“Great,” Ana said and rushed off.
Three hours and what seemed like a bajillion meetings later, Diana leaned back in her chair and rubbed the bridge of her nose. She could feel a headache coming on. Sometimes, people wanted to meet for the most mundane and trivial of reasons.
“No, you can’t print the story before it’s gone through fact-checking.”
“Thanks, but we don’t do puff pieces.”
“Yes, you can use a stock photo for this article.”
“No, a lost poodle doesn’t make a good story for this magazine. Not unless it is a very valuable poodle and is one of many stolen by an international poodle rustling syndicate.”
And so on and so forth. At least she finished most of her meetings. Ana, true to her word, had instructed everyone on proper meeting etiquette. They had fifteen minutes, and if they didn’t get to the point quickly, they didn’t get the answers they needed.
Diana stood and stretched. She hadn’t moved in three hours. She rolled her shoulders and glanced at her coffee mug. Caffeine sounded like a very good idea. She grabbed her mug and made to leave her office, but the instrumental version of Pharrell Williams’ Happy started playing loudly, stopping her in her tracks. It was her phone. Maybe it was Peter with some news.
She rushed to pick up the phone and saw an unknown number. With a shrug, she answered. “Diana Hunter.”
“Hello, Diana, it’s Finn.” Diana froze. She wouldn’t have needed the introduction. His pronounced Irish burr was more than enough to let her know who was on the other end of the line.
“Hello, Finn. What can I do for you?” she asked. She didn’t want to presume that he had information for her. Assumptions and presumptions were rarely a good thing when dealing with men like Finn Cavanagh.
“You should be asking what I can do for you,” he drawled, his tone light.
Diana’s breath stopped in her throat. He had something for her. “Very well, then. What can you do for me?”
“I have some information for you. Have you had lunch? Why don’t you come down to O’Malley’s? We can talk and eat at the same time.”
Diana glanced out of her office at Ana, then at her watch.
“I can be there in fifteen minutes.”
“Great. See you soon.” The line went dead.
Diana grabbed her things as quickly as she could. “Ana, I need you to reschedule everything else for the week. I’ll be busy.” They had just published this quarter’s edition of the magazine, and she knew that most of her meetings could wait. “If something urgent comes up, I’ll be on my cell.”
Ana looked like she wanted to say something but seemed to change her mind at the last moment. “Okay, Diana. I’ll call if anything comes up.”
Diana had been lucky. Traffic was reasonable, and she made it to her lunch appointment just in time. You didn’t want to keep Finn Cavanagh waiting. She walked into O’Malley’s Pub, which was decorated with lots of mahogany that made it seem dark but also lent a cozy atmosphere. She would have loved to visit O’Malley’s more frequently, but she didn’t want to get too close to Cavanagh and his people.
“Diana, it’s so good to see you,” Finn greeted her enthusiastically. He was a tall man, and despite being in his late fifties, he was fit and trim. His ginger hair was streaked with gray, just like his beard, and was clipped close and impeccably styled. If you had no idea who he was, you would swear Finn Cavanagh was a very successful businessman. In a way, he was, but he didn’t deal in any business Diana would want to get involved in.
“It’s good to see you too, Finn,” Diana answered. She allowed herself to be pulled into a bear hug.
“Come, sit,” he said, indicating a booth with a very comfy looking bench. She sank into the cushions and smiled at him.
“Thanks for doing this for me, Finn,” she said.
“Diana, you know I owe you. What you did for me that time can never be repaid,” he said.
“It was nothing, really,” she protested.
Finn shook his head. “That’s our Diana. Never taking the credit she’s due. Another reason I like you so much,” he said with a wink before his expression darkened. “But let’s be honest, if it hadn’t been for you, our Maggie wouldn’t be here with us, now.”
Maggie was Finn’s daughter. She was a sweet but painfully shy girl. And because of her father’s overprotectiveness and business activities, she had few friends. Donnie had introduced them early on in their acquaintance, and Diana had felt for the girl. The incident Finn was referring to had occurred when Diana was still working for CSIS. She had been undercover at Viper, one of Vancouver’s most prominent clubs, when she had seen Maggie. The girl had been seventeen at the time and had no business being there.
Instead of blowing her cover, Diana spent the evening with one eye on her mark and another on Maggie. When she saw the girl swaying and a guy trying to lead her out of the club, she abandoned her mark and followed. As the man pushed Maggie into a van, Diana stumbled up to him, pretending to be drunk. She asked him for a light. When he refused, Diana became insistent, and he reached out to push her. Moments later, following a few moves honed during CSIS training with the help of a former Navy SEAL unarmed combat specialist, Diana zip tied the predator to a fence post. It had all been very quick.
Later, after she called Donnie to pick Maggie up and alerted VPD, she found out Maggie’s attacker was wanted for a series of rapes and at least one murder. When Finn found out what happened, he grounded his daughter “until you retire, or I die.” He then called Diana and asked her to pay him a visit. He had grabbed her up in a one of his signature bear hugs and told her that he would always be in her debt and whatever she needed, whenever she needed it, she was to call him.
“How is Maggie?” Diana asked with a gentle smile.
Finn’s face fell. “In college.”
Diana laughed. “It’s killing you, isn’t it?”
“She’s my little girl. Among all those boys. Do you know the things they get up to? If you had any idea how many of them I’ve had to set straight,” he said with a growl.
Diana lifted a hand quickly. “I don’t want to know. It’s best for both of us that way.”
“So, what will you have?” Finn asked when one of the waitresses sauntered over.
“I’ll have the chicken and mushroom pie and a very, very big mug of coffee,” Diana replied. “Thank you,” she said to the waitress, who smiled back at her shyly.
“Why don’t you ever try anything else?” Finn asked.
Diana rolled her eyes. They had this conversation every time. “Because you make the best chicken and mushroom pie in the city.”
“We make a lot of other good stuff.”
Diana glared at him but with a twinkle in her eyes. “I like chicken and mushrooms.”
“Fine, fine,” he said, raising his hands, though he was grinning.
“So, you said you had some information for me.”
“I do. I sent the boys out to do some recon, and I’m not liking what I’m hearing.”
“Why’s that?”
Finn sighed. “You were right. Someone has started bringing in scopolamine in large quantities. He’s been advertising, and some of the gangs seem pretty interested.” Finn didn’t consider his outfit to be a gang. He thought of it as “an organization.” Gangs were comprised of young idiots who thought waving a gun around and shooting people in the middle of the street was the way to do business. His organization had more finesse, in his own mind, at least.
To Diana, violence was violence, regardless of form, but the fact was that Finn preferred to avoid killing people if at all possible, and his aversion to drugs and murder made him one of the less repellent crime bosses she had dealt with. It was still a dance with the devil and an uneasy one from Diana’s point of view, but necessary in the bigger picture.
Diana frowned. “This is not good.”
“No, it’s not. I don’t like the idea of those little idiots getting their hands on a dru
g like this. It’s dangerous enough stuff as it is, but putting it in the hands of goons? It’s a disaster waiting to happen. The only good thing is that the source isn’t actually selling it yet.”
“Do you know who’s bringing it in?”
Finn shook his head. “I don’t have a name, but I do know that he’s from an influential family in the city. They have old money.”
“Great,” Diana said with a groan. “Why do rich people do this? Don’t they have enough money?”
Finn shrugged. “There is speculation that he was cut off from the family or something like that, but no one really knows who he is. He goes through middlemen and refuses to show his face.”
“Smart.”
“Yes, but not smart enough if he thinks he’s going to get away with bringing that crap into Vancouver.”
“Finn,” Diana said warningly. “Let me deal with this.”
Finn opened his mouth, then closed it. After a moment, he nodded. He handed her a piece of paper with a name on it. Andrew Krantz. “He’s supposed to be one of the middlemen.”
“Thanks, Finn.”
Their lunch arrived, and Diana started eating with gusto. After a moment, she paused. “You said something about advertising. What’s that about?”
Finn glanced across at her. “Well, I have to give him credit for this one because it’s pretty impressive. Those gala robberies?”
There was a pause. “You’re kidding!” Diana’s jaw dropped when she realized what he was saying. “So, you’re telling me that the robberies were just a way to show what scopolamine is capable of?”
“Pretty much. According to my sources, everyone’s queuing up to get some of his product after the stunt at the Police Ball, but he’s still refusing to sell.”
“He’s driving the price up,” Diana muttered. “And this guy’s the only source?”
“Looks like it.”
“Well, that’s something,” she said.
“How’s the pie?” Finn asked, changing gears suddenly.
Diana glanced down at her bowl. She was almost finished. “Amazing, as usual,” she replied with a smile.
Finn paused for a moment. “Diana, I know you’re working with VPD on this, but if you need any help or you get into trouble, you call me, okay?”
Diana was touched. The only problem was that if she did call Finn for help, heads would roll. Literally. “Thanks, Finn. I really appreciate it. I will.”
“Promise,” Finn pushed.
“I promise,” Diana said. “And I’m sorry to eat and run, but I have to get to VPD. The faster we find this guy, the faster we can stop this stuff from spreading.”
“It’s fine.”
Diana stood and grabbed her bag. “Thanks Finn.”
“Don’t be a stranger.”
“I won’t. Give Maggie my love, and tell Donnie I said hi.”
“Sure thing.”
Diana turned on her heel and left. Donaldson would be apoplectic when he heard they had been played. And it was about to get much, much worse.
CHAPTER 6
“WHAT?” DONALDSON EXCLAIMED. “They used us as guinea pigs? As an ad campaign?”
“That’s the word on the street,” Diana said with a nod. As she had predicted, the superintendent hadn’t taken the news well. She, Donaldson, Hopkinson, Rutledge, and Ericson were sitting around the table in the same conference room that they had used yesterday.
“Are you sure your intel is good?” Peter asked.
Diana bristled but then took a deep breath. It was a normal question to ask. He wasn’t questioning her integrity. “Yes, I trust my source, absolutely.”
“And who is your source?” Scott asked.
She was tempted to keep her mouth shut, but if she didn’t tell them, they would keep pestering her or discredit the information. They didn’t know her well enough yet.
“Finn Cavanagh,” she replied.
Donaldson’s eyebrows climbed into his scalp. “The Finn Cavanagh? The head of the Irish mob?”
“The very same,” Diana replied.
“Finn Cavanagh gives you information?” Nik asked, looking rather impressed.
“Yes, he does.”
“Voluntarily?”
“No, I hold a gun to his head,” she replied, sarcastically.
“Does he know you’re working with us?” Scott asked.
“Yes, of course. Why?” she answered.
Peter felt like his brain was about to burst.
Why? Because Finn Cavanagh is a notorious criminal, that’s why.
“Because he’s a bad guy and doesn’t like cops,” Peter said, gritting his teeth in an attempt to keep his temper in check.
Diana knew Finn Cavanagh! Just when he thought he had gotten a handle on her, she turned around and pulled a stunt like this. What was going on?
“We go way back,” she said with a shrug. “Let’s just say that I did him a favor once and he helps me whenever he can.”
Peter didn’t like the sound of that. At all.
“When did you speak to him?” Donaldson asked.
“I just had lunch with him,” Diana was nonchalant. Now, Peter felt his blood pressure skyrocket. Here he was, trying to keep an eye on her, and she was having lunch with mob bosses. Why me? Really, why me?
“You had lunch with Finn Cavanagh?” Scott, also, looked much too impressed by Diana. In two days Diana had found out more than they had in a month, but Peter didn’t get why Scott and Nik were making stupid cow eyes at her. Didn’t they know how ridiculous they looked?
“Yes, I had lunch with Finn. O’Malley’s serves a mean chicken and mushroom pie.”
“So, what else did he tell you?” Donaldson asked.
“He gave me a name. Andrew Krantz. He’s a middleman. Finn also told me that the main guy is from an influential local family.”
Donaldson nodded. “Tina confirmed your theory about the scopolamine, but there were no prints or other evidence.”
“What about the maintenance crew?”
“I went through all the security footage,” Peter muttered, “and though the crew was caught on camera, their faces never show up. They knew what they were doing.”
“Well, at least we’ve got a name to start with now,” Scott said.
“And I want you two to get right on that. Bring Krantz in. Diana, I want you to be there for the interview,” Donaldson directed.
“Of course.”
“Remember, the gala is tomorrow night, and the Chief will go nuts if this one’s hit too. He’s already promised everyone that it’ll be secure,” Donaldson added.
“Are we sure they’re gonna hit the gala, though?” Nik asked. “I mean if the whole point was to advertise the effectiveness of scopolamine for less than legal endeavors, maybe they aren’t planning on hitting this gala. They’ve already achieved their objective. Twice.”
“Less than legal endeavors? Really? You sound like some Shakespeare reject,” Scott grumbled. Nik elbowed him. Peter rolled his eyes. The two could be good detectives, but they were acting more like frat boys in Diana’s presence.
“He does have a point,” Donaldson said. He turned to Diana. “Is there any way we can confirm?”
“I can call Finn. They might have made their intentions for the gala known in certain circles.”
So, it’s Finn is it? Peter found this extremely irritating. He had only encountered Cavanagh once during the course of an investigation that he had run. The man had had an air of danger about him that had Peter agitated from the outset. Cavanagh had been extremely polite and cooperative, but Peter had snarled questions across the table at him. Diana, on the other hand, talked to him over chicken and mushroom pie.
“Please, call him as soon as you can,” Donaldson said.
“I’ll call him now, if you like.” Diana took out her phone and dialed. “Finn?” she asked. She paused for a moment and then chuckled. “No, I don’t need you to do that.” Peter watched her closely. “Do you think you can find out if they have
plans to hit tomorrow night’s gala?” She paused again. “That would be great.” Another pause, “Okay, I’ll wait for your call. And yes, I will. Soon. Thanks, Finn. Bye.”
She turned to the men. “He’ll see what he can find out and call me tonight. But we have to keep in mind that these will be rumors, at best,” Diana reported back to the four men in the room.
Donaldson nodded. “Better than nothing.”
“Did the interviews with the victims turn up anything new?” Diana asked.
Scott shook his head. “Unfortunately, no. They had no idea what happened. There’s nothing more they can tell us.”
Diana sighed. “Then, I guess all we can do for now is to track down this Mr. Krantz and see what he has to say.”
“We’ll get right on it,” Scott said quickly.
“Good. Go. All of you. The faster we get an arrest, the faster we get this drug off the streets.”
“Yes, sir,” the men muttered as they got to their feet.
“I’m going to speak to Tina. I want to take a closer look at the scopolamine they’re using. Call me when you find Krantz,” Diana said.
“Yes, ma’am,” Scott and Nik said simultaneously. Diana looked up at them and smiled.
“Yes, ma’am,” Peter parroted, albeit a little more sarcastically. Of course, she didn’t smile at him. No, Peter got glared at. The daggers were a bonus.
Diana took the elevator down one floor and made her way along the corridors to Tina’s lab. The door was open, but she still knocked. The scientist was bent over a microscope, looking at something intently.
Tina jumped. “Oh, hi Diana,” she said enthusiastically.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you.”
“It’s okay. It always happens. I get very involved in my work,” she laughed. “Anyway, I’m glad you’re here. You actually understand what I go on about. You have no idea how rare that is,” she said with a chuckle.
Diana laughed. “Trust me, I do. So, I was wondering if you have anything on the scopolamine. I’m curious about how they managed to aerosolize it.”
“It is interesting. The first thing I noticed was that the canister isn’t a regular canister. It’s actually a custom made aerosol can.”
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