Dead Ends (14 page)

Chapter Fifteen

On Tuesday afternoon, Jack sat at his desk reading reports about minor meth seizures from across the lower mainland.

Laura glanced up and asked, “Any of the seizures from our friend's lab?”

Jack shook his head and said, “Personally, I don't know if that makes me feel good or not.”

“I feel the same way. A relief to know that the stuff we're allowing isn't showing up, yet at the same time it makes it difficult to track.”

“Obviously there are a lot of other labs running besides ours,” replied Jack.

“Ours? Oh, man … I guess you're right,” said Laura. “It's awful to think of it in that context.”

“If we shut our friend down it won't make any difference,” said Jack. “If we don't catch Cocktail they'll start another lab somewhere else.”

“I know. At least
our
lab isn't in the basement of a daycare.”

“I think we better quit referring to it as ours,” said Jack. “Somebody hears that and Internal will be all over us.”

“Again.”

Jack smiled and said, “Yes, ag—”

His telephone interrupted his conversation and he answered. Laura listened closely when she heard Jack talking to Lucy from Toxicology.

“Our first hit,” repeated Jack while looking at Laura and giving her the thumbs-up sign.

“Sixteen-year-old girl by the name of Lorraine Calder,” said Jack, while writing down what he was being told. “The police went to interview her as she was arriving home … she tried to chuck a small baggie from her purse … did it match the stuff we tagged? Who was the arresting officer? Gotcha. Thanks a bunch.”

Jack hung up and called a constable in Surrey. Laura knew by the look on Jack's face that what he discovered did not make him happy. When he hung up he stared silently at Laura for a moment to collect his thoughts.

“Let me have it,” said Laura solemnly.

“They were investigating the suicide of a sixteen-year-old kid who attended QE by the name of Julie Goodwin,” said Jack. “An honour student whose brains likely made her a bit of an outcast. She became friends with the girl, Lorraine Calder, and spent last Saturday with her. On Sunday, while her parents were at church, she got the key to her father's gun locker and shot herself. Her parents came home and were reading the suicide note when her younger brother found her body.”

“And it was our dope that Lorraine had in her purse,” Laura reiterated.

Jack nodded. “Lorraine said that Julie Goodwin gave it to her. Lucy talked to the pathologist and said there was an indication Julie may have been sexually assaulted. Also traces of GHB in her body.”

“Date rape,” whispered Laura to herself.

“No sign of meth in Julie's body. I think Lorraine is a liar.”

“Our friend mentioned that some of the other labs made ecstasy and GHB,” said Laura.

Jack was already dialling his cellphone.

* * *

Rodine walked the three blocks to a small neighbourhood playground. He saw Jack and Laura parked nearby and got in the back seat of their car.

“You guys knew I was over drinkin' with Sy last night?” asked Rodine. “That's why you called?”

“Tell us what you found out,” replied Jack, wanting to keep Rodine on edge as to how much they did know of his activities.

“Didn't find out much,” replied Rodine. “Tommy showed up and was really pissed off. Two of his dealers got busted in the parking lot at school yesterday. Tommy thinks a teacher is ratting them out. Says he has it narrowed down to one of three. They might kill the teacher if they find out.”

“You serious?” asked Laura.

“Damn rights. They'll kill me, too, if they find out I'm rattin'.”

“Previously you mentioned other labs were making ecstasy and GHB,” said Jack. “Any idea at all where the labs could be or who the cooks are?”

“No, but Cocktail would be the one who arranged their training on how to make it.”

“We want you to introduce us to Sy,” said Jack.

“I can't! He'd kill me!”

“Laura and I work on an Intelligence Unit and rarely go to court. We would never do anything to bring heat down on you. If arrests were ever made over anything you were involved in, we would not do it without your permission.”

“Really?”

“Really. I want you to tell Sy that you've met someone who you think is connected to the Irish mafia. Tell him we moved here from back east.”

“Irish mafia … fuck, that would impress him. Sy is always watching those old
Godfather
movies. He even talks like Marlon Brando half the time.”

“Tell him we move stolen property in a big way and say you think we have connections in the trucking and shipping industries.”

“Why not say you're into dope instead?” asked Rodine curiously.

“To protect you. With the bikers hanging a beating on you, they may be a little paranoid if all of a sudden you have new friends wanting to buy dope. We also don't want to come across as competition. I'm five years older than Sy. I want him to to look up to us and not be treating us like a couple of underlings. I want him impressed enough to start confiding or bragging to us.”

“How do I say I know you?”

“Tell him you met us a year ago at a really nice restaurant. Say you think we are silent partners in the place and like to party hearty and have lots of cash to throw around.”

“What restaurant?”

“Have you been to any classy ones?”

“Yeah … maybe … a year ago for my girlfriend's birthday … let me think.”

“Tell Sy you've partied with us often,” said Laura. “Introduce Jack as Jay and me as Princess.”

“You know,” said Rodine, starting to warm up to the idea, “there is an empty apartment in Sy's building that he is looking to fill. Maybe I could tell him that you are interested as a scam to meet him. You wouldn't really have to rent it, but it might be a way for you to invite him to party with you. He likes his booze.”

“Perfect,” said Jack. “Is the apartment on Sy's floor?”

“Like next door?” asked Laura hopefully.

“No, it's directly above him. The problem is the building isn't very soundproof. Sy gets really pissed off if someone disturbs his sleep. He would prefer to rent it to an old person, like a grandparent of one of his guys. He was doing that, but the old fart croaked last week.”

“Tell him you think we are planning on using it to store stuff and won't really be living in it all that much.”

“That might work. When should I do it?”

“Immediately, before he rents it to someone else,” replied Jack. “Talk to him and give us a call. I'd like to meet him tonight.”

After Rodine left the car, Laura said, “Tonight is really pushing it. Not much time to get the UC plan approved.”

“Let Connie do the paperwork on that. We don't have time if we want to save a teacher from being murdered.”

Chapter Sixteen

Morris Bloomquist had arrived at his apartment and was opening a Chinese food takeout container when the intercom buzzer sounded. He was tired and glared at the intercom speaker on the wall in a subconscious desire for his look to silence it. However, his glare did not have the same success as it did on his staff at Queen Elizabeth, where he was the principal.

Jack identified himself and the buzzer beeped to let him and Laura inside.

“Morris Bloomquist?” asked Jack, while he and Laura showed their badges at the apartment door.

“Mister Bloomquist,” he replied. “Did you come to tell me my ex is dead?”

“No,” replied Jack, puzzled. More so, when he saw a flash of disappointment cross Bloomquist's face.

“Our apologies,” replied Jack. “It can't wait.”

“You've interrupted my dinner. I trust you don't mind if I eat it while it is still warm. You may sit if you like.”

Jack and Laura sat down and Jack said, “There are two reasons we did not come to the school. First, we both work undercover and would prefer to keep our identities secret.”

“Good God!” said Bloomquist while manoeuvering a fork full of noodles into his mouth. “You both appear to be in your mid-thirties and you're telling me you are working undercover on children?”

“Our targets could be the parents of some of these children,” replied Jack. “The other reason we are here is out of concern for a teacher. There may be a degree of urgency to this.”

“What teacher? Why?”

“We don't know which teacher. That is why we came to you. Crime Stoppers has received several tips over the last year concerning students at your school who have been trafficking in drugs. Several arrests have been made.”

“And you are going to accuse me of not maintaining control over the students,” said Bloomquist harshly, while plucking a wayward noodle from his lips and sucking it back inside his mouth.

“Not at all,” said Laura quickly.

“We are concerned that some of the people involved in drug distribution at your school are beginning to figure out who is talking and are planning to respond with extreme violence,” said Jack.

“The person phoning Crime Stoppers … male or female?” asked Bloomquist.

“Crime Stoppers didn't say,” replied Jack. “They are very protective about maintaining the confidentiality of the system. It has to be someone the students trust enough to confide in. Could you give us the names of teachers who are popular with the students?”

“Lyle Ryker comes to mind,” said Bloomquist. “He was very active with the students over the tsunami in Thailand a couple of years ago. They raised a considerable amount of food, clothing, and money.”

Bloomquist paused to slurp another mouthful of noodles. Jack didn't mind. It gave him time to write in his notebook.

“The second name is Marie Sainsbury,” continued Bloomquist. “She gets along well with most of the more troubled students. The third is Bob Dunn. He teaches math but is also a phys. ed instructor. He coaches sports and sees the students after hours. Sometimes they go on road trips together.”

“Anyone else?” asked Jack.

“Possibly Amanda Flowers. She is new to teaching. She did her practicum with us last year and came on full-time in September. She's young, single, and pretty. A lot of the male students probably have a crush on her.”

“You said that Bob Dunn teaches math and phys. ed. What do the other three teach?” asked Jack.

“Bob replaced Lyle as a math teacher when Lyle ended his term with us last June.”

“The information the police are receiving is current,” said Jack. “I believe we are looking for a teacher who was here last year and this year. What about Marie and Amanda?”

“Marie teaches English, but is also a guidance counsellor. She talks to a lot of the students. Amanda teaches history and art.”

“I see,” replied Jack, while jotting down the information in his notebook.”

“If you plan to interview my staff, I would like to be present,” said Bloomquist. “It is most upsetting that someone would deal with the problem in such a devious manner and without consulting me. I'm sure the whole issue could have been dealt with a lot more effectively. Explains this nonsense of why police officers keep storming into my school.”

“Oh?” replied Jack. “I wasn't aware that police officers had been storming into the school?”

“So far they've only made arrests in the parking lot and on the street out front,” replied Bloomquist. “It is only a matter of time. I know how these things work. After all, my second wife was a cop.”

“And how do these things work?” asked Laura, sounding innocent.

“There is no need to be facetious,” replied Bloomquist. “What's your next step? Busting into student lockers?”

“Were there certain lockers that you think we should —” Laura stopped when she felt Jack's knee nudge her leg.

“I forgot to mention something,” said Jack. “I was provided the times of when the tips were called in. Most were received between two and two-thirty in the afternoon. Would that narrow it down?”

Bloomquist looked smugly at Jack and said, “Had you bothered to tell me that to start with, we would not have needed to waste everyone's time. All our teachers are busy teaching during that time. They wouldn't be making calls of that nature. The person who is ‘reporting' is no doubt a student. Perhaps skipping class.”

“I'm sorry,” muttered Jack. “I should have thought of that. I feel like an idiot for wasting everyone's time.”

“I married an idiot. Lived with her two years before we divorced. Perhaps you should get together with her,” smiled Bloomquist.

Jack locked eyes with Bloomquist and within seconds Bloomquist looked down and said, “Obviously I am only joking.”

“Well, Morris, I'm sure I will be seeing you again,” said Jack coldly. As he slowly arose he placed his hands on the table and leaned closer to Bloomquist and stared into his eyes. Bloomquist instinctively cowered back in his chair and looked down.

* * *

“What a jerk!” said Laura, as soon as they returned to their car.

“He's a bully,” said Jack. “I hate bullies. I understand why the teacher didn't go through the normal channels. That's why I made up the story about the calls coming in during class hours.”

“That's what I figured.”

“We need to protect her.”

“Her?”

“Amanda Flowers. Let's find out where she lives and talk to her right away.”

“Why her?”

“The tips are recent enough that we know it's not Lyle Ryker. Bob Dunn is a coach and I don't see jocks and kids in sports as being the type to know the details provided to Crime Stoppers. That leaves Marie Sainsbury and Amanda Flowers. Sainsbury is a guidance counsellor. She wouldn't want to risk her credibility with the students by taking a chance on saying anything. That leaves Amanda. Young, idealistic, and trying to make a difference. Not burned out yet. My money is on her.”

* * *

Jack checked the Motor Vehicle Branch and came up with Amanda's address. Her driver's license said she was twenty-five years old, but upon meeting her, Jack saw that she looked younger. He could see why many of the students would have a crush on her. She had flowing, shoulder-length blond hair, a cute figure, and a pretty face accented by large blue eyes.

After initial introductions, Jack said that they would like to speak to her concerning some of the students. Amanda invited them inside to the living room.

“Nice home,” commented Jack as they were led inside. “Do you live here alone?”

“I live alone, but unfortunately the house isn't mine. The owners are a retired couple who are travelling around the world for a year. I'm house-sitting. Doesn't cost me a dime as long as I look after the place.”

From the tidy yard and clean interior, Jack knew that Amanda was fulfilling her end of the bargain.

Once they were comfortably seated, Amanda offered tea or coffee. Jack and Laura politely declined and Jack said, “We are here to talk to you about your Crime Stoppers tips.”

A look of irritation crossed Amanda's face. “I thought that was supposed to be confidential!” she said.

“It is,” said Jack. “We didn't find out from Crime Stoppers. We received a tip that the bad guys have narrowed it down to three teachers. We met with Morris Bloomquist and he —”

“Mr. Bloomquist knows that it's me?” said Amanda fearfully.

“No, not at all,” hastened Jack. “We asked him for a list of teachers who are popular with the students. Your name was one of them.”

“How did you know it was me?”

“Logical deduction. We left your principal thinking it was a student, but if we figured it out, so might the bad guys.”

Amanda gave a large sigh of relief. “I think Mister Bloomquist would fire me if he knew. He is against having students arrested. He believes it gives the school a bad name.”

“I'm not impressed with the man,” said Jack.

“He's not really a bad person … it's … well, his ex-wife was a police officer. A messy divorce may have clouded his judgment.”

“Our concern is that the bad guys are narrowing down their list of suspects,” said Jack. “We have received information that they are willing to murder whoever is tipping off the police.”

“That doesn't surprise me,” said Amanda bitterly. “But something has to be done. QE has turned into a zoo. Kids stoned out of their minds … violence, gangs. Last weekend we had a top student commit suicide. If we had made QE a safer place where kids would open up … I don't know … none of us saw it coming. I —” Amanda stopped to wipe a tear from her face.

“We know about Julie Goodwin,” said Jack, sadly. “I applaud you for your efforts to clean things up, but you need to back off. We have reason to be genuinely concerned for your safety.”

“Lots of students confide in me,” said Amanda. “I'm pretty careful because I don't want a student to get into trouble. I know what these gangsters are about. When I've called Crime Stoppers with information, I have been really careful to ensure that there is nothing passed on that would endanger any individual student. The information I have provided has been common knowledge to lots of students.”

“If we figured it out, so might the bad guys,” repeated Jack. “In the future, I would appreciate you calling us and not Crime Stoppers.

“And you will do something about it?”

“That's a promise,” replied Jack.

* * *

Jack and Laura were leaving Amanda's home when Jack received a call on his cellphone.

“Hey, Jay! How ya doin'?” said Rodine. “Is Princess with you?”

“I'm doing great,” replied Jack. “Any luck with that apartment?”

“Ya, I'm with Sy now. Told him about ya. If you want, you can come over and check it out right away.”

An hour later, Rodine introduced Jack and Laura to Sy as they entered the apartment lobby. Sy stood with his arms folded over his chest and gave Jack a hard look.

“They're okay,” whispered Rodine nervously to Sy. “I told ya, Jay is my cousin for fuck sakes. I've known him all my life.”

Inwardly, Jack cringed. Rodine had made a serious error by saying they were related. Later, if he and Laura were identified, there would be no way for Rodine to say that he had been duped.

Sy nodded, but his attitude was one of suspicion. They took the elevator to the fourth floor and Sy used a key to let them inside the apartment.

“There's still someone's stuff in here,” noted Jack.

“The owner's dead,” said Sy. “His relatives have until the end of the month … two weeks from now … to get the shit out of here. I'm still not sure if I'll be renting it to you. A friend of mine has expressed an interest.”

“Suit yourself,” said Jack. “I've been looking for a place with underground parking and Rodent says you're a good guy, but if you have someone else that —”

“Rodent?” answered Sy.

“Yeah,” smiled Jack as he looked at Rodine. “That's what I've always called him.”

“Yeah,” chuckled Sy. “His little face does look a bit like a rat's.”

“Fuck you,” replied Rodine, while glaring at Jack.

“Anyway,” continued Jack. “I prefer to pay cash. No receipts and no name on the intercom. If your friend isn't interested, I'm willing to pay you two Gs a month.”

Sy sucked in a little wind. Two thousand dollars a month was double what the apartment was worth. He rubbed his chin with his hand as if in deep thought and said, “Cash, eh? You know, I've always been a believer of first come, first serve. If you got a thousand-dollar damage deposit to put down, it's yours to move into at the end of the month.”

* * *