Reserved For Murder

by Kevin Hopkins

  ‘Soon,’ Grant said. ‘Why don’t we head back towards the electronics shop. Grab a coffee in the neighbourhood and wait. That way we’ll be ready to roll as soon as we hear from Barry.’

  ‘Sounds good to me,’ Penner said. ‘I can’t believe the Chief got the note!’

  ‘We’ll find something on him,’ Grant said. ‘Well, I hope so, anyways.’

  ‘Me, too, but I have my doubts,’ Millar said, taking a right turn onto the main street. ‘It’s seeming less and less likely. He was one step ahead of us on the computer, on the note. What else is he ahead of us on?’

  ‘I think our best bet is the hard drive,’ Penner said. ‘Hopefully, we scared the store owner enough into thinking that we’re going to take everything out of there that he leaves the drive alone. Time will tell, I guess. There’s a coffee shop,’ she pointed. ‘Let’s wait for Barry there.’

  Millar pulled over and parked. The smell of fresh coffee wafted out the door of the coffee shop as Penner opened it. Walking in, they failed to notice the Chief’s SUV drive down the street behind them.

  ***

  ‘Hi. We’ll get three coffees, please. Black,’ Grant said to the girl behind the counter.

  ‘For here or to go?’

  ‘Make them to go, just in case,’ Penner said from behind Grant.

  ‘Six fifty, please,’ the cashier said as another girl started pouring their coffees.

  ‘Here’s seven, thanks,’ Grant said, passing the girl a five dollar bill and a toonie.

  ‘There you go. Enjoy,’ the cashier said, giving Grant back two quarters.

  ‘Thanks,’ Grant said, dropping the change in a tip cup. The other girl put the coffees on the counter. Grant passed a cup to Penner, a cup to Millar and then grabbed his own. They sat down at a table by the window and drank their coffees in tense silence.

  ‘Finally,’ Grant said, as his phone rang. ‘Barry? Hey how’s it going? You got it? Perfect! We’ll meet you outside of Tang’s. Later.’ He hung up his phone. ‘Alright, we’re good to go. He should be here in five minutes.’

  ‘I hope we’re not too late,’ Penner said.

  ‘We’ll find out soon enough. Let’s go see,’ Millar said, popping the lid on what was left in his to-go cup and standing up. Leaving the coffee shop, they turned left and walked down the block to the electronics shops. And then they waited.

  ‘There he is,’ Grant said, pointing down the street. Barry was walking along, paper in hand.

  ‘Sorry, guys. Ended up taking a wrong turn,’ Barry said, passing the search warrant to Millar. ‘So, we’re allowed to take any computer equipment dropped off that belongs to the band. Let’s see what we can get.’

  Penner opened the door of the shop and walked in. A little bell above her tinkled and the elderly man from earlier looked up from behind the counter. ‘Ah, the dirty cops are back. And you brought a friend.’

  ‘We have a warrant for any computer equipment that belongs to the band. That includes whatever was dropped off by Sooleawa Ravenclaw earlier, and anything dropped off by anyone else recently,’ Penner said, handing the sheet of paper to Mr. Tang. He put on his glasses and read over the form, nodding his head.

  ‘Okay. Here you go,’ he said, pulling a computer hard drive out from under the counter. ‘Figured you would be back,’ he said, handing the drive to Penner. ‘Do you want a bag? See, that’s how you be nice.’

  ‘Thank you,’ Penner said, biting her tongue and taking the drive. ‘No bag, thanks. Do you have anything else from the reserve?’

  ‘No, nothing. This is the only thing they have dropped off in the last six months,’ Mr. Tang said.

  ‘Well, that’s all we need then,’ Penner said. ‘Thanks for your co-operation. Let’s go.’

  The old man watched them leave and then went back to what he was working on. ‘Alright, that was easy,’ Grant said. ‘So now we can go search the band office.’

  ‘Well, not exactly,’ Barry said, stopping on the sidewalk.

  ‘What? Don’t tell me the judge wouldn’t give you a warrant for the office,’ said Millar. ‘I thought he was going to.’

  ‘He did,’ Barry said. ‘But, while I was there, the Chief called. He filed a complaint against Penner and got a restraining order against the three of you. You’re not actually allowed on the reserve.’

  ‘That bastard!’ Penner said. ‘He really is one step ahead, isn’t he?’

  ‘What about our stuff?’ Grant asked. ‘I never cleaned out my room—I wasn’t expecting to have to leave.’

  ‘I did ask the judge about that,’ Barry said. ‘He’s going to allow you back on the property next Wednesday. With a police escort, of course. If there’s anything you need before then, I can go get it. So, either you come back next week or I can box up your stuff and meet you somewhere—it’s your call.’

  ‘With any luck, we’ll be back before then with a warrant for his arrest,’ Penner said.

  ‘Oh, what about our cars,’ Grant said. ‘We took Millar’s car today, but Penner’s car and my car are still there.’

  ‘You can follow me back and wait outside the reserve’s property line,’ Barry said. ‘I’ll bring your cars out to you.’

  ‘What a pain,’ said Penner. ‘I’m disliking the Chief more and more.’

  ‘So, are you still allowed to do a search of the band office?’ Millar asked Barry.

  ‘Yup. Got it right here in writing,’ Barry said, holding up a second warrant.

  ‘Well, that’s good at least,’ Penner said. ‘Is there anyone that can help? I don’t feel good about you executing the search on your own.’

  ‘I contacted a guy from the city police. He’s going to come out and back me up,’ Barry said. ‘He used to live on the reserve but moved off a couple years ago.’

  ‘Perfect,’ Penner said. ‘As soon as we pick up our cars, we’ll head back to Ottawa, get the hard drive processed and dust the gun for prints. If you find anything in your search, get in touch right away. We’ll let you know if we turn up anything on our end.’

  ‘Will do, Detective,’ Barry said. ‘If there’s anything to be found, we’ll find it.’

  ‘Right, we’ll follow you back to the reserve, then,’ Millar said, as they walked back to his car.

  ‘I can’t believe he filed a restraining order against us,’ Grant said. He looked at Penner. ‘What did you say to him?’

  ‘Nothing too bad, I don’t think,’ Penner said with a shrug. ‘I may have implied that we thought he helped Travis kill Jonny. And that he was probably responsible for killing Travis, too.’

  ‘So, normal stuff, then,’ Grant said, getting into Millar’s car.

  ‘I couldn’t help it. He was so smug. I got mad, and it just came out,’ Penner said. ‘I was kind of hoping he would say something that would help the case. But, unfortunately, he didn’t.’

  ‘He really doesn’t seem like the type that’s just going to let something slip,’ said Millar. ‘Unless we turn up something concrete, I think he may get away with this.’

  ‘Any chance Sooleawa may say something to someone?’ Penner asked, turning back to Grant.

  ‘Doubt it,’ Grant said. ‘I think she’s even stronger willed and more determined than the Chief is. I can’t see her incriminating the Chief.’

  ‘Guess this is as far as we can go,’ Millar said, seeing Barry pull over to the side of the road. Barry got out of his car and walked back to Millar’s.

  ‘Right, so you both have cars here, right?’ Barry asked.

  ‘Yeah,’ Penner said, grabbing her keys and passing them over to Barry through Millar’s open window.

  ‘Thanks, Barry. I appreciate this,’ Grant said, passing his keys.

  ‘No problem,’ Barry said. ‘Give me a couple of minutes. I’ll drive in and grab someone to help drive out the other car. Be back in a bit,’ he said, walking back to his car.

  Ten minutes later, a convoy of three cars pulled up across from Millar’s car. Penner and Grant got out and walked to
their cars.

  ‘Thanks, guys,’ Penner said. ‘Really appreciate the help.’

  Barry got out of his own car. ‘Well, hope you guys have a safe drive back to Ottawa. We’ll let you know if we find anything.’

  ‘Sounds good, Barry. Do me a favour and keep an eye on Sammy,’ Grant said, ‘And you be safe, too. I don’t trust the Chief.’

  ‘Don’t worry about me—I’ll be fine,’ Barry said, walking back towards his car, followed by the two other drivers. ‘Later!’

  Penner leaned against Millar’s door and checked her watch. ‘It’s three o’clock now. Takes an hour to drive back—I’m going to bring the gun and hard drive straight to the precinct. I’ll see if I can call in some favours and get these processed right away. Feel like grabbing a bite to eat after?’

  ‘Sounds good to me,’ Grant said. ‘I have to stop in and talk to the Captain.’

  ‘Oh, I totally forgot,’ Penner cried. ‘So, how’d you end up doing?’

  ‘I passed!’ Grant said, trying to contain his excitement. ‘It was killing me, waiting for you to ask.’

  ‘That’s fantastic news!’ Penner said, shaking Grant’s hand. She wasn’t much of a hugger.

  ‘Passed what?’ Millar asked from his car window. ‘What am I missing?’

  ‘Our little Constable is going to be a Sergeant,’ Penner said.

  ‘Really?’ Millar said, getting out of his car. ‘I didn’t know you wrote your exam. Congratulations,’ he said, shaking Grant’s hand.

  ‘Thanks, guys. I’m pretty chuffed,’ said Grant. ‘I’d been worrying about it ever since I wrote the stupid thing. It’d be nice if you could just get a promotion without having to jump through hoops.’

  ‘Now, what fun would that be?’ Penner asked. ‘Alright, we definitely have to go out and celebrate tonight. You in, Millar?’

  ‘Sounds better than eating by myself,’ Millar said. ‘I’ll meet you guys at the precinct,’ he said, getting back into his car. ‘Last one back buys the first round.’ With that, Millar pulled away in cloud of dust, leaving Penner and Grant standing by their cars.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  ‘So, that cop that stopped you, how fast did he peg you?’ Penner asked Millar, squeezing beside him in the precinct elevator. ‘Did he give you a ticket?’

  ‘No, he let me off,’ Millar said with a smile. ‘Told him I had a meeting to get to with the Captain and that I was late. Guess he felt bad for a fellow man in uniform.’

  ‘I’ll have to borrow your horseshoe sometime,’ said Penner. ‘I still don’t know how you beat me here. When I saw you on the side of the road I figured I had you beat for sure.’

  ‘I took some of the back roads. Can’t legally go as fast as on the highway, but there’s not as much traffic, so it’s all good,’ Millar said as the doors opened.

  ‘Legally being the key word, I presume?’ Penner said, pulling a hair off of Millar’s shoulder. She held up the paper bags containing the gun and the hard drive. ‘I’m going to run these down to FIS—see if I can sweet-talk them into getting started on the processing right away. Where are you going to be?’

  ‘I think I’ll head to my office and see if there’s any emails or voicemails I should delete,’ Millar said. ‘It’s been a while since I’ve checked.’

  ‘So, think you’re going to start back full time soon?’ Penner asked.

  ‘Going to have to talk with the Captain,’ Millar said. ‘When he recommended I work out at the reserve with Grant, I don’t think he expected it to only last a couple of days. I’d like to come back. Working this weekend didn’t bring up any bad memories about Tina. At least none worse than what’s usually there, so I think I’m ready. We’ll see what he says.’

  ‘Well, it’d be good to have you back,’ Penner said. ‘I’ll come find you in a bit.’

  ‘Sounds good,’ Millar said, walking off to his office.

  ***

  ‘What in the…how the heck did they both beat me here?’ Grant said to himself, seeing Millar’s and Penner’s cars in the parking lot. ‘I was sure I was going to win,’ he thought, getting out of his car. He looked at his watch. ‘Captain should still be here, I think.’ He swiped his ID card at the garage entrance and headed for the elevator. Just as the elevator doors opened, his phone rang. ‘Crap,’ he said, choosing to answer his phone and letting the door close without getting in. ‘Grant,’ he answered.

  ‘Hey, Grant. It’s Barry.’

  ‘Hey Barry. How’s it going? Wasn’t expecting to hear from you—we just left an hour ago. What’s up?’

  ‘Just wanted to let you know that we’ll be executing the search warrant in the next ten minutes, or so. The local cop just got here.’

  ‘Really? That’s great. I’ll make sure my phone’s on. Give me a call when you’re done. Or, if you find anything partway through. Thanks, Barry.’

  ‘No worries. Talk soon.’

  Grant pressed the button for the elevator again. ‘Millar and Penner are going to like this.’

  When the elevator doors opened on the main floor, Grant exited and walked down the hall to the Captain’s office. He peered in and saw the Captain sitting at his desk, reading some papers. His usual pose. Grant knocked on the door frame.

  ‘Come,’ the Captain called out without even looking up.

  ‘Evening, Captain,’ Grant said, walking into the office.

  ‘Constable Grant,’ the Captain greeted him, taking off his glasses. ‘Or should I say, soon-to-be Sergeant Grant.’

  ‘That sounds kind of strange, sir,’ Grant said. ‘Nice, but strange.’

  ‘I’m sure you’ll get used to it soon enough,’ the Captain said. ‘Glad you’re here, actually. Got a phone call about you and Detectives Penner and Millar earlier.’ His tone shifted toward serious.

  ‘You did?’ Grant said, surprised. ‘From who?’

  ‘From a judge, actually,’ said the Captain. ‘He told me that he had to issue a restraining order against the three of you. Millar and Penner were out there with you for what, two, three days and you get a restraining order placed against you? Care to explain?’

  ‘Crap,’ Grant thought. ‘Well, sir, we were investigating the deaths out at the reserve, and, well, we may have told the Chief we thought he was involved.’ He felt a bead of sweat suddenly appear on his forehead and quickly wiped it off. Technically, it was Penner who accused the Chief, but Grant wasn’t going to throw her under the bus—they were all in it together.

  ‘I assume you must have a lot of evidence, then?’ the Captain said. ‘I know you wouldn’t have made an accusation like that if you couldn’t prove it, right?’

  Grant’s mouth was going dryer by the second. He could hear his heart beating in his ears. ‘Well, sir, we have a lot of, um, circumstantial evidence,’ Grant said, his legs shaking. ‘Nothing really, um, concrete.’ He wiped his brow again. ‘May I sit, sir?’

  ‘Please,’ the Captain said, motioning to a chair.

  Grant sat down heavily in the chair. All he could think was how his promotion was going to be withdrawn. Having a restraining order filed against you had to be an infraction of some sort of police code. Could he lose his job over this?

  ‘You do realize,’ the Captain said, slowly. ‘That this doesn’t only look bad for the three of you, but it looks bad for the entire precinct, right?’

  Grant swallowed hard. ‘I do, sir.’

  ‘Well. Luckily, the judge also told me that he issued a search warrant for the band office and some computer equipment. He explained the reasoning behind issuing the warrants—seems like your police friend from the reserve did a good job of explaining the possible involvement of the Chief.’

  Grant sighed. He could feel his shoulders drop as he relaxed slightly. ‘We have a lot of reason to believe he’s involved, sir. Just not a lot of solid evidence, unfortunately. The guy’s pretty slick.’

  ‘Do you know when they’re executing the search of the office?’ the Captain asked.

  ‘Right now, a
ctually,’ Grant said, checking his watch. ‘Barry, the cop from the reserve, is going to call me when they’re done.’

  ‘Good. Keep me informed,’ the Captain said. ‘I know it’s not our case, but I am curious.’

  ‘Will do, sir,’ Grant said, more at ease now.

  ‘Were you able to find the computer equipment you were looking for?’ the Captain asked, taking a sip of a coffee. He made a face—the coffee had gone cold.

  ‘We did, sir. A hard drive,’ said Grant. ‘Detective Penner was running it down to get it looked at by forensics. We also have a gun we want processed for prints.’

  ‘Well, hopefully you find something,’ the Captain said, switching gears. ‘So, for your promotion ceremony. I was originally planning on doing it next week, because I thought you were going to be out of town for a couple more days. But, seeing as you’re back, what if we did it tomorrow?’

  ‘Tomorrow, sir?’ Grant said with surprise.

  ‘If you want. If not, it will have to wait until late next week. I have to go to my daughter’s wedding. Bit of a surprise, really. She called last night—seems her fiancé is in town for three days. He’s in the Navy and their ship is in Halifax for repairs so he’s flying in. They’ve decided to go to City Hall to get married.’

  ‘Congratulations, sir,’ Grant said.

  ‘Thanks. Would have preferred a bit more notice, but I like the fact they’re not spending a fortune on it. The wedding’s just one day—the marriage is for the rest of their lives. Well, hopefully, anyways. I don’t understand people who spend tens of thousands of dollars on a wedding. Why start life off together going into debt?’ the Captain said. ‘Anyway, if you want, we can have a small ceremony tomorrow morning. Of course, if you need more time to invite some family or friends, I understand.’

  ‘No, tomorrow would work for me, sir,’ Grant said. ‘Thank you, sir. I’m just planning on inviting my mom and dad. I’m sure mom can get the time off work and dad’s retired, so shouldn’t be a problem.’