The Borman Factor

by Robert Lalonde

  "So Sergei is the only person who would know what this money was paid out for?"

  "Sergei and Anatoly."

  "There are some other payments to Anatoly a few months earlier. Again two payments, but for less money; these were for $15,000 and $25,000."

  "Again, I don't know what the payments were for. That was around the time that Sergei was having problems putting through the approval for the St. James Town project. I assumed he had retained Anatoly to help with that."

  "Councillor Tim Wilson! Wasn't he murdered after a rally in downtown Toronto a short while ago?"

  "Yes he was. He wasn't greatly missed around here because he was one of the main opponents to the St. James Town project."

  It didn't look like the ledger was going to be as much help in finding Terry Reynold's killer as I had hoped. "Thanks Mark. I'll let you know if I need anything else. I can show myself out."

  Chapter 40

  Friday 9am

  I called Stan Novak and asked him to check the incident file for Tim Wilson's murder. It turned out Wilson had been stabbed to death just like Terry Reynolds had. The killer had used a different stabbing pattern; this one didn't scream professional assassin, but it was a stabbing death just the same.

  We both did a search on Anatoly Rodchenko. Nothing there. My online search for the INSG turned up a few stories about successful negotiations for various corporations but nothing that would cast suspicion on the company.

  The hair on the back of my neck was standing up again. I knew I was onto something, but there was no obvious connection between Anatoly and councillor Wilson or Terry Reynolds. I printed off all the relevant material to add a few more bits of information to my boards.

  Just after 1pm, I put in a call to councillor Tim Wilson's office. Bill Stevens had been appointed interim councillor to act in Wilson's place until the next election. I was hoping the office secretary would still be there - that's who I wanted to talk to.

  Someone picked up on the second ring "Councillor Wilson's Office."

  "Good afternoon, my name is Nick Borman. I'm a private investigator and I wonder if I could ask you a few questions about councillor Tim Wilson's schedule last month, if that's OK"

  "I'd be glad to help if I can. Are you any closer to catching who did this to him?" Gloria asked.

  "Not yet, but we're working on it. I'm just following up leads to make sure we haven't missed anything. Who am I speaking with by the way."

  "My name is Gloria. I was the office manager for Mr. Wilson and I am working in the same capacity for Mr. Stevens who is the interim ward councillor."

  "Thank you for taking a few minutes out of your busy day Gloria. Tell me, is there any way you could check councillor Wilson's daytimer to see if he met with an Anatoly Rodchenko from a company named INSG sometime last month?"

  "I can answer that without checking. I remember Mr. Rodchenko - nice looking older man, very polite. He met with Mr. Wilson to see if he could get him to change his mind on the St. James Town project. Mr. Wilson made it very clear to him that tearing down St. James Town would be the last thing he would do. I'm sure councillor Wilson would be turning in his grave right now if he knew how quickly his successor caved in on the issue."

  Gloria raised her voice for the last bit - her way of letting the new councillor know she didn't approve of the way he'd been handling the matter since taking over for councillor Wilson.

  "Thank you for the information Gloria. Have a good day."

  "You're very welcome. I can look up the exact date and time if you like."

  "I don't need that right at the moment Gloria. But it might be useful later on, you never know."

  "OK. I'll look it up and make a note of it for you. Just call me if you need it. And please make whoever did this to councillor Wilson pay for what he did. He was a good man."

  "I'll do my best Gloria. Thanks again."

  Rodchenko appeared to be a dead end. Fenton had said that businesses would often pay negotiators to work under the table and Anatoly had in fact met with councillor Wilson and probably quite a few others.

  The only thing that didn't jibe was the gut feeling I had. I made a note and stuck it up on the board next to Sergei and Mayor Corbett. I had learned not to ignore my gut feeling a long time ago.

  Chapter 41

  Sergei had been out of sorts since learning about Alina and the attempted blackmail of treasurer Bill Paxton. This was the sort of thing that could cause permanent damage for a land developer.

  It's not likely Paxton would ever forget about this and it was going to be that much harder to get him to take cash for favors the next time. Not to mention that Paxton would likely want more money because of the increased risk.

  Sergei had to make sure this wouldn't happen again. Records were a necessary evil for a business - you had to know where your money went. It was important to know who your friends were and how much it cost to keep them as friends.

  Sergei didn't have a poor memory but it wasn't photographic. Part of the problem was he needed a bookkeeper. Sergei rarely spend a lot of time with the ledger personally and he certainly didn't leave it lying around for anyone to see. That meant Alina probably took the photo while Fenton had the ledger out.

  He called Fenton in. "We need to make sure we don't have another incident like we did with Bill Paxton. I'm trying to understand how that could have happened. Have you ever had that ledger opened on your desk while anyone else was in your office?"

  Fenton had a sinking feeling but he had to keep his cool. "No. I always put it away if someone comes in while I'm working on it. Do you think anyone might have watched while you opened your safe and memorized the combination?" Fenton was on shaky ground.

  "No. I don't think it happened that way. I'm very careful not to let anyone see the number sequence and I have the tumblers changed every so often."

  Sergei appeared to be lost in thought for a moment. "We're going to have to be a lot more careful going forward. Mistakes like this can screw things up in a big way. It can't ever happen again. From now on, that ledger doesn't leave my office ever again. We'll make whatever notes we need right here in this office and then put it back under lock and key immediately."

  Fenton nodded. "Anything else?"

  "No. That's all for now." Fenton went back to his office. The dark cloud that had been hanging over his head was closing in. He'd had a bad feeling about bringing in his copy the day Alina walked in on him. Yes, he remembered that day very well. He wasn't about to forget it.

  Chapter 42

  Monday 2pm

  I'd bet Mark Fenton's heart stopped for a second when he saw me walk into the waiting room to Sergei's office. I took the pressure off right away by introducing myself as I handed him one of my cards, "My name is Nick Borman. I wonder if I could see Sergei Mogilevich for a few minutes."

  Fenton was relieved but still very nervous "Just a moment; I'll see if he can see you." He pressed a button on his phone "There's a security expert named Nick Borman here. He says he would like to speak with you if you have a couple of minutes Mr. Mogilevich."

  After a couple of seconds Fenton hung up the phone, "He said to have a seat for a minute and he'll be right with you."

  I took a seat and grabbed a magazine from one of the tables. I made a point of not even looking at Fenton. A minute later, Sergei came out of his office.

  He got my card from Fenton and asked me to follow him into his office. I took the chair he pointed to. "What can I do for you Mr. Borman?"

  "Thank you for giving me a few minutes of your time Mr. Mogilevich. I'm following up on some leads in an investigation and I'd like to ask you a few questions."

  Mogilevich looked like a man who was very comfortable in his skin. He was about 6' with gray hair that was buzzed close to the scalp. He wore brown horn rimmed glasses and had gray/blue eyes. He had a cold, unwavering stare that would make a lot of people uncomfortable. Sergei Mogilevich did not come across as someone you would want to fool with.

&n
bsp; "How can I help you Mr. Borman?"

  I like to keep people off balance so I started with an unexpected question, "What can you tell me about the St. James Town project."

  "What is it exactly you're investigating Mr. Borman?"

  "I'm following up on any possible leads that might help us find who killed Terry Reynolds."

  "Isn't that the newspaper reporter who was killed during a robbery at the Pacific Mall? Why would you think his death might be connected to the St. James Town project?"

  "We don't know for sure why he was killed Mr. Mogilevich. Robbery is a possible motive but the family doesn't think that's why it happened. They've hired me to look into other possible causes - they think the robbery was staged to cover up the real motive."

  "And how is it that you think the St. James Town project might have anything to do with the robbery and death of Terry Reynolds."

  "We have reason to believe that Terry Reynolds had been working with councillor Tim Wilson. The fact that councillor Wilson and Terry Reynolds were both killed in a similar fashion is highly suspicious. Wilson was the main opponent to the St. James Town project was he not?"

  Mogilevich was a cool character but I could see I'd touched a nerve.

  "Let me explain the math for you Mr. Borman. There are forty five councillors on city council. Any motion that has 23 votes proceeds. Councillor Wilson had one vote as does each and every other councillor. If memory serves, 25 voted for the project and that's why the city is going ahead with it."

  Mogilevich was looking around his office as if he had something else he needed to get back to. I casually looked around with him as I reached into my pocket for the GSM5000.

  The small listening device was about half the size of a book of matches. It had an adhesive surface on one side that allowed you to stick it to all sorts of surfaces. It took a bit of practice to remove the protective plastic from the adhesive with one hand but I could now do that very quickly.

  I carried on, "I know all votes are worth the same, but Councillor Wilson was the chairman of a few important committees. Word on the street is he was using his influence to keep the project from becoming a reality. I'm sure you were aware of that."

  "I'm a developer Mr. Borman. I try not to get too involved in the political end of things. We bid on various projects and we proceed with the ones we win."

  "So you're telling me you have no interest or involvement in the political process?"

  "That's not what I said Mr. Borman. I said it doesn't matter to me whether I work on a development in St. James Town or on a development in Scarborough or anywhere else in the city for that matter. We bid on projects and we proceed on the bids we've won."

  "So, just to be sure I understand what you're saying Mr. Mogilevich, you're telling me that you don't care about or ever get involved in the political end. You don't try to influence politicians or civil servants."

  "I'm not sure what you're getting at Mr. Borman. I run a legitimate business. I care about politics as much as any other citizen does. I vote for the councillor I prefer and I donate money to causes I agree with, be they political or not. There is nothing unusual in any of that."

  Mogilevich was trying to keep his cool but he was clearly getting riled. I could feel his anger boiling just below the surface.

  "If you're asking me whether or not I bribe politicians to sway how they vote the answer is no I do not. Now, if you'll excuse me I have work to do."

  Mogilevich got up and walked over to the door and opened it. The interview was clearly over. I got up and started walking towards the door. Our eyes were locked as I made my way across the room.

  "Thank you for your time Mr. Mogilevich. I'm sorry if I offended you sir, that wasn't my intention. I hope you understand I have to ask these questions."

  "Have a good day Mr. Borman."

  "Thank you for your time Mr. Mogilevich." I walked out without even glancing at Fenton. Walking toward the elevator, I reached for my cell phone and hit a speed dial number that activated the small GSM listening device that I had stuck to the bottom of the chair I had been sitting in.

  I stuck the earpiece in my left ear just in time to hear Sergei close the door to his office. He immediately put a call in to someone.

  "We've got a problem."

  The bug wasn't strong enough to pick up the voice of whoever it was Sergei had called.

  Sergei continued, "I'm in the mood for a good steak dinner, how about you?"

  And after a short delay, "Seven works fine. Jacob's? See you there."

  I hit the speed dial again to turn off the tiny mic. The GSM5000 was good for about a month on standby but only about 15 hours when turned on. At just under $1,000 it wasn't cheap. Time is money though and you can't put a price on good intel.

  Chapter 43

  I didn't want to risk following Sergei into the restaurant. It was too early in the game and I didn't want to spook him. Luckily, my main assistant Alex Weiss had just landed in Toronto earlier in the day. She was seated at a table in the restaurant by 6:30 pm, well ahead of Sergei or his guest.

  Sergei arrived at Jacob's Steakhouse a little before seven. He had reserved a private booth in the back room where they could discuss business privately.

  His guest arrived right at seven. Mayor Corbett knew a lot of people and he rarely missed an opportunity to shake a hand and do a little campaigning wherever he went. It took him about five minutes to cross the room and make his way to the table where Sergei was seated.

  Sergei had already ordered a bottle of Charles Smith Royal Syrah 2006 vintage. Corbett sat and Sergei poured him a glass of wine. "This is a wonderful blend of red John."

  Corbett took a sip "This is lovely Serge. Thank you." The high-end Syrah had rich scents of purple fruit, smoked meat, cedar and a lovely earthiness to it.

  They enjoyed the wine and made small talk until their 12oz strip steaks with a baked potato and vegetables was served and then the talk got a bit more serious.

  "You said we had a problem Serge?"

  "I got a visit today from a private investigator named Nick Borman."

  "Never heard of him. Who is he working for and what is he investigating?"

  "He's a corporate security specialist. He said he's working for Bill Piermont, the owner of Onix Semiconductors."

  "Why did he come to see you and how might he be a problem for us?"

  "He asked about the St. James Town project. Said he had reason to believe that Terry Reynolds and councillor Tim Wilson were connected in some way. He insinuated Reynolds might have been talking to Wilson and their deaths might be connected to Wilson's opposition to the project."

  "Really! There's no official investigation into Reynolds' death. Why is Piermont interested in this?"

  "His daughter was married to Terry Reynolds."

  "Hmm. Probably trying to get the paper to say he died doing a story so his daughter gets a full pension. I can see why you're concerned though. Did he say how Reynolds and Wilson were connected?"

  "He didn't. He insinuated I was using my influence to get projects like St. James Town through. I told him I run an honest business and showed him the door when he suggested I might have tried to influence the political process."

  Corbett thought about it. "Other than timing, I'm not sure we would normally be concerned about that. It does make you wonder given what we've just been through with Paxton."

  "Do you think he might have got wind of what happened with Paxton?"

  "It's possible but I don't know how. We've kept it quiet on our end; there hasn't been an official police report. Galecki had Rossi and Patrick take care of it personally, which means they didn't even take notes."

  Sergei was thinking they had made a mistake letting Jimmy Logan go. He could still fix that. "This guy makes me nervous John. What if he has something."

  "The coroner's reports officially considered the deaths of both Wilson and Reynolds to be an accidental homicide not a murder. Borman is just fishing. We've applied a lot of pressure
to get Novak to stop his unofficial murder investigation.

  Bill Piermont probably hired this guy to keep the pressure on. I imagine he wants to get his son-in-law's death classified as a murder that occurred while he was performing his job. Perpetuate the legend you know, the guy was killed following a big story. Borman was probably just using Wilson to see if he can get a reaction."

  "Could be. But can we afford to assume he hasn't found something? What if he's questioned Jimmy Logan?"

  "Jimmy is a loose end. What are you thinking?"