don’t know if Mortimer’s that dumb.”
“You don’t think he bought it? At least you sounded sincere.”
“Even if he accepted my apology, he’s so incompetent it’ll be a nightmare trying to get things approved.”
“He’ll be the top dog. Not much we can do about it.”
“Damien was top dog, too.”
“What’re you saying?”
“Damien’s dead,” Jack said coldly, “and he was twice as intelligent as Mortimer.”
“Meaning? What are you planning?” Rose asked sharply.
“The man is such a buffoon I don’t think he’ll be able to handle the job. Either the stress will get to him or Ottawa will clue into the fact he’s not the right person for the job.”
“Oh … I see,” Rose murmured.
Then again, a little nudge to knock Humpty off the wall wouldn’t hurt. His thought was interrupted when he saw Laura at her desk. She glanced at him, then looked away.
Don’t be embarrassed. Who wouldn’t be stressed?
“What’re you doing here?” Rose demanded of Laura. “I told you to go home.”
“I’m okay, I just —”
“You’re not okay,” Rose said firmly. “Neither of you are. Both of you go home.”
“I won’t be able to rest,” Laura said, then focused on Jack. “Not until I find out what you intend to do about Pure E.”
What I intend to do?
Rose waited a beat, then gave in. “Okay, we’ll talk about that, but then you’re both going home.”
“How did it go with Isaac?” Laura asked as Rose wheeled a chair over.
“Isaac and Mortimer, as it turned out,” Jack said. He waited until he sat down, then continued, “Not well. Mortimer thinks Damien isn’t dead and that we’ve been tricked.”
“Tricked after we seized a boatload of coke?” Laura exclaimed. “He obviously doesn’t know anything about bikers. Did you enlighten him?”
“Oh, Jack enlightened him,” Rose interjected. “So much so that Isaac made him apologize.”
“Oh, Jack.” Laura looked askance. “What did you say?”
Jack shook his head in amazement. “Mortimer’s so far removed from police work that he doesn’t consider us to be police officers. He reprimanded me for investigating people who carry guns. He said those types of cases should be turned over to the police.”
“No, really … tell me what happened,” Laura said.
“I’m not making it up,” Jack replied. “Ask Rose.”
The staff sergeant nodded. “He’s telling you the truth.”
Astonishment registered on Laura’s face. “That’s absurd!”
“I’m still in shock,” Jack said. “I think Isaac was, too.”
“But you had to apologize?” Laura asked. “I bet you gave him that tone you use when you’re being sarcastic.”
“I was sarcastic,” Jack replied. “I suspect Isaac had me apologize to save my career.” I’ll deal with the idiot somehow. He saw Laura staring at him and knew she was reading his thoughts. She’s under enough stress. She doesn’t need this. “Guys like Mortimer won’t be around long,” he offered. “I bet he does a stint here for a couple of years on the pretence of gaining experience, then scurries back to Ottawa where his credentials justify another promotion.”
“So you’re saying you’ll simply bide your time for a couple of years until he leaves.” Laura’s tone was dry. Before Jack could respond, she said, “I’m sorry. That was a dumb thing to say.”
You’ll simply bide your time. She didn’t say we’ll bide our time. Crap! She’s thinking of leaving — and why shouldn’t she? What sane person would put up with this bullshit?
“We’re meeting Isaac again tomorrow at 10:00 a.m.,” Rose noted. “I-HIT will be there, as well, and we’ll formulate a plan.” She stared at Jack. “That being said, do you have some suggestions? I don’t want you spouting off tomorrow about how you’d like to … I don’t know, steal a snowplow and take out a bunch of Satans Wraths next time they’re on a ride.”
“Actually I wondered if on some rainy night a phony detour could send them over a cliff.” At Rose’s horrified look, Jack said, “Relax. I’m only joking.” Sort of.
Rose’s only response was a glare.
“There’ll always be groups like Satans Wrath around no matter what we do,” Jack said. “Even if they all died, someone else would take their spot. The real menace is the guy in charge. We’ve never had to deal with the likes of Pure E before. He sent us a message and we need to send one back. He needs to be stopped.”
“Yes, but how?” Rose asked. “After seeing his message, I’m sure you’d like to put a bullet in his brain.”
“I wouldn’t want to even if it was justified,” Jack replied. “He has the backing of the club. If he pulled a gun on me some night and I killed him, the club would accuse me of murder. There’d be repercussions. I’m not going to jeopardize my family by knocking off some criminal who’d only be replaced.” His bitterness was almost palpable. “I never thought I’d say this, but I wish Damien was still in power.”
“So how will you handle it?” Rose asked.
“Legally and professionally … but perhaps not ethically. If we’re to catch Pure E we may need to sit back and watch a few murders take place first.”
“Murders?” Rose frowned.
“Satans Wrath use their three-three team for hits. We need to concentrate on them. In the past the national president wouldn’t be involved if the three-three was simply knocking off local dealers. Club presidents could okay that. The national president would only be involved if the club was making an incursion into the territory of someone who had the clout to go to war with them. Either that, or someone connected with law enforcement or the judiciary.”
“So you’re thinking we target the three-three and hope to catch Pure E giving them their orders,” Rose continued.
“Exactly. Wiretap … informants … surveillance. All of that. The odds are we’ll end up watching a few local dealers get murdered before something happens to involve Pure E, but if we made any busts on the small fry, it would tip our hand.”
“It’s been years since anyone has gone to war with Satans Wrath in this part of the world,” Rose stated. “What you’re suggesting might never take place.”
“I disagree. Pure E is far more ambitious and prone to violence than Damien was. I think he thrives on it. My guess is we won’t have to wait long. He’s trying to make a name for himself. Using violence, torture, and intimidation is how he plans on doing it. We need to catch him on wire ordering the hits.”
Rose pursed her lips. “Okay, you’ve convinced me and I’ll push for that tomorrow morning. Now I want the both of you to go home.”
Laura glanced at Jack. “Mind giving me a ride home?”
Jack nodded. Here it comes….
Neither Jack nor Laura spoke until they got in the car, then Jack turned to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. “It’s okay,” he said softly. I don’t blame you in the least.”
Laura pulled back. “Blame me for what?”
“For wanting a transfer.”
Laura’s