by Easton, Don
The youths ducked low in the yard when they heard the back door open. It was followed by a soft feminine voice that yelled, “Kitty, kitty, kitty! Come on, Whiskers! I’m leaving the door open. If you’re not in by the time I scrub my teeth, you can spend the night outside!”
The youths heard the footsteps fade back into the house and a moment later, an upstairs bathroom light came on.
“This is gonna be fuckin’ easy,” said the oldest, pulling a pistol from his belt. The pistol was only a pellet gun, but it looked real and he knew Flowers would be too scared to tell the difference.
He glanced at his two friends who nodded and smiled back as they each pulled out hunting knives.
The one youth brandished his knife in the air, simulating carving the letters R-A-T. “Easy and fun,” he said.
“Too bad Tommy couldn’t be here,” said the other.
“Sy is smart,” whispered the oldest. “He’ll make sure Tommy has a good alibi for tonight. Come on … time to put on our masks.”
The youths placed their weapons on the lawn in front of them, dug in their pockets, and each pulled out a ski mask.
Instantly, three powerful beams of blinding light illuminated the backyard. The mouths of all three boys simultaneously hung open.
“Police! Don’t move!” screamed a command as black-clad men appeared out of the darkness pointing Heckler & Koch MP5 submachine guns at them. The favoured automatic weapon of the Emergency Response Team.
The youths gasped simultaneously, their eyes wide with fright as the members of the ERT circled them. Seconds later, the boys were all handcuffed and laying face-down on the grass.
Jack and Laura heard the scenario play out from where they sat with an ERT commander in the back of an ERT van parked a block away.
At noon the day before, Amanda had called Jack to thank him for having Tommy arrested. Jack said that he knew nothing about it. After hanging up, he called Rodine and told him to have a beer with Sy and find out what he was thinking.
Later, Rodine had called Jack back and said, “Sy met with Cocktail and some biker. They figure a teacher by the name of Flowers has been ratting and got Tommy busted. I’m surprised Sy told me, but I think he was so freaked out by Cocktail’s plan that he had to tell someone.”
Jack winced when he heard the news, but wasn’t surprised. He found out so they could also figure it out. He asked Rodine what Cocktail’s plan was and listened as Rodine told him about the intended rape and mutilation with a knife.
At first Jack had felt nauseated because he knew that to identify Flowers as the intended victim would compromise Rodine. Then he came up with a plan to protect Flowers and Rodine.
Jack told his bosses that Tommy was an important figure in The Brotherhood because his brother was a leader. He said it was rumoured that The Brotherhood blamed a teacher for Tommy’s arrest, but that he did not know which teacher.
Jack suggested the possibility that a drive-by shooting of a teacher’s house could occur, or perhaps The Brotherhood would break into a teacher’s home and commit a violent assault. Jack added further fuel to the fire by telling Morris Bloomquist, who panicked and demanded protection for himself. He also provided a list of several other teachers’ names, including Amanda Flowers.
ERT was assigned to protect the teachers and Jack assured everyone that it would only be for a couple of days because if The Brotherhood did retaliate, they would do it when the anger was still high.
“These guys aren’t smart enough to wait and plan things out over time,” said Jack. “They’re comprised of impulsive hotheads. If the rumour is right, they won’t wait.”
Jack knew that the information he provided would be immediately given to defence lawyers upon arrests. The police, who were providing protection to several teachers and without having any knowledge of the intended rape and assault with the knife, would make the arrests appear innocuous enough to protect Rodine from discovery.
Now, Jack sat in the back of the van and closed his eyes while massaging his temples with his hand as he thought about the arrest.
“What is it?” asked Laura, sounding concerned.
“They screwed up,” replied Jack.
“You got that right,” replied Laura. “All of them busted.”
“Not the punks,” said Jack, looking up. “The arrest was screwed up.”
“What do you mean, we screwed up?” said the ERT commander.
“Damn it,” replied Jack. “The bust was premature. Defence will say the kids were there to slash her tires or something. I told you to wait until they were inside. You had what, one policewoman pretending to be Amanda and three other officers in there? You could easily have handled three punks.”
“That was before one of them pulled a gun out of his pants,” replied the commander. “I’m not going to risk the lives of my people over some assholes who, even if they had gone inside, would likely end up with, at best, a few months in Juvenile Detention.”
Jack reflected on the information he had received from Rodine. He knew the gun was only a pellet pistol, but it was a detail he could not share in advance with the other officers. He sighed and looked at the commander and said, “You’re right. I’m sorry. You made the right call.”
“Damn right I did.” The commander was silent for a moment before adding, “Guess you did, too. Your rumour was right.”
Forty-five minutes later, Jack received a call from Connie asking where he was.
“In Amanda Flowers’s house,” he replied. “Where are you?”
“I’m at the Surrey office. The three punks have already lawyered up. Basil Westmount is defending one and other lawyers from his firm are representing the other two. None of the little assholes said a word. Turns out the pistol was only a pellet gun.”
“Too bad,” replied Jack. “It is going to be tough for some prosecutor to try and prove they intended to harm her. They were busted in her backyard, not in her house.”
“Yeah, but they were in a teacher’s yard at night with weapons and ski masks,” said Connie. “That ought to count for something.”
“Yeah … a reasonable person would think that,” said Jack, sarcastically. “I have to go. Laura’s upstairs helping Amanda pack. I’ve convinced her to move to a new place.”
“Relatives?” asked Connie.
“No, her parents live in Victoria. I want her to quit and move away, but she is being stubborn.”
“Hope she finds a safe place. The Brotherhood may try again.”
“I know. I told her that these guys might not give up. It would make them look bad, like they were incapable of handling business.”
“I hope she isn’t planning on continuing teaching! Doesn’t she realize how dangerous these guys are?”
“I told her. I said with the items they were caught with … masks and knives … that in my opinion they were going to sexually assault her and cut her up.”
“Do you really think that or were you trying to scare her?”
“I really think that … and it did scare her. She agreed to take some time off. I’m hoping she will at least take the rest of the semester off and start next year in a different school.”
“Will she?”
“She’s too stressed at the moment to decide. She’s already worrying about how long court will take. She wants the whole matter over with so she can get back to teaching.”
“I’ll talk to the prosecutor. Maybe see if we can expedite matters.”
It was midnight when Jack and Laura arrived with Amanda and introduced her to Gabriel Parsons, who took them around to the back of the house and into the basement suite. The bed had already been made up for her and there were towels and linens available.
“You’ve got your own kitchen,” said Gabriel, “but I know you haven’t had time to shop. In the morning come and knock on my door. I’ll make you breakfast.”
“That’s not necessary, but thank you,” replied Amanda.
“I don’t mind. You would be doing me a
favour. I could use the company. I also put a quart of milk and some almond-chocolate-chip cookies in the fridge for you. I baked them this afternoon so they’re fresh.”
Amanda smiled in spite of how she felt.
When Gabriel left, Amanda turned and said, “What a sweet lady. Thank you so much for helping me.”
“Gabriel has been through a lot,” said Jack.
“So you told me on the way over.”
“I appreciate that it hasn’t been easy for you, either. I’m hoping you will be good for each other.”
“I hope her daughter is going to be okay,” said Amanda. “The stress must be terrible.”
“Maybe you could help out by tutoring Noah. Gabriel said he was still suffering the loss of his father when Father Brown was murdered. He was a father figure to Noah. Gabriel said Noah has been fighting at school and that his grades have dropped.”
“I’d be glad to help tutor him. What grade is he in?”
“Grade eight. He attends Cedar Woods Secondary. He’s never been to QE, but to be on the safe side, I want you to use your mother’s maiden name while you are here.”
“If you think it’s necessary.”
“I do,” replied Jack. “I can’t reiterate strongly enough. Don’t tell anyone where you are staying. Give us a month or so to see what is happening. The punks who planned to attack you tonight are with The Brotherhood.
“I know about The Brotherhood,” replied Amanda. “I’ve had to deal with their BS on a daily basis.”
“Then you know they are dangerous.”
“Anyone listening to the news about all the shootings knows that.”
“They’re not all kids. Adults are in charge. Dangerous adults. I really wish you would move farther away.”
“Your parents live in Victoria,” added Laura. “That’s a beautiful city.”
“At twenty-five I don’t want to be moving back in with my parents,” replied Amanda. “Let’s see what happens in court.”
Chapter Eighteen
Over the next couple of days, Jack and Laura spent their time in the back of a surveillance van identifying people coming and going from Sy’s apartment building. Most were teenagers and most had criminal records. Of interest, one of the teenagers was identified as Lorraine Calder, the same person who had been with Julie Goodwin the day before the girl committed suicide.
Rodine told Jack that Lorraine was a girlfriend of one of Sy’s top lieutenants. A man who went by “Brewski” and who lived in the apartment next to Sy. Jack was able to identify Brewski’s real name as David Brewster. A twenty-nine year-old man who had a long criminal record for violent assaults and drug trafficking.
Three days before Jack and Laura were to move into Sy’s apartment building, Jack received a phone call from Connie. He spoke quietly on the phone in case someone should happen to walk past the van and hear his voice.
“You like your bad news straight up?” asked Connie glumly.
“What have you got?” whispered Jack.
“Crown and defence made a deal for the three punks we caught going after Amanda Flowers. Half an hour ago they all pled guilty to criminal harassment by engaging in threatening conduct.”
“That’s better than I thought,” replied Jack. “I figured it would be along the line of vandalism.”
“That might have been better. At least there would have been an admission that they intended to damage something.”
“Maybe defence thought the masks and weapons wouldn’t make the pretext of vandalism quite as plausible. I hope those details were mentioned.”
“They were. The prosecutor told the judge how they crept into her yard with masks, knives, and a pellet pistol. Westmount spoke for the defence. He told the judge that the young boys had an ill-conceived idea to put the masks on and yell at the teacher from the backyard. Their plan was that when the teacher looked out her window, the boys would hold the knives and pellet pistol up in the air to scare her and then run away. He said it was a schoolboy prank which was obviously wrong. He said all three young boys feel very foolish, ashamed, and extremely sorry for what they have done. He said letters of apology have been written to the teacher, but the police have stopped them from giving her the letters.”
“What did these young boys get?” asked Jack.
“All three received two years’ probation. They were already on probation for other crimes and this probation is to be served concurrently with the other.”
“So they received nothing?”
“You got it.”
“Is the Crown going to appeal the sentence?”
“No,” replied Connie. “With the evidence at hand the prosecutor says we’re lucky as it is. Who knows, maybe that was all the punks really intended to do.”
“Oh, Connie,” said Jack, sadly, “you’re sounding naive enough to be a judge. That is not what they intended to do.”
“What makes you so sure?”
“Seeing as you’re not going to court, I’ll fill you in.”
“Fill me in on what?” asked Connie suspiciously.
“I am trusting you to keep this to yourself. Someone’s life depends upon it.”
“I understand.”
Jack told her about Sy meeting with Cocktail and the real plan which had been foiled.
“That evil prick! We gotta get this guy!”
“Trust me, we will.”
“Wait a minute. Did you bullshit us when we had ERT sitting on all —”
“Just found out from our friend a few minutes ago,” lied Jack.
“Yeah, I bet.”
“Does Amanda know what happened in court?” he asked, changing the subject.
“Not yet. I can tell her if you like, but I thought you and Laura had a better rapport with her, so –”
“We’ll tell her,” sighed Jack.
Jack and Laura met with Amanda. She invited them in for tea, but Jack did not want to wait to tell her the news. He watched as her face went blank, repeating his words over again as she tried to make sense of what happened.
“They’re still out there,” cautioned Jack. “You should move out of the lower mainland.”
“Why?” yelled Amanda. “It’s not like they should be angry!”
“Several of them have been arrested over the last year,” said Jack. “They might try again to send a message.”
“What message?” she demanded.
“Intimidation,” said Laura. “To scare anyone else from talking to the police.”
“This is bullshit!” Amanda looked at Jack and said, “Even with masks, they would never have gotten away with it. I know their voices. Two of them are not even in any of my classes, but I know them to hear them.” She looked intently at Jack and said, “Tell me, their apology letters … do you think they were genuine?”
“No. It is a common ploy by defence to impress the judge. Believe me, these guys are not repentant, which is why I would like to see you move somewhere else.”
“This really sucks.” Amanda brooded for a moment and said, “I want to be alone. Goodbye.”
“Amanda, I know you’re angry,” said Jack. “So am I, but —”
“Don’t worry. I’ll take the rest of the year off and try to find a different school to work at next year. Please, just go.”
As Jack and Natasha were making dinner, Natasha asked, “Bad day?”
“Why do you say that?”
“You’re slamming the cupboard doors. You always do when you’re subconsciously trying to take control of a situation.”
Jack smiled to himself, once again realizing how easily Natasha could read him. “It wasn’t that bad of a day,” he replied. “Things turned out as I expected, just not as I would have liked.”
Over dinner, Jack told Natasha about the three punks receiving probation and how much it had affected Amanda’s life. He realized that Natasha was unusually silent over dinner and when they finished eating he asked, “Something on your mind?”
Natasha sighed and said, “
You’ve had a bad day …”
“Doesn’t matter. What is it?”
“There is something I want to tell you. Let’s go sit on the sofa.”
Jack nodded and Natasha held his hand and led him to the living room. As they sat down, Jack’s BlackBerry vibrated. He glanced at the call display. It was Gabriel Parson.
“I better answer,” he said.
Natasha forced a small smile and nodded.
Gabriel was in hysterics. It took Jack several seconds to calm her down before she spoke coherently.
“Noah and I were at BCCH visiting Faith,” she sobbed. “When we returned home … Noah saw a bloody footprint on our sidewalk coming from Amanda’s.”
“Did you go in?”
“No! Not after —”
“Did you call 911?”
“Yes. The ambulance is taking her away. That’s their siren in the background … or maybe the police. I heard the paramedics talking. She was gagged and tied to her bed. Naked … her face … blood everywhere.”
“Is she alive?”
“Yes, yes, she’s alive. I heard her voice.”
Jack heard Gabriel’s voice turn from the phone and she said, “Yes, Noah,” before speaking to Jack again and saying, “The police are here. I need to go.”
Jack called the Major Crimes Unit, while quickly explaining to Natasha what had taken place. MCU had already been called and Connie Crane who was on her way to the hospital.
Jack didn’t know if he wanted to cry or to vomit as he placed his next call to Laura.
“Laura, something —”
“Jack, it’s Friday night and Elvis and I are out having a romantic dinner. The waiter is setting our meal down right now. Can whatever —”
“No it can’t wait!” Jack yelled harshly, before pausing to apologize and blurting out the details.
“We’ll head home immediately,” said Laura. She was still in shock over the news. Her mind was still reeling, trying to grasp the reality of it all. She felt like she was listening to someone else’s voice telling Jack where she was, robotically repeating some of the details, hoping somehow that she was still sounding professional.
