Mr. Big (24 page)

For a moment Jennifer had been worried the old Nelson was back, and that he had abandoned her here in another province.

“There you are,” he said. “Pat just called, and we have to meet him out in the lobby.”

Jennifer's heart began to pound again. She was nervous that Carol wouldn't like her. Especially the way she was dressed.

Pat was waiting in the lobby, but again there was no sign of Carol.

“Come on,” he waved.

As they walked through the big glass doors, Jennifer could see Carol in the truck.

Outside, the fresh saltwater air was just what Jennifer needed. Once they were in the truck, Nelson and Pat did the introductions.

“How about we drop you girls off at the doors, and we'll go park the truck,” said Pat. “Will that be okay?”

The girls agreed and got out near the front entrance of The Keg. Several times over the past few weeks, Jennifer had heard Nelson say they had eaten here while on business. She now realized first-hand the kind of lifestyle he had been living, while she had been at home eating from food hampers from the local food bank.

Even the restaurant doors looked elegant.

But among the nicely dressed couples and groups, she noticed something odd.

“Carol,” she said. “Why are those girls sitting on the grass over there?”

“They're prostitutes,” said Pat.

Jennifer was stunned. It was the first time in her life she had ever seen prostitutes. Again she felt overwhelmed.

Inside the restaurant, they waited for Nelson and Pat. Jennifer watched Nelson as he walked toward the building. He was confident. She could see he was also very excited about tonight. Part of her felt like she hardly knew this man compared to the old Nelson.

He even held the chair for her to sit down. As she looked around, she felt like even the waitresses were dressed better than her. It was uncomfortable, and she was worried she might make Nelson angry by being so out of place.

Jennifer was relieved when the server filled her glass with water. She thought her throat was about to close off. Then she looked at the menu. The prices were staggering, and she had never tried any of the dishes written before her.

It was as if Nelson knew exactly what she was thinking. He grabbed the menu and started looking through. He then placed the menu in front of him, and when the server took their order, Nelson ordered for her. She trusted he knew what she liked and would order something good.

Meanwhile, Pat had ordered a bottle of wine, which was placed in the middle of the table.

“Let's celebrate our friendship,” he said as he grabbed the bottle.

“I'm not drinking tonight,” said Nelson. “Jennifer doesn't drink, either.”

“Oh well,” laughed Pat. He shook the bottle and popped the cork.

Jennifer was shocked to see the champagne cork strike the high ceiling of the restaurant. The golden liquid turned into a fountain that poured into the air and all over the floor.

She noticed that Nelson and Pat didn't talk about work all evening. They made small talk, and Carol was asking Jennifer a lot of questions about herself. Gradually she began to feel very comfortable with Carol. And the food was perhaps the best she had ever tasted.

At the end of the evening, the server put the bill on the table. But Nelson, Pat, and Carol continued to laugh and talk.

Jennifer could see some of the print on that bill. Specifically, the $200 bottle of wine she had just seen spill over the floor.

80

Jennifer was enjoying the warmth of the shower as she went over the events of the night before in her mind. She still found it difficult to believe she was here. She found it difficult to believe that this was Nelson's job.

She shut off the shower, knowing that Pat and Carol would soon be there. They were having breakfast at the casino this morning.

When she walked out into the room, Nelson was already dressed. She looked through her suitcase, wishing she had something a little newer to wear. She glanced over at Nelson in his new clothes, and she knew there was no point in asking.

They headed downstairs to meet Pat and Carol.

“Good morning,” said Pat. “I was hoping we could eat at the casino, but it's still closed.”

Jennifer glanced at the clock on the lobby wall and realized it was still only ten thirty in the morning.

“Let's head across the road to the Delta,” said Pat.

At the restaurant, the four of them sat down and ate breakfast. Nelson and Pat were anxious to get going. While he didn't say where, Jennifer knew they had business to take care of that required a drive.

Meanwhile, Carol wanted to go shopping.

“Here's $200,” said Pat. “You girls head over to the Mic Mac Mall and have some fun.”

Shopping sounded like fun, but with no money in her pocket, it didn't hold much appeal.

Nelson watched as Pat passed the money over to Carol.

Unexpectedly, Jennifer watched as Nelson pulled his wallet from his pocket.

Was he going to give her money?

Sure enough, he pulled a crisp $100 bill from the wallet and passed it across the table. Then he went on to offer to pay for breakfast for the four of them.

Jennifer was stunned, but she gladly accepted the money. Suddenly, she was very excited about the shopping trip. Carol needed to go to the washroom while they waited for the cab. Nelson pulled her aside.

“I gave you the money because Pat gave some to Carol,” he whispered. “But don't spend one cent of it.”

She wasn't surprised. By the time Carol came out of the washroom, the taxi was already there. Jennifer hopped in and they drove to the mall.

She had never seen a mall quite like it. And Carol seemed right at home as she flicked through the racks and found some great deals.

“Why haven't you bought anything?” Carol asked.

“I don't know, I just haven't found anything I really liked yet,” Jennifer replied.

She left the mall without breaking the $100, but she refused to let Carol pay for the cab both ways. The fare was over $20.

So when they got back to the hotel, Jennifer paid for the cab, knowing Nelson wasn't going to like it one bit.

Alone, she went up to the hotel room and watched some television. A couple hours later, Nelson returned to the room. He barely had the door shut when he asked, “Where's my money?”

Jennifer passed him the bills and loose change, and it was clear Nelson wasn't happy. She was expecting that Nelson wouldn't let up once he found out she'd spent the money. But he let it go much quicker than usual. However, there was no mistaking, he was still mad.

That evening they caught the flight back home.

But Jennifer wouldn't have to put up with Nelson being around for very long. In just a couple days, he boarded the flight back to Halifax and didn't come home until May 7.

81

May 11, 2005.

Nelson was needed back in Halifax. The next day, he caught the first flight out. The next morning he was assigned to pick up a package and fly to Montreal.

Once in Montreal, he had dinner at the Baton Rouge with Pat, Steph, and their girlfriends. The group left for the casino. There, Pat, Nelson, Steph, and a casino employee had a conversation about counterfeit casino chips. It was a good way to make money, and there was even a discussion that perhaps Nelson could go to Las Vegas to deal with “that kind of thing.” Everyone was excited when they left that night.

The next night, Steph picked Nelson up at his hotel. He explained that a member of the organization had been caught driving drunk and his car had been seized by the police. Nelson agreed to help break into the impound to retrieve something from the car.

At 1:30 a.m., May 14, Nelson put on a pair of gloves and a balaclava. With a bag and a set of bolt cutters, he busted the lock and entered the compound. When they tried to break the window, a car alarm went off, so Nelson and Steph grabbed a bag from the under the seat and ran out. The bag contained $30,000 in cash.

82

Jennifer could hardly believe what she was hearing.

“Let's go out to Norris Arm so you can pick out the headstone,” Nelson told her.

Until now, she had to fight to be able to go visit the graves, and here was Nelson willing to spend hundreds of dollars to buy the headstones. Finally. She'd been longing to find a permanent marker for the gravesites, and now she would finally get the chance.

She was starting to like the new Nelson more all the time.

The two of them went inside and Jennifer picked out the one she liked best. She picked out the pictures and the verse that would be engraved on the front.

When she was finished, Nelson took his wallet and made the down payment.

“I'll pay the rest when it gets here,” he said. “Don't worry, I have the money.”

83

May 16, 2005.

Nelson had taken a flight to Vancouver. Steph picked him up at the airport, and once they had booked into the hotel, the two hit the casino.

“There's a big job coming up, and I need eight guys,” Steph told him. “Every guy is looking for $20,000 to $25,000. Are you interested?”

Nelson was very interested, but first Nelson would have to be authorized by the boss.

The next day, Nelson and Steph drove to a warehouse in Port Coquitlam, where they met a man who Nelson believed was a member of the Hells Angels. He gave Steph money in exchange for the suitcase Nelson had brought from Montreal. They stopped and counted the money—$20,000.

Nelson told Steph that he was getting anxious to convince Jennifer they should move to the mainland. That's where the work was, and that's where he could make the most money.

The following day, Steph picked Nelson up at his hotel. They were delivering a package across town when Steph got an urgent phone call telling him to meet with the boss. They turned around and headed toward the Vancouver Yacht Club.

On board the boat, they had a glass of wine until the boss arrived. His name was Al.

Steph introduced Nelson to Al as “his Newfie buddy,” and then Nelson was escorted outside so Steph and Al could talk privately.

“I asked whether you could be involved in the big job,” Steph told Nelson. “But he wants to check you out first to make sure you're not a rat and to make sure you won't cause any problems.”

Nelson continued on with his work for the day. He picked up a package from a locker and then took the bus to Chilliwack—about an hour and a half by bus. In Chilliwack, Steph picked him up and they drove back to Vancouver.

“If I could get this job I would be set,” Nelson told Steph. “Do you know how poor I am?”

Nelson told Steph about having to use the food banks, and having to decide whether he would eat or pay the heat bill. He told him how they had no bed and that they slept on the floor. They were so poor, there were times when Jennifer used plastic bags and old rags to make tampons and pads for her period.

“I don't want to go back to that,” Nelson told him.

“What would you do if Jennifer says you are travelling too much?” asked Steph.

Nelson told him that if there was a choice, he would leave her.

The next day Nelson was at the airport, ready to return to Newfoundland.

He was paid $4,000.

84

It seemed like months since Nelson and Jennifer had spent any time together. And today, as she watched his car pull into the driveway, she was looking forward to seeing him.

She wondered what he'd been up to since he was home last. She knew he'd had dinner with Carol and Pat in Montreal. Carol now called her on a daily basis. Just about every night the phone would ring, and it would be Carol. She always wanted to know how Jennifer was feeling, and she was extremely concerned with what Jennifer had to eat each day.

Jennifer always lied and said she had plenty of food, but the truth was the cupboards were usually bare. She relied on the food bank, when she could get there. They did own a car, but it was a manual transmission, so Jennifer couldn't drive anywhere.

When things got really desperate, she would phone Nelson and beg him for money. Over time she learned that he would leave $20 bills hidden around the house. If he felt she needed money badly enough, he would give up the location of the money.

But he always seemed to be in a good mood these days, and today was no different. He came into the house, and Jennifer started unpacking his bags.

“What do you want for supper?” she asked him. “There's not much here, so you're going to have to give me a ride down to the food bank so I can pick up some stuff.”

But Nelson wasn't interested in supper. He wanted to go out for a while.

As soon as they left the house, Nelson drove straight to S&S Auto. He was buying a new car.

“Well, you need a car to drive while I'm on the mainland at work,” he told her. “This standard is no good to you, so we'll buy an automatic.”