A Cloud of Suspects

by Laurence Gough

  Sandy flung the rest of his second mug of coffee into the lane, darkening an oval of gravel. Startled by the sudden movement, the robin flew away over the rooftops. He reluctantly admitted to himself that it was possible he was a little on edge. Times like this, he almost wished he smoked. He shook the last few drops of coffee from the mug and went back inside his converted apartment.

  He phoned Jan, but she didn’t answer. Her machine didn’t pick up, either. He didn’t have a number for Harvey. He waited ten minutes and tried Jan again. The line was busy. He went into the bathroom and emptied his bladder. Man, he was nervous.

  He had a few calls to make, and he made them. The first was to the ERT team leader, a sergeant with the unlikely name of Tosh mcintosh. The sergeant asked him if he was going to wear a vest. Sandy said no, he’d decided not to, his thinking being that a vest might encourage Harvey to shoot him in the head, and that a head shot was almost always lethal. They went over the drill. The sergeant sounded so calm, and detached, that he might have been discussing a grocery list. They wrapped, and he told Sandy to take it easy, he’d see him in a couple of hours.

  Sandy said, “You mean, it’s going down today?” Kind of lame, but mcintosh gave him a good laugh.

  Sandy hung up, and phoned home. He knew it wasn’t a smart thing to do, because as soon as he started dialling, he lost sight of his character, and began to think of himself as Sean. Claire picked up on the seventh ring, just as he’d decided nobody was home.

  He identified himself, and told her without being asked that his assignment had almost come to an end.

  Claire said, “That’s good, Sean. It’s been a long time, hasn’t it.” She sounded a little distracted. More than a little distracted. In the background, the dishwasher hummed. Her flat tone of voice made him feel as if he’d interrupted something important. More important than him, anyway.

  He said, “How’s Annie?”

  “Fine,” said Claire.

  The roar of the lawnmower was suddenly louder. Sean pressed the phone against his ear, but all he heard was the familiar whir of the dishwasher. After a moment he said, “Did she find a job yet?”

  “Not that I know of. I don’t know why. We could use some help with her tuition.”

  Sandy said, “Yeah, I guess so. Dad around?”

  Claire told him that Jack had already left, that he and Oikawa were working a stakeout. Hadrian belched loudly into the phone, then started crying. He sounded more mad than upset. Claire told him she’d tell Jack that he’d called. He thanked her and said goodbye and hung up fast, before she could beat him to it. She had no way of knowing that today was the Big Day, but even so, he felt as if she’d let him down. It wasn’t rational, but there it was.

  He checked the dock again, and the Titan. Both guns had a full magazine and a round in the chamber.

  Jan’s line was still busy. He checked the time. It was a little early. He thought he might as well drive over there anyway. He could see how she was doing, find out if she’d decided to take his advice or had chosen, without being aware of what she’d done, to be a criminal and a convict, just like her dim-witted husband.

  *

  Harvey and Jan were in the shower the first time the phone rang. By the time Sandy tried again, they’d migrated back into the sack. Tyler was in the living room, watching cartoons on TV. He didn’t hear the phone ring, because he’d turned the sound up almost as loud as it would go, to drown out the sound of his mom and the creep who mistakenly believed he was his dad.

  *

  Somebody called the cops. Aldo and Jackie had talked things over. They refused to identify themselves or explain why they were stark-naked, or how they’d ended up in an abandoned, half-gutted warehouse on the river. The cops called in the meat-wagon. Aldo and Jackie were involuntarily admitted to Riverview for psychiatric assessment. Their files were lost the day after they arrived, due to a hard-drive failure. Two weeks later, they would still be going crazy waiting for the paperwork to catch up with them.

  Sometimes, the wheels of injustice grind exceedingly slow.

  *

  Jennifer Orchid drove over the Arthur Laing Bridge towards the airport.

  Oikawa said, “Maybe she’s planning to leave town.”

  Willows doubted it. The rental’s left-turn signal had just started flashing. The car moved over one lane. Jennifer Orchid made a left turn onto the Dinsmore Bridge, and drove over the middle arm of the Fraser River.

  Oikawa said, “Looks like she’s headed for beautiful downtown Richmond.”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “No? Why not?”

  Willows said, “She’s going to turn right, onto the Westminster Highway.”

  “No kidding. Where’s your crystal ball?”

  The line of traffic bumped over the railway tracks that ran parallel to the river. They were on Gilbert Street. There was a dedicated right turn where Gilbert intersected with the Westminster Highway. The blue Mustang swung into the lane, and waited at the red. Oikawa pulled in two cars behind.

  Willows said, “I checked the Yellow Pages this morning. There are only a couple of dozen kennels in the Lower Mainland, and most of them are pretty far out of town — in Surrey or Aldergrove. There are two kennels in Richmond. The other one’s on Number Three Road.”

  “How did you know she wasn’t going there?”

  Willows smiled. “That’s where the crystal ball came in, Danny.”

  Traffic was light, and moving along at a steady 20 KPH over the limit. The drive to Big Dog Kennels took twenty minutes. The kennel was in an area of light industry, farmer’s markets, and vast stretches of what appeared to be undeveloped farmland. The road ran flat and unnaturally straight. Oikawa was hanging a quarter-mile back when the Mustangs turn signal lit up. The car’s brake lights flashed. Jennifer Orchid turned right, and disappeared.

  Oikawa checked his rearview mirror, and tapped the brakes. They crawled past an unmarked driveway surrounded by overgrown brambles. The Mustang was parked in front of a low, flat-roofed stucco building. Oikawa stopped, and backed up a few feet for a better view. He and Willows watched Jennifer Orchid get out of the Mustang and walk into the building. Oikawa backed the Audi up a few more feet, and shifted gears and accelerated down the driveway. On their left there was a mass of brambles. To the right, more parking, and a low, green wooden fence that separated Big Dog Kennels from the neighbouring property.

  Oikawa parked to the left of the Mustang. He and Willows got out. Oikawa said, “You want to go in?”

  Willows wasn’t sure. How long would it take to retrieve the dog? He didn’t like the idea of having to deal with the dog at close quarters. He said, “Let’s wait outside.” He and Oikawa clipped their gold shields to the breast pockets of their sports jackets. Oikawa drew his weapon, the blue steel .38-calibre Colt Police Special he’d carried for more than twenty years. He flipped open the revolver’s cylinder, checked the load, and snapped the cylinder shut.

  Willows said, “You worried she’s going to kiss you to death?”

  “I did a little research myself, when I got home last night. If it’s a male, it could weigh ninety pounds, or more.” Oikawa put on a pair of Decot shooting glasses with rose-coloured lenses. The glasses would help illuminate the target against the lawn’s green background. If he had to shoot, they’d protect his eyes from back-flash or metal fragments. He said, “You want to fight the damn thing off with your bare fists, be my guest.”

  Willows thought Oikawa was being overly cautious but let it go. If Jennifer was involved in Colin McDonald’s death, the dog had already killed once. He considered the situation for a moment, and then said, “When Jennifer comes out, the door’s going to swing outwards and to the left. The dog should be on her left … ” He was thinking that, if the Mustang wasn’t a convertible, they could have waited until Jennifer had put the dog inside the car, then taken her.

  Oikawa said, “i’ll wait to the left of the door, close up against the building. If you stand
by the Mustang, you’ll be out of my line of fire. When she comes out, she’ll focus on you. If the dog’s on my side, i’ll deal with it. If it’s on her right, and it’s aggressive, you shoot it.”

  Willows nodded. He turned and walked back to Jennifer’s car. Oikawa stood to the left of the door. The Colt was in his right hand, close by his side. Both men turned, as a rust-spotted Econoline pulled into the parking lot. Willows held up his badge, and indicated with hand signals that he wanted the driver to turn around and leave. The driver hit the brakes, killed the engine, and climbed hurriedly down out of the van. She strode rapidly towards Willows.

  “What the hell’s going on here?”

  Willows said, “Police business. Get back in your car.”

  “I’m Milly Feinstadt, and I own Big Dog Kennels.” She peered at Willows’ badge. “You guys are Vancouver cops. This is Richmond. What … ”

  The kennels door swung open, and Jennifer Orchid stepped outside. She had a large male German shepherd on a short leash. She saw Willows, and turned and ran straight into Oikawa.

  *

  Claire and Annie were in the kitchen, putting together an Irish stew, when there was a light tap on the back screen door. Hadrian was in his high chair, trying to stuff a plastic spoonful of lime Jell-O into his favourite teddy bear. He pointed at the door and made a cheerful gurgling sound.

  Dr. Randy Hamilton opened the screen door. He said, “Hi there, ladies. Mind if I come in?”

  Claire said, “Have you been drinking?”

  Hamilton rubbed his thumb and little finger together. “Just a little bit, to take the edge off, if you know what I mean.” He thought, given the look on Claire’s face, that he’d better not mention the cocaine.

  Claire said, “Go away, or i’ll call the police.”

  “You mean, call yourself?” Hamilton chuckled. “What are you going to do while you wait for yourself to show up, did you think of that?”

  Hadrian held out his arms towards the doctor. He made a pigeon-like cooing sound.

  Hamilton said, “Hello, handsome!”

  “Stay away from my baby!” Yelled Claire.

  Hamilton reached out and tried to scoop Hadrian out of his chair. Hadrian’s feet got tangled up in the safety strap. He dropped his bear and started screaming. Hamilton yanked even harder.

  Annie, standing to the side and slightly behind him, said, “Dr. Hamilton?”

  Hamilton turned to look at her. He kept tugging on Hadrian, pulling his arms so hard Annie was afraid they might break.

  She swung two-handed, with all her might. The cast-iron frying pan caught Dr. Randy Hamilton flush on the nose. He hit the floor so hard that Hadrian’s lime Jell-O was still jiggling when Claire got through to the 911 operator.

  *

  Oikawa lost his balance, and fell. His wrist banged against the rough stucco wall. The Colt flew out of his hand. The German shepherd loomed over him, straddling him. Oikawa and the dog looked each other in the eye. Oikawa said, “Good dog.” He didn’t sound too sure of himself. Milly Feinstadt clutched desperately at Willows’ sleeve as he tried to move around her for a better shot. Jennifer Orchid was crying. The shepherd lowered its massive head.

  Willows lined up his shot.

  Milly Feinstadt yelled, “Don’t you dare shoot that animal! Diener, stay!”

  Diener licked Oikawa’s rose-coloured glasses off his head. He licked Oikawa again, leaving a wide swath of saliva in his close-cropped hair. Oikawa scrambled to his feet. His eyes were red. He sneezed, and sneezed again. The dog gazed up at him as if in sympathy. Oikawa retrieved his gun first, and then the glasses. He wiped saliva from his face and leaned against the wall, sneezing like a runaway steam train.

  Willows said, “The dog’s name is Diener?”

  Milly Feinstadt nodded. She said, “It’s German. It means ‘Butler.’” She glanced quickly at Jennifer, then looked away. “Diener’s a good dog, he wouldn’t hurt anyone.”

  Judging from the expression on Jennifer Orchid’s face, Willows wasn’t so sure about that. He said, “Have you got a muzzle that we can borrow?”

  Milly Feinstadt put her hands on her hips. “That really isn’t necessary.”

  Willows said, “If we muzzle the dog, my partner will put away his gun.”

  “Well, why didn’t you say so in the first place?”

  Diener didn’t want to be muzzled, but he didn’t put up much of a fight. Jennifer Orchid seemed more concerned about leaving the Mustang behind than anything else. Willows assured her someone would take care of the car. He and Jennifer and Diener got into the Audi.

  Willows read Jennifer Orchid her rights. He cuffed her, and told her twice that she was entitled to a lawyer and that anything she said could be used against her in a court of law. He asked her if she understood what he had just said.

  Jennifer said, “Yes, of course I do. I’m not stupid. Colin liked it rough. I mean, really rough. He hurt me, and I cried out. Diener was outside, on the balcony, but he must have heard me. When I left, I was in such a hurry that I forgot all about him. I came back for him a few hours later, at a little past six in the morning, when I knew Colin would be in the shower. I let myself in with my key, and went straight to Diener, and let him in. He brushed past me when I opened the door.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “He went into the bathroom. Diener went into the bathroom. He didn’t bark, or make any kind of sound at all. I didn’t … I was still thinking about what Colin had done to me, and I didn’t pay any attention to Diener. I shut the door behind me. Then Colin screamed. I could hear Diener growling low in his throat. I opened the bathroom door. The bathroom was full of steam, from the shower. I called Diener but he wouldn’t come. He was growling, and Colin … I was frightened. I turned up the music so I wouldn’t be able to hear what was happening.”

  “Why did you … the coroner’s report said Colin had been attacked post-mortem, with a large knife, or possibly a meat cleaver.”

  “Cleaver.”

  Willows stared blandly at her, and quietly waited.

  Jennifer said, “I had to cut him. I hated doing it, but I had to.”

  “Why?”

  “To save Diener.”

  Willows wasn’t sure he’d heard her correctly. He said, “What was that again?”

  “I had to save Diener. Colin was dead. I didn’t want them to kill … They gas them, can you imagine?” Jennifer started crying again. When she’d collected herself, she said, “Diener’s all i’ve got. He’s my only friend in the whole world. I couldn’t stand the idea of him being put down.”

  Willows nodded as if he understood. He wondered how much of her story was true, and how much of it she believed because she needed it to be true, and how much of it was a pack of self-serving lies. Judging by the evidence at the scene, Willows favoured the last option.

  Diener stared at him as if he knew what he was thinking. Well, maybe he did.

  A commuter jet passed low overhead just as they reached the apex of the Arthur Laing Bridge. Willows saw the plane coming at them when it was still a half mile away. Its lights were very bright, and its landing gear was down. He involuntarily held his breath as it roared past a hundred feet overhead. The thunder of its engines was deafening. The Audi rocked on its springs. For a moment that was as giddy as it was brief, Willows had thought the plane might sweep them all away.

  Jennifer Orchid had started crying again. She cried all the way through the city, and was still crying half an hour later, when they walked her through the big glass doors at 312 Main.

  *

  Sandy parked his truck in the shade of a plane tree. He kept to the shady side of the street as he walked the two short blocks to Jan’s apartment. The temperature was already in the low seventies. He paced himself, not wanting to arrive looking sweaty and worried.

  A black PT Cruiser was parked in front of the building. Harvey was slouched low behind the wheel. He wore a black-leather cowboy hat, dark glasses, and a stick-on handleb
ar moustache that made him look like a refugee from that weird seventies band, The Village People. Jan was in the back. It was hard to see her through the tinted glass. Neither of them seemed to notice Sandy until he’d walked right up to the van. The passenger-side door was locked. Harvey made him wait a fraction too long, then, grinning sardonically, hit the lock.

  Sandy opened the door and got in. He turned and said good morning to Jan. She said hello, and leaned forward and pecked him dispassionately on the mouth. Harvey looked on, his face twisted by a benign smile. His apparent total lack of jealousy set off a host of shrieking alarms. Every nerve in Sandy’s body, and every brain cell, screamed at him to bail out of the car and run for his life.

  Harvey reached out and squeezed Sandy’s brown paper grocery bag. “What you got there, buddy?”

  “My disguise. Where’s yours?”

  Harvey frowned, and then, a little too late, got it. He said, “You all set?”

  Sandy nodded. Harvey put the car in gear.

  The ride downtown took twenty minutes. Harvey parked in a taxi zone around the corner from the Vancouver Block. Sandy put on his Detroit Tigers ball cap, the wire-rim sunglasses with the golden skulls floating in the green-glass lenses. He turned and looked at Jan.

  Jan said, “That’s you, all right.”

  “You going to be okay?”

  “Don’t worry about me.”

  Harvey and Sandy got out of the car. Harvey wore a big fanny pack that drooped heavily. There was plenty of room in there for a fortune in diamonds, and a gun. Sandy opened the Cruiser’s rear door. Jan got out, slid behind the wheel. She handed Harvey a silver-coloured Cobra FRS radio. “Don’t forget this.”

  Harvey shoved the radio into the back pocket of his jeans. He said, “i’ll call you when we’re done. Drive around the block, and then park right here. You have to move, wait in the lane. Everything goes right, we aren’t going to be in a big hurry.”

  “What if everything doesn’t go right?”

  “Then we’ll probably be in even less of a hurry,” said Harvey ominously.

  Jan said, “You promised you wouldn’t hurt anybody.”