by Don Easton
“Guess we — I can rule out suicide,” replied Connie.
“Where are the rest of the troops?” asked Bert. “Thought they would be here by now.”
“They’ll be tied up for another couple of hours. There was another gang hit this morning.”
“Another goddamned gang hit? I didn’t even hear about it.”
“Too many now to get much news coverage,” replied Connie. “So in the mean time, what can you tell me about this vic?” asked, Connie, with a nod toward the house.”
“No gang member, that’s for sure. A retired priest. Living —”
“A retired priest?” reiterated Connie, unconsciously fondling the gold crucifix dangling from her neck inside her blouse.
“Yeah. He was rooming and boarding here. The owner, Gabriel Parsons, is a widow and lives here with her two children. She also runs a small daycare out of the house. Only three or four kids at a time. I talked to her briefly, but decided to leave the real interview to you.”
“How did the call come in?”
“Gabriel said she was taking the garbage out at about seven-thirty and the first thing she noticed was a missing concrete brick out of the row of bricks lining her driveway. She turned and saw the sprays of blood up the back of her house. She dropped the garbage and headed back to her house. Along the way she saw the pool of blood and brain matter beside the basement stairwell. She ran back in the house and knocked on Father Brown’s door to tell him. When he didn’t answer she called 911. First member on the scene tried a key that Gabriel gave him for the basement door, but the lock had been changed. He kicked open the door and saw the body inside with a pulverized head. He didn’t go in, so your crime scene is intact.”
“Positive it’s the priest?” asked Connie.
“Wearing pajamas and a blue silk bathrobe with a dragon. Gabriel said it was his.”
“Did Gabriel look at the body? What was her response?”
“No. She waited at the top of the stairs. Started crying and broke into hysterics when she realized who the vic was. She’s not crying now … probably gone into shock.”
“What prompted the priest to go outside dressed like that?” mused Connie.
“Gabriel said they’ve had a problem with winos sleeping under the cedars in her yard. Father Brown used to roust them on occasion.”
“You thinking it was robbery? Doesn’t make sense if he was wearing a bathrobe.”
“I’ve got more. Gabriel rented the basement out about a year and a half ago to a guy who owns a janitorial company. She copied down his driver’s license. The name given was a Bob Rimmer. I checked it out. The name, address, and driver’s license number are all bogus.”
“Son of a bitch.”
“Gabriel says Rimmer … or whoever he is, wasn’t around much. He told her he owned the company, but two other guys by the names of Joe and John were the ones who were always coming and going. She never knew their last names, but thinks she could identify them. Joe is around thirty, slim, with short red hair. John is a little younger, muscular build, and a shaved head. She barely remembers Rimmer, but, as she recalls, he was around forty with collar-length dark hair. She says everyone tended to work nights and she seldom saw them.”
“Joe and John gotta be bogus, as well. No matter, we should be able to get prints.”
“That could be a problem. The place reeks of bleach. I think it’s been wiped down. Whoever the renters were, they don’t want to be found.”
“Wonderful,” muttered Connie.
“Maybe outstanding warrants on them,” offered Bert.
“Could be. Maybe the priest found out and they whacked him.”
“Possible,” agreed Bert. “We didn’t go in, but from what we did see, it looks like the basement suite has been cleaned out.
“Vehicles?”
“Joe and John drove a plain white van. No company logo. She can’t remember what Rimmer drove. Guess he usually parked in the alley someplace.”
“Figures,” muttered Connie.
“There is one thing. They might be bikers, or maybe associated to bikers.”
“They look like bikers?”
“No. She said the three of them looked real straight, but when they were first moving in, some biker-looking guy on a hog pulled into the yard. Gabriel said she heard Rimmer tell him in no uncertain terms to leave and never bring the bike around here again.”
“Did she ask Rimmer why?”
“She presumed he knew the noise would bother the neighbours.”
“Where’s Gabriel?”
“Inside waiting for the last mom to arrive and take the remaining daycare kid away.”
“I’ll need a statement from her. You said she is in shock. Do you think she is up to —”
“I don’t know. I guess she’s holding it together. I think she has to for the moment. Besides still babysitting, she’s got her own kids in the house. A four-year-old girl and a thirteen-year-old boy that she kept home from school.”
“This has gotta be tough on her.”
“At least she didn’t see the body.”
How about the pool of blood, bone, and brain matter on the lawn? She won’t forget about that. Holding it together … for how long? Still in shock — wait ’til it sinks in.
“You know any members that have a handle on the biker situation?” asked Bert.
Connie stared briefly at Bert as she collected her thoughts before lolling her head back and rolling her eyes. “Oh, crap,” she whispered aloud. “That would be Jack.”
Corporal Jack Taggart worked in and Intelligence Unit of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Vancouver. The unit specialized in organized crime. Jack knew a lot about bikers and in particular, Satans Wrath, who were world-renowned for having clawed their way to the upper echelon of organized crime families on the planet.
Connie Crane had past murder investigations where Jack, uninvited and against Connie’s objections, had interfered. The problem, in Connie’s opinion, was that Jack took certain investigations too personally. Mind you, some were personal, thought Connie, as she reflected back. Bad guys with any smarts should have known better than to mess with a cop’s family … especially Jack’s. Guess the ones who did were not smart. Not smart enough to know they would end up being corpses.
Connie could understand bending the rules when bad guys crossed certain barriers, but with Jack, there was more to it. Both Jack and his partner, Constable Laura Secord, had received special training as undercover operatives. They were considered two of the best operatives in the RCMP. Connie had never worked undercover, but she had learned a little about Jack’s personality from past investigations. She also knew Laura, and saw her personality change when she was assigned as Jack’s partner.
What the brass did not seem to understand, Connie had decided, was that the real undercover training took place on the street. A place where survival becomes much more personal and where your methods of survival become more honed and deadly the longer you do the work. Jack had been surviving for a long, long time. The same couldn’t be said for those he worked on. Many ended up in the morgue rather than court. Some said Jack’s involvement was only coincidental to the growing body count. Connie knew better.
Connie thought about some of her past cases with Jack. Some criminals became his informants … or had they become his friends? Some good guys we thought were friends had become criminals. Through it all, Jack continues to weave and twist his way in pursuit of justice. His justice … which has no resemblance to the law he was sworn to uphold.
“You okay?” asked Bert. “Who’s Jack?”
Connie slowly shook her head in response and sighed as she reached for her BlackBerry. Past investigations with Jack saw me investigating more murders than I started with. God, I hope this time will be different … I wonder if he is religious?
* * *
Corporal Jack Taggart leaned back in his office chair as he talked on his BlackBerry to a friend. His desk and Constable Laura Secord’s desk
butted up to one other in an office designed for one desk and one filing cabinet. They had a dozen filing cabinets.
Jack’s friend was a woman by the name of Ngoc Bích. She was brought to Canada by a smuggling ring on the pretext of working in the hotel industry. Upon arrival she was forced into prostitution. Jack had befriended her and convinced her to give evidence. Now Ngoc Bích was a nanny to another friend of Jack’s. She was also taking music and learning to play the flute.
Many of the perpetrators associated to the smuggling ring had either been convicted or were dead. Two Vietnamese brothers, both considered ringleaders, were still free, pending trial.
Ngoc Bích explained to Jack that she had shown up for court at ten o’clock, but the two accused didn’t appear and the witnesses were excused. Warrants were issued, but Ngoc Bích later heard from the prosecutor who said that after the witnesses left, the defence lawyer appeared before the judge to say he had spoken with his clients and learned they had made a mistake and thought the court case was scheduled for the afternoon. The warrants were quashed and a new trial would be scheduled at a later date.
“I didn’t sleep last night,” lamented Ngoc Bích. “I really wanted this to be over. To see their faces when they are sent to jail for what they did to me and the others.”
“I know. Me, too,” said Jack. “I wish I could have been there with you, but I don’t want the bad guys to see me and realize who I really am.”
“I understand,” said Ngoc Bích. “It’s okay. I’m not alone. Another woman is testifying, too. She is also angry that the trial did not go ahead. I guess we’ll have to wait a little while —”
“Hang on a second,” said Jack as the phone on his desk rang. Laura took the call and as he wrapped up his conversation with Ngoc Bích, he could overhear Laura’s cheery voice.
“No, I think Jack’s an atheist,” said Laura. “Me? I’m undecided. If I say I’m an atheist I’m afraid I’ll never get any holidays … hang on, Connie … Jack, you still an atheist?” asked Laura as Jack put his BlackBerry away.
“Yes, God made me one,” replied Jack.
“Yup, a heathen through and through,” replied Laura into the phone. She paused and added, “Why is that a relief? … Oh, you’re kidding. Better speak to Jack. He knows more about them than I do.”
Jack listened quietly as Connie quickly told him what she knew about the murder.
“Offhand,” replied Jack. “I’m not aware of any full-patch members of Satans Wrath who operate a janitorial service, but I wouldn’t be surprised. It would suit their MO to have such a company. They would use associates who don’t have criminal records. Especially if they could get contracts in sensitive areas.”
“Like police stations,” suggested Connie.
“Or Motor Vehicle Branches, airports, Social Services … any place to help them gather intelligence or gain entry to secure areas.”
“You’re thinking associates without records — so people you won’t have photos of.”
“I didn’t say that,” said Jack, chuckling. “I’ve got about a thousand pictures stored in a laptop. I’ve never been shy about keeping files on people who are even remotely connected.”
“That would be you,” said Connie. “Civil liberties be damned.”
“You want photos but are accusing me of breaching civil liberties?” replied Jack, quietly.
Connie was silent for a moment, before saying, “Sorry. I didn’t really mean that. It just came out. Guess I have a bit of an attitude with how you do things.”
“With how I do things? What would ever prompt you to —”
“Yeah, yeah. Don’t even start.”
“Start what?”
“Well, I could go down a list, but I’ve seen and heard your act before.”
“My act?”
“Yeah. The old show surprise, act concerned, deny, deny, deny routine.”
Jack grinned to himself, but didn’t respond.
“Don’t know how some people can be so gullible around you. You better pray I never get transferred to Internal. I’d nail your ass in a minute.”
“I don’t pray. I’m an atheist, remember?”
“Good. Means you can be objective about this one.”
“Can’t say I’m partial to people who murder our senior citizens …”
“Jack —”
“I’m teasing. Do you want me to meet you at your office and show Gabriel the pictures?”
“She’s running a daycare, plus she has her own two children. One of them is a little girl who is sick in bed. Could you could bring the pictures over here?”
“We’ll be there in twenty minutes,” replied Jack. “But to make it clear,” he said, giving a wink to Laura, “it is you, the renowned Corporal Connie Crane who is asking Laura and I to assist. You are not going to accuse us of butting in? You’re really asking … well, I’d say … begging for our help?”
“Just bring the goddamned pictures,” replied Connie gruffly. Her brusque tone was not genuine and she smiled when she hung up. At least this is one case that’s not personal for him …
When Connie realized she had started to fondle the crucifix around her neck again, it gave her cause to remind herself to retain her own objectivity and professionalism. Her thoughts returned to the case. What degenerate monster would murder a defenceless old man? A retired priest yet … whoever you are, rest assured, I will track you down, you son of a bitch!
“You okay?” asked Bert.
“Oh, yeah,” replied Connie, with determination. “I’m on top of my game with this one,” she added, while opening the car door.
“You going inside for a look?”
Connie paused to read an incoming text on her BlackBerry from the Forensic Identification Section. She looked at Bert and said, “That was FIS. They’ll be here in thirty minutes. I’m going to take a look at what we’ve got. Send them my way when they arrive.”
Connie stopped near the top of the stairs leading to the basement and stared at the dark stain in the lawn and the blood splatters on the back of the house. A large pinkish puddle had collected on the cement pad in front of the basement door. Odd … the murder took place outside … should be a bloody trail leading down the steps to where the body was dragged to get it out of sight … The smell of bleach reached her nose to answer her question. Bastards! They poured bleach on the steps on their way out to obliterate any footprints that would normally have been left in the blood. Whoever did this is calculating … not the type to panic. Professional …
Connie’s thoughts were about collecting physical evidence and figuring out what happened. She was wrong in her belief that the basement had been rented to a couple of men who were janitors. The idea of tripping a booby trap with a bomb never crossed her mind as she pushed open the basement door and stepped inside.
Chapter Three
Jack and Laura arrived at Gabriel’s house as Gabriel stood on the sidewalk, apologizing to a mother who was strapping her child into a car seat.
Jack and Laura spoke to a uniformed Mountie who told them that Connie was around back and had gone into the basement suite. Jack watched Gabriel say goodbye and stood waiting to meet her. By the frightened look on the mother’s face, Jack had little doubt that she would never bring her child back again.
Gabriel did not look frightened. Her eyes were puffy with streaks of mascara on her cheeks and blotchy red patches on her face and neck. She was too grief-stricken to be afraid. When she started to return to the house, Jack and Laura introduced themselves.
“We would like you to look at some pictures for us,” said Laura, gesturing to the laptop she was holding. “We are sorry to have to ask you to do this now, but time could be of the essence.”
Gabriel turned as a young girl wearing pajamas came out the front door and stood at the top of the steps. “Faith! Go back in the house,” yelled Gabriel.
“I want to see,” wined Faith.
“No —” Gabriel stopped as Noah came out and put his arm
around Faith’s shoulders to guide her back into the house.
Faith protested, but gave in to her big brother and both children disappeared inside.
“I’m sorry,” said Gabriel, turning back to Jack. “Could we do this at my kitchen table?”
“That would work better,” said Jack. “Give us a couple of minutes to talk with one of the investigators and we’ll be right in.”
“I can’t believe this happened,” said Gabriel tearfully as they walked toward the house. “They seemed like such nice men.”
“They told you they were janitors?” questioned Jack.
“Well, sort of,” she replied, while heading up the steps. “They were more to do with supplying the right chemicals to other janitorial services who did the actual cleaning.”
“I’ll talk to you later. I need to talk to the lead investigator immediately,” replied Jack abruptly as he turned and headed toward the rear of the house. Laura excused herself to Gabriel and hurried to keep up with him.
“Don’t like the sound of that,” muttered Jack.
“The chemical bit?” asked Laura. “You’re thinking — not in a daycare! They wouldn’t!”
Jack pointed to a row of rhododendron bushes planted alongside the house. They looked healthy, except for two plants in the center with leaves that were blackened and curled as if burned. “Look at that,” said Jack. “They would and they did.”
“I don’t believe it,” said Laura. “Maybe —”
“Connie!” screamed Jack, breaking into a run. “Anybody in the basement, don’t move!” He rounded the corner to the backyard within seconds.
“Hi, Jack,” said Connie, peering out from the basement door. “What the hell are you yelling about?”
“You don’t smell anything in there?” asked Jack, looking down at her from the top of the basement stairs.
“Careful you don’t step on anything,” cautioned Connie. She looked puzzled and said, “Smell anything? Well, yeah. The whole place stinks of bleach or something. The assholes used it to obliterate their tracks. Noticed it when I first came in, but most of the smell is gone now.”
