Dougie: Oh yeah, the pipeline boys. They’re a well-organized bunch. The fact that they’re supply side and I’m demand side means that really we’re on the same side.
Ernhardt: As far as the upcoming campaign goes, my agency is preparing an ad campaign that will scorch the political earth. The Liberals won’t know what hit them.
Dougie: All well and good, Cliff. But we outspent them last time and they still won. I think we have to deploy unconventional weapons.
Ernhardt: All right. This is absolutely top secret. For your ears only. We’ve got close contacts with our American friends, who are much more advanced in these sorts of techniques. They call it voter suppression. I prefer to think of it as democratic enhancement: making sure that the right people’s votes really count by making sure the wrong people don’t vote. But that can’t leave this room for now.
Dougie: [Whistles] I’m impressed, Cliff. At the very least, I can tell my people we’re putting our money on the right horse.
This was getting more interesting by the minute. Dougie was pretending to represent foreigners wanting to buy our oil. And the same clients were evidently already working with the pipeline companies. Who could they be? Europeans? Or one of the developing economies, India or an Asian nation?
The rest of the tape contained more of the same, but there was nothing important except that Dougie promised to deliver some more money. “The same amount as last time.”
I’d listened to tapes six and seven, so next I slotted in tape eight, titled “Personnel.” The familiar, offensively self-important voice emanated from the tinny speaker. “We like to think of ourselves as the armed services of the righteous right, capitalist soldiers fighting the good fight. And, like the armed forces, we’re divided into different services. The land battle, if you will, is slogged out every day in the media. We have people in every newspaper and TV station in the country. They are either natural sympathizers or paid mercenaries.”
Lou Bernier, the editor of the Ottawa Times, would be the latter, I thought.
Cliff went on. “I see the bureaucracy as an ungoverned ocean where all kinds of threats can arise, so we’ve got battleships to cover it. We have people at the assistant deputy minister level in every department in government. There were a lot of right-wing moles implanted at low levels during the Mulroney era. They’ve now risen to positions of authority. It was a couple of those moles in DFO that managed to privatize the West-Coast fishery. Occasionally we have to buy an ADM, usually after the fact, by letting him retire early and then giving him a lucrative job somewhere.
“And the air force, the high flyers, are the politicians themselves. They take a lot of nurturing. But it’s understandable because there’s a lot of casualties. And many of them are our guys, true believers, who deserve all the support they can get.”
He chortled. “And, of course, then there’s yours truly, who some would refer to as the minister of propaganda. But damn it, it’s not propaganda if it’s the truth. And if we say it, it’s goddamn well the truth.”
The sound of clapping, presumably from Dougie. “But what we want to know, Cliff, is who’s in the war room? Who’s putting pins in the map and issuing the final marching orders?”
“Let me get you another drink, sir.” There was a pause during which clinking and pouring sounds could be heard, and a muttered “Thanks” from Dougie.
Ernhardt: Well, sir, we call ourselves the Committee. It’s not what you would call an open membership. When a member dies, we have a long discussion and then inform the replacement that he’s been selected. No one ever refuses. There are, of course, the money guys, four of them. We call them the bankers, but they’re not real bankers, although one of them is. They’re more like collectors, what the enemy press calls bagmen. There are seven members from the business community, representing broad sectors of the economy: energy, communications, natural resources, manufacturing, and so on. We have two ideas guys, both economists, and myself as an ex officio member. And, of course, there’s the Chairman. [There was a pause during which ice tinkled in a glass.] I know you’d like to meet them, and of course they’d like to meet you. Perhaps after our relationship has become a bit more formalized we can have a little get-together with you and your principals.
Dougie: I’m looking forward to it, perhaps after we complete phase one of the action plan.
After listening to hours of this, I could not only read between the lines, I could hear the real words behind the spoken words. After our relationship has become a bit more formalized really meant “after you’ve given us another giant whack of money.” After we complete phase one of the action plan really meant “once you’ve actually delivered on something.”
After that, the conversation descended into a slag fest of the Liberal Party, the NDP, liberals in general, and especially “those liberal bastards at the CBC.” Tape number nine was sort of a general mishmash of running political commentary, business types who could or couldn’t be trusted, and a semi-autobiographical summary of the splendid and distinguished career of Cliff Ernhardt. I awarded myself a liquid medal, a double, actually, for remaining conscious through all of it.
I’d already listened to tapes nine and ten, which elucidated the betrayal of the West-Coast fishing community. I picked up tape eleven, subtitled “Betrayal Three.” Even though I’d been jumping all over in the chronology of the tapes, I hadn’t listened to this one yet. I’d been semi-consciously saving it, like the last chocolate almond in the box of assorted nuts. It turned out to be even more satisfying.
The first voice was Dougie’s. “Good evening, sir. It’s a pleasure to meet you again.”
He was answered by the unknown voice I’d first heard on tape seven, talking about future policy. “And you, sir. Cliff has informed me of your generosity. But more than that, he’s assured us of your reliability and, well, your compatibility. We’re a pretty exclusive club. Now I don’t want to sound snobbish, but we like to associate with like-minded people. And Cliff says your thinking is sound, very sound.”
Dougie: Well, thank you. Just the way I was brought up, I guess.
Unknown voice: Now then, it’s time to get down to brass tacks. Why don’t you tell me a little more specifically about your needs, and we’ll see if we can’t put something together that’ll keep your clients happy.
Dougie: Well, I’m sure you’ve deduced that I represent Chinese interests. And what they need is Canadian oil. Step one is to get approval to build the infrastructure that will deliver the oil to the West Coast. And I know the pipeline boys have made a start on that and we’re happy to back them. As a matter of interest, what have you managed to do for them so far?
Unknown voice: [Chuckles] Oh, we’ve pulled together a couple of things. We’ve bought them at least two cabinet ministers in the present government. And if we can elect our man in the coming election, we’ll have bought them a whole bloody government.
Dougie: Wow! I’m impressed. Really impressed. But there are limits to what politicians can deliver.
Unknown voice: These are all regulatory issues, and we specialize in those. There are underlying political and social issues, of course. Environmentalists these days can create some real problems. But that aspect is more Cliff’s department. So here’s what we can do. The pipeline will have to go through an environmental review. We’ll stack the review panel with business-development types. Then we get every ministry that has input into the review to give positive input. They will be told to be unable to see any problems at all. And I’m talking Environment Canada, Fisheries and Oceans, and, oh yes, Transport Canada, because I guess there’ll be tankers involved. When the enviros complain, and this is Cliff’s department, we’ll simply call them radicals, operating on foreign money, trying to destroy jobs, anti-workingman, and so on and so forth. The usual message.
Dougie: There’s a hell of a lot of bureaucrats that are going to be involved, from at least three departments. Are you sure you can keep them all under control?
&
nbsp; Unknown voice: Guaranteed. They’ll roll over like well-trained dogs, which most of them are. I’ll make you a bet. When the environmental review panel delivers its final report, Environment Canada will have no objections, Fisheries and Oceans will have no objections, and Transport Canada will see no problems at all.
Dougie: Are you sure? When I was a kid, I fished on the West Coast. I’m not sure there’s any safe tanker routes.
Unknown voice: I’m sure there’s all kinds of dangers and risks. All I’m saying is that they’ll be ignored. Will you take my bet, sir?
Dougie: [Laughing] Okay, what stakes are we talking?
Unknown voice: Do you have any other projects that you’re working on?
Dougie: Well, I’ve got some clients that may get burned by the Gomery inquiry.
Unknown voice: I wouldn’t cheat you, sir. That’s already a done deal. We’ve designated one civil servant to take the fall on the government side and a couple of ad-company execs on the private side. Anything else?
Dougie: There is one other thing. My clients don’t want to be just passive buyers. They want to develop equity, which means ownership of the resource. I can see problems there with Investment Canada.
Unknown voice: That’s the simplest of all your problems. That board reports to me.
Dougie: In that case, if you can’t deliver on a positive result from the Environmental Review Board, you have to get Investment Canada to approve Chinese investment in the oil sands.
Unknown voice: Interesting wager. I accept. And you, sir, if I deliver on my promise to control the Canadian bureaucracy, it means you lose the bet. So what will your penalty be?
Dougie: I don’t know. What do you need outside of our existing arrangement?
Unknown voice: Well, sir, believe it or not, there are occasionally things, or more accurately, people, that can’t be bought. This opposition is intolerable and unacceptable. It, of course, must be removed, which is the sort of operational skillset that we in Canada don’t have a lot of expertise in. So, hypothetically, if we needed to call on you, or more precisely, your clients, in the sort of situation which may or may not occur, could we rely on them to take the sort of necessary, but purely conjectural, actions that I think you know I’m referring to?
Dougie: I believe that the sort of expertise you’re referring to could be obtained.
Unknown voice: Excellent. That’s gratifying to hear. And in a bet of this type, as I’m sure you can see, there are no losers.
Well, you couldn’t call that uninteresting, an Ottawa power broker hinting at using foreign muscle to “remove opposition.” I wondered if I could use any of this stuff to give me credibility when I met Ernhardt in the morning. Anything he’d told Dougie he had probably told Steadman, especially the stuff about the oil deal, since Steadman was from Alberta. And if I was Steadman’s old friend and colleague, he could well have passed the information on to me. It was a gamble, but I needed some sort of bona fides. And if I could convince Ernhardt that I was in on the action, even on the periphery, who knows what information I might get from him?
I went to bed with my mind whirring at a zillion RPM. That soon changed to REM, but the dreams were fragmentary, unresolved, and strangely unsatisfying. I remembered only speaking to faceless people, trying to convey an urgent message but not having the words to do it. The faceless people disappeared and for some reason I was looking in a mirror. I realized that I was faceless too.
I awoke in time for the morning set, but soon remembered I was a long way from the Halibut Bank. I showered and had two cups of coffee while I previewed the looming meeting. Finally I donned my costume and left.
I walked into the York Hotel just before ten and found my way to the bar. The place exuded the sort of luxury and discretion demanded by wealth and power. I hoped Ernhardt would feel comfortable. I certainly didn’t. There was a semi-private alcove by the exit that led to the lobby. I installed myself in a plush armchair and wondered how many nefarious deals had been completed here. When the waiter appeared I ordered a Vodka Collins on the rocks. “My name’s Johnson. If someone asks for me, please show him over.”
I was enjoying my second sip, trying to keep the ice away from my sensitive front teeth, when a man in an expensive overcoat approached the bar, said something to the waiter, glanced in my direction and then walked toward me. Ernhardt was not only well-dressed, he was well-shaved, well-coiffed, well-fed, and well-mannered. The sleaze was almost concealed.
“Mr. Johnson,” he said, holding out his hand. “I’m Cliff Ernhardt.”
I’d decided to play it tough, which saved me from having to shake his hand. I gestured with my drink. “Sit down.” By the time he’d hung up his overcoat and sat, the waiter had come and gone and Ernhardt had a drink, which he used as a stage prop. He swirled the liquid in a confident manner, took a deliberate sip and considered the drink as if it was the only thing worthy of his attention. Then he looked at me.
“Why don’t you tell me your story, Mr. Johnson?”
“Steadman and I go way back. We’ve been partners in a number of ventures and we’ve always kept in touch, sort of kept each other up-to-date on our latest deals. So when I found myself in Ottawa, I looked Gerry up. That was the night of July 3, the night he was shot.” I took a ruminative sip of my drink and stared at the gilded ceiling.
Ernhardt asked anxiously, “What time were you there?”
“I guess I got up to his suite just before nine. We had a few drinks, shot the breeze. He told me about the deal you’re working on with the pipeline boys.”
Ernhardt relaxed a bit. “So you could give me an alibi. You can back me up that I was gone by nine o’clock.”
I looked at him coolly. “Yeah, I could give you an alibi. If I said you weren’t there at nine o’clock.”
All the tension left Ernhardt’s body. He looked like he was back on familiar ground, back in control. “How much do you want?”
I tried to sound disappointed. “Cliff, you misunderstand the situation. Money’s not the object here. I’m a professional, just like you. And just like you, I deal in information and . . .” I waved my drink. “You know.”
“Know what?”
“Access, Cliff. Access and information. These are the currencies we’re dealing in here.”
He thought that over. “Okay, what do you want to know?”
“For starters, what can you tell me about Doug Tarkenen, used to be a reporter with the Times?”
“Nothing. Never met the guy.”
“Suppose I produce an e-mail from you, asking for a meeting with Tarkenen?”
“Big deal. I try and meet with all the press. I asked Tarkenen for a meeting. It never happened. He went missing or something, didn’t he?” Ernhardt sounded awfully confident, almost like he was telling the truth.
I leaned forward and put both arms on the table. “I have good information that you had a connection with Tarkenen.”
He spread his hands. “All right. I thought I had a leak somewhere and the leak went to Tarkenen. But I can assure you I never met the guy.”
Again, Ernhardt’s words had the ring of truth, more so than even a professional liar can achieve. I gambled on another tack. “I’d like to meet the Committee. I have a proposal.”
Ernhardt leaned back in his chair. “Mr. Johnson, the Committee is not exactly the Wednesday-evening book club. These are important guys. Exclusive.” With emphasis: “Very exclusive.”
I leaned forward in my chair. “Mr. Ernhardt, I’m working on a hugely important play. I think it’s very important to both of us.” With emphasis: “Very important.” I took a long sip of my drink. “Are you telling me that getting you off the hook for a murder is not worth setting up a fucking meeting?” I stood up and turned to go.
Ernhardt half rose while making placating gestures with every appendage he had. “Mr. Johnson, relax. I didn’t say no, I just said it wouldn’t be easy. Sit down. Let’s have another drink.” He waved for the waiter. By the time our d
rinks had been delivered, Ernhardt was much more his old calculating self. Coincidentally, I was Jimmie now. Or was it Jimmy? Definitely not Jimi. “Jimmie, like you say, we’re both professionals, so let’s approach this in a professional manner. How about the minute I receive assurances that you’ve told the police you were with Steadman from nine o’clock onwards and that I wasn’t there, I’ll be happy to introduce you to the Committee.”
I thought this over. “Okay, Cliff, I believe we have the basis of a deal. Only two problems. I need some kind of guarantee that you’ll come through on your end if I go to the cops. And if I go to the cops, there’s the danger that I’ll put myself in the frame because I become the probable last person to see Steadman alive. There are ways around that. I just have to get certain things in place. I’ll give you a call tomorrow, and you be ready with some sort of guarantee for me.” That nonsense about putting myself in the frame was just to buy some time. Asking Cliff for a guarantee was not. I saw that as a way to lever more information out of him.
Cliff pulled his wallet out and handed me a card. “That’s a secure number. Anytime you call me, use that one.”
I threw a twenty on the table and walked out before I’d have to shake his hand.
As I walked back to my hotel I thought over what I’d heard. I was sure I’d learned something, but I didn’t know what. When I got to my room I phoned Big Frank’s sports bar and asked for Phil. “Tell him it’s his mother calling.” When he came on the line, I said, “Son, kind of early to be in a bar, isn’t it?”
“What can I say? I love sports.”
“Great. Let’s play Twenty Questions. When Ernhardt sent you out to the coast to steal those tapes, what did he tell you about them?”
“Not much. Just that there’d been a leak and somehow that reporter had got hold of some tapes of revealing conversations.”
That had probably come from Lou Bernier, Dougie’s editor. “And who was on the tapes? Who was doing the talking?”
The Fourth Betrayal Page 12