Race (30 page)

“Your parents still alive?” I asked.

“Yeah, sure.
 
Why?”

“I mean, why don’t you go to them?”

“You crazy, these people know where my parents live.
  
I bet you they checked to see if I was there.
 
I can’t go to them.”

I nodded.
 
He didn’t want his parents involved.
 
Smart kid.

I ordered Chinese food.
 

We sat on the dining table sucking down noodles and munching chicken wings.

***

It was getting dark when a Sundance parked at the corner of
Gerrard
and Greenwood.
  
Two figures occupied the red vehicle.
 
Suraj
was behind the wheel with
Hause
in the passenger seat.
 

They had their orders and it was simple.
 
Go in and finish the job.
 
Hause
pulled a sawed-off shotgun from under the seat and got out.
 
Suraj
cocked his pistol and concealed it in his pocket.
  
They were halfway across the street when they stopped.

A blue Volvo turned onto Greenwood and parked in front of the house.
 
Two men got out and headed for the door.

Hause
and
Suraj
looked at each other and then doubled back.
 

***

I had a piece of chicken stuck between my teeth when there was a knock at the door.
 

Joey dropped his chicken and looked at me.

“Don’t worry,” I said, trying desperately to remove the intruder from my teeth with my tongue.
 
“It’s probably
Beadsworth
.”

I went to the door and peeked through the eyehole.
 
“I think we have trouble.”

I unlocked and found Aldrich standing with his hands folded at his back.
 
Behind him was his guard dog, Garnett.

“May we come in, Officer
Rupret
,” Aldrich said
drily
.

No. You may not.
 
In fact, get your blonde ass out of my home.
 
And take your mutt with you.

“Of course, sir,” I said politely.

They both moved by me, with Garnett taking loud steps.
 
They went into the living room.
 

“Where is he?” Aldrich asked.

I looked around and the living room was empty. So was the kitchen.
 
“I’ll get him.”

I found Joey hiding in my bedroom closest.

“What are you doing?” I whispered.

“Who’s outside?” he asked.

“The guys I work for.”
           

“I thought it might be the guys
I
worked for.”

We came out and Aldrich immediately sized Joey up.
  
The kid held his ground.
 
He looked Aldrich directly in the eyes.
 

“I want protection,” Joey said.
 

“Your name?”

“Joseph Lenard.”

“First, Mr. Lenard, tell us what we need and then we give you your protection.”
 

“Okay, okay,” Joey said.
 
“I don’t know any RACE you keep mentioning. I do know that they are close to making a new drug.”

“
Nex
,” Aldrich said.

Joey shook his head.
 
“Yes,
Nex
or whatever.
 
That’s what I heard them call it, too.
 
In a couple of days they will have it and it will be all over the city.”

Aldrich said, “You mentioned there was a mole in our organization.
 
Do you know who it is?”

“No.”

Aldrich listened.
 
He then nodded as if he knew and understood everything.
 
“You will accompany us and be placed in my custody.”

“That won’t be necessary,” said a voice from behind.
 
We all turned to see
Beadsworth
at the door.
 

“Excuse me?” Aldrich demanded.

“Sir,”
Beadsworth
said walking up. “It would be better if he stays under Officer
Rupret’s
protection.”

“Detective
Beadsworth
, do explain,” Aldrich said.

“A mole is working inside the department. Until we find out who it is we must not expose the witness.”

Joey said, “I’m not a witness yet. First my protection.”

They ignored him.
 

“It would be better,”
Beadsworth
continued, “For the witness to be allowed to stay with Officer
Rupret
, who is outside the department and is on medical leave and would therefore be able to watch the witness at all times.”

It felt like Joey and I were two little children whose fates were being decided by strangers.

There was a pause and then Aldrich said, “Detective
Beadsworth
, I respect your opinion. It may be better if the witness stays with Officer
Rupret
.”

“Thank you, sir,”
Beadsworth
said with a slight nod.

Aldrich turned to Joey, “Give us something to begin our investigation.”

Joey thought about it; his eyes searched for what information to divulge.
 
“I overheard them talking.
 
At the Scarborough Bluffs you will find the body of Armand
Dempiers
.”

This caused a reaction.
 
Aldrich spun around and was out the door, followed by Garnett who was dialing on the phone.
 

Beadsworth
turned to me and whispered, “Do not let him out of your sight.”
 
With that he disappeared around the door.

The chicken wings were cold and shriveled up.
 
Joey shrugged and said, “I’m full.”

***

Everything was packed and in the process of being moved. They could no longer use the current location.
 
If Joey spoke, the police would be paying them a visit very soon.
 

Ms. Zee had taken certain precautions just in case something like this ever happened.
 
Everything in their small headquarters was portable, from the furniture to the pharmaceutical equipment.
 

There was another problem that she had to resolve.
 
The new technology required that they produce in one location.
 
It was not financially feasible to purchase several freeze-dryers and other expensive equipment.

They needed a good location, not only for the production of
Nex
, but also for the distribution of it.
 
Martin had been dispatched to search for one.
  

Her cell rang and she knew who it was.
 
She listened and then hung up.
 

She already knew Joey was at the home of an officer named Jonathan
Rupret
.
 
But this officer was not to be harmed under any circumstances. One officer had already been assaulted and injuring another would place more attention on them.
 
She was not happy with this information.
  

She would have to find a way of getting to Joey without harming the officer.
 
She couldn’t rely on anyone in the group.
 
Kong would snap the officer’s neck at the first chance he got.
 
Hause
and
Suraj
weren’t known for their smarts.
 
She would have to do something on her own.

TWENTY-TWO

It was the next morning and
Hause
dropped Ms. Zee off a block away from Greenwood Avenue.
  
She was wearing a beige skirt and a white blouse.
 
Her auburn hair was untied and flowed freely to her shoulders.
  

Hause
waited in the car for her signal.
 
She walked in the direction of the officer’s home but stopped at the corner of
Gerrard
and Greenwood.
 
The plan was to get the officer out of the house, giving
Hause
enough time to go in and finish Joey.
 
How she was going to do this she had no idea.

She looked across to the house and tried to think.
 
Should she walk up to the door and say that she was lost?
 
No, that didn’t make any sense.
 
She could ask anyone on the street for help. What if she went up to him and said she had just been robbed? No, then she would have to go to the police department to report it.
 

She put her hand through her hair, thinking of a plan.
   

***

I woke up and found Joey sleeping peacefully on the sofa.
 
The coffee maker was brewing so I went to the bathroom.
 
After I was done, I filled my cup and went to the balcony.
 
The air was semi-fresh but the sun was shining brightly.
 
I leaned on the metal railing and took a sip.
 
The coffee needed a little more sugar.
 

I spotted a woman standing at the corner of the street.
 
She looked distressed.
 
She looked up at me.
  
I smiled.

She looked around.
 
I suddenly understood.
 
I motioned her to wait and I went back inside.

***

Ms. Zee saw the officer come out onto the balcony and then smile at her.
 
He then waved and disappeared.
  
What was he doing?
 
She didn’t have any time to think when the front door swung open and the officer, still in his pajamas, came out running toward her.
 
His nose was covered in a bandage.

“Has your car been towed?” he said.

“Sorry?” she said.

“Your car was towed, right?” he pointed to spot beside the sidewalk.
 
“You parked it here last night and this morning it was gone.”

“Uh…yes,” she understood.
  
“How did you know?”

***

“I just do,” I said.
 
I wasn’t going to tell her my car had been towed several times from the very same spot.

She said,
 
“I don’t know what I was thinking. I parked here, but this morning it’s gone.”

“From seven-to-nine it’s a tow-away zone,” I said.
 

“I didn’t know that,” she said.

“Did you just move down here?”

“My sister lives over there,” she said pointing to a street adjacent to us.
 
“What am I going to do?”

She had amazing green eyes and even more amazing long red hair.