Subverting Justice

by Don Easton

  “I don’t do that shit,” Whiskey Jake replied, turning his face away. “It’s for idiots.”

  The man shrugged to show his indifference, then returned the kilo to the top of the pile before facing him. “Now we wait.”

  “Wait for what?” Whiskey Jake asked.

  “To see if your boss is smart man.”

  Chapter Forty-Eight

  Pure E stared at the woman. “We have a problem?” he said, repeating her words. “What’re you talking about? What problem?”

  She ignored him and used the intercom to connect with the driver. “Take us for a scenic drive. Go over the Lion’s Gate Bridge to start with.” As the limo pulled away she turned her attention back to him. “My associate will be unable to meet with you tonight.”

  “All this for nothing?” Pure E replied.

  “No, I’ve been instructed to outline part of the business agreement.” She stared at him. “I know in the biker culture women are considered property and not worthy of discussing business at the corporate level. It’s the same in Russia, but I trust you’ll make an exception in this instance. ”

  “What business are you talking about?”

  The woman hesitated. “This car has been swept for any electronic listening devices. We can talk freely. That being said, I’m not sure how much my associate wants you to know.” She hesitated again, appearing to decide what to say next. “Ah, it may not be necessary. I suspect you are intelligent enough to read between the lines.” She snickered. “Lines … that’s funny, considering what the product is.”

  “Product?”

  “Yes, it was intended to be a gift to an organization in a foreign country to provide them money to purchase … well, that’s not important. She gestured with her hand as if in frustration. “Typical of politics, agreements are struck, but friends become foes and foes become friends. To make a long story short, the people who were to get it fell out of favour during the shipping process. The product can’t be returned and is being tempor-arily stored in Vancouver. My associate is tasked with disposing of it.”

  “The product … what is it?”

  “I thought that would be clear to you, but I will say it. The product is cocaine. Three tonnes.”

  Pure E felt stunned. “Three tonnes! You’re joking, right?”

  “No. Your colleague, Whiskey Jake, is viewing it now. Perhaps even partaking … that I don’t know.”

  “You’re letting Whiskey Jake see it … and sample it?”

  “Yes. The price will be cheap. Fifteen a kilo.”

  “Fifteen thou?” It can’t be that cheap. Is she serious?

  “With that price, obviously there’s no room for you to negotiate.”

  “Three tonnes … three thousand kilos … multiplied by fifteen … that’s … that’s a lot of money.”

  “Forty-five million. Yes, it’s a considerable amount.”

  Is this some sort of set-up? Maybe trying to rip us off? “If I, uh, even knew anyone in that business, they wouldn’t have that much money.”

  “Come, Mr. Evans. Even with the volume discount you are used to, fifteen is only half the price you’ve ever paid in the past. I told you, there’s no negotiation. If you’re not interested, then I suspect some of the local Chinese triads will be. If they accept our conditions and in turn lower their retail prices, the result may well put your people out of business.”

  You bitch! Pure E cleared his throat. “I wasn’t trying to negotiate, simply trying to be honest.”

  “I see. If full payment is a problem, then we’re willing to front five hundred kilo lots to you at a time. The price for that amount would be seven-point-five mil. Following each front, I expect my associate will demand payment within a month.”

  They’re willing to front five hundred keys? If this is true, that would preclude them from being able to rip us off. But to front us that much? Holy fuck!

  “Is that a problem?” she asked.

  “No, uh, I was only thinking of distribution. I’m definitely interested, but I’ll need time to talk it over with some people. It would involve travelling to other provinces.”

  “That’s understandable. Unfortunately my associate and I do not live in Vancouver. His business only brings him here on occasion. So with that in mind, he’d like partial payment for the first front before we leave, which would be before Christmas.”

  “That’s almost three weeks away. If your associate fronts me five hundred keys, I’m sure I could come up with the complete seven-point-five mil within two weeks. All I need is a few days to talk to my people and get the ball rolling.”

  “Full payment would be nice.” She paused, then raised her shot glass again. “Okay! You get started on that, then my associate and I will meet you after to discuss delivery and payment schedules.”

  Pure E nodded. “How do I contact you?”

  “Yes, about that … one moment.” She rummaged in a compartment and handed him a cellphone. “I’ll call you in a few days to check your progress. Next time we meet you’ll be given a location for Whiskey Jake to drop you off. Nobody else is to know about the meeting until it’s over. If you lie to us … behave like an amateur … or try to have anyone follow us, we’ll know. Not only will we know, but rest assured it will be the last ride you ever take … in any vehicle.”

  You bitch, do you know who you’re threatening? Pure kept his temper in check and spoke firmly. “We’ve been around a long time. Our club is in over forty countries. Obviously we’re not amateurs and you’d be well advised not to threaten me. As far as being straight goes, if you’re being straight with me, I’ll be straight with you.”

  Her tone took on an edge of contempt. “I should tell you that CSIS, the RCMP, we consider them amateurs — but even they’re far above your calibre.” She pointed her finger at his face and said, “So no games!”

  Pure E paused to reflect on what he’d been told. “I understand what you’re saying, but it’s not necessary. It’s the product that interests me, not you.”

  She settled back in her seat. “There’s something else I will tell you. Our intelligence indicates that you, personally, have already caught the eye of the RCMP. That made us hesitant to deal with you, so be warned, any slip-ups or lies on your part will result in termination.”

  “You know that the RCMP are after me personally?”

  “Yes, of course we know.”

  “How?”

  “How?” She smiled. “Simpler than you might imagine. Intelligence gathering in this day and age against terrorism is a priority for all governments and includes some collaboration. We’ve seen correspondence from one of the top-ranking RCMP officers in Vancouver — Assistant Commissioner Mortimer, who is dragging his heels at providing more services to counter terrorism because he considers you a priority.”

  Pure E paused when the man sitting in the rear had a sudden coughing fit. When he was finished, Pure E said, “Mortimer … yes, I’m familiar with his name.”

  “His name?” Her tone became sarcastic. “He’s your enemy! I’d hope you’re more than familiar with just his name.” She paused and her tone became matter-of-fact. “My associate will not deal with amateurs. I’d presumed you at least knew the basics about him. Where he lives, what he drives … photographs.”

  “We, uh, we’re working on it. What you’ve mentioned is something we do on a routine basis. Recently we did surveillance and took photos of someone in the RCMP Intelligence Unit, along with his family. If you doubt me, I could bring you proof. As far as Mortimer goes, he’s new and only came to our attention recently.”

  “I see.” She paused as if contemplating what he’d said. “Good — I believe you. Proof won’t be necessary. An element of trust will be needed if we’re to conduct business.”

  “Particularly if your associate is willing to front five hundred keys.”

  The woman
smiled. “His trust in you relies on the fact that you’re not suicidal.”

  “Suicidal?”

  “That you’ll fulfill your end of the bargain. As you must be aware, we’ve done our homework. There’s no place in the world you could hide if you try to rob us.”

  At fifteen a kilo, we’re already robbing you.

  “You should know that Mortimer’s interest made us question whether to contact you. Our other option is a local Chinese triad, as I’ve said. Fortunately for us, and perhaps you, the triad also assists their own government’s intelligence agency. As a result, between the Chinese — who are extremely busy doing corporate spying, coupled with ongoing terrorist threats — CSIS has basically had to ignore us. That leaves only the RCMP to worry about. Although they declared you a priority target, they’re still short-staffed due to terrorist threats. Given the choice, we decided to approach you first rather than risk dealing with the Chinese, who are hounded by both CSIS and the RCMP.”

  “I see.”

  She glanced at her watch. “I’ve another engagement tonight I must attend. I’ll take you back. First, though, I need to make a call. I was instructed to give you a gift to make up for my associate being absent and for any inconvenience we may have caused.”

  “A gift?”

  “How does twenty-five kilos at no charge sound? That’d be worth about three-quarters of a million at normal wholesale prices.”

  “I, uh, don’t know what to say.”

  “I believe ‘thank you’ is the correct response.”

  Chapter Forty-Nine

  Whiskey Jake waited in the alcove on the third level of the parkade. Soon he saw Pure E racing up the stairwell. “Jesus shit, am I glad to see you,” Whiskey Jake said. “Who the fuck were those guys?”

  Pure E paused to catch his breath. “Russians.”

  “Yeah, that I figured, but I haven’t heard any word on the street about ’em. Glad you’re okay. You won’t believe what the fuck I saw and what just happened.”

  “I might.”

  “They let me go a few minutes ago, but first let me tell you what’s in the trunk of my car. Right now I’m afraid to go near it.”

  “Twenty-five kilos of white?” Pure E replied.

  “You already know? They told you?”

  “They want to do business with us. The twenty-five is a gift.”

  “A gift? Like … free?”

  “Yes.”

  Whiskey Jake shook his head in disbelief. “I guess they can afford it. You wouldn’t believe how much they have. I saw it myself.”

  “Three tonnes?”

  “Fuck, they told you. I counted it. Three fucking tonnes!”

  “Where’d they take you?”

  “They put me in a van and threw a bag over my head. I have no idea where we went. We drove for about forty minutes and ended up in a garage. They then showed me the stash and offered to let me sample it. Later I heard the guy speakin’ Russian on the phone, then he and the other dude took twenty-five off the pile and put it in a duffle bag. Then they retied my hands in front and made me hang on to it. After that they bagged my head again, brought me back, then released me and told me to put the duffle bag in my trunk. Next the guy said you were being dropped off in five minutes and they left.”

  “Man … unbelievable,” Pure E muttered. “At first I thought we were dead.”

  “Me, too, then I thought it was a robbery.” Whiskey Jake took a deep breath and slowly exhaled to calm himself. “Okay, so what the fuck happened to you? Where’d they take ya?”

  “Hang on, I want to google a commercial building they took me to on Granville before I forget.” Pure E took out his phone. “Shit, no signal. Come on, let’s go for a walk and I’ll tell you what happened.”

  “What about the stuff in the trunk?” Whiskey Jake asked, gesturing with his thumb.

  “Call one of the guys, then lend him your keys, and have him look after it. There’s a Starbucks in the 200 block. He can meet us there.”

  Whiskey Jake placed the call, then listened in awe as Pure E told him what had transpired during his ride in the limo. When he was finished Whiskey Jake said, “Man, whoever these people are, if they’re serious, we’ll be fuckin’ rich beyond anything I’ve ever imagined.”

  “I don’t see someone giving us twenty-five keys if they’re not serious.” He took out his phone again. “I’ve got a signal. I’m going to google that address and put the word ‘Russia’ in and see what I get.”

  Whiskey Jake watched Pure E’s face as he entered the address, then saw the look of jubilation. “What did you find?”

  Pure E passed his phone to Whiskey Jake. “Take a look at the first thing that popped up. The Russian Consulate is on the tenth floor.”

  Whiskey Jake let out a low whistle.

  Pure E grabbed him by the arm. His gaze was intense. “We’re dealing with spies! There’s no doubt about it.” He paused and his face broke into a smile. “Betcha I’m the first national prez to ever do that.” He then gave a thumbs up and added, “Fucking aye!”

  An hour later Jack arrived with Benny at Sammy’s house. As they took their shoes off in the foyer, Jack could hear Natasha, Laura, and Sammy’s wife, Karen, talking in the living room. “How did she do … really?” he whispered to Sammy.

  “Like I told you on the phone, she did great,” Sammy replied. “A little nervous at first — she slopped some vodka while pouring a drink — but her voice was strong and confident.”

  “The spill was staged,” Jack replied. “I wanted Pure E to think she might’ve been a little tipsy to justify her mistake of talking English on the phone about meeting the Chinese ambassador.”

  “Then she did a fantastic job.” Sammy glanced at Benny. “Go into the kitchen and pour yourself a drink. I want to talk to Jack about something. We’ll be right behind you.”

  When Benny was out of earshot, Jack looked at Sammy and raised an eyebrow.

  “I know neither Benny nor I asked any questions when you wanted us to help you,” Sammy whispered.

  “I appreciate that,” Jack replied. “This plan of mine … it’s better if you only knew what you needed to know to do your part.”

  “That I understand. Not knowing everything will help protect us and give us some deniability in case the shit hits the fan.”

  “Good.” Jack waited a beat. “So is there a problem?”

  “Benny and I believed it was about Pure E. We’re both willing to do pretty much anything when it comes to that sack of shit.”

  “It is about Pure E.”

  “Then why’d Natasha drop Mortimer’s name into the mix? I damn near shit.” Sammy glared at Jack. “You’re setting the bikers up to waste him.”

  “No, I’m not. Are you kidding? Mentioning Mortimer was nothing. Satans Wrath were already aware that he’s the new assistant commissioner.”

  “Then why bring his name up?”

  “I wanted Natasha to make him think the Russian intel was up-to-date.”

  “But she mentioned surveillance, knowing where he lived, what cars he —”

  “Routine stuff Natasha would say if she really did come from the background she pretended to.” Jack paused. “I appreciate your concerns. Laura and I do have a well-placed source in the club. It’s not my intention to have them kill Mortimer.”

  Sammy stared at Jack a moment. “I got your word on that?”

  “You do.” It’s not my intention, but hey, shit happens.

  Chapter Fifty

  On Saturday morning Jack was dismantling the fake display in his garage when Lance called.

  “You’ll never believe what happened last night,” Lance said excitedly.

  “Hope it’s good,” Jack responded. “Did Pure E step in front of a bus?”

  “No, he’s very much alive. Him and Whiskey Jake met me an hour ago.” Lance pa
used, perhaps to consider how or what to tell him. “I don’t want you to freak out. Hear me through first while I tell you what happened.”

  Jack made an appropriate amount of astonished noises as Lance told him about Pure E being taken for a ride in a limo while Whiskey Jake was taken to view three tonnes of cocaine. “This is unbelievable,” he expounded, after Lance told him about the twenty-five kilo gift of cocaine. “I know there’s some badass Russians here, but they’re low class. This is way above that.”

  “Way above … as in government agents,” Lance said.

  “They might be agents, but I doubt the Russian government would sanction something like this in Canada. Some banana republic sure, but not here. If it is a government agent, I bet he’s trying to make some money without his bosses knowing. Probably the coke is supposed to be dumped in the ocean or something.”

  “Pure E was thinking the same thing. He said it sounded like a one-time opportunity.”

  “Three tonnes. If I could grab Pure E with his hands on that, he’d be going down for a long time.”

  “That won’t happen. There won’t be any colour-wearing members going near it. Pure E will meet with the Russkies to arrange things, but someone else will handle the actual distribution.”

  “Can you find out who the Russians are?”

  “Doubt I can. Pure E said they’d only deal with him and would kill him him if he tried to have them followed.”

  “Will you know when he’s meeting them next?”

  Lance chuckled. “So that you can be there and make sure the Russkies know they’re being followed?”

  “Gee, that idea never crossed my mind.”

  “Yeah, I bet.” Lance chuckled. “Doesn’t matter. Pure E said nobody except for Whiskey Jake is to know about the next meeting until it’s over. That won’t be for at least a week or more. Pure E is flying out this afternoon to meet with the Halifax chapter, then will meet with the other chapters on his way back.”