Pride, page 7
“You haven’t been around kids much,” she said, stroking Nora’s hair and earning a sigh. “Tomorrow she might start obsessing about dolls, or Lego or some TV show.”
How careful was Glenda? “What if she tells Alan about me?” I asked my voice low in case little ears were perked up.
“I’ll say an old friend called,” she said. “I know someone who will confirm if he wants proof. But he won’t.”
“And how much is Nora likely to tell him about what happens?” I imagined her reciting everything. Daddy, a lady was waiting for us in the restaurant, and she showed Mama some pictures and Mama cried...
“She won’t say anything. She’s shy around him, and when he gets home, I’ll make sure she’s down for her nap.”
Was it my concern how Glenda dealt with the news? How she managed to keep Alan from learning what she’s done? Only in as much as I needed to protect myself. But I had people to help me. She was alone. Her husband made sure of that.
“What are you planning to do with the results?” I couldn’t push away the idea I would feel guilty if anything happened to them. It wasn’t my business, but guilt didn’t much care about those kinds of details.
“I don’t know,” she said. “Until I see what you found, I can’t plan, can I?”
“Do you need anything else?” The waitress appeared at my side. I’d eaten on autopilot.
“Just coffee for me.” I didn’t want her hovering until we paid the bill, and I couldn’t eat another thing. This way we’d be left alone for ten minutes or so. Plenty of time.
“Do you have tea?”
She rattled off the teas, Glenda chose Earl Grey and then looked at me. “Are you saying I should expect the worst?”
Nora was still drawing and humming a song I didn’t recognize. A glance at her artwork reassured me Alan wouldn’t learn from Nora’s work that she’d been with me. The page bloomed with butterflies and flowers.
“It might be.” I watched her reaction. A slight tightening of her eyes, but nothing else. “I need to explain what you are going to see. It’s not graphic, but the implications are bad.”
“So not another woman. At least he’s not boring in his betrayal.” She sat back as our drinks were put on the table, then thanked the waitress. “I appreciate your concern. If this is as awful as you are hinting, I will disappear with Nora.”
Did she know someone who could make that happen? “It’s not so easy to do nowadays,” I said. “With the right contacts, Alan or someone involved can find you.”
“Do you know anyone who will help me?” The lightness had gone from her tone.
“We can talk about what to do after I’ve explained.” Andy better be prepared to protect these two. Because Glenda wasn’t faking. My gut knew that, and I trusted my gut more than the RCMP. “You aren’t in danger just because I found proof.”
“I understand. Nora and I are in danger, though. Have been all along?” She didn’t wait for me to confirm. “Whatever it is didn’t grow out of me feeling insecure. In fact, that was the thing bothering me underneath, right? It made me worry about Alan and hire you.”
I nodded, waiting to see where she would go. Up to now, in my mind she was a victim. Someone I needed to protect. I was wrong. Yes, she needed protection, but she wasn’t afraid — of whatever she thought Alan was doing, or of seeing the proof.
“Yes. Because you hired me, you have options. Before that...”
“My world would collapse with no notice.”
“Yes. What do you know about the Vancouver criminal world?”
19
“Nothing.” She put her hand on Nora’s leg to stop her kicking the table. “I mean, only what’s reported in the news.”
“The worst criminals stay away from the press.” I placed the folder with the pictures on the table but didn’t open it. “They run the gangs.”
“And Alan is one of these Godfather types? I don’t believe you.”
Not a surprise. She’d been expecting something a bit more mundane. “No — maybe. But he’s been socializing with one, possibly more.”
“He isn’t... I don’t think he knows anyone who lives that kind of life.”
When Nora started humming, Glenda touched her leg again. At least she wasn’t getting up and taking the kid home.
“But you aren’t surprised he’s into something criminal?”
The waitress approached from behind Glenda this time. I shook my head and thankfully she didn’t slap the bill on the table.
“I thought maybe embezzlement,” she admitted. “I know that’s not a victimless crime, but it’s not violent. He works with people’s money and the temptation is there. And he changed the way our finances worked...”
I wanted her to come to the conclusion herself so when I showed the pictures, she wouldn’t need much persuading. The end result here was to get her and Nora safe before the RCMP case blew their lives to pieces. And I’m pretty sure I would need to sell her on taking Andy’s help. “When people handle a lot of money, and have a weakness, they can become involved in something they can’t escape.”
“You think someone threatened him?”
She was very calm, maybe for Nora’s sake, or shock, or she knew all along. I couldn’t keep that little voice satisfied that she was innocent.
“Maybe, or they said they’d hurt you. These people need someone to manage their finances too.”
“Money laundering? Yes, Alan would know how to do it.”
“And how to create the system?”
“I suppose. Opening accounts?”
Fake portfolios would be a good way to launder the cash at the end of the process. Someone needed to get the money to him first. “More than that. These systems are shut down all the time. Would Alan be able to figure out how to set up a whole new way to clean dirty money at a high volume?”
“I don’t know enough about how the legitimate investments work, but Alan is smart. I thought he had a better moral compass than this. You brought proof?” She nodded to the folder.
“I have photos of people hanging out,” I said. “Not actual crimes. The RCMP have evidence the one man is a big mover in the local gangs — all of them. I believe them, but they don’t have hard evidence, yet.”
I expected her to ask for the pictures. But she just stared at the folder. I guess it represented the last step. If she never looked at them, everything was a possibility. As soon as she saw her husband with a known gang boss, she couldn’t deny anything.
“You want me to provide proof?” she asked. “I don’t think I can.”
I’d never considered using her like that. She wasn’t a good candidate for that kind of work. Her life was too constrained. Her daughter needed more attention than an undercover operation would allow. And she might be cool with me, but I didn’t represent danger.
“No.” I would make sure Andy didn’t plan on it either.
She let go of Nora’s leg and put her elbows on the table. Her gaze locked onto the folder. “Show me. Maybe I know this man. Maybe the police are wrong.”
I couldn’t blame her for holding out hope for it to be a mistake. I hated to be the one who shattered it.
I flipped open the cover and placed the photos on the table. I let her look without comment for a few minutes. Let her tell me if she knew Ivan.
“This man?” She pointed at Ivan in each picture. “He’s the one the police are trying to get proof on?”
I nodded, worried if I started to explain, she would never reach the point that she accepted the facts.
“This club,” she said. “Isn’t it that where those shootings took place?”
The interior of the place had been splashed over the front pages a month ago. “Yes.”
She stared at the images again. I let her take all the time she needed. Nora was in her own world, crayons and carrots mixed together on the high-chair tray.
“I don’t know any of these people. And none of this is proof Alan is doing anything wrong.”
“This is what I have to show you,” I said. “The RCMP have more. Would it help?”
“If they don’t have enough to arrest him?” She glanced at her daughter. “How will more of this kind of thing convince me?”
“I can get the head of the investigation to meet with you,” I said. “I get this is hard. You can’t let Alan learn you’ve seen this. No matter what you decide after seeing their evidence, these people are dangerous.”
“I wish I’d never called you,” she said, leaning away from the table. “But I did, so I can’t stop now. If Alan is guilty, he needs to face the consequences. If he’s not? He has a temper, and I don’t want to take the brunt of it.”
“I’ll call my contact in the RCMP.”
“Why do you believe this?” she asked. “You’ve only been on the case a few days. Something convinced you.”
Good question. “This isn’t the first time I’ve seen this kind of thing. People caught in something they can’t get out of without losing something they hold precious. People able to hide their true nature.” And I trusted David — and maybe Andy a bit.
“Okay, call this contact.” She turned from me to fuss at Nora.
I’d taken the precaution of letting David know where we were meeting. With luck, Andy was close.
“Miller,” he said when he picked up the phone.
“She wants to meet you.” I could be as terse as he was.
“At her place. The husband is tied up in North Van. How quick can you get there?”
Why at the house? Oh, yeah. If Glenda gave permission, they didn’t need a warrant to bug the whole place.
“An hour? Will that be soon enough?”
“If that’s the best you can do, sure. He’s going to be a while over there and we can always find a way to delay him so we can clear out.”
20
I followed Glenda home and parked on the block behind the house. I hoped I’d catch sight of Andy, or the people watching the house. I told myself that he would call if we were in any danger. The fact he hadn’t meant Alan was still occupied.
The watchers were good. I didn’t notice anyone lurking in a car or loitering. The trees still had enough leaves to hide the house, so I didn’t expect to catch a glimpse of a lens in a neighboring window.
I was about to open the gate when Andy and David turned the corner. Why was David here? Too many people, too much risk. It was still nice to see him.
Andy cocked his head, signaling me to go ahead. I guess three people arriving at once might draw attention. And if we were right about Alan and Ivan, the RCMP might not be the only people keeping an eye on the house. Why did I have to get those revelations after things might have gone too far? I knocked on the door, trying not to look around for other observers. Glenda pulled it open and ushered me in.
“How long before they arrive?” she asked. “Nora’s down for a nap. She won’t wake up, but...”
“Alan is being watched,” I said. “We’re safe.”
She pointed to the kitchen and then peered through the peephole, like it would help her see what was going on.
I was halfway down the hall when she let Andy and David into the house.
The introductions and offers of tea and coffee didn’t take much time. Glenda settled us down in the living room. She and I sat on one sofa, David took a chair and Andy the facing sofa. “I can hear Nora better. If she wakes, I don’t want her seeing you.”
“We should probably get to business,” I said. “Andy, show her what you’ve got.”
He’d been busy. He laid out the pictures I had on the coffee table. He added printouts of phone calls or texts. “Ms. Deacon already told you who this man is,” he said, pointing to Ivan. “These transcripts are conversations between Kuznetsov and your husband. Take your time. Ask whatever questions come up. We’ll receive notice if Mr. Blackhouse is on his way.”
Glenda stared at the amount of paper on the coffee table. She didn’t pick anything up, and she didn’t try to read the contents.
I picked up one sheet — Alan talking about a shipment. Even when they thought no one was watching, they were too smart to say money laundering.
“Start here,” I said, passing Glenda the record. “It’s pretty clear they have a relationship.”
She scanned the paper and tossed it back on the pile. “But not anything illegal, not for certain.”
Still not convinced he was as much of a bad guy as we told her.
“The shipment they are talking about,” Andy said, pulling another photo out of his briefcase.
The image was a shipping container. In the back, five very young women huddled together, eyes wide, dressed in rags and dirt.
“How can you be sure?” Glenda’s voice shook.
He turned the image over so we didn’t get drawn to stare at the misery pictured there like people slowing down to look at a car crash.
“We placed a trace on your husband’s phone. Not the one you know about. He has a number of pay-as-you-go phones. He’s not as diligent as he should be about hiding his activities. This container was at the location in the first conversation. Your husband’s burner phone was there at the same time.”
She looked at me. “You said money laundering.”
David picked up another photo but kept it face down. “The investigators think Kuznetsov is trapping your husband deeper into the organization. It’s a way of ensuring his loyalty.”
I took the paper from him and peeked. A dead body. A man, a good suit, around Alan’s age by the look of what they left of his face after putting two holes in his head. I handed it back. Glenda didn’t need to see that level of brutality when it might end up being Alan, or her, next time.
“So far, he’s managed to keep you and Nora from being dragged in,” David said. “We need to stop him before that changes.”
Glenda’s breath was ragged, and she’d wrapped her arms around herself.
“Do you still think Alan is innocent?” I asked. Clearly, Andy wanted something more than permission to bug the house.
“Nothing here is really proof,” she said. “I’m not saying he wouldn’t be tempted to dabble in some gray areas, but violence and people trafficking? I can’t reconcile that with the man I married.”
“If we had evidence like that, we would have arrested him. Yes, we found enough to bring him in, but not enough to keep him. I need more to make arrests.” Andy piled the photos and transcripts together and put them in his briefcase. “We want your help.”
If I had seen the proof before this, I would have done things differently. Glenda needed to get away fast and be protected. Alan might not hurt her or Nora, but Ivan Kuznetsov wouldn’t hesitate. I’d dealt with people traffickers before. This is what Guy meant when he warned me off. I didn’t care what happened to Alan. He’d earned whatever consequences were coming. Glenda had done nothing wrong.
“What do you want her to do?” I asked. “You’re not just talking about a few bugs in the house anymore, right?”
“We need you to set a trap,” Andy said. “We’ll be watching everything. You won’t be in danger.”
“No, you need to protect her,” I said. “You lied to me. I would never have agreed to do it this way if I knew. David, I trusted you.”
“I didn’t know about this either, Charity.” He turned to Andy. “Something changed, right? This wasn’t the plan when we arranged to meet.”
So, Andy was the only one who lied to me. I didn’t know how to pull Glenda out of the situation. She needed the RCMP for the level of protection turning in a dangerous man like Ivan Kuznetsov required. They wanted a reason to use the resources on that. If she was willing to set up her husband, and testify, then the plan would work. There was no going back, but I still didn’t like it. And Andy would get an earful of my feelings about his actions later.
“Glenda, it’s too late. Whatever changed puts you and your daughter in danger.”
“Andy, what did change?” David asked. “You can’t hold back if you expect her to put her life and her daughter’s life in peril.”
He definitely didn’t want to tell us. Then he checked his watch. “I can’t go into a lot of detail. We don’t have the time, and more knowledge puts Mrs. Blackhouse at more risk.”
“More danger?” Glenda asked, finally getting mad, not scared. “No. Not knowing the truth or knowing only part of it is worse. Stop talking about me while I sit here. I’m not stupid. What changed? What exactly do you want me to do?”
“There’s a shipment of weapons coming in,” he said. “They are planning something big, maybe a takeover. These are missiles, ammunition that can punch through armor plating. We need to stop the sales before someone starts a bloodbath.”
Silence.
What would I do in Glenda’s place? No question, I’d help. But I didn’t have a kid. And I’d been in danger before.
“What do you need me to do?”
Andy’s phone chirped. He read the text. “Shit. Alan is here.”
21
“Here? We have to get out.” I looked at Andy like he would know what to do. If I was alone, I wouldn’t do that, another reason not to work with partners. And why was I looking at him for help? It was Andy’s fault we didn’t receive any warning. It didn’t matter right now. I could talk my way out of the situation and keep Glenda safe without two men sitting there acting like they were up to something.
“No time,” he said. “I’ll deal with it.”
I looked at Glenda. She was shaking but her face still had color. David stood and started for the door. To intercept Alan? That would just make everything so much worse.
“No. You follow my lead. I’ll use the same cover as before. I’m here to talk to her about the adoption agency — Alan knows I’m on that case. You and Andy are my clients and you’re worried about the cost and want to make sure it’s not a scam that takes your money and still leaves you without a kid, or one so damaged you can’t help them. Well, any more of a scam than selling kids to good homes.”
