An Element of Risk

by Don Easton

  Satans Wrath operated in more than forty countries and included an overall membership of several thousand members worldwide. Most countries had numerous chapters, with larger cities being divided into more than a couple of chapters. Each chapter was overseen by a president, and a national president oversaw each country.

  The club was responsible for a multitude of crimes, including murder, drug importing and exporting by the tonne, prostitution, corruption, identify theft, credit card fraud, and basically any other criminal activity imaginable.

  Both Jack and Laura had been specially trained as undercover operatives, but their primary aim was to develop high-level informants. Undercover operatives, surveillance, and wiretaps could be important tools, but having someone on the inside was much more valuable.

  Three months previous, Purvis Evans, who’d been the national president of Satans Wrath in Canada, was murdered after making a fatal mistake — he’d threatened Jack’s family. A high-level informant Jack had cultivated within the club claimed that Evans had disappeared after meeting some Russian cocaine importers whose real identities were never discovered by the bikers. This informant was certain that Evans had been murdered. Jack was more than certain. He knew.

  After speaking with his informant, Jack submitted an intelligence report advising what his informant had told him. The truth was that, unbeknownst to the informant or anyone else in Satans Wrath, Jack had assumed an undercover role and tipped off a small band of thugs who were about to be murdered on orders from Evans. He then arranged for these criminals to murder Evans and make it appear that Russian criminals were responsible — Russian criminals who did not exist.

  Evans’s murder, coupled with several arrests orchestrated by Jack and Laura from tips received from their informant, hindered some of Satans Wrath’s criminal ventures within British Columbia … but not all. Some crimes, regardless of how deadly, were allowed to continue to protect the identity of their informant.

  Monday was the start of a new week and Jack took a sip of coffee and eyed Laura over the top of his mug. Her desk butted up to his and he’d noticed she’d been reading intelligence reports submitted from other parts of Canada. “You’re quiet this morning,” he noted. “Anything good?”

  Laura frowned as she dipped a tea bag into her mug. “I don’t know if you’d call it good. I’m reading a report from the Canadian Intelligence Service out of Ottawa about Italian organized crime in Montreal and Toronto.” She took the tea bag out and gazed at it as it spun on the string before putting it aside. “It’s been a long time since our unit has taken a look to see how much influence the Cosa Nostra has out west.”

  “Thinking we’ve stalled Satans Wrath a little and should take a look ourselves?”

  Laura made a face. “You and I don’t have the time. Stalled is the right word, but it won’t take them long to recover. With our friend on the inside, we’re still going to be busy. I don’t see us getting the chance to take a long hard look at anyone else, which is the problem.”

  Jack put his mug down. “We’re getting an increase in staff soon.”

  Laura’s face brightened. “Yes, a new sergeant’s position and two constables.”

  “That should help.”

  “The promotion board is supposed to sit next month. I’m certain you’ll be the one selected to get your third stripe.”

  Jack pretended to eye her suspiciously. “You’re hoping I am so you’ll have an opportunity to move into my spot and pick up your corporal stripes.”

  Laura smiled. “I wouldn’t turn down a 10 percent pay increase.”

  “Likewise,” Jack replied. He took another sip of coffee as he thought about the possibility of Italian organized crime evolving in B.C. “I don’t think we need to worry about the Italians at the moment. Our extra manpower, when we get it, could be used in other areas.”

  “What makes you think we don’t need to worry about them?”

  “What criminal activity do you think Satans Wrath is not involved in?”

  “Is not involved in?” Laura appeared to think hard on the question. “None that I can think of. Drug trafficking, prostitution, not to mention corruption, infiltration of labour unions, elected officials, the judiciary, the ports.…” She looked curiously at Jack. “Why?”

  “In other words, anything that Italian organized crime would touch would also have to be in collusion with Satans Wrath. If they didn’t, we’d be finding bodies, either bikers or Italians, or both.”

  Laura nodded. “And our friend would know about it,” she added.

  Jack was about to reply in the affirmative but stopped when their boss, Staff Sergeant Rose Wood, entered the office.

  Looks ticked … what now?

  “Hi, Rose. What’s up? You look like you inhaled a bug.”

  Rose didn’t bother to pull up a chair as she glowered at Jack. “I bumped into Lexton out in the hall a moment ago. She asked if our section has come up with any Russian organized crime factions in the city yet.”

  Crap! Assistant Commissioner Lexton was recently promoted to the position of being the criminal operations officer in charge of the Pacific region. She wielded enormous power and was someone whose attention he wished to avoid.

  “Not coming up with anything doesn’t exactly put our office in a good light,” Rose said.

  Damn it. I was hoping Lexton would forget about that.… He looked up at Rose. “I reported at the time that my informant believes the Russians were not from here and moved on after Evans disappeared.”

  “Alleged Russians,” Rose retorted. “I get the distinct feeling that Lexton doesn’t believe your informant.”

  “He’s always been reliable in the past,” Jack noted.

  “Yes, I told Lexton that.”

  “How’d she respond?”

  Rose stared at Jack a moment, “That perhaps your informant was fed misinformation and Satans Wrath only believes it to be true.” When Jack didn’t respond, her face hardened. “What do you have to say about that?”

  That Lexton is a smart lady.…

  “Well?” Rose prodded.

  “I suppose it’s possible,” Jack replied.

  “Yes, it certainly is possible,” Rose replied bluntly before trudging back out the door.

  Jack stared after her.

  And Lexton isn’t the only smart lady.

  * * *

  Sergeant Roger Morris intended to return to the courtroom, but as he reached for the door he heard the order being given from inside for everyone to rise. Knowing an adjournment was taking place, he decided to wait.

  Moments later, people started filing out, including Pete.

  “Fifteen-minute adjournment,” he said.

  “Already? They barely started.”

  “It was the judge who wanted it. Probably drank too much coffee,” Pete surmised. “What was Borman up to?”

  “Just making a phone call,” Roger said as he watched defence council approach the prosecution desk and speak to Ana. She stiffened, then looked around. Their eyes met. Immediately she grabbed her briefcase and made a beeline toward him.

  “Ana’s ticked,” Roger noted.

  “What about?” Pete asked.

  “I don’t know. I think we’re about to find out.”

  Pete turned to look. “Oh, yeah. She’s angry,” he agreed.

  Roger smiled cordially when Ana arrived. “Good morning, Ana. What’s up?”

  “The three of us need to talk — privately,” she snapped, gesturing with her briefcase for them to go to a witness room.

  Once inside, Roger asked again, “What’s up?”

  “I just spoke with defence.” Ava paused, her eyes studying theirs. “They gave me a heads-up that our murder weapon will be deemed inadmissible.”

  “What the hell! Why?” Pete exclaimed.

  “They say they have proof that someone in CFSEU searched the car prior to getting a warrant.”

  “No way,” Roger said firmly. “Uh-uh. I was in charge of that team. Do you
really think I’d risk jeopardizing a case by doing something like that? There were plenty of grounds to get the warrant. Our people didn’t mind waiting. We knew it would be signed.”

  “Defence claims that they’re getting camera footage from outside the convenience store to prove it,” Ana countered.

  “Good, because there’s no way anyone searched it without getting the warrant first,” Roger replied adamantly.

  “If it’s true, I’ll pull the case,” Ana threatened.

  “Everyone knows you would, which is why nobody would ever do it.” Roger stared at her. “Defence is yanking your chain,” he said confidently. “They’re trying to rattle you, but of course once you find that out, they’ll say they were only joking.”

  “Are you certain?”

  “Yes, I’m certain. I was there that night from the time the car stopped until it was searched. The driver popped into the store and I had my team arrest him coming out. Nobody went inside the car until we had the warrant in our hands.”

  Ana sighed. “Okay, I believe you.” She shook her head in apparent self-recrimination. “Damn him. I should have known he was —”

  Rapid knocks on the door and the voice of the court clerk asking for Ms. Valesi interrupted their conversation. Roger opened the door.

  “Ms. Valesi,” the young woman exclaimed. “I received a call from the Vancouver City Police. You’re to phone a Mrs. Maria Valesi immediately.”

  Ana’s jaw slackened. She looked at Roger. “That’s my mother! She babysits my daughter, Issy.”

  Roger had a sick feeling in his gut as he watched Ana fumble for her phone in her briefcase.

  “I turned it … turned it off for court,” she stammered, while placing the call. “Hello, Mom!” She paused and her eyes widened in panic, then she exclaimed, “They kicked in the back door! They had guns?”

  Oh, fuck! Roger glanced at Pete, who looked ashen.

  “Mom … Issy? What about Issy?” Ana pleaded. “Mother, please … quit … you’re blubbering. Listen to me, damn it! Is Isabella okay?”

  Roger felt like it was an eternity before Ana received an answer. For her, he knew, waiting for the answer was even worse.

  “She is? She is? She’s safe! Oh, God. Oh, God.” Ana glanced at Roger and Pete. “She’s safe. Issy’s okay.” She then took a couple of deep breaths in an apparent effort to control her emotions.

  “Thank Christ,” Roger said. “Where are they now?”

  Ana spoke into the phone and said, “The police are there … yes, I’ll talk to them.” She then looked at Roger and Pete while holding the phone to her ear and said, “Two guys wearing hoodies and with guns kicked in the back door to my mother’s house a couple of minutes ago. The police are going through the house now.”

  “Jesus Christ,” Roger muttered.

  “My mom saw them out the window when they were kicking the door. She grabbed Issy and ran out the front door as they came in. She heard one of them yell at the other to hurry. He said to get the kid and get out of there.”

  “Ana, I’m sorry,” Roger said. “Would you like us to give you a ride over there? You probably shouldn’t be driving until you’ve had time to calm down.”

  “They were after my Isabella.” Ana looked confused, then added, “She’s only two years old.”

  “Where are your mother and Isabella now?” Pete asked.

  “At a neighbour’s, and —” Ana looked around, then sat in a chair. “VPD want to talk to me. I can’t … I need a minute. Pete? Will you?”

  Pete took the phone and identified himself to the officer on the line. He then told the officer that Ana was prosecuting the trial between the United Front and the Death Heads. He listened a moment, then glanced at Ana. “Things are calming down,” he said reassuringly. “Isabella is fine. She’s already playing with the neighbour’s toddler. Probably too young to understand. Your mom went to the washroom. She, uh, has to clean herself up and will call you back.”

  “Oh … okay,” Ana replied.

  “They want to know if you saw anyone following you this morning or anything suspicious.”

  “No, I didn’t,” Ana replied. “Maybe I should have been watching. I didn’t think —”

  “It’s okay,” Pete said. “Who would even think that someone would do this?” He spoke into the phone a little more, then ended the call and gave the phone back to Ana, who put it away.

  Roger saw Ana put her hand over her mouth and for a moment he wondered if she was going to be sick. Then she lowered her hand and took a deep breath. The fear was obvious on her face, but then she nodded to herself, perhaps coming to terms with what she thought happened.

  “Initial results at the scene indicate it may have been done to scare you,” Pete said.

  “To scare me?”

  “There are smears left from muddy tracks in the back entrance, but none leading anywhere else. Combined with them yelling to hurry and grab the kid — you’d think they’d have gone a little farther into the house if that was their real intent. Not to mention, if it was, why yell that out? They’d have already known what they were intending to do and wouldn’t have had to say it. Also, there were no bad guys covering the front door, which would’ve been an obvious escape route.”

  Ana appeared to reflect briefly on what Pete had said. “I see,” she replied. “You’re right. That’s logical.” Anger had replaced the fear in her voice and on her face.

  The court clerk then asked, “Should I notify the judge about what happened so you can get an adjournment?”

  “No!” Ana said crossly. “Defence would claim that it would prejudice the judge and demand a retrial. If I try to get an adjournment for personal reasons the judge will ask questions and would likely clue in, which would still give defence grounds.” She paused to stare at Roger and Pete. “Intimidation? Forget that! I’m going back in there and I’ll pretend nothing happened.”

  “Are you sure?” Roger asked.

  “Yes, I’m sure.” She glanced at her watch. “We’ve still got five minutes.” She looked at the court clerk. “Thank you for your assistance. You may go.”

  As the court clerk left, Ana said, “We’ll likely adjourn again in about an hour for lunch. I’ll call my mother now and tell her that I’ll talk to her again later. I suspect it’ll be past noon before the police finish getting a statement from her.”

  “I’m sure you’re right about that,” Pete replied.

  Ana then called her mother. When she didn’t answer, she left a message to say that she was absolutely certain it was only meant to intimidate and that she’d talk to her at lunchtime.

  “Ana, I am so sorry,” Roger said as soon as she put her phone away.

  “We both are,” Pete added. “Believe me, we’ll find out who did this.”

  Ana took a deep breath and appeared to reflect a moment. “Thanks. Come on. We better get back in there.”

  Back in the courtroom, Ana returned to the prosecution table and Roger and Pete decided to remain by her side until court was called to order.

  Ana whispered, “Who would you call if this had happened to either one of your families?”

  “VPD are good,” Roger said, feeling embarrassed for his colleague.

  Pete looked slightly perturbed. “I’d like to think we are.”

  “I know VPD are good,” Ana replied evenly. “That’s not what I asked.”

  Roger then saw Ana look past him and her face went cold. He turned and saw Borman smiling at them.

  Ana’s words seemed surprisingly calm. “So I’ll ask again. Who’d you call if this happened to either one of your families?”

  Roger glanced at Pete. They both answered simultaneously.

  Chapter Three

  Jack answered his phone and soon felt the rage roil within as he listened to what Roger had to say. Most people would be upset to hear that the prosecutor’s family had been threatened, but for Jack it was more personal. For him it brought back memories of when his own family was threatened a few
months earlier.

  The effect that had on his wife, two sons, and him hadn’t gone away. They’d all become hypersensitive to any noise around their home and were still having nightmares.

  Mikey is only eleven and Stevie hasn’t turned ten yet. To go through crap like that at their age isn’t right … and it sure as hell isn’t right for the prosecutor and her family, either.

  He thought of the long road ahead for both their families to put it all behind them. How much time does it take to recover from something like that? Or do you ever recover?

  “What’s going on?” Laura whispered from across her desk.

  Jack gestured with his finger to his lips for her to wait as he listened.

  “I’m sure the Death Heads are behind it,” Roger said. “Last week Borman sat in the back row, but today he sat directly behind Ana. I saw him slip out and make a phone call as soon as court started. After she received the news and returned to court he was smiling at her like some perverted sicko. I’m sure he was sending her a message.”

  “You’re suggesting they did it to scare her?” Jack asked. “Maybe intimidate her enough that she’d purposely do something to have the case thrown out?”

  “Possibly, but we don’t know for sure. It took them a few kicks to open the door. Ana’s mom heard the noise and looked out the window. When she saw two guys with guns in their hands she grabbed the kid and bolted out the front. Whoever it was might have heard them escaping and knew they were too late.”

  “Maybe lucky for her and the tot.”

  “There were no bad guys covering off the front of the house, but these guys are punks. They’re not known for their brainpower. The United Front are also pissed off with Ana because she’s subpoenaed a couple of them to testify … which they don’t want to do.”

  “Thinking it’ll make them look like wimps in the eyes of the other gangs. That they can’t take care of business themselves.”