Jack Taggart Mysteries 7-Book Bundle. Don Easton

to work. As he said, he’s complying with the note so he doesn’t think he’s a target now.”

      “What about Jimmy?”

      “Apparently seems okay. Lucky little bugger. What do you think about Danny quitting?”

      Jack sighed and said, “Can’t say I blame him. I was wrong to be around him after CC got that note. I should have stayed away from everyone.”

      “The note targeted everyone in the office. We have no choice but to continue working. Danny’s pretty upset. Not thinking too clear. Who would? He mumbled something about your cowboy hat turning black. What was that all about?”

      Jack tipped his head back, took a deep breath, and then slowly exhaled. “Guess he has me pegged as one of the bad guys.”

      Louie studied him closely for a few seconds and then said, “Like I said. He’s upset. I’m going to talk with Isaac. Hate to lose a good man. Maybe I can arrange to get him transferred into some admin position for a while.”

      It was after lunch when Isaac reviewed the report submitted by the Anti-Corruption Unit noting that Jack had lied about not having met Damien since last year. Not a big issue in itself, but... The name of the ACU investigator caught his eye and he summoned Staff Sergeant Legg.

      “This report you submitted this morning,” said Isaac, gesturing to the paper on his desk.

      “Yes, sir. Just a short memo. Perhaps nothing, but after the report from CFSEU about Taggart and then him telling Elvis that he hadn’t met with Damien since last year ... I just thought I should keep you informed. It will be more ammunition to use after we hear back from the LO in Mexico.”

      Isaac nodded and said, “It was Elvis he said this to?”

      “Yes, sir. Connie Crane from I-HIT was present as well.”

      “Isn’t Elvis married to Laura Secord from Drug Section?”

      “Yes, sir.”

      “She was the female operator who worked with Taggart on that homicide involving the war veteran.”

      Legg shrugged his shoulders and replied, “I don’t know.”

      “Well I do know.” Isaac leaned forward, clasping his hands on his desk. He then said, “For your information, O’Reilly is being transferred forthwith to an administrative position. It would not be ... unusual ... for him to be replaced. Intelligence is extremely busy right now. Under the circumstances, I would endorse an immediate transfer. It would appear that Taggart has a good working relationship with Laura Secord, don’t you agree?”

      Elvis was not pleased with Molen’s response, or actually his lack of response, to the new report. He didn’t make any calls and didn’t leave during the lunch break. Surveillance teams monitoring Leitch and his secretary had nothing to report. It was almost four o’clock when Elvis was summoned into his boss’s office.

      “Did you happen to mention to your wife that Taggart could be dirty?” asked Legg.

      “No,” replied Elvis. “We try not to discuss work at home. I did ask her if she suspected any of the narcs of being dirty and she said no. Why do you ask?”

      “O’Reilly is being transferred immediately to an administrative position. I heard through the grapevine that Laura may replace him.”

      Elvis sat quietly.

      “How do you feel about that, should it happen? What with Taggart being under investigation by our office?”

      Elvis shrugged.

      “Do you feel apprehensive about the prospect?”

      “That would indicate that I doubt Laura’s integrity, which I don’t. So, no. I’m not apprehensive.”

      “Would Laura confide in you if she discovered something that wasn’t kosher?”

      “You mean if Jack is dirty, would she burn him?”

      Legg nodded.

      “Without a doubt ... but I’m sure she won’t take the job if you’re asking her to spy.”

      Legg smiled, shaking his head. “For goodness’ sake, I’m not suggesting that! I just want to make sure that this doesn’t cause any undue stress on your marriage. Also to ensure that if Laura did discover something she would confide in you so as to alleviate any accusations of her covering something up down the road.”

      “If it was anything serious that our section should know about, she would most certainly talk to me about it. She’s my wife. I would do the same if the situation were reversed.”

      “Exactly. At which time you would follow through with your responsibilities and discuss it with me. Then we could ensure that she would be protected against any undesirable accusations concerning her own conduct.”

      “That goes without saying. I know Laura. If Jack is dirty, she will be the first to nail him to the wall.”

      “Good. That is all I expect. We have no proof that he is dirty. This Mexican thing could be a coincidence.”

      “It’s been two weeks since we sent the photos,” noted Elvis. “We should know soon enough.”

      Legg nodded, then said, “At this point, I would suggest you don’t say anything to Laura. Taggart is clearly astute when it comes to reading people. Obviously, he has to be; I’m sure his very survival has depended upon it. With that in mind, we couldn’t expect Laura to successfully hide that knowledge. Some inadvertent sideways glance or perhaps a hesitation in her voice might be all it would take to tip Taggart off.”

      “I understand,” replied Elvis. “Not to mention, we don’t know if Taggart is dirty. False allegations and rumours harm innocent people.”

      “Exactly. This conversation is just between the two of us. I’m telling you this as a friend, which is why you need to ensure that you discreetly report anything of consequence to me. It is imperative that Laura doesn’t become implicated in anything untoward. She has an excellent reputation for being professional. I’m certain, once this is over, she would understand completely should you decide to tell her then. That would be your decision, of course.”

      “Of course.”

      Legg waited until Elvis left his office before calling Isaac.

      “Everything is in order, sir. I feel confident that Elvis will cooperate fully.”

      Elvis rejoined the surveillance team just as Molen left the office. They followed him to a liquor store and watched as he bought a bottle of Canadian Club. Then he drove straight home.

      At nine-thirty, Elvis received a call on his radio.

      “Just got a good look at him through the binos from the back alley. He’s sitting by himself at the kitchen table. Looks like the whiskey is three-quarters gone.”

      “Copy,” replied Elvis. “Let’s shut it down. Nothing is going to happen tonight.”

      “Going to haul his...” The officer paused, conscious of radio procedure, then continued, “... haul his butt in tomorrow?”

      “Ten-four. Be a good time to try. He’ll be tired and hungover.”

      chapter nineteen

      It was eight o’clock the following morning when Elvis consulted with Jack about his belief that Molen knew the game was up.

      “So you want to grab him?” asked Jack. “If he doesn’t roll, it could still heat up my source and we wouldn’t be any further ahead.”

      “That’s why I’m talking to you. I won’t do it without your okay.”

      “You said he has a problem with the booze?”

      Elvis nodded and said, “Sat by himself last night and drank most of a bottle of whiskey.