments looked like a Edwardian castle. It was a three story pile in red brick with towers in the back and a widow’s walk on top.[11]

“I’m just saying that I can walk faster than most cars. Certainly faster than this one.”

Arthur turned off the car outside apartment building. “Be that as it may son, this is the future. I imagine that they will become faster someday. It’s just a matter of when.”

Petrova laughed at this. “I think that you are both right. This car is too slow, but will be faster ones in the future.”

Wood shrugged. “Probably. It just can’t happen quick enough for me I guess.”

They went to get their trunks. “Where is everybody?” said Wood. “I would have thought that they would waiting outside.”

Arthur chuckled. “I didn’t tell anyone when you were coming home.”

Wood turned to his father. “But you told them I was coming home?”

“Of course. Just kept when a surprise. Come on, let’s get your luggage to your rooms.”

They formed a chain with Wood in front, his father in the middle and Petrova on the end. The entranceway of the apartments was simple and rustic. The walls were covered with floral print wallpaper. There were a few chairs lining the walls. The door to the left lead to a little lobby and, beyond that, a table and chairs. To the right, was a hallway leading to a set of rooms. Beside the hallway was an unmanned reception desk and a door leading to an office. Across from the entrance, there was a set of stairs.

Arthur looked at the desk. “Charlotte should be at the front desk. The Colonel must have taken a turn. Let’s go before she gets back.”

As they walked up the stairs Petrova said, “The Colonel?”

Wood and Arthur smiled. Wood said, “My grandfather, Colonel Cadwaleder Howell. He insists that people call him by his rank, even us. How is he?”

Arthur sighed. “He’s good, mostly. He gets tired.”

Reaching the second floor, they turned left. At the end of the hall, they reached rooms 21 and 22. Arthur paused. “Will you look at that. You two are situated right across from each other.”

Petrova said, “I notice that there’s no room 20.”

Arthur nodded. “That’s because it’s on the ground floor.” He put down his end of her trunk, he handed Petrova her key. “Do you need any more assistance?”

Petrova smiled. “No, Spasiba. Thank you. I’ll take it from here.”

And with that she opened the door.

[6] Lancaster Station is to the south of the city, close to an escarpment. It was in use from 1902-1957 when it was closed down. It was then turned into a dining hall for large social functions.

[7] The No. 2 Construction Battalion was an all African Canadian unit within the Royal Canadian Army during World War I, formed in 1916 in Pictou, Nova Scotia. As was also tradition at the time most of the officers were white, except for the chaplain Reverend William Andrew White. This Battalion’s job was to dig trenches, build roads and bridges and destroy land mines.

[8] Wood’s soldier’s pension, according to the records available, was $132 Canadian a year. In 2016 dollars, that would be, $2,125.20 Canadian. All prices will be in Canadian dollars.

[9] That’s $402.50 in 2016.

[10] $10,465 in 2016

[11] The building itself was built between 1910 and 1912 and was typical of the types of buildings that Arthur Wood built. Sadly though, it would be demolished in 1985 after being mostly destroyed in a fire. The lot has remained empty ever since.