Lorraine walked her home later. She told her not to do anything stupid and to consider it a rite of passage. Lorraine also handed Julie a small baggie of crystal meth and told her to take some, that it would make her feel better. Julie refused and flung it back at her.

Julie squeezed her eyes shut to block out the memory. It didn’t work and she stared at the blank piece of paper in front of her. Eventually she picked up the pen and began to write. Her tears smeared some of the ink, but it was still legible.

Dear Mom and Dad,

I am really sorry. Please don’t hate me. You two have been the best parents anyone could have. I did something really stupid. The whole school will know. I could never face going back. I am really sorry. Please forgive me. I love you all.

Chapter Fifteen

On Tuesday afternoon, Jack sat at his desk reading reports about minor meth seizures from across the lower mainland.

Laura glanced up and asked, “Any of the seizures from our friend’s lab?”

Jack shook his head and said, “Personally, I don’t know if that makes me feel good or not.”

“I feel the same way. A relief to know that the stuff we’re allowing isn’t showing up, yet at the same time it makes it difficult to track.”

“Obviously there are a lot of other labs running besides ours,” replied Jack.

“Ours? Oh, man … I guess you’re right,” said Laura. “It’s awful to think of it in that context.”

“If we shut our friend down it won’t make any difference,” said Jack. “If we don’t catch Cocktail they’ll start another lab somewhere else.”

“I know. At least our lab isn’t in the basement of a daycare.”

“I think we better quit referring to it as ours,” said Jack. “Somebody hears that and Internal will be all over us.”

“Again.”

Jack smiled and said, “Yes, ag—”

His telephone interrupted his conversation and he answered. Laura listened closely when she heard Jack talking to Lucy from Toxicology.

“Our first hit,” repeated Jack while looking at Laura and giving her the thumbs-up sign.

“Sixteen-year-old girl by the name of Lorraine Calder,” said Jack, while writing down what he was being told. “The police went to interview her as she was arriving home … she tried to chuck a small baggie from her purse … did it match the stuff we tagged? Who was the arresting officer? Gotcha. Thanks a bunch.”

Jack hung up and called a constable in Surrey. Laura knew by the look on Jack’s face that what he discovered did not make him happy. When he hung up he stared silently at Laura for a moment to collect his thoughts.

“Let me have it,” said Laura solemnly.

“They were investigating the suicide of a sixteen-year-old kid who attended QE by the name of Julie Goodwin,” said Jack. “An honour student whose brains likely made her a bit of an outcast. She became friends with the girl, Lorraine Calder, and spent last Saturday with her. On Sunday, while her parents were at church, she got the key to her father’s gun locker and shot herself. Her parents came home and were reading the suicide note when her younger brother found her body.”

“And it was our dope that Lorraine had in her purse,” Laura reiterated.

Jack nodded. “Lorraine said that Julie Goodwin gave it to her. Lucy talked to the pathologist and said there was an indication Julie may have been sexually assaulted. Also traces of GHB in her body.”

“Date rape,” whispered Laura to herself.

“No sign of meth in Julie’s body. I think Lorraine is a liar.”

“Our friend mentioned that some of the other labs made ecstasy and GHB,” said Laura.

Jack was already dialling his cellphone.

Rodine walked the three blocks to a small neighbourhood playground. He saw Jack and Laura parked nearby and got in the back seat of their car.

“You guys knew I was over drinkin’ with Sy last night?” asked Rodine. “That’s why you called?”

“Tell us what you found out,” replied Jack, wanting to keep Rodine on edge as to how much they did know of his activities.

“Didn’t find out much,” replied Rodine. “Tommy showed up and was really pissed off. Two of his dealers got busted in the parking lot at school yesterday. Tommy thinks a teacher is ratting them out. Says he has it narrowed down to one of three. They might kill the teacher if they find out.”

“You serious?” asked Laura.

“Damn rights. They’ll kill me, too, if they find out I’m rattin’.”

“Previously you mentioned other labs were making ecstasy and GHB,” said Jack. “Any idea at all where the labs could be or who the cooks are?”

“No, but Cocktail would be the one who arranged their training on how to make it.”

“We want you to introduce us to Sy,” said Jack.

“I can’t! He’d kill me!”

“Laura and I work on an Intelligence Unit and rarely go to court. We would never do anything to bring heat down on you. If arrests were ever made over anything you were involved in, we would not do it without your permission.”

“Really?”

“Really. I want you to tell Sy that you’ve met someone who you think is connected to the Irish mafia. Tell him we moved here from back east.”

“Irish mafia … fuck, that would impress him. Sy is always watching those old Godfather movies. He even talks like Marlon Brando half the time.”

“Tell him we move stolen property in a big way and say you think we have connections in the trucking and shipping industries.”

“Why not say you’re into dope instead?” asked Rodine curiously.

“To protect you. With the bikers hanging a beating on you, they may be a little paranoid if all of a sudden you have new friends wanting to buy dope. We also don’t want to come across as competition. I’m five years older than Sy. I want him to to look up to us and not be treating us like a couple of underlings. I want him impressed enough to start confiding or bragging to us.”

“How do I say I know you?”

“Tell him you met us a year ago at a really nice restaurant. Say you think we are silent partners in the place and like to party hearty and have lots of cash to throw around.”

“What restaurant?”

“Have you been to any classy ones?”

“Yeah … maybe … a year ago for my girlfriend’s birthday … let me think.”

“Tell Sy you’ve partied with us often,” said Laura. “Introduce Jack as Jay and me as Princess.”

“You know,” said Rodine, starting to warm up to the idea, “there is an empty apartment in Sy’s building that he is looking to fill. Maybe I could tell him that you are interested as a scam to meet him. You wouldn’t really have to rent it, but it might be a way for you to invite him to party with you. He likes his booze.”

“Perfect,” said Jack. “Is the apartment on Sy’s floor?”

“Like next door?” asked Laura hopefully.

“No, it’s directly above him. The problem is the building isn’t very soundproof. Sy gets really pissed off if someone disturbs his sleep. He would prefer to rent it to an old person, like a grandparent of one of his guys. He was doing that, but the old fart croaked last week.”

“Tell him you think we are planning on using it to store stuff and won’t really be living in it all that much.”

“That might work. When should I do it?”

“Immediately, before he rents it to someone else,” replied Jack. “Talk to him and give us a call. I’d like to meet him tonight.”

After Rodine left the car, Laura said, “Tonight is really pushing it. Not much time to get the UC plan approved.”

“Let Connie do the paperwork on that. We don’t have time if we want to save a teacher from being murdered.”

Chapter Sixteen

Morris Bloomquist had arrived at his apartment and was opening a Chinese food takeout container when the intercom buzzer sounded. He was tired and glared at the intercom speaker on the wall in a subconscious desire for his look to silence it. However, his glare did not have the same success as it did on his staff at Queen Elizabeth, where he was the principal.