7
Frank McGiver was in his office at Solutions Source, in downtown Vancouver, BC. The League ran all of their legitimate operations for western Canada from this office, and McGiver—with an MBA from Rotman School of Business at the University of Toronto—was their golden boy.
They’d hired McGiver right out of university, and with him at the helm, The League’s portfolio now included, among other businesses, ownership of a number of lucrative mines in other countries and a substantial, though not yet controlling interest, in one at home. That lucrative property was Mountain Metals, the third largest copper mine in Canada.
The League had been playing the long game there for a few years now, but the owner of Mountain Metals refused all offers. McGiver’s boss thought it was time to turn up the heat. And so he’d done just that.
“Jesus, Frank! Your fucking thugs took Rose! My niece! For the love of Christ, Frank! She’s in the hospital now with a serious concussion!”
Ray Palmer stopped only long enough to take a breath. Frank McGiver took the opening.
“Take it easy, Ray.”
“Take it easy? Fuck you!”
“Okay. Okay. Bad choice of words. I understand you’re upset. Of course, you’re upset. I haven’t had a chance to contact the hires who were supposed to take care of this, so I don’t know what the fuck is going on.”
Frank McGiver paused, somewhat flustered. He had been assured that Max King was dead, and this was the first he was hearing that his girlfriend Rose had also been taken and was badly hurt.
“Your thugs? You can’t reach them can you? I’ll bet you can’t… Total fuck-ups! They’re long gone, Frank.”
“Ray. You have to believe me. I’m as shocked as you are. The first I’m hearing about your niece and King is on the news.”
“Rose is in the ICU for chrissakes. If she doesn’t come through this… so help me, I’ll have your head on a plate!”
“She’s going to be okay, Ray.”
“You don’t know that, Frank!”
“You’re right, I don’t. But you have my word. I’ll get to the bottom of this, and I’ll find out exactly what happened and whoever is responsible is going to pay.”
“I never would have helped if I knew you planned on offing Max King. I thought you were just going to scare him. You should have talked to me first!”
Frank was silent.
“Frank? You still there?”
“Yes, I’m here.”
“You’re strictly hands off from now on. I need your word on that.”
“Look, Ray. I’m very sorry about what happened to your niece. But my people felt this had to be done. King and his cohorts are planning a lawsuit for Copper Mountain and at some point, someone is going to come after New Directions.”
“You don’t understand Frank! We’re used to this kind of heat. Nothing will come of it!”
But Frank ignored him. “New Directions is the second big, rare earth mine in British Columbia. The first of what we all hope will be many very lucrative mines. There are dozens of these mines in the works here, and they’re going to be worth billions! What if King and his bunch get it in their heads to try to halt production at the mine.”
“That’s never going to happen, Frank! Compliance oversight—for the love of Christ, there is no compliance oversight anymore—certainly none that’s worth the paper it’s written on. We made sure of that before we went down this path! The new green economy needs a North American supply of tantalum, to say nothing of the rest of the rare earths, and copper, and nickel. And everyone willing to pay is going to get as much as they need and no-one’s going to stop us. And we are all going to be very, very rich!”
“My people want Max King gone. People like him make them very nervous. End of story. We don’t need him or anyone else blowing up this operation.”
“And what was accomplished by your ill-advised side venture? Max King is alive and kicking and my niece—and the daughter of a sitting judge!—is in the ICU! Talk about drawing attention to anything King might be working on! And all this over a bunch of natives who want to take Mountain Metals to court. How successful do you think they’re going to be?”
“I don’t know.”
“You haven’t been playing this game long enough to know that it is certainly not the end of our world. Far from it. A little inconvenient for us, sure. A bit of a slow-down? Absolutely. But nothing a little cash that makes it to the right palm, and a few well-worded press releases can’t fix.”
“Look, this is a province that doesn’t allow nuclear reactors, and the tailings pond at New Directions is radioactive. At some point, someone will take exception to that, so forgive my people for being concerned.”
“Come on, Frank. Are you kidding? Your people haven’t been in this game long enough. The government just allowed an oil pipeline to be built right through the goddam province to the coast! An oil pipeline for chrissakes! Mining? We’re barely on the public’s radar. Government at all levels is in love with rare earth mining. We have the expertise. Hell, we’re the saviours. We’re gonna help everyone usher in a better, greener world. Canada wants to be a major player in rare earths and they’re shovelling money at us.”
“Yeah, but what if people discover that the New Directions tailings pond is leaking?”
“Oh, for fuck sakes—it’s been leaking since day one! More than two years now. And has the mine closed?”
“Well… no.”
“Exactly. We’ll pay a few fines. You’ve got lawyers. What do they tell you?”
Frank was silent.
“If you had been in this game for as long as we have, you would have noticed that when it comes to court, it’s a rigged game… and it’s rigged in our favour.”
“Yeah, I guess that’s true.”
“That’s because we control the lawmakers, and they pass the laws we tell them to pass. We’ve spent millions making sure the present situation is a smooth road for us. King and the rest of the do-gooders are nothing but a bloody nuisance.”
“No, he’s a lot more than a nuisance,” said Frank, “and he makes my people nervous. Look what happened to Nevsun Mining. A couple of workers—from another country for chrissakes—bring a case against Nevsun for being complicit in using forced labor. And they bring their case here! To Canada! And our court agrees to hear the case. That makes my people very nervous. Everyone is looking to Canada now for environmental leadership.”
“But that case was never heard in court! Nevsun took care of that and settled out of court for chump change. And that will be the last you hear of it. Anyway, that was an international case.”
“For fuck sakes, Ray! Do you think the natives aren’t paying attention. My lawyers tell me the Nevsun case—international or not—is a wedge that could open up a can of worms, and I’m betting that asshole King thinks that it was just that! At least from what I’ve been told.”
“Where are you getting your information?”
“We’ve got a source,” said Frank.
“Who? And where?”
“One of the paralegals at King’s office is on my payroll. ”
“Oh right. Her. So, Lynn is a legal expert now?”
“Her name’s Shannon, and no, she’s not an expert. But she thinks something bigger is up than just taking Mountain Metals to court over Copper Mountain. As if that isn’t reason enough to be concerned!”
“I’m telling you, the Mountain Metals lawsuit won’t make it to court, Frank.” Ray was silent for a beat. “But what exactly do you mean by something bigger?”
“She’s sure that something else is being planned, all very hush-hush. So, she planted bugs in both guys’ offices.”
“I’m listening."
“For instance, King has been working on something for weeks now, but he’s not using any of the junior lawyers or the paralegals, even for grunt work. Same with Rosen.”
“And…”
“They’ve spent weeks preparing whatever this is. Just the two of them. And no-one at the firm knows what they’re working on.”
“Who’s the other guy again?”
“Ari Rosen.”
“That’s a familiar name.”
“He worked for the plaintiffs when they tried to take Mount Polley Mining to court.”
On the other end of the line, Ray snorted.
“Mount Polley. Give me a break. They weren’t particularly successful, were they? I mean, the mine’s open for business again. And why? Because everyone needs copper! And I hear the dam still leaks. Not that that matters.”
“Shannon thinks that whatever those two are up to is more far-reaching than taking down Mountain Metals.”
“That’s what she thinks, but does she have any proof?”
“Nothing yet. The bugs aren’t giving us much."
“So you’ve got nothing.”
“We did get something from the bug in King’s office. There was some talk about the individual’s right to feel secure. They seemed excited about it.”
“Hardly earth shattering.”
“Fuck, Ray! Just listen for a minute. We took this to our lawyers.”
“And what did they say?”
“Our guys think they’re going to bring forward some kind of constitutional challenge to halt our mines.”
“Except there’s nothing in the constitution that protects the environment.”
“Not the environment, Ray! The constitution guarantees a person’s right to security of the individual. It’s in the charter.”
“Again, Frank, you and your people have nothing to worry about.”
“If King and Rosen manage to shut down New Directions, we’ll all be out the millions we’ve already sunk into it. And what about the billions we stand to lose if the mine doesn’t keep operating like it’s supposed to. And what about the dozens of mines the industry is sitting on. Some of those mines are ours! We’ve got a great situation here—great for all of us—and my people are very unhappy with this possible distraction interfering with our common interest. They want it taken care of.”
“Frank. Your people are not in charge of this situation. Mountain Metals is. I am!”
“The fuck we aren’t! We’re shareholders, and don’t you forget it!”
It was a not-so-subtle reminder that Frank’s people controlled fifteen percent of Mountain. It had been twelve percent, but they’d gotten their hands on more shares. Ray wouldn’t have been surprised if some arm twisting was involved. What Frank didn’t know was that Mountain Metals was aware of this move and was watching the situation very closely. They weren’t worried that Frank’s people would force a takeover, though he wouldn’t put it past them to try. They’d been successful at that before. Ray knew the bulk of Mountain’s shares were invincible. He tried another tactic.
“There are two things, Frank, that I want you to understand. First, let your people know that if these kind of tactics continue, Mountain Metals will force you out. This kind of behaviour will not be condoned. Am I clear?”
“Yes. Very clear.”
“And second, Max King and his cronies are not going to win against Mountain. Like I said, it’s a rigged game. And it’s our game because we’ve set it up that way. We always have the winning hand.”
“You seem very sure of that, Ray.”
“Okay, Frank, answer me this: What do you think happens if you silence Max King? You think he’s the only mouthpiece? He isn’t. And it isn’t just the natives making noise about mining. For the love of Christ, Frank, you can’t just pick these guys off, native or non-native. This is Canada for chrissakes. There are laws!”
Frank kept silent, waiting Ray out. Frank was one of a new breed of gang member; he was well educated and looked the part. As far as he and his people were concerned, Max King was trouble. If Ray wasn’t willing to listen, they would deal with this themselves, and once they did, there was nothing Mountain Metals could do about it.
“Let me know if there’s anything I can do for your niece.”
“Frank, don’t go near the hospital!”
“Of course not, Ray. That’s not what I meant. I’m just trying to fix this.”
“The only thing that’s going to fix this is for Rose to be okay.”
“Of course.”
Ray blew out a long breath.
“Look, Frank, I’m sorry for losing it. It’s just that I love my niece.”
“Of course you do, Ray. I love my family too. That’s why we do what we do. You have my word that the guys responsible for this fuck-up will pay.”
“One more thing, Frank, we might have another problem. My sister Marilyn said the judge was complaining that Alex Desocarras was involved somehow.”
“Desocarras? Should I know him?”
“Not really. Alex Desocarras is from these parts. Native guy. The New Directions Mine is on his people’s territory and they’re not happy about that. It looks like he’s working for Max King. He seems to be sticking pretty close to him.”
“Is the guy a threat?”
“If your guys covered your tracks, he isn’t.”
“Why? Are you worried?”
“It doesn’t hurt to be cautious. Desocarras is ex-RCMP. Very smart and very well connected.”
“I’m asking you again, Ray. Is Desocarras a threat to us?”
“He’s been trouble before; nothing we couldn’t handle… Just don’t give him any reason to go nosing around. He’s good at that.”
Frank was silent.
“Frank? Do you hear me? Do not go near Desocarras. Just let it lie.”
“Okay. We’ll do it your way.”
“Good to hear. Now, I’ll be in Vancouver at the end of the week. Let’s have dinner at the club. I’ll get back to you after I check my calendar.”
“Sure. Let me know, and I’ll book a table,” said Frank, disconnecting.
Frank sat back and smiled to himself. The League wanted to own mines. They hadn’t been entirely welcoming to the idea when he first broached it a few years back, but his forecast of possible earnings had brought them onside. Now that they had mining in their portfolio, they were hungry for a much bigger piece of that pie. They wanted Copper Mountain and they were willing to go out on a limb to secure it. And Frank knew just how far.
In spite of Len’s fuck-up, the situation was salvageable. First he’d have to deal with Len and that asshole Rick he always had by his side. They thought they’d pulled a fast one and done a runner. But The League’s reach was impressive and their days were numbered. He smiled again. Mountain Metals certainly did not have that kind of reach.
Who the hell was Alex Desocarras? One man couldn’t be that much trouble. No man was above the reach of The League and that included Ray Palmer. Another smile appeared on Frank’s handsome face. Ray Palmer was his now and Palmer knew it. The plan to take control of Mountain Metals could move forward. The boss, Sam Barker, was not a man who liked excuses. He would want to finish what they’d started. Frank reached for his phone.
Marilyn Barlow woke up with a start and looked over at her daughter.
“Rose, you’re awake. Oh, thank God! I need to let your father know.”
Rose had been trying to wake her mom for a few minutes now.
“Mom. Please. Never mind dad. Where is Max?”
“If you must know, he’s in the Emergency Department.”
“He’s alive. Thank God. I’ve been so worried!”
“Of course you have,” said her mother, relenting a little. “I was given to understand that he’ll be fine.”
Rose tried to sit up in bed, but it was too much of an effort, and she fell back against the pillows.
“I want to see him, mom.”
“He’s probably sleeping dear.”
Rose tried but couldn’t focus on the wall clock.
“What time is it?”
Marilyn glanced across the room to the clock.
“It’s four in the morning. I must have fallen asleep.”
“Where is Dad?”
“I sent him home for a nap.”
The judge had been diagnosed with high blood pressure a few months before, and she didn’t want them both in the hospital.
Rose nodded.
“It’s better Dad’s not here anyway. He hates Max.”
“Hate is a strong word, dear. But I do agree. It’s better your dad’s not here. He’ll be back in a few hours, after he’s had a nap.”
She searched her daughter’s face.
“We were so worried, Rose. Can you remember anything at all about what happened?”
“I’m hurting too much to think.”
Her whole body ached, her head especially. And she felt like hell.
“Nothing at all?”
Rose shook her head and closed her eyes, forestalling further conversation. It worked. She stopped talking. Her mom didn’t always know when to let up.
She’d let Max sleep for now, but in a few hours, she’d ask the nurse on duty to see if he was able to come up and see her. Mom said he’d be okay, but she wanted to see that he was okay for herself. She’d try to get her mom out of the room somehow, whether she liked the idea or not. And her dad; hopefully he wouldn’t be here.
Then she remembered something the guy who clobbered her said when he opened the trunk of the car and pushed her in.
Too bad for you. You’re in the wrong place at the wrong time.
But that didn’t make sense, that she wasn’t supposed to be at Max’s. They’d been dating for months, and they spent every weekend together when they could. Or maybe he meant it was just her bad luck to be at Max’s when they came for him. It was hard to think clearly with this monstrous headache.
Rose pressed the call bell for the nurse. She was no good to anyone like this. She needed something for pain. She needed a clear head so that she would try to figure out who targeted Max.
The night nurse came in just after six am to see if Max was awake and spoke to Alex.
“Rose Barlow is up in ICU now, and she would like to see Mr. King.”
Alex roused Max and told him. Max sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed.
“Let’s go.”
“I’ll get an orderly to bring you up.”
“My brother can take me up.”
Emergency was very busy at that moment, with patients from a two-car accident. She relented.
“That should be okay,” she said, and told Alex where he could find a wheelchair.
“I don’t need a chair,” said Max.
“You’re not going anywhere unless you’re in a wheelchair,” said the night nurse decisively.
“Okay,” said Max, relenting.
“The ICU is on the third floor,” she said. “Once you’re on the third floor, go left, through the swinging doors and head to the end of the long hall. I’ll let them know you’re coming.”
Alex went to fetch a wheelchair and brought it back to the cubicle. Max got out of bed.
“I can walk,” he insisted.
Alex pointed to the chair and raised an eyebrow. “Let’s not draw attention.”
Grudgingly, Max settled into the chair. Alex wheeled him to the elevator and up to the ICU. There was a uniformed police officer at the door. She stood when they approached Rose’s room.
“No visitors,” she said decisively.
“Rose asked to see Mr. King,” said Alex.
The woman looked down at Max, who nodded.
“Rose asked to see me.”
“Ms. Barlow is in pretty rough shape,” she insisted, looking Max over. “And you don’t look so good either.”
“I think she will feel much better if she can see for herself that her boyfriend is okay,” said Alex. “And Max has been very worried about his girlfriend.”
“If you’re not out in five minutes, I’ll come in,” she said, opening the door and allowing them to pass.
“Max, you’re here,” said Rose, somewhat feebly. “Mom, could you leave us alone for a few minutes.”
“I am not leaving your side.”
“Mom, I insist. Please leave us alone, just for a few minutes.”
Obviously displeased, Marilyn headed for the door.
“Just for a few minutes then,” she said and left the room.
“Please shut the door,” Rose asked Alex, who complied as he followed her mother out the door.
“They shouldn’t be alone,” said Marilyn to the duty officer.
“Why not?” asked Alex, taking up a position outside the door beside the officer. “They’re a couple.”
To the officer: “You don’t mind if I wait here?”
The officer shook her head.
Marilyn, who was still outside the door, pulled out her phone.
“The judge is going to hear about this,” she flung at Alex then flounced off to the ICU waiting area down the hall.
Just what I need, thought Alex. He looked at the officer.
“Have you been here all night?”
“Yes. Judge Barlow asked the detachment for a guard.”
It was only a brief moment before it dawned on her.
“There was no guard on Mr. King?”
“Not a police guard. I was with him, at his mother’s request. I used to be police.”
The officer nodded. Appraised Alex. Said nothing.
Alone with Rose, Max got out of the wheelchair and moved to her side, taking her hand in his.
“Rosie, sweetheart, how are you feeling?”
“I didn’t realize concussions could be this painful… Max, the guy said I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. But I wasn’t in the wrong place. I was with you.”
“Who said that?”
“The guy who clobbered me. Before he stuffed me in the trunk.”
“In the trunk? Out behind my place?”
“Yes.”
Max stared at her, anguish plain on his face.
“Are you in a lot of pain?”
“The headache is the worst, but I was given something for pain, just before you got here. It’s starting to kick in. What about you? What happened to your cheek?”
“Look at your head,” countered Max. “Your head trumps my cheek.” He closely examined the stitches on the side of her head. “That’s a lot of stitches. It must have been a nasty cut! And the bruising.”
“It looks worse than it is, but the important thing is that we’re both okay.”
Rose grinned, wincing a little.
“You’re not okay, Rosie! I’ll get the nurse.”
“No, no. Don’t worry. The pain is definitely easing off. It’s not as bad as it was last night.”
“Rosie, you need to stay here for a few days to make sure you’re okay.”
“Much as I hate the idea, I don’t think I have much choice.”
“I love you so much,” said Max.
“And I you, sweetheart.”
Max managed a smile. “I was afraid I’d lost you.”
He bent over and kissed her tenderly on the cheek.
“Fat chance that,” said Rose. “You’re stuck with me buddy.”
She grimaced in pain again, and Max was immediately on his feet.
“Rosie, I’m getting the nurse right now!”
“Don’t do that. I’ll be okay.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure. Promise me you’ll come see me later.”
“I promise. Right now, I think you need to rest.”
“What about you?”
“I’ll be out of here by noon probably.”
“Yeah. You look pretty good.”
“Thanks,” grinning Max. “I’ll come check on you this afternoon.”
“Okay.”
“By the way, my mom arrived last night,” said Max. “I haven’t spoken with her yet. I was asleep when she got here.”
Rose tried to smile.
“The famous Connie King. I look forward to meeting her.”
“You’ll love her. She’s amazing. And she’ll love you, of course.”
“I hope so.”
“She will, don’t you worry. I’ll go now and let you rest. Is there anything I can get you from your place?”
“Call Meeta. She’ll know what I need.”
“Okay.”
Max turned to go, but instead of sitting in the chair, he spun it around so that he could grasp the handles.
“Be careful Max, please.”
“I will honey. You get some rest.”
Max wheeled the chair to the door and opened it. He glanced back at Rose. Her eyes were closed. She was already dozing off. He pushed it through. He nodded at the duty officer and looked to Alex.
“Let’s go,” he said and they headed back to Emergency.
Alex was on his way to the kiosk to see if it was open yet, when Eugene texted that he had the CCTV footage and had viewed it. Alex called him.
“Any joy?” asked Alex.
“I did spot a grey SUV parked on one of the side streets at a small business that was closed for the evening. It was there for well over an hour and no-one exited the vehicle. And the location of the business gave the vehicle a view of the stadium.”
“That pretty much corroborates what Max King remembers.”
“The plates gave vehicle ownership to Enterprise Car Rental. After leaving the downtown area, I picked the car up on River Road, and tracked it to the cut-off to Yellowhead Highway. Then I lost it. I think we have the abductors car.”
“Sounds like it.”
“I’ve passed this to Strickland and Bannon. They should be at the hospital soon. They want to interview King and his girlfriend.”
“That’s good. I don’t want to leave King alone. I’m heading to the mine site in the next hour.”
“There are plans to put a detail on him. What about Rose Barlow?”
“We were just up in ICU. She’s still in a lot of pain. They will probably have to wait on interviewing her. Max is up for interviewing, though.”