by Don Easton
Jack shook his head. “I feel stumped.”
“Me, too,” said Connie. “I don’t think she believes we have enough evidence to charge anyone for murder.”
“I agree,” replied Jack, “although she must be worried a little about what the future will bring if she doesn’t co-operate. I told her about the guys under Wong being murdered once we found out they were involved. Even though her hands are clean from murder, she still has to worry what Wong’s response will be.”
“She didn’t seem worried about it from what I saw,” noted Laura. “Maybe she is hoping he doesn’t find out.”
“She has nerves of steel,” replied Jack. “She has to be scared of how Wong will react. Still, with the attitude she is displaying, I don’t see her being willing to co-operate.”
“I agree with you there,” said Laura.
They glanced at the monitor and saw that Mia was finished looking at the pictures. “Time for me to take her home,” said Jack. “On the way, I’ll come across as being a dirty cop. It will put her in a position where she’ll have to go to Wong and tell him everything about today out of fear that it would be better for him to hear it from her than from me. Who knows, even without her co-operation, Wong might be worried enough to take the bait.”
Mia brooded as she stared at her father’s pictures. They think looking at these will cause me to break down … good opportunity to clear my head and figure out what I should do …
She heard her iPhone buzz and this time it gave her some relief. Up yours, Wolfenden … I doubt I’ll be seeing you again. Mr. Frank will be called back to Beijing. Mom and I will be dropped as agents … at least for years to come. She gave a pert smile. I’ll be free to do whatever … and whomever I please … not some middle-aged pig. All I have to do is ride this down the middle. Pretend to help the police and my worries are over.
She put the photos back in the manila envelope and tossed them down on the desk. There, Taggart, I rang your bell. Get in here.
Seconds later, Jack opened the door.
Mia turned in her chair to face Jack. “I’ve decided to co-operate,” she said bluntly. “Whatever you want me to do, I will.”
Jack didn’t let the surprise show on his face, but simply nodded like it was the intelligent thing for her to say, before closing the door and sitting down.
“My only fear,” said Mia, glancing up at the camera, “is who will know and what will happen to me if Benny Wong finds out.”
“The only two people watching us are Corporal Crane, who works in I-HIT, and my partner, Laura Secord, who works with me in Intelligence. Neither will say anything about what you tell me, providing you are being honest.”
“Laura Secord … Canada’s heroine in the War of 1812,” commented Mia, as she subconsciously rehashed the steps she was about to take. “Most people associate the name with the chocolate company, which was actually named in her honour.”
Jack stared briefly into her eyes in response. “You’re making the right decision,” he said softy. “There is no need to procrastinate.”
It bothered Mia that he had read her so well, but she gave a half smile, acknowledging he was right and nodded to give the impression she was about to come clean.
“There are different ways we can approach it,” continued Jack. “Wong doesn’t need to know you talked. We are going to have to trust each other. I will protect you as long as you’re being straight with me.”
“And what about me being charged with accessory to murder or whatever it is because of Betty Donahue being killed?”
“Over the years, Wong has ultimately been responsible for more than a dozen murders. If you help us catch him, I would say you have fulfilled your obligation. You wouldn’t be charged.”
As if you could charge me, anyway.
“And my drug charge?” persisted Mia. That one does bother me …
“If I catch Wong with your help, that charge will be withdrawn,” said Jack.
If you catch Wong … Mia sighed, then nodded. “Okay, you were right. Some guy approached me a year ago and said I could make extra money if I passed on whatever tidbits I knew about the Rolstads’ clients. I was asked to listen to what they talk about over dinner or read whatever reports they might leave lying around if they bring their work home with them. The Rolstads also host a lot of parties, so I was told to mingle, as well.”
“Some guy approached you?” asked Jack. “You mean him, don’t you?” he said, pointing to the picture of Mr. Frank.
“Yes him,” replied Mia. What the hell, Mr. Frank, you’ll be recalled anyway … and it’s not like you’re using your real name. They have your picture … maybe they have your alias as well and are testing me.
“And he is?”
“I only know him as Mr. Frank,” said Mia. “I don’t know for sure, but I think that name is phony. At the very least, it’s not his last name because he is Chinese. I refer to him as Mr. Frank because that is what he told me to call him and I don’t know if it’s a first name or last.”
“I know the Asian culture does that,” said Jack. “The surname precedes the given name … reverse order from Western ways. I have been referred to as Mr. Jack.”
“You have Asian friends?” asked Mia, curiously.
“Yes … many. Back to Mr. Frank … how do you contact him?”
“Through a computer chatroom. He’s super paranoid about triangulation on his cellphone and is always changing it.” Mia realized she had blurted the information out and should have considered whether or not such paranoia would be normal criminal behaviour. She glanced at Jack, wondering if he would believe her, although it was the truth.
Jack didn’t seem overly surprised by her comment and asked, “Was it Mr. Frank who taught you counter-surveillance techniques?”
I’m not going to tell you it was my mom … “Yes, it was Mr. Frank. I have to say I’m surprised you have a photo of him without his knowledge. I think sometimes he employs other people to watch meeting spots, as well.”
Jack nodded.
“I suppose the photo you got of him was after the fact, otherwise he would have been alerted to your presence if you had been there in person.” She looked at Jack for acknowledgement, but he remained stoic, so she continued, “As I said, he is super paranoid and is always changing locations. I never know exactly where the meeting will be until the last minute.”
“Has he ever patted you down for a wire or checked your purse?”
“No,” replied Mia, allowing enough time to see Jack’s face brighten before adding, “He does have some electronic thing he holds in his hand though. Kind of like an airport wand that he checks me with.”
“Oh,” replied Jack, as his face revealed his disappointment.
Mia hid her grin. It was a small victory, but it still gave her a sense of control and confidence before continuing the deception. “It wasn’t until after I had accepted some money from him that he let it slip one day that he worked for Wong. He holds Wong in high regard … probably hopes to get some recognition some day for babysitting me.”
“What does Mr. Frank do for a living? He’s wearing a suit, so I presume he has some legitimate job.”
“I don’t know and I’ve never asked,” replied Mia. “He’s the kind of guy who asks questions … not answers them.”
“How much information have you passed on to him?” asked Jack. “What firms or people were you able to find out about?”
“That’s just it; I haven’t been able to find out much of anything,” said Mia, “although that didn’t stop him from slipping me a hundred bucks once in a while.”
“A hundred bucks is nothing for these guys,” said Jack.
“The Rolstads have big parties occasionally, so Mr. Frank gave me the drugs to take to the party to see if it would loosen anyone up. I tried to talk him out of it, but the guy scares me a bit, so I took them. I don’t do drugs … plus I’m certain the Rolstads wouldn’t approve.”
“And it was Mr. Frank who said
they would deal with your drug charge?” asked Jack.
“Yes … but I had no idea that anyone would be hurt. He gave me the impression that someone would be bought off.”
“He lied.”
“I know that now.”
“Did Mr. Frank talk to you about where you would work after university?”
“He did,” admitted Mia. “He wants me to get a job with the Rolstads’ company. I certainly won’t be applying there now, even if you don’t talk to them. The Roltstads are nice people.” Mia paused in self-reflection, gave Jack a nervous smile, and said, “You probably won’t believe me, but I’m glad you caught me. I was looking for an excuse to get out of this mess. Putting Wong behind bars will set me free.”
Jack nodded. He did believe her. “You wouldn’t be the first to feel that way. Lots of people have told me the same thing after they became entangled in situations that they didn’t know how to get out of.”
“So how do we catch him?” asked Mia. “What could I possibly do to help?”
“Originally I was hoping you would take me to him and vouch for me.”
“Like undercover? Pretending to be a drug dealer or something?”
“No. Wong knows what I look like. He caught me following him recently.”
“I told you they were paranoid,” admonished Mia. “So he knows you’re a policeman?”
“Yes, but I was hoping to make you think I was corrupt and have you introduce me to Wong as a dirty cop.”
“Then gain his trust and maybe have him spill the beans on some of the murders,” noted Mia.
“Exactly.”
“So if we did do that and he later confessed when I wasn’t there, would he need to know I was helping you? I could still tell him that I thought you were corrupt. I could say I was duped the same as him.”
“Yes, but because you know I’m not corrupt, it will be harder to protect you. I can’t lie about that in court. The idea would still work, but by admitting I had an informant helping me in the investigation makes it more difficult.”
Mia shrugged. “How do I know that you’re not corrupt?” She glanced up at the camera and said, “I doubt that you would admit it in here. Maybe you’re working for Wong, too.”
“I think you know that if I was working for Wong, you would already be dead,” Jack stated matter-of-factly.
“Good point,” replied Mia. Or would be if Wong was in control … She smiled. “I was simply trying to help you out.”
“I will never lie in court. I might refuse to answer a question to protect someone, but I will never lie. Don’t worry about that angle. If this works out, he might be charged with some other murder that doesn’t involve you. Other players might enter the picture and give evidence against him. Regardless, if this comes to fruition, I’ll meet with a prosecutor before trial and figure out how to handle things.”
“Would the prosecutor know who I was?”
“No. I won’t divulge your name.”
“That’s good.”
“So let’s get back to the task at hand. From what you have told me, there is little doubt in my mind that Mr. Frank is one of Wong’s more trusted employees and would possess knowledge of Betty Donahue’s murder and likely other murders as well.”
“Maybe.” Mia shrugged. “I don’t know much about criminals, other than from television.”
“Would you be willing to try and convince Mr. Frank to meet me and take me to Wong on the pretext of my selling them secret information? If you say enough to make Mr. Frank worried, his reaction will help convince Wong.”
Mia glanced at Betty’s photos, then stared wide-eyed at Jack. “You bet I would. Maybe I could even do more. If Wong and Mr. Frank were in jail, maybe it would be safe for me to testify if they do say something?”
Jack shook his head. “No, not unless you were permanently entering the Witness Protection Program … along with all your relatives. Wong’s tentacles reach a long way, even from jail. Arranging the introduction would be enough. Tell them you were brought in for questioning and that I approached you and hinted that for enough money, I could make things go away.”
“I understand.”
“How hard is it to get hold of Mr. Frank through this computer chat room?”
“Not hard.” She then muttered, “He tried to force himself on me once. If I told him I was renting a hotel room he would be there in a flash.”
“Don’t do that,” replied Jack.
“Do what?”
“Anything to demean or humiliate yourself. I don’t care if it takes a month for you to contact him. Don’t put yourself in a situation that, uh, makes you uncomfortable.”
Demean myself? Man, are you naive. “I was only joking about the hotel room,” snickered Mia, “but thanks for your concern. Do you want to watch when I do go to meet him?”
“I want to know, but I’ll let you do it on your own. I don’t want to risk him spotting any surveillance because he would think he’s being set up.”
Mia nodded in agreement. “It will likely be in some stairwell or at a park. He’ll freak out when I tell him.”
“Should you be concerned for your safety? Maybe I should have back-up available,” noted Jack.
“I’ll be okay. Your scenario of pretending to be crooked should arouse his interest. He may look at you as a lifeline to help Wong get out of this predicament.”
“That’s what I’m counting on,” replied Jack. “I know they’re not going to trust me to start with, but if you arrange the first meeting, I should be able to take it from there. I’ll drop a few titillating bits of information to prime the pump. If you and Mr. Frank were at the first meeting, it would help alleviate suspicion. Wong wouldn’t feel so much like he was being set up.”
“I understand. Kind of like peer pressure. I’ll do my best.”
“You better,” said Jack, firmly. “I’m good at what I do. If you warn Wong what I’m up to, I’ll know.”
Mia frowned. “That idea never entered my mind.”
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Jack introduced Mia to Laura and they drove her back to the university to where Mia’s car was parked.
The trip back was relatively quiet, but when Jack turned into the parking lot, Mia was began to worry. Did I talk too much? What will happen when the benefactor finds out? Will they question my loyalty? If they killed that woman to protect me from getting a criminal record …
Fear of survival briefly overpowered her normal pragmatism and she made her first serious mistake with Jack. When he parked alongside her car, she abruptly leaned forward in her seat and asked, “Will you be putting in a report on your computer or laptop that names me?”
Jack turned in the seat to face her. “I will do a report, but you won’t be named. You’ll be assigned a number and it is that number that goes in the report.”
“No, but if people read it, they would figure it out,” replied Mia, anxiously.
“Very few people would have access to my report,” said Jack. “It isn’t something that goes to court or anything.”
“Okay, good,” replied Mia. I’m probably screwed. Better tell Mr. Frank everything …
Jack studied her face, trying to read her thoughts. He sensed she was holding something back. “I realize you’re under stress and I suspect it will only get worse. Even if you didn’t know that Wong was going to kill Betty Donahue, you’d have to be a psychopath for it not to bother you.”
“It bothers me,” muttered Mia.
“Normally I would tell someone in your position not to tell anyone that you are co-operating with us, but I have a feeling that the pressure you are under will cause you to want to confide in someone. Do you have a boyfriend? Someone you trust implicitly?”
“I don’t have a boyfriend and I don’t feel any need to talk to anyone,” replied Mia, adamantly.
“I know you are close to your mom by how excited you were to show her the picture, before deciding you didn’t want her to worry. Maybe you should talk to her?
Moms are pretty intuitive. She will know something is troubling you. If she is worried, we would be glad to meet with her to try and alleviate her worry.”
Mia bit her lower lip as she tried to think what was best.
“I don’t care if you do give her the bullshit about it not being your drugs,” continued Jack, “but I know this is bothering you and I sense that you will confide in someone sooner or later.”
“I’m not a child who needs to run to mommy,” replied Mia, defensively.
Jack shrugged. “You might be right, but I am experienced in these matters and my prediction of human nature is usually accurate. You are mature enough that I think Betty’s death will eat away at you. In the long run it could affect your emotional health if you try to keep it inside you.”
Jack’s words and talk about her mother made her feel vulnerable. The urge to regain control came back. “I’ll think about it,” she said, then looked at Jack and glanced at her car and said, “Can I talk to you in private for a moment?”
Jack exchanged a knowing glance with Laura, but nodded and got out of the car with Mia while Laura remained inside.
“I know she’s your partner and everything,” said Mia, with a nod of her head toward Laura, “but in the future, I prefer to deal with you alone. There’s something about her that makes me feel uncomfortable.”
“Not a chance,” replied Jack. “Laura and I are a team.”
“Big deal. It’s not like you’re joined at the hip.”
“You are deliberately picking me because I am of the opposite sex.”
“What the hell? That is not true at all! My God, what a narcissistic and egotistical thing to say.”
“On a psychological level you think that if you deal with me alone, it will be easier to manipulate me through flirtation or other sexual overtones. Some people do it on a subconscious level, but for you, it is overt.”
“I don’t know where you took your psychology 101, but that’s silly,” scoffed Mia.
“Is it? Do you really think your performance in the interview room of massaging a cramp out of your leg went unnoticed? Give me a break.”