Above Ground

by Don Easton

  “Inside coverage,” ordered Hinds. “Who’s available that our target doesn’t know?”

  Hinds found a volunteer and soon he had a whispered report from inside the bar.

  “Target sitting by himself. Ordered a beer.”

  A half-hour ticked by before Hinds received an update. “He’s just been joined by a woman. Looks like a hooker. He’s buying her a drink.”

  “Are you close enough to hear?” asked Hinds.

  “Negative. I’m getting enough heat as it is. Whatever they’re talking about, they don’t look happy.”

  A short while later the volunteer reported, “Target getting up. Think he’s leaving. He tried to give the hooker a twenty. She shook her head and gave it back. Personally I think twenty was too much. She’s ugly. Okay, Target is heading for the front exit. I’ve lost the eye. He’s yours.”

  Hinds saw Jack come out of the bar and the surveillance team was soon mobile again.

  Jack arrived home at suppertime. His BlackBerry buzzed as he walked into their apartment. It was a message from Lance: Damien’s wife and daughter kidnapped by the Colombians over the rip. SW having a sale to raise money! No time to meet. Tomorrow?

  Jack was too tired to respond to the message now and closed the door behind him.

  Natasha immediately met him at the entrance, picking up the cooler off the kitchen counter as she passed it.

  “This Damien is the monster you’ve been after?” asked Natasha. “The guy who has sanctioned what? Forty, fifty, sixty or more murders? Anyone from young prostitutes to suspected informants!”

  “Yes, that’s him,” admitted Jack.

  “Now you’re consoling him and had tears in your eyes! What’s that all about?”

  “He’s a monster, but ... I found out there are bigger monsters.”

  “Take a look in the cooler!”

  “I did. I thought you were leaving that at the clinic. Didn’t you take the finger and —”

  “I did leave the finger at the clinic. By the way, it smelled of coffee.”

  “Coffee?”

  “That’s not what I’m showing you. Take a look in the cooler!”

  Jack looked inside. He saw a 9mm.

  “Guess Damien figures you should protect yourself. Good idea.”

  “Like hell it is! What is going on?”

  Jack sighed and said, “I’m going to pour a martini. Then we’ll talk.”

  Moments later, Jack and Natasha were sitting on their sofa and sipping on martinis as Jack told her everything leading up to her arrival at the park.

  “So you’re upset because you feel responsible for them being kidnapped.”

  “I am responsible. I feel horrible! Him trying to protect you makes me feel worse.”

  “I can’t work with security hanging around. It will freak the patients out.”

  “I know. Wish you would give it one more week at the farm.”

  “Not an option. Can’t Damien tell you today who the Brit is?”

  “That’s another problem. When I gave him the story about a connection between The Toad, the Brit, and his lawyer, I didn’t know his wife and daughter had been kidnapped. He might do a lot more than talk with Leitch.”

  “Didn’t you think that to start with?”

  “I expected Leitch might get slapped around a bit. Not now. This is different.”

  “These are consequences you’ll have to live with. Damien too.”

  “You’re comparing me with him? He’s the devil! Tell me you don’t think that?”

  “I wasn’t saying that. Sounds to me like you were thinking that on your own.”

  “Oh,” was all Jack said.

  “But if he is pure evil, why were you so upset in the park?”

  “I feel bad about his wife and daughter.”

  “You had your arm around his shoulder. You feel bad for him too.”

  Jack was exasperated. “I’m just not thinking clear,” he snapped. “This is Saturday night. I haven’t been to bed since Thursday. I’m just —”

  “You’re just ... compassionate. You care about people. Don’t blame that on being tired.”

  Jack looked at her for a moment, then sighed and said, “There’s more. Anti-Corruption were at the park. The Homicide Team too. They followed you and me after.”

  Natasha was shocked. “Mexico? They know?” she whispered.

  Jack grimaced and said, “It doesn’t look good. Me meeting with Damien ... they may have figured it out.”

  Natasha grabbed Jack’s arm and said, “I won’t let that happen to you. I’ll say I —”

  “You won’t say anything! Trust me! Tomorrow I’m going to start fixing things. This time without being watched.”

  Sunday morning was quiet. There was little traffic when Jack pulled out onto the street. It didn’t take long to establish that he was alone. His meeting with Lance was brief.

  “The club can only raise $1.5 million at the most,” Lance said. “We’re still $2 million short. Damien is screaming at everyone. Shit has really hit the fan.”

  “Any sign of The Toad?” Jack asked.

  “No, but Damien thinks Leitch might know where he is. He called him on his cell to meet him. Leitch is away until Tuesday. On some houseboat up in the Shuswap.”

  “Damien going to wait until Tuesday?”

  “Nope. He’s sending Rellik and his crew up there this afternoon.”

  Damien received Jack’s urgent text message just before noon. He ensured he was alone before going to meet Jack outside the bus depot.

  Jack came directly to the point. “My source saw The Toad take two sports bags into this place last night. He came out without them. Said he had to give them to a friend who was going on a trip.”

  “Sounds like bullshit,” growled Damien.

  “It is. My source rented a hotel room later with The Toad, just for an hour. She got a chance to look in his pocket. Found two locker keys and told me the numbers. I think I know where the money is!”

  Damien was elated. “Thank you, thank you,” he kept repeating.

  “The Toad said he wouldn’t see her for a week or two because he had to go out of town. Looks like she’s out of the loop. At least for now.”

  “The fucker is leaving,” said Damien. “She’ll never see him again!”

  “That’s what I figure. Once he comes back here for the money, I’ll bust him.”

  “What!” Damien yelled. “You can’t do that! I need the money!”

  “I know. I was going to give it to you. I just need The Toad to get the keys.”

  “Fuck the keys! My guys can handle it. I’ll have someone check to make sure it’s there. Then I’ll have some guys wait and grab him when he shows.”

  “Then you’ll politely ask him who the Brit is?”

  Damien allowed himself a quick smile and then replied, “Yeah ... of course. But right now the important thing is my family. I need to make sure the money is there.” Damien then paused and said, “It’s been at least twenty-four hours since...” He held up his hand and wiggled his ring finger. “Guess you can tell Natasha to throw it out.”

  Jack patted Damien on the shoulder and then replied, “She said that it could be used to make an impression. An exact match.”

  “Yeah, right. Exact. You really believe that?”

  “My wife doesn’t bullshit.”

  Damien stared at Jack for a moment and then simply replied, “Good.”

  “Which reminds me,” said Jack. “Open the glovebox. She really appreciated the 9mm but said to give it back.”

  Damien retrieved the gun and said, “You sure?”

  “Positive. I gave her a little .32 Beretta a few months ago. After that thing with Bishop last year.”

  “I should have known. Makes sense. Smaller and easier for a woman to shoot.”

  “Also registered to her. The problem is she usually refuses to carry it.”

  “At least you had the foresight to try and protect her. Maybe if Vicki had one, she woul
d still have her finger.”

  “Or be dead.”

  Damien slowly nodded. “Guess that’s a good possibility too.”

  Jack took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, then said, “Okay. I agree with what you intend to do. Just two things. First, send me a message to confirm that the money is there. Second, I want you to meet me tomorrow after you do the drop. Agreed?”

  “Not a problem,” replied Damien. “If we grab The Toad I’ll tell you who the Brit is immediately.” He pointed his finger at Jack and said, “Don’t try and follow me when I make the drop! I’m going to do whatever Carlos asks, and that includes going alone!”

  Jack was on his way home when Lance sent him a message. Rellik’s crew on their way to the bus depot. Got a tip on The Toad.

  Jack smiled. Two hours later he received another message. This time from Damien. Got the $. Thanks again. TTYL.

  The LO was finally able to rouse his Mexican contact, who complained about being called on a Sunday. Promises of another lavish dinner and expensive hotel room with his mistress seemed to appease him. He didn’t understand the urgency. Then again, he had never seen snow.

  Early Monday morning, the LO heard back. They were in luck. A report identified a policeman who is certain he saw Jack and Natasha on the day Bishop died. Yes, arrangements had been made. They could leave immediately and the LO could talk to the policeman in person and show him the photos.

  chapter twenty-eight

  Normally at eight in the morning on the Monday of a long weekend, Jack would be enjoying the comforts of his bed. Not today. He had already been up with Natasha for an hour and a half. Neither one spoke much as they went through the motions of drinking coffee.

  Expecting to be arrested any moment tended to numb the brain as well as the taste buds.

  Jack received a message from Damien. He was surprised that the call came so early but was glad to be doing something. Anything was better than waiting.

  Damien met him in a parking lot at Burnaby Lake and they took a stroll along a path.

  “Any heat?” asked Jack.

  Damien shook his head and said, “None that I could see. Fucking Carlos called at four o’clock this morning.”

  “Time zones,” said Jack. “They’re a couple of hours ahead of us.”

  “I made the drop two hours later.”

  “How and where?”

  “I put the money in my trunk and drove to the industrial area near the harbour at the end of Clark Drive. I left my car unlocked and went for a walk as instructed. Came back an hour later and the trunk was empty.”

  “Really wish I had been there,” said Jack. “Forget it! Nobody does anything until they’re safe!” “I know. I understand. I take it that The Toad still hasn’t shown up at the bus depot?” asked Jack, pretending to look suspiciously at Damien.

  “No. Our guys are still there, but I don’t think it looks good.”

  “Why not?”

  “If he ripped us, I can’t see him hanging around. Leaving the money this long ... I got a feeling that he may have spotted us. I’ll keep the guys there for a while longer, but something doesn’t smell right.”

  “Well, at least you got the money.”

  “Not all of it. There was only $2.5 in the locker. One mil was missing.”

  “I didn’t think that it might not all be there,” said Jack. “You obviously had enough, though?”

  “Yeah ... just barely. Which leads me to think that The Toad had an accomplice. The extra million could have gone to the guy you call the Brit, or maybe Leitch, too.”

  “Sounds logical. Looks like we both want to find him. Have you talked with Leitch?”

  “He’s out of town until tonight. That can wait. I want to find my family first.”

  “Was there anything else in the shipping container with the coke?”

  “No. That was all we were getting.”

  “I mean legit.”

  “Legit? Yeah, there were sacks of coffee. Why?”

  Jack thought of the van he had been in outside of the motel. It reeked of coffee. Natasha said Vicki’s finger also smelled of coffee.

  “What are you thinking?” asked Damien.

  “I don’t know, just trying to find something that might add up. How about Wednesday? Figure you can come up with another $3.5?”

  “Someone says they got the cash to invest in a bargain. Looks like Wednesday won’t be a problem. The market is going to be flooded for a while ... bargain basement prices. Maybe a good thing. Put more of the competition out of business.”

  Jack and Damien returned to the parking lot and stood for a moment, scanning the area.

  “No heat,” said Damien.

  “That we can see,” replied Jack.

  “When do you think it will happen?”

  Jack let out a deep breath and then said, “Let’s just say I’m not looking forward to tomorrow.”

  “Can they make you for it?”

  “I don’t know. Things could get pretty hot.”

  Damien nodded, then asked, “You ever been to Merida, Mexico?”

  “No. Why?”

  “There’s a hotel there called the Angeles de Merida. Suggest you check it out on the web today. Don’t use your own computer. Do it at library or internet café. I gotta go. Talk with you later.”

  It was just before noon when Jack called Laura’s number. Elvis answered.

  “Hi, Elvis. It’s Jack. How are things?”

  “What do you want?” Elvis obviously wasn’t in the mood for small talk.

  “Is Laura there?”

  Elvis paused and then replied, “I’ll get her.”

  Jack thought about the sudden change in Elvis’s attitude toward him. Guess I would be upset too, if my spouse was working with someone about to be arrested.

  “Hi, Jack! What’s up?”

  Laura was friendly. Means Elvis hasn’t told her. “We need to talk. How about we meet and I buy you lunch?”

  “Not with —”

  “No, not with Holly. Just the two us. Stuff happening that you need to know about.”

  “Where and when?” asked Laura.

  “Know the Gillnetter Pub on the Mary Hill Bypass?”

  “Good spot. One hour?”

  Jack brought Laura up to date on the kidnapping and told her how he had returned all but $1 million to Damien.

  “That’s awful.” She thought for a moment and then added, “You must feel awful.”

  “I do.”

  “Have you notified I-HIT yet?”

  “Can’t. Damien would never cooperate. All he wants is to get his family back. No cops involved.”

  “You trust him to tell you who the Brit is when he finds out?”

  “He’ll tell me. It won’t be long. He’s already paid the first instalment on the ransom. Second instalment will be made on Wednesday.”

  “Will he be short of cash then too?”

  “No. The coke is practically being given away to raise the money in time.”

  Laura nodded.

  “You on board with this? With what I just did?”

  Laura nodded.

  “Good. I appreciate your view. Thanks.”

  “After the other night, this seems like small potatoes. I was afraid you were going to tell me to buy rubber boots and a pickaxe.”

  “At the moment I agree with Damien. What’s important now is to get his family back. I think we can help. I have a theory.”

  “To find them ... if they’re still alive?”

  Jack grimaced and then nodded.

  “If they’re dead, it would explain why Carlos won’t let Damien talk,” said Laura. “So he can’t verify if they’re still alive.”

  “I considered that, but I think they’re alive. He’ll want Vicki and Katie alive so he can use them to make Damien come crawling to him — literally.”

  “For a guy like that, I would be willing to do the digging. What’s your theory?”

  “The Colombians wanted the money in Canadian fu
nds. I think they’re already established here. Likely in the coffee industry.”

  Laura reflected on it briefly and then said, “Would look legit. Good for laundering. Who is going to count cups of coffee, let alone figure out how many sacks of coffee are sold versus the money collected. Even sending the money back to Colombia would look legit!”

  “Natasha said Vicki’s finger smelled of coffee. I’m thinking she could be stashed in a warehouse where the coffee is stored.”

  “We should check Customs and see who is picking up the shipments.”

  “Exactly. I also want you to check out a company registered to the plate I scooped off the van at the motel. It smelled of coffee too. We might get lucky and find a match.”

  “Today is a holiday so...”

  “I know. I don’t think you’ll find much out before tomorrow, but get on it as soon as you can.”

  Laura took a sip of Rickard’s Red and then a bite of calamari. “I bet you’re right about the coffee connection. It all ties in. Find the warehouse and we find his wife and daughter.”

  Jack nodded.

  “But then what? We can’t raid the place ourselves. We’ll need to call out the troops.”

  “I know. We’ll do it anonymously. It might even be in VPD’s jurisdiction. I’ll talk to Damien about it then. All he wants is his family back. Our Emergency Response Teams are better trained than anyone he has.” Jack took a bite of a chicken wing and then added, “They haven’t killed as many, but they’re better trained.”

  “Then we’re set.”

  “Sort of.”

  “Sort of?” Laura put her fork down. “What else? You’re holding something back!”

  Jack looked at her and said, “I know I’ve dumped a lot of crap on you in a hurry.”

  “No kidding! Officially I don’t even start until tomorrow.”

  “And I want to thank you for being the person you are. There are only a few people I trust in this world. I trust you.”

  Laura nodded and said, “Thanks. Now quit avoiding the subject. What else should I know?”

  Jack sighed and said, “Tomorrow things could go bad for me. Something unrelated to this.”

  “Bad? In what way?”