below the tinted-glass windows behind the men. The view was over Ottawa’s McArthur Avenue seven floors down.
The man at the centre, Superintendent Neil Mundy, silver-haired with sharp blue eyes in an otherwise nondescript rotund, ruddy face, was the first to look up.
‘So, your claim is that the Lacaille family organized this hit now on Georges Donatiens, who apparently worked as a money man for their organization?’
‘Yes, that’s right. It’s all there: dates, times, movements.’ Michelle pointed across at the file. ‘How they set it up is almost identical to a hit on Eric Leduc back in February, part of which was monitored by us during a surveillance operation.’
‘Yeah, I can see that.’ Mundy flicked back a couple of pages before returning to the place he held with one finger by Chenouda’s summary notes. ‘Pretty cheeky, huh? Right under your noses.’ Wry, awkward grimace from Chenouda, but Mundy rolled straight on without waiting for response. ‘And your reason for coming to us here now is that you’re afraid there’s a leak in your department?’
‘Yes, I… I think it was how the Lacailles knew about the set-up with Leduc, and perhaps also how they knew they’d have to jump quick with Donatiens.’
Mundy arched one eyebrow sharply, almost doubtingly, and as if to add support to what he was thinking at that moment, Inspector Kaufman to his right commented: ‘That’s quite a serious charge.’
‘I know.’ Michelle nodded and cast his eyes down for a second. ‘Otherwise I wouldn’t be here troubling your department with it.’
S-18. The Ottawa-based RCMP department you went to when you suspected internal corruption or an information leak and there was nowhere else left to go. Ultra-secret and the ultimate sanction over every other RCMP department. To Mundy’s left was Inspector Bob Welch, his first point of contact when he’d approached them.
‘You didn’t think this was something you could go to your department head with?’ Mundy checked the file for the name. ‘Chief Inspector Pelletier. Surely you don’t suspect he’s in on it too?’
‘No, I… well, I just don’t know. It could be anywhere up or down the chain from him, or sideways… I just didn’t want to take the risk.’
Mundy nodded thoughtfully. The questions continued for a while, mainly clarifying details already in the file — then Michelle was asked to wait in the adjoining annexe while the three discussed his request privately for a moment. Michelle waited almost another twenty minutes before Mundy finally reappeared with the good news: request approved. Michelle’s smile was slow in rising as he shook Mundy’s hand, the uncertainties that had settled during the wait finally slipping away. His first judgement had been right after all: the combination of such a large organized crime strike and internal corruption, S-18 would find impossible to resist.
Mundy passed him a sheaf from a notepad. ‘Phone this man at three this afternoon, Inspector Steven Graydon right here in Ottawa. I’ll have already spoken to him by then, so he’ll have been fully primed to provide the men and the back-up you need from hereon in.’ Mundy patted his shoulder and perfunctorily checked his watch. ‘And if we can move everything along as fast as I hope — perhaps we can aim to make an official announcement by say… ten or eleven tomorrow. Okay?’
Michelle’s step was light for the first time in weeks as he left the building. No more leaks or inter- departmental wrangling that he could see to stop him from now finally nailing the Lacailles. His only regret was that things might have been different with Donatiens; but with a game of chess this big, there were always pawns that ended up having to be sacrificed.
TWENTY-FOUR
‘I think we’ve had a breakthrough at last with the problem with Lorena.’ Lowndes had ushered Elena into his office straight after the session, leaving Lorena for a moment with the receptionist. He glanced briefly towards the closed door, as if worried she might still hear. ‘Or at least what is probably the main key to the problem.’
‘Oh, right.’ Elena sat forward slightly: one bit of hopeful news at last, though it took a moment to seep through her valerian haze and the day’s slings and arrows with Sotiris and the orphanage. Her mind was mostly on what might await her there.
‘There was one thing that troubled me at one point… but once again I’m afraid we didn’t get that far with Lorena remembering anything directly happening with your husband. My ploy of easing up any subliminal pressure on her psyche didn’t quite work as I’d hoped — or, more likely I believe now, there’s simply no such direct memory there.’
‘I see.’ Elena was suddenly adrift: Lowndes’ two comments were completely at odds.
‘But tell me more about this Eileen — the aid worker.’ Lowndes opened out his hands. ‘I think we might have hit on something there.’
‘Why, I… I don’t understand,’ Elena stumbled, frantically trying to gather her thoughts. Further adrift: what on earth had Lorena said in the session? She cursed herself now for not being there and listening in. ‘She’s very competent and cares a lot about Lorena, but I don’t see what — ’
‘I think that’s the problem right there, Mrs Waldren — she possibly cares too much. Or rather Lorena has tuned into the fact that she does and might have purposely played on her emotions with this situation now. You’ll see what I mean when you listen to the tape. Now, did Lorena insist that Eileen was told about this possible problem with your husband early on?’
Panic gripped Elena: she couldn’t even remember what she’d said last time. ‘I think so, maybe… but I’m just not sure now.’
‘Lorena says that she was told about the problem almost straight away.’
‘I see, right. Probably, yes.’ Elena felt her whole body flush hot; her palms were suddenly clammy. This was a nightmare: all she could think of was getting away from Lowndes’ clutches and listening to the tape before she said anything to possibly put her foot in it.
‘This Eileen I understand was the main one to help Lorena through her tough orphanage days, particularly after her time living rough in the sewers… and she also helped a lot I believe in getting her placed in England with you — smoothing the way?’
‘Yes, yes… she did.’ One safe foothold.
‘And when this new problem came up and Lorena wanted her to mediate with social services… was Eileen keen to get involved? Did she rally to help quickly?’
‘I… I’m not sure.’ She was frantically searching again for where to put her feet. She began to panic that Lorena had let slip about the abduction, or at least had made Lowndes suspicious; and now he was testing, trying to draw her out. ‘I… I suppose so.’
‘Because I’m beginning to fear that all of this might be just a cry for help. Mainly for this Eileen’s benefit, to get her attention… but at the same time you’ve got sucked in too.’
Elena’s head was spinning with it all. She started trembling. She just had to get away and listen to the tape. She stood up abruptly, glancing at her watch. ‘Look — I’m sorry. There’s somewhere else I’m meant to be now… and all of this has caught me a bit by surprise. I’d rather us talk when I’ve had a chance to listen to the tape — soak it all in.’
‘I understand.’ Lowndes got up to open the door, but kept one hand flat against it for a second. ‘In a nutshell what I’m trying to say is that this Eileen has been there to help Lorena with all the main dramas of her life. And through all of that they’ve formed an attachment. Probably closer than we appreciate. Then Lorena is with you and your husband and everything’s hunky-dory and suddenly there’s no dramas any more… and therefore also no Eileen. Lorena craves that attention again and the close bond she had with Eileen as a result — so she creates her own new drama.’
‘Yes, I… I suppose it makes some sense.’ Lowndes’ words touched a raw, uneasy chord deep inside her. Her world had already been tilted ninety degrees with Sotiris that morning, now it was being turned completely on end. Nothing was what it seemed any more. Or was it just the valerian pills and the lack of sleep making her feel so adrift, detached from reality? Her pulse stabbed at her temples and a grey film washed behind her eyes. She feared that if Lowndes didn’t hurry and open the door she was going to black out right there and then.
