“You really believe he’s not going to rape again?”

“There is no doubt in my mind he intends to do it again,” said Jack, bitterly. “At the moment he is scared and will probably be cautious, but guys like that don’t quit. It will be our job to make sure he doesn’t succeed next time.”

“There’s no way we’ll get Special ‘O’ this quick. They’re tied up on all these gang shootings. We’d be lucky to get them in six months.”

“I know, but he doesn’t know that. We need to keep him on the straight and narrow while we check out these murders. After what he told us, he is probably expecting surveillance regardless. If we had it, he would probably spot them, but thinking that it is a specialized unit might scare him. It will drive him nuts trying to figure out who is watching him.”

“You shouldn’t have given him his knife back. I know you are probably hoping he will get caught with it as evidence, but I was thinking we could have used it to castrate him instead.”

Jack smiled. “That’s what I like about you. You’re such a kind, sensitive, and gentle person. Makes me feel guilty for what I am thinking of doing to him.”

Chapter Ten

Jack and Laura sat across from Rose’s desk as Jack brought her up to date on what had transpired. He explained that it started when they caught a drug dealer on the Canadian side of the border who gave them the information about the murders.

“Inspector Dyck was absolutely furious when he called me,” said Rose. “I had the distinct impression he intended to have you charged, either in service court or criminally.”

“How did it end up?” asked Jack.

“He has never worked on intelligence or organized crime. I think his heart is in the right place.”

“Sure, a heart of solid gold and a brain to match,” said Jack, feeling tired and still irritated with his encounter.

“Well, as you always say, maybe he doesn’t understand the big picture yet. I suggested he take the matter up with his chief superintendent, who he said is on holidays, so I told him to give Assistant Commissioner Isaac a call.”

“Welcome to the lower mainland,” said Laura. “His first week on the job and he has to go to the Criminal Ops Officer.”

“Did that make his ass pucker?” asked Jack.

“Maybe a little,” replied Rose. “He wants the three of us to meet him at his office first to see if we can resolve the issue.”

“Probably wants to slap more photographs in our faces,” said Jack. “Right away?”

“No. I told him that the two of you have been up over twenty-four hours straight. It was agreed we would meet Friday at one o’clock.”

“That’s tomorrow afternoon.” Laura yawned.

“I know. I would suggest that the both of you try and get something more to back up you informant’s credibility before then.”

“It is the informant who did the rape,” said Jack. “Admitting to something like that adds credibility in my eyes.”

“I figured it was the same person,” said Rose, briefly putting her hand over her eyes while massaging her temples with her fingertips. When she finished she looked at Jack.“With your informant being the rapist, what if it is a scam?”

“A scam?” asked Laura. “The guy only thinks he’s smart. I doubt that he’s smart enough for that.

“Maybe he’s not,” said Rose, looking at Jack. “But has he been smart enough in his criminal dealings in the past to consult with a lawyer for advice?”

“Meaning if caught, say for rape, fabricate a story … like five murders … and cut a deal, knowing we would go for it.”

“Exactly,” said Rose. “The old pretend to help, cut a deal with the police, and later if he is charged with the rape, tell the judge that the police were simply incompetent at solving the murders and are being dishonourable.

“And have the case tossed out for putting justice into disrepute.” Jack sighed. “I’m all too familiar with it. Lawyers standing up in court and telling the judge how their client is such a good citizen that he even tried to help the police over serious matters in the past.”

“It is something to consider,” said Rose.

“I had considered it, but under the circumstances, what choice did I have?”

“I’m not disagreeing with the choice you made, but between now and one o’clock tomorrow, I would suggest you get something to back up your informant’s claim.”

“We’ll do our best,” said Jack. “Speaking of the informant, once he got over his initial fear, he was egostistic and arrogant enough that I do believe he was telling us the truth. Including his assertion that he was a straight-A student.”

“I agree with Jack,” said Laura. “I think he would have been more nervous if he was lying about the murders.”

“I’d like to understand his personality a little better,” said Jack. “Considering the type of crimes that he is into, from exporting drugs to serial rape, what do you make of him? If what he says is true about his school achievements, the guy doesn’t fit the normal criminal profile.”

“What do I make of him? The guy should be locked away for life,” she added, bitterly, shaking her head.

“I agree with you there, but you do have a master’s in psychology, is there anything else you can add?”

Rose leaned forward, drumming her fingers on her desk for a moment before replying. “He won’t quit, I can tell you that much. He may have a deep-seated hatred of women, or could be a psychopath. Totally without conscience. Maybe both.”

“I tend to think he will strike again, too,” said Laura. “Although he didn’t seem so tough when I grabbed him by the throat and threw him to the ground last night.”

“You did that?” asked Rose.

“He needed an attitude adjustment,” Laura replied. “Believe me, you would have done the same thing.”

“A guy like that will have it out for you,” cautioned Rose. “Watch yourself. He may also be tempted to take his anger out on the next woman he attacks.”

“Oh, man. I hadn’t thought of that,” said Laura. Her voice cracked as she spoke and the thought of

the potential consequence of her action made her want to cry.

“Well, you may have rushed him along a little,” said Rose, “but I am sure that if he wasn’t caught, he would progress to murder eventually. He considers himself of superior intelligence to others. Part of this could be amusement for him, treating the police like a challenger in a chess game.”

“We’ll have to stop him dead in his tracks before he strikes again,” said Jack.

“Dead is right,” said Laura in frustration. “Wish he had tried to attack me when I was alone with him. I’d have enjoyed double-tapping two into his chest.”

“I understand your emotions,” said Rose, “but fantasizing is not the answer. We need to come up with a plan.”

“I will,” said Jack. “At the moment he thinks he is being watched, so I don’t think he will try anything for a little while.”

“I should know his name,” said Rose. “If something were to happen to you two, it would —”

“And if you were ordered to divulge it?” said Jack.

“I would refuse.”

“Why put your career in needless jeopardy? Let’s wait a few days until we see which direction the storm is blowing.”

“Are you refusing to tell me?” asked Rose.

“More like stalling,” said Jack. “I’ll write his name down on a piece of paper and lock it in my desk drawer. If something happens to us, you’ll know where to look.”

“If I do need to look, I better not find my name written down on that piece of paper.”

“The thought would never occur to me.” Jack smiled.

Rose stared silently at Jack and Laura for a moment and then said, “Why are you both sitting there? Don’t you have work to do?”

Rose leaned forward and rested her chin on clasped hands as she stared at the empty chairs in front of her desk. Jack does his best to protect me …will I be able to protect him?