Chopped

by Alison Golden

  The decoration in the room was opulent and expensive. Massive, heavy, gold drapes swathed the huge window to the left of the Senator’s desk. It was unusual for a Canadian politician to reveal his wealth so unapologetically. Those who represented the Canadian people didn’t normally display it quite this openly.

  She looked at Peter from the corner of her eye. He was sitting stiffly, his tension so apparent it was almost as if he were a snake just waiting for the right moment to pounce. No wonder Greene kept glancing at him.

  She started to speak. “We had a small discussion with Mr. Bernard Kloch of Blue Panther Security earlier. He indicated that an extreme Islamic group had targeted you.”

  Diana watched Greene carefully. He was affecting an open, inquiring, friendly expression, but she saw his eyes widen almost imperceptibly when she spoke. He swallowed. He clenched his jaw very slightly, probably involuntarily. He was displeased. Why?

  “Yes,” Greene said, “Mr. Kloch brought this threat to my attention a few weeks ago. I felt it prudent to engage additional security, alongside the protection I am afforded due to my position. I understand the threat has now been dealt with.”

  “Do you know how it was dealt with, sir?” Peter was nothing if not plainspoken.

  A minute frown. An imperceptible tightening of his lips. More anger. “I understand the man who was sent to kill me met with an unfortunate accident.”

  Peter snorted. “If you could call being suffocated and having your head cut off an unfortunate accident.”

  Now, Greene allowed his anger to show. “Are you accusing me of something, Detective?” he snapped.

  “No, no,” Peter said, his hands up in supplication. “Just wondering what your role is in all this.”

  “If this is the approach you want to take, we can continue this discussion some other time, with my lawyer present. And after I’ve had a chat with the Deputy Commissioner.”

  Damn it. She was sitting too far away from Peter to give him a good kick in the shin. He was being a bear. “I’m sorry, sir. I can assure you, your welfare is our main priority.”

  The Senator looked back at her. “I’m glad to hear it, Ms. Hunter, but as I already said, I have Blue Panther Security and my government detail looking out for me.

  Diana cocked her head and gave him a smile that she hoped didn’t look as pained as it felt. “Senator Greene, I’m sure Blue Panther Security can provide you with protection, but VPD can catch whoever’s after you. Right now, although the immediate threat has abated, you are still a target.”

  Greene gave her a shrewd look. “And pray, how would VPD endeavor to achieve that when the people after me are an Islamic group in Afghanistan? They have suicide bombers, deep pockets, and most likely powerful connections at their disposal. I can’t see VPD having much influence on that little lot.”

  Diana gave him a small, lopsided smile. “That’s right. I forgot to mention that CSIS is working with us. They will be able to work with other intelligence agencies around the world to eliminate the larger threat, while we work domestically to ensure that no one has slipped through the cracks and made it onto Canadian soil to specifically target you or other Canadian nationals.”

  Green’s voice wavered. “I don’t think that’s necessary. Surely it would be a waste of good resources. The threat has been eliminated now. Kloch seems to think so, at least. I’ll be just fine. I’m sure VPD and CSIS have much bigger fish to fry than me.” He was talking too quickly. Trying too hard.

  “Senator Greene,” Peter was speaking, “Not only did someone take out a contract on you, but someone else took out a contract on the person who was to kill you. You’re in the middle of something. You’re in a lot of danger.”

  “Now, Ms. Hunter, Detective Hopkinson, I’m sure you are blowing this all out of proportion. I’m sure that the people who were after me have rethought their priorities now that – what was his name again?”

  “Lucenzo Garibaldi.”

  “—Now that he has been, um, neutralized.”

  “I don’t suppose you have any idea who ordered the hit on Garibaldi?” Diana asked. There was a very slight drop of Greene’s eyebrows and a thinning of his lips. Ah, satisfaction. He thought they didn’t know about Kloch ordering Surgeon to do it. So, Greene was in on it.

  “I’m sorry, but I really have no idea.” Greene got out of his chair. Peter immediately stood, too. Diana followed suit, but more slowly. “Now, if we’re finished here, I have work to get back to. Thank you for your visit and your concern, but I feel quite safe with the security measures that are in place,” Greene said.

  “Very well, Senator,” Diana said. “It’s your choice. But if you change your mind, you can find us at this number,” she said as she handed him a business card. She knew Greene would never actually call, but she wanted to leave the impression that the Senator had succeeded in convincing them of his story.

  “Goodbye, Ms. Hunter, Detective. Forgive me if I say I hope we don’t meet again.”

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  NEITHER OF THEM said a word until they were in Peter’s car, driving out of the underground parking lot beneath Greene’s office.

  “What a sleaze ball,” Peter said.

  “No argument there.” Diana replied. “And he’s up to his eyeballs in this whole mess.”

  “Yup. I noticed he was really pleased when you indicated we had no idea who hired Surgeon to take out Garibaldi.”

  “Caught that, did you?”

  “Hey, I haven’t been spending all this time with you for nothing.”

  “Well, I’m glad I’m rubbing off on you in a good way.”

  “So, clearly he is involved somehow. Whether it was his idea or he just went along with it, we don’t know. What I don’t get is why he wouldn’t want us to go after this Islamic group if they present such a threat to him.”

  “I know. It doesn’t make sense. He totally freaked out when I mentioned CSIS. I reckon there’s a whole lot more going on than just some terrorists wanting to kill him,” she replied.

  “The question is what? Politicians don’t usually go around hiring hitmen to take out other hitmen who are targeting them. They come crying to the police, to the mounties, to the intelligence agencies, to basically any law enforcement agency for help. They don’t hire a private security firm and then have that someone assassinated,” Peter said. “It’s not a normal response.”

  “Exactly. And why did this group target Greene in the first place? The guy is a really small fish in a big pond. He isn’t important. I hadn’t even heard of him before this case.”

  “Remember Kloch said it’s because of his political views and that he’ll be running for P.M. They want him removed from the candidate pool.

  “I know, but it’s way too early to be thinking of killing him. He might not even have made it to the final rounds. They’d have been better off waiting until he was P.M., or at least down to one of two or three candidates.”

  “Hmm.”

  “Where do we go from here? I doubt Greene’s told any of his staff what’s really going on. They’d run for the hills. And Kloch’s people aren’t likely to help. Who’s the weakest link in this whole scenario?”

  “Greene. Kloch’s seasoned and as hard as nails. No matter how hard we lean on him, he won’t talk. We need incontrovertible evidence to implicate him. I don’t think Greene, on the other hand, will put up much of a fight.”

  “But with Greene we have a different problem,” she pointed out. “Remember a certain Deputy Commissioner? He’ll never let us really lean on Greene.”

  Peter blew out his cheeks. “We have to approach this from a different angle, then.”

  “Uh-huh. And I have an idea.”

  “Are you alright?” Diana was in Donaldson’s office. He’d spied her from the window. She’d been sitting on a bench in the courtyard below, lost in thought. He’d called her in.

  “I’m not certain what you mean, Superintendent.”

  The senior police officer sigh
ed. “I know you. You’re working on a plan to get Surgeon, aren’t you? I can see it all going on behind your eyes.” Diana held his gaze. “Look, I don’t know how things were done at CSIS, but I care about my people. I will not let you put yourself in this psychopath’s sights if you have any misgivings whatsoever. Your safety is more important than making our lives easier. We can still catch this guy without you sticking your neck out, you know.”

  Diana smiled gently. CSIS wasn’t quite as bad as Donaldson made it out to be, but they were undeniably used to putting their lives on the line. Subverting terror plots required it.

  His concern for her was a nice change of pace from that, but they were dealing with a man who posed a major risk. Surgeon was only deployed to hit significant targets, often ones that held the balance of political power in their hands. Entire regions of the world had been destabilized by Surgeon’s work. The Garibaldi killing appeared an anomaly, a one-off, but she suspected it was of much larger significance. They just didn’t know what it was. And they needed to. They simply couldn’t afford to let him wander the world, taking out people on kill lists.

  “Thank you,” she said, “but I don’t think we have a choice. We need to find out if he knows anything about the larger reason Garibaldi was here to kill Greene, and what his involvement might be. I am the fastest way to him.”

  Donaldson sighed but he didn’t look convinced. “What if he’s finished here?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “What if Lucenzo Garibaldi was the job? What if that was all he was here for? What if he has no other involvement?”

  “Then he’ll be waiting for his next hit. Killing is like a drug to him. He needs his supply, his high. He needs to be dealt with.”

  Donaldson walked over to a filing cabinet and picked up a small imperfectly sculpted figurine. It had been a gift from his daughter when she was in second grade.“So, what’s the plan?”

  “I’m going on TV network news. I’m going to call him out. Flush him out. If he’s still here, he’ll break cover. I’m sure of it.”

  “Are you mad?” Donaldson exclaimed. “Are you sure you want to challenge someone like him like that?”

  “It’s the best way. I’ve thought it all through. If I can draw him out of hiding, have him come after me, we’ll catch him. He’ll make a stupid mistake, I know it. And if we throw everything we have at it, we’ll get him.” It was a risky plan. She knew it. It could backfire so easily. But too much was at stake. This was one chapter of her life she needed to close. She’d had enough of Surgeon being out there, still roaming, never knowing if, or when he was going to come for her.

  Her experience with Surgeon had become inextricably linked in her mind with her parent’s deaths. Although there was no suggestion that they were connected, her battle with Surgeon coming so soon after she joined CSIS, and her sense that she was being kept under surveillance by her parents’ killers had caused her to volunteer for the most dangerous CSIS missions.

  Humiliated, terrified, and paranoid by these two threats to her safety, she had trained her way to expert status in close quarters combat, marksmanship, surveillance and reconnaissance. She’d even taken CSIS’ advanced Special Operations courses, their toughest. Then, when she’d done that, she volunteered for every course, every mission available to her. She figured it was the best way to stay one step ahead of her parents’ killers and beat back the memory of her time with Surgeon.

  Driven by her demons and her fear, she had pushed herself to her physical and psychological limits over and over again. Now she was done with Surgeon taunting her. She refused to let this charade continue. She wanted a life without the threat of him looming over her.

  “I don’t know. I’m still not convinced. You’re relying on a lot of ‘ifs’ here. If he sees you on television, if he reacts to your taunts, if he doesn’t go ballistic and decide to shoot you in the head from a distance,” Donaldson said, shaking his head.

  “Yes, but it’s the most effective solution. We need to goad him. It’s not like I can send him an invitation. We don’t know what he looks like or where he is. I think this is the best shot we have of catching him and finding out precisely what’s going on.”

  “I still think it’s a crazy plan.” Donaldson shook his head. “I don’t like you putting yourself in the line of fire like this.”

  “It wouldn’t be the first time. And I won’t be alone,” she reminded him.

  “You bet you won’t be alone. I’m assigning a full security team to you. Where you go, they go,” he said.

  Diana shook her head. “Just me and Peter. No additional protection. We want to draw him out, not scare him off.” Donaldson’s phone rang. He took the call. Diana could hear a man barking angrily at the other end.

  “Yes, sir. We’ll do that. I’ll tell her.” He put the phone down.

  “That was the D.C. We are to let Kloch go and—.”

  “What? But he contracted a murder!”

  Donaldson waved away her objection, “And you specifically are not to go near Senator Riley Greene again. The D.C. mentioned you by name.”

  Diana looked up at the ceiling in exasperation.”The D.C. gave me permission to speak to Greene.”

  “Well, he’s withdrawn it.”

  “Are we being warned off?”

  “Undoubtedly.” Donaldson was even more taciturn than usual.

  “Ugh, this is so frustrating. What’s the D.C.’s game, sir?”

  “I’m sure he’s been leaned on by someone up above. I thought this might happen.”

  “But where does that leave us? Leave the investigation?”

  Donaldson gave her a shrewd look. “Listen, if you can get Peter to agree to this crazy scheme of yours, we’ll do it. Go speak to him. Otherwise, your plan’s off, lady.”

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  “HAVE YOU LOST your mind?” Peter had known something was up when she asked him to join her for a cup of coffee in the break room.

  “It’s the best way,” Diana said.

  Peter took a deep breath. Then another. And another. This was too much. It was almost as if she wanted to die.

  “You’re right – we don’t have time to waste and we need to get Surgeon. But going on TV? Insane. You have no idea how he’ll react to being humiliated in public. It will enrage him! His response will be ten times worse. And you know what that means for you.”

  “Who said I was going to humiliate him?”

  “What else can you do to goad him into action? Invite him over for tea?”

  “Maybe just seeing me will be enough,” Diana said with a shrug. “He doesn’t know my name or where I live. He hasn’t found me before now. Seeing me on TV should trigger him sufficiently especially if we give him clues as to where to find me.

  Peter gave her an incredulous look. “If he’d really wanted to find you, he would have already. He could have just staked out the CSIS building. He’s just been taunting you with the flowers and cards up ‘til now. Playing a game.”

  “And now I’m upping the ante. Giving him the come-on. Taking the fight to him.”

  “You won’t be able to resist throwing a few digs at him. I know you.”

  “Do you have a better way to get his attention quickly?” Diana asked.

  Peter glared at her. He tried to come up with a solution. There had to be a way that didn’t involve her challenging an assassin. In public. He considered the possibilities for a few moments, discarding one option after another.

  Earlier, he’d spoken to Kieran about the flowers. They had to be paid for somehow and even if it was in cash, maybe they’d find some security footage, or at the very least, a vague description. But CSIS looked into it every year, according to Kieran. No security footage was available because no one stored more than a week’s worth. The order was always placed weeks, or months in advance at a different florist each time. Payment was made in cash. The person placing the order was different every year. There were no leads there.

  He’d followed
up with the florist who’d taken receipt of the flash drive but no one had remembered anything.

  He’d considered the possibility of posting a message online but decided that was too random. The chance of Surgeon seeing it was minimal.

  He’d chased Tina, head of the crime lab, but she’d had no luck with the crime scene. There was no trace on Garibaldi’s body of anything that could lead them to Surgeon.

  So, it looked like Diana was right. Again. They didn’t have a way of getting in touch with him directly – if they did, this stunt wouldn’t be necessary.

  “Fine, you’re right. As usual. But that doesn’t mean you have to antagonize him,” he said.

  “Who said anything about antagonizing him?” she asked.

  “Don’t give me that innocent look. I know you, remember?”

  Diana rolled her eyes. “Look, the point of this whole exercise is to knock him off balance. He has never been able to find me and now I’ll be inviting him to play. I want him so excited and so angry that he will make a mistake.”

  Peter raised an eyebrow. “We’re talking about a man that CSIS, along with the rest of the alphabet soup of intelligence agencies around the world, haven’t been able to catch in over a decade. This guy doesn’t make mistakes.“

  “One of the reasons he’s never gotten caught is that he never lets it get personal. But this time, it is personal. He’s been goading me all these years. Well, now it’s my turn. I’ll dangle myself in front of him on TV, and he won’t be able to resist. He will make a mistake. And that mistake will be to come for me.“

  “Fine, but until he’s in custody, I’m not leaving your side,” he stated.

  “Okay,” she replied.

  Peter gave her an odd look. “Are you feeling alright?” he asked.

  “What do you mean?”

  “You’re not going to object?” he said. He looked as perplexed as he felt. She normally refused to be “babysat,” as she put it. He had expected a huge row.