by Don Easton
“On the surface, I don’t think so,” replied Wilson. “The victim’s name is Lok Cheng. Sixty-six years old and was knifed when he was closing up his flower shop in Chinatown last night. He managed to hit a panic button and set off a siren, giving us a time of death at six-o-seven.”
“I don’t know the name,” replied Connie. “Any history?”
“Not that I can find as far as police contact goes. He used to be an airline pilot but retired several years ago and took over his wife’s flower shop when she died of cancer last year.”
“Robbery?” asked Connie.
“Looks like it. His day’s cash deposits are missing. We found his empty bank bag tossed in a garbage bin in the back alley. The attacker left the knife sticking out of the guy’s throat. Despite the siren going off, whoever did it either wore gloves or was cool enough to wipe off any prints.”
“Witnesses?”
“No. A few people heard the alarm and because it was closing time, they thought he had accidentally hit the button by mistake when he was setting the alarm. The front door was locked and the perp went out the back.”
“Do you figure the perp locked the front door after entering or was it someone the victim knew?” mused Connie.
“I’ve been asking myself the same thing,” replied Wilson.
“It doesn’t sound like anything I would be interested in,” replied Connie, “but send me the basic particulars and a photo of the vic anyway. I’ll run it past our Intelligence Unit and AOCTF in case it’s a match for any surveillance photos they have. I’ll also ask them to mention it to their sources in the event anyone knows or hears anything.”
It was two hours later when Connie opened the envelope that had been dropped off for her. She stared at the picture of Lok Cheng’s bald head in disbelief, then ransacked the old file box in the corner of her office to compare the photo of the hit-and-run driver from twenty-five years ago. The moles were a perfect match.
Goddamn you, Jack Taggart!
Chapter Forty-Five
Mia arrived at her mother’s apartment on schedule and rang the intercom.
“Stay there, I’ll be right down,” said Jia-li tersely.
Mia paced nervously as she waited. She knew by her mother’s harsh words that something was wrong. Mr. Frank has spoken with her … she knows I was charged with drugs and am pretending to work for the police …
“We need to walk,” ordered Jia-li, as soon as she came through the doors.
Mia saw the dark bags under her mother’s eyes and could tell that she had been crying. “Mom, it’s going to be okay,” she whispered softly, reaching out and giving her arm a squeeze. “My drug charge … this thing with the police … it will all go away.”
Jia-li jerked her arm back and stared open-mouthed at Mia. “What are you talking about?” she demanded.
“You … you didn’t know?” said Mia.
“No, I don’t know! What is going on?”
“Then what … I thought Mr. Frank told you?”
Jia-li grabbed her by the wrist, jerking her toward a path that meandered amongst a cluster of apartment buildings. “I have not spoken to Mr. Frank in three months,” she said flatly. Once they reached a deserted area near a flowerbed she let go of Mia’s wrist and turned to face her. “So you tell me what is going on. What is this talk of drugs and police? Does it involve the photo you sent me?”
“Sort of,” admitted Mia.
Jia-li’s mouth drooped open in shock, then her face darkened with rage. “Was that all lies?” she shouted.
“No, Mom,” Mia hastened to say. “Don’t shout,” she added, looking around nervously. She had never seen her mother lose control in a public setting, especially about anything related to the benefactor. “It was only the circumstance surrounding how I viewed the file about Dad’s hit and run that was, uh, not entirely accurate.”
Jia-li gave Mia a hard look, then lowered her voice. “Start at the beginning. Tell me everything.”
Mia told her mother about her meeting with Mr. Frank in the hotel room and how he spilled wine on her while attempting to have sex with her. She saw her mother clench her jaw and knew she was becoming more enraged. “I was able to handle him,” Mia said quickly. “Nothing happened.”
“Nothing happened?” repeated Jia-li. “You know you cannot lie to me. Tell me the truth!”
“What I told you is the truth,” replied Mia. “It’s just …”
“Just what?” demanded Jia-li.
“I felt funny when I left. A tingly feeling. He had poured me a glass of wine from a bottle he had on ice in the bathroom. I didn’t watch …”
“He drugged you?”
“I don’t know. I hadn’t had lunch that day. An empty stomach … a glass of wine. I don’t know. Then I got in the car accident.”
Jia-li listened carefully as Mia told her everything that had transpired, going into great detail of Taggart’s interrogation, including how he spurned her sexual nuances.
“He sounds like a better man than Mr. Frank,” noted Jia-li.
“Perhaps,” admitted Mia, before continuing on with all that had transpired up until the intended meeting with Benny Wong tonight. When she finished, she expected her mother to be angry, but instead, saw a calmness come over her.
Jia-li stroked a lock of hair away from Mia’s face and said, “It is over. After you finish what you must do tonight, neither of us will ever work for the benefactor again.”
“Perhaps the benefactor will only have us go through a cooling-down period,” said Mia, frowning.
“No,” said Jia-li, adamantly. “We are finished working for the benefactor. Never again.”
Mia saw the hatred in her mother’s face. “Mom … what’s going on? You looked like you had been crying before I came by. Now you’re angry. I’ve never heard you talk about the benefactor like this before.”
Jia-li stared quietly at Mia, then forced a smile. “I finished a … long-term assignment. As a result, I know that the benefactor will agree to never contact either of us again.”
“In Calgary? I thought you were doing a simple assignment.”
“Things were not what they appeared.”
Mia nodded. “I understand … something you can’t talk about.”
“Yes. It was like an awakening,” replied Jia-li, looking thoughtful.
“An awakening?” Mia was puzzled, but knew better than to ask. One thing is for certain, she doesn’t want to work for the benefactor again.
“How do you feel about that?” asked Jia-li. “To never work for the benefactor again?”
Mia smiled warmly. “Well, to tell you the truth, I am happy that it is going to be over. I know it is childish and perhaps selfish of me, but I really didn’t ever want to see Wolfenden again.”
“You won’t have to,” assured Jia-li.
“And the business with that woman being driven over … I never thought the benefactor would resort to such measures in Canada. The risk of discovery would far outweigh the gain.”
“Until recently, I never thought they would, either,” replied Jia-li, coldly.
Until recently? Something did happen in Calgary … She reached for her mother’s hand and said, “After tonight, I will be happy never to see Mr. Frank again, as well. I will even be happier if he doesn’t show up tonight. It’s not like he is really needed.”
“He will not show up,” said Jia-li. “I have been around long enough to know that the benefactor would never risk his safety under these circumstances. Do what you must with the police to get those parasites off your back. Appease Taggart and then we will start our life anew.”
“Taggart will not be a problem,” replied Mia, giving her mother’s hand a reassuring squeeze. “Compared to Mr. Frank, he is weak and naive. It is easy to see that he has a soft heart.” She snickered.
“You think it is funny that he has that quality?” asked Jia-li, pulling her hand away.
“I’m laughing at how naive he is. He looks at me like
I am a child caught up in something I don’t understand. He told me that if I am straight with him that he will protect me until the day he dies, even if it means letting Wong go.”
“Do you believe him?”
“Yes, I can see it in his face. He means what he says, that is what is so funny.”
Jia-li frowned. It had seemed like a nightmare for her since Mia sent her Lok Cheng’s picture. Listening to her daughter caused her to reflect on how brainwashed she had made her. It was like an added slap in the face, alerting her to the tragic way she had brought her up.
“Mom? What is it? Don’t you see how funny that is? He is the one who is like a child.”
Jia-li swallowed and fought to gain her composure. “No, my love. It sounds like he is an honourable man. You shouldn’t laugh at that.”
“Perhaps, but he’s not thinking of what is good for his country. That he would value my life over taking down a top gangster like Wong? Ridiculous. It is people like Taggart, apathetic to the common good, who are endemic of the thoughtless and unsophisticated ways of Canadians. People who lack proper vision and loyalty to their country. No wonder their institutions are so corrupted.”
“You have values and are taking political science. Perhaps someday you will enter politics and make a difference. Free from the benefactor, you can do what your heart desires.”
“Mom, you are really talking strangely. You don’t sound like yourself.”
Jia-li took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. She placed her hand on Mia’s shoulder and looked her straight in the eyes. “I have allowed my own bias over the years to blind me and influence you in a direction that is not right.”
“What? Oh, you mean you agree that Dad’s case was not covered up by the police?”
Jia-li nodded, uncertain as to what to say next.
“So what,” said Mia. “We may have been wrong about that, but there is no doubt as to the lack of scruples and corruption in this country’s government. There is no denying that!”
“No, you are right about that,” sighed Jia-li. “Still … there are some things …”
“Things?” asked Mia, stepping back.
“We have lived a life of deception. Has it ever occurred to you that we might have been deceived ourselves?”
“You mean, by the benefactor?”
“Yes.”
Mia shrugged. “If we have, I am sure it was for the common good. Regardless, after tonight it will be over.”
Jia-li thought about Mia’s role in introducing Taggart to Wong tonight. She needs to have her wits about her … there will be time to tell her the truth later.
“What are you thinking?” asked Mia. “Are you worrying about tonight?”
“A little, but I feel comfort with what Taggart has told you. I value your life over that of anyone, let alone a criminal like Wong.”
Mia smiled. “That is because you are my mom. Of course you would think that, but Taggart is a fool. Don’t worry, once I make the introduction to Wong, my part is finished. I’m sure Wong won’t say anything to incriminate himself tonight.”
“You shouldn’t care if the police succeed in trapping Benny Wong. He is a common criminal.”
“Yes, but obviously of use to the benefactor.”
“Let the benefactor worry about that. It is time for you to do what is right for you.”
“You have never spoken to me like this before,” replied Mia, eyeing her mother curiously.
Jia-li forced a smile, but her lips quivered and she knew that Mia could see that it was not genuine. “The time has come for us to look after each other.”
“Haven’t we always done that, mom?” replied Mia, wrapping her arm around Jia-li’s waist.
Tears welled in Jia-li’s eyes.
“Mom? What is it? What aren’t you telling me?” pleaded Mia.
“That I feel so much shame that I wasn’t a good mother,” cried Jia-li. “I should never have allowed the benefactor to use you.”
“Oh, mom,” said Mia, hugging her fiercely. “I should never have complained to you. I can handle Wolfenden. Like you said, it is only a game.”
Jia-li squeezed her eyes tight. It is not a game when a mother is filled with enough hate to turn her daughter into a prostitute …
Chapter Forty-Six
After lunch, Jack and Laura returned to their office and Jack checked his desk phone and discovered he had a message to call Detective Wilson at VPD Homicide. He was in the process of dialling when Rose and Connie walked in and stood staring at him.
Jack eyed the large manila envelope that Connie was carrying and could tell by the way she scowled that something was wrong. Rose also looked concerned. He hung up the phone before Wilson answered. “What’s up?” he asked.
“What’s up?” repeated Connie, as she reached inside the envelope. “I’ll tell you what’s up!” she seethed, before tossing two photos onto Jack’s desk. “What do you have to say about these?”
Jack gazed at a picture of an older Chinese man with the handle of a steak knife protruding from his throat. He glanced at Laura who was looking over his shoulder and they both shrugged at each other.
“Take a look at the second picture,” snarled Connie.
Jack looked at the second picture. It was a profile of the victim’s head. He stared briefly at the knife handle and the blood that had run down the side of the victim’s neck, before his eyes focused on three moles along the victim’s lower jaw. Guess I know what Wilson was calling about …
Seconds later, Laura muttered, “Oh, man …”
“Yeah! ‘Oh, man’ is right,” stated Connie. Her eyes burned into Jack’s. “Well?”
“I’m not a homicide investigator,” said Jack, “so I’m not sure, but is there any possibility this guy suffers from muscle spasms and accidentally knifed himself while having a steak?”
Laura’s snicker was cut short by Rose. “This is no joking matter, you two. Your intended undercover operation has been blown out of the water.”
“I’m meeting with Wilson from VPD Homicide in an hour,” said Connie. “We’re bringing Mia Parker in for questioning.”
“What makes you think it was her?” asked Jack.
“Get off it,” said Connie. “He’s the same guy who drove over her father twenty-five years ago. Two days ago you gave her a copy of his picture and now he’s dead.”
“You agreed with my interview and went along with me giving her the picture,” said Jack, defensively.
“Yeah, I did, but I sure as hell didn’t know she was going to go out and knife him! I didn’t think she knew the guy!”
“I don’t think she did,” replied Jack. “Before you rush off, why not pull up a chair and fill me in on the details?”
“I don’t need to sit for that,” replied Connie. “The details are pretty simple and brief.”
Jack listened as Connie told him everything she had been told about the murder. When she finished, Jack said, “The murder happened at six-o-seven. I can tell you that it wasn’t Mia Parker who did it. She has an excellent alibi for that time.”
“Yeah? And what’s that?”
“She was with us,” said Laura, retrieving her notebook and showing it to Connie. “We were at UBC meeting her in our car. That’s when she told us Wong had agreed to meet her and Jack tonight.”
“Oh, Christ,” said Connie. She looked at Rose and shook her head, then added, “Well something stinks.”
“You’re right, it does,” agreed Jack. “Sit down and let’s talk about it.”
Once Connie and Rose sat down, Rose turned to Jack. “You said it yourself, Mia Parker had an excellent alibi at the time. Was that a … coincidence?” she added, with a look that Jack knew referred to past cases where he had used the word himself to hide his actions.
“Exactly what I was thinking,” said Connie. “Did she get someone from Wong’s organization to knock Cheng off and used you two as patsies for an alibi?”
“She told us she had shown Cheng’s photo
to Mr. Frank,” noted Laura. “If we are right in our assumption that she didn’t know they were going to kill Betty Donahue, maybe they didn’t tell her they were going to kill Cheng as well.”
“But what would be the point of killing Cheng if it wasn’t a favour for her?” asked Connie.
“Until two days ago, we didn’t know Mr. Frank was connected to Wong,” said Jack. “Maybe Cheng was, too. They may have murdered him to hide some other crime or the possibility we would connect something with their organization. I didn’t get the feeling from Mia last night that she knew who had driven over her father.”
“I agree with Jack on that,” said Laura. “In fact, she thought Mr. Frank did recognize him, but when she asked, he said he was simply impressed with the quality of the photo enhancement.”
“There is another thing to consider,” said Jack. “If Mia is behind Cheng’s murder, she would have tipped Wong off about me. Why would Wong jeopardize everything by killing Cheng? Why wouldn’t they wait until later when presumably we would let Mia off the hook?”
“What about Mia’s mother?” asked Connie. “Could she be a suspect?”
“Her mother was in Calgary,” noted Laura. “Not due back until late last night. Mia wasn’t even going to meet her until this morning.”
“You would also have to wonder how Jia-li would have known Cheng,” added Jack, “let alone to track him down so fast, even if she did return earlier in the day.”
Connie rubbed her eyes with the palms of her hands, then sighed and let her arms drop to her lap, while staring at Jack.
“What are you thinking?” asked Jack.
Connie grimaced. “That I better call Wilson and clue him in that Mia Parker has an alibi. I think your undercover scenario is the only chance we have to get Wong.”
“Good,” replied Jack. He glanced at Rose and asked, “So everything is okay with you? We’re back on track then?”
“For now,” replied Rose, “but we’ll take it one day at a time and re-evaluate after every step. As far as tonight goes, Laura and I will park someplace in Chinatown and wait, so call us as soon as you’re done.” She glanced at Connie and added, “And if you have any more problems or concerns, I want you to call me direct immediately.”
