An Element of Risk

by Don Easton

  “Overly candid?”

  Lexton ignored the comment. “He was being intentionally provocative to judge how I’d react.”

  “I think judge is the wrong word,” Rose said. “To assess how you’d react, perhaps, without being judgmental.”

  “Judge … assess … whatever. I felt as if he were treating me like I was a lab rat.”

  “That doesn’t surprise me about him. Little doubt he was assessing your cerebral level, personality … and perhaps sense of humour.”

  “Exactly!” Lexton replied as she slapped her desk with the palm of her hand. “How dare he! I’m a commissioned officer. If anything, it should be me who is assessing him.”

  “Did you consider his motive behind what he did?” Rose asked calmly.

  “His motive?” Lexton sat back and looked puzzled.

  “Corporal Taggart’s intelligence reports are second to none. He has a proven track record of developing high-level sources. With that comes responsibility. Responsibility to those who have placed their lives in his hands.”

  “What does that have to do with it? Everyone understands, or should understand, the need to protect their informant’s identity. I’ve backed him on that.”

  “Yes, but you know how much protection is needed. We’ve had previous cases where groups like Satans Wrath developed their own sources within our organization, as well as other police bodies.”

  Lexton made a face. “Highly disturbing, I admit, but that is not a reason for him to be flippant with me.”

  “There’s no doubt in my mind that how much Corporal Taggart reports, verbally or otherwise, has a direct correlation with the amount of trust he has in those who he passes the information on to. Obviously his trust and respect for you has risen considerably since you backed him on protecting his informant over the Kondrat and Pratt murders.”

  “Hold on a second. Are you telling me he holds back information? I find that unacceptable. He should report everything of any significance to his superiors and let them decide what should be passed on and to whom.” Lexton eyed Rose suspiciously. “Or is it less of an issue of protecting his informants than it is of something else?”

  “Something else?” Rose questioned.

  Lexton’s words were blunt. “Has Corporal Taggart been breaking the law?”

  Breaking the law? I can’t imagine how many times. He carries a small set of lock picks in his wallet, for Christ’s sake. Rose locked eyes with Lexton and her words were firm. “I do not believe that Corporal Taggart would ever commit a criminal act for his own benefit.”

  “That is not what I meant. Would he break the law in his own blind quest for what he perceives to be justice?”

  Rose paused to take a deep breath and give herself a moment to compose a response. “There have been several Internal Affairs investigations involving Corporal Taggart over the years, including the use of wiretap and surveillance on him. They’ve never come up with an iota of evidence to say that he has ever broken the law.”

  “So are you saying he hasn’t broken the law, or could it be that he’s smart enough to never get caught?”

  “He is highly intelligent, but —”

  “So that’s it.”

  “I’m not implying that he has ever broken the law by that comment.”

  “No, but that might explain why he’s never been caught.”

  Rose felt the tension rise in her body. I feel like a mother bear trying to protect her cub. She made a conscious effort to keep her tone one of reason and not of anger. “Would it make you feel better if you had a less intelligent person working for you? Perhaps a sycophant so that you’d never need to challenge your own cerebral output?”

  “That’s —”

  “Or someone who has a keen sense of justice and is highly intelligent — who, granted, may be challenging at times over some of the delicate matters he brings forward?”

  The irritation showed on Lexton’s face, but then she appeared to reflect on what was said.

  Was that a hint of a smile?

  Lexton’s face became passive and her tone was matter-of-fact. “It would appear that backing people into a corner is a common tactic in your unit.” She paused. “Out of curiosity, when did Corporal Taggart discover that Chief Superintendent Quaile was holding back his evaluation?”

  “About three weeks ago.”

  “Interesting that out of two previous commissioned officers who crossed paths with Corporal Taggart, one was institutionalized in a psych ward for thirty days and the other retired after a Satans Wrath hit team showed up at his house. It makes me wonder what the future might hold for Chief Superintendent Quaile.”

  “I’m sure it was a coincidence,” Rose scoffed, in a tone and manner as if to say that any other conclusion would be ridiculous.

  Lexton stared at her. “Trust is a two-way street. You and I have had an enlightening conversation. Don’t spoil it by trying to be deceptive.”

  Rose swallowed, then acknowledged her guilt with a nod. Okay, you’re good.…

  “You may go. Be sure to remind Corporal Taggart that if he plans any more forays across international borders … to obtain written authorization first.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Rose slid the chair back from her desk and plunked herself down. A moment later Jack entered and took a seat. She moved her feet uncomfortably under her desk as he stared at her.

  “I thought you’d have stuck your head into my office to call me in,” he said. “Is everything okay? I’m hoping that my accident in the States didn’t cause you to get into trouble. I told her I was entirely responsible.”

  “No, she’s not angry with me,” Rose responded.

  “Good.”

  He crossed his legs and sat back in his chair.

  Damn it, you look like you’re settling in. I wish you’d leave.

  “I presume you were told to keep an eye on me and document any further transgressions?” he said.

  “She has her eye on you, that’s for sure. I’d suggest you be extra polite in any future dealings you may have with her. She’s also perceptive, and doesn’t appreciate being conned.”

  “Yes, I clued into that in the meeting when I tried to soften her up by talking about the prosecutor’s two-year-old daughter. She gave me the hairy eyeball then.”

  “So you know she’s not someone you should mess with.”

  “What did you talk about after I was dismissed?”

  “She made it clear she doesn’t like your sense of humour and feels you show a lack of respect for her rank.”

  “I see. What did you say?”

  “I told her I’d speak to you about it, so consider yourself spoken to.”

  “Was that all?” He glanced at his watch. “You were gone a long time.”

  Damn him. Reminds me of the time I interviewed some inmates over a murder. The other inmates timed how long the interviews took to try and figure out who was saying something they shouldn’t. Rose shrugged. “What else was there to say?”

  He looked at her curiously.

  “What else was there to say?” Christ, how could I make such a rookie mistake? He knows I’m holding something back. “She also said to tell you to submit a request through channels if you plan to cross the border again.”

  Jack studied her face briefly then rose to his feet. “No problem. I’m working on it now,” he said.

  She found herself staring blankly at her doorway after he’d left. It was the first time she’d broken her word to him. Why do I feel so upset? I had his best interests at heart. She busied herself straightening out the items on her desk, and then straightened them again. A haunting feeling remained. He knows I lied to him.…

  * * *

  Late that afternoon Jack submitted the request seeking permission to authorize him and other investigators, if need be, to enter the U.S. to work with investigators there on the gun smuggling investigation.

  He knew that the bureaucrats in Ottawa would have to approve the request, then c
ontact their counterparts in the U.S., gain permission, then send documentation back. He was optimistic that the process would be completed by the following week.

  In the meantime, Laura prepared a warrant allowing them to place a tracking device on Graves’s truck. At noon the following day Laura walked into their office with the warrant in her hand and waved it at Jack. “Got it signed,” she said. “Good for sixty days starting today.”

  “Perfect,” Jack replied.

  “Tonight?” Laura asked as she sat down.

  “Sure, I’ll pick you up at your place at eleven. Shouldn’t take long.”

  “It better not. That’ll take us into Thursday. I’m off to Hawaii Friday morning. Don’t you dare get me into something to screw that up.”

  “Me? Never!” Jack exclaimed, hamming up his surprise. “How could you even think that I would ever —” He stopped talking to answer his office phone.

  “Jack! It’s Bonny … from Staffing,” she added.

  “You sound chipper,” Jack noted.

  “I am. I have some unbelievably good news,” she said. “I wanted to phone you earlier but had to wait until you-know-­who left for lunch.”

  “My dear friend Chief Superintendent Quaile,” Jack replied.

  Bonny’s voice spilled over with excitement. “I wish you could have been here this morning to listen to the lambasting he received from Assistant Commissioner Lexton.”

  “Oh?”

  “She showed up this morning asking for him and when she discovered he wasn’t in, she went to his desk to drop off something and write him a note. Then she saw your performance evaluation in his basket. Well! I tell you! Quaile arrived a moment later and the proverbial you-know-what hit the fan.”

  “I bet Quaile put the blame on someone else,” Jack said.

  Bonny snickered. “You’re right. First he tried to say that he received it late, but she noted the dates beside the initials of those who’d forwarded it to him. Then he changed his story to say it must have been inadvertently misfiled and only recently located.”

  “What did Lexton say?”

  “She didn’t swallow any of his malarkey. She told him off in no uncertain terms, then stormed out.” Bonny giggled. “Honestly, his face was so red that I thought he was going to have a coronary.”

  “Too bad he didn’t,” Jack said. “It would have been the first real service he did for his country.”

  “Nobody I know would have called Emergency if he had,” Bonny replied.

  “Out of curiosity, do you happen to know what Lexton was leaving for him?” Jack asked.

  “It was an invitation to a social gathering, but that subject never came up again.”

  Jack thanked Bonny then told Laura.

  “Oh, man! That is super!” Laura exclaimed. “Glad to see someone put that jerk in his place.”

  “Wish we could have been there to see it,” Jack replied.

  “Hey, maybe you and I will have a shot at promotion yet,” she said, her face beaming. “Let’s go tell Rose. She was pretty upset about it.”

  Jack frowned. “She may already know.”

  “Oh?”

  “Yesterday I think Rose went behind my back and told Lexton. She was with her for quite a while, then acted funny when I asked her what they’d talked about.”

  “Acted funny?” Laura questioned.

  “Evasive. You know that most people don’t like to lie.”

  “Right, they use terminology to evade the question.”

  “When I asked her what else they talked about besides giving me an attitude adjustment, she said, ‘What else is there to say?’”

  “Maybe she was busy and wanted you to leave,” Laura suggested. “Her way of dismissing you.”

  “I didn’t get the feeling she was busy. Then for this to happen so soon after — I’m not buying it. Lexton could have even left the invitation or message with the secretary. She wouldn’t have had to go into his office.”

  Laura pursed her lips. “I don’t know. If Lexton was standing right there, why interrupt the secretary? It would be easy enough for her to drop it off. Maybe it was a coincidence.”

  “Coincidence? That’s what we say about ourselves when something happens — and you know how much truth there is there,” Jack said wryly.

  Laura rolled her eyes. “You’re right about that.”

  “We’ll tell Rose about Quaile catching hell,” Jack continued, “but study her reaction. It could be interesting.”

  “Are you going to accuse her?”

  “No point. She’d be concerned that it’d affect the trust I place in her, which will later translate to suspicion that I’m holding stuff back from her.”

  Laura gestured with her hands. “You do anyway.”

  “Exactly, so there’d be no benefit to channelling her mind in that direction and promoting more suspicion.”

  “If she did tell Lexton, it would’ve been because she wanted to help you,” Laura noted.

  “I know. If she did do it, she must trust Lexton to some degree or else she wouldn’t have.”

  “What do you think about Lexton?”

  “Time will tell. If Rose did tell her, then I’m impressed with how she handled it.” Jack paused. “Let’s go find out.”

  A moment later, Jack saw Rose’s eyes briefly widen with surprise when he started to tell her about the latest call he’d received from Bonny. That was followed by a slight flicker of concern … then her face became passive as she listened.

  As Jack talked, he saw that Rose was studying his face. Looking to see if I suspect something and am angry? His tone and expression gave the impression that he was pleased as he related what Bonny had told him.

  Rose smiled when he finished. “That’s wonderful! It sounds like he got what was coming to him.”

  “I’ll say,” Laura replied. “It puts Jack and me back in the running again.”

  “That’s fantastic,” Rose replied. “I really hope the both of you get promoted. I can’t imagine anyone else being more qualified.”

  After a little more chatter, Jack and Laura returned to their desks.

  Jack then eyed Laura. “Diagnosis?”

  “She initially looked surprised. She didn’t know what Lexton was up to,” Laura concluded.

  “I agree. What else?”

  “I saw some concern. She was checking you out to see how you were reacting.”

  “Meaning?”

  “She told Lexton, but wasn’t aware of the action that Lexton took.”

  “Exactly.”

  “And you didn’t give even an iota to suggest you’d clued in.”

  Jack gave a lopsided smile in response.

  Laura stared at him. “You’re going to toss it back at her someday, aren’t you?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You know damn well what I mean. You’re going to wait until she’s giving you hell for having done something without telling her. Then you’ll let her have it with both barrels and use this as an excuse.”

  Jack shook his head in mock disbelief. “It saddens me to think you’ve become so cynical and devious. Whatever happened to that nice young woman I first met?”

  “I met you, is what happened.”

  Jack chuckled. “Sounds to me like you should be promoted.”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  It was approaching midnight when Jack and Laura arrived in the alley behind Graves’s apartment. His truck was parked in the usual spot, but his apartment light was on and they could see the glow from a television.

  Jack glanced at Laura. Okay, I know what you’re thinking.

  She caught his glance and appeared to read his mind. “Yes, it shouldn’t take us long,” she observed as she squirmed and slouched in the seat to make herself comfortable.

  “Probably watching a movie. Bet he goes to bed in an hour,” Jack said, trying to be optimistic.

  “Either way, I’m off to Hawaii soon. Hot sun. Warm beaches.”

  “You’d rather b
e lying on a beach in Hawaii with your hubby and drinking piña coladas than sitting in an alley with me?” He let out a loud sigh. “Obviously, I’ve lost my charm.”

  “Yeah, well, what you call charm, others call B.O.”

  “I stink?” He sniffed under his arm.

  “Not yet, but give it a few hours.”

  “After a few hours we both will.” He stared up at the apartment. “I’m sure he’ll be going to bed soon.”

  “He doesn’t work, remember?”

  At 3:00 a.m. Laura glanced at her watch. “He’ll be going to bed soon, will he? Wished I had bet you.”

  “His window overlooks his truck. I don’t want to chance it. If he finishes watching television, it’d be too easy for him to glance out on his way to bed.”

  “I know.”

  “If you want to get some sleep, go ahead. I’m okay.”

  “No thanks. Last time I did that with you on surveillance I woke with a kink in my neck that lasted for three days. Mind you, I think this car is more comfortable than the SUV.”

  “Better than what happened to me last time I fell asleep on surveillance. When I woke up my underwear was on backwards.”

  Laura tittered, but by 5:00 a.m. they’d both run out of humour and patience.

  Jack tossed the binoculars to Laura. “That’s it. I’m going in. Either he fell asleep on the sofa or is stoned. Let me know if you see movement.”

  Laura glanced at her watch. “In exactly twenty-four hours I’m heading to the airport. If you haven’t picked the lock by then you’re on your own.”

  “If I’m not done in twenty minutes you can walk over there and kick me in the ass.”

  “Don’t think I won’t.”

  In the seven minutes that followed, Jack picked the padlock on the toolbox in the back of Graves’s truck and hid the GPS unit inside. It was one place that Graves had not thought to search, and the whereabouts of his truck could now be fully monitored from a laptop computer.

  Laura yawned as Jack climbed back into the SUV. “Too bad you didn’t do that five hours ago.”