Page 46 of A Life Betrayed

“It was somewhat of an unplanned stop. I wanted to speak with you about the investigation,” he said, pulling out a chair.

Frances took a seat at the table across from him, keeping her face neutral. “Progress has been slower than I’d hoped.”

“I received a report on Friday that we had Beauvais in custody.”

She felt a spike of anger. After they’d released Mathias, she’d stood outside the booking room and watched him retrieve his personal effects with an arrogance that set her teeth on edge. “He’s been released.”

“Released?”

Frances looked past the deputy commissioner to the curling poster on the wall, which featured two uniformed Mounties holding their hands to their hearts.Maintiens le Droit, it read. “His lawyer contested the charges.”

Gill made a reproving noise with his tongue. “If Beauvais is proving difficult, why not focus on the other key figures? At this rate, we only need one to justify continuing the investigation.”

“They’re relics, figureheads. Beauvais has been the most active player in the province for years. He’s said to have orchestrated the expansion of the mob’s construction sector lending and is widely believed to have played a key role in Bianchi’s takeover.”

“You know, or you suspect?” the deputy commissioner asked carefully. “If there wasn’t anything to hold him long enough for a hearing, I’m not sure what you’re going off here.”

“Statements, evidence,” she replied, flustered. “I have William Truman of the Hamilton Red Reapers as an informant. He’s proven very helpful.”

“Not helpful enough.” Gill fixed her with a judicial stare. “I hate to have to do this, Frances, but we’re almost a year in andhave nothing to show for it. HQ needs results to continue the funding. Otherwise, it will be shifted elsewhere.”

“They’ll pull the funding?” she asked, her voice rising. “We’re working against decades of entrenchment here. The family’s influence stretches as far as the mayor’s office, maybe further.”

Gill glanced down at his watch. “It’s out of my hands. Launching this investigation in Quebec was already a showy move. There are other cases that need the money, and HQ’s looking to repurpose some of it. It’s about optics at this point—”

“Otherwise what?” Frances challenged him. “We leave the province with our tails between our legs?”

“If it comes to that, HQ knows how to spin it. Throw the divisional office under the bus—Lord knows they’re finally due for some scrutiny. The Montreal branch has always been a weak link. I sent you out here to show them how it’s done, and when you eventually step away, and they don’t follow through—which we both know they won’t—it’s not on us.”

She narrowed her eyes. “To be frank, Deputy Commissioner, that benefits no one.”

“Who it benefits is not my problem. I just need to worry about where the money goes.”

There was a knock at the door, and Sergeant Gagnon poked his head into the room. “Sorry to interrupt, sir. Inspector, I’ve got legal on the phone about the civil claim.”

Frances could have kicked the man. Across from her, Gill raised his eyebrows. “Civil claim?”

“Beauvais’s lawyer is citing human rights violations,” Gagnon supplied almost eagerly.

To his credit, as someone more familiar with the Quebec legal system, he’d cautioned Frances about her tactics. However, he’d appeared unduly amused when the whole thing had ended as a bust. She’d procured the warrant for Mathias’s arrest from an Ontario judge she was on friendly terms with, bypassing regularproceedings in Montreal, only to find that the local magistrate was less inclined to side with her and had promptly thrown out the charges.

“Sergeant, have legal call back. I need to speak with Inspector Allen a moment longer,” the deputy commissioner instructed.

Frances steeled herself as Gagnon left the room. The door clicked shut behind him.

“I’ve known you almost your whole career, Frances. You’re tenacious, with an impressive track record, but you should know by now this job isn’t that simple. Not everything can be categorized neatly in terms of success and failure.” Gill folded his arms. “When you get too hung up on results, you make stupid mistakes. When you make stupid mistakes, you give the wrong people all sorts of opportunities.”

“I know,” she relented. “But come on, Thomas. We’ve done this so many times—we put the pressure on and pounce when they crack.”

The deputy commissioner frowned. “You said it yourself—the mob is entrenched here. This isn’t some two-bit street gang. They rub shoulders with the city’s elite. They have powerful friends in high places, and they will be looking to exploit any vulnerability you give them. We need everything to be aboveboard, by the book. You can’t afford to play fast and loose. And we can’t afford a legal battle—a fucking civil claim, Allen? Do you want the funds meant to put this man behind bars lining a bunch of lawyers’ pockets?”

She shook her head, chastened. “Point taken, sir.”

“Good. And on that note, I saw in the case file you have alerts set up with Transport Canada. Remove them. The last thing we need is for him to go after us for surveillance without probable cause.”

“Noted,” she replied tightly.

Gill gave a sigh. “It’s not like you to let a case get under your skin. I sent you out here for results, Inspector, so get your proverbial shit together. We’re running out of time.”

---