The waiter presented menus. “A drink to start?”
“Sake.” Ken responded.
“Right away.” The waiter rushed off.
The restaurant, usually teaming with police personnel had only five tables of customers. The brothers watched the large concrete building across the street. It was a bit early for the media to show up, so no television vehicles crammed the parking lot.
“Shall we move things along?” asked Eric, pulling himself out of a pout.
“That’s the spirit, Eric. Pull out your fancy toys and prepare for the show.”
Eric flipped open a cell and pressed a button that instantly sent a text message to all the major media outlets in Canada, as well as a few in the United States and Europe. The email message gave precise details of the killing and a link to a website with the video of the killing. “Okay, it’s done.”
Ken smirked. “That should give us some entertainment while we eat.”
“Or get us arrested,” added Eric.
The waiter brought the sake. He saw that the menus were unmoved and prepared to leave.
“Four Mirugi sashimi and four Hotate sushi to start, and more sake.” Eric ordered in Japanese and returned the menus.
The waiter thanked him in Japanese and left. Eric reached in his pocket and pulled out a very small video camera.
“You sure that thing works. You haven’t tested it.”
“You know I just got it. Besides, I haven’t had time to try it.”
He set the delicate camera on the table, pointed it at headquarters, and pressed record. The brothers enjoyed a leisurely lunch as over a dozen media vehicles descend on the police building.
After having their fill of sushi and sake the brothers returned to their apartment.
On their walk home Eric and Ken made one more stop at a different Internet café and downloaded the video of the media flooding the police headquarter.
Eric shook his head. “Is this necessary?”
“Of course it is. We want the cops to know we’re mocking them. That’s the whole point. They’ll sit at their desks and shake their heads. They don’t have any way of tracking us down. The videos will taunt them and they’ll lose focus on their other cases, especially Gervais. You know they look after their own first.”
Ken sent the video to Thorpe’s email address.
* * *
The phone system in the police department was modern and efficient. Despite this it collapsed under the weight of the calls from across Canada and around the world. The technicians managed to get the 911 lines operating. The impatient reporters started calling on those lines looking for interviews. Emergency calls were unable to get through for thirty minutes.
The Chief of Police was in a continuous series of interviews. The only way to deal with the deluge of inquiries was to turn it to their advantage as best they could. They used the media to put out requests for information on Eric and Ken Clelland. The department managed to find class photos of the boys from their English university.
Thorpe and Collins had as much help as they needed. The problem was they didn’t know where to start looking for the twins. The two detectives watched the video over again.
“Jim, perhaps there are in Edmonton who might have some idea where they are.”
“Possible, lets check that out.”
Thorpe sat at a computer searching for families related to Ken and Eric Clelland. “I show four uncles in the city. Two uncles were Clellands and two were the mother’s brother. Their last name was Lowe.”
They each took two names and called. None of the relatives had heard a thing from their nephews for years. They had more questions about them than information.
“We need a new angle and I think we should look into the video they just sent showing the media converge on headquarters,” said Collins.
“I agree, Jim. They’re getting to be a real pain in the ass.”
Collins and Thorpe studied the video and determined the location where the video was shot. They climbed the stairs of the Japanese restaurant and walked in. After showing the young man who met them at the door their badges they asked if they could look around.
The nervous waiter waved them in. “Of course, of course.”
The detectives walked over to the window and held up a still photo taken from the video. The video was taken from one of the two tables on the east side of the restaurant. Thorpe called over the two waiters.
“Someone took a video of the police headquarters from here just after noon. Were either of you working then?”
“I wasn’t working. I just got here,” responded the older waiter.
“How about you?” Thorpe turned to the younger man. “See anybody take a video?”
The waiter put his hand to his chin and thought.
“Ah, the Tokomi VC400.”
“Say again,” asked Thorpe.
“Two men, looked like police, very tall, very fit. They sat here with the camera at the far end of the table.”
“You’re sure it was a Tokomi VC400?”
“Yes, very nice camera. Not available here yet. I saw it in Tokyo last month. Very, very expensive.”
“Good. Tell us more about the men.” Thorpe took notes.
“Both had blond hair.” The waiter paused. “Maybe brothers. They looked alike.”
The two detectives walked out of the restaurant and prepared to walk across the street. Collins grabbed Thorpe’s arm. “Albert, this camera may be just the lead we’re looking for. If it’s as new as the waiter says, and only available from Japan, it had to be shipped somewhere.”
“Let’s get on it.”
* * *
Ken’s eyes darted between the news site on the computer screen and the television news. “Nonsense, Eric. We’re staying put. We promised ourselves we’d make Gervais and the police pay for destroying our family and we’re not leaving until we do. Christ, we trained for months for this. We can’t stop now.”
Eric rolled and started smoking another joint.
“So what’s the next move, oh great commander?”
Ken coughed. “First, can you stop smoking that crap?”
“Crap! Crap! This is the best. You can’t even get it in Canada.”
“Well, at least take it outside. I’m trying to tweak our plan and need a clear head. Besides, that stuff will make you a vegetable.”
Eric was already halfway outside, anticipating Ken’s demand. He continued to smoke, imagining life on a warm, peaceful beach.
Ken shook his head and turned off the news. As he scanned the notes they made on Gervais his gaze moved to his brother who was crushing out the thick marijuana roach on the railing and threw it into the garden below the condo.
Ken walked across the room, opened the French doors, and strolled up to his brother. He looked at Eric’s dilated pupils and smiled. “Eric, your filthy habit of pumping chemicals into your body is an inspiration.”
Eric turned to look at the river valley before them. “Glad I could help. Now what does that backhanded compliment mean?”
Ken knew that Eric was not as passionate about the violence, or the idea of revenge in general. Ken’s to the modified plan that would quickly bring things to a head. “I think we should do worse than kill Gervais. I think we should put him and his family in the poor-house, and then turn him into a bed-ridden invalid who has the rest of his life to think about what he did to our family.”
“Hell yea, we could send him an annual card to rub it in.”
“Okay Eric, let’s eat and formulate a plan.”
“Suddenly eating sounds like an excellent plan. Let’s do it.”
After a sandwich Ken browsed the medical and pharmaceutical websites looking for the product that would put Gervais in a bed for the rest of his life, but keep him aware. Aware and able to think about what led to his miserable lot in life. Ken found a surprising selection of chemicals that might do the job. He smiled at the irony of employing a drug used by medical professionals to heal
in order to cause a lifetime of misery for Gervais. He settled talsitropomium bromide for the task. A search for local sources of the product showed retail pharmacies didn’t carry it. Later he came upon a link that dealt with stocks of medicine in major hospitals. The site required a password. Hacking in only took ten minutes and Ken quickly discovered the hospital he could see out the apartment window had ample stock.
“Well, well. How convenient. You’ve got to love the internet.”
“Eric, can you handle breaking into a medical cabinet?”
“You insult me, evil brother.”
Eric jumped up and walked over to a closet where he pulled out and held up a roll of canvas filled with a complete set of lock picking tools. “These will get us into any door in any building in the country.”
Eric reached onto the top shelf of the closet and pulled out a pry bar. “If the lock pick tools fail, this gets me into any chicken-shit cabinet in the country. Next question.”
Ken laughed and walked over to the window. He pointed at the large building below. “Eric, the possibly chicken-shit cabinet is in that hospital. We need at least two hundred cc’s of talsitropomium bromide.”
“No problem, if you can get me in there. What is that shit?”
“It’s a drug used for calming hyperactive patients. However, too large a dose…say one hundred cc’s causes paralysis.”
“I think we should use the diversionary plan we created last year. Here’s how we’ll use it in this situation.” Ken picked up a notepad and wrote down a list of items. “We build a remote detonated smoke bomb like we practiced in the Caribbean. You enter the building at about two in the afternoon and hide it in a room at the opposite end of the floor from the pharmacy. Then you hide near the pharmacy and ignite it with your cellphone. When the floor clears you walk into the pharmacy and help yourself.”
“Sounds like a plan. Any ideas on how I get in and out of the hospital?”
“Escape should be easy. I’ll set three fires in various parts of the hospital. The firebombs will be in place by the time you’re finished in the pharmacy. When you want to leave you dial three numbers and the firebombs will go off. All hell will break loose. You won’t have any problem escaping. You’ll be in hospital clothes. Hell, the police will help you get clear of the building. We just wind our way through the crowd and meet at our favourite pizza place on Jasper Avenue. It’s not a good idea to come straight here afterwards.”
The brothers sorted out the rest of the plan and headed out to put together disguises. The first stop was a popular coffee spot across the street from the hospital. The brothers mingled in the crowded café with double espressos in one hand and their cellphones in the other. As they passed hospital staff wearing identification badges they discreetly took pictures of them. On their way home they stopped at a uniform supply store and purchased several uniforms exactly like the ones worn at the hospital. The next stop was at a shoe store to pick up two pairs of white shoes. The clerk had to search in the back of the store for two pairs of size thirteens.
The clerk sat on his stool lacing the shoes on Eric’s feet and noticed the uniforms in the bag. “Are you a doctor?”
“Heavens no. We’re simply putting on a show this afternoon. Perhaps you’ll hear about it.”
Eric smiled at the puzzled look on the clerk’s face. Ken gave Eric an annoyed look and tried on a pair of shoes. They paid for the shoes with twenty-dollar bills.
Once home Eric dabbed small ink lines above the pockets of the uniforms and let them dry. He then ran the uniforms through the heavy wash cycle on the washing machine several times. After each wash cycle he put the uniforms in the dryer on the highest heat setting. In three hours the uniforms looked like they had been worn many times, including just visible ink stains over the pockets.
While Eric prepared the uniforms, Ken sat at the computer transferring the photos from the phones. He sorted through the photos of the hospital ID badges and selected one that was straight and clear. He transferred the image to a photo-editing program where he enhanced the colours so the background blue and the white lettering were crisp. Next he cropped the photos on the badges and inserted stock photos he had of Eric and himself in disguise. Briefly he set the photo editing program aside and hacked into the hospital website where he created identities and identification numbers for both of them. Ken returned to the photo-editing program and inserted the new identification numbers and names onto the badges.
Eric had gone out while Ken printed and laminated the fake identifications. Just as Ken finished laminating the second ID, Eric came in the door with two large bags. He pulled out four prepaid phones and stacked them on the table. He walked over to a locked cabinet and opened it. He removed the components for the bombs and set them down beside the cellphones.
Eric went onto the balcony and smoked another joint. Again he threw the extinguished butt into the garden below. “Ken, I think we need some bomb making music.”
The apartment was fully furnished. Everything was purchased under the name Lowe. Ken picked up the stereo remote control and selected a classical CD. “Explosives construction calls for calm music.”
The brothers built and packaged the smoke bomb and three small incendiary devices. Ken printed out simulated copies of labels of medical products that used the same size boxes as the bombs.
The brothers slept late the next morning. Ken was up one hour before his brother. His first task was double-checking the cellphones to ensure they were fully charged. The smoke bomb and the incendiary explosives were all on speed dial on Eric’s phone and the phone numbers to set off the bombs were listed on the phone. He packaged the bombs carefully, smiling at the irony that such destructive devices were packaged in boxes marked gauze and tongue depressors. He placed the devices in plain paper bags along with the identifications and uniforms.
Chapter Seven
Collins and the captain moved closer to Thorpe.
Thorpe handed McCoy photos of the of video camera used in the Japanese restaurant. “As the waiter suggested, this model is rare. In fact, very rare. It’s so new and expensive only six stores in Japan carry it. I contacted the Japanese police and they traced the sales. There were only twelve overseas sales, and only one to Canada.”
Eric tapped a street on a map of Edmonton. “It was couriered to an apartment on 105th Street.”
“Do you have a name of the recipient” asked the captain.
Eric handed over a copy of an email. The captain read, “Rick Land.”
Thorpe stood up. “Holly shit, Rick Land, Eric Clelland. Let’s move.”
The captain waved the paper in the air. “I’ll put this information out to patrols and get some plain-clothed officers to watch the building until we get there.
* * *
Eric staggered sleepily into the room. “Where’s the coffee?”
“Let’s forego caffeine until we’re done with our little task. We need steady hands to handle these things. Besides, we’ll be done in a couple hours. After we finish I’ll meet you at the pizza place on Jasper.”
“That place is still around?”
“It sure is. Let’s get this game going.”
The brothers packed the items in simple cotton bags. Ken wore a small police scanner with an earpiece. As they approached the exit to the building he grabbed Eric’s arm. Ken put his finger to his lips, signaling his brother to be quiet. He guided his brother back into the elevator and they rode down to the parking garage.
“Eric, there’s a lot of activity on the scanner and several of the addresses are near this building. Let’s not take any chances. Let’s use the emergency plan.”
“Okay, I’ll get the vehicles ready, you pull out the controls.”
“Right.”
Eric walked near the north end of the top floor of the parking garage. He pulled a set of keys out of the rear wheel well of a dusty mini van. Climbing inside, Eric started the engine and ran the wipers to clear the dust off the windshield. He backed the va
n out of the parking spot and backed it into the same spot. The van now faced the large wooden exit door. From behind the driver’s seat Eric pulled out a mechanical device consisting of a box with an electric motor that drove a wheel at the end of a metal arm sticking out of the box. Another metal arm held a small hydraulic device. Eric set the box on the floor on the driver’s side and strapped it tightly to the seat brackets with Velcro. He plugged the box into the car’s DC adapter. Next he adjusted the small wheel so it rested firmly under the steering wheel and attached the hydraulic device to the accelerator. He pulled out a multi-function remote control and moved the joystick first right, then left. The drive wheel at the end of the metal arm smoothly turned the steering wheel. Turning a button right and then left made the accelerator move up and down. Eric pulled a small camera out from under the other seat. He clipped it onto the headrest of the driver’s seat. By attaching the wires from the camera to the fuse box under the dash the camera came to life. After he pulled the video remote from under the passenger side seat and clipped it onto the top of the driving remote he turned on the monitor and checked that the image was clear.
Eric started the ignition, jumped out of the van, and placed a very small block of wood under the front left wheel. He took two tall mannequins out of the back of the van, and set them in the front seats. Next he secured them in place with the seat belts as well as Velcro straps wrapped around the seats. He grabbed two overcoats, one tan and one blue, and two baseball caps from the back seat of the van.
Ken did the same procedure in a van parked near the parking garage exit at the other end of the building. The amount of explosives in this van was smaller, but still enough to cause plenty of damage. After starting the engine and placing the block of wood under the wheel Ken also opened the back of the van and flipped a tarp off a pile of five-gallon containers of explosive fertilizer. Surrounding the pails were a dozen metal containers of gasoline. Ken tested everything in his van and met his brother outside the maintenance room on an exterior wall, well away from the vans. Eric quickly picked the lock and they entered the maintenance room. Once inside with the door closed Eric unlocked the exterior door leading to the large metal cage containing the garbage cans and gardening equipment. While careful to keep out of sight Eric moved through the equipment and unlocked the smaller of two gates on the exterior fence.
Rough Business Page 7
