The Killer Trail (22 page)
“No, no, nothing like that. At least, I hope it doesn't come to that. I've been in contact with my supervisor. He's pissed that I kept him in the dark about Elizabeth Carrier.”
“I'm sorry, Brandon. That's my fault. I'll tell him that.”
“No, that's fine. I have no problem taking the heat for that. In fact, in light of some new developments in this case, I think I'll have a solid rationale for my actions. And I have you to thank.”
“I don't understand.” Chris frowned.
“Our tech guys have been working on the cell phone all morning. Nothing's official yet, but the big news is, we've traced Owens' phone calls. Including the number you called from the park. Ray had him listed as C.L. We're pretty confident we now know who C.L. is.”
“Wow, that's great.”
“Well, it is and it isn't.”
“What do you mean?”
There was a brief pause before Brandon continued. “You have to swear to keep this under wraps, but we think C.L. is Charles Longville, as in the senior aide to the assistant deputy minister with the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General.”
It took a moment for the revelation to register in Chris' mind. “How could
he
be connected to Ray Owens? And James Carrier?”
The sergeant sighed. “I know, it's pretty shocking and, believe me, many people are asking the same questions right now. What we know is that James Carrier was researching a story on organized crime for
Maclean's.
It's early stages right now in our investigation, but we believe Carrier uncovered information linking Longville to organized crime. The CFSEU have gone through Carrier's files and are seeking warrants to check out Longville's work and home computers as we speak.”
Chris was lost. “Sorry, Brandon, what's the CFS...?”
“CFSEU. The Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit.”
“Never heard of them.”
“They're a special task force designed to tackle organized crime. They have staff from the RCMP as well as officers seconded from municipal police forces across the province. They work with other police organizations at the national and international level on organized crime.”
“So Longville is suspected of being involved with organized crime? How? Iâ”
“That's what they're investigating now, but I wouldn't be surprised if it turns out that he's linked to the drug trade. There's a major problem with gangs fighting for control of the drug scene, with cocaine trafficking and marijuana smuggling into and out of Canada and the United States. You've probably been following the drive-by shootings and targeted gang hits in the news over the last several months, yes?”
“Yeah, but to have someone like Longville involved? Wow. That blows my mind.”
Brandon didn't respond right away. “Unfortunately, there's more. This has caused huge waves throughout our organization. One of Longville's portfolios includes police services. There's mounting concern that he may have had access to sensitive information from our department. There's even suspicion that someone inside our department has been leaking information to him. That's probably how he found out about James Carrier's story.”
Chris felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. He now understood Len's derisive comment about not knowing who he was dealing with. “What a hypocrite! Longville was quick to jump in front of a camera declaring war on organized crime, and all the while he was brokering the deals and lining his pockets.”
“Brace yourself. It gets even worse. This has implications for the provincial government. When the media and Opposition get wind of this information, heads will roll. Needless to say, there are a lot of nervous Nellies running around right now, wanting to get to the bottom of this and quickly.”
Chris was still puzzled. “But where does Ray fit into all of this?”
“Well, these are early days, and we'll likely know more in the days that follow. But we do know almost for sure that Owens killed James Carrier. Having the call records from his cell phone supports the case that it was a contract hit for Longville.”
“Do you think Ray had anything to do with Elizabeth's abduction?”
Brandon paused. “My personal feeling is that he didn't, and we have no evidence to the contrary. I suspect that she was taken on orders from Longville. And the letter you received suggests that she was abducted as a bargaining chip for the cell phone, again on Longville's orders. Of course, proving all of this will take time, but I think the cell phone will go a long way towards achieving this.”
Chris felt helpless at the magnitude of the situation. “What happens next?”
“Well, the department is in panic mode right now, and part of that concerns you.”
“Huh? Why me?”
“The top brass from CFSEU, Superintendent Patterson, spoke to my superintendent. Patterson expressed concern that a civilian had no business being involved in a police matter. He alleges you could have endangered Elizabeth's life by not alerting the police at the outset. Of course, by extension that puts me in the hot seat because I didn't share the information you gave me. I met with my boss this morning to try to smooth things over.”
Chris was trying to make sense of what he was hearing and the possible consequences for them both. “Am I being charged with anything?”
“Some potential charges have been bandied around. I can't see any weapons charges standing up in court because your use of the rifle can easily be argued as self-defence. They could try to nail you with impeding an investigation, among other things.”
Chris felt sick to his stomach. “I guess I'll need a lawyer.”
“Let's hope it doesn't come to that, but it's something you might want to look into.”
“Brandon, I've really screwed myself, haven't I?”
“I don't know, Chris. I'm sorry to be the messenger, but I thought you'd want to know. Forewarned is forearmed and all that stuff.”
“I appreciate it. So what happens with Charles Longville?”
Now it was Brandon who sounded worried. “Remember, you haven't heard anything about this from me, right?”
“No, absolutely. You can trust me.”
“I do trust you, that's why I'm telling you. Obviously, our department has to build an airtight case before formally charging Longville. Given the high profile and the evolving nature of the whole Carrier case, I expect Longville to be charged within the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours. I just thought you should know.”
“Thanks, Brandon.”
“It's not all gloom and doom. Think about the big picture. You saved Elizabeth's life, and you helped solve her father's murder. You're a hero. This other stuff will work itself out.”
“I hope so.”
Chris returned Deanna and Stephanie's calls. Deanna was out, so he left a brief message saying he would call in the evening to check in and say hello to Ann Marie. Reaching Stephanie's answering machine, he left a message saying he was okay and asking whether she would be available to get together later in the day.
Finally, taking a deep breath, he called his manager. David sounded stressed and demanded they meet in his office the next morning.
I guess I'll find out my fate tomorrow
. He turned on his iPod for a distraction, and R.E.M.'s “Bad Day” started playing.
Tell me about it.
Sunday, February 19, 2:23 p.m.
Ray sat in Alpha unit's TV room. He'd claimed the TV remote and was aggressively switching channels, hoping to catch a local newscast to glean additional details about the events at Woodland Park
.
He'd yelled at two patients when they asked to watch a movie, and they'd wisely picked up on his warning and quickly left the room, leaving him the sole occupant. Still, he was pissed off that he had missed the news hour and the juicy details on how Ryder had managed to avoid being killed on the trail.
Ray was in an all-round foul mood. He knew his time at IFP was coming to an end, and while he would be happy to leave the shithole, he wanted more time to mess with Ryder. He was sure that the police had his cell phone by now and it would be only a matter of time before they made the connection between him and C.L. Not that Ray gave a flying fuck about C.L. or who he was. What he did care about was the prospect of doing more jail time with the evidence the phone would provide. But what infuriated him more than anything else was that Ryder was being portrayed as some kind of hero.
Fucker's stealing the spotlight from me!
He hurled the remote across the room.
I'll show you, asshole.
The time had come to knock Chris down from his pedestal. Ray was glad he had saved his best shot for last.
This isn't over yet, Ryder!
Monday, February 20, 8:15 a.m.
Chris brewed fresh coffee and ate a couple slices of toast, hoping they would fill the sinkhole in his stomach. He was mentally preparing himself for his meeting with David where he'd have to explain yesterday's actions. The problem was, he wasn't sure he could explain them to himself, let alone his behaviour for the last several days. He suspected that there was nothing he could do or say that would appease David. He'd been ordered in no uncertain terms to stay away from Ray and to keep a low profile. Yet he'd ended up in the middle of a police investigation, with his face plastered on the front page of the newspaper, the rescue as the lead story on every local news channel. Not exactly what he'd planned when he'd set out for a simple run on a trail.
Chris was headed down to his apartment parkade when he remembered he'd left his truck at Woodland Park. Checking the time, he decided to grab a cab to work, which gave him the not-so-welcome opportunity to reflect on the sobering thought that today might be his last at IFP.
The taxi dropped him off in the IFP parking lot. As he walked towards the security desk, his heart sank. Everyone who passed him in the building was staring at him with unbridled curiosityâeven Horace, who warmly greeted him with, “Hey, here's the man of the hour.”
“Don't know about that.” Chris started his dead man's walk to his manager's office. David's door was closed. Chris glanced at his watch and saw that he was on time, so he knocked on the door.
“Come in.” The voice from inside the office was not David's. David was not alone; Florence Threader was present too.
Jesus, can things get any worse? Oh well, here comes the
special project to Timbuktu.
Bracing himself to enter battle, Chris saw to his dismay that both Florence and David had copies of the
Sun
strewn across the desk along with a pair of empty coffee cups, suggesting they'd been talking for some time before his arrival.
Florence fired the opening salvo. “Seems you've been a busy boy,” she said in a saccharine voice. Her lips quivered with rage. “Did I not make myself perfectly clear that you were to have nothing at all to do with Ray Owens? You do remember that conversation, do you not?”
“Yes. Iâ”
“Now this morning I hear that, despite my explicit warning, you confronted Owens on a number of occasions. The fact that I am only hearing about this today is profoundly troubling to meâ
and
is a matter I have taken up with your manager.” She stared intently at an apprehensive David.
“I know. But I can explain.”
“I am quite sure you have an explanation for everything. The fact is, however, that from the outset, this was a very sensitive case involving yourself, which is why I ordered you removed. Yet you completely disregarded my authority.” She paused to let her words sink in. “You have managed to take an already volatile situation and make it worse. Do you have an explanation for
that
?”
Chris had never seen his director this angry before. He looked at his manager, but David appeared unwilling to make eye contact, as if to say Chris would have to find his own way out of the mess he'd created. He took a deep breath and started to respond, choosing his words carefully.
“I'm sorry, Florence. It's true I had a few run-ins with Ray, but I believe I had no choice. I thought he was behind Elizabeth Carrier's disappearance. He was sending me notes, and I didn't want to turn my back on a chance to help Elizabeth, whichâ”
“That was an active police investigation. Do you realize I had a call this morning from a Superintendent Patterson asking questions about you? Do you realize you could be charged with a criminal offence?”
Chris swallowed hard. “I thinkâ”
“No, you didn't
think
at all,” she snapped. “However, the police can sort out that problem. That's beyond my control. But let me tell you something else that came to my attention from this insightful article in today's paper. I read that your most recent escapade actually started at this worksite, which surprised me, given that you were not scheduled to work on Saturday. I have had security provide me with a printout of your comings and goings at IFP over the last week, and it highlights a number of occasions where you have been here without authorization. As far as I'm concerned, I have grounds for suspending you, although David seems to think you're needed here.”