by Easton, Don
“Rose, please,” interjected Jack, calmly. “I’ve known CC a long time. I normally respect her judgment. There have been unusual circumstances in the past on unrelated matters. It’s her job to be suspicious. She’s a good cop.”
“Thanks, Jack,” replied Connie, automatically. What the fuck! I just thanked him! She glared at Jack and then looked at Rose and said, “You have to admit, to kill someone in your organization because he is being followed by the police doesn’t seem practical.”
“It could be that they will wipe out anyone who they think will lead the police to them,” continued Rose. “Or maybe they did put him on a polygraph and he failed. What do you think, Jack?”
“I think I’m glad that I didn’t have a cover team following us yesterday,” he replied, staring at Connie who purposely avoided looking back.
“Which is another thing,” said Rose. “Until this matter is finished, Jack and Laura will not be coming into the office. These people are too dangerous to mess around with. We’ll rent a hotel room to meet if necessary.”
“Appreciate that,” said Jack. “Coming here does put us at risk. I wouldn’t have come except for Connie’s insistence.”
Connie ignored the remark and turned to Sammy and asked, “And you didn’t have any wire on Goldie? Nothing to help us?”
“We were working on getting some, but it was still a week away. Sorry about yesterday. Sounds like we really screwed up. Just didn’t know how much until now.”
“Don’t worry about it,” said Jack. “You can’t blame yourself for their paranoia.”
“Yeah, I guess,” replied Sammy.
“What about the Chinese restaurant and the dealers down there?” asked Connie. “You said the ones following Goldie were Asian. The farmer said he thought whoever shot Goldie was Asian, as well.”
“Our UC operators haven’t heard anything. As far as the wire goes, nothing out of the ordinary.”
“Nobody making innuendos?” asked Connie. “Sounding angry? Scared? Anything?”
“Nope,” replied Sammy. “The closest thing we got to anger was some guy upset that his delivery order hadn’t arrived twenty minutes earlier.”
Laura felt a light kick under the table from Sammy as he spoke. He knows!
“And that was it?” persisted Connie. “No calls about people being followed or a team being put together to whack someone?”
“Nope. Also, for your info, all of us who were on the surveillance team yesterday looked at the mug shots that the Asian Based Organized Crime Unit has. There was nobody we recognized, but we might come up with something once we make arrests from our current UC.”
“I appreciate that, thanks,” said CC.
“They’re big into using laptops,” said Jack. “These guys are too professional to use telephones.”
“Can you show me the underground parkade where Goldie went?” asked Connie. “I’m betting his car is still there.”
“No problem,” replied Sammy.
Connie sighed and said, “Guess maybe I do owe you an apology, Jack. Sorry.”
“It’s okay,” he replied. “I feel like I’m made of Velcro as I go through life. Things seem to stick to me. I understand why you would be suspicious.”
“Velcro?” snorted Connie. “More like Teflon if you ask —”
“As I said, your apology is accepted,” interrupted Jack.
As the meeting broke up, Sammy whispered in Laura’s ear and said, “About that guy whose Chinese food was late. Must have been his wife in the background who said, ‘Don’t even think of it’ and ‘the clock starts now.’” Sammy grinned and continued, “Now to me, she must have been talking about the order. The strangest thing is, her voice sounded like yours.”
Surprise registered on Laura’s face.
“Yeah, I know,” said Sammy. “Now show concern and deny it. By the way, I drink Canadian Club.”
“Jack, Laura!” interjected Rose. “The two of you … my office.”
Rose didn’t mince words when the three of them were alone in her office. She pointed a finger at Jack and said, “This has become personal to you. Why?”
“Personal?” replied Jack.
“You weren’t content with letting me describe the investigation about the murder of a homeless person. You put a name to it — Melvin Montgomery. You have personalized the issue, I am simply wondering why? Something in your past?”
“Ah, perhaps the two of you should discuss this in private,” said Laura, rising from her chair.
“Sit down,” said Rose. “You two are obviously a team. Your decisions affect each other. Unlike our meeting a few minutes ago, this isn’t an inquisition. I simply want to understand why you take the risks you do and to ensure that your decisions are pragmatic in nature and not skewered by personal bias.”
“Everyone has personal bias,” replied Jack. “Whether you admit it or are even aware of it. We all come from a past where we have encountered different experiences.”
“Yes, and those experiences cause us to be biased in different directions,” said Rose. “So what are your personal experiences with someone, say, like Melvin?”
“I’m an operator,” said Jack. “I’ve seen and dealt with many Melvins and Ophelias. Up close and personal.”
“Ophelias?”
“Another friend of mine who died recently. A hooker and a junkie. Another nobody in the eyes of society.”
“And you met her working undercover,” concluded Rose.
“She tipped us off, for free, about a guy she knew who had robbed and murdered an old-age pensioner. She would have been killed if anyone knew she informed.”
“So you believe that this nobody in the eyes of society actually risked her life to help society?” replied Rose.
“Jack believes it because it’s true,” said Laura. “She put Mad Dog and his crew away, as well.”
“I see,” said Rose.
“Do you?” asked Jack. “It goes further than society not seeing these people. Most don’t even want to think they are people.”
“What are you getting at?”
“That someone like Goldie, faced with twelve upstanding citizens and a judge, would never have to worry. Not that he could be convicted because I committed a far worse crime by stealing his garbage bag. But even if I hadn’t, any sentence he might have received would have still left him laughing.”
“Sounds to me like you’re admitting to being biased in this matter,” said Rose.
“Biased or experienced?” asked Jack. “Knowing the probability of an outcome does not mean you are biased.”
“Perhaps, but when it comes to the law, you must be accountable. Bias is something twelve jurors might discuss and reach a balance. Not one or two people deciding the fate of others for themselves.”
“When it comes to the law, you are absolutely right,” said Jack.
“You agree?”
“Of course I do, but I wasn’t talking about the law. I was talking about justice. What are your views on that?”
Rose stared silently for a moment. Briefly, she looked sad. Jack had the feeling she was remembering something. Her eyes met Jack’s and she said, “I would compare your views on handling justice to those of someone skating on a river in early April. It is only a matter of time before you fall in and drown.” She glanced at Laura and added, “Sometimes drowning people take others with them.”
“I’m a good swimmer,” replied Laura.
“Interesting analogy,” said Jack. “Do you skate yourself?” he asked, watching her intently.
Rose spotted Jack’s gaze and her face hardened and she said, “I gave that up. I respect my own life and the people I love. Something you would be wise to consider.”
Jack turned to Laura and said, “Guess if we do any skating, we’re on our own.”
Rose sighed and said, “I’ll be back on shore. I may have a rope to toss you, but at the rate you’re going, I don’t think it will be long enough.”
Jack thought ab
out Natasha … and a family he hoped to have. His BlackBerry received a text message from Lee requesting they meet. “We have to go,” he said.
29
Lee set his sake down when the sushi arrived and smiled understandingly when Laura requested a knife and fork.
“You seem well acquainted with chopsticks,” he commented to Jack, who handled them with ease.
“I love Japanese food,” replied Jack. “This is okay, but next time Laura and I decide on the restaurant.”
“Agreed,” replied Lee.
Da Khlot sat alone at another table and discreetly watched the threesome. This clumsy Western woman cannot even master the use of chopsticks? Lee said she was dangerous.… With his soft life, he would think a bird with a broken wing is dangerous.
Da Khlot turned his attention to Jack. The man perhaps could be difficult. He is tall and does not have the physique of so many Westerners … like that of a pot-bellied pig. No matter. Much bigger men have fallen. Da Khlot recalled some of the men he had killed in the past. Big men who towered over him in height and weight. They do not look so big when they look up at you from the floor. Their eyes wide and their brains confused as to why they are paralyzed. Size is no match for surprise, speed, and experience … nor is it a match for what The Shaman desires.
Da Khlot leaned forward to reach for a glass of water and his thoughts changed as he felt the pistol he had tucked in his pants. Ah, but tonight, there will be no such death for these Westerners. Their deaths will be a bullet to their brain. Lacking the skill of an artist — but effective just the same.
Da Khlot went over the plan again in his mind. Mister Lee was to give the Westerners the test when they finished their meal. Should they fail the test, Mister Lee was to go to the washroom. Da Khlot had already let the air out of one of the tires on the Westerners’ car. He would simply follow them out and shoot them both from behind. To appease Mister Lee, he said he would steal the woman’s purse and run away. A ruse to trick the police into thinking that Mister Lee’s dinner guests were simply the victims of a robbery. The ten-shot 9 mm Browning semiautomatic pistol provided by Mister Lee would ensure easy completion of his mission.
Mister Lee had volunteered to use his own people for the assassination, but The Shaman said he wished to arrange for a suitable replacement for Mister Lee in Intrinsic Global. As he was back in Vancouver, anyway, it would be prudent to use the services of Da Khlot.
What the unfortunate Mister Lee did not know was that he would not be allowed a second mistake in judgment. He would be killed first when he went to the washroom. Stealing the purse would not be necessary.
Da Khlot felt the presence of the scabbard holding the narrow-bladed dagger strapped to the inside of his left forearm. It was his weapon of choice. Silent and deadly. He would undo the button on his shirt sleeve and walk into the washroom behind Mister Lee. If Mister Lee should see him, Da Khlot would assure him that there was no rush and he simply wanted to ensure that he had received the correct signal. He had, after all, let the air out of one of the tires. There was lots of time. Then he would stab him in the throat and sever his windpipe. There would be no noise to warn the Westerners, who he would shoot immediately after.
As Jack and Laura picked away at the sushi, Lee carefully reiterated what Goldie had already said and explained that his organization controlled the safe delivery of tons of heroin through the Orient. Bringing a ton into Canada was not a problem.
“You do not have a problem clearing customs?” asked Jack.
“It is not as easy as other countries.” Lee frowned. “But we have made certain connections who are agreeable to business. Our objective is to expand to the eastern seaboard. Something we know you could assist us with.”
“So I would become an enabler,” said Jack. “Guaranteed a percentage of commission on who I recruit and on down the ladder to whomever they use.”
“Basically, yes,” replied Lee. “We guarantee safe delivery from the poppy fields in Burma … or Myanmar as some call it these days, to the docks in Vancouver. We act as broker to those selling, those buying, and keep the peace with everyone who is involved along the way.”
“Sounds too good to be true,” said Jack, sounding skeptical.
“I’ll say,” agreed Laura.
“I assure you, it is true,” said Lee earnestly. “From Burma and on through countries like Thailand or Laos and then on to shipping destinations in Vietnam, Korea, China, Japan … wherever the next available ship can be used.”
“And you work for someone called The Shaman,” said Jack.
“His identity is secret,” said Lee, solemnly.
“But surely not to me,” said Jack. “Not if I am going to be working for him.”
“I am sorry, but there is no need for you to know his name. You would be reporting to me.”
“If you think I am going to be turning over millions of dollars to someone I don’t even know, then you must take me for a fool.”
“I do not take you for a fool,” Lee replied earnestly. “You would be turning the money over to me. I would distribute it as agreed, just like others below you would distribute it up the ladder. There is no need for anyone to know the names of people they are not directly involved with.”
“How do I know that this isn’t all an elaborate scam?” asked Jack.
“Or perhaps you are really working for the police!” said Laura.
“I am not! If you wish to take me to the washroom and search me, I would not object.”
“Honey,” said Jack. “Do you mind taking him to the washroom and searching him? If I do it, someone may come in and question my sexuality.”
“Men’s or women’s?” Laura asked Jack.
“What?” replied Lee. “I don’t —”
“It’s okay,” said Jack, giving a quick grin. “Lighten up. All I’m saying is you must understand where I’m coming from. Everything you describe seems too good to be true. It is not just my money that is at risk. If I introduce my colleagues to take part, we are not talking millions, we are talking billions. Not chicken feed like one lousy ton.”
Lee’s face lit up and his enthusiasm showed in his voice when he said, “You can handle that much?”
“If I couldn’t, I wouldn’t say so.”
“I knew it!” beamed Lee. “You are the ideal man to be the enabler for North America. You have sources inside the police already. We have the same in customs. Join forces and we’ll be wealthy beyond belief.”
“Forget it,” said Jack. “This is all very interesting, but I must decline.”
“You’re not interested?” said Lee, in a panic. “Why not?”
“How do I explain to my colleagues in New York that I am working for someone I do not know? Then ask them to invest millions because of a deal someone I just met over sushi told me about?”
“You do not believe me,” Lee said, matter-of-factly.
Jack shrugged and said, “Let’s simply say my friends are a suspicious bunch of guys. If something were to go wrong, my death would be slow and painful. All this is just talk. I haven’t really checked you out. In fact, I’ve never heard of you before.”
“Because we are new to the North American market.” He turned partially in his seat and yelled, “Waiter! The check.” His eyes flickered to Da Khlot, who gave an imperceptible nod. It is time …
“It’s our turn to buy,” protested Jack.
Lee smiled and said, “I picked the restaurant, I buy. Next time you decide on the restaurant.”
“Sounds good,” replied Jack.
“Now, about our problem of trusting each other,” continued Lee. “What if I arranged a personal tour for the both of you … of your shipment literally from the ground up.”
“What do you mean?” asked Laura.
“You would be taken to a poppy field in Burma and follow the product from there to a laboratory and on to Thailand. At the moment, I do not know which country would be next, but when that time arrives, if you still have doubts,
you could then follow the shipment to the designated port and watch it be placed on a ship. At that point, you would pay for half the shipment before the ship leaves.” Lee paused and said, “Incidentally, what is your preference for how payment is made?”
“My colleagues have a bank in the Grand Caymans. A few phone calls would have to be made, but the money could be transferred to wherever you like. Split and sent to multiple accounts if you prefer.”
“Excellent,” replied Lee, nodding his head. “I admire your professionalism. So then, once you pay half, the ship usually takes about six weeks to arrive. The balance would be paid upon delivery.”
“You would be willing to do that?” asked Jack. “To expose your organization in such a manner prior to the down payment?”
Lee smiled and said, “I was getting to that.” He paused to pay the waiter cash for the meal and waited until they were alone again before continuing. “We would meet in Thailand, where it is only a short journey to the Burmese border. There are certain security precautions that would need to take place in Thailand first.”
“Such as?” asked Jack.
“Nothing serious. If you are being honest about doing business with us, you would have nothing to fear. It will be made clear to you only then.”
Jack shrugged and said, “I’m easy to get along with.” The goddamned lie detector! He hid his fear and replied, “That would be an important first step, something I could assure my colleagues about, but without knowing the identity of who we would be working for, I doubt that they would give any serious consideration to the matter.”
“And why not?” asked Lee, making no effort to hide his frustration and anger. “What I am offering is almost full access to our organization.”
