He had had enough.
‘There’s something wrong with that guy,’ Sue said.
‘Darlin’, you don’t know the half of it.’
‘Bernard’s not supposed to be using us to check up on you. Want me to do something about it? Speak to one of my superiors down here?’
‘I’ll deal with it myself,’ Striker said. ‘Though I might need your assistance, if you feel like helping me put the screws on him.’
‘Shipwreck, you’ve come to the right girl.’
Striker smiled. ‘I’ll call back.’
He hung up the phone, and walked out on to Cordova Street. Felicia was already on the sidewalk, waiting for him with two cups of coffee in her hands. She handed him one, then took a quick look at his hard expression and lost her smile.
‘What’s wrong?’ she asked. He told her everything he’d just learned about Bernard Hamilton, and she let out a worried sound. ‘He’s gonna screw up everything.’
Striker just shook his head and smiled at her.
‘Here’s what I need you to do.’
Fifteen minutes later, Striker parked on the corner of Burrard and Pender and waited for Felicia to get out. She hopped out of the car, closed the door, and stood ten feet away on the sidewalk, in a nook to get away from the wind. Once she was ready and gave him the thumbs up, Striker grabbed the radio mike. He depressed the plunger and spoke.
‘Detective Striker to Radio,’ he said.
Sue Rhaemer answered. ‘Go for Radio.’
‘Did you get that address I asked for?’
‘The one for Logan?’ she replied. ‘Yes, I sent it to your screen.’
‘Thanks,’ Striker said. ‘Can you get my partner to switch to the Chat channel?’
Sue Rhaemer raised Felicia over the air, and Felicia responded.
‘Switching to Chat,’ she said.
Striker ramped the radio up to the next level, and waited to hear Felicia come across the air. ‘Felicia on Chat,’ she said. He waited a few more seconds, to be sure that Bernard would be eavesdropping on the conversation. Then he depressed the plunger.
‘Hey, Feleesh, where are you?’ he asked.
‘Fifth floor. Why?’
‘Get down here. I know where Larisa is hiding out.’
‘Awesome, where?’
‘She’s up in Shaughnessy. 5142 Osler Street. Apparently her aunt lives there and has been letting her hide out for the last two days. I’ve got confirmation she’s there right now. We’ll be pushing our way in. The chief wants this done ASAP and kept under wrap.’
‘I’m coming down now,’ Felicia said. ‘Pick me up.’
‘Will do,’ Striker said. ‘Leaving Chat.’
He ramped the radio channel from Chat back to Dispatch. Then he called the Central Dispatcher. Sue Rhaemer answered on the first ring. She was already laughing.
‘Did it work?’ he asked her.
‘I’m checking his GPS now,’ she said. ‘And . . . Bernard is heading due south.’
Her reply made Striker smile. It was perfect.
He thanked Sue for her help, then said goodbye. Felicia returned to the car just as he hung up. She crashed down in her seat, giggling, and closed the door behind her.
‘So?’ she asked. ‘You think he was listening?’
‘Oh, he was listening. You can count on it.’
Striker put the car into Drive and headed west. They’d gone less than a block before Felicia spoke again. ‘5142,’ she said thoughtfully. ‘The Shaughnessy area? What’s that Osler Street address for?’
Striker just grinned and kept driving.
‘Trust me,’ he said. ‘You don’t want to know.’
Ninety
‘Whistler,’ Felicia said again.
Striker nodded. ‘Larisa’s text was pinged there.’
He drove down Hastings Street towards the Stanley Park Causeway and, from there, the Lions Gate Bridge. Once into North Van, it was just one long winding Trans-Canada Highway stretch to the Whistler Blackcomb ski resort.
‘Whistler or Blackcomb?’ Felicia asked.
‘I don’t know yet, one of the villages.’
Felicia looked at him like he was crazy. ‘You know how many people are up there right now, Jacob. The ski season’s on, for God’s sake. There’ll be more than—’
‘I know, Feleesh, I know. But she’s up there. Without a doubt. What if something happens and we’re all the way down here with no way to get to her? I can’t think of any other choice we have at this point.’
‘I can. It’s called the Feds. They have units all over that area.’
Striker cast her a hot stare. ‘Absolutely not. If Larisa thinks we’ve sent another cop after her, it’s all over. I won’t let that happen. We do this one on our own.’
Felicia said nothing for a moment, then shook her head. ‘It’s not our jurisdiction, Jacob. You have to get permission from Car 10.’
‘You know as well as I do what Laroche will say.’
‘We have to tell him, Jacob. He’s the Road Boss.’
Striker felt his knuckles tighten on the wheel. ‘Not this time, Feleesh.’
‘I really think—’
He pulled over to the side of the road and slammed the steering column in Park. When he turned to face her, his adrenalin was starting. ‘I’m not doing anything that’s going to jeopardize my chance of getting Larisa back. You’re right. Calling Car 10 is the protocol, but you know what? I’m not doing it. Because I know what Laroche’s response will be. He’ll get all the different jurisdictions involved, we’ll have another boondoggle like we had at Metrotown, and the next thing you know Larisa will be gone forever. Well, forget that. I owe her this. And I’m more than willing to risk my career doing it. You can get out right now and I’ll completely understand. But know this: I am going.’
He reached over and opened the door for her.
Felicia just looked back at him with a surprised look in her eyes. Then he saw the anger. For a moment, he thought she might actually leave. But then she grabbed the door and slammed it shut. ‘We’re not going to get there any faster if you leave the car in Park.’
Striker said nothing. He just got the car back on the road and drove down the highway.
Destination: Whistler Blackcomb ski resort.
They were just entering the district of West Vancouver when the conversation about Larisa Logan ended and Felicia finally got down to business with the Gabriel Ostermann file. She grabbed the thin folder and opened it up. Striker glanced over and saw a police report as well as an addendum from the Ministry of Children and Families.
‘The file looks thin,’ he noted.
‘Well, in this case, less is more,’ Felicia said. ‘You ready for this?’
Striker nodded. ‘Go.’
And she read through the report.
‘This all took place ten years ago, just after Lexa and Dr Ostermann got married.’
‘Gabriel must have been only eight years old,’ Striker pointed out.
Felicia nodded. ‘Which is why the Ministry of Children and Families was involved and also why it was privatized.’ She turned through the pages. ‘The file itself was a 911 call that was later changed to a Sudden Death call. As it turns out, the Ostermanns were away on vacation at a place called Lost Lake. Gabriel and his younger brother, William, were out playing in the snow.
‘William?’ Striker asked.
Felicia nodded. ‘Apparently Lexa had two children she brought into the marriage – Dalia, and William . . . Anyway, Gabriel threw a Frisbee to his brother and William missed it. The toy went over his head and landed on the lake.’
‘Which was frozen at the time?’