“Like a cop,” said Laura.

“Yeah, or someone trying to rip us off. I can take ya inside and show ya, if you like?”

“Later. Is there a Step Three?” asked Jack.

“Yeah, the most important step. Marketing. We hand a percentage off to Satans Wrath, but also flood the high schools, universities, and colleges with the shit at bargain-basement prices. That’s why it’s nice to have an in with The Brotherhood. Most are the right age and in school.”

“Why sell so low?” asked Laura.

“So they get hooked. When they graduate and get good jobs the price will go up.”

“That’s if the dope doesn’t cause them to flunk out,” said Jack.

“Yeah, there’s always that possibility,” agreed Rodine.

“Any other steps?” asked Jack.

“That’s about it. At least how Varrick laid it out to me. Satans Wrath liked the marketing idea, as well. They distribute the chemicals they get from Cocktail and get a cut of all the action, plus a percentage of all the dope. I don’t know how big of a percentage. Sy looks after that.”

“Do you deal with any of the bikers direct?” asked Jack.

“Not normally. Things have changed since the last time we were busted. Different bikers for contact with different labs. Even then, the bikers usually use a go-between and rarely have anything to do with the cooks … unless they want to beat the shit out of someone,” he added ruefully. “Sy manages an apartment complex. All of the tenants in there work for him in one way or another. That’s who I deliver to.”

“But Cocktail and Sy know each other,” said Jack.

“Only sort of.”

“Sort of?” questioned Jack.

“Cocktail knew who Sy was, but, according to Sy, hadn’t met the guy before then. Still doesn’t know his real name. It was Varrick who first started calling him Cocktail. Sy likes to brag a lot about who he knows and his connections with Satans Wrath, but he is tight-lipped about Cocktail. He knows what the bikers will do to him if he ever spilled the beans.”

“Does Sy still meet with Cocktail?” asked Jack.

“I don’t think so. The bikers act as the go-between. They taught Sy how to be really careful, like using laptops and other people’s wireless signals to communicate through chat rooms. On rare occasions, he’ll text a coded message on his BlackBerry, but you’ll never get him talking about anything on the phone. Doesn’t even talk in his apartment. If something needs saying, he takes you for a walk down the hall. Sy has lots of people he deals to. Even his half-brother, Tommy, is the main supplier for his school.”

“School!” noted Jack. “How old is Sy?”

“I think thirty-two. Tommy is seventeen.”

“What school does Tommy go to?” asked Jack.

“Queen Elizabeth Secondary in Surrey. He still lives at home with his mom and Sy’s dad.”

Jack and Laura glanced at each other. Crime Stoppers had received several tips about dealers in that school.

Jack looked at Rodine and continued. “How many labs are Satans Wrath getting a percentage from?”

“I don’t know. Lots. I do know it ain’t wise to try and rip them. Not even a little bit, ’cause either the solutions wouldn’t add up or it would have to be diluted. When they were beating on me they said I diluted it with baking soda. I told them I wasn’t stupid enough to try and rip them. The fuckin’ bastards. I trust Sy, so it had to be one of the bikers who ripped me.”

“You said the solutions wouldn’t add up if someone was ripping them off?” asked Jack.

“Do you know the main cook we had when we got busted with all those labs last time?”

“Yes.”

“Cocktail examined the records that the police turned over to his defence lawyer. From all the empty chemical containers the cops seized, Cocktail calculated that more dope was being made than the bikers knew about.”

“So Satans Wrath were being short-changed on their percentage,” said Jack.

“Exactly. Varrick told me the cook took a long time to die.”

“His body was found in an alley,” said Jack. Seeing the nervous look on Rodine’s face, he quickly changed the subject and said, “So basically, a network of labs has been set up, with the original training, expertise, and chemicals coming from some guy by the name of Cocktail.”

Rodine paused for a moment, reflecting upon the situation he found himself in, and what the future would hold if the bikers found out.

“Trust us,” said Jack. “We will never do anything to divulge who you are. Never. So answer our questions.”

Rodine swallowed, took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. “Yeah, we follow Cocktail’s instructions like he’s the great guru. Varrick and Zack run their own lab. Me, I gotta do it myself. Varrick gets the chemicals from Cocktail and passes them on to the bikers for delivery. Find Varrick and Zack and you’ll find Cocktail.”

“Is there anybody else you know who deals with Cocktail?” asked Jack.

“No, except for the bikers, I think Varrick is the only one who knows who Cocktail really is and the only guy who acts as a go-between for Cocktail and the bikers. Satans Wrath don’t want anyone to know that Cocktail is associated with them. The odd time, like maybe once or twice a year if Cocktail can’t get all the right chemicals, we sometimes have to change the formula. When that happens, Varrick gets his instructions from Cocktail. Sometimes the new stuff is checked out on a couple of kids to see if they croak or anything. If everything is okay, then Varrick passes on the new recipe to the rest of us.”

“Cocktail is the head chef and the rest of you are like the sous chefs,” said Laura.

“What’s a sous chef?”

“Never mind,” replied Jack. “Do you know if any kids have died from the experiments?”

“Varrick once told me that a couple have. I don’t know who. Varrick is who you guys should be watchin’ if you want to get a handle on everything.”

“Varrick and Zack are dead,” said Jack. “Both died of a drug overdose two months ago.”

“Yeah? Those dumb shits. I wonder what they cranked up?”

“Heroin,” replied Jack.

“Stupid bastards. I thought they were smarter than that. Sell dope, don’t use it.”

“We don’t believe it was an accident,” said Jack. “Varrick and Zack may have been getting careless. Perhaps drawing police attention,” he added.

“Shit … and here I am talking to you.”

“Don’t worry. It won’t happen to you as long as you stay on our good side. Screw with us, hold anything back … well, I think you know what will happen.”

Rodine nodded silently.

“We would really like to find Cocktail,” said Jack. “Do that for us and we’re square.”

“That may not be easy,” replied Rodine. “It ain’t healthy for me to be asking questions about him. As I said, Sy is a very cautious dude.”

“Don’t do anything to get yourself killed,” said Jack. “We’ll work through this together. What bikers do you get your chemicals from?”

“I place the order through Sy and usually it’s different bikers who deliver. Not full-fledged dudes. I forget what they call them.”

“Prospects or strikers,” said Jack.

“Yeah, that’s it. As far as I knew, the bikers got the stuff from Varrick, but if he’s dead, then I don’t know who the go-between would be.”

“Where, when, and how do you get your chemicals?” asked Jack.

“Fuck, the pickups are at weird hours and in different remote areas. That way everyone can check and make sure nobody is being followed.”

“Is Sy expecting this delivery right away?” asked Laura, gesturing to the trunk of the car.

“Yeah, I should have it to him around eight. Not much time. Next one is due Saturday morning.”

“Okay, I want you to give us a two-minute tour inside the house and then make your delivery,” said Jack. “Keep on running the lab like always.”

“For how long do I run the lab?”

“Not long. I hate what it is doing to people,” said Jack, making no attempt to hide his anger.

“But then what happens?”