but as he walked back to the elevator, Natasha arrived.
She got out of the car and kissed him, before gesturing to the toilet plunger. “I always thought your expression of you don’t catch sewer rats with church mice was what you said about your informants. I had no idea that you really were after sewer rats.”
Jack sighed and said, “I used it take a dent out of the car door.”
“Accident?” asked Natasha.
“I punched it,” admitted Jack.
“Did it help?”
“No. Made me feel stupid.”
“Bad day at the office, or did the door take a swing at you first?”
“Hasn’t been a good day,” replied Jack.
“Involving that family you brought to BCCH?”
“Yes.”
“So you’re after the sewer rats who lived in her basement.”
Jack nodded.
“Sounds like tonight we should have a glass of wine and unwind a little.”
“Make it a bottle.”
Natasha eyed Jack’s hand and said, “Break any bones?”
“No, I haven’t caught them yet.”
“I mean your hand, not —” She stopped when she saw Jack smile at her. “Do I need to worry?” she asked, convinced that Jack’s smile was not genuine.
“I think I cracked a knuckle, but as far as the bad guys go, you don’t need to worry.”
Natasha stared at him silently.
“Hey, I’m smiling, aren’t I?” added Jack.
“Yeah, and your upper lip looks a bit like a Frankfurter. It always does when you’re trying to pull one over on me.”
Jack’s chuckle was genuine. “I love you, you know.”
“I love you, too.” She eyed Jack’s hand again. Punching a car door was not his style. She gave him a quick kiss on his cheek and said, “Let’s go find that corkscrew … then we’ll talk … and don’t try to bullshit me or I’ll use that plunger on you.”
“I could think of a nicer way to get a hickey,” replied Jack.
“Hickey? Wasn’t what I had in mind. You would need a proctologist when I was done.”
* * *
It was seven o’clock Friday morning when Jack arrived back at Gabriel’s house with cleaning supplies. The blood was sprayed high enough up the back of the house that he needed to borrow a ladder from a neighbour. As he scrubbed the streams of dried blood off the aluminium siding he reflected on the violent, uncontrollable rage of the person who did the murder. This is one animal I will find …
* * *
Later that afternoon, Connie returned to Jack and Laura’s office. Any optimism she had disappeared when they both gave her the thumbs-down signal.
“How about you?” asked Jack.
“Not a thing on the Varrick house. The parents went grocery shopping and to the liquor store and that was it.”
“How about the crime scene?” asked Laura.
Connie shook her head and said, “We canvassed the neighbourhood and there was nothing of interest.” She eyed Jack curiously and said, “I heard you were there this morning, making like a janitor.”
Jack shrugged in response.
“You should have asked me,” said Laura. “I would have helped.”
“It was no big deal,” replied Jack. “I was awake early.” More like I hardly slept from grinding my teeth all night …
“It was good of you,” said Connie. “Anyway, I’ve even taking to interviewing winos. I’ve talked to four of them so far. There’s a liquor store about a block away from Gabriel’s. I’m posting a member there every day for the next week. Also got Forensics collecting prints from empty wine bottles we’ve found in a vacant lot down the alley to identify others.”
“Interviewing winos,” mused Jack. “I heard recruitment for your section was down, but I hadn’t realized how desperate you had become.”
“Smartass,” replied Connie. “No, from what we’ve been told, there were at least a dozen different winos who used Gabriel’s yard to get out of the rain. I’m going on a possible theory, with the way Father Brown was dressed, that he might have gone outside to chase some winos away and saw something he shouldn’t have. Then again, he might have seen one of the dopers doing something and went out to investigate.”
“So you’re hoping to come up with a drunk as a witness,” said Jack. “Bet the courts will love that.”
“Christ,” replied Connie. “The reason I’m telling you is to show how desperate I am. We need to find Varrick!”
“If you’re that desperate, want me to try a quick UC call to his parents?” asked Jack.
“If you could think of something that wouldn’t heat him up, go for it,” replied Connie.
“I’ll think of something,” replied Jack. “Wait in the hall and close the door and make sure nobody walks in during the call.”
Jack waited until Connie left and closed the office door before glancing at Laura and saying, “I thought it better that Connie not hear. Don’t want her to have to tell a judge and have the case thrown out by saying it put justice into disrepute.”
“The lawyer act?” smiled Laura.
Jack nodded as he thumbed through a file. “I have Varrick’s parents’ number … need to find out what lawyer is representing him on his drug charge.”
“It’s Basil Westmount from the law firm of Manhattan, Westmount, and Wilson,” said Laura.
Seconds later, Jack punched in a phone number on his cellphone. “Good afternoon, may I speak to Mister Herman Varrick please … oh, I see, you’re his mother,” he said. “Yes, I’m calling from Manhattan, Westmount, and Wilson.… Yes it is about his upcoming trial.… No, I’m sorry, his trial is still going ahead and it is imperative that we locate your son immediately.… I would call him, but the phone number we have is no longer in service.… Thank you, I would appreciate that …” Jack quickly jotted down a number and asked, “That is a cell number, is it?… We don’t need to talk to your son as much as we need to courier him some documentation. Could you confirm his current address?.… It’s called Headstones? Yes, I’ve heard of the place. I believe we have the address on file from a previous client. Thank you very much.… It is a transcript from his preliminary hearing.… He already has that? Then I am extremely sorry for having bothered you. Our secretary should have made a notation on the file. We won’t need to contact your son, then.”
Jack hung up and winked at Laura before calling for Connie to come back in. When she did, he said, “It worked. I’ve got his cell number and address.”
“Fantastic,” said Connie. “How did you do it?”
“Pretended to be a friend looking for him,” said Jack
“Man,” said Connie. “I never thought these guys would fall for that old line. This is great, I’ll find out who he’s been talking with.”
I didn’t think they would fall for that either, thought Jack. He looked at Connie and said, “I wouldn’t get your hopes up on getting much in the way of phone tolls. He gave this number to his mother, so it’s his permanent number. He’ll be using disposable phones for the stuff we’re interested in. Cellphones that he’ll toss out every week or so.”
Connie frowned