A Delicate Matter Page 18

  “Yes, sir. She doesn’t think I-HIT or VPD would come up with any witnesses or evidence to convict her son without my help.”

  Isaac’s face darkened. Jack knew he’d read enough reports over the years to conclude that Vicki was probably right.

  “I did give Connie my opinion that the death was unintentional,” Jack said. “I suspect the case will not be a priority.”

  Isaac’s voice became grave. “Do you believe Vicki Zabat is telling you the truth about the money laundering? Damien has held the reins of power for a long time. He’s cunning. Could this be some scheme where they’ll transfer or disperse the money before we make our move?”

  “Making it look like we haven’t fulfilled our end of the bargain if we charge Buck,” Jack replied. “Yes, sir, I’ve considered that possibility — but her natural instinct as a mother to protect her son came through loud and clear. I believe the emotions she displayed were genuine. At the moment, she’s angry with Damien and is completely focused on doing what she can to keep her son out of jail.”

  “Then I’ll trust your judgment on that issue,” Isaac replied.

  “My only concern is if she regrets her action once she’s cooled down,” Jack added.

  “Meaning that time is of the essence.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “I’ll do what I can — but I also have concerns. The first being Corporal Crane’s involvement in the investigation surrounding King’s death. Despite being unlikely, there’s still a chance that charges could conceivably be laid. Should your involvement be brought to the courts’ attention, they may suspect the police didn’t abide by the agreement.”

  “That’s a possibility,” Jack admitted.

  “Corporal Crane and you have worked together in the past, which would cast further suspicion on their evidence, as it would be implied that there was a bond between you. I think it best to sever her from the investigation immedi-ately. For that matter, it’d be best for VPD to continue without any RCMP assistance.”

  “That would certainly alleviate the problem.”

  “I fully appreciate the need for secrecy when it comes to your informant. Obviously the fewer who know about it the better. With that in mind, I don’t want to instigate any undue chatter or rumour as to why Corporal Crane is being taken off the case. For that reason, would you object to showing her the video without disclosing who became an informant as a result of it? She’d see for herself that King’s death was unintended. You could then explain to her that the decision to remove her from the case was a pragmatic one based on new evidence obtained to lay more serious charges.”

  “I’ve no problem with that,” Jack replied. “I trust her completely. For that matter, I wouldn’t object to her subsequently informing Detective Wilson at VPD about why she’s being taken off the investigation. I trust him, too. If I never talk to Wilson myself about the case, it would be more difficult for Defence to taint his evidence.”

  “Then I’d ask you to enlighten Corporal Crane as soon as possible. Once you’ve shown her the video, tell her that it involves an informant who’s an integral part of a much bigger picture. Inform her that she’s to cease all investigation in to King immediately.”

  Oh, yeah. Connie’s going to love this.

  “Notify me once you’ve done so,” Isaac continued. “I’ll also call I-HIT and speak to Inspector Dyck. If Corporal Crane has any doubt about the situation, she can check with him.”

  “I’ll notify her as soon as we’re finished here, sir.”

  “Good.” Isaac nodded. “Following that, tell her to notify Detective Wilson as to why she’s off the case and wish him good luck in his own investigation.”

  “Understood, sir.”

  “My next concern: Vicki Zabat. Her safety is a serious issue. How comfortable are you with that?”

  Here it comes.

  “I’ve spoken with Corporal Taggart in regard to informant safety, sir,” Rose said. “There are actually three informants involved. He’s confident that his informants will face minimal risk.”

  “Really?” Isaac asked in surprise. “Including Vicki Zabat?”

  “I’m confident she’ll be safe, sir,” Jack replied.

  Isaac stared at Jack long enough to make him feel uncomfortable.

  “No cash rewards are being demanded by the informants,” Rose said, “and none will be entering witness protection.”

  “I see,” Isaac said, still looking at Jack.

  I bet he does see, thought Jack. Perceptive old fart. He cleared his throat. “I might make one or two modest payments to the informants.”

  “Why would you dip into our budget if it’s not necessary?” Isaac asked.

  “Defence often questions whether informants are paid, with a view of trying to identify who they could be. The bad guys would never believe that Vicki Zabat would be a paid informant as they would think her motive would be to keep Buck out of jail and that cash would not come into play if it were her.”

  “A strategy I could live with,” Isaac remarked. “Okay, then. Is there anything else?”

  “There’s another, uh, delicate matter we need to discuss,” Rose said.

  Isaac raised an eyebrow.

  “It involves a plan that Corporal Taggart put into action concerning the shipment of marijuana delivered to Dallas yesterday. There’s something I feel you need to know.”

  “You’re talking about the shipment to the West 12th Street gang on behalf of Satans Wrath,” Isaac said. “I’ve read your reports.”

  “Yes, sir,” Rose acknowledged. “As a result of what Corporal Taggart learned about how Satans Wrath launders their money, yesterday he had the DEA seize all the marijuana minutes after the transaction took place.”

  “I don’t see a problem with that. The original plan of letting the delivery go uninterrupted so we could identify the money trail is no longer necessary.”

  “Yes, but Corporal Taggart allowed for the semi to continue without being stopped or its occupants arrested. His reason was —”

  “You did that to make Bob and Roxie Barlow look like informants in order to protect the real informant, didn’t you, Corporal?” Isaac accused.

  “Uh, well, that’s —”

  “It’s not too late to have them arrested,” Rose inserted. “They could even be deported later, but —”

  “They wouldn’t be alive to be deported!” Isaac shouted.

  Jack swallowed. “I don’t expect they’ll be harmed, sir. Damien knows me well enough to know that if they were really my informants, that I wouldn’t let the arrests in Dallas take place immediately after the delivery — let alone have them return here afterwards.”

  The anger disappeared from Isaac’s face. “You’re saying that Damien will believe it to be so blatant that it couldn’t be them.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Who do you think will be blamed?”

  “I think the blame will be laid on Neal Barlow — a full-patch member of the Gypsy Devils.”

  “That’s the person Drug Section took seventy-five kilos of marijuana from shortly before the semi left,” Isaac noted. “He’s Bob Barlow’s brother.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Isaac’s face again registered his displeasure. “So the bikers might think Neal Barlow was arrested and cut a deal with us that allowed his brother and sister-in-law to go free.”

  “Yes, sir. The semi hasn’t made it back to Canada. It’s not too late for the DEA to seize it and make arrests, but first I think you need to —”

  “So if you’re correct, you propose to set up one, or possibly two or three people, who could all be murdered for the express purposes of protecting your informant?”

  Sure, I do it all the time. Jack cleared his throat. “There’s more to this than informant protection. What you don’t know yet is that Damien is blaming the Gypsy De
vils for leaking the information that allowed me to video the attack on King. Two informants say he’s given the Gypsy Devils two weeks to find and eliminate the problem. If they don’t, Satans Wrath will eliminate some of them. At this time the Gypsy Devils do not believe there is an informant amongst their ranks. The two clubs could conceivably go to war.”

  “We don’t need a gang war taking place on our streets, Corporal,” Isaac said icily. “Innocent lives would be put at risk.”

  “My thoughts exactly, sir. The Gypsy Devils would readily kill one of their own if they thought he was an informant. As of a few minutes ago, the bikers are not yet aware of the seizure in Dallas — but my plan, if allowed to proceed, would direct them toward one of their own.”

  “They don’t know about the seizure yet?” Isaac asked. “Wouldn’t the West 12th Street gang have alerted them immediately?”

  “I suspect the bad guys in Dallas are still trying to figure out what went wrong before making any accusations. Today they’ll be appearing in court. Once they confirm that Bob and Roxie were not arrested, the finger-pointing will begin. If Damien —and therefore the Gypsy Devils — suspect that Neal Barlow is the informant, it’ll be an easy decision.”

  Isaac leaned back in his chair and stroked his chin thoughtfully. A moment later he spoke. “With what you’ve said, if we have Bob and Roxie arrested in the States, it would ensure their safety — but would mean that someone else would be murdered, with the good possibility of a gang war erupting here, which could result in numerous murders. If I allow your plan to continue, then Neal Barlow will most likely be murdered, and he could be murdered regardless if a gang war breaks out.”

  “Yes, sir. That’s it exactly.”

  “We’re damned if we do and damned if we don’t,” Isaac said gruffly.

  “The deadline Damien gave is two weeks away,” Jack noted, “but the semi could be crossing the border back into Canada within the next twenty-four hours. I’m not trying to rush your decision, but we have little time to decide.”

  “What if we warned Neal Barlow that his life could be in danger?” Isaac suggested. “Do you think he’d co-operate? Either flee or perhaps wear a wire if he’s going into a situation where he thinks his life might be in danger?”

  “Neal’s a hard-core biker. I’m certain he wouldn’t co-operate.”

  “He’s the subject of a wiretap order now,” Rose put in. “It’s possible that if someone is luring him into a trap that we might hear about it.”

  “His brother and sister-in-law are also named,” Jack noted, “but with what has happened, the bikers will be on heightened alert. I’m dubious that we’ll hear anything over their phones. We do have a car bug in a limo owned by one of them, but to overhear someone in the limo planning to murder Neal would be a real fluke. Also, if we try to do any physical surveillance to protect him, I’m sure it’d be spotted. That would add further credence to their belief that he’s an informant and likely serve to hasten his demise.”

  Isaac took off his glasses and massaged his temples. When he spoke, he stared straight ahead. “A gang war puts innocent people at risk. Second-guessing the actions that criminals may take with one another does not supersede what must be the primary safety of the public.” He looked at Jack. “In other words, I concur with the current status of the investigation, including the wheels you’ve put in motion — which in this case, are the wheels of a semi.” His tone was dry.

  “Thank you, sir,” Jack said.

  Isaac looked grim, then gave the pair a dismissive nod.

  Jack and Rose got to their feet, but before they left, Jack turned to Isaac. “Sir, I’m sorry to have placed you in such an awkward position.”

  “You haven’t placed me in this position, Corporal,” Isaac said sharply. “Damien has. Make damned certain you’re successful in toppling him from his throne — preferably before he retires, which I might add, is about two weeks before I do.”

  Chapter Thirty

  Rose glanced at Jack as the two of them exited into the hall. “That was a tough call for him to make. Considering the circumstances, he stuck his neck way out.”

  Jack nodded. “Isaac has always stood up for what he thinks is right. He isn’t persuaded by politics. I hate to see him go.”

  “Likewise,” Rose admitted.

  “Any idea what the new assistant commissioner is like? I haven’t talked to anyone who’s even heard of Ralph Mortimer, let alone worked with him. I don’t think he’s been out West before.”

  Rose looked around to ensure they had privacy. “I called a friend in Staffing, who pulled his file. When he left the academy he was sent to red-serge duty in Ottawa for two years. After that it was five years on VIP Security, five on Customs and Excise, and then seven years in Montreal on Commercial Crime. That’s where he received his commission and was transferred to headquarters where he was assigned to Procurement and Contracting for eight years before being transferred here.”

  “From guarding the tulips to opening doors for politicians, then Customs, Commercial Crime, and an admin job?” Jack shook his head in disbelief. “Who the hell decided he was experienced enough to handle the job of Operations Officer in Charge? Bet he’s never encountered the kind of criminals we deal with. At best he may have had someone throw a fake Rolex at him in Customs or threaten him with a calculator when he was on Commercial Crime.”

  “Don’t slam-dunk the guy before you’ve even met him,” Rose said.

  “I don’t think I want to meet him.”

  Rose decided to change the subject. “Back to the matters at hand. You’ll call Connie pronto, show her the video, then take the rest of the day off?”

  “That’s the plan. Why do you ask?”

  “Because I’d like to think the rest of the day could pass without you doing something to worsen my headache.”

  “Maybe there’s a bug going around,” Jack said. “Laura mentioned she had a headache yesterday.”

  “Yeah, a bug named Jack.”

  He smiled, then returned to his office. He was about to call Connie, but an incoming call stopped him. Second informant to call me within the hour. What is this? The year of the rat?

  “Hey! So I hear King got beat to death Saturday night,” said Larry gleefully. “Guess he won’t be rippin’ off any more stashes and killin’ people.

  “How’d you know King was killed?” Jack asked.

  “’Cause that lady cop you came to the hospital with … her and some cop from Vancouver PD came by to talk to me about it.”

  “She told me she’d be meeting with you.”

  “Nice of her to keep me informed all the time,” said Larry facetiously.

  “What do you want?” Jack asked. “Why are you calling?”

  “Well, with what happened, my brother being killed, I figure you and I should be even. Now with the guy who did it dead, I’m thinking of goin’ back to the rock.”

  “You can go back to Newfoundland as far as I’m concerned,” Jack said, “but as far as Corporal Crane and Detective Wilson go, it might be another matter.”

  “They got nothin’ on me,” Larry told him. “Ain’t no way they can say I had anything to do with what happened to King.”

  “When do you plan to leave?”

  “As soon as I can. I want to sell my boat first. It and all my hydro shit. I’ve put it all on eBay. The boat runs good if you’re interested. I’ll even throw in my crab traps and fishin’ gear. Real cheap.”

  “I’m not interested.”

  “Yeah, well, if you hear of someone, lemme know. Hopefully I’ll sell it all soon.”

  “Where’d you get your hydro equipment from?” Jack asked.

  “A place called Aaron and Chuck’s Hydroponics. I already called ’em. They won’t take it back.”

  “Listen, Larry …” Jack paused. Should I tell him I don’t think King murdered Dwa
yne? For what purpose?

  “Yeah?”

  “I’m sorry about Dwayne. I mean it.”

  “Yeah, well …” Larry’s voice cracked and he coughed. “Was me who got ’im into it,” he blurted, then hung up.

  You’ll live with that for the rest of your life, Jack thought as he made another call.

  “That didn’t take long for the lying little bastard to call you,” Connie said upon answering.

  “I just hung up from him,” Jack replied. “I take it he didn’t tell you anything?”

  “No. Denied that he told the Gypsy Devils anything about King.”

  “The bikers wouldn’t have told him details about their visit to King, regardless,” Jack said. “Even if he wanted, he wouldn’t be able to tell you who did it.”

  “If it was the bikers,” Connie replied. “The Cobras have a lot of other enemies vying for their turf.”

  “Are you with Wilson at the moment?” Jack asked.

  “No, I’m on my way back to my office.”

  “I’m going home, but there’s something I need to show you,” Jack said. “How about we meet halfway? It won’t take long.”

  “What is it? I’m busy as hell.”

  “Isaac ordered me to show you something. You need to see it in person.”

  “Isaac? What the hell? You’re kidding, right? Can’t you just read it to me over the phone or tell me?”

  “No — and the sooner we meet the better.”

  It was 11:30 a.m. when Jack drove into the strip-mall parking lot. He placed a quick call to Natasha, promising he’d be home in an hour, then hung up when Connie arrived. He smiled to himself as Connie got in. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Time to have some fun.

  “You better not be bullshitting me,” she said grumpily. “I don’t have time for jokes these days. Did Isaac really tell you to show me something?”

  “Yes, it’s a video I took.” Jack flipped open his laptop and readied it to start the video before passing it to Connie.

  “What of?” she asked, placing the computer on her lap.