Jack Taggart Mysteries 7-Book Bundle

by Easton, Don

  “I don’t understand how someone could do that to another human being. Amanda was so nice. Still a child, really. If whoever did it doesn’t seek forgiveness, they could go to Hell.”

  “Tonight, if I had my way,” replied Jack.

  Gabriel looked at him sharply and said, “Vengeance is not ours. It’s God’s.”

  “So I’ve been told,” replied Jack.

  “Good. Come in. I’ll pour some tea.”

  The next morning a meeting was held with Jack, Laura, Connie, and Sammy from Drug Section. Neither Jack nor Laura had been to bed yet, having spent the night watching Sy’s apartment building in a futile attempt to learn more.

  Connie was late so Jack used the time to update Sammy on the investigation.

  “You’re moving into Sy’s apartment this coming Friday?” asked Sammy.

  “Yes. That’s when Laura and I become known as Jay and Princess. Will you still be able to help us out with surveillance or maybe a quick UC if the need arises?” asked Jack.

  “Not a problem.”

  “I still feel sick about last night,” said Jack. “Only Laura and I knew where Amanda was staying.”

  “What about the landlady?” suggested Sammy. “Maybe she blabbed.”

  “Gabriel?” replied Jack. “Not a chance. I went to her house and spoke with her last night. She’s too upset over what happened to Faith. There is no way she would say anything.”

  “What about her other kid? The boy?”

  “All Noah knew was that they had a new border. He didn’t even know her last name, let alone the circumstances of why she moved to —”

  “Sorry I’m late,” announced Connie, striding into the room.

  “Hey, Connie,” said Jack. “Where you been?”

  “Doing police work,” she replied, pulling out a chair. “And speaking of police work,” she said, looking at Laura, “aren’t you a little overdressed?”

  “Last night interrupted a date with Elvis,” replied Laura.

  “You come up with anything?” asked Jack.

  “As a matter of fact, I think I did,” Connie replied as she sat down. “I may have figured out how they found Amanda.”

  “How?” said Jack, feeling the guilt contract his stomach and paralyze his lungs.

  “I interviewed her this morning. She said she told the secretary at Queen Elizabeth her new address so some mail could be sent to her.”

  “I told her not to tell anyone,” lamented Jack.

  “I know. She told me, but said the secretary is an older lady, really nice, and would never tell anyone. I met with the secretary at her house. She is a nice lady. Unfortunately, too nice to think like a criminal.”

  “Meaning?” asked Jack.

  “Her office is open to everyone passing by. She stores the files in a cabinet that she locks at the end of the day. She doesn’t lock her office at lunchtime and can’t even remember if she put Amanda’s address away promptly or left it on her desk until later.”

  Jack put his elbow on the table and covered his eyes with his hand. He wished he were alone right now. I should have told her that someone else would get her mail…

  “It’s a big school,” continued Connie. Lots of students and lots of teachers coming and going. Everybody busy and nobody paying attention. You know how it is.”

  “Yeah, I know how it is,” replied Jack, looking up. “How is Amanda doing?”

  “Okay, all things considered. They are releasing her this morning. Her parents showed up and are taking her back with them to Victoria.”

  “Seems soon,” commented Laura.

  “I thought so, too, but I guess the hospitals are busy and her injuries are not serious. She will need to make a lot of visits to a plastic surgeon.”

  “I suggested she go live with her parents before, but she refused,” said Jack.

  “She’s not now. She doesn’t even want to go back to Gabriel’s to pick up her stuff.”

  “I don’t blame her,” said Laura.

  “When we’re done here, I’ll call the hospital and see if Laura and I can pick up some of it for her,” said Jack. “At least her purse and some clothes.”

  “No need,” replied Connie. “I got uniform to do it.” She glanced at her watch and added, “Actually I imagine she’s on her way to the ferry as we speak.”

  “What about her car?” asked Jack.

  “Uniform delivered that to the hospital for her, as well. Her mother is driving it back so everything is looked after for the moment.”

  “Anything from the punks who were arrested last night?” asked Sammy.

  “No,” replied Connie. “They were demanding lawyers before I could finish reading them their rights.”

  “Any evidence to link them to Sy?” asked Jack.

  “Nothing,” replied Connie, tapping her pen on the edge of the desk while she pondered what could be done next.

  “At least you guys got lucky last night,” said Sammy. “Hell of a good coincidence that the slimeballs ended up in the hospital next to their victim.”

  “Yeah, sometimes we get lucky,” responded Connie. Her mind toyed over the word coincidence. She looked across the table at Jack. Coincidence was a word she knew all too well from past investigations. There were always coincidences when Jack was involved.

  “So what’s next?” asked Sammy.

  “We’re no further ahead on identifying Cocktail than we were months ago,” replied Connie. “I hate to think that your UC is our only option. It might be easier for your informant to wangle a meeting with Cocktail than either of you. Maybe your informant could wear a wire.”

  “Out of the question,” replied Jack. “We promised our friend that we would never divulge his or her identity.”

  “Witness protection?” suggested Connie.

  Jack shook his head and said, “Our informant has lots of family members in the lower mainland. The Brotherhood knows a lot of them. If our source is burned, they’ll kill someone else if they can’t get their hands on the source. You saw what they did to Amanda. Imagine what they would do to one of their own who turned. Laura and I should be able to gain Sy’s trust. We’ve worked on smarter people than him.”

  “Don’t forget,” said Sammy. “We’ve still got a dirty narc someplace.”

  “I always presume there are dirty cops someplace,” replied Jack. “It pays to be careful all the time.”

  “Even if you gain Sy’s trust,” said Connie, while glancing at Laura’s bare legs, “how do you plan on getting him to introduce you to Cocktail?”

  “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. Sy met him before. With Varrick out of the way, maybe Sy will be meeting him again.”

  “So what will you do?” asked Connie, while watching Jack closely. “Follow Sy and hope he meets Cocktail someplace like a park where you could bump into them or something?”

  Jack’s face remained unchanged and she wondered if her suspicions were unfounded.

  “We need Sy’s trust first,” said Jack. “Then I’ll say we have a buddy, maybe Sammy, who is interested in setting up a lab. Do something to see if we can draw Cocktail out.”

  “I could handle that roll,” replied Sammy. “How big is your buget?”

  “Connie says we’re only authorized for twenty grand.”

  “That’s not much,” commented Sammy.

  “They’re not buying dope,” said Connie. “It should be lots to rent an apartment for a couple of months.” She looked at Jack and said, “Isn’t it? Things are tight. I had to beg to get that much.”

  “We’ll see,” replied Jack. “I’ve already spent half of it.”

  “What the hell you talking about? You haven’t even moved in yet!”

  “Damage deposit, months rent in advance, furniture rental, renting a moving truck, dishes … other stuff,” replied Jack.

  “That shouldn’t be much more than five grand,” said Connie. She looked at Jack and said, “What’s the other stuff?”

  “Two new plasma telev
isions and two cases of Russian vodka,” replied Jack with a grin aimed at Sammy.

  “What? You’re not serious?”

  “Laura and I can never agree on which channel to watch, so we decided we would each get our own set.” Jack cast another smile at Sammy and added, “Also thought we should have some booze around in case we throw a party.”

  “Yeah, right,” replied Connie. “You had me going there. I thought you were serious.”

  Sammy grinned also. He was a trained undercover operator. He knew that Jack was serious … at least for what was purchased.

  “Anyway,” continued Jack, “as long as we remain in the background and make sure we stay out of court, it could work. Speaking of court, I have a trial coming up in Victoria in a couple of weeks. The nutcase I bought coke from. It won’t interfere with doing the UC here.”

  “One of the punks arrested last night lived in Sy’s apartment building,” said Connie. “I expect the three of them will be released soon to await trial.”

  “So what,” replied Jack. “He’s never seen my face.”

  Connie looked at Jack. I wonder if he’s ever heard you …

  “What are you thinking?” asked Jack.

  “Doesn’t matter, I guess,” replied Connie. “The guy has two broken collarbones. He can’t even wipe his own ass. I heard the nurses say he was moving back home with his parents so they could look after him.”

  “Certainly a couple of lucky breaks last night,” said Jack.

  Connie ignored the pun and said, “Getting Sy to introduce you to Cocktail won’t be easy.”

  “We’ll figure out a way,” said Jack. “We’re operators. It’s what we do. Sy isn’t all that bright. He uses the kids, but in reality, Cocktail and the bikers use him. Getting him to trust us will be … like a walk in the park,” he added, giving Connie a shallow smile.

  His remark caused her to drop her pen. She stared back at Jack, not bothering to pick it up. His face was without expression but she thought she saw a slight nod.

  Coincidence, my ass!

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  At nine o’clock Friday morning, Jack and Laura, driving an SUV, arrived at Sy’s apartment complex followed by a local moving truck. Sy gave them the keys to their apartment and the underground parking garage. By three o’clock that afternoon they were completely moved in and unpacked. Their furniture was rented and their dishes and cutlery had been purchased from Walmart.

  The two men who drove and unloaded the moving truck had another purpose. They were with a specialized unit of the RCMP. All rooms in the apartment would be bugged for safety.

  At midnight Jack and Laura left the apartment and returned an hour later. They used a two-wheeled moving dolly to haul two new television sets up to their apartment. Jack left one television on the dolly outside in the hall and the other one on the floor inside the front entrance.

  “Good as time as any,” said Jack, walking in to the bedroom which he knew was above Sy’s apartment.

  Jack checked his watch and then jumped high in the air and landed with a loud thud. Fifteen minutes later he jumped again. A repetition of four more followed before they heard Sy bang on the ceiling with a broom handle.

  “He’s really getting mad now,” commented Laura.

  Two jumps later, an enraged Sy appeared in the hallway outside their apartment. Jack pretended not to see him as he struggled with the dolly and said, “This is the last one, Princess.”

  Sy appeared behind his shoulder and saw Laura dragging a large cardboard box that she had lifted by one end. She spotted Sy and let the box drop, making a loud thud.

  “What the hell are you two doing?” seethed Sy. “It’s after two o’clock in the fucking morning!”

  “Damn it, Princess!” said Jack. “Were you dropping them all like that? This is an apartment. You have to remember to keep the noise down.”

  “They’re heavy,” she said. “I’m not a weightlifter.”

  Jack turned to Sy and said, “I’m really sorry. A friend of mine was supposed to move this stuff tonight and his truck broke down. He called me at midnight in a big panic to help take a few sets off his hands.”

  “Consider this your first and last warning,” replied Sy. “I live right below ya. No more fuckin’ noise or you’re out!”

  “I understand completely,” replied Jack. “As an apology, I’ll give you this last set.”

  Sy looked at the box and said, “It’s a fifty-inch plasma television set … the box hasn’t even been opened. You’re giving it to me?”

  “Yes, I think it should be a good set,” replied Jack. “My friend is … uh, in the electronic business. These are … uh, extra sets that nobody wants. Out of date or something. Give me a hand and we’ll haul it down to your place. The only thing is there is no warranty. If something ever goes wrong with it, don’t try to get it fixed on warranty.”

  Sy smiled. Rodine had told him that Jack was connected to the Irish mafia and into moving stolen property. He had a feeling that he and his new tenants would become good friends. At least, he hoped they would.

  The following Monday night, Sy awoke to one loud thud coming from above. After that, everything was quiet. At noon the next day he answered a knock on his door.

  Jack stood there with a sealed case of Russian vodka.

  “Hi, Jay. What’s this?” asked Sy.

  “I dropped one of these last night,” said Jack. “Sorry about that. I bet it woke you.” He handed the case to Sy and said, “A gift for you.”

  “You’re giving me a dozen bottles of vodka?”

  “Yeah. I … uh, have a friend in the liquor business. It didn’t cost me anything.”

  “No warranty?” said Sy with a smile.

  Jack chuckled and said, “Yeah. No warranty against headaches.”

  “If you’re not up to anything, how about having a drink with me?” suggested Sy. “We could watch a movie on my new television. It works great, by the way.”

  “That’s good. A drink sounds good, too. Mind if I go get Princess?”

  “Not at all. I think we have enough,” replied Sy, hoisting the case of vodka for emphasis.

  “Well, if we run out, I’ve got more,” said Jack.

  By mid-afternoon, Sy had guzzled enough vodka mixed with Red Bull that he had loosened up a little. He looked down at his dirty jeans and rumpled shirt and cast a glance at Jack and Laura, who were dressed in trendy clothes.

  “You guys do alright, doncha?” Sy said.

  “We do all right,” admitted Jack.

  “Yeah, I can tell. Come with me a sec, will ya? Want to take a little walk. You don’t mind, do ya, Princess? I’ll bring your man right back.”

  “I don’t mind,” replied Laura. “It will give me time to pour another drink.” One without vodka.

  Outside in the hallway, Sy said, “I make a rule of never talkin’ business inside my place. You never know who is listenin’.”

  “Good rule,” said Jack. “Back east I used to have my places swept once a month. Then I figured it was smarter not to say anything inside.”

  “You had your places swept … man … your cousin told me that … you know, you were connected. I didn’t realize how big. Plus I thought that was back east.”

  “The world is getting smaller,” replied Jack. “We have a lot of friends. Some are out west.”

  “Shit, I can see why ya got friends. You are one generous guy.”

  “Ah, hell,” said Jack, brushing off his comment. “That’s nothing. Chump change. My friend did get his truck fixed, so most times we’ll use a proper storage place. The other night with the truck breaking down and the storage locker closing, we were in a bind.”

  “Chump change? That television ain’t no chicken feed to me.” Sy looked at Jack suspiciously and said, “The way you’re dressed and everything … your watch … necklace … you got money.”

  “I get by.”

  “So why move into a dump like this?”

  “This isn’t our
only place,” replied Jack. “I don’t believe in putting all my eggs in one basket. Along with my friends, I’ve also made a few enemies along the way. I like having more than one place to hang my hat. Rodent said you were a solid guy. Someone who could keep his mouth shut. Figured it would be a safe place if we needed one.”

  “Your, uh, other place is a little nicer, I bet,” said Sy.

  “One is. I’m not exactly the trusting sort. Only Princess knows the location of my other places.”

  “One is?” repeated Sy. “Man, that’s smart. Maybe somethin’ I should think of.”

  “You have enemies?” asked Jack.

  “Did your cousin tell ya much about me?” countered Sy.

  Jack shrugged and said, “I know my cousin is a chef.”

  “A chef? Oh, yeah,” chuckled Sy.

  “I presumed you were in business with him.”

  “We do some stuff together,” admitted Sy. “But do I have enemies? Fuckin’ right. Things are gettin’ hot. A guy has to be careful.”

  “Hot! If you have heat then I’m not staying here,” said Jack, sounding angry. “Rodent didn’t say anything about the police sniffing around.”

  “No, no. Not that kind of heat,” Sy assured him. “It’s the competition. People encroachin’ into places they shouldn’t.”

  “Ah, I see,” replied Jack.

  “We’ve been tradin’ messages back and forth.”

  “Good to communicate,” said Jack.

  Sy smiled and said, “Not the type you’re thinkin’ of. The kind where you drive fast …” As he spoke, Sy used his hand to simulate firing a gun. “You ever do that?”

  Jack shook his head and said, “Nope. That attracts the police and usually doesn’t accomplish anything. I prefer the magician’s act.”

  “The magician’s act?”

  “Make the bunny disappear.”

  Sy smirked and said, “You are one cool dude. You into the powder?”

  “I don’t use. I like to keep my brain intact.”

  “No, I don’t mean usin’. I mean making money off it.”