Beadsworth came down with his hands in his pockets and a grim look on his face. Behind him was a man with blond hair.
“Hey, Phil,” I said. It’s always better to refer to your enemy by his first name; gives them less credibility. “Tell her about your mansion.”
Beadsworth shot me a look.
I didn’t care. “Also, the money you give to you wife at night. You know, in brown and white envelopes.”
Beadsworth said, “Officer Rupret, please be silent.”
I wasn’t going to stay silent. “Tell her about your children.”
“Officer Rupret. You don’t realize-”
“-No! You don’t realize. Playing everyone like a fool so you could get rich. You did it just for money, didn’t you?” I was visibly upset.
Laura looked at me, then at Beadsworth, and then at me again. She then started to laugh.
Villains! They were all crackers.
When she was done she said to me, “You’re not as bright as I gave you credit for.”
What was she talking about?
“You think he is the informant?” she said, pointing to Beadsworth.
Then I saw the gun, wedged in Beadsworth’s back by the blond man. Beadsworth’s head was bowed low-in defeat.
“Where did you find him?” Laura said.
The blond man answered, “He was snooping around the back.”
“A big mistake, Detective Beadsworth,” Laura said. “Tie him up.”
Beadsworth was tied up-wrists and ankles-and placed ten feet behind me. We sat in silence. Our captors had left us. They had probably gone off to some meeting to decide our fates. I didn’t care. I was wrong about so many things. It hurt.
I was glad Beadsworth was behind me. I couldn’t face him. Here I was, ready to tell everything I knew about him, to the one person who had deceived me.
I heard footsteps and saw Laura emerge from behind the metal door. Right behind her was the owner of the shop.
“This is not good,” he said nervously. “We can’t have police officers here. We have customers upstairs.”
“Get rid of them,” she said.
“They are police officers,” he said.
“Not them. The customers.”
“That might be-“
“Tell them you have a gas leak and the building must be evacuated. Give them a voucher for a free drink. Just get them out.”
He didn’t look happy.
She said, “We are so close. We keep them here for a few days until-” she stopped when she realized I was eavesdropping. “Kong will watch over them.”
I cringed.
When they were leaving, I said, “I never liked the wallpaper. The color was ugly.”
The-so-called-owner turned to me, then gingerly walked away.
It was quiet again. The metal door was shut tight to prevent the outside world from hearing our screams. I was prepared to scream.
At least they didn’t shut the lights off and left us in darkness.
I could hear Beadsworth breathing in the back. Ever since he was bound, he had not said a word.
I didn’t know what to say. But I wanted to say something.
“I’m sorry,” I said.
No response. Only breathing.
“I was wrong, okay?” I said. “I thought you were the mole.”
“And how did you deduce that, Officer Rupret?” he finally said.
“You were acting strange. It was a mistake. I’m sorry, man.” I tried twisting my head but could only manage up to a certain extent. “How did you know I was here?” I said.
“I’ve been following you,” came the answer from behind.
“Following me? For how long?”
“Since yesterday.”
“You were behind me when I was trailing the Lincoln?” I asked.
“Yes. Three cars back. I saw you park and disappear behind the tea shop. I waited, but when you didn’t come out I decided to take a look. That’s when the blond gentleman pulled a gun on me.”
“But why follow me?”
“So you wouldn’t do anything perilous.”
“Like this.”
“Yes.” There was silence again.
“I need some answers,” I said.
“You are entitled to them.” There was a brief pause. I think he was sorting out his thoughts. Then he began. “As you may or may not know, it was Sergeant Aldrich who had instigated the investigation into the drug squad.”
I didn’t know that.
“What you also may not know is that Sergeant Aldrich was once part of that very same drug squad.”
I didn’t know that either. But why investigate your own team?
“I will not go into the details of the misappropriation in the fink fund but I will say that there were certain officers who were not following all the rules. These officers were noted for bribery, money laundering, assault and various other offenses. Sergeant Aldrich was not, by any means, part of those corrupt officers. No. While in the drug squad, Sergeant Aldrich was clean. But, eventually he became depressed by the legal system; drug dealers and pushers were receiving insignificant penalties.”
“How do you know all of this?” I said.
“Detective David Longfoot.”
“Who?”
“You met him in Scarborough while on our stake-out.”
I remembered. He and Beadsworth had had a private chat in Beadsworth’s car while I was forced to go for a walk.
Beadsworth said, “One night, when Detective Longfoot was undercover, he stumbled upon this group-”
“RACE,” I spoke in.
“Actually, Officer Rupret, the name RACE never existed until…” he trailed off.
“Until what?” I asked.
“Until Sergeant Aldrich invented it.”
I was taken aback. “So Aldrich gave RACE the name RACE?”
“Precisely.”
Wow. “So this Radical Association of Criminal Ethnicities-”
“Invented.”
“And the stock market bullshit about Nex-”
“Invented.”
Beadsworth continued. “Once Detective Longfoot realized this group was onto something big, he contacted his supervisor, Sergeant Aldrich. The information provided to Sergeant Aldrich stated RACE-we shall still call it that-was working on this new drug, which was going to be bigger than Ecstasy. Sergeant Aldrich saw an opportunity. I believe it was then that he made contact with RACE.
“He would provide RACE with information and in return they would give him a piece of, as they say, the action.”
I was partially correct. It was about money.
“Detective Longfoot was told to suspend his investigation into the group, but he felt this could one day pose a real threat, so he continued privately. Seeing that RACE might be exposed, Sergeant Aldrich involved Internal Affairs, citing improprieties in the squad. The RCMP then launched a full-blown inquiry into the now-missing fink fund. Some drug squad officers were re-assigned and others were suspended.
“Detective Longfoot was suspended with pay pending the inquiry. Prior to this he had sent a report directly to the chief, highlighting the seriousness of this new group. She in turn ordered that a team look into this. Sergeant Aldrich volunteered to head this new team along with Detective Garnett.”
“Hold on,” I said. Something didn’t make sense. “Why put Aldrich in charge of a team that would investigate a group he was part of?”
“At the time, Detective Longfoot was not aware of his involvement. Even the chief does not know.”
“Then who knows?”
“Five individuals: Detective Longfoot, Detective Garnett, Detective Nemdharry, and you and I.”
“So that’s why we weren’t allowed to talk to any members of the drug squad?” I said more to myself than him.
“Precisely,” he said. “Detective Longfoot and I go back many years. He suspected something and informed me of this. I then volunteered to be part of Operation Anti-RACE.”
“So you could keep an eye on the team.”
“Yes.”
“Then why bring me in?”
He went silent.
“Why involve me in Operation Anti-RACE?”
Again silence.
I twisted, straining my neck. “You didn’t answer my question.”
“Officer Rupret,” he said. “You were brought in to…complicate our investigation.”
“Complicate?”
“Yes.”
“You mean screw up? Right?” I snapped.
“Sergeant Aldrich had no intentions of this operation being successful. It was only a facade. Set up to please the chief. That was why you were brought in. Sergeant Aldrich remembers well what had transpired between you-then a parking enforcement officer-and the drug squad.”
“It was a mistake,” I said, as always explaining my actions from that night.
“An error in judgment. Yes. Sergeant Aldrich thought you to be a loose canon. Naive and incompetent, if you pardon my saying, perfect to nullify this investigation.” There was fidgeting. “But I had insisted you be put under my supervision-”
“I’m under no one’s supervision,” I retorted.
“You made that quite clear.”
There was silence again. I couldn’t believe I was brought in to jeopardize the operation. Here I was thinking Aldrich only wanted me because I was young, handsome and creative.
“So it was Aldrich who told you to watch over the LLPM Import amp; Export building?” I said.
“Precisely,” Beadsworth answered. “He was certain we were closing in on RACE. So he placed the entire team to watch over that one building, hoping to buy some time.”
“Putting all eggs in one basket,” I muttered to myself.
“Sorry?”
“Nothing. What about the videocassette you took from the House of Jam?” I asked.
“You’re aware of it?”
“I met Cal Murray in the morning.”
There was a noise and then Beadsworth said, “The tape is safe.”
“Does it show Barnes’ attacker?”
“Quite clearly.”
“Then why take it?”
“We did not want RACE to become alarmed and end their operations. We wanted to confiscate the Nex production equipment and we did not want them to leave our jurisdiction. We did not want the OPP or the RCMP involved. Also, by securing the videocassette I was able to hold some leverage over Sergeant Aldrich, in case it was justified. And, if the videocassette had gone into Sergeant Aldrich’s hand, it would have disappeared.”
It was simple and it made sense.
“Is that why you left Joey with me and not with Aldrich?” I asked.
“Yes…but I shouldn’t have.”
“I screwed up,” I said taking full responsibility. “It was my fault. Okay?”
“Perhaps. But…” He paused. “They did not find a body in your house.”
“What?”
“No burned or charred body, I’m afraid.”
“He’s alive?” I said.
“We don’t know.”
I felt better. There was still hope.
There was something else I wanted to ask. “I spoke to Noel the other night; he mentioned that…he saw you give your wife money.”
“Yes.”
“Large amounts of money…at night.”
“Yes.”
“Large amounts of money in brown and white envelopes at night.”
“What’s your point?”
“Is it drug money?” I blurted.
There was a pause, then laughter. “Is that what you think? That I’ve been giving my wife drug money?”
“I mean…the house…the furniture…the swimming pool…your wife doesn’t even work, I mean. How can you afford it?”
“She doesn’t have to work. The money I give to her is hers.”
I didn’t understand.
“It’s her money,” he said. “On my way back from work I withdraw money from her account, seal them in bank envelopes, which do come in brown and white, and give them to her. Our main bank branch is in Toronto.” There was laughter again, and then he said, “My wife is what?”
I thought hard. “She is a woman.”
“Yes, a woman. But…where am I from?”
“England.”
“Where do you think she’s from?”
I hope this wasn’t a trick question. “England.”
“Precisely, she’s from England, hence her English accent.”
He wasn’t making any sense.
“Have you heard of the House of York?”
I shook my head.
“My wife is Lady Amy Dowling of York,” he said boldly. “She’s royalty.”
“You’re kidding me, right?”
“No. The money I give to her is from her estate.”
He was laughing hard. “Do you think I would buy an expensive house if I was laundering money? I work for the police. I would be caught the very next day.”
“The force knows your wife gets money from England?”
“Of course they do. How do you think I justify my lifestyle with a police officer’s salary?”
It was all a misunderstanding. We were two grown men, bound to chairs, laughing hysterically.
“So are you…like a prince or something?” I asked.
“No, no. I’m just an ordinary bloke.”
“Even if you were…I wasn’t going to call you, Your Highness.”
“Your Highness.” He started to laugh again. Hearing him, I started to laugh, too.
We stopped when our stomachs couldn’t take much more.
“How do we get out?” I said.
“I’m not sure,” he replied.
It was impossible for either of us to move without tipping over and falling on our sides. Even if one of us did manage to get closer to the other, there was no way we could gnaw at the ropes with our teeth.
As I was churning escape possibilities in my head, the metal door swung open. It was Kong.
Oh, shit.
He shut the door and moved toward me. Being ahead of Beadsworth, I knew I was first.
“Hey, Kong,” I said, trying to be brave. “I know what you’re thinking but I’m not into big muscular Chinese men.”
A fist shot out and hit me squarely on my left cheek. I jerked and fell sideways. It stung, as my cheek and my head smacked into the cement floor.
I closed my eyes and pretended to die. Maybe, he would go over me and attack Beadsworth instead. It doesn’t sound noble but I was in pain.
But that wouldn’t be. He grabbed me and sat me up again.
“Let him go,” I heard Beadsworth say.
I now had more respect for Beadsworth. He was willing to sacrifice himself.
But Kong wasn’t interested. He was going to have his fun with me.
This was the time I should do something heroic, but what? I couldn’t kick him, karate chop him or even head butt him. I could…spit at him. Yes, that would do it. My highly corrosive saliva, once aimed and fired accurately, would burn his eyes.
I began to gather all my fluids, even the reserves down my throat, for an aerial assault. After much snorting and sucking I was only able to manage enough for a spray.
Kong readied himself for another assault. I closed my eyes for the impact. He hit me straight at the top of my mouth. My chair and I toppled over and onto my back.
I opened my eyes and from my vertical position saw Beadsworth look away. My lip was cut and I was bleeding.
A shadow came over me and Kong once again sat me up. I was getting the feeling he would hit me, sit me up and then hit me again. How long was this going to go on? I think until he got bored or until I expired. The latter made more sense. He seemed to be interested in hitting me.
It stung when I licked my upper lip.
Kong cracked and rubbed his knuckles.
I was glad the joints in his fingers were getting stiff.
Perhaps his fingers wouldn’t be able to take much more and he would leave me alone. I couldn’t take many more hits-not from him, at least.
“Let him go,” I heard Beadsworth say again.
Kong merely glanced at Beadsworth. He flared his nostrils and he prepared for the finish.
Beadsworth tried again to get Kong’s attention but he was too focused on me.
Wait your turn, Phil. It’d soon be over.
I closed my eyes. Any second now the hammer would come down and leave me for dead.
There was a metallic screech. I opened my eyes. The metal door swung open and in came Ronald Garnett; holding a gun.
“Police,” Garnett bellowed.
Kong, with his fist still in the air, glanced at Garnett, and then turned his attention back to me.
Garnett moved toward us. “Release him,”
Kong let go of me and faced Garnett. Garnett was as tall and massive as Kong.
If both had decided to battle right now, my money would have been on Garnett, not because he was the good guy but because he had a gun.
Several more officers came down. It took four of them to handcuff Kong.
One officer came over. It was Officer Moro.
“You look terrible,” he said, cutting my restrains.
“Thanks,” I said. “I almost had him.”
“Sure you did.” He smiled.
“Get paramedics,” I heard Garnett say.
He came over.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
Without saying a word I threw myself at him. “I love you, man. I take back all the rumours I spread about you.”
“What rumours?” he said pushing me aside like a rag doll. He went to Beadsworth.
“I’m fine,” Beadsworth said. “Officer Rupret kept the assailant preoccupied so that no harm came to me.”
Garnett looked at me with admiration.
I smiled weakly, before fainting.