Jack stopped chewing to answer his BlackBerry. It was the grief counsellor from the hospital calling to give him the news he dreaded to hear.
âDo you know anything about neuroblastoma?â asked Phyllis.
âNo, but it doesnât sound good,â replied Jack. He repeated the word in his mind. Neuroblastoma ⦠He felt like he had been whacked on the side of his head with a plank. He listened, guts churning, as Phyllis continued to talk. Why didnât I keep track of the bastards? Faith has cancer. If only I â
âYou still there?â asked Phyllis.
âYes. Sorry. What do you know about it?â
âIt is a cancer of the nerve cells and can occur anywhere in the body. In Faithâs case, it is in her nerve tissue alongside her spinal cord in her neck. There are no clear indications of what causes it.â
âThere are in this case,â said Jack, harshly, then lowered his window for air. âWhatâs her prognosis?â
âDonât know yet. A lot more tests will need to be done. Likely chemo.â
âThe rest ⦠what about Noah and Gabriel. The other kids â¦â
âThings look good for them so far. Theyâll have to be retested every six months for the next few years. Jack, Iâm sorry. Wish it was better news.â
âI better go see Gabriel,â said Jack.
âUh, now is not the time.â
Probably hates my guts ⦠and so she should â¦
âSheâs still in denial ⦠doing a lot of praying. For you to see her ⦠well, from what you told me, it could evoke a lot of unwarranted anger. It wouldnât help either of you. Leave her to me. Donât worry, Iâll be in touch.â
âJack!â interjected Laura. âItâs Varrick. Heading to a black pickup truck,â she said, without taking her eyes from the binoculars.
Chapter Six
Chapter Six
Connie Crane skipped her lunch break to go to the Public Prosecution Service of Canada and meet with Bob, the prosecutor who had reviewed her application under Part VI of the Criminal Code for a wiretap intercept on Herman Varrick.
Connie made herself comfortable in a chair across from Bobâs desk, and after the usual niceties were exchanged, Connie gestured to her application on Bobâs desk and said, âWell?â
Bob grimanced and replied, âItâs pretty weak, Iââ
âCome on, Bob,â interrupted Connie. âHe was running a meth lab in the basement where the vic was found. Then he cleaned it out and took off.â
âI know,â replied Bob. âI did read it. Carefully, I might add.â
âSorry,â sighed Connie. âI know itâs not you. What are the issues youâre worried about?â
âTo start with, your affidavit says it wasnât Varrick who rented it. That it was someone else using a fake identity. You also say that Varrick was frequently in the company of yet a third unidentified person.â
âThese other two are who we want to identify,â persisted Connie.
âAnd you say the only hair you found doesnât appear to match Varrick. There is nothing specific to indicate he had any involvement in the murder.â
âHe was running a meth lab for Peteâs sake.â
âYour Part VI is for a homicide, not drugs.â
âYou think I should rewrite it as a drug investigation?â
âNo. There is no evidence to indicate he is still involved in the manufacture of drugs.â
âSo what are you saying? I donât have enough to get a wire?â
Bob paused for a moment and flipped through a couple of pages in the affidavit. He looked up and said, âIsnât there anything else you could give me?â
Connie shook her head and replied, âNothing yet. Weâre doing surveillance, but so far it has been fruitless. Weâre hoping to get more evidence once we identify the other two guys. Which I am hoping a wire
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