Читать книгу Jack Taggart Mysteries 9-Book Bundle - Don Easton - Страница 71

Damien tried to force himself to be calm. Think! Don’t say anything to get them hurt any more than they already are. Keep your cool. He knew he was too terrified at the moment to express anger. That would come later.

The cell rang and vibrated on the patio table. Damien stared at it as it rang again. Sound calm ... don’t reveal what you think! On the third ring, he snatched it up.

“Damien, here.”

“Are you laughing now, Damien?” said Carlos, sounding facetious.

“I’m not laughing, Carlos. Why —”

“You think you can rob me? To spit in my face and be safe? No place in the world is safe for you!”

“I did not rob you! Why have you done this?”

“My men were robbed! You are the hombre responsible! It was your men!”

“I wasn’t even involved in —”

“Do not talk! You will listen!”

“Carlos, you don’t understand! I —”

“Your puta — that whore you call a wife — every time you speak at me now, she will lose something ... what you say ...”

Damien listened as Carlos spoke briefly in Spanish to someone in the background before continuing.

“She will lose something ... like her tit! Now you understand, gringo? Si or no?”

“Yes. Si!” replied Damien.

“Bueno! You listen. Now, business! I have decided to charge you only $7 million Canada and $3 Americano. That is what you owe me and I am honourable man. If you do not think your wife and girl are worth that, then shut up the phone now!”

Damien held the phone. The seconds that went by seemed like an eternity. Panic flooded his brain out of fear that there would be an accidental disconnection. Finally Carlos spoke again.

“On Monday, I will call. You will bring $3.5 million Canada to where I say. Any policia or any of your hombres go with you ... then we will find out how many parts your wife and girl can lose before she both dies. We also find out if your girl is old enough to enjoy a man. Do you understand me, Damien? You say now. Yes or no!”

“Yes.”

“On Wednesday, you will pay another $3.5 Canada. After, I tell you how you make last payment!”

The line went dead, but Damien hung onto the phone, too stunned to be bothered by the dial tone. Then he turned to his men. His voice was barely audible when he said, “Carlos didn’t get his money last night. Vicki ... Katie ... he will kill them if we don’t pay.”

“That fuckin’ bastard is dead!” yelled Rellik.

“He says we still owe him $3.5?” asked Lance. “How much time do we have?”

“He wants $7 million Canadian first, then a final payment of $3 mil U.S.”

“What!” roared Whiskey Jake. “We only owed him $3.5! And that’s if he didn’t already rip us off! Maybe he’s got The Toad on ice too!”

“If he had The Toad and the money, I can’t see why he would do this,” offered Damien, lamely. “He wants me to deliver $3.5 on Monday, then again on Wednesday. After that he’ll tell me when he wants the rest.”

“The extra money,” said Lance. “He’s charging us for the first boatload! The one the fucking DEA took down in San Diego!”

Damien’s brain was racing ahead to Monday. He pointed his finger at Whiskey Jake and Lance and said, “The dope from last night! Sell it fast!”

“We’ll never get the cash in time,” said Whiskey Jake.

“Give it away at cost!” said Damien. He clenched his teeth, causing the tendons in his neck to stand out. Then he said, “Just get the cash we need by Monday!”

Whiskey Jake’s voice showed his concern. “The load is worth over $20 million. Stall for a couple of weeks and we’ll have it all.”

Damien grabbed him by the front of the shirt with both hands and shook him like a dog with a rat and yelled, “There is no fucking stalling!” He then used one hand to grab Whiskey Jake by the crotch and yelled, “If Vicki loses any more parts, so will you! Understand?”

The look on Whiskey Jake’s face indicated he understood. Damien released his grip and his voice returned to a normal level but did not hide his deadly intention. “Get to work. Four strikers with Buck and Sarah at all times. I’m leaving.”

“Where are you —” Lance started to ask.

“None of your business,” replied Damien, as he ran into the house.

Jack was almost asleep when he received the phone call from Damien. Moments later, he rushed to the parking garage where his car was parked. There was no missing the urgency in Damien’s voice when he said he wanted to meet immediately. Hope he used a cool phone...

Lance entered Damien’s house in time to see that he had just finished making a call on the cellphone that Carlos had provided. He spotted the 9mm tucked in Damien’s belt — something his boss had not carried in years.

“I’m coming with you,” said Lance. “It’s not safe.”

Damien shook his head and said, “This is something I need to do alone. Start selling the fucking...” Damien stopped when he realized he was inside the house, then said, “You do what you were told to do!” He rushed toward the door to the garage but stopped and ran back to the kitchen. He grabbed a small picnic cooler from the fridge and then ran to the garage.

On a normal day, Damien might have spotted the surveillance team and taken appropriate action. Today was not normal. His mind was on his family as he drove.

Cecil Hinds watched as Damien parked his car in Stanley Park. Part of the surveillance team remained with the car while others followed Damien on foot.

“T-1 is carrying a small cooler,” reported Nicole. “Maybe meeting someone for a picnic.”

“Who is the big question,” replied Hinds. “Stay with him, but give him lots of room.”

Damien didn’t mince words when he sat beside Jack on a park bench, placing the cooler between them. “I need a favour. Now!” he said.

Jack was surprised. “I don’t owe you any favours! We’re even! A tonne of coke and a murder makes us more than even!”

“This isn’t about that!” said Damien, harshly. Then his voice softened and he said, “I mean I would like a favour from you. I’d owe you this time.”

Jack was caught off guard. Why would he come to me, even if two of his guys were murdered? Is he hoping I can locate The Toad? He eyed Damien and the cooler curiously. He’s more agitated than I expected. Thought he would be happy that the heat’s on The Toad. And the cooler ... what’s that all about? Jack cleared his throat, then said, “Last time we met you said you would never give me another favour. Remember?”

“I remember.”

“So why should I believe you would ever pay me back?”

“Because I’m telling you I will! I gave you one on credit! I’m just asking for the same!”

Jack nodded, then said, “You can do me a favour first. An easy one. Your lawyer friend, Leitch, deals with a guy who has a British accent. Looks Indo. I want him.”

“I don’t know who that is,” said Damien, his face reddening.

“He’s connected with your club!”

“If he is, I’ll find out! I just don’t know right now!”

“He knows The Toad. He met with The Toad and then with Leitch three weeks ago. They were all paranoid, so something was going on!” Jack studied Damien’s face closely as he spoke. What I’m telling him ... his face ... he already knows! Thought it would take another few days. Jack stared at Damien and then said, “The Toad works for you. Call him and ask.”

“We tried! Nobody knows where the fuck he is! That’s what I want you to do! Find him!”

“You want me to find The Toad? He had something to do with a couple of your strikers getting shot in a motel last night, didn’t he?”

“Are you going to help me or not? First tell me that! You help me find The Toad and I swear I’ll find out who this British guy is!”

Jack leaned back and briefly massaged the back of his neck. “Okay,” he said. “I’ll take you at your word, but tell me what’s going on.”

Damien handed Jack the cooler and said, “Open it!”

Jack placed the cooler on his lap and heard the sound of ice moving around inside. He opened it and looked in. A plastic bag containing a girl’s panties lay on top of the ice.

“Under them,” said Damien. “Look under them.” Jack dug deeper into the ice and found another plastic bag. It contained a human finger.

“What’s this?” said Jack.

The words spilled out of Damien. He told of the ransom and his fear that he didn’t have time to raise the first payment by Monday.

Jack felt stunned as he stared at the finger. I did this. I may as well have chopped it off myself.

“Your wife is a doctor, right?” said Damien, pointing at the finger. “Can —”

“I don’t know. I’ll call her,” replied Jack, quickly punching the numbers on his cell.

The surveillance team from CFSEU scrambled to get into position to see what was in the cooler.

“Anybody see what was in it?” asked Hinds into the radio.

“No, the lid blocked my view,” came the reply. “By the look on their faces it must be something important.”

“Damn it,” mumbled Hinds, reaching for his cell.

Jack spoke with Natasha and quickly told her about a kidnapping. He said the husband did not want any official police involvement or any record of the incident. He then told her where they were.

“I’m coming in. I can be there in an hour,” she said.

“I don’t want you around until after I find the Brit,” said Jack. “It’s not safe.”

“I’m done living my life in fear out here.”

“Natasha! Listen to me! It’s obvious he’ll murder you the first chance he gets!”

“We’ll talk about it later. Stay there, I’m on my way.”

Jack put his phone away and said, “She’ll be here within the hour.”

Damien stared at Jack for a moment, then asked, “So what was that all about? Why do you want this Brit? You think he wants to murder your wife?”

Jack told Damien about the Brit but changed the story to say that a source of his identified the Brit in the park with The Toad and Leitch.

“And this guy tried to make your partner’s wife decide which one of her kids was going to die, just because she made you dinner?”

Jack nodded. “Who the hell would do that? You must know him.”

“I don’t! Maybe he was hired by someone I do know, but I can’t think of who that would be.”

“You doing anything with the Indos?”

“Not me. And he met with The Toad ... it doesn’t make sense. The Toad would never get involved in something like that! He was at the election last year when we were deciding whether or not to waste you. He voted against the idea. Same as everyone else.”

“Maybe The Toad doesn’t know about it. Could the Brit be someone Leitch is using to pass on messages to The Toad?”

“But if they were all in the park together, why didn’t Leitch just deal with The Toad personally?”

“Maybe The Toad wanted to keep his liaison with Leitch secret. Maybe he didn’t want to risk someone seeing them together.”

“Possible, I guess.”

Jack decided to change the subject and asked, “Why $7 million in Canadian and then $3 in American?”

Damien shrugged and said, “Doesn’t really matter. If we can’t find The Toad and get the money back by Monday, Vicki and Katie are...” He stopped, unable to say what he was thinking.

“You’re telling me that you have all that coke and can’t come up with $3.5?”

“In a week, easy. But not in two days. Maybe half, I don’t know. But look what Carlos has done. You really think he’ll accept half?”

Jack glanced down at the cooler. It made him feel ill. He said, “I’m not so sure it’s even about the money. He runs one of the biggest cartels in Colombia. This is chump change to him. What he’s doing ... he’s a psychopath. This is entertainment for him.”

“I figure the same. That’s why I want you to find The Toad for me. You said you have a source close to him. I don’t care who that is. I just want the money before Monday!”

“The Toad likes a little female companionship,” said Jack. “I know someone. I’ll see what I can come up with.”

Damien nodded and said, “Thanks, I appreciate it.” He then took the cooler and placed it between his feet. For a while, both men were silent, absorbed in their own thoughts. The cooler eventually became a magnet for their eyes.

“They’re in this because of me,” said Damien, fighting back tears. “I thought the club was everything. How could I have been so fucking stupid?”

Jack didn’t respond. His own emotions were boiling to the surface as he stared at the cooler.

“After all these years of being in charge of the club, this happens ... and who do I turn to for help? A fuckin’ cop.” Damien paused, trying to regain control of his emotions before saying, “How could this have happened to me?”

“It didn’t,” said Jack. “It happened to Vicki and Katie.”

Both men returned to their own thoughts. Jack thought about Damien. I always saw him as a monster. Now he looks like any worried dad or husband would. Scared because the people he loves are being violated. Angry at himself because it was his lifestyle that put them there.

Jack then thought about his own actions. Charlie paralyzed ... his dad murdered. A war vet murdered because I made the price of speed go up. The O’Reillys. Now this! Consequences of my actions. What have I done?

“What have I done?” said Damien.

Jack looked at Damien in shock. Was I thinking out loud? He saw the tears in Damien’s eyes as Damien leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees while covering his face with his hands. His body started to shake.

“I think they’ve raped Katie,” he said, choking out the words. “She’s only eight years old.”

Jack had forgotten about the panties. He picked up the cooler and examined them. “These have been sliced off,” he said.

“I know. Oh, God, please ... what have they done to her? I know I don’t deserve a break ... but if you really exist, why would you...”

“She may not have been raped,” said Jack. “They were probably cut off because her ankles were bound together. He sent them to terrorize you.”

Damien sat upright and looked at Jack. “You really think so?”

“Cop’s point of view.” Jack shrugged.

“You’ve dealt with this kind of thing before?” asked Damien.

“Not really. I’ve been thinking a lot about the psychopathic mind, though. Especially since my partner’s family was attacked. Picture a mother tied to a chair for half an hour staring at a swimming pool that her baby had been tossed in.”

“Christ,” came Damien’s mumbled reply.

“We’re dealing with” — Jack paused to look at Damien — “real monsters. You help me catch mine and I’ll help you with yours.”

Damien nodded and said, “If The Toad met this British or Indo, you can bet he was involved in ripping off the cash. I’m not sure where Leitch fits in. He once offered to ... help me with my finances. I don’t entirely trust him, so I said no. Maybe The Toad is using his services.”

“How long has The Toad been dealing with him?” asked Jack.

“That’s just it! I didn’t know the two even knew each other.”

“But you will find out who the Brit is? Maybe through Leitch?”

“I’ll deliver him to you like pâté on a plate!” Damien nodded toward the cooler and started to shake. “I just have to make sure they’re safe, first. That’s all that counts.”

Natasha hurried toward the park bench. She saw the tears in her husband’s eyes as he tried to console the large man sitting beside him. “Jack?” she asked hesitantly. Both men sat upright and then stood. Their faces became masks. Hiding any appearance of weakness. As a doctor, it was a sight that she had seen often, but it was not something she respected. Be who you are, not what you think others expect you to be.

“Natasha,” said Jack, “this is ... an associate of mine. He needs help. His wife and daughter have been kidnapped. They sent this back,” he added, gesturing toward the cooler.

“My name is Damien, Mrs. Taggart,” he said, handing her the cooler.

Natasha set the cooler on the park bench and looked inside. She examined the bag containing the finger quickly and then said, “Good, it’s not frozen. You did the right thing. Any amputated digit should be quickly cooled, but not frozen or placed directly in any solution. I’ll take it to my clinic. It should be wrapped in a saline-soaked swab, then sealed in a plastic bag and placed on ice.”

She glanced at Damien and saw the anguish on his face. “There have been recorded cases where digits have been successfully reattached up to twenty-four hours later if the amputated part was quickly cooled.”

Natasha knew by the looks on their faces that this did not appear likely. “Barring that, a prosthesis could be made from an impression cast of this finger, making an exact match...”

Damien stared down at his feet.

“I’ll get going now,” she said, then looked at Jack and asked, “See you at home after? It’s almost four o’clock. I’ll make dinner.”

“Wish you would reconsider. The Brit is —”

“And if you never catch him, do we spend the rest of our lives hiding? As I said, I’ll see you back at our apartment.”

Jack argued with Natasha a little more, but it was to no avail. Neither paid attention to Damien, who opened the cooler one more time.

Jack knew he had lost the argument and handed the cooler to Natasha. Both men watched as she returned to her car.

“She’s pretty headstrong,” said Damien, watching as Natasha placed the cooler in her car.

“Yes.”

“Why not stash her at your sister’s place out on that farm? At least until we get this Brit. Believe me, I’ll find out who he is.”

“She was at the farm. Now she wants to get back to work.”

“How come you don’t have cops protecting her?”

“She’s a doctor. She sees walk-in patients alone. If she was protected, that couldn’t be done. With our people, it would have to be all or nothing. Plus everyone in our office has been threatened. There’s no way everyone could be protected. If I complain about it, they just transfer us up to Baffin Island or someplace. We’d rather take our chances here.”

Damien paused, then nodded his head and said, “Okay. I see the problem. You guys play by the rules too much. I’ll have a couple of the boys watch over her. Once word goes out that she’s protected by the patch, nobody will try anything.”

Jack couldn’t help but chuckle at the prospect. “Hell no! All I need is for the brass to hear...” His thoughts were interrupted when he spotted a familiar car pull out into the traffic behind Natasha. He looked at Damien and said, “We’ve got heat.”

Jack noted that Damien held the urge to look. He was a professional. “You sure?” he asked, looking directly at Jack.

“I’m sure. Anti-Corruption. Someone must have spotted us together and called them. With Bishop’s body being found and now me meeting with you ... this isn’t good.”

Damien swore under his breath, then said, “I wasn’t thinking too clearly today when I drove to meet you. Bet it’s my fault.”

“Too late to worry about that now.”

Damien stared at Jack for a moment and then said, “Anti-Corruption?”

“Think of it as the heavies in Internal Affairs.”

Damien raised his eyebrows and said, “Bishop ... can they connect you?”

“Natasha talked to a Mexican cop just two blocks from where Bishop lived. I didn’t know until later. Now being seen here with you ... I’m going to be taken down!”