Race (9 page)

She said, “When the product is ready the demand will be too much for even your
little
venture.”
 

He tried to read her.
 
If this product was going to be bigger than Ecstasy then he better play his cards well.
  
“No matter,” he shook his head.
 
“Let’s say fifty-fifty.”

“No.”

“That’s reasonable.
 
Considering I’m putting blind faith into the product.”

“Seventy-thirty.
 
Considering I’m paying the start-up costs.”

“All right.
 
But negotiable in the future, of course.”

“Of course.”
 
She didn’t really care for the future.
 
If the product spread as it was expected to then she wouldn’t need him.

“Agreed.
 
Once you provide me the goods I’ll have my boys get to work.”
 

***

When Ms. Zee was gone, Marcus smiled.
 
Once he had the product he’d have some of his experts analyze it and make another brand—
his
brand, which would mean one-hundred percent profit for him.
  
In the market of illegal goods there were no such things as patents.
 

***

I left the Central Field Command Headquarters and went to my car.
 
I needed to get away.
 
I needed to drive.
 

Behind the wheel I relaxed.
 
This is what I’d done for the last year-and-a-half.
 
Drive and give tickets.
 

I drove along
Eglinton
.
 

I was born in Nigeria, in Benin City.
  
I was the only child, and as my mom told me, she was in
labour
for eighteen hours before I arrived.

We moved to Canada when I was only five.
 
My mom worked dead-end jobs while my father went back to his studies.
 
He soon became a lawyer.
 
Life was good.
 
But after he left us life became tough.
 

But my mom was tougher.

She and I moved to a nice neighborhood, where she became a grade-school teacher, and I went to some of the finest schools.

My childhood was strict. I was not allowed to get an earring like all my friends.
 
I was not allowed to listen to rap music or anything with explicit lyrics.
 
I was always told to behave.
 
My childhood was firm, but I don’t blame my mom.
 
After Father left us, she became extra protective of me, trying to shield me from everything.
 
She said I was the only family she had, and she was right.

My mom always wanted me to grow up and get a job where I could wear a tie and people would respect me.
  
She wanted me to be someplace safe.
  
Instead, I joined the force.
 
I’ve already spent a year-and-a half as a PEO and I don’t know how many years I’d spend as a narcotics officer before I could tell... my mind trailed off.

I should quit and do what my mom always wanted me to do.
 
I could get used to wearing a tie.
  
Quitting seemed right.

***

I picked up something to snack on and drove back to headquarters.

Inside the meeting room I found Garnett standing in the front.
 
“Your forms,” he said.

“Not filling them out,” I said.

He looked at me as if I had just told him off.

“Why not?” he said.

“Personal reasons,” I said.
 
I wasn’t going take his abuse.
 
It no longer mattered what he thought.
 
I was going to quit.

He wasn’t happy with my answer.
 
But I wasn’t going to back down.
  
He smirked, the kind of smirk that said
You’ll be sorry
.

I went back to my chair and sat down.
 

A few minutes later Sergeant Aldrich entered the room.
  
Garnett whispered something to him and he turned to me.
 
“Officer Rupert, can I have a word with you?”

We went out into the hall.
     

“I’ve just been made aware,” he started, “that you haven’t filled out your forms.”

“That’s right,” I said.

Aldrich’s features did not change even slightly.
 
“Why is that?”

“I’m quitting.”

“Operation Anti-RACE, you mean?”

“Yes.”

“You do realize that if you quit you will not be allowed to go back to Parking Enforcement. I assure you of that.”

That was a threat.
 
But I didn’t care.

“I’m quitting the force all together.”

I saw a slight jerk under his eyelid.
 
For a brief second I had taken him off guard.
 
But the next second he was calm and collected again.
 
He raised one eyebrow.

“There isn’t anything I can do to change your mind?”

“No.”

He went silent for a minute and then I saw what looked like a smile.
 
“What would you say if I told you after this operation I could put in a good word for you in the intelligence unit.”

Damn.

I’d always wanted to join that unit: Detective Jon
Rupret
, Intelligence. I liked the sound.

“You know I want to be part of that unit?” I said.

“Officer Rupert, it’s my job to know everything.”

I felt overwhelmed.
 
There could be a possibility for me to achieve something.
 
Maybe this wouldn’t be such a waste.
 
Plus, I hadn’t seriously thought about what I was going to do next.

I looked at him hard.

“My recommendations are always approved,” he said as if he knew what I was thinking.

“Under one condition,” I said.

“Yes?”

“It’s
Rupret
. R before E.”

“Fine, Officer
Rupret
.”

“Thank you, sir.”

I was beginning to like him.
 
Maybe, after all this was done, we could go fishing together.
 
First, I’d have had to learn how to fish.

“Good.
 
You have precisely three minutes to fill those forms and hand them to Detective Garnett.”

No. I was wrong.
 
I really didn’t like him.

I scribbled onto the forms and handed them to Garnett.
 
Garnett gave me an
I thought so
smile.
 

Aldrich was back at the front. “Now that we have everyone on board.
 
Your main objective: find where
Nex
is being produced.
 
There is a clandestine laboratory producing this lethal drug.
 
We need to find and destroy it.
 
Constable Terries, Constable Barnes and Officer
Rupret
, you’ll be partnered with a senior member of the unit.
 
They have been provided with leads and they will guide you.
 

“Constable Terries, you’ll be with Detective
Nemdharry
.
 
Constable Barnes, your partner will be Detective Herrera.
 
Officer
Rupret
, you will be with Detective
Beadsworth
.”

Great
.
 
Mr. Uptight.

I turned and looked at him.
 
He didn’t look back. He was going over a file.

“You’re dismissed.
 
Keep me posted.”

SEVEN

Everyone immediately stood up and began to leave the room.
 
I got up and went over to my new partner.
 

“Hi, I’m Jon
Rupret
, R before E,” I said.

The man did not look up, nor did he respond.
 
He continued going over the file.
  
He was carefully going over each page.
 
I looked around the room and it was empty.

I coughed, hoping to get his attention. I did not.

I looked at the file and on top of it was the name: Jonathon S.
Rupret
.
 

He was reading a file on me
.

He closed the file, got up, and looked at me.

With an arm extended he said, “Detective Phillip
Beadsworth
.”

I shook his hand, “Officer Jon
Rupret
—”

“—R before the E.
 
I heard you the first time,” he replied in an accent I still couldn’t figure out.
 
It was a mixture of British and American.

“Follow me, Officer
Rupret
,” he said, leaving the room.

“You can call me Jon,” I said, following behind.

“I suppose you’d like to call me Phil,” he said and stopped.

“Yes,” I said. “Just to be informal,
y’know
.”

“Don’t.
 
It’s Detective
Beadsworth
.”
 
He pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number.
 
“Excuse me for a minute.”
 
He went to the end of the hall and spoke for maybe two minutes.
 
He came back and we moved to the elevators.

 
We went down.

“Where we going?” I asked.

“For a drive,” he said.

Outside we walked to a blue GM station wagon.
 

“We can take my car,” I said.

“When
you
drive we take your car.”

We eased out of the parking lot and into the main road.
 
I scanned the interior of the GM.
 
The dashboard was covered with little colorful stickers.
 
I looked down; my feet were stepping on a
Winnie-the-Pooh
mat.
 
I looked up and a Mickey Mouse figurine hung from the rear-view mirror.
 
I casually looked back and my mouth fell open.
 
There was a baby seat.

“So, you got kids?” I said, turning to him.

“Excellent observation, officer,” he said.
 

“How many?”

“Two.”

“Wow, two kids,” I said.
 
“I have one myself.”

“No, you don’t,” he said, turning the GM left and into another street.

“How do you know that?” I said, offended.

“I read your file.”

“How come you get a file on me and I don’t on you?”

“You’re under me.”

I blew my top. “I’m not under you.
 
I’m your partner.”

“You’re my responsibility.”

“I’m no one’s responsibility,” I said.
 
“The last thing you want is to take responsibility for me.
 
You could get into serious trouble for that. ”