Got any ideas?" Corbett looked at Galecki.
"I could put out an APB. Say he's wanted for questioning for accounting irregularities at the hotel."
Corbett looked doubtful, "That would open this up to a national level. Every police force in the country would be looking to pick the guy up. We don't want that kind of attention. Not yet anyway."
"The other option is a missing person report. We make it clear there's nothing to be concerned about, we're just asking for help locating him. His co-workers noticed he appeared to be under a lot of stress lately and they're worried because he hasn't shown up for work this week. We just want to make sure he's OK."
Corbett liked it, "Let's keep it unofficial for now. Jim, why don't you leak it to Joe Fontana and Sue Hardy. Tell them to give it lots of air time so the other stations pick it up."
Chapter 57
Later that day, 5 pm
The evening news on City was interrupted as it so often was by a late-breaking story from Joe Fontana and Sue Hardy. As usual, the duo came on in front of a large red banner that said Breaking Story:
Joe: "Police are asking viewers to help them find a missing person tonight. Mark Fenton, a CGA at the Executive Suites hotel in Markham has been reported missing."
Sue: "Do the police suspect foul play Joe? CGA's are normally pretty dependable people."
Joe: "You're right, they usually are. Police don't suspect foul play as of yet and they stress there is no reason to be alarmed."
Sue: "It's just out of character for Mark Fenton, is that it?"
Joe: "That's exactly right Sue. People at work noticed Fenton appeared to be under strain and not quite himself lately. Co-workers are concerned and they just want to make sure he's alright."
Sue: "Well, there you have it. There's no cause for alarm. If you see Mark Fenton, call us here at the station or notify the Toronto police."
Chapter 58
I hated having to break my promise to Fenton, but his ass was on the line whether he liked it or not.
I was sitting in the atrium restaurant listening in on the meeting in Sergei's office. The meeting ended and I waited till I saw Corbett and Galecki walk across the mezzanine and head out to the parking lot.
I dialed Sergei's number and waited for him to take the call. "I have something you want."
"Who is this?"
"It's Nick Borman. I have a book of yours with some rather private business details. I thought you might want it back."
I heard Sergei get up. I knew he was going to go open his safe to make sure his ledger was still there. "I have no idea what you're talking about Mr. Borman."
I heard the door to Sergei's safe open over the phone. I could just imagine the look on his face - the comfort of seeing his ledger was still there quickly dissipated when I started rattling off a few choice items from the ledger.
"What do you want Borman?"
"I want the name of the person who killed Terry Reynolds and I want you to arrange a meeting with him for me."
"What makes you think I know who killed Terry Reynolds?"
"I hope for your sake you can help me with this Mr. Mogilevich. It's the only way you're going to keep the information in this ledger from going public."
"Blackmail never ends well Mr. Borman. Blackmailers always come back for more."
"I don't give a damn about your business dealings. Once I have Terry's killer, I have no further interest in any of this. And trust me, I don't need the money."
"Alright. I'll ask around. Where can I get a hold of you?"
I gave Sergei my cell number. Leave a message if I don't pick up and I'll call you back. I hung up and left the hotel restaurant.
As soon as I got in my car I called Alex, "Fenton is about to make the news as a missing person. Get him a disguise and get him out of that hotel as soon as you can. You should probably get another car. I'll find you a new spot and call you back in a couple of hours."
Chapter 59
When Alex got the call, she knew she had to move quickly. They wouldn't be safe at Rosseau Lodge once Fenton's picture made the news.
Alex and I always travel with the necessities for disguise - makeup, wigs, prosthetics etc. Alex went to work quickly. Within an hour Fenton's own family wouldn't have recognized him. Mark had a distinct military-like appearance. He wore gold rimmed aviator style glasses and his blond hair was trimmed very short, in a brush cut.
Luckily, he only needed the glasses to read. Alex had him remove them and fitted him with a dark brown, over the ears wig. It was enough of a transformation for now.
She told Fenton to stay in the room, out of sight. Disguise or not, she didn't want to risk having him seen in public. Alex needed to turn in the car rental for another. The hotel's registry had the make and plate number, that would make them too easy to follow.
She drove southeast on 141 east and turned left on Cardwell road. From there, it was a 30 minute drive on Aspdin Rd to the town of Huntsville. The Enterprise car rental was at 174 Main St. W. Since Alex had rented the car at the Pearson airport location it was not a problem exchanging the car for another one, other than the $150 fee to return the 1st car to Toronto.
Alex dropped off the BMW and rented a Chev Camaro with a V8. Meantime, I had been calling around for alternate accommodations for them. I managed to book a 2 acre lakefront cottage on Gloucester Pool, just outside of Port Severn.
Alex had just made it back to Rosseau Lodge when I called her about the new digs. Fenton was packed and ready to go. They left through a side exit so no one would notice the new car.
Alex took Peninsula road to hwy 400 and drove south for about one hour. She turned left on Foxmead and then right on Jeremy Rd which took them into the village of Port Severn.
The 4000 square foot cottage was at the end of a long private drive, a perfect place to avoid the public eye. It was a two storey center hall plan with a column on either side of the front entrance.
The double doors to the upscale building opened up to an open floor plan. The living room had 30 foot ceilings, a limestone fireplace and a large flat screen TV with Bose surround sound.
The kitchen wasn't too shabby either. Granite counter tops, gas stove and a large side-by-side stainless steel fridge. Each of the six bedrooms had their own walk-out to a balcony or deck.
The entire two hundred feet of waterfront was a large dock built to accommodate several boats up to 45 feet in length. Looking back from the water, the house looked huge. The walkout from the basement level and the dormer windows in the attic gave the appearance of four stories instead of three.
Four marble bathrooms plus one powder room and a three car garage with living quarters above made for a pretty nice hideout. Fenton was thinking he would be enjoying his time here a lot more if it weren't for the APB the police had just issued.
Chapter 60
Julia Reynolds was running a bit late this morning. She noticed a service van pull up in front of the house but didn't pay much attention. Several minutes later there was a knock at the front door.
Cursing her luck, she went to the door and looked through the glass pane before opening the door for the repairman. "Good morning ma'am. We're checking the houses on the street for possible gas leaks. Have you noticed any strange odors during the night or early this morning?"
"No, I haven't. Is there a problem somewhere on our street?"
"The Ross residence reported a bad odor and we did find a leak in their basement. It's hard to say what caused it; sometimes the joint compound breaks down over the years. Most of these houses were built at about the same time so we're checking with all the neighbors."
"I haven't smelled anything, but I haven't been down in the basement for a few days."
"I'll check the outside meter if you don't mind ma'am and I can take a reading downstairs if you'd like, just to be safe. It only takes a minute and gives us all peace of mind."
"Sure, if it won't take too long. I'm running a bit late already."
"Won't
take but a minute. I'll just get my meter out of the truck."
Julia didn't pay attention as the repairman went back to his truck. She went to the kitchen to make sure she didn't forget to put anything away before leaving for work. There was another knock at the front door about five minutes later.
"How do I get to the basement?"
"It's right through that door to your left."
The repairman went downstairs to check for leaks. Julia was hoping it wouldn't take too long; she'd been late for work too many times lately.
A few minutes later, Julia heard the repairman make his way back up the stairs. He opened the basement door and said she should come down and take a look because there were a few pipe joints that would be needing some attention very soon. She grudgingly followed him down the stairs to the far end of the basement where the furnace was.
"You see these two joints along the top section of this pipe?"
Julia looked but she didn't see what it was he wanted her to see. "I'm not sure what it is I'm supposed to notice."
"Take a close look at the joint here where the pipe goes into the furnace and see if you notice anything different."
Julia moved closer to the furnace and bent at the waist to get a closer look at the joint. Before she could react, he grabbed her from behind, his left arm around her waist and his right hand over her mouth. The ether overcame her and she lost consciousness just as she recognized the odor.
Vasily put the ether-soaked rag back in the plastic container he had pulled it out of moments before. He went back upstairs and moved the coffee table to get at the area rug.
Back downstairs, he unrolled the rug and lay Julia on it. He taped her ankles and her wrists together and put a piece of tape on her mouth, making sure she could breathe through her nose before rolling the rug up. He taped the rug in a few places so it wouldn't unroll when he carried it back to the truck.
Satisfied with his work, he went out to the truck and backed it into the driveway, keeping the rear of the truck just ahead of the side door to the basement. It only took him a few minutes to carry his bundle up the stairs and tuck it in the back of the truck. He made one last trip to the basement to retrieve his tools and make sure he hadn't left anything behind.
Chapter 61
The Kidnapper backed the service van up to one of the loading bays. The van looked very small next to the large overhead doors that were made to accommodate full-sized transport trucks.
He punched a code into a keypad that was next to a man-door and entered the building. He opened the overhead door and went back to the van and backed into the warehouse.
Once the overhead door was closed, he unloaded the carpet bundle and put it on a trolley which he wheeled into a boardroom that was near the front of the building.
The warehouse on Rangemore Road had a small kitchen and a boardroom that had a square table with enough room for four chairs on each side. After cutting the tape and unrolling the carpet he put Julia on one of the chairs opposite the wall with the large chalkboard. Why broadcast any elements that could be identified.
Since Julia had not recovered from the ether yet, the kidnapper tied her to the chair to keep her from falling out. Besides, he thought the image of Julia tied to a chair would add an element of distress to the situation.
He had set up a camera with audio earlier so it didn't take long to make his recorded demand. The kidnapper started the camera, making sure his face was not in the range covered by the camera's lens.
"Good day Mr. Borman. As you can see, your client's daughter is in distress and she needs you to come save her. Julia is OK for now, but there is no telling what will happen to her faculties if she remains under the influence of these drugs much longer.
You are no doubt wondering why this is happening to your friend's family Mr. Borman. Well, it seems you've been a bad boy, sticking your nose where it doesn't belong. You've managed to piss off the wrong people.
I will contact you at 9am tomorrow to tell you where you can return the ledger. I don't need to tell you what a bad idea it would be to make copies or to speak to anyone about this, do I Mr. Borman.
This will be your only warning. We can get to your friend's family any time we want. If we have to do this again, we will take Julia and you won't see her again. I don't make idle threats Mr. Borman, you've been warned."
He stood behind Julia and cupped his hands under her chin to hold her face up to the camera.
"It would be a shame to end such a pretty life, don't you think Mr. Borman. You will return the ledger and forget you ever saw it."
The kidnapper stopped the camera and removed the small recording disk. He placed it in an envelope ready for same-day delivery. He took Julia to a room in the warehouse that served as a nursing station/dispensary and handcuffed her to the single bed.
He opened a small satchel and removed a brown bottle and a hypodermic needle. He administered twenty milligrams of a powerful sedative which should keep Julia in dreamland for at least eight hours.
Back in the van, he made a right on Torlake Crescent and a left on Kipling Ave. He drove north about 5 minutes to the Purolator Courier terminal in the North Queen Building.
He just made the noon deadline for same-day delivery. The Purolator service rep took the pre-addressed padded envelope and checked the dimensions and the delivery address before asking for $12.90. The kidnapper paid cash and waited for the receipt before leaving.
Chapter 62
I got back to my hotel room around 5pm. The light on the antique desk was blinking announcing the fact that I had a message. I picked up the receiver and pressed a button to playback the message; it was the front reception desk letting me know they had a small parcel for me.
I wasn't expecting anything. Curious, I went straight down to retrieve the parcel. It was a small bubble envelope that contained a jewel case with a mini-dvd in it. There was no writing anywhere so it was obviously homemade.
Back in my room I grabbed the remote and hit the TV button. A slot opened up near the top rear surface and a 60 inch Sony Bravo lifted up from the console. I powered on the dvd player and inserted the mini disk.
I didn't know what to expect but I wasn't prepared for the scene that came on screen. Julia Piermont Reynolds sat slumped over in an office chair in what looked like a boardroom with a square table. She appeared to be too drugged to even lift her head and was tied to the chair presumably to keep her from falling out of it.
A man came into view, or rather the lower half of a man. He appeared to be wearing a blue, one-piece work uniform like the ones worn by so many service people.
The man's voice was electronically altered but I could detect a bit of an accent. I couldn't quite place it, but it was not American. The message was clear: deliver the ledger and drop the investigation or the Piermont family loses another member.
I'd been pushing their buttons to see what kind of reaction I would get. I didn't expect this.
Chapter 63
I was working the case for Bill Piermont and he had some difficult decisions to make. Bill was working late, so I took the disk and drove to Onix headquarters.
After viewing the video Bill asked, "Do we have any idea who this is?"
"I don't know the man in the video. The ledger he talks about is a copy of the ledger owned by Sergei Mogilevich. He's the owner of the Executive Suites in Markham and he's also one of the major land developers in the city. The ledger documents bribes and payoffs to various city officials and even a few cops."
"You think this ties into Terry's murder?"
"I think this is the missing link. The ledger I have belongs to Mark Fenton, Sergei's accountant. Fenton approached Terry about a week before Terry was murdered. He said he wanted to get out; he wasn't comfortable with some of the goings on where he worked.
Terry talked to Captain Gallagher about the possibility of offering immunity to a whistleblower if the person testified. Gallagher kicked it upstairs. The request was reviewed by Deputy Chief James
Galecki. Galecki said he would need to meet with the whistleblower before promising anything."
"What happened?"
"Fenton didn't want to meet with Galecki; said he didn't trust him. Terry was murdered about one hour after he had lunch with Fenton at the Ming Palace restaurant in Markham."
"Do you think Galecki is involved?"
"I have no way of knowing for sure. Galecki is in Sergei's ledger and he's been known to lose a lot of money in late night card games at the Brass Ring - money he can't possibly pay back on a cop's salary. Sergei's son runs the club and rumor is Sergei owns it. They probably have another ledger for gambling debts but I haven't seen it."
The Borman Factor Page 13