The Borman Factor

by Robert Lalonde

  I grabbed a ham and cheese sandwich and unwrapped it, "We could pick up one of the girls tomorrow and see what we can find out."

  Chan smiled, "That's a great idea. Some of them probably work the tables. Why don't we take the early afternoon shift tomorrow."

  Chan left for the night and I took over. I didn't see anything worth noting. The last patrons were ushered out the door around 2:15am. Sasha and Bear were the last to leave just after 3. I kept an eye on the Brass Ring for another hour and then packed it in for the night.

  Detective Chan and I were back on stakeout duty at 2pm the next day. At 2:45pm, the main headliner, a dancer named Amber, came out the front door and headed south on Yonge St. We quickly followed and caught up with her before she had gone more than a block.

  Chan walked up on Amber's right hand side and gently grabbed her arm as she flashed her badge. "We'd like to ask you a few questions Amber, if that's alright."

  Amber was known to use nose candy, like most of the girls, and she immediately thought that's what the questions were going to be about. "I'm just going to get a coffee and a bite to eat; I have to start working at 4."

  "We could use a coffee too. Mind if we join you? We only need a few minutes of your time" I added.

  "Sure, if Starbucks is OK with you."

  Amber ordered a coffee and a half sandwich. I got Chan and I a coffee and we followed Amber to the back of the room where three comfortable club chairs were available.

  "What's this about?" Amber asked.

  I asked her straight out, "We want to know about the card games at the club Amber."

  "What about them?"

  "We want to know when and where and who the big players are."

  "There's no regular pattern. They tell us the day of the game; sometimes the day before. It's never regular. They use a couple of the rooms in the Upper Ring for separate games. I don't really know the players but one room seems to be for the big players - rich businessmen types."

  Chan jumped in, "so these are just the regular patrons who stay late?"

  "Not usually. They come in at the end of the night just for the game. Some of them come in through the back entrance."

  "The back entrance?"

  "Yeah. The service entrance at the back. There's another set of stairs there too."

  One last question, Chan said, "Do they ever have the games anywhere else or do they always play here?"

  "Sometimes they have a really big game, once a month or so, and we take a limo up to the Executive Suites in Markham. They usually rent two or three adjoining rooms; some of those games go on for a couple of days." Amber seemed to enjoy the memory.

  "Is there a game tonight?"

  "Yeah. They told a couple of us to be ready for a few extra hours."

  "Thanks Amber, you've been a great help. Let's keep this discussion between us OK?" Chan gave her a warm smile.

  "OK."

  Chapter 50

  I spent the afternoon looking for a place with a good view to the back of The Brass Ring. We didn't have time to find another inside space but there was narrow service lane that ran north from Charles St. East along the back of the club.

  I managed to get my hands on a service van with blacked out windows and I parked it in front the building where the Tokyo Kitchen was located. This gave me a clear view of the service lane that ran behind the Brass Ring.

  The restaurant owner was happy to let me park off street in front of his building for a fee. It wasn't the best location but it allowed me to see who drove into the laneway through the front windshield and I could see who entered the Brass Ring's rear entrance through the back window of the van.

  It didn't offer the best angle for taking photographs but it would have to do. Chan agreed to cover the front of the building from 7pm till 11pm and then Brady would take over till closing around 3am. I set up in the van to cover the back from midnight till whatever time the players came out.

  There was a limited number of reserved parking spaces against the building in the back laneway. At 2am sharp, a black Mercedes 550 series turned into the laneway and parked in a spot that was reserved for one of the restaurants. A middle-aged oriental man got out and made his way to the back door of the Brass Ring.

  I snapped a few photos as he got out of the Mercedes. I recognized Sam Chan from press photos; he was the owner of a high-tech company that made video cards for computers. Chan pressed a buzzer. Bear opened the door and let him in.

  A few minutes later a limo service dropped off two well-dressed businessmen who also entered through the back door.

  The last arrival was the biggest surprise. Deputy Chief James Galecki stepped out of a cab and made his way to the rear entrance.

  Chapter 51

  Chan and Brady were back on watch Friday afternoon. When Amber came out for her morning coffee and sandwich, they decided to join her once more.

  "Mind if we join you for a coffee again today Amber?" Chan flashed her best smile.

  "This is becoming a habit. What is it today?"

  "We just want to show you a couple of pictures and ask you to fill in the blanks for us."

  "Alright. You guys better be ready to do me a favor if I ever need it."

  Brady didn't hesitate, "You bet."

  Once they found a table Chan showed her a picture of Galecki. "This one of the players?"

  "Yeah. He's one of the regulars at the businessman table. Not much of a card player though."

  Amber seemed to like detective Chan, so Chan kept up most of the conversation with her. "Loses more than he wins, does he?"

  "He was down $50,000 at one point last night and he still kept playing. Didn't stop till he doubled his losses."

  "Do they bring cash to the game Amber?"

  "No, they play with chips. Sasha makes sure the accounts get settled at some point later."

  Chapter 52

  Being the head of Specialized Operations, Deputy Chief James Galecki was in charge of the Swat Team and any other measures that were beyond the scope of regular police operations.

  The Deputy Chief's authority included the Port Authority for the city. The two forces had been amalgamated a number of years ago. James Galecki was empowered to take over or override any police activity anywhere in the city, including the docks.

  This wide-sweeping authority along with his out-of-control gambling habit made the Deputy Chief a valuable person to someone like Sasha Mogilevich.

  Galecki was allowed an almost unlimited stake at Sasha's card games. Galecki won a lot of hands simply by upping the stakes and bluffing his way through.

  The technique worked well when he was playing with anyone who didn't have deep pockets; it cost him dearly with the players who could afford to call his bluff, like the people at the table last night.

  Galecki woke up with a hangover. Slowly, the memory of last night's game bubbled to the surface in his mind. Christ, he'd lost over $100,000. His chit was getting up there with Sasha and that meant he would need to babysit another shipment through the port authority.

  Then again, he could get lucky next game. In fact, he was starting to feel better by the time he finished his first coffee. Like most gamblers, Galecki had a long memory for his big wins.

  Chapter 53

  St. Lawrence Market is located at the corner of Front St. East and Jarvis in the Old Town district. It is the largest farmer's market in Toronto and was named the world's best food market by National Geographic in 2012.

  Competition among vendors is fierce and the quality of the produce reflects that. Farmers from across Southern Ontario make the trip to the City every week to sell their produce through the 120 vendors.

  Saturday is the big day. The market opens at 5am and many regular shoppers rush to get there early to buy the best before anyone else has a chance to pick over the selection.

  Just a few blocks east of the market, a lone man sat in his car this particular Saturday morning, waiting for one of the markets' regular customers to come out for his weekly
trip to the market.

  Patience wasn't his strong suit and after waiting for about an hour he decided he would just go in and get it over with. He hated waiting. He left his car, crossed the street and took the side entrance stairs up to the second floor.

  Coming out of the stairwell he walked down the hall checking apartment numbers as he went. He eventually found the apartment he was looking for and after taking a minute to compose himself, he knocked on the door.

  Impatiently he kept knocking every few seconds. Finally he heard a voice inside saying, "I'm coming, I'm coming" followed by some unintelligible mumbling.

  The occupant would normally only open the door just a crack to see who it was, but being roused out of bed and half asleep, he swung the door open. He found himself staring at the business end of a Glock 17.

  The gun looked enormous. It was fitted with a silencer, which made it all the more ominous looking. He looked past the end of the barrel to the big man holding the gun. The confused look on his face was just changing to one of recognition when the bullet hit him right between the eyes.

  Jimmy Logan was dead before he hit the floor. The killer walked closer to the body and squeezed off another round putting it right through Jimmy's heart.

  Bear looked at the Glock and thought it was an OK choice for a job like this. He wasn't going to mind throwing this one away. His fingers didn't fit in the grooves on the stock - it was way too small for his hand.

  The Octane silencer on the other hand was a keeper. It did an amazing job transforming the sound of the 9mm semi automatic to something like a loud staple gun or a nail gun. He unscrewed it from the handgun and stuck it in a separate pocket.

  Chapter 54

  I got a call from Mark Fenton just after 9am Saturday morning. His nerves gave out and he finally decided to ask for help.

  "You offered to help me get away from this mess the other day. Is that offer still good?"

  "You bet. What do you have in mind?"

  "I need to get away from here but I don't know how to do that without leaving a trail."

  "Pack a bag for a two week vacation. I'll have my assistant Alex come by to take you someplace safe. Alex will fill you in with the details when she gets there."

  "How will I recognize her?"

  "She's about 30 years old, brown hair, good looking. You'll know it's her. Do exactly what she tells you when she gets there Mark. She knows what she's doing."

  "When will I see you?"

  "I'll come by tomorrow. I've got a lot going on right now, but I'll swing by to see how you're doing and talk about your options."

  "Thanks."

  "Get packing. She'll be there in an hour."

  I called Alex and told her what I wanted her to do.

  Chapter 55

  Mark Fenton's doorbell rang at 10am. He opened the door and Alex Weiss walked in, "you ready to go?"

  "I've packed a couple of bags. Where are we going? Should I take my car?"

  "Let's start by putting a new message on your voice mail. Something like, sorry I can't take your call, I'm away on vacation for a few weeks. Please leave a message after the tone and I will return your call on.."

  Fenton did as he was told. "Is there a cleaning lady or a neighbor you tell when you go away?"

  "I have a Filipino lady that comes to clean house twice a week. Her name is Tala. I usually tell the Bailey's next door when I go away for a few days."

  "Call Tala and tell her she has the next few weeks off. Then go tell the Bailey's you've decided to take a few weeks off and get some R&R. You're off to Vancouver for three weeks for an accountants convention and to see the mountains and the ocean. Don't get into a long conversation, you've got a plane to catch."

  Fenton did as he was told. Alex had his bags in his car by the time he came back. "I'll follow you to the airport. Your going to pre-pay for three weeks of underground parking. Then you'll go inside and buy a return trip ticket to Vancouver. Come back out and get in my car, I'll be right at the curb."

  Fenton came out of the airport, ticket in hand. His bags were in the trunk of Alex's car. They drove east on Airport road and took hwy 427 N to hwy 400 and headed north. About 1 1/2 hrs later Alex took exit 189 and merged onto Lake Joseph road. Another half hour and a few more turns on local roads and they ended up in the village of Minnet, Ontario.

  Alex had already reserved a suite in the JW Marriot Muskoka Resort and Spa. Locals called it The Rosseau. It was an impressive hotel set on a granite bluff overlooking tranquil Lake Rosseau. Alex went to the reception desk to sign in.

  Lake Rosseau is one of four larger lakes in the Muskoka area and quite possibly one of the most popular recreation lakes in Ontario.

  I figured no one would notice a Mark Fenton here. Lake Rosseau was a popular summer resort for many celebrities including Martin Short, Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell. Others, like Kate Hudson, Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg had cottages on other lakes in the area.

  Alex had rented a two-bedroom corner suite on the third and top floor of the resort. The suite was designed for extended stays with two bedrooms, two full baths and a full kitchen with range, oven, refrigerator, dishwasher and microwave. The large parlor had a stone fireplace and a wrap-around balcony.

  "You can take the large bedroom Mark. I'll be fine in this one."

  Fenton was thinking worse things could happen for a guy on the lamb. Alexandra Weiss was a very good looking woman in her late twenties or early thirties. Her deep blue eyes matched the conservative dress she wore. She had long, chestnut brown hair and an intelligent look about her. Fenton suspected many men had fallen prey to the charming innocent look of this young woman.

  Chapter 56

  Sergei had plans for Mark Fenton today, plans he made with Sasha Tuesday morning. Sergei had allowed himself a few days to make sure he knew where Fenton kept everything.

  Mark had been with him a long time but he had become a liability. Sergei didn't like liabilities.

  Fenton didn't usually work on Saturday but Sergei had asked him to come in and take a look at a property he was thinking of buying. It was 9:15 and Fenton wasn't at work yet. Even though Fenton worked late often, he was still expected to be at his desk by 9am at the latest, even if it was Saturday.

  Sergei picked up the phone and called Fenton's house, hoping Mark hadn't picked today to have a sick day - that would mess up the plan. His face distorted in anger as the recorded message played out. He slammed the phone down, "son of a bitch."

  Sergei paced around the office trying to calm himself but the anger built. He walked over to Fenton's office in a rage, opening drawers and throwing things around. He grabbed Fenton's chair and tossed it into the corner. The chair ended up on it's side, one of the legs sticking right through the drywall.

  He walked out of Fenton's office locking the door behind him. Back in his office, he made two quick calls: one to Sasha to tell him Fenton had disappeared and one to mayor Corbett to arrange a meeting.

  Two hours later, Mayor Corbett and Dept. Chief James Galecki walked into the Executive Suites Hotel. They took the elevator up to the top floor and walked straight into Sergei's office.

  Corbett didn't look like a happy camper, "I thought we'd save some time so I asked Jim to come along."

  Sergei needed to be careful. Corbett would go ballistic if he knew a ledger existed. "I think I've found our leak. Fenton didn't show up for work today. He's put a message on his home phone saying he's gone out west for two or three weeks to attend an accountant's convention and get a bit of R&R."

  Galecki sat forward in his chair, "This wasn't a planned vacation? He just up and went?"

  "Yeah. I think he's on the run. Must've cracked knowing we're looking for the leak and thought he'd take off before we got onto him."

  Corbett didn't seem to buy it, "I always thought of Mark as a very loyal type. What happened? Why would he start leaking secrets?"

  Sergei took a deep breath and shook his head, "I have no idea. He had a good position in the c
ompany, made good money. I can't figure it out. It could be it wasn't intentional. Maybe he just got sloppy. Either way, he's a problem now that he isn't here and we don't know what he's up to."

  Galecki looked concerned. "If he ran because he's scared, he could be a real liability. Who knows what's going through his head."

  Corbett thought out loud, "How should we deal with this?"

  "He could be anywhere and we need to find him quickly, before he does something stupid." Galecki was already thinking of options.