Art and Murder

by Don Easton

  “Not only that,” Laura put in, “but to say you saw Klaus hanging out at your hotel, there’s no way you would trust them, let alone work for them. They would definitely smell a rat.”

  “Not if I said I knew Klaus was acting on his own.”

  “How can you tell them that without burning the wiretap?” asked Laura.

  “Simple enough. First I would do a pre-emptive strike and detain Klaus near the hotel. Then I would meet with Wolfgang and say I knew Klaus was acting on his own.”

  “Why would they think you thought that?” asked Rose.

  Jack looked at Laura for a response.

  Laura considered for a moment, then said, “Because if Wolfgang was involved, he wouldn’t be willing to meet with Jack afterwards.”

  “Exactly,” Jack said. “Especially if Klaus was no longer answering his phone. It would be an opportunity to enhance my credibility as someone they should hire.”

  “What do you mean when you say a pre-emptive strike?” questioned Rose.

  “No worries.” Jack dismissed Rose’s concern with a wave of his hand. “I’m sure after what happened that Klaus knows enough to obey my orders if I have the drop on him. Once I do that, I’ll tie him up and leave him in his car for Wolfgang to collect. Rather doubtful that any violence would be necessary.”

  Rose stared at Jack. I’ve heard that line before….

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Upon returning to his desk, Jack had another voice message from Special “O,” this one telling him that Big Joe had returned to the hotel. When he told Laura, he said, “This guy is becoming a real thorn.”

  “What do you want to do?” she asked.

  “Tomorrow I want Wolfgang to think I found the tracker on my car before I nail Klaus. For that, I’ll use Big Joe. Let’s see how easy it’ll be to lure him into following me. I’ll get you to take me to the hotel.”

  A few minutes later, as they drove, Laura asked, “What about Klaus while you’re busy luring Big Joe?”

  “He’s been watching where the valet service drops off my car. If I go down to the garage, not the valet, he won’t know I’m gone. I doubt that Anton is saying much to him these days. They both sounded ticked off at each other during their last phone call.”

  An hour later Jack drove out of the hotel underground parking lot without Klaus realizing it and went to the restaurant where he and Laura had agreed to meet for lunch.

  Special “O” reported that Big Joe, in his white van with the tinted windows, drove past the restaurant thirty minutes after Jack arrived. After lunch, Jack drove to a liquor store and then returned to the hotel. Big Joe was observed following, but an hour after Jack was back at the hotel, Big Joe returned to his home office.

  That evening Wolfgang Menges arrived as scheduled. Special “O” called Jack to report that Anton and Bojan met him at the airport and took him to the Fairmont Hotel in downtown Vancouver, where he checked in.

  “No sign of Klaus?” asked Jack.

  “He’s still hanging around the Pan Pacific. Looks more impatient every minute. Did your friend Otto show up?”

  “The shuttle’s pulling in now,” said Jack. “Keep me posted.”

  Detective Otto Reichartinger had arrived on the same flight as Wolfgang but had maintained his distance. He’d taken a shuttle to the Delta Hotel, and Jack and Laura greeted him in the lobby. Otto reported that Wolfgang appeared to be travelling on his own and that he didn’t recognize anyone else on the plane.

  Laura glanced at Jack. “Good, maybe only one of them wants to kill you.”

  “For now,” said Jack dryly.

  “Something I should know about?” Otto asked.

  “We’ve booked you a room,” said Jack, handing him the key, “so let’s go on up and we’ll fill you in.”

  Entering the room, Otto grinned when he saw a case of Victoria Bitter beer.

  “Cold ones are in the mini-fridge,” Jack announced, before his face became serious. “The first one will be in honour of Kerin Bastion, who was buried today.”

  Three bottles of beer were opened and Laura, Otto and Jack clinked the bottles.

  “To justice,” Laura said sombrely.

  * * *

  At eight-thirty the next morning, Jack and Laura arrived for work and learned that Klaus had been staking out the Pan Pacific Hotel for the past hour. Jack called the monitor who was looking after the wiretap on Anton’s phone, and learned that Anton had called Klaus that morning to tell him that Wolfgang wanted to talk with him after meeting with Jack. Klaus said he was with his new girlfriend, but told Anton to keep him updated as to when and where the meeting might take place so he could meet Wolfgang immediately after.

  “Klaus wants you bad,” Laura said after Jack told her about the call.

  “Yeah, probably figures he’ll be on a plane back to Germany with Wolfgang soon.” Jack quietly added, “He doesn’t have much time left.”

  “You mean for him to get you?”

  Jack glanced at Laura, then plucked a photo of Herman Jaiger’s burnt face from an envelope and looked at it. “No, I mean Klaus doesn’t have much time left.”

  At ten-thirty, Jack and Laura returned to the Delta Hotel and were having coffee with Otto when Jack received the call he was expecting.

  “What’s up, Anton?” he asked.

  “My boss arrived last night,” Anton replied. “He is ready to meet you on whatever terms you like. He understands that you might be nervous, so is happy to oblige you in any way he can. Perhaps a restaurant for lunch?”

  “I’m pleased he understands that I have some concerns about meeting you people again,” said Jack. “Unfortunately something of more importance has come up. I can’t possibly make it for lunch, as I have to meet someone. Perhaps I could make it for dinner.”

  “Perhaps? My boss has travelled a long way to —”

  “I will call you back this afternoon,” said Jack, then disconnected the call.

  Otto looked surprised. “Why are you delaying?” he asked.

  “I need to take care of Klaus first.” Jack slid a couple of surveillance photos across the table for Otto to see. “He is waiting for me outside my hotel again.”

  “You mentioned he was a nuisance last night,” said Otto. “Is that how you describe people who are trying to kill you? A nuisance?” He glanced at Laura. “I take it Klaus is not the first one to try?”

  “You have no idea,” said Laura seriously. “We’ll tag along on surveillance to watch. Keep a sharp eye open. Others could have arrived on an earlier flight. If it is any of the men you spotted in Frankfurt, I hope you can recognize them.”

  “If I see them, I will know them,” replied Otto confidently.

  “You told me Klaus doesn’t have a criminal record in Germany.” Jack shook his head. “He sure looks like he has one. Don’t you guys ever leave the coffee shop?”

  “For someone like him?” Otto said contemptuously. He pointed at a photo that showed Klaus’s pants hanging low on his backside. “I was speaking with a ex-con the other day when someone like that walked past. Do you know what they call guys like that in prison?”

  Jack and Laura glanced at each other and remained silent.

  “Easy entry,” replied Otto, giving a half-smile.

  * * *

  At eleven o’clock Laura and Otto climbed into the back seat of a Special “O” surveillance car. Jack was seeing them off. Just as two members of Special “O” took seats in the front, another team member radioed that Big Joe was spotted parking his van a block from the Pan Pacific.

  “They want to know who I’m meeting,” Jack said, smiling grimly. “This should be fun.”

  “We’ll keep our eyes open,” Laura said.

  Thirty minutes later Jack drove his SUV out of the Pan Pacific parkade again without Klaus noticing and went to a shopping mall. Big Joe followed and drove into the lot in time to see Sammy walk over to where Jack was parking. Sammy then left in Jack’s SUV while Jack walked toward the mall, f
ollowed by Big Joe.

  Once inside the mall, Big Joe saw Jack enter a restaurant, so he followed him in and sat where he could watch. Over the next hour, Jack showed his impatience by looking at his watch numerous times, as well as making several phone calls.

  Eventually Jack received a call and left the restaurant. Big Joe followed and saw that Sammy had returned and was giving Jack his keys back. After the two men spoke for a minute, Jack got back inside his SUV, while Big Joe hurried to his van.

  Jack’s next stop was the Greyhound Bus Depot, where he entered carrying a manila envelope and moments later returned to his SUV empty-handed.

  So, Friday you do a drop at the train station, and today it’s at the bus depot, mused Big Joe. He saw Jack sitting in his SUV talking on his phone and waited.

  Jack smiled to himself as he checked his watch. It was two in the afternoon when he reached for his phone to call Anton.

  “Jack?”

  “Sorry to take so long to get back to you, Anton,” said Jack. “My meeting didn’t go as planned. I have to meet someone who lives quite a ways outside Vancouver. I doubt I’ll make it tonight, but am sure I can find time tomorrow.”

  “But my boss came all this way,” whined Anton. “Isn’t there any chance you could meet him today, if only for a few minutes?”

  “Well … I’m expecting a call soon. There’s a possibility that I could still make dinner tonight if I meet this person halfway. I’ll call you back in about two hours.”

  Anton hung up and quickly called Big Joe to exchange information. “I want to find out who he is meeting that is so important,” Anton said tersely.

  “Think he might be selling the painting?” asked Big Joe. “It could be in the back of his SUV. He’s got tinted windows — hard to see in.” Movement on Big Joe’s laptop caught his attention and he said, “I gotta go. He’s on the move!”

  Big Joe followed Jack, occasionally catching glimpses of his SUV as they drove. Twenty-five minutes later they were eastbound on the Trans Canada Highway with Big Joe doing his best to keep three or four vehicles between him and Jack.

  Soon Jack passed a bus and Big Joe’s monitor told him that Jack had settled in at the speed limit. He knew he could relax now. If Jack checked his rear-view mirror, the bus would provide adequate cover.

  At four-thirty Jack called Anton again to apologize and say he had to go out of town, but would definitely be back tomorrow.

  Fifteen minutes later a visibly angry Klaus returned to the parkade to retrieve his car. Discovering that he had a flat tire made matters worse.

  Klaus was bent over, putting the flat tire into his trunk, when he felt the barrel of a pistol enter his ear.

  “You been looking for me, Klaus?” Jack asked.

  Klaus dropped the tire and made a grab for his own pistol in the front of his pants as he spun around. He managed to get his hand on his pistol’s grip, but didn’t succeed in pulling it free.

  “Christ, you’re stupid!” Jack yelled, grabbing Klaus’s wrist to stop him while simultaneously pushing his upper body into the trunk and smashing him on the face with the butt of the pistol. Repeatedly.

  Klaus was practically unconscious before he let go of his pistol. Jack grabbed it, then lifted Klaus’s legs and folded his entire body into the trunk.

  Seconds later Sammy and Benny appeared from where they’d concealed themselves nearby. They watched as Jack took out two zip ties and bound Klaus’s hands behind his back and then his ankles, before slamming the trunk shut. They then walked over to the Special “O” surveillance van as Laura and Otto got out.

  Laura looked at Jack and said, “Rose is going to have a bird.”

  “The dumb bastard wouldn’t let go of his gun,” explained Jack.

  “Now what?” Sammy asked. He gave a nod toward Klaus’s car and said, “His face looks like hamburger.”

  “So much for your plan of leaving him in the trunk of his car to let his buddies find him later,” said Laura. “Didn’t you tell me that a broken jaw means there’s a loss of support for the tongue? His jaw is way beyond cracked. He’s liable to croak. You can’t chance leaving him in the condition he’s in and you can’t call his friends, because in theory you wouldn’t know if they put him up to it.”

  “I’ll take him to the hospital,” Jack muttered.

  “How the hell can you do that and maintain your bad-guy image?” Sammy asked. “He tried to kill you. In theory, you should be putting a bullet in his head.”

  “I’ll come up with something.” Jack glanced at his watch. “Better hustle. I want to meet Wolfgang immediately after.”

  “You going to let him out of the trunk first?” asked Benny.

  “Yes, but I’ll keep his hands tied until we get there.”

  Otto looked at the Klaus’s car, then raised one eyebrow as he looked at Jack. He shook his head.

  “You okay, Otto?” Jack asked.

  “I’m fine,” he said. “It’s simply interesting to see how other police forces operate.”

  “Other police forces?” Sammy echoed. “No, no. This is how Jack operates.”

  Chapter Thirty

  It was five-thirty when Jack arrived at the Emergency unit of the Vancouver General Hospital. He cut the zip-tie from Klaus’s wrists and went inside with him before giving him back the keys to his car.

  “Consider this the last time I ever want to see you or anyone else you work with,” Jack said coldly. “I’ll be checking out of my hotel and tossing out the phone Anton calls me on. If I ever see any of you again, I will respond with extreme violence. The only reason you’re still alive is that I know I was caught on a security camera entering the parkade.”

  Klaus was relieved. Not only was Jack letting him live, but the others wouldn’t find out. As far as my injuries go, I’ll tell them I got in a bar fight …

  Jack left the hospital and called Anton as he walked across the parking lot to meet Sammy and Benny. “Got some good news for you,” he said when Anton answered. “My meeting’s over and I’m free to meet your boss immediately.”

  “You are?” said Anton, sounding surprised. “That’s, uh, great. I’m in his room. I’ll tell him.”

  “Put him on the line,” Jack demanded.

  Seconds later a voice with a strong German accent said, “Hello, Jack. My name is Wolfgang. I understand you are able to see me now?”

  “Right. Where are you?”

  “I’m staying at the Fairmont Hotel.”

  “Perfect. Okay if I come to your room?”

  “Yes, that would be okay,” said Wolfgang. “However, I thought that if you were worried, we could meet at some public place to discuss things.”

  “Me worried? Why should I be worried?”

  “Well, uh, before when —”

  “Consider this a test of our future relationship,” said Jack. “Tell me your room number, and I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

  “That would be fine.”

  “First, I will be sending over a security team to ensure my safety and check out your room.”

  “We mean you no harm. But if that is what it takes … by all means.”

  “Tell Anton to stay, but if anyone else is with you, tell them to wait downstairs in the lounge.”

  “It is only Anton who is with me.”

  “Perfect.”

  As soon as Jack hung up, Wolfgang looked at Anton and said, “I thought Jack was hours away? What’s going on?”

  Anton shook his head to show his own bewilderment as he made a call.

  Big Joe tried to answer his phone, but he was in a mountainous area and the call didn’t connect. He put his phone back in his pocket and grinned to himself as he thought about the invoice he’d be submitting for the long hours of surveillance.

  Had he realized his tracker was on an express bus bound for Edmonton, he would have been far less happy.

  * * *

  Fifteen minutes after speaking with Jack, Wolfgang answered a knock on his door.

  �
�We work for Jack,” said Sammy by way of introduction as he brushed past Wolfgang. He was carrying a briefcase and was followed by Benny, who was talking on his phone.

  Wolfgang and Anton stared at the two men. Both wore ball caps and oversized sunglasses. Anton recognized them as the two men Jack had used to dispose of Dempsey’s body and swallowed nervously when he saw they were wearing latex gloves.

  Sammy put the briefcase down, then checked the washroom to ensure the two men were the only ones there before giving Benny a nod.

  “We’re inside,” said Benny into the phone. “Only Anton and one other man is present.”

  “As requested,” said Wolfgang. He smiled nervously.

  “I’ve got eyes,” said Sammy gruffly. “Do you?”

  Wolfgang quit smiling when Sammy and Benny both undid their jackets to reveal they each had a pistol in a leather holster on the side of their belts.

  Wolfgang’s face paled slightly. “Uh, yes,” he replied.

  “Good. Put your hands on the wall,” ordered Sammy.

  “Do you really think this is —”

  Benny drew his pistol and spoke menacingly. “Do it!”

  Wolfgang and Anton quickly obeyed and Sammy patted them down for weapons.

  “Okay, the both of you take a seat.” Sammy pointed to a couple of chairs as Benny put his pistol back in the holster.

  Wolfgang and Anton exchanged a solemn glance, then sat down and watched as Sammy retrieved an electronic wand from his briefcase and used it to scan the room. When he finished, he put the wand back in his briefcase and nodded at Benny.

  “We’re finished,” said Benny into his phone. “Neither one was packing and the room’s clean.”

  A minute later Benny opened the door and Jack entered.

  “Surprised to see me, Anton?” Jack asked.

  “No,” Anton replied as he and Wolfgang started to rise. Sammy put a hand on each of their shoulders to let them know to stay seated.

  Anton looked nervously back at Sammy, then turned to Jack. “You said you were coming. Why should I be surprised to see you?”

  “I thought you might’ve believed I was driving through some mountain pass,” replied Jack harshly.