Flashback (27 page)

She looked at me grimly, holding a mouthful of smoke for a long time, then releasing it as she spoke. 'I was confused when you talked to me. You have to remember, I'd been knocked out. I didn't know what I was saying.'
 

'But now you're clear-headed. And here's a clear proposition for you. I will do my level best to have all the charges against you so far—' I held up my hand—'all the charges that have been read to you, dismissed, if you tell us who was in the car with you and where they were going.'
 

She looked at me for a long time. The she stubbed her smoke on the bowl of the toilet and tossed the butt into the water. 'You heard what he said.' She pointed at Elaine who nodded, not speaking.
 

Now she dusted her knees, looking down primly as if she were wearing a long skirt. 'Very well. They were going to snatch the kid and hold him to ransom.'
 

I knew who she meant but Elaine blurted, 'Which kid?'

Ms Tracy looked at her levelly. 'Phillip Freund,' she said.

 

 

 

CHAPTER 15

 

 

I ran to the phone and dialed George Horn's number. It rang three times and Jean Horn answered. 'Hello?' She sounded alert. Good, she was already up.
 

'Reid Bennett, Jean. I've heard that some guys are coming to grab young Phil. Is he there?'

'Still in bed. I was just getting up.'

'Is Peter there?'

'No. George and him went fishing.'

'You have a shotgun?'

'Sure. You know that.'

'Load it. I'll be there as soon as I can, ten minutes. If you see a blue Mercedes pull up, poke the gun out of the window and fire over their heads. Don't go out, they're armed.'
 

'Jesus Christ,' she said, startling me. She's a good Catholic.

'Be right there.' I whistled Sam and unlocked the chain on the firearms, grabbing the Remington pump shotgun and a box of double-O buckshot and ran out.
 

Sam sat beside me and I raced back through town to the bridge, and up the side-road past Ms Tracy's house. The Reserve has an unmade road of its own, leading from their little private marina. I put the siren on and flew along it, juddering over the washboard surface, slipping on the corners as I jammed on every bit of speed the road would handle.
 

I saw no cars and there was no telltale cloud of dust in the air ahead of me, that much was good but I didn't slacken speed until I reached the Horns' house and cut the siren.
 

Jean came to the door. She seemed calm but her voice was a little higher pitched than usual. 'You sure about this, Reid?'

'We have a woman in custody. She told us.'

'Come in.' She stood aside and I came in. She had an old pump shotgun behind the door. I picked it up and unloaded it, working the mechanism four times, ejecting three shells and then nothing.
 

'You won't need this now.'

'Well, that's good,' she said easily. 'I leave the hunting to Peter. Want some coffee?'

I had an idea and I put it to her. 'Where could I hide the scout car?'

'Jim Buck's garage is empty. You could put it there.' She looked at me. 'You planning on staking us out here?'

'Yes. The OPP are in charge of the case. I've got an officer at the station and more are on the way.'

She gave a faint grin. 'So you're gonna lie in the weeds like a big old muskie waiting for a pickerel.'

'Makes sense,' I said. 'Call Jim, tell him I want to use his garage for a couple of hours. Could you do that?'

'He's out with the guys,' she said. 'Jus' do it.'

'Right. I'll be right back.'

I went out again into the first tinge of daylight and drove the extra hundred yards to the Buck house. Jim is a widower and lives alone. The place is run down but he has an old clapboard garage that houses his snowmobile. There was room alongside to squeeze the scout car in. I did it and shut the door, then took Sam and the shotgun and shells and walked back to Horns'.
 

Phil Freund was up and washed. He looked a little sleepy yet but was glad to see me. 'Hi, Chief. Mrs Horn says you're staying here a while.'
 

'Yes. We got word that a couple of guys were looking for you. I'd like to talk to them.'

'Talk?' He smiled crookedly. 'Never thought you'd need a shotgun to talk to someone.'

'One of the guys is on the lam from jail,' I explained. 'He may not want to listen.'

He was holding the puppy which was squirming in his arms, trying to get down and play with Sam. 'Easy, munch-kin,' he said and tried to stroke it.
 

'I'll set Sam outside the back door,' I said. Nobody would see him there from the road and I was certain that if they came it would be by car.
 

'Shall I take Blue outside, Mrs Horn?' he asked. 'He didn't wet in the night, he needs to go.'

'I'll take him,' she said. 'It's best if you stay in until this is sorted out.'

'Can I use your phone, please, Jean?' I asked and she nodded.

'Help yourself.'

She took her dog outside and I set Sam on the back step and then phoned the OPP. The dispatcher told me that all hell had broken loose. The helicopter was taking off at first light to search for the Mercedes, the inspector and every available officer in the area were down in my vicinity looking for the car, and a special team of investigators, with a superintendent no less, were heading up from headquarters in Toronto to talk to Ms Tracy.
 

I filled him in on my plans and gave him the Horns' phone number, then hung up. Jean was back in, putting a skillet on the stove.
 

'Pancakes and bacon,' she said. 'How's that sound?'

'Not for me, thanks, Jean. I'm going to hole up across the road where they won't look.'

'Take this with you,' she said firmly and gave me a cup of coffee, adding, 'You don't eat right.'

'Later,' I said. 'Thank you. When Phil's had his breakfast, let him work outside. Phil. I want you to hang loose, try and stay in front of the house where I can see you. Nothing's going to happen but I want them to see you if they show up.'
 

He laughed nervously. 'Hey, no problem.'

I gave him a wink, then took my coffee to oblige Jean, and crossed the road quickly. I found a rock to sit on, behind a birch tree. When I was installed I whistled Sam and he ran across after me and lay down at my side as I sipped the coffee, nursing the loaded shotgun in my right hand.
 

Morning came, grey first, then bright, burning off the dew and waking up a few late mosquitoes who buzzed around me hopefully. I hadn't thought to bring fly dope so I amused myself by keeping count of those I killed before they bit me. The score was mosquitoes seventeen, Bennett thirty-two by the time a car came down the road, moving slowly.
 

Phil Freund was in the front of the Horn house, repainting a window-sill. He looked up when the car passed but went on painting. A cool kid, I thought. He was going to be all right.
 

The car wasn't a Mercedes but I wasn't really expecting one any more. They would know it was hot and would have stolen something fresh, probably from a marina in Honey Harbour, knowing the owner would be away and not report it missing for a couple of days at least. This one was a Chev, old enough that it didn't have an automatic lock on the steering. They had chosen well.
 

I watched as they tooled by. The sun was low and behind them so I couldn't see faces, but I picked out two people, both in front. They cruised on up the road a couple of hundred yards, then turned in a driveway and came back, on the same side as the Horn house.
 

They stopped and got out, both of them. The driver was short and trim, the passenger taller. Neither one looked heavy enough to be Kershaw but I couldn't have told anyway. They were wearing stockings over their faces.
 

They went through the gate and over to Phillip. He came down from the stepladder in a rush when he saw them but they grabbed him, the smaller one putting a hand over his mouth to muffle his yell. The puppy was yapping under their feet and the small one kicked it aside, sending it yelping for the door.
 

I let them reach the gate and come through on to the road, then stepped out, pointing the shotgun. 'You two. Down on your faces.'
 

They let him go and split, one going each way. I paused a moment to point at the big one and yell. 'Track' and Sam bounded after him. Then I took off after the small one. He was thirty yards ahead, making for a bare rock on the side of the road. From there he could break in any direction into the bushes. I shouted 'Halt,' then fired the shotgun, high over his head.
 

He took a couple more steps, then ran down like a broken toy and turned back, hands high. 'Don't shoot,' he screamed.

I trotted up to him and cuffed his hands behind his back, then called Phillip. 'Come and hold this one, Phil.'

He came forward nervously and I jogged down the road the other way to Sam who was standing over the second guy, snarling into his face.
 

'On your feet and take that mask off.' I kept the gun pointed at his legs, looking businesslike.

'Don't shoot. I can explain,' he said and I recognized the voice, even before he pulled the stocking from his head and his features sprang back into their usual shape. It was Hanson.
 

'Hands on your head, walk back to your buddy.' I waved the gun muzzle and he came, moving as carefully as if he thought the road was mined.
 

Phil Freund was walking back, one hand on the other prisoner's arm. 'I know him. It's Cy,' he said excitedly. 'Why were they trying to grab me?'
 

'That's what I'm about to find out.' I took a moment to peel the stocking back from the prisoner's face and recognized him as one of the gang members I had seen in the first encounter. 'You're in a mess of trouble,' I told him, unlocking his left handcuff. I snapped it on to Hanson's right wrist, right hand to right so that they couldn't run freely. 'Stay here,' I said, and told Sam, 'Guard.'
 

He sank low in front of them, baring his teeth, and I went to Buck's garage and drove the scout car back to the prisoners. I put them both in the cage and told Sam 'Easy'. 'I'd like you to come with me, Phil. I'll just tell Jean what's going on.'
 

She was already at the gate and she waited for me to come up. 'Nice work,' she said. 'They never knew you were there.'

'I've been taking Indian lessons from George.'

She laughed. 'You get good marks.'

'Listen, I'm going to take Phillip with me. The OPP detectives will want to talk to him and I'd like to have him at the station anyway, keep him on ice until this is wrapped up. I'll bring him back later to finish up.'
 

'No problem,' she said. 'He's about done anyway. I'll clean the brush.'

I nodded to her and left, calling Sam to sit next to me, with Phil the other side of him. The boy was quiet, embarrassed, I guessed, at seeing what kind of guys he'd been associating with.
 

'It's just about over,' I told him. He looked at me, full of questions but I just winked. I didn't want to tip my hand to the guys in the back.
 

There were three more cars at the station, but they were unmarked. If they were police cars, I didn't recognize them. I let my prisoners out and led them to the back door. As I put the key in the lock the door was opened from inside by an OPP detective I knew, Walker, all the way from Toronto head office.
 

'Hi, Reid. Looks like you struck oil.'

'Yeah. Now we've only got two unaccounted for, Kershaw and Moira Waites.'

'Well, bring these guys in to join the party,' Walker said. 'Ms Tracy's lawyer just showed.'

'What's he saying to her?'

'It's a woman,' Walker said.

He stood back so I could bring the prisoners in. They were silent, frightened. Phillip followed them and as I stepped up through the door I heard him say, 'Mom!'
 

His mother was sitting at the desk in front of the cells, writing in a notebook. When she saw him she sprang up and hugged him, tears running down her cheeks. 'Darling. They wouldn't let me come and get you.'
 

'I'm OK, honest.' He was close to tears but gruff with teenage machismo. 'The Chief caught the pair of them.'

She let go of him, staring at the prisoners. Then she sprang like a tiger, slapping at them furiously. 'You rotten little bastards!' she screamed.
 

Walker grabbed at her and Elaine the policewoman took her hands. 'Take it easy, ma'am. They're in custody. Your son's OK.'

Ms Freund went on shouting but I was watching the prisoners. Hanson handled it better. He looked at the floor, not blinking. I could see tears starting down his cheeks. An actor to the end. The other kid was angrier. 'Keep her off. We didn't do anything.'
 

'You tried to kidnap this boy,' Walker said. 'I'm going to read you the charge and tell you all the wonderful things you can do to get off them, then you can talk all you want.'
 

'I want a lawyer,' Cy shouted. 'I'm not saying a thing until I see a lawyer.'

'Not me.' Ms Freund was composing herself. 'I'm removing myself from this case. You find somebody else.' She turned and shouted back at the rear cell, where I could see Ms Tracy's hands through the bars. 'You too, Marcia Tracy. You're on your own.'
 

I spoke to Hanson. 'One question,' I said. 'Where's Kershaw and the woman? Answer that and I'll do whatever I can for you.'

'Thank you, Chief,' Hanson said. 'I don't need a caution. I'll tell you everything I know.'

'Where are they?'

'We left them at the cottage in Honey Harbour,' he said. 'I'll take you there.'

'Fine. We'll go in your car. Elaine, can you come with me to pick it up?'