by R E Swirsky
CHAPTER 24
Sunday 19:55 Pierre Elliott Trudeau Airport, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
“Jack, it’s Nate.”
“Yeah.”
Jack sounded annoyed.
“So, have you heard the news?”
“I’ve heard nothing. What’s up?”
Nathaniel didn’t mince his words. “It’s about Metcalf. Something’s not right in all of this.”
“Uh, what do you mean? Like what?”
Nathaniel struggled for the correct words.
“Well…remember I told you Kaito’s target was Harvey Metcalf?”
“Yeah. So?”
“…and that he was taking him out on one of the mountains just east of Canmore?”
“Uh-huh.”
“I just read online that the hiker that fell from that mountain wasn’t Metcalf.”
Jack breathed uneasily into the phone. “Not Metcalf?”
“It was his daughter, Lucinda.”
“What? His daughter?”
“That was my reaction.”
“My God, Nate. This changes things, doesn’t it?”
“It certainly does. And I don’t have time for this. I’m between flights in Montreal and my connection to France is boarding soon.”
“Metcalf’s daughter? That is odd. And Kaito never mentioned any of this to you?”
“All Kaito told me was Metcalf was the target and he had a date on the mountain,” Nathaniel said. “I assumed it was Harvey Metcalf. Now it’s all over the news that it was his daughter—stepdaughter, actually. His wife, Cindy, was married once prior to tying the knot with Harvey.”
Nathaniel watched the gate where the young agent was holding the phone for the PA system in one hand and instructing one impatient traveller to move away from the gate with the other. The pre-boarding announcement would be coming any minute. He would have to make this call short.
“This isn’t good news. His daughter. I’ll be damned.”
“And I just talked to Kaito twenty minutes ago. He never mentioned a word about Metcalf or his daughter. He was fairly pissed and only wanted to know the whereabouts of his son.”
“Yeah, well, he would be upset after you scooped his boy like that. I would be,” Jack said.
“This one stinks, bad. If Kaito really had this girl thrown off a cliff near Canmore, then I don’t know what the hell is going on. And the police have ruled it a hiking accident.”
“I see.”
Jack remained silent. He seemed distracted. Nathaniel had expected more of a reaction from him. “She was only nineteen,” he added.
A PA announcement echoed in the background.
Jack breathed heavily into the phone. “Only nineteen you say.” He paused. “Sorry, I’m kind of in the middle of something here—my bags…just a second.” The phone shuffled a moment before Jack came back. “She was only nineteen, you say?”
“Yeah. It doesn’t make sense.”
“So he kills Metcalf’s daughter? Why do you think he killed the daughter? If things had gone sideways, you would have thought he might have said something to you about it since he is talking to you.”
“I don’t know.”
“He is talking to you, isn’t he?”
“Not really. I can’t seem to get him to respond, and when he does, he’s just worried about his son. Look, I really need to change things up here.”
“Change things?”
“Yeah. And in a hurry. If Harvey wasn’t the target, then I need to know what the hell is really going on. Maybe Kaito changed his mind about Metcalf, and his daughter’s death has nothing to do with us or Kaito. A coincidence. I need you to find out where Harvey is and what he’s doing.”
“Uh, I see.…”
“You sound hesitant, Jack.”
Jack laughed. “Like you, I’m also at the airport, in Vancouver, waiting to catch my connection to the island. Just trying to see the update on my flight and find my bags. I have to transfer carriers.”
“Well, that’s perfect!”
“Perfect?”
“Yeah. I need you in Victoria.”
“No, no, Nate. I was going home…” Jack had a large spread on Saltspring Island in the channel not far from Victoria, “…back to my office to see what I could dig up online for you.”
“Metcalf lives in Victoria. I need you there. You can do that, can’t you?”
He sighed heavily and then chuckled. “This damn business. Always a twist somewhere.” He paused as if he was reconsidering. “Of course I will go to Victoria.”
“How soon can you put someone on him?”
“Geordie’s already arranged for a few field men. I’ll make some calls and find out where we’re at. I was really hoping I could do my part from home.”
“I think you need to be in the field on this.”
“Well, I am familiar with the neighbourhood where Metcalf lives. That’s going to help us out.”
“Then it’s settled. That’s great, Jack. I’d like to talk more, but I really gotta run here. My plane.…”
“We’ll talk once I have things in place.”
“Sounds good.”
Nathaniel hung up the phone. He had a lot to do.
PART II
