“Okay, I love you.”
“Love you, too, babe.”
Floyd Hackman slowly drove past Taggart’s house. The white van he and Vic Trapp were in was in need of a wash, and the magnetic signs stuck to the doors read Abe’s Furnace Repair, along with a phone number. They saw a woman who fit Taggart’s wife’s description crouched with her back to the street working in a flower bed.
“Fuckin’ perfect,” Trapp said. He glanced at his watch. “Bet their kids’ll be home from school soon. Park up ahead. It’ll be easy to shoot out the back,” he added, gesturing with his thumb toward the curtained-off portion of the van.
Chapter Four
“Assistant Commissioners Isaac and Mortimer are expecting you.”
Jack nodded cordially to the secretary, then followed Rose in. Isaac and Mortimer sat in upholstered chairs, part of a cluster around a coffee table. Jack took in Mortimer’s appearance. Double chins coupled with an egg-shaped bald head. His skin was a pasty white and his hands, wrists, and fingers were pudgy. Looks like somebody put Humpty Dumpty back together again.
Isaac looked up and his face became grim.
Yes, sir, I feel sickened by what happened, too. Then Jack’s eyes met Mortimer’s and he saw the look of disapproval. Okay, so my beard is down to my chest and the bags under my eyes make me look like a raccoon. You try doing what I do.
Isaac’s voice was grave. “Assistant Commissioner Mortimer, this is Staff Sergeant Rose Wood. She heads our intelligence unit. Corporal Jack Taggart is one of her investigators.”
Mortimer acknowledged the introduction with a grunt.
Isaac gestured for them to sit and then focused on Jack. “We’ll talk about the main reason you’re here in a moment, but first, I received a call from Inspector Dyck about your undercover operation in Victoria. Please explain the circumstances to my colleague here. I was told the suspect pulled a gun and that a weapon was discharged during the arrest.”
At the mention of a gun, Mortimer stared bug-eyed at Jack.
“Yes, sir. Basically, I was involved in an undercover operation to gather evidence on a murder. The suspect lived on a boat and I wanted to have a look at the tender —”
“Tender?” Mortimer questioned.
“The small boat, often a dingy, that larger boats use to get to shore.” Jack saw Mortimer nod, so he continued. “The motor on the tender may have been damaged by the victim seconds before he was murdered. The suspect invited me on board, but caught me looking at the tender and pulled a gun.”
Mortimer glowered at Jack. “What were you doing working on cases where guns were involved?”
Jack was aghast. “Sir?”
“That sort of thing should’ve been turned over to the police! You shouldn’t have been involved in something like that!”
Turned over to the police? What the hell? Jack’s tone displayed his contempt. “Sir, I don’t know about you, but I am a police officer. I’ve got a badge and everything, including a gun. Many of the people I investigate carry guns or have access to them.”
Mortimer opened and closed his mouth, seemingly at a loss for words.
Jack glanced at Rose. Come on Rose! Don’t be giving me the hairy eyeball! This guy’s so far removed from reality he doesn’t even think of us as police officers! What the hell?
“It’s okay,” Isaac assured Mortimer. “Nobody was hurt and the suspect was apprehended. I’d like to hear about the weapon being discharged, though.”
“Yes, sir,” Jack replied. “Corporal Connie Crane —”
“A member from the Integrated Homicide Investigation team I assigned to be part of the cover team,” Isaac noted for Mortimer’s benefit.
“Yes,” Jack said. “I-HIT had a cover team hidden in a nearby boat. When the suspect pulled the gun, Corporal Crane ordered him to drop it. He didn’t. She fired a shot, which distracted him, and I was then able to disarm him. I believe Corporal Crane saved my life.”
“Similar to how Inspector Dyck reported the incident,” Isaac added. He faced Jack but his eyes momentarily shifted toward Mortimer. “Except I was told how your jacket was damaged.”
Right. Connie tried to shoot the asshole as I tackled him. The bullet went through my collar. He glanced at Mortimer. You’d probably want her fired. Jack tried for nonchalance as he said, “It was an old jacket. I threw it out and won’t be claiming any expenses for it.”
Isaac nodded. “Enough said. Congratulations on a job well done.” He paused for a moment. “Let’s move on to why I called you in. That delicate matter you brought to my attention ten days ago became an indelicate matter. By your odour, I presume you were at the farmhouse?”
“Yes, sir. When we got off the ferry from Victoria, Corporal Crane was with me. She received a call and we went to the scene. After that I spoke to my informant.”
Isaac looked at Mortimer. “Corporal Taggart was investigating Satans Wrath Motorcycle Club. They were exporting shipments of marijuana to Dallas, Texas, in a semi being driven by a Robert and Roxanne Barlow. After the marijuana was unloaded and the Barlows left, we had the DEA seize the shipment.”
“How much marijuana was seized?” Mortimer asked.
“About 250 kilos,” Isaac replied, “but that’s incidental to what took place later. Neal Barlow, who’s Robert’s brother, is a member of the Gypsy Devils motorcycle gang. They’re a puppet club controlled by Satans Wrath and were responsible for looking after the delivery. During the investigation, seventy-five kilos of marijuana were surreptitiously taken from Neal.”
“So 325 kilos were actually seized,” Mortimer said.
What part of “incidental” don’t you understand?
“It caused the bikers to suspect that Neal had cut a deal with the police in exchange for Robert and Roxanne’s freedom. We expected that Neal would be murdered, but we didn’t expect Robert and Roxanne to also be murdered, let alone in the heinous fashion that they were.”
Mortimer just gaped.
“We could’ve had Robert and Roxanne arrested in the States,” Isaac went on, “but Satans Wrath believed the Gypsy Devils were responsible for the shipment being seized and had given them two weeks to plug the leak. If they didn’t, the clubs would be at war and most of the Gypsy Devils would’ve been murdered.”
“Good God,” Mortimer spluttered, then glared at Jack. “Your actions are reprehensible!”
“It was my decision,” Isaac said forcefully. “The ones who are reprehensible are the criminals he’s working on.”
Mortimer frowned, then sat back in his seat and folded his arms across his chest.
Isaac cleared his throat. “So, to continue … I was left with the choice
