“Connie, listen to me. I’ve got some bad news. Forget using Varrick and Zack to find Cocktail. We’ve hit a dead end as far as they’re concerned.”

“What are you talking about?”

“VPD found Varrick and Zack dead in an alley at eight o’clock this morning. Set up to look like heroin overdoses. They probably took them out of Headstones through the garage.”

“Oh, God, no …” Connie felt the depression settle over her like a lead blanket. My only leads to Cocktail are dead. Her mind felt numb as Jack told her about his conversation with Wilson. She twiddled her crucifix around and around with her thumb and forefinger as Jack spoke. Eventually the chain tightened around her neck and cut into the skin before she stopped.

“Are you listening?” asked Jack, moments after he quit speaking.

“Yeah, I heard you,” muttered Connie. “I was afraid this would happen.”

“You guessed that the bikers would kill them?” asked Jack.

“No. I knew when I called you into this case that I would end up with more bodies than I started with.”

“You haven’t. Varrick and Zack are VPD’s worry.”

“You tryin’ to be funny?”

“No, simply reminding you.”

“Of what?”

“To stay focused. Our primary objective is to find and identify Cocktail. Forget about Varrick and Zack now.”

“Yeah, but our evidence from last night’s wire is useless. Where do we go from here? And who is Cocktail? One of Satans Wrath?”

“I’ve never heard of him. I ran his name through the system. Nothing matched.”

“Varrick and Zack … you, uh, being straight with me on this?” asked Connie suspiciously.

“Hell, yes! I had no idea when I hung the crucifix on their door that it would get them killed. I figured the two of them were responsible for the murder. I was hoping to get them talking. I didn’t know they’d go looking for Cocktail.”

“Well obviously they did and he killed them, too.”

“I doubt that Cocktail killed them. I think Satans Wrath did it to sever the connection and protect Cocktail. He has to be a major player to have the bikers jumping through hoops for him.”

Connie’s sigh was audible.

“Sorry, Connie,” said Jack. “It was my fault. Last night I thought it was a good idea.”

“Yeah, well … shit happens. I’m not blaming you. If you hadn’t done it, we would be nowhere. At least we know who we’re after.”

“We’ll find out Cocktail’s real name,” said Jack, determinedly.

“That would be a start. Then we have to prove it. If he, or Satans Wrath, are jittery enough to whack Varrick and Zack, they’re not about to be giving us any proof. I’ll liaise with City and search their rooms where they were staying.”

“You’re dealing with Satans Wrath,” said Jack. “The rooms will have been cleaned out.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

After a moment of silence, Jack said, “How about we set up a meeting with the Organized Crime Task Force and go over everything. Laura called them and they said they have a report that puts Zack at a house party a few months ago. Mostly kids, from what I gather. It doesn’t seem significant, but let’s see what else OCTF has and find out who else was at the party.”

“Police work, all peaks and valleys,” mumbled Connie. “Riding high one moment and crashing the next.”

“We’ll solve this. Don’t worry, I’ll think of something.”

“Don’t worry? You tell me you’ll think of something and then say don’t worry! Last night you thought of something and we ended up with two extra bodies.”

“A consequence I didn’t predict. Who would have guessed? You didn’t.”

“Yeah, well, maybe this time it was accidental,” conceded Connie.

“What do you mean, this time?”

“You know exactly what I mean. Don’t push me.”

“Forget about Varrick and Zack. Stay focused on what to do next.”

“A double homicide and you say forget about them!”

“There is another person who could die yet. Worry about that one.”

“Another! Jack, what did I just say!”

“Faith.”

“Faith? In you? Listen you —”

“No, Faith! Gabriel’s four-year-old daughter. Will she die next?” Jack added harshly.

The mention of Faith shocked Connie and she was temporarily at a loss for words. After a moment, she heard Jack vow that they would identify Cocktail. She heard herself agree to attend the meeting with the OCTF and hung up.

Connie reflected on the cold tone of Jack’s voice when he spoke of Faith. If … when we identify Cocktail … then what? As of last night I thought I was working on three bad guys … with Jack on the case, two are already dead …

Chapter Nine

On Friday morning a meeting was held with Jack, Laura, Connie, and Dan Mylo from OCTF, in Jack’s office.

Dan outlined the gang wars in the lower mainland. “Province-wide,” he said, “we’ve identified 118 gangs. The Brotherhood was an amalgamation of what used to be a dozen independent gangs. The gangs grew larger, some incorporated with each other, and the amalgamation split when turf issues developed. Basically, The Brotherhood is currently divided into two factions, with an estimated three or four bosses on each side controlling their gangs.”

“No one guy has stepped up to take complete control, then?” asked Connie.

“Don’t think it’s that easy,” replied Dan, glancing at Jack. “I think a certain degree of political backing is required.”

Jack nodded in agreement and said, “The potential leaders are being watched and perhaps loosely guided by Satans Wrath. Although the leaders are adults in their twenties and thirties, the bulk of the membership are teenagers who were previously part of the independent youth gangs. They are violent, young, lack common sense, and have a total disregard for human life. They don’t care who might get in the way as is evidenced by all the drive-by shootings.”

“Which is our priority,” said Dan. “We’re spending all our time trying to take the guns off the street and work on the shooters.”

“Where do the shooters rank in the organization?” asked Connie. “I would think they would be revered as top dogs.”

Dan shook his head and said, “Not on the bottom, but not bright enough to ever be in charge. They’re mid-level status. At the moment, we’re too busy trying to keep a handle on them, let alone identify and work on the real leaders. Drug trafficking, prostitution, auto theft … all take a back seat to the indiscriminate shootings that are going on.” He looked at Jack and said, “Out of curiosity, do you think Satans Wrath could be instigating some of these shootings?”

Jack shook his head and said, “Satans Wrath aren’t impressed by indiscriminate shootings. It brings a lot of heat and is bad for business. At the same time, they appreciate the need to control and expand business. In some ways they’re in a catch-22 situation. They know that police resources are limited and that all these shootings will take the heat off of them. At the same time, they are losing money because of the turf wars and its negative effect on business. Until the turf wars are settled, I don’t think Satans Wrath will want to get too involved with who murders who. If history is any indicator, they will sit back and watch. Once the real victors are identified, they will step in and take over completely.”

“Gives the bikers a chance to see who is worth their salt,” concluded Dan.

“Exactly,” replied Jack. “I presume you have most of The Brotherhood listed on CPIC as persons of interest?”

“We do,” replied Dan.

“Could you include that I also be notified of any CPIC hits concerning them?”

“Consider it done,” replied Dan. “Hope you like to read. With the amount of people connected to gangs and their ability to attract police attention, you’ll be getting a lot of hits.”

The meeting adjourned with everyone agreeing to keep each other informed of anything that might benefit one another. Dan Mylo had no idea who Cocktail was and said it wasn’t a name that had come across any wiretaps or through any other sources. He provided a report from several months previous that showed Zack attending a noisy house party, but most of the people with him were teenagers who belonged to several different youth gangs.