Race (21 page)

The hallway was very dark and Barnes tried hard, with no success, to make out this figure.
 
When his eyes adjusted he immediately recognized it was the bald-headed man, holding the door open.
 

Something hit Barnes hard on the back of the head.
 
There was a subdued clung, like metal hitting flesh.
 
Barnes fell forward and saw darkness.

***

Suraj
stood above Barnes, holding a metal pipe.
 
He had been hiding behind the door.
  
There was a noise.
  
The noise was coming from Barnes.
 
Suraj
looked at Kong.
 
The noise sounded like the ringing of a cell phone.
 
Suraj
dropped the pipe and both he and Kong ran out of the House of Jam
.
   

***

No answer.
 
I hung up.
 
This was not good.
  
I decided to go down.
  
I knew the place well now.
 

Downstairs was even worse.
  
There were way too many people.
   

My heart started beating faster.
 
The longer it took to find Barnes the more nervous I became.
 
Barnes would never have called me unless it was an emergency.
   
 

I took a deep breath.
 
I would find him.
 

My eyes caught the door on the left of the stage.

I remembered Cal saying,
We never keep this entrance open.

I rushed to the door and pulled it open.
  
The hallway was dark but I could make out something on the floor.
 
I slowly advanced into the hall.

There was a body flat on the ground and I instantly knew it was Constable Michael Barnes.

My knees became weak and I was ready to fall.

FIFTEEN

“What the hell were you doing there?” Aldrich yelled.

It was the next morning and
Beadsworth
and I were in Aldrich’s temporary office.
 
The police department had given him this office for the duration of the investigation.
 
It had your standard: desk, chairs, lamp, cabinet, bookcase, and a few other items.

Aldrich was pacing back and forth.
 

“Will someone tell me what the hell you were doing at a club?”

He was talking to me.

“Scoping the place out,” I said.

“I beg your pardon?”

“Checking the place out, sir,” I said.

“Who authorized you to check this place out?” he demanded.
 
He was now leaning across the desk.

I glanced at
Beadsworth
.

“I did, sir,”
Beadworth
said.

Aldrich looked disappointed.
 
“I expected more from you, Detective.”

“I’m sorry, sir,” said
Beadsworth
.

“It was my fault,” I said.

“Of course it was your fault,” Aldrich shot back.
 
“Who else’s fault would it be?”

I’d been hoping Aldrich would say it was no one’s fault.

“I have an injured officer.” He shook his head.
 
“The drug squad is already going through so much.
 
We don’t need this.
 
You know how hard it was to keep it out of the papers.
 
If anyone questions us we have to say the officer was off duty.
  
We would have to lie.
 
You know why?”

Beadsworth
and I didn’t answer.

“It would have jeopardized our mission.”
 
He stood up.
 
Adjusted his coat.
 
“You were only supposed to observe and not get involved.
 
What were you hoping to find?”

“RACE,” I said but then realized I should have kept my mouth shut.

“RACE?” he blasted.
 
“What if you had seen RACE, what would you have done?
 
Do you remember our mission?”

I did not open my mouth.

“Our mission is to find where
Nex
is being produced and distributed.
 
If you had intercepted they would have realized how close we were.
 
They would have become cautious.
 
We DO NOT want them to be cautious.”
 

***

“How is Barnes?”
Beadsworth
finally asked.

“He’s at Toronto East General, recovering.
 
He took a hard hit on the head and his memory is questionable,” Aldrich answered.
 
“We were lucky to get him out of that place without anyone knowing.”

“Can we—” I started.

“No.
 
You will continue with the investigation.”
 
He paused.
 
“We are fortunate Constable Barnes’ injuries weren’t more severe.
 
 
Detective Herrera is with him; he will rejoin the operation in due time.”

Aldrich blew air through his nose.
  
He was staring out the window.
  
“We need a break.
 
We need a lead.
 
We need anything.”
 
He turned to
Beadsworth
.
 
“What about this import and export company?”

“We’re monitoring it,”
Beadsworth
said.

“If you feel there is a cause for intervention I will authorize it,” he said.

“Yes, sir.”

“What about the surveillance cameras at the club? Did they catch anything?”

“We have not viewed the tapes yet…but…”

“But what?”

“One tape is missing.”

Aldrich looked like he was going to lose his head.
 
“A tape missing?”

“Yes.”

“Did you question the owner of the dance club?”

“Yes.
 
He said he left his office for a minute and perhaps at that time someone took the tape.”

“Where are the other tapes?”

“At the Video Services Unit.”

Aldrich nodded as if he was thinking.
 
“Dismissed,” he said.

***

We got up, but before we could leave, Aldrich said, “Not you, Officer
Rupret
.
 
I’ll like to have a word with you.”

I looked at
Beadsworth
who refused to make eye contact.

“Officer
Rupret
,” started Aldrich when we were alone.
 
He was looking straight at me.
 
“You were with Constable Barnes when this unfortunate event happened.
 
Is there anything you would like to tell me that you—didn’t or forgot to tell—Detective Garnett last night?”

Last night Garnett had driven me home.
 
The ride was not pleasant.
 
Garnett was not pleasant.
 
But it wasn’t just him.
 
It was the fact that Barnes got hurt—and got hurt while with me.
 
Garnett drilled me on every point:
 
what time I got there? What did I do? Whom did I talk to?
 

Beadsworth
had instructed me to keep my answers vague, which I did. I told Garnett about the girl who wanted to buy me a drink and the kid, Jeff, but nothing specific.

“Who was this Jeff?” asked Aldrich.

“Some guy.”

Aldrich sensed I was hiding something.

“What did he look like?” Aldrich asked.

“He was short, black, wore funky clothes,” I lied.
   
I had a feeling if I told Aldrich the truth he would start investigating the kid’s background.
 
I didn’t want the kid involved in this mess.
 
He was at the House of Jam to have a good time.
 
He had just graduated.
 

“Officer
Rupret
, remember what I said when we first met?”

I thought hard.
 
“I was…young…creative…good looking…and imaginative.”
 
I stopped, hoping that was it.

“No.” Aldrich shook his head.
 
“That there would be a lot demanded of you and I hoped you were prepared for it.”

I remembered now.

“I’m afraid I was wrong.
 
You are
not
prepared for it.”

I didn’t know what to say.

“You’re not fit for this unit and you’re most certainly not fit for Intelligence.
 
After we are through I will have you sent back to parking enforcement.”

My blood was boiling.
 
My middle finger was twitching rapidly.
 
Introduce me
.
 
Please introduce me.
 
Just once.

I held back.

I was cut deep with Barnes getting hurt.
 
This was salt rubbed on those cuts.

“Remember what I said to you, sir?” I said.

He listened.

“I’ll quit the force.”

“Are you resigning, Officer
Rupret
?”

“No.
 
Not until the task is completed.”

He paused and then waved me off, “Dismissed.”

***

Ms. Zee slammed her hand on the table.
  
Suraj
took a step back, while Kong stood his ground.
 
“He was a police officer,” she yelled.
 
“What if we were discovered?
 
Do you know our plans would have been destroyed? Do you know how much I’ve invested in this?
 
Both of you placed our operation in jeopardy.
   
If he was killed, the entire force would be after you two.”

Joey and
Hause
were also in the room.
  

Ms. Zee turned to Joey, “Did you talk to anyone?”

“No.
  
I would never do that.”

Her stare pierced into his heart.

“All I did was get a drink and maybe dance a little, that’s it,” he pleaded.

She believed him.
 
He had no reason to talk to anyone.
 

Martin entered.
 
He didn’t look too happy.
 
Ms. Zee couldn’t handle any more trouble.
 

“What is it?” she said.

“Can we talk alone?” he said.

She dismissed all of them with a wave of her hand.

“Four of the five businesses are up and running,” he said.

“Then what is the problem?”

“The start-up costs have been huge; from registering the businesses to hiring the employees.
 
With no immediate revenues we won’t be able to run these businesses forever.”