Above Ground

by Don Easton

“We did. Nothing really stood out. Nobody with a record for violence, but a green van sounds familiar. Hang on.”

  A moment later, Jack saw where a pan of the camera had captured the back of the green van parked on the road outside the cemetery. The driver had his head out the window and was looking toward the service. He looked dark, perhaps Indonesian.

  “The plates ... did you run them?”

  CC froze the frame and zoomed in for a close up. “No, I’ll show you. Too muddy. The last two numbers, one might be a three, maybe an eight, but we couldn’t make it out.”

  “The rest of the van isn’t muddy,” muttered Jack. “That was done on purpose. Run it under all combinations. See if one of them matches.”

  Several minutes later, Jack and CC received the information. None of the numbers matched a green van, but one of the numbers did match a stolen plate.

  “That’s him!” said Jack. “He was there when Susan invited me!”

  “Lousy picture,” commented CC. “Just his profile. Pretty grainy when I zoom in any further.”

  “There’s something about this guy...”

  “He look familiar?”

  “No, but let me think. There’s something else ... Elvis!”

  “What?”

  “Elvis, from Anti-Corruption! He was doing some work for me recently. Said he heard a guy with a British accent speaking to a lawyer who works on retainer for Satans Wrath. Described him as maybe being Indo.”

  “That’s incredible!” CC’s mouth dropped open as she stared at Jack.

  Jack frowned and said, “Not that incredible. Elvis saw the guy but didn’t identify him.”

  “I don’t mean that! I mean the part you said about ACU working for you!”

  Jack surprised himself by laughing. Too much stress, not enough sleep. Still, it felt good. He dialled his cell and felt relieved when his call was answered.

  “Laura, it’s Jack. I need —”

  “Forget it, Jack! Not tonight. Operators are not standing by. Stall it or get someone else. Elvis and I are celebrating our fifth wedding anniversary.”

  “Not you, Laura. Elvis. I need to speak to him. It’s about what happened to Danny and his family this afternoon.”

  “Your partner? O’Reilly? What happened?”

  “Put Elvis on. He can tell you later.”

  Less than an hour later, Elvis confirmed that the man in the green van was the same man who had met Lawrence Leitch in the park and had been shown the bogus report given to Molen.

  “What bogus report?” demanded CC.

  Jack explained how Molen was supplying information to Satans Wrath through Leitch’s secretary.

  “So she gave it to Leitch, who then showed it to this guy in the park?” asked CC.

  “Exactly,” said Jack.

  “Maybe we should bring Molen in and grill him,” Elvis suggested.

  Jack shook his head. “I don’t think Molen knows him. I’m not sure Satans Wrath even knows who it is. My guess is that Leitch is playing both sides of the fence. Working for the Indos and the bikers. You bring Molen in and that might just spook everybody.”

  “Another fake report then?” suggested CC.

  Jack and Elvis exchanged glances, and then Elvis said, “We already did that, but I think Molen burned us. I’m not sure another one would work.”

  “Sounds like you don’t have anything to lose by trying,” said CC. “I want this guy bad. What he did to...” She stopped as she thought of Susan’s horror. She felt her body begin to tremble and knew she couldn’t articulate that subject without losing control. If I’m going to cry, it won’t be in front of these two guys!

  CC gave Jack what she hoped was a tough and angry look. He looked back and slowly squeezed his eyes shut and opened them. He’s telling me he feels like crying too. CC felt slightly embarrassed. He’s a man and not afraid to reveal his emotions in front of me, and here I am a woman and trying to act tough. What the hell has happened to this world?

  “Guess you’re right,” said Elvis, staring at the video. “This is Friday, so we’ve got the weekend to come up with another report. If Molen has burned us, it won’t take long to find out.”

  “The one who knows is Leitch,” said CC. “How about doing surveillance on him and hope he leads us to the Brit?”

  “That’s part of the problem,” explained Elvis. “Last time when we gave Molen the dummy report, he acted kinky. Later we saw Leitch just BlackBerry a message and then burn the report. I don’t think these two will get together any time soon. Also, Leitch is a lawyer, so good luck on trying to get a wiretap.”

  “CC is right,” said Jack. “Leitch is the key.”

  “He’s one key,” said Elvis. “How about Satans Wrath? What’s the head honcho’s name?”

  “Damien,” replied Jack.

  “Do you seriously believe, with all the lawyers in this city, that it is just a coincidence that Satans Wrath and the Brit use the same lawyer?” asked Elvis. “Come on! That’s who ultimately got the report from Leitch. He has to know what is going on.”

  “I agree there’s some connection,” said Jack, “but I’m certain Damien doesn’t know about it. He would never authorize someone to mess with a cop’s family like that. Not to mention this same person killed someone else thinking it was me. Damien wouldn’t make that mistake.”

  “Sounds like you think you know him pretty well,” said Elvis.

  Jack noticed Elvis studying his face closely as he responded. “We met last year when his guys screwed up. I think I know him well enough.”

  “You haven’t talked to him since?” asked Elvis.

  “Haven’t needed to, but what I’m saying is that Damien knows what I look like and who I’m married to. They wouldn’t kill Holly’s husband by mistake.”

  “I tend to agree with Jack,” added CC.

  Elvis looked at them both, then sighed and said, “Leaves us with trying another scam on Molen come Monday.” Then he looked at Jack and said, “Unless you have any other ideas?”

  “Try your idea. It could work.”

  “But if it doesn’t?” said Elvis. “What then?”

  Jack’s eyes narrowed. “I suppose CC will just have to keep doing surveillance on Leitch and hope she gets lucky.”

  CC didn’t respond. She didn’t believe he meant that any more than he did.

  chapter eighteen

  It was eleven o’clock Sunday night when Jack parked beside the cemetery and waited for Lance, who arrived twenty minutes late and got in Jack’s car.

  “Sorry, I’m late,” said Lance. “Was with The Toad. Couldn’t get away.”

  “Not a problem.”

  “Where’s Danny?”

  Jack turned on the interior light and told Lance what had happened. Jack could tell that Lance was uncomfortable, but it was because of the light and not because he knew anything about the Brit.

  Jack turned the light off with a promise that if Lance could identify the Brit before he did, then his debt would be considered repaid.

  Lance was quiet for a moment, then said, “I’m not so sure I like that deal.”

  Jack was surprised. “You would prefer to go with our earlier agreement and work for Club Fed for another four and a half years?”

  “I was just thinkin’. Anyone who did what that guy did ... I’d like to give him to you for free.” He pointed his finger at Jack and added, “And it’s four years and five months. I know my math.”

  “Hey, I’ll be glad to get a free one from you.”

  “You think I’m fuckin’ nuts? I’d like to give him to you for free, but I sure as hell won’t! I hate being a rat! The faster I pay you back the better I’ll feel.”

  Jack reflected upon his past debt with Damien. I know exactly how you feel.

  “I’ll keep my ears and eyes open,” continued Lance. “If I get a whiff of anyone matching that description, you’ll be the first to know. Kinda agree with you, though. I think that fuckin’ Leitch is working both sides. If Damien finds
out he’s doin’ that, there’ll be one less lawyer in the city.” Lance chuckled and said, “Bet that doesn’t exactly worry you much.”

  “It would if we didn’t find out who the Brit is first.”

  Lance nodded and said, “Gotcha. But in the meantime, we got a shipload of coke comin’ in and I’ve been assigned to oversee the unloading. The Toad wants at least four vehicles to haul it away. Two hundred and fifty keys each. None of it will be going to the same place so there’s no way of rippin’ it all off. If you try to take it down at the dock, then I’ll get busted.”

  “What about the cash?”

  “The Toad is looking after that personally. He doesn’t want it and the dope in the same place at the same time. He’s going to hand it off to the Colombians at some motel. The Colombians will confirm they got the money and use a cellphone to tell someone on the ship to unload.”

  “Why is The Toad so paranoid about bringing the money to the dock?”

  “Doesn’t want to have all the eggs in one basket. He said the Colombians don’t want the money near the dock either.”

  “What motel?”

  “Hasn’t been picked yet. It’ll be my job to take The Toad and find a suitable motel. A few hours before the deal, he’ll take a few of his guys and the money and go to the motel. Nobody but him and me will know which motel until he gets there with his guys and calls the Colombians.”

  “So where does Damien sit on this?”

  “On his ass at home. This is all The Toad’s plannin’.”

  “Who handles Leitch ... or the Brit if it does turn out to be someone working for Damien?”

  Lance shrugged and said, “The way Damien feels, that end may fall by the wayside. I know this isn’t the news you want to hear, but once The Toad takes over, you may never find out.”

  “Then The Toad can’t take over,” said Jack.

  “Hey, man! If you bust The Toad at the motel then I’ll be burned to a crisp — probably literally.”

  “I won’t burn you.”

  “So what are ya gonna’ do? Nothin’?”

  Jack looked at Lance and said, “I’ll play it by ear.” He thought to himself, I’m going to squash a toad!

  On Monday morning, Jack was a little curious when his boss was twenty minutes late for work. Louie was usually half an hour early.

  Jack’s curiosity was answered when Louie showed up on a pair of crutches with a cast on one leg. Before Jack could ask, Louie gruffly said, “Saturday. Ladder slipped cleaning my gutters. Broke in three places. Enough said. What’s new with you?”

  “Not much since I called you Friday night.”

  “Molen getting another report?”

  “Yes. I-HIT is helping with surveillance too, but we’re not optimistic.”

  “Your friend doesn’t know who the Brit is?”

  Jack shook his head. “Met him last night. He does-n’t know.” Jack waited until Louie nodded in response, then asked, “Have you heard from Danny? How are they doing?”

  “We talked briefly. He’s taking stress leave. I think they’re planning on going someplace for a while. He’s talking about quitting. I suggested he take time off and think about it. No need to rush into a decision right away.”

  “Where are they staying?”

  “He had the option of staying at a motel but elected to return home. He’s adamant about not returning to work. As he said, he’s complying with the note so he doesn’t think he’s a target now.”

  “What about Jimmy?”

  “Apparently seems okay. Lucky little bugger. What do you think about Danny quitting?”

  Jack sighed and said, “Can’t say I blame him. I was wrong to be around him after CC got that note. I should have stayed away from everyone.”

  “The note targeted everyone in the office. We have no choice but to continue working. Danny’s pretty upset. Not thinking too clear. Who would? He mumbled something about your cowboy hat turning black. What was that all about?”

  Jack tipped his head back, took a deep breath, and then slowly exhaled. “Guess he has me pegged as one of the bad guys.”

  Louie studied him closely for a few seconds and then said, “Like I said. He’s upset. I’m going to talk with Isaac. Hate to lose a good man. Maybe I can arrange to get him transferred into some admin position for a while.”

  It was after lunch when Isaac reviewed the report submitted by the Anti-Corruption Unit noting that Jack had lied about not having met Damien since last year. Not a big issue in itself, but... The name of the ACU investigator caught his eye and he summoned Staff Sergeant Legg.

  “This report you submitted this morning,” said Isaac, gesturing to the paper on his desk.

  “Yes, sir. Just a short memo. Perhaps nothing, but after the report from CFSEU about Taggart and then him telling Elvis that he hadn’t met with Damien since last year ... I just thought I should keep you informed. It will be more ammunition to use after we hear back from the LO in Mexico.”

  Isaac nodded and said, “It was Elvis he said this to?”

  “Yes, sir. Connie Crane from I-HIT was present as well.”

  “Isn’t Elvis married to Laura Secord from Drug Section?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “She was the female operator who worked with Taggart on that homicide involving the war veteran.”

  Legg shrugged his shoulders and replied, “I don’t know.”

  “Well I do know.” Isaac leaned forward, clasping his hands on his desk. He then said, “For your information, O’Reilly is being transferred forthwith to an administrative position. It would not be ... unusual ... for him to be replaced. Intelligence is extremely busy right now. Under the circumstances, I would endorse an immediate transfer. It would appear that Taggart has a good working relationship with Laura Secord, don’t you agree?”

  Elvis was not pleased with Molen’s response, or actually his lack of response, to the new report. He didn’t make any calls and didn’t leave during the lunch break. Surveillance teams monitoring Leitch and his secretary had nothing to report. It was almost four o’clock when Elvis was summoned into his boss’s office.

  “Did you happen to mention to your wife that Taggart could be dirty?” asked Legg.

  “No,” replied Elvis. “We try not to discuss work at home. I did ask her if she suspected any of the narcs of being dirty and she said no. Why do you ask?”

  “O’Reilly is being transferred immediately to an administrative position. I heard through the grapevine that Laura may replace him.”

  Elvis sat quietly.

  “How do you feel about that, should it happen? What with Taggart being under investigation by our office?”

  Elvis shrugged.

  “Do you feel apprehensive about the prospect?”

  “That would indicate that I doubt Laura’s integrity, which I don’t. So, no. I’m not apprehensive.”

  “Would Laura confide in you if she discovered something that wasn’t kosher?”

  “You mean if Jack is dirty, would she burn him?”

  Legg nodded.

  “Without a doubt ... but I’m sure she won’t take the job if you’re asking her to spy.”

  Legg smiled, shaking his head. “For goodness’ sake, I’m not suggesting that! I just want to make sure that this doesn’t cause any undue stress on your marriage. Also to ensure that if Laura did discover something she would confide in you so as to alleviate any accusations of her covering something up down the road.”

  “If it was anything serious that our section should know about, she would most certainly talk to me about it. She’s my wife. I would do the same if the situation were reversed.”

  “Exactly. At which time you would follow through with your responsibilities and discuss it with me. Then we could ensure that she would be protected against any undesirable accusations concerning her own conduct.”

  “That goes without saying. I know Laura. If Jack is dirty, she will be the first to nail him to the wall.”

  “Good. That
is all I expect. We have no proof that he is dirty. This Mexican thing could be a coincidence.”

  “It’s been two weeks since we sent the photos,” noted Elvis. “We should know soon enough.”

  Legg nodded, then said, “At this point, I would suggest you don’t say anything to Laura. Taggart is clearly astute when it comes to reading people. Obviously, he has to be; I’m sure his very survival has depended upon it. With that in mind, we couldn’t expect Laura to successfully hide that knowledge. Some inadvertent sideways glance or perhaps a hesitation in her voice might be all it would take to tip Taggart off.”

  “I understand,” replied Elvis. “Not to mention, we don’t know if Taggart is dirty. False allegations and rumours harm innocent people.”

  “Exactly. This conversation is just between the two of us. I’m telling you this as a friend, which is why you need to ensure that you discreetly report anything of consequence to me. It is imperative that Laura doesn’t become implicated in anything untoward. She has an excellent reputation for being professional. I’m certain, once this is over, she would understand completely should you decide to tell her then. That would be your decision, of course.”

  “Of course.”

  Legg waited until Elvis left his office before calling Isaac.

  “Everything is in order, sir. I feel confident that Elvis will cooperate fully.”

  Elvis rejoined the surveillance team just as Molen left the office. They followed him to a liquor store and watched as he bought a bottle of Canadian Club. Then he drove straight home.

  At nine-thirty, Elvis received a call on his radio.

  “Just got a good look at him through the binos from the back alley. He’s sitting by himself at the kitchen table. Looks like the whiskey is three-quarters gone.”

  “Copy,” replied Elvis. “Let’s shut it down. Nothing is going to happen tonight.”

  “Going to haul his...” The officer paused, conscious of radio procedure, then continued, “... haul his butt in tomorrow?”

  “Ten-four. Be a good time to try. He’ll be tired and hungover.”

  chapter nineteen

  It was eight o’clock the following morning when Elvis consulted with Jack about his belief that Molen knew the game was up.