Kieran nodded. “I agree.”
“She’ll have to stay here, under guard. She definitely can’t be out and about,” Peter said.
“Totally.”
“Excuse me! She is in the room, and she can take care of herself,” Diana snapped.
“Diana, don’t be your usual mule-headed self for once. You know that if he finds out you’re involved, he’ll stop at nothing to get at you,” Kieran said.
Diana’s eyes narrowed. “He’s probably long gone by now.”
“We don’t know that. We can’t take that chance.” Kieran remonstrated with her.
“Look, you’re not thinking strategically. Even if he is still in the country, we can use his fixation on me to our advantage.”
“Absolutely not,” Peter retorted. The fool woman was going to get herself killed.
“You don’t even know what I was going to say,” Diana huffed.
“Yes, we do, and no way in hell are we letting you stick your neck out. It’s too dangerous,” Kieran replied, siding with Peter.
“Who said you have any say in the matter? The fastest way we can get to him is to use me as bait.”
“No, no, and no,” Peter said.
“He’s right, Diana. It’s way too dangerous.” Kieran agreed.
Diana folded her arms and looked down at the table.
“So do we know why he killed Garibaldi?” Peter asked, changing the subject.
“Well?” Diana looked up at Kieran angrily.
“Not specifically, no. But we are concerned that he has other business here, beside the Garibaldi hit. We’re keeping an eye on a number of events that are taking place next week,” he said.
“What’s the most high profile?” Peter asked.
“One moment, please,” Steve said, surprising everyone. It was the first time he’d spoken since they’d entered the room. He took out a tablet and swiped at the screen a few times.
“We have the Canada Day celebrations on July 1st. The Governor General will attend, along with a number of other dignitaries from various countries, and there’s a reception at the Saudi Embassy being held to honor the visiting Crown Prince Nasser bin Hadeel. The Prime Minister will also be attending, along with other Canadian officials.”
“Hmmm, they are very high profile. That’s not really Surgeon’s thing. He prefers the covert hits. You don’t genuinely think The Prime Minister and these others are at risk from him do you?” Diana asked.
“We have nothing specific, but these events along with his presence in the country are enough for us to be concerned.”
Diana cocked her head and Peter looked over at her. “I think we’re all forgetting one very important element here,” she said.
“What might that be, Diana?” Steve asked.
“Lucenzo Garibaldi. He’s a piece of the puzzle. Was his killing part of a personal vendetta between him and Surgeon, or is it linked to a larger operation?”
“None of these targets,” Peter waved at the tablet Steve was still holding, “explains why Garibaldi is in the morgue without his head and his fingerprints.”
“So that’s obviously the first question we need to answer. Why this Surgeon guy went after him,” Donaldson, who had been sitting quietly, interjected. “I suggest that’s where you start. Presumably you have people looking out for him at the ports.”
“Yes, sir,” Kieran replied, “although it’s something of a fool’s errand because we don’t know what he looks like.”
“Well, let’s start with the motive. Hopkinson dig around and follow the Garibaldi/Surgeon angle.”
“Yes, sir,” Peter replied.
“You, Mr. Black, look out for your high profile targets and let Peter and Diana know whatever else you find out and they will do the same. Diana, desk work only.” Diana opened her mouth to object. “No arguments. I don’t want you out and about on this case. Update me in twenty-four hours.” When no one moved, he added, “So, get to it, people.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
DIANA EYED HER phone nervously. In two days they had barely made any progress on the case. Doc had confirmed the presence of a neuromuscular drug in the body and certified the cause of death as suffocation, but that only confirmed what they already knew. She was jittery. It was the anniversary of her encounter with Surgeon.
Kieran would call her when the flowers and card were delivered. That had been their practice every year. The first few years that they’d started arriving, he’d kept the information from her. She’d been furious. Ever since, Kieran had faithfully let her know.
She turned back to her laptop, and immediately, her phone rang. She snatched it up.
“Have they arrived?”
“Yup, same as always. Card, flowers. This time, though, he’s sent you something else. There was a flash drive with the card. We’re having it analyzed now.”
“Any trace on where the flowers came from?”
“Nope. Delivery guy was just some delivery guy. But we’re following through with the florist to see how the order was placed and where the memory stick came from. Watch this space. I’ll get back to you when I know more.”
Diana sighed as she put the phone down. She had been extra vigilant, but she’d refused the offer of extra protection that Donaldson had extended. The anniversary of her abduction was always unsettling, but knowing that Surgeon had been, and possibly still was, in her vicinity had spiked her anxiety.
Her phone rang again. “Yes?”
“We’ve got something.”
“Well, what is it?”
“It’s a recording of a call between Surgeon and Bernard Kloch of Blue Panther Security.”
“You’re not serious,” Diana said. Blue Panther Security was a large Canadian corporation. Kloch was their CEO. The company’s reputation was less than spotless, and their methods had come into question many times, especially since Kloch had taken over the company from his father seven years ago. Yet they were the good guys. The government contracted with them to support Canadian troops deployed in Afghanistan. Their domestic operation protected some of the most important and influential people in the country. What was Kloch doing talking to Surgeon?
“They’re discussing the contract to take out Garibaldi. I’m coming over right now.”
Once again the five of them convened in the conference room: Diana, Peter, Donaldson, Kieran, and Steve.
“So what’ve you got?” Donaldson asked.
“We have a recording of two men arranging the hit on Garibaldi. We’ve done a voice comparison on Kloch and confirmed it,” Steve hesitated, “Ms. Hunter, we’d like you to listen to the tape and verify that the other individual is Surgeon.”
Diana avoided the men’s eyes and nodded. “Okay.”
Steve pressed a button on his laptop keyboard.
“It will be my pleasure, sir. Rest assured, Lucenzo will be taken care of in a manner that he unquestionably deserves.”
Diana suppressed a shudder. “Yes, that’s him.”
“Sounds like a nutter to me,” Donaldson growled.
“What do we know about Blue Panther Security? And Kloch?” Peter asked.
“We did some digging into Bernard Kloch and found a few interesting data points in his financials, namely, a payment of five million dollars from one of his personal accounts in the Caymans to an account in the British Virgin Islands,” Steve reported. Peter whistled.
“Hmm, that’s a lot of money. I wonder who Bernard Kloch is protecting. Undoubtedly Garibaldi was here to assassinate someone. Maybe someone Kloch wanted staying alive. Perhaps he hired Surgeon to kill Garibaldi for that reason. To remove the threat to Kloch’s man.” Diana said, impressed in spite of herself. Ordering a hit on a hitman to prevent another hit wasn’t common even among the world of conspiracy and corruption that she was used to.
“Or he is the middleman. Someone else ordered the hit on Garibaldi and used Kloch as cover,” Peter suggested.
“So, the next step is to talk to him,” Kieran said.
“Do you know him, sir?” Kieran asked.
“I know of him. Wily devil. But as we have a recording of a conversation between him and Surgeon discussing the transaction, if not the details of the hit on Garibaldi, good old Bernard will have a hard time denying his involvement, I should imagine.”
“Shall we arrest him?”
“No, don’t do that. He has a lot of powerful friends. They might spring to his defense if we go hard on him from the get-go. Let’s see if he’ll cooperate informally first. Get him in here. Find out what he knows. Then let me know.” Donaldson left the room, frowning.
The others stayed behind for a few moments.
“Donaldson seems jumpy about this Kloch guy. Do you know why?” Kieran’s glance flicked between Diana and Peter. Diana shrugged.
“Hmm. Not sure. My guess is that we’re close to treading on some political toes. He hates that kind of thing,” Peter offered. “He’s worried this could go very dark and very deep.”
“He’s demanding his lawyer, but that won’t help him,” Peter said as he shut the door to the interview room and stepped into the corridor outside.
“He has no idea who he’s messing with, does he? You were like the Incredible Hulk in there.” Diana was standing outside the interrogation room door.
Peter gave her an amused look. “I do not have a nasty disposition, and I don’t turn green.”
“I’ll agree with the bit about turning green, although you have been known to turn a rather unpleasant shade when presented with a pineapple and jalapeño pizza. We’ll have to debate the part about not having a nasty disposition.”
Peter laughed. “Sadly I can’t jump up multiple stories or punch through walls. Though it would be cool if I could,” he grinned.
Diana smiled. “I always wanted to be Supergirl and date Thor.”
“You do know they’re from different universes, don’t you?”
“Yes, but I don’t care. The question is, how do you know? Let me guess, you’ve seen every Marvel movie to date,” she said with a grin.
Peter blushed. “Twice. But if you tell anyone, I may have to kill you. Wouldn’t do my credibility any good in the bullpen.”
“Our secret, I swear,” she said crossing her heart. “Soooo…,” she said. Peter looked at her expectantly. “Marvel movie marathon at my place after the case is over?” she asked.
He grinned. “You’re on. I’ll bring beer and popcorn.”
“After you two have finished setting up your date, maybe you could get back to work. There’s a suspect to interrogate, a killer at large, and other, you know, minor things like that,” Kieran said, as he passed them in the corridor.
“It’s not a date,” they both said at the same time.
“Yeah, right,” Kieran muttered. “Can we get on with this?” He nodded toward the interview room.
“Together?” Diana asked Peter.
“Of course,” he replied with a grin. “I’ll be the Hulk. You can be Supergirl.”
“As always,” Diana said with a grin of her own.
“Oof. You’re cold.”
CHAPTER NINE
PETER OPENED THE door for Diana. She walked in with a gentle smile on her face. “Mr. Kloch?” she asked.
Kloch was a slight man with sparse fair hair and wire-rimmed glasses. His slim body was draped in a sharp suit. A Rolex watch was wrapped around his thin wrist.
Unprepossessing, thought Diana. Intelligent. She wasn’t going to underestimate him.
“Yes,” the man said quietly.
“I’m Diana Hunter. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Kloch was unmoved. “I wish I could say the same.”
Diana took a seat opposite him, while Peter leaned against the wall next to the door. He crossed his arms and assumed what Diana had dubbed his “brooding killer shark look.” This was a routine they’d perfected over the months they’d been working together. Peter dominated the suspects while Diana charmed them into bonding with her in the face of his intimidating presence. They often told her all she needed to know, and if not, their unguarded body language made them easy to interpret.
Sure enough, Kloch kept glancing to the side, monitoring Peter’s presence, until Diana drew his attention to her. “Mr. Kloch, have you been informed of the reason for your visit with us?” Diana asked.
The man looked at her and shook his head. “This brute here,” he nodded at Peter, “said it was something to do with a professional hit. Although why you should think I had anything to do with it, I have no idea. And holding me like this is against the law.” He was haughty, indignant.
“But Mr. Kloch, you aren’t under arrest,” Diana said, affecting a perplexed look. “We’ve only asked you to come in because we need your help.” She widened her eyes and gave him a beseeching look. She touched his arm.
Kloch, whose gaze had wandered to Peter again, turned back slowly to meet hers. He adjusted his glasses. “Yes, of course. Anything I can do to help VPD.” He smiled, “We security forces must stick together, mustn’t we?”
Diana saw he was shrewd, calculating. Superficially charming. Deadly if crossed?
A small smile graced Diana’s lips. “Thank you, Mr. Kloch. We – I would really appreciate any help you can give us,” she replied.
“Of course,” he said smoothly.
“Now, Bernard, for our records, could you please confirm you that are the Chief Executive Officer of Blue Panther Security?” Diana asked.
“I am,” he said gravely.
“According to our information, your company contracted—“ she paused for effect and glanced into the file, “we know him as Surgeon, to perform a service for you. Is that correct?”
“Who?” he said.
“You haven’t heard of him? He’s a killer for hire.”
Kloch’s face darkened. “I have no idea about whom you are talking.” His tone was clipped.
Diana raised her eyebrows. “Mr. Kloch, I have all your company’s financial records right here. You made a payment of five million dollars in installments to a company located in the British Virgin Islands called Elexcor. This company has two major shareholders, also legal entities. One is registered in Jamaica and the other in the Bahamas. These two companies, in turn, are owned by a single entity registered in China. Now, I know China has a non-disclosure policy, but when my colleagues shared their suspicions concerning who owned this entity and indicated that they might leak this information, the company’s associates were more than forthcoming. They told us they’d agreed to pay Surgeon the sum of five million dollars. They didn’t know why but maybe you do…?
“I have no idea what you’re talking about. We did indeed contract Elexcor to provide additional security for one of our clients, but I have no idea who this Surgeon character is.”
Diana cocked her head. She knew he was lying through his teeth, of course. If she hadn’t listened to the recording that incriminated him, his micro-expressions would have told her so. He was showing fleeting moments of disgust, annoyance, and fear.
“Mr. Kloch,” she stressed his name soothingly, “please don’t waste my time. We know you paid Surgeon to assassinate Mr. Lucenzo Garibaldi. What I don’t know is why, and that’s exactly what I’d like you to tell me.”
Kloch appeared unperturbed, but the slight tightening around his eyes and mouth indicated apprehension. He was worried. Good. He had plenty to be worried about.
“How dare you?” Kloch said coolly. “My company works to protect Canadian soldiers. We don’t go around ordering hits on people.” He jabbed his forefinger at Diana, leaning over the table.
His display was more posture than substance, but Peter stalked over to him. “Sit down, now,” he growled into Kloch’s ear. His tone was menacing. Kloch calmly planted his behind back in his chair. “You will tell us what we want to know,” Peter said, ever happy to play the heavy. He resumed his stance against the wall.
“Look, I don’t know anything,” Kloch stated mildly, his voice steady. He sat back and crossed his legs. It was as though he hadn’t a care in the world. But Diana knew better. There was a very slight sheen on his upper lip.
“Mr. Kloch,” Diana said with a sigh, “I’d hoped you’d be more forthcoming. But we are wasting time.” She took her phone out of her pocket. She swiped, tapped, swiped twice more, and tapped one more time. Seconds later, voices filled the room. She placed the phone on the table between them and watched for Kloch’s reaction.
“Mr. Bernard Kloch?”
“Yes.”
“I’ve received word that you wish to contract my services. You wish to dispose of a difficult target?”
“Yes. Lucenzo Garibaldi. He needs to be eliminated.”
“You can’t prove anything with that.” Kloch said. Diana watched him carefully. He was cool, still.
“Mr. Kloch, the conversation continues and provides plenty of proof,” Diana replied. “You were there. You know what was said.”
Kloch shrugged. “Okay, if you insist, yes, I did contract Surgeon’s services.” He said nothing more. Diana waited, but when he didn’t continue, she said, “The question that is begging to be asked, Mr. Kloch, is why?”
Kloch tilted his head to one side as he considered the question. “One of our teams in Afghanistan came across information that Senator Riley Greene was being targeted by an extremist Islamic group. They had engaged Garibaldi to eliminate Senator Greene. The Senator was provided with government-sponsored protection on account of his position, but he also contracted our company’s services for additional security as a result of this threat to his life.”
“Protection doesn’t usually cover ordering a hit,” Peter pointed out from the side of the room.
The man looked at Peter with the same unfazed look.
“When we discovered who posed the threat to Senator Greene, we felt it was more prudent to fight fire with fire. Why put my men in harm’s way when the situation had a much simpler solution? An eye for an eye. A hit for a hit.”
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