by Easton, Don
“Preventing three more?” said Connie in surprise.
“Yeah, I guess I didn’t mention that. I’m feeling a little groggy. Apparently they are going to kill three more victims between now and Christmas.”
“Ah, God, Jack. Are you sure you’re getting the straight goods on these murders? I presume your informant didn’t come forward to be a good citizen. If you’re holding something over your so-called informant’s head … like going to jail … all this talk of murders could be bullshit.”
“It’s obvious the details about the rape aren’t bullshit. I don’t think the information about the murders is, either. I’ll do some digging. If my informant is lying to me, I’ll gift-wrap the sick bastard who did the rape and deliver him to you, or better yet, stuff him in a crab trap someplace.”
Connie vented her frustration by giving the desk a kick, which raised a few heads in the office. “At least I understand your dilemma,” said Connie bitterly, “but it still makes me want to puke.”
“Can’t say as I like it, either,” said Jack. “Knowingly letting a rapist walk around … well, it makes it feel really personal to me.”
Connie reflected on past investigations that Jack had taken personally. “Uh, Jack, between you and me, I wish to make it clear that I prefer your gift-wrapping strategy over using a crab trap.”
“I was only joking about the crab trap.”
“Were you?” frowned Connie. “Don’t even go there with me. You’ve got far too much history of being around bad guys who keep turning up dead.”
“Like you said, let’s not go there.”
“I presume you’ll need a hand with the murders? Speaking of which, where is Laura?”
“She’s out in the car making a personal call. As far as the offer to help goes, I appreciate it, but they are not in your jurisdiction.”
“Can’t say that I’m not relieved to hear that.”
“Three are American, one is British, and one is from Vancouver. I’m told that at least two of the next three victims will be Canadian. If things check out, I’ll liase with Vancouver PD on the Canadian victim.”
“Oh shit,” muttered Connie, while looking over Jack’s shoulder. “McCormick went and got Inspector Dyck.”
“Who’s he?” asked Jack, turning to see McCormick approaching with a man who was dressed in a suit and tie. The man was tall and had a physique that said he worked out. He strutted across the room with the confidence of someone in charge.
“A new inspector transferred in from Ottawa,” whispered Connie.
“Are you Corporal Taggart?” asked Dyck, pointing his finger at Jack’s chest.
“Yes, I’m Jack Taggart,” he replied, extending his hand. “And you are?”
“Inspector Dyck,” he replied, ignoring the handshake. “What’s this garbage I hear that you know who is responsible for the sexual assault on Amanda Evans and are refusing to disclose who it is? Do you think this is some kind of a joke?”
“It’s no laughing matter,” replied Jack. “I have an informant who is providing me details on five murders, along with three more potential murders. The victims are apparently honest citizens murdered on an insurance scam. The informant supplied details about Amanda Evans to show credibility.”
“Who are the victims?”
“I don’t know yet. Some are American. One Canadian and a Brit. I need a few more days to check things out.”
“This is preposterous,” spluttered Dyck. “I demand that you give me the informant’s name immediately.”
“I promised the informant that I would not disclose or compromise his or her identity.”
“From what I have been told, either your informant is the rapist … or someone damned close to him. We need to know who it is and we need to know now!”
“Sir, I work on an Intelligence Unit targeting organized crime. Keeping my word is not only a moral issue I take seriously, it is also tantamount to maintaining my reputation as someone to be trusted. I deal with high-level criminals on a regular basis. They need to know that I will protect them.”
“For your information, Corporal, I am very familiar with the file. Let me tell you that this isn’t his first time. Knife marks left on the beds of other rape victims match. He is becoming more brazen and increasing his level of violence. The profilers believe he will graduate to mutilation and murder soon.”
“The profilers could be right,” said Jack, “but the current murders trump the sexual assault. I need to investigate the murders.”
“Current murders? Where’s your proof of that? You don’t even know who the victims are.”
“That is why a need a few days,” replied Jack.
“We may not have a few days. If your informant has already given you what he or she knows, then you don’t need the informant anymore. You shouldn’t have any qualms about giving me the name.”
“Maybe that is how you work, but I don’t work that way,” snapped Jack.
“Don’t you use that tone with me, Corporal!”
Jack sighed. “Sir, I gave my word. I will be in a position to monitor the rapist. If he tries to strike again, I will give you the name. My promise to the informant is only for past crimes.”
Dyck turned to McCormick and said, “Where is the file? I need to see it again.”
McCormick handed Dyck the file and he went through it and quickly opened a brown manila envelope. A second later, he thrust a picture in front of Jack’s face.
Jack blinked his eyes to control his emotion. It was a picture taken of Amanda Evans shortly after the assault. Her grief and tears were evident, along with superficial knife marks on her neck. Jack swallowed and clenched his fists to contain his own grief.
“Take a good look,” seethed Dyck. “She also has a three-year-old daughter who witnessed the assault! You are so hot on protecting your informant … who is protecting her, or the next victim?”
Jack momentarily closed his eyes and took a deep breath, before slowly exhaling. “It’s simple logic,” he sighed. “I’m willing to let a rapist go to catch someone committing murder. I really do hope you catch the person who attacked Amanda … but it won’t be with my help for crimes up to this point.”
Dyck’s face darkened. “I’ve had enough of your insolence,” he growled. “So listen very carefully. I am not asking. I am ordering you to tell me!”
“I do not burn my informants,” said Jack firmly.
“You will this time, or I’ll have you charged with obstruction of justice,” said Dyck matter-of-factly. “To make it very clear, you will not be leaving this office, except in handcuffs, unless you give me the name.”
Silence descended as all eyes were fixed on Jack. Eventually Jack nodded and took a piece of paper from the desk and wrote on it. He carefully folded the paper to hide the name and glared at Dyck a moment, then said, “Leave me out of it,” before handing the paper over.
“I’m glad for your sake that you came to your senses,” said Dyck, as he unfolded the paper to glance at the name.
“There is something you need to realize,” replied Jack. “More than my reputation is at stake. Most of my informants would be murdered if word leaked out that they were talking to the police. I would respectfully ask that you give considerable thought as to how you proceed with this.”
Dyck nodded and watched as Jack strode out of the office. “Crane, McCormick, the both of you into my office,” ordered Dyck.
A moment later, Connie and McCormick sat in front of Dyck’s desk as he toyed with the slip of paper in his fingers while thinking about his next step. “Okay,” he said, “Corporal Crane, it has been brought to my attention that you’re one of the best interrogators in the office.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“I realize you work homicides, but I would like you to assist and take the lead for the interview in this matter.”
“Yes, sir,” replied Connie.
Dyck glanced at McCormick. “I hope you don’t take offence, but Corporal Crane does hav
e far more experience than you.”
“No offence taken, sir,” replied McCormick. “I look at it as a chance to learn.”
Connie glanced at McCormick and thought, Believe me kid, with Taggart involved you’ll probably learn more than you will ever want to know …
“I expect the interview to take place as soon as possible,” said Dyck. “You can use whatever location you think is appropriate to try and maintain confidentiality.”
“So I won’t be interviewing the rapist?” asked Connie.
“No. The name and phone number he gave me is for a woman.” Dyck shook his head and added, “She must be one sad, demented soul to be hanging out with the guy we’re after.”
Connie accepted the piece of paper Dyck handed her. Goddamn it, Jack …
“Is there a problem?” asked Dyck.
“Uh, sir, the name on the paper that Jack … I mean Corporal Taggart gave you, uh …”
“Her phone number is there,” noted Dyck, sounding irritated. “Scoop her up as soon as you can.”
“It’s not that, sir. The name he gave you is Rose Wood.”
“I saw that.”
“That is Staff Sergeant Rose Wood. She is Taggart’s boss. The phone number is her office number.”
Dyck’s face reddened and he yelled, “Give me that paper!”
Chapter Nine
Jack was already dialling his phone as he got back into the SUV while at the same time telling Laura to drive back to where Virgil’s car was parked. As he waited for Rose to answer, Virgil leaned forward from the back seat.
“Told you everything would check out,” said Virgil, smugly.
“Shut up,” said Jack. “No, not you Rose.”
“Heard from the narcs that it went well last night,” said Rose. “The Americans took down the courier and a fellow picking him up. They got twenty-eight kilos of meth.”
“I know,” replied Jack.
“Are you on your way to the office? I knew you would be sleeping and didn’t want to bother you, but I’d like a report on it before the day is over. The brass are pleased, but with the Americans involved, they’ll want all the details pronto.”
“Laura and I haven’t been to bed yet. We’re still working.”
“I thought it was all wrapped up hours ago?”
“What you’re talking about is. We’ve been working on something different.”
“Important enough to keep you both working for what … the last twenty-something hours straight?”
“It might involve some murders, with more murders to follow.”
“It does,” said Virgil from the back seat. “What I told you is —”
Jack put his finger to his lips telling Virgil to be quiet.
“Sounds to me like more than the two guys in the U.S. were caught,” said Rose.
“You’re right about that,” said Jack. “Laura and I are still debriefing the person as we speak. We will come to the office as soon as we’re done.”
“Sounds interesting. See you when you get here.”
“There’s more. I take it you haven’t received a call from the big dick yet?”
“Who?”
“Inspector Dyck.”
“Who’s he?”
“He recently transferred in to Major Crimes in Surrey. Came from Ottawa. I have a feeling that he might be a little upset with me.”
“Pray tell,” replied Rose, skeptically. “What happened that would give you that idea?”
“I could tell by his demeanour. I told him that I would be looking into some possible murders —”
“They’re not possible! They’re real!” yelled Virgil from the back seat.
“And that upset him?” asked Rose.
“Well, there is a bit more to it than that. There was a matter of credibility, but the source alleviated some of it,” said Jack, turning in his seat to glare at Virgil, “by admitting to a recent crime. Dyck wanted to know the informant’s name and I refused.”
“What kind of crime?” asked Rose. “Are we talking murder, rape, bank robbery, what?”
“Your second guess.”
“Rape?”
“Yes. Repeatedly.”
“Oh, God,” moaned Rose.
“Yeah,” replied Jack. “Exactly.”
“You better hope he’s not lying to you about the murders.”
“If he is lying to me about anything, I’ll feed him to the wolves,” said Jack, staring intently at Virgil who decided to gaze at the floor mat.
“And the big dick wouldn’t … I mean Inspector Dyck, you said by his demeanour that —”
“I meant that the more I refused to tell him … da’ meaner he got.”
“That isn’t all that funny, Jack.”
“Try staying up for twenty-seven hours straight. Then it will seem funnier.”
“Hang on, I got passed a note. Seems I have an urgent call waiting.”
“Gee, I wonder who that could be?”
Rose sighed. “Guess this is why I make the big bucks. See me as soon as you’re done there.”
When Laura parked behind Virgil’s car, Jack turned in his seat and stared silently at Virgil.
“So I’m free to go?” asked Virgil, nervously.
“Yes, but you will remain on a very short leash. I need you to find out whatever you can to help us catch these guys. See if you can find out who your brother works for. The guy you said is Mr. Merlin or Marlin.”
“I’ll try. Oskar should arrive in Victoria today. He told me he would stay until at least the end of the month. He is going to be in some sort of boat race.”
“That would be the Swiftsure International Yacht Race,” said Jack. “They have it every year during the last week in May.”
“Yeah, that’s it.”
“You told me he plans on killing three more people before Christmas.”
“Yeah, then he’ll retire on some beach some —”
“I want you over there tonight.”
“I’ve been up since two o’clock yesterday afternoon! It’s now ten o’clock in the morning. I need —”
“You need to get your ass over there!” yelled Jack.
“Okay, okay,” replied Virgil quickly.
“I’ll let you go home and sleep for a few hours. It will take me that long to get a proper surveillance team on you.”
“Surveillance team? You said you weren’t going to tell anyone!”
“Special ‘O’ won’t know anything about what you told us.”
“Special ‘O’?”
“It’s a specialized unit who are experts in surveillance.”
“But they’ll know what I did?”
“No. I use them frequently. A judge will only issue a wiretap order as a last resort. We have to show that other investigative means were tried and failed. Special ‘O’ is used all the time with drug dealers to conduct surveillance and put in reports to prove that surveillance alone is not sufficient to catch someone. I’ll assign them to follow you and tell them I think you are dealing dope. As a matter of routine they will identify who you meet. It will go toward convincing me that you’re on the level. Perhaps later, I’ll have them watch your brother.”
Bullshit, thought Virgil. You want to catch me the next time I go and pork some bitch. He looked at Jack and said, “How long do you expect they will be following me?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe a week or two.”
Yeah, I bet …
“Until Special ‘O’ is set up on you, we will follow you home and wait nearby until they arrive. I want you on the seven o’clock ferry tonight. That will give you time for a little shuteye.”
“Fuck, after what I have been through, I doubt that I’ll be able to sleep, anyway,” grumbled Virgil.
“Try and find out how Oskar picks the victims and anything else that would help. We’ll be giving you our phone numbers. If you hear something important, call us day or night. Also keep your own phone handy in case we need to talk to you.”
“Yeah,
okay,” replied Virgil, “but tell them to be careful if they’re following my brother. He’s really bright. I was a straight-A student all through high school and in the top two percentile of my intelligence scores, but I can tell you, Oskar is a lot brighter than me.”
“So if you have the brains, why did you pick a career as a criminal?” asked Jack.
Virgil looked at Jack and shrugged.“Because I enjoy a challenge, although I have to admit that up until now, keeping a step ahead of you guys hasn’t been all that challenging.”
Jack felt irritated that Virgil seemed to be enjoying the moment and decided to change the subject. “Is your address right on your driver’s licence?”
“Yeah, it’s a duplex out in Richmond,” replied Virgil.
“Got a garage?” Jack asked.
“It’s a carport. It will be easy to see my car, if that is what you’re worried about.”
Jack nodded and said, “Okay, the cuffs are coming off.”
Once Virgil had been released, Jack opened the glove box and handed him the knife.
Virgil was hesitant to take it, as he eyed Laura, wondering if it was a trick.
“Take the goddamned thing,” said Jack, harshly. “But be warned, if you do any more rapes, all deals are off, got it?”
“Never again,” said Virgil, quickly tucking the knife in his belt and pulling his shirt over it.
Jack stared at Virgil who returned his stare without blinking. After a moment, Jack nodded. “Good, I’m hoping I can believe you.”
Virgil was careful to act solemn, but scowled hatefully at Laura before opening the door and leaving.
Laura waited until Virgil got in his car and pulled away from the curb before pulling out to follow him. She then cast a sideways glance at Jack and said, “Did you see the look he gave me before he got out?”
“Yes. He likes to control women. You throwing him to the ground and choking him didn’t sit well with him.”
