A Delicate Matter Page 13

  Vicki’s jaw quivered and a tear ran down her cheek.

  Jack continued to build pressure. “If he’s put in isolation for that long, it’s obvious he’d require years of psychotherapy when he was released, but at least — physically — he’d still be alive.”

  “Oh, my God,” Vicki sobbed.

  “I’m sorry,” Jack said softly. He leaned forward and gave her a consoling pat on the arm. “I can only imagine the grief you feel now … and how that’ll manifest itself with the day-by-day worry and anxiety you’ll feel once he’s imprisoned.”

  Vicki sat back in the chair, placing her hand over her mouth. Jack didn’t know if it was because she felt sick or if it was an unconscious motion to stop herself from saying something. When her brow furrowed in thought he knew it was the latter.

  Time to prod her again. Jack made a pretence of looking at his watch. “I feel bad rushing you, but it appears you’re unable to provide us with anything of value. I’m sorry. I tried to reason with your husband and make a deal … But you were there. You saw how that went.”

  Vicki lowered her hand from her face. “What if I gave you him?” she said icily.

  “Him?”

  “Damien,” she replied.

  Jack’s mind went numb. For a moment he was afraid. Afraid to dream. Afraid to feel any exhilaration. He tried to downplay what he might be told so as to avoid bitter disappointment later.

  What does she actually know? Things she’s heard from the past? Things that are too late for us to act on, once more allowing Damien to slip away?

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Jack realized Vicki was studying him closely. Like a poker player not wanting to disclose his hand before taking all his opponent’s money, he did his best not to show any emotion. He glanced at Laura. “More coffee?”

  “Uh, no thanks. I’m afraid it’ll keep me awake, uh, later.”

  Jack nodded, then poured himself another cup and took a sip. His mind raced. It’s not possible. Even if she does know something to put him away, he’d be bound to know she was responsible.

  “Well?” Vicki prodded.

  “Perhaps I’d be interested,” Jack allowed.

  “Perhaps?” Vicki chortled. “Don’t give me that shit.”

  “Make no mistake, I want him — but not if it puts you in too much jeopardy.”

  “Put me in jeopardy?” Vicki seemed speechless. Then she looked at Jack with disdain. “You’re a fool.” She threw a glance at Laura. “A couple of hours ago I begged Damien to kill the both of you.” She paused to see a reaction, but didn’t get one. “When he refused, I threatened to get my gun and do it myself. Now you’re worrying about protecting me? That’s a laugh.”

  Yeah, that’s a real laugh. Dwayne was my informant, too, except he wasn’t laughing when he called. He wasn’t laughing when a bullet ripped through his guts.

  Laura saw the injured look on Jack’s face and rushed to his defence. “You may think it’s a laugh,” she snapped, “but protecting our sources is something we take seriously.”

  “Really?” Vicki questioned. “Are you going to protect me like you’re protecting whoever it is in the Gypsy Devils who ratted?”

  “What do you mean?” Jack asked.

  “Damien knows that someone in that club gave you the info to set up Buck. He’s giving them two weeks to find out who it was and deal with the problem. If they don’t, Satans Wrath will do it for them and take out a few others while they’re at it.”

  Hope it’s the latter — except with a bunch of losers like the GDs, some innocent bystander could get hurt. He eyed Vicki. “Believe what you want, but as Laura said, if you talk to us your protection automatically becomes a priority.”

  Vicki looked sullen now. “Yeah, whatever. I’m a big girl. I can look after myself. If Buck stays out of jail I’ll be happy no matter what.”

  “You need to understand that, depending on what you tell us, we may or may not act on it. Usually I come up with a creative idea to help protect someone, but again it depends on what you tell us.”

  “Jack’s very creative,” Laura added dryly.

  Jack saw Laura frown and knew what she was thinking. Creative — like pinning the blame on someone else and having that person killed. What’s wrong with that? He turned his attention back to Vicki. “You mentioned you don’t know anything about the European drug connection, but do you know of some other deal we could link Damien to?”

  “I don’t know anything about drug shipments,” Vicki replied.

  Not drugs? Then what the hell do you have? “Before you tell us, there’s something else I need to warn you about. The murder your son committed took place in the jurisdiction of the Vancouver Police Department. I may not have any influence on their decision if they gather evidence to have him charged.”

  Concern spread across Vicki’s face. “Meaning you might not be able to stop Buck from being charged?”

  “What I’m saying is that if you give us something worthwhile, we won’t disclose the evidence we have to them, but it still leaves the possibility that they could solve it on their own.”

  Vicki appeared to give it some thought. “I’m willing to live with that. I bet that other guy on the sofa keeps his mouth shut. Without your evidence I can’t imagine my son ever being convicted even if one of the others talked — which I doubt would happen.”

  I doubt it, too. “Okay, as long as we’re clear on that. Tell me what you have on Damien.”

  “What I have is how his money is being laundered and where it’s stashed.”

  Jack felt as if his heart had stopped. Then his brain told him it would never happen. No way — this has to be a set-up.

  “You can get him for tax evasion, money laundering, whatever those charges are,” Vicki continued.

  Maybe allow us to seize a hundred thousand without getting quite enough evidence to put anyone in jail. Then if we charged Buck, Defence would claim we weren’t acting in good faith and the charges would be tossed. Damn you, Damien. You did put her up to this.

  “Well, what do you have to say about that?” Vicki asked.

  “You say it’s Damien’s money,” Jack replied, “but in reality, isn’t it your money, as well? The two of you’ve been building a nest egg together for years. Are you telling me you’re willing to turn it all over to us?”

  “I’m not worried about money. My father’s in the hospice and could die any time. I usually have lunch with him. He’s a wealthy man. There’ll be more than enough for my sister and me. As far as Damien goes, he could die for all I care.”

  Okay, I’ll play along. “Until we know the details, we can’t promise you anything. You’re going to have to trust us.”

  “You wanting to protect me even after knowing I wanted to kill you — that tells me I can trust you,” Vicki said.

  “Then let’s hear it. We need details.” He gave Laura a nod and she took her notebook out of her purse.

  Vicki took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. “Damien has a bank account in Vancouver. Between his safety deposit box and his actual account he’s got one point two million.”

  Oh, yeah. I’d like to take that away, but one point two? He must have more than that. Jack knew that Vicki was trying to read his face, but he remained stoic. She said a bank account in Vancouver. Why mention the city — unless the bastard has an account somewhere else, as well.

  “So, what do you think about that?” Vicki smiled. “Are we square? I bet your Integrated Proceeds of Crime unit would sit up and pay attention to that.”

  “That amount isn’t bad, but it wouldn’t cause anyone in I-POC to sit up and pay attention.” Jack waited a beat. “At least, not the same way a jury would pay attention if they watched the video of your son beating a man to death.”

  Vicki’s face paled.

  “Furthermore, is there any possibility that
Damien could explain the money?”

  “Explain? In what way?”

  “Don’t bullshit us,” Jack said. “If you know about I-POC, then you obviously have discussed ways to launder or explain your income, particularly if it’s sitting in a bank account in Vancouver where it might be discovered.”

  “Well … of course we’ve talked about it,” Vicki admitted. “Most of the money was laundered through a legitimate business, but out of that money, a quarter mil is in a safety deposit box. It would be difficult to explain.”

  Difficult — which means not impossible. Just as I thought — she’s trying to scam us. “What’s his so-called legitimate business?”

  “He owns a string of ATMs across the country. Nobody keeps track of how much cash is being loaded or made in those machines.”

  “That’d be tough to do,” Jack agreed. “Too many of them. Strip bars, taverns, hotel lobbies.” He thought for a moment, then shook his head. “The quarter mil is chump change. What I’m really interested in is where the rest of his money is.”

  Vicki’s body twitched like she’d been tasered. “The rest of his money?”

  “You and I both know that Damien has made more money than that from all the dope the club has moved.”

  “I don’t have anything to do with that stuff,” Vicki replied defensively.

  So, you’re not denying the existence of more money. Jack glanced at Laura. “Wilfully blind.”

  “Wilfully blind?” Vicki echoed.

  “You’ve been his wife and partner for years. You’ve had three children together. Don’t say that your hands aren’t dirty.”

  “They’re not,” Vicki protested.

  “Aren’t they?” Jack replied contemptuously. “You’ve supported him all these years and have lived a life of luxury, knowing full well where the money came from.”

  Vicki glared. “Okay! So what if I have? Big deal! I’m small potatoes in the scheme of things. Are you going to take my deal or not?”

  “You might be small potatoes, but think of the anguish felt by parents whose children have died from drugs. Your daughter is in rehab.” Jack took a sip of coffee to give her a moment to let that sink in. “Do you ever feel like an invisible hand is clawing at your heart? Katie’s hand … begging for help.”

  Vicki swallowed.

  “Then there’s Buck. Don’t you worry about him being involved in the drug trade? A trade where people are killing each other on a daily basis?”

  “Yes, I worry about it,” Vicki said quietly.

  “So, the worry you have for your children, is that what you describe as small potatoes?”

  “You’ve made your point,” Vicki said. “Can we move on now?”

  Okay, let’s see if I can get her to crack. “They say you reap what you sow. But tell me, as a mother, are you proud of how Katie and Buck turned out? Katie is still alive, but you must wonder for how long.”

  Vicki’s mouth opened and closed like a gasping fish, but she couldn’t seem to articulate anything.

  “Then there was the daughter you lost to meningitis. What was her name?”

  “S-Sarah,” Vicki stuttered, clearly emotional.

  “I can only imagine how horrible it must feel to lose a child,” Jack said. He paused to let the grief build. “So think about it. Are you really going to act out this charade, hoping to trick us — and gamble with Buck’s life?”

  “What charade? What’re you talking about?”

  “You know what I’m talking about,” Jack said harshly. “The rest of the money! Is that worth more to you than Buck? Or don’t you give a rat’s ass about your children.”

  A look of rage crossed Vicki’s face.

  Crap. Not the response I wanted.

  “So you think I’m a terrible mother,” Vicki fumed. “What the hell do you know? I love my children. Fuck you! Do you think my coming here is easy for me? It goes against every fibre in my body.”

  Okay, time for a new approach. “The thing is, I know you’re not a terrible mother.” Jack spoke softly now. “I saw the fear you felt for your children when we went to your house. You love them. Really, aren’t you here because you want to do the right thing by them? You’re not the kind of mom to take chances with her children. I just needed you to realize that.”

  Vicki looked down and her body trembled. “I love them so much,” she sobbed. “I keep Sarah’s picture on our fireplace mantel and talk to her every day, wanting to believe she’s still alive, that she still lives here.” She raised her head and met Jack’s gaze. “As far as Katie and Buck go, I’d do anything to save them.”

  “Then start by being completely truthful,” he said. “Tell us what we need to know.”

  Vicki nodded, then wiped tears off her cheeks with her fingers. “Okay. The account I told you about — Damien used to think it was safe because he could explain it legally if you guys got into it. Eventually he ended up making so much money he knew it couldn’t be explained. About ten years ago we met with a lawyer and came up with a new plan to funnel our money offshore through a phony company.”

  Jack believed at that moment that he could really hurt Damien. He felt his stomach knot with excitement and glanced at Laura. She stared wide-eyed back at him. He turned back to face Vicki. It all seems surreal. A moment in time that will stay locked inside me forever.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Laura glanced at her notebook, then cleared her throat. “We?”

  “Pardon?” Vicki asked.

  “You said ‘we met with a lawyer.’”

  Vicki shifted her gaze back to Jack and grimaced. “Yes, we. You were right. I knew the money was dirty but chose not to think about it. I told myself that I was still a good mother. I think it was when Katie became an addict that the blinders came off. I knew I was part of it.” She paused, obviously thinking back. “Mind you, I’d wanted out before that. Meeting with a lawyer to launder money was an easy step to what I thought would be escape.”

  “Escape?” Jack asked.

  “Retirement,” Vicki clarified. “A worry-free life. Getting Damien away from the club.” She paused. “They say that hindsight is twenty-twenty. Maybe it is, because I can see clearly now. Believe me.”

  “I believe you,” Jack said.

  “You mentioned an account offshore,” Laura noted. “Where?”

  “The British Virgin Islands. A lawyer here deals through a lawyer in Mexico, as well as one in the BVI.”

  “Basil Westmount?” Laura asked, not bothering to look up as she wrote.

  “No. Basil says he’s too well-known to you guys because he’s on retainer for the club. He recommended a guy who doesn’t defend criminals and so wouldn’t be connected. A corporate lawyer by the name of Irving Cummings. Francesco Lopez is the name of the one in Mexico, and Charles Bentley is the one in the BVI.”

  “Do these lawyers launder for the whole club?” Jack asked.

  “You mean across Canada?”

  Jack nodded.

  “Not as far as I know.”

  Jack felt a pang of disappointment. Don’t get greedy. Damien is the biggest fish out there.

  “I know for sure that Cummings only launders for Damien,” continued Vicki. “When we first met him, Damien asked him how many other clients he laundered for. Cummings said only one. Damien didn’t want to chance someone else attracting any heat. He told Cummings that if he wanted our business, he wasn’t to launder for anyone else. Cummings said his other client was much smaller and dropping him wouldn’t be a problem.”

  “And the other two lawyers … Lopez and Bentley?” Jack asked. “Do they only launder for Damien?”

  “Yes. I believe Lopez met with the east- and west-side club presidents, but that was only to introduce them to some other lawyer.”

  “The east and west side — Whiskey Jake and Lance Morgan respectively,” Ja
ck stated.

  “Yes, but I’ve no idea where their money ends up or who they were introduced to. I only know they were going to meet Lopez a month or two after we did because of a comment Lopez made. When we were in his office, Damien made Lopez swear not to let anyone else in on the scam or mention Cummings’s name, either, to any other investors. He didn’t even tell Lance or Whiskey Jake about Cummings, which is surprising, because he’s pretty tight with them.”

  Figures. Damien isn’t stupid. “Does Basil get a share of the action?” Jack asked.

  “I don’t know. If he does, there wouldn’t be anything on paper because they don’t want to show any link between them. When he referred us to Cummings, all he said was that he heard Cummings had a way of moving money offshore. I don’t think he knows any more details than that. I’m guessing that the other client Cummings used to launder for was Basil’s client at one time.”

  “So Cummings has the records when it comes to moving Damien’s money out of Canada,” Jack concluded.

  “Yes. The company is registered in my maiden name and I signed the documents, so I guess I’ll have to be charged, too. But I don’t give a damn as long as you let Buck go.”

  “Considering who Damien is, it’s unlikely you’d end up with anything more than probation,” Jack said. “Your lawyer would have you say you were forced to use your name and were afraid for your life. Not to mention, it’d be apparent that the money came from Damien’s activities and not yours.”

  “Sort of what I figured,” Vicki admitted.

  “The club must have some way,” Jack went on, “of sending the money back to Canada to pay off the locals, such as the Gypsy Devils.”

  “I suppose so, but not through Lopez or Cummings,” Vicki said.

  “I take it that Cummings introduced you to Lopez and Bentley?”

  Vicki nodded. “When it was being set up Cummings sent us down to meet Lopez on our own. He specializes in real estate and has an office in Chihuahua. After setting things up with him, we went to the BVI the next day, where Cummings joined us and introduced us to Charles Bentley. He has an office in Road Town.”