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
