Reserved For Murder Page 20

  ‘Excellent. Then we’ll set it up for ten tomorrow morning,’ the Captain said, making a note on a scrap of paper. ‘Have you thought about where you want to work, once you get your new stripe?’

  ‘Honestly, I haven’t, sir,’ Grant said. ‘With everything that’s been going on, I haven’t had time to really let it sink in that I’m getting promoted. Wherever I’m needed, I guess.’

  ‘Good answer. I was thinking one of two places would be good for you. You could move over to the guns and gangs unit. There’s an opening for a sergeant there. You would be running a team of five. Pretty hectic these days, unfortunately. A lot more gang activity moving into the city.’

  ‘That sounds like it could be a great opportunity,’ Grant said, thinking how that could help advance his career. Running a team of five people would look great on his resume. ‘Thank you, sir.’

  ‘Did you want to hear the second option?’ asked the Captain.

  ‘Oh, of course. Sorry, sir,’ Grant said.

  ‘Now, this one’s a bit different, and maybe not the best fit,’ the Captain began.

  ***

  ‘Hey, Millar,’ Penner said, walking into his office. ‘Almost ready to grab some food?’

  ‘I am. I’m starved,’ Millar said, standing up and grabbing his keys. ‘I haven’t seen Grant yet, though.’

  ‘Assuming he didn’t drive like my grandma on the way here, he’s probably still with the Captain,’ Penner said. ‘Wonder how he’s going to take the fact you got us banned from the reserve,’ she added off-handedly.

  ‘Me?!’ Millar said. ‘No, no, no. I was in the woods when all the shit went down. You’re not pinning this on me.’ He shook his finger at Penner.

  ‘Come on. Let’s go find Grant,’ Penner said, laughing.

  ‘What did FIS say about the drive and the gun? Are they going to get to them soon?’ Millar asked, closing his office door.

  ‘Hopefully this evening,’ Penner said. ‘Apparently they aren’t swamped for a change. They’re going to call my cell when they’re done.’

  ‘We’ll see if they actually get to it that quickly.’ Millar was skeptical. ‘They talk a good game down there.’

  ‘Maybe you only get the runaround from them because you’re a jerk. Ever think treating them nicer would help your cause?’

  ‘I’m nice to everyone. When they deserve it.’

  ‘Okay. Keep telling yourself that,’ Penner said as they turned the corner and headed towards the Captain’s office.

  ‘Thank you, sir,’ Grant said, walking out of the Captain’s office into the hall. ‘I’ll see you in the morning. I’ll have a decision for you then.’ He turned and saw Penner and Millar. ‘Ready to go?’

  ‘We are,’ Millar said. ‘So, I guess you’re buying the first round—you got here last.’

  ‘Only because I abide by the law,’ Grant said. ‘I just have to call my mom real quick.’

  ‘What, to ask permission to go out?’ Millar chuckled.

  ‘No, to invite her to my promotion ceremony tomorrow. I was going to invite you, too, but…now I’m not so sure,’ Grant said. ‘You can still come, Detective,’ he said to Penner.

  Penner smiled at Millar. ‘See, being nice to people pays off. Being a jerk, not so much.’

  ‘Whatever,’ Millar said. ‘How about you meet us in the garage. If you guys want, I’ll drive.’

  ‘Sure, it should only take a minute,’ Grant said. ‘Well, if my mom answers. She’s not much of a talker on the phone. May be a bit longer if my dad answers.’

  ‘We’re pulling out in five,’ Millar said. Penner gave him a slap on the back of his head. Grant chuckled, watching them walk away.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  ‘Alright, let’s go,’ Grant said, sliding into the back seat of Millar’s car.

  ‘That was quick,’ said Penner. ‘Were they not home?’

  ‘Oh, yeah. I talked to my mom,’ Grant said as Millar started up the car. ‘Told you she wasn’t much of a talker on the phone. In person, she’ll talk your ear off—but, she’s definitely not a phone person.’

  ‘So, your promotion ceremony’s tomorrow? That’s pretty quick,’ Penner said, buckling her seatbelt.

  ‘Captain’s got some personal stuff going on so it was either tomorrow or next week,’ Grant said. ‘Figured I might as well get it done sooner than later.’

  ‘So, what time’s it going to be?’ asked Millar, pulling onto Metcalfe Street.

  ‘Ten,’ said Grant. ‘Hope you guys can make it. If you want, of course.’

  ‘Yeah, we’ll be there,’ Penner said. ‘Well, I will be anyways.’

  ‘Me, too,’ Millar said. ‘If the Captain’s going to be off for a bit, I should probably talk to him—find out if I can come back to work yet, or not.’

  ‘So, Constable-soon-to-be-Sergeant, any idea what your next assignment’s going to be?’ Penner asked. ‘Did you not see that stop sign?’ she said, turning to Millar.

  ‘I saw it,’ Millar said. ‘I totally slowed down—no one was coming.’

  ‘I don’t know how you still have your license,’ said Penner. ‘So, did the Captain give you your assignment yet?’

  ‘Sort of,’ Grant said. ‘He gave me two options.’

  ‘Options are good,’ Millar observed. ‘I don’t think I got any choices when I got my promotions. I was just told where I was going to work. And who I was going to work with, unfortunately.’

  ‘I’m just going to ignore you for a while,’ said Penner.

  ‘So, like I was saying,’ Grant continued, ‘I can lead a team with the guns and gangs unit, which I think could be a good career move.’

  ‘I’d say,’ Penner said. ‘Leading a team is a great way to get noticed and move up in your career. That could be a pretty high profile assignment.’

  ‘That’s what I was thinking, too,’ Grant said as Millar pulled into the parking lot of The Fat Cat Bistro. ‘I’ve never eaten here before. Is it good?’

  ‘Yeah, it is,’ Millar said. ‘I ate here last week with my publicist. I had a T-bone, cooked to perfection.’

  ‘Sounds good to me,’ Grant said as they got out of the car and walked towards the restaurant.

  ‘Give me a minute,’ Penner said, taking her vibrating phone out of her pocket. ‘It’s forensics. I’ll meet you inside.’

  ‘Wine?’ Millar asked.

  ‘Please. House white,’ Penner said. ‘Penner.’

  ‘Hi, Detective. It’s Sergeant Wilson.’

  ‘Hey Sergeant. So, have you got good news for me?’

  ‘Well, not really. We dusted the gun, but we didn’t find any prints. As you suspected—no prints means it’s not a suicide. But, unfortunately, it means there’s no evidence to incriminate anyone else, either.’

  ‘Huh. Well, that’s kind of what I was expecting. What about the hard drive?’

  ‘We should be getting to it in the next half hour or so. We’re a bit short-handed tonight.’

  ‘Alright, give me a shout when you’re done. Cheers.’

  Penner hung up her phone and walked into the restaurant. Looking around the crowded space, she saw Millar and Grant sitting in a booth by the kitchen. ‘Surprised you were able to get a table—the place is packed.’

  ‘Yeah, kind of surprising,’ Millar said. ‘Wasn’t nearly as busy the other night. So, FIS find anything?’ he asked, as the waitress came by with a glass of wine for Penner, and two pints of beer for Millar and Grant.

  ‘Do you need a couple of minutes with the menu?’ the waitress asked.

  ‘Please,’ Penner said.

  ‘Take your time.’

  ‘Well, cheers, Grant,’ Millar said, raising his beer. ‘Congrats on the promotion. Not sure you deserve it, but I’m not the boss.’

  ‘Thank goodness for that,’ Grant said, clinking his glass with Millar’s and Penner’s. ‘Thanks, guys.’

  ‘So, forensics checked the gun but didn’t find any fingerprints. Not even Travis’s,’ Penner said, with an arched
eyebrow.

  ‘That sucks,’ Grant said. ‘What about the drive?’

  ‘They’re just getting to it,’ Penner said, taking a sip of her wine. ‘With any luck, we should get a call before we’re done eating.’

  ‘Let’s hope it’s better news,’ Millar said, opening his menu. ‘So, what’s the other option the Captain gave you?’

  ‘Oh, right,’ Grant said. ‘He said I could join major crimes and actually report to the two of you.’

  ‘Really?’ Penner said with surprise. ‘Don’t know the last time we had a sergeant working on the team. Must be four or five years now.’

  ‘Probably five,’ Millar said. ‘I think Merasty was the last sergeant we had, and he’s been in Toronto for a few years now. Quite the different choices,’ Millar looked at Grant over the top of his menu. ‘Be a team lead, or be the bottom rung on the ladder.’

  ‘Any idea which way you’re going to go?’ Penner asked. ‘Oh, this looks good, the blackened salmon on rice pilaf. Think I’ll go for that.’

  ‘I’m torn,’ Grant said. ‘Being the boss is really appealing. Plus, guns and gangs would be a good place to work. Get to help clean up the city and get some weapons off the streets. That’s really why I became a cop—to try and make a difference.’

  ‘Are you ready to order, or do you need more time?’ The waitress appeared at the table, notepad poised.

  ‘I’m ready,’ Penner said. ‘Millar?’

  ‘I know what I want,’ Millar said.

  ‘Okay, you guys order, I’ll decide quick,’ said Grant, scanning the front and back of the menu.

  ‘I’ll get the salmon, please,’ said Penner.

  ‘I’ll try the bison burger with bacon and cheese. No lettuce, no tomatoes. No condiments. Just meat, bun, bacon and cheese,’ Millar said. Penner looked at him, giving him a strange look. ‘What?! I don’t like to hide the taste of what I’m eating.’

  ‘And for you?’ the waitress asked Grant.

  ‘Um, I’ll go for…for…the steak frites, please,’ Grant said.

  ‘How would you like the steak?’

  ‘Medium rare, please,’ Grant said, passing over the menu.

  ‘Hopefully you have an easier time choosing a career path than choosing your entrée,’ Penner said to Grant, watching the waitress walk away. ‘Major crimes could be a good fit for you. You have a pretty good knack for interviewing suspects and a keen eye when it comes to looking at crime scenes. If you eventually want to become a detective, I think it could be the best choice. Not many detectives working guns and gangs, so I think you would learn more about what’s involved. Tough call.’

  ‘Well, I don’t need to decide today, which is good,’ Grant said, finishing his beer. ‘I told the Captain I would let him know tomorrow, so I can at least sleep on it.’ His phone vibrated on the table. ‘Excuse me,’ he said, answering it. ‘Grant. Hey, Barry. I was starting to think you forgot about us. So, how’d it go? Right. Right. That’s it? Right. So, you still have a job? Well, that’s good at least. Okay, thanks for letting me know. We’ll get in touch about picking up our stuff. Later.’

  ‘So?’ Millar asked.

  ‘Apparently, the band office had been cleaned up,’ Grant said. ‘Almost all the paperwork was gone. The only thing they ended up taking was a saw.’

  ‘A saw? That’s it?’ Penner said.

  ‘That’s all there was,’ Grant said. ‘Barry brought it back to the station and dusted it for prints. He was able to identify two. One was Travis’s and the other was Sooleawa’s.’

  ‘Really?’ Millar said.

  ‘Yeah, but Sooleawa had an explanation ready for that. She said she had knocked it over and picked it up,’ Grant said. ‘No way to prove if that’s true or not.’

  ‘So the gun and the search were a bust,’ Penner said. ‘Now our last hope is the hard drive.’

  ‘Keep your phone out,’ Millar advised. ‘Don’t want to miss the call when it comes in. Food’s here,’ he said, as the waitress set their plates down.

  ‘Do you need anything else?’

  ‘I think we’re good for now, thanks,’ Penner said.

  ‘Enjoy,’ the waitress said.

  ‘This smells good,’ Penner said, watching Millar lift the top bun off of his burger. He put it back, flipped the burger over and took off the bottom bun. ‘What are you doing?’

  ‘What?’ Millar said. ‘Oh, just making sure they didn’t add any stuff to my burger. Way too often you ask for a burger to be plain and it still comes with ketchup and mustard. Or worse, a pickle’

  ‘You’re a strange man,’ Penner said. ‘Well, enjoy, guys,’ she said, cutting into her salmon.

  ***

  ‘How was everything?’ The waitress reached across the table to gather their plates.

  ‘Delicious,’ said Penner. ‘That salmon was so nice and moist.’

  ‘Good, glad you liked it. Can I get you all anything else?’

  Penner looked at the time on her phone. ‘I could go for a coffee. Are you guys having any dessert?’

  ‘I’ll grab a slice of chocolate cake, if you have any. And a coffee, please,’ Grant said.

  ‘Yeah, that sounds good, I’ll have the same,’ Millar said.

  ‘So, three coffees and two slices of chocolate cake.’

  ‘Can I get ice cream on my cake?’ Grant asked. ‘Sounds like a good celebratory dessert.’

  ‘No problem,’ the waitress said. ‘And you?’ she asked Millar.

  ‘I never say no to ice cream. Thanks.’

  The display on Penner’s phone lit up and she quickly picked it up. ‘This could be it,’ she said. ‘Penner. Hey, Sergeant. So, what’d you find. Really? Oh, okay. We can be there in twenty minutes, if you’re still going to be there. Alright, see you then.’ She hung up, looking perplexed.

  ‘Why do we have to go in?’ Millar asked. ‘What did she find?’

  ‘I’m not really sure, to be honest,’ Penner said. ‘All she said was there was only one file on the drive and we should come and see it for ourselves.’

  ‘That’s pretty weird,’ Grant said. ‘What do you think it could be?’

  ‘No idea,’ Penner said. ‘But I guess we’ll find out soon enough.’

  The waitress placed their coffees and desserts on the table. ‘Do you need anything else?’

  ‘Just the bill please,’ Millar said. ‘I’ll get it.’

  ‘Wow, that’s a shocker,’ Penner said.

  ‘Just my way of celebrating Grant’s promotion,’ Millar said.

  ‘Thanks, Millar. I appreciate it.’ Grant saluted Millar with a forkful of cake before shovelling it into his mouth. ‘Oh, this is delicious,’ he said, crumbs falling down his chin.

  ***

  Millar paid the bill and drove them back to the precinct. He pulled into a parking spot next to Penner’s car—the garage was nearly empty. From the garage, they went through a side door and straight down to the FIS lab. Penner scanned her ID card to unlock the door.

  The lab was empty, with the exception of two technicians—one in a white lab coat and the other already in her street clothes. ‘Hey, Sergeant,’ Penner greeted the officer in the bomber jacket and denim. ‘Sorry to keep you so late.’

  ‘Ah, Detective Penner. No problem.’

  ‘Sergeant Wilson, this is Detective Millar and Constable—sorry, Sergeant Grant,’ Penner said, winking at Grant.

  ‘Nice to meet you,’ Sergeant Wilson said. ‘So, we hooked up the hard drive and did a complete scan.’

  ‘And you said you only found one file?’ Penner said.

  ‘Yes, ma’am. And it’s a strange one,’ Wilson said.

  ‘Strange? How so?’ Millar asked.

  ‘Well, probably easiest if I show you,’ said Wilson, walking over to a table with a computer monitor set up. ‘So, when we scanned the disk, we found this file called the_raven.mpg.’

  ‘A video file?’ Grant said.

  ‘Yeah,’ the sergeant said. ‘Ready?’ She clicked on the file, openi
ng a video player. On the screen, an Ottawa Police badge appeared. An animated Raven flew onto the screen, landing on top of the badge. The Raven squawked, digging its claws into the badge. It raised its wings and flew off the screen, carrying the badge away with it. In its place, a skull wearing a feather headdress appeared. The video ended.

  Penner stood, staring at the screen with her mouth open. ‘What the hell was that? That son of a bitch!’

  ‘How did he do that?’ Grant asked. ‘How did he have the time?’

  ‘Unbelievable,’ Millar said, shaking his head. ‘Any way of knowing who created this?’

  ‘Unfortunately not, sir,’ said Wilson. ‘I can tell you it was uploaded to the hard drive this morning at around ten. That’s about it.’

  ‘At ten this morning? So it would have to have been made before then,’ Penner said. ‘I don’t know how long something like that would take, but I assume it’s not quick. Definitely pretty custom graphics.’ She ran one hand through her hair in frustration. ‘So, again, he was ahead of us. He knew we were going to confiscate the drive and had this made up. Either it was in the computer Sooleawa dropped off, or he switched it out after.’

  ‘The Chief didn’t strike me as super tech savvy. How did he find someone to do this?’ Millar asked, leaning against the desk.

  ‘Didn’t Sooleawa say she used to be a computer animator? She could have done this,’ said Penner. ‘So, she probably is involved.’

  ‘But how are we going to prove that?’ asked Millar. ‘There was no other computer out there. And you can be sure that if he had another computer anywhere on the reserve, it’s long gone by now.’

  ‘There has to be something else we can do,’ Grant said. ‘Right? Guys?’

  Penner stood, staring at the screen. ‘I hate to say it, but I think Millar’s right. Ravenclaw’s won.’

  ‘So that’s it?’ Grant said. ‘There’s nothing else we can do?’

  ‘Unfortunately, not,’ said Penner. ‘Sometimes, no matter how hard we try, we just can’t get the evidence we need. Sergeant Wilson, thanks for your help.’