get it! I don’t care if you catch him! I’m done! I want out!”
“Danny ... you’re just ... probably PTSD,” said Jack, speaking rapidly. “Try to calm down and think about —”
“You’re fuckin’ right I’m stressed! So is my whole family! All I want is to get Susan, Tiff, and Jimmy the hell away from here — and from you!”
“Danny, I’m sorry. I —”
“Don’t ever call again!” Danny said, before slamming the receiver back down.
It was after one o’clock in the morning when Laura drove past a cemetery and then spotted Jack parked nearby on a quiet street as per his directions. She parked and then hurried over and joined him.
“What’s up?” she asked, glancing around. “You got the eye on someone?”
“No, it’s not surveillance,” replied Jack. “I lied.”
“You lied? Three or four days before I’m even supposed to start working with you and you’re already lying to me?”
“I just thought it would be easier to explain once you got here.”
Laura studied him briefly, then said, “Well, I’m here.”
Jack took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, then said, “The other day you offered to be my friend.”
Laura nodded.
“What I need right now is a good friend.”
Laura looked at Jack but didn’t reply.
“Do you understand the difference?” “Don’t know what you’re getting at. Sorry. Maybe I’m not awake yet.”
“A friend is someone who would help you move.”
Laura nodded. “A good friend is someone who would help you move a body.”
Laura snickered, then said, “Yeah, right. Good one. So what’s really going on?” She saw Jack’s face partially illuminated by a streetlight. It was a face that looked desperate. A sense of dread overtook her when she realized he was serious. “Does this have something to do with who tried to kill O’Reilly’s baby?” she asked.
“Basically,” Jack replied.
Laura didn’t speak for almost a minute.
Jack didn’t interrupt her thoughts. What he was asking her was to risk everything she had.
Finally she spoke. Her words were a whisper. “If this is about the guy who attacked the O’Reilly family, then I could be a good friend.”
“Are you sure?” Jack asked. “I know you. I remember when I worked an operation with you in Alberta. You made me stop the car to rescue a gopher that was snagged on something.”
“That’s cuz gophers don’t kill babies.”
Jack nodded, then said, “Okay. We don’t have much time.”
“Who, when, and where?”
“Right now ... and he’s in the trunk.”
“You’re not serious!”
Jack quietly handed her the keys and sat in the car while she went to look. She saw the man’s body wrapped in a yellow plastic police emergency blanket. A shovel was also in the trunk.
“Oh, man,” she mumbled, then got back in the car. “You killed the guy?” she asked.
Jack shook his head, then replied, “No. He was already dead when I found him.”
“And he’s the piece of shit who likes to kill babies?”
“No, but he is a piece of shit. He’s a — he was — a member of Satans Wrath. If he disappears, I expect we’ll find out real fast who tried to drown Jimmy and murdered the guy who had my name.”
“What is going on?” asked Laura. Her voice sounded quiet but firm.
Jack quickly explained what had happened, along with his plan. Laura glanced into the back seat at the two sports bags, then reached over and unzipped one of them. She dug her hand briefly through a few of the layers of bundles of money before zipping the bag closed.
“If The Toad and the money are missing,” continued Jack, “it will look like The Toad ripped everyone off. I’ve already found a fresh grave. We’ll just make it two for the price of one. It won’t take long, but I need you to distract the security guard when he comes by.”
“Are you on medication?” asked Laura, sounding serious.
Jack shook his head and said, “I’m not crazy. This will work. Once I spread the rumour that The Toad was working with the Brit, it won’t take Damien long to find out. When he does, my friend will also know. My friend thinks Leitch launders money so it would fit that he could be involved in the rip along with The Toad.”
“Have you tried following Leitch?”
“Ask Elvis about that. They did, along with I-HIT. They got burned. Leitch would have warned the Brit. Whoever this guy is, he has to have a lot of clout to get Leitch to show him secret police reports before the bikers even see them. You can bet he’ll be extremely cautious. I doubt that any future surveillance on Leitch would be successful.”
“But your friend could find out through Damien?”
“If Damien knows, then my friend will know. I want to put all the heat on The Toad and spread the rumour that The Toad, Leitch, and the Brit are in cahoots. With The Toad gone, Damien should step back into power. In the unlikely event my source isn’t made privy to the Brit’s identity, Damien might be willing to help me. He’ll think it’s in our common interests. He’ll want the money and revenge, and we want the Brit.”
“Really?” said Laura. “Damien might help you?” Jack caught her suspicious look and said, “He’s helped me before.”
“Sounds interesting.”
“Don’t even go there.”
Laura studied Jack’s face for a moment, then said, “So how do you get Damien to think the heat was on The Toad? He’s not stupid.”
“I’ll put word out that we were working on The Toad when he led us to the Brit and Leitch. One of our narcs is supplying info to Satans Wrath.”
“I know. Elvis told me.”
“If the info comes to Damien through the dirty narc, he’ll be inclined to believe it’s true. Especially with The Toad and the money disappearing. To protect my friend, I’ll indicate my informant is a hooker who was servicing The Toad. I’ll say she saw The Toad meet with the Brit who then met with Leitch that day in the park. Damien won’t know what to think.”
“What about the Colombians?”
“They barely speak English. Everyone
