“Just lie here, baby, everything will be okay,” said Red, easing her down on the mattress. “I’ll get ya somethin’ that’ll make ya forget. You’ll feel better,” she added, as she left the room.

Seconds later, Red was back. She smiled as she kneeled down beside her. A small piece of surgical hose dangled from her hand, along with a syringe. Red put them both on the floor.

“Just lie still,” she said softly. “Close your eyes. Soon you’ll feel real good.”

Red tied the hose tightly around her arm, slightly above her elbow. Marcie lay there, staring up at Red’s face. Red picked the syringe up off the floor, then smiled at her while gently brushing the hair back from her face. “This ain’t gonna hurt a bit, baby, you’ll see. It’ll help ya.”

Marcie watched Red put the needle over a vein in the crook of her elbow. Her skin resisted slightly before relenting. Marcie turned her head as the needle entered her body. Instantly she felt warm all over. Then she felt sick and scrambled to the washroom.

“It’s okay, baby!” yelled Red from the bedroom. “Lots of people puke the first time or two. Don’t worry, ya get use to it real quick. After that, it feels good, you’ll see.”

Marcie woke up in her bedroom. She felt so tired. She tried to get up off the mattress but couldn’t. She slept some more. Red came in and sat beside her, smiling, brushing the hair back from her eyes. She felt the hose around her arm again and shook her head.

“No, Red,” she murmured, “it makes me puke.”

Red smiled, shaking her head. “Not this time, baby, not this time.”

She felt the needle slip under her skin. It didn’t hurt this time, and she didn’t feel sick. Red was right. She felt like she was floating on air. Her whole body felt good, really good. For the first time in her life she was truly happy. No pain. No dog. No Daddy. No more anything. The restaurant was crowded, so Danny stood up and waved to Jack and Natasha when they arrived. They were both laughing and laughed louder when they looked at him.

Danny introduced Susan, and the two women greeted each other warmly.

“So what was that all about?” Danny asked. “When you came in, I had the feeling that the two of you were talking about me.”

“We were,” said Jack.

“Jack! That was supposed to be confidential!” said Natasha.

“Okay, out with it!” said Danny, flicking his fingers to emphasize his demand.

Jack grinned, then said, “Well, I’m sure that Natasha here, being a doctor, had the utmost professional concern when she asked me if I had ever spoken to you about your problem.”

“His problem?” Susan leaned forward. “You mean about his hand?”

“No, not that,” said Jack. “She asked me if I had ever spoken to him about his BO.”

“BO?” asked Susan.

“Body odour,” said Jack. “She’s only met your husband twice before tonight. The first time he smelled of urine. The second time he smelled like garbage!”

“Hey! That’s from working with you! I don’t smell….”

Danny’s protest was drowned out by the laughter of his three dinner companions.

“Think what I have to put up with,” said Susan. “I have to sleep with him!”

Jack ordered the cannelloni. Natasha and Danny did likewise. Susan ordered linguini of the sea. It came with scallops, prawns, and clams.

The food was delicious, and the evening went by quickly. Perhaps too quickly, thought Danny. Tomorrow I have to call Wigmore. He waited until Susan and Natasha went to the ladies’ room before talking work.

“So, what’s next? Are we going to the Black Water tomorrow?”

“No. Give it a few days. Make them think I’m busy selling the speed I bought.”

“What about Marcie? I think I should try to convince her to go to Social Services.”

“Do that and you’ll blow your cover. If what she has just been through doesn’t convince her to leave, nothing you say will.”

“Maybe I should call them myself. It bothers me thinking about her.”

“I feel the same way, but now is not the time. With what she has been through, she probably won’t be downtown for a week or so. She’ll be going through the honeymoon phase with Red, or someone else she thinks is her friend.”

“Honeymoon phase?”

“Someone will be extra nice to her and try to earn her trust, or at least get her to be dependent upon them. Once we dispose of Leonard I’ll figure out how to bypass Red. Then we won’t be at the bar and you can take your chances with Marcie.”

“How the hell do you expect to come up with the money to buy quantity? Not to mention disposing of Leonard?”

“I’ll figure something out,” said Jack. He then changed the subject as Susan and Natasha returned. Danny had the feeling that Jack had already figured something out.

A couple with two children sat at a nearby table. Natasha caught the silent reflection on Jack’s face.

“You come from a big family, Jack?”

“No. I just have a sister and brother-in-law who live on a farm outside the city.”

“Sounds nice. Do they have children?”

“No. Would you please pass the garlic toast?”

“You still have some on your plate. I take it you’re the private type and don’t like to talk about your family?”

“Not tonight.” Jack quickly looked around the room and said, “Excuse me, I have to go the men’s room.” The table shook, slopping wine from their glasses as he stood up. He didn’t stay to apologize.

Natasha looked at Danny and Susan’s faces. Danny was expressionless and stared down at his plate. Susan looked like she was about to burst into tears.

Natasha was shocked. “What did I say?”

Susan’s voice was a whisper. “Jack’s sister did have kids. A boy and a girl. They were murdered less than a month ago in an abandoned farmhouse up the Valley.”

“Those kids in the news? They were his niece and nephew?”

Jack washed his face with cold water. The solace he sought in the men’s room vanished as Natasha strode in.

A man at a urinal said, “Hey lady, this is —”

“I’m a doctor,” she snapped. “You look like you’re done.”

“I — I guess so.” He left without washing.

Natasha then approached Jack and put her arm across his shoulder. “I’m sorry,” she said softly. “Susan just filled me in. I’m so, so sorry.”

“It’s not your fault.” He squeezed the rim of the sink with both hands, then splashed more water on his face. “It’s not your fault.”

She grabbed him by the shoulders and made him turn and look at her. His hair was askew and his face dripped water.

What happened next came without warning or reason … and shocked them both. Two people who had walked through that valley of death too often had, within themselves, suddenly unleashed a primal lust for life. They kissed each other hard and passionately on the lips. Passionately enough, for a moment, to block out the world around them. It was their first kiss.

chapter thirteen

Monday evening came, and Danny told Susan that he needed to go to the store. He used a payphone to call Wigmore.

“I made a mistake. Jack isn’t breaking the rules. I know I —”

“What the hell are you talking about! You told me last week that Taggart left his gun in the car and went in the bar to buy dope! Bullshit, O’Reilly! What are you trying to pull?”

“Nothing, sir. I saw him take off his holster, but I later discovered that he has two holsters. He switched his gun into an ankle holster. I just didn’t realize it at the time.”

“You also said he went in the bar alone. What have you got to say about that?”

“He had an informant in there and was just catching the person’s attention so they could meet outside. His informant is a little paranoid and Jack wanted to meet alone to start with.”