Michael and Jean-René spoke for a few minutes about how each of the students was doing.
“Yes,” Michael concluded, “I think it will only take the four weeks. They should be recertified by the end of next week. They’re a good group.”
“And how was your date the other night?” Jean-René made sure that they were close enough for the clerk to hear but not be obvious about it.
“That was a dead-end. She’s over the edge in bed. I mean, she’s good-looking and all but it was a good thing I knew martial arts. She tried to handcuff me to her bed.”
“What?” Jean-René appeared shocked.
“Yes, I told her that I wasn’t into that shit.”
Jean-René glanced over at the clerk with eyes wide. The clerk shook her head in awe.
“I said to find someone else to do that to.”
“What does she do for a living?” he asked.
“I never could find that out, and I think she’s running from something in Baltimore or Philadelphia, or somewhere around there. It seems she has a lot of money, but it’s questionable where it came from.”
“Didn’t you ask?”
“Yes, but she told me all I needed to know was that it was really hers. She said something about working for someone out in the west.”
“Canada or the US?”
“I don’t know. She mentioned Vancouver, but I’m not sure if it was B.C. or Washington state.”
“Did she say what kind of work she did?”
Michael shook her head. “She said it was getting too hot in the Washington D.C. area for her, and it didn’t seem she was talking about the weather.”
“Maybe the question should have been who that money belonged to before she got it.” Jean-René shook his head in amazement.
“I looked her up on my computer when I got home,” Michael continued. “She’s been in trouble down in the States…even spent some time in prison.”
“Mon Dieu!” Jean-René exclaimed. “What’s she doing up here?”
“She’s probably running away from someone.”
“Like the person she stole the money from?”
“You never know. I have to stay away from her. I don’t need that in my life. It seems like a situation I don’t want to be involved in.”
“No, probably not.” Jean-René took a deep breath. “Do you think we should check to see if there’s a warrant out for her?”
“There didn’t seem to be one when I looked, so no, just leave it alone. Let her find someone who likes that sort of stuff. I’m done with her. If she’s in trouble in the States, let them find her.”
“I’ll mention her when I’m talking to Sergeant Carver down in Newport. Let him look her up. He probably has the right links.” Jean-René took a deep breath. “Come into my office,” he said. “I need you to sign reports on my officers’ progress.”
Michael nodded and followed him.
Chapter 18
Meanwhile, Cam had gone to Preston’s early in the morning.
“You’re up bright and early today,” he greeted her.
“Yes,” Cam answered with a wry grin, “I didn’t get a chance to sleep much last night.”
“Then come downstairs. I’m sure we’ve got something to rectify that.”
He led her down to the basement where Neil was settling in to begin work.
“Hey, Cameron,” he said as he looked up. “Need some more all ready?”
“Yah,” Cam answered. “I’ve got a friend coming over tonight.”
“Laurie?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.
“No, not Laurie. I have a friend coming out from Montreal.
“That’s okay. I won’t tell her.”
“Don’t worry. There’s really no future with Laurie and me.”
“Only a one-night stand?” Preston asked.
“I told her a future wouldn’t happen between us. She needs to stop hoping. How old is she?”
Neil smiled. “She turned twenty-two last month.”
Cam shook her head. “I’m almost twice her age.”
“She’s legal,” Neil reminded her.
“But I’m not sure she’s ready for someone like me. I don’t want to hurt her. She’s a sweet kid.” She looked at both men. “Look, I’ve been around. I’ve tried a lot of things she doesn’t even realize exist. I’ve tried mushrooms and mescaline from New Mexico, and the heroin and opium in British Columbia. I know she’s not ready for those, nor the acid I’ve done. Please don’t raise her hopes. She has a great imagination that I don’t want to stifle, but she’s off base if she thinks I’m in her future.” She looked at Neil straight in the eye. “I’ve also done some extreme sexual things that I know she hasn’t tried. You wouldn’t want her to.” Her eyebrow was raised to emphasize her message.
“I get you, Cam. It will take some effort but we’ll make her forget you.”
“Thanks.”
Preston patted her on the shoulder. “Thank you,” he whispered.
Neil got up to open the closet door.
“Hey, wait!” he exclaimed. “What happened to all the meth? We’re empty.’
“Yeah, some guys came by last night and bought everything we had.”
“Damn, and Billy has my car,” Neil growled. “Can I use yours to go get more?”
Preston shook his head from side to side. “Mine’s getting a tune-up. It won’t be ready until later this afternoon.”
Neil seemed to pout. “I hope no one comes to get some.”
“I’m not doing anything today,” Cam added. “I can drive you if you want.”
Preston was silent as he stared at Neil.
“We need to have something if a rush comes in around noon. You know there’s always someone, and more later in the afternoon,” Neil reminded him.
Preston frowned. “You know he doesn’t want strangers out there.”
Neil looked at Cam. “But we know her. She’s cool.”
“No, that’s okay,” Cam injected. “I don’t want to cause trouble.”
“We need some meth,” Neil insisted. He stared at Preston.
Preston thought for a moment, and finally said, “I’ll go call him.”
Neil looked at Cam. “This guy is so paranoid, ever since they found those three bodies down in the States. He won’t let us bring anyone out there.”
“I can see his point,” Cam said. She leaned back against the desk where Neil had been working.
No one said anything until Preston said from the top of the stairs, “Okay. You can go. Come on up and get the money.”
“Great! Come on. We can get it before anyone comes during lunchtime.” Neil grabbed his jacket and started up the stairs.
* * * *
“So this is the bitch Preston swears by?” the scruffy looking man growled. His longish dark hair was all askew and looked like it hadn’t been combed or brushed in quite a while. His hands and face were dirty and his eyes were red. It looked like he’d been digging through ashes.
Cameron immediately bristled but tried to keep her reactions from him.
“This is Cameron,” Neil answered. “One of our best customers.”
The man studied her. “For how long?”
Neil shook his head. “About two months or so,” was his answer.
Cam shifted her weight. She appeared to be a little miffed that he was questioning her. She held her hand out to shake his. “Cameron Andrews,” she said. He looked at her outstretched hand but ignored it. Cam withdrew her hand.
“Rosie checked her out. She’s okay.”
Ken studied her again. “You from around here?” he asked her.
“I moved up here from Baltimore,” was Cam stock answer. “I rented a place south of the border.”
He looked at Neil. “You and Preston know better than to bring anyone else here.”
“Hers was the only car available and we really need stuff. Pres sold everything we had last night. I thought he called you.” He pulled the wad of cash from his jacket pocket.
“He did, but I still don’t like it.”
“If you want to check if I’m okay, you can look me up on the web. Everyone else has,” she growled at him.
“I already did. I don’t always trust the web.”
“Neither do I but those are government records. I really did spend time in that prison.”
“It says they think you were friends with that east coast cartel.”
“I’m friends with a lot of people,” was her answer.
“Well, were you?”
“Does it make a difference? I was never convicted of it.”
“It didn’t say that. It said you were out on bond.”
Damn, why didn’t Maggie tell me that? Maybe Wendell changed it.
“Well, I’m not in jail,” was the excuse she came up with.
He stood there and looked at her for a moment. “I have my men watching. They have their guns aimed at you.”
“I’ve had a lot of guns aimed at me. Usually it’s face to face though, so I can aim back.” She stared into his eyes.
“It also looks, from what I read, that you weren’t careful.”
“I’ve corrected that,” Cam answered. “I learned a lot from all that.”
He finally held his hand out. “Ken Jenks,” he introduced himself. “Sorry, but I have to be careful who knows about this place. You can never tell who’s a cop or Mountie.”
“I totally understand,” Cam responded, shaking his hand. His grasp was firm and she could feel the dirt on his palm.
He looked from her to Neil. “Come on inside and I’ll get your stuff.” He turned and walked back into the building. Cam let Neil go first and she followed behind as she wiped her hand on her jeans.
The first door led to a short hallway. If Ken’s men had been watching, they no longer were. The door at the end opened into a large room filled with paper-wrapped packages and cartons. Two men were working in there. A table in the center of the room held a digital scale, several plastic bags, and other drug-related paraphernalia. High powered rifles were leaning up against the other worktables.
“How much do you need?” Ken asked.
“Fifty grams should hold us for the week,” Neil answered.
“I’ve only got thirty packaged. I can give you twenty more in bulk, but you’ll have to package them yourself.”
“That’s not a problem. The new source for the cocaine sends everything in bulk. I’m getting really good in not losing anything.”
“Okay,” Ken answered. He turned to one of his men who was watching. “Weigh out twenty grams,” he ordered. Then he started to count small sealed plastic envelopes of white powder from one of the boxes. He transferred them to a smaller empty box and threw in a large pack of empty plastic envelopes. “Eric started to load this stuff into capsules, yesterday, so you’ll have some next week. He’s slow but he hasn’t spilled anything yet.”
“That will be good,” Neil responded. “We’ve had customers asking for mollies.”
As they continued to talk, Cam looked around the room. Nothing seemed wrong in here. There were work benches and two other scales, boxes and bins, some full, others not. There were cartons from the US marked Plastic envelopes 2 x 4 inch. There was also an electric heat sealer to close the envelopes. There were also cartons of capsules ready to be filled.
Then she saw it: on the wall over one of the worktables was gold cross about three inches tall.
Cam turned her attention back to what Neil and Ken were doing.
“Here’s your pay for the ride,” Neil said, handing her an envelope.
Cam gave him a big smile. “Thanks. Best use of gasoline I’ve had in ages.”
Ken laughed and patted Neil on the shoulder. “We’ll have the molly caps ready by Wednesday. I think Stuart will be going into town that day, so he’ll probably drop them off.”
The other worker walked up to them and handed Neil a package. Neil thanked him and he went back to his worktable.
“Okay, let’s talk cash,” Ken said. He walked over to another worktable and Neil handed him money. Cam watched him count it and lock it into a safe beside the table.
Neil turned back. “Thanks a lot, Ken. We’ll see you soon.” Neil picked up the carton of envelopes and the pack of powder and headed for the door. Cam was right behind him.
* * * *
When Cam got back home that night, the first thing she did was call Jean-René at his home.
“I hope you’ll be happy,” she started, “but I may not only have found out who cooks the meth, but a clue to those three boys’ deaths.”
“Sacré! So soon?”
“Yes, I think my time here is coming to an end. Too many people know me now and some have begun asking personal questions. I’ve invented a lot but now I’ve got a bartender looking for a house for me here up around Lake Magog.”
“I can’t believe you’ve found so much.”
“I’ve got a lot for you. Do you have time now, should I drive over there?”
“No, no. Driving over here is too far. I don’t know why you haven’t gotten a boat yet,” he said softly.
“Haven’t had time. I really should, though, shouldn’t I?”
“If you live on this lake and don’t have one, you’re wearing out a bunch of tires and burning up a lot of gas.” Jean-René lived fifteen miles north on the other side of the lake, but to get there, on the roads around the tip of the lake, it was more than a forty-mile drive.
“Yes, I should. I’ll think of it when I get this case done.”
“Let me go over there. I’ll be there in about an hour. Is that okay?”
“That will be great. Michael should be home by then, so I won’t have to explain everything twice.”
“Okay. See you then.” The line went dead.
* * * *
Michael had gotten home a few minutes before Jean-René arrived.
“Come on in,” Michael greeted him. “Have you eaten?”
“Yes, I had dinner about an hour ago, but I could sure use a whisky.”
Michael laughed. “Why did I expect you to say that?”
“Because you know I like your whisky. It’s the best tasting around.”
“It’s the most expensive tasting around.” Michael laughed as she went to the cabinet and retrieved two bottles and three glasses.
“So, what’s happening, Cam?” he asked.
“I found where they’re cooking the meth, today. It’s about twenty miles north-west of town.” She drew a map and explained how she drove there while all three of them sipped some of their drink.
“I’ve never been up that way,” Jean-René answered, thoughtfully. “Maybe we’ll have to send a copter up there to check it out.”
“As far as I could see, there were two buildings. The bigger one is where they weigh and package the meth. I’m not sure where they cook it, but the other building is big enough for that, unless one or two of the men live there.”
“Was there a chimney to let the smoke out?”
“I’m not sure. There may have been one on the far side, but I didn’t have time to look around. The head guy, Ken Jenks, was paranoid about letting people know where they were. I think he got really spooked when the kids were found here, although I’m not sure why. He was ready with his meth when the kids were killed and there’s that cross hanging over one of the worktables that tells me he at least knew about that. Maybe there are others around that are waiting to take his place.”
“I’m sure they’re all over the place.”
“Oh, and I saw two other guys working with him but we weren’t introduced. He did say that someone named Eric was loading capsules to sell as mollies and that a Stuart would be delivering them on Wednesday. That’s probably the same guy Rosie was telling me about that parked in the back alley.”
“Then you got everything wrapped up for us, didn’t you?” Jean-René said as he sat back with his drink.
“Everything except where they get their coke. I know the young
blond guy named Billy goes to get it out near Burlington, but I haven’t found out where. I’m afraid I may have to let that one go. If it’s somewhere in the States, that would put it in Chuck’s jurisdiction. I also have the feeling I need to get out of there soon. I’ll make a big buy next Monday or Tuesday and say I’m going away for a while. Then you can go in and clean it all up.”
“Well, Cameron,” Jean-René said, lifting his glass to her, “You’ve done a phenomenal job.”
Michael raised her glass, too.
* * * *
Monday afternoon, Cam went back to Rosie’s place.
“Hey,” Ted greeted her. “How are you doing today?” He immediately reached for a bottle of scotch and poured her a drink.
“Today, I’m good, but this weekend was the worst. I was so paranoid; I couldn’t stay at my place. I went into Montreal for the weekend. I had to warn my friend about who she hung out with.”
“Was she surprised?”
“That’s understating it. She was astounded.”
“I bet!”
“At least I got to get some decisions make.”
“Did you check out those apartments?”
“No. I’m thinking of going west; out near Winnipeg or in that area.”
“Really? It gets mighty cold out there in the winters.”
“Yes, I know, but that keeps most people indoors. I wouldn’t need to worry as much.”
“That’s true, if you can stand the cold.”
“I think the cold is better than the heat around here.” Cam’s smile made Ted laugh.
“Well, I hate to see you go, but if you have to…”
“It’s probably for the best. Maybe I can freeze this drug shit out of my blood and get my life back together.”
“Well, if it doesn’t work out for you, come on back here. We’ll find you a place.”
“Thanks.”
He went to serve someone else.
Well, that will explain my absence for a while she thought. Once I’m out of here, Jean-René can clean up the entire town.
A few minutes later, the pretty woman who’d obeen with Ted at the Pizza Palace walked in and he came right back to her. He gave her a kiss.
“What are you doing here?” he asked her.
“I was running some errands and thought I’d stop in to say hi,” she answered.
Bodies Out Back Page 13
