Dead Ends by Don Easton

free we could follow him to find out where he hangs his hat. See if he meets with Cocktail. If he doesn’t get off, maybe some of his friends will show up to see him off and we could follow them.”
    â€œThree weeks!” said Connie. “On a case where they expect a conviction? I don’t want to rely on something that flimsy.”
    Jack looked at Laura and said, “Let’s get more info on these gangs and watch how they deal. It might lead us to some of the labs.”
    â€œI investigate murders, not dope dealers,” said Connie. “How do you go about it?”
    â€œThrough surveillance, arrests, informants —”
    â€œI don’t have the time or the manpower for all that,” said Connie. “Even if I did, it would take a long time. Innocent people could be breathing in the fumes from these labs. There must be something we can do. Rodine and his buddies might not even be connected with Cocktail.”
    â€œI don’t want to wait, either,” said Jack. “We need an informant on the inside.”
    â€œYeah, but how?” asked Connie. “You can’t exactly run an ad in the Vancouver Sun .”
    â€œWe need a clearer picture of what the meth situation is about,” replied Jack. “Meth is a massive problem. Did you know that B.C. currently supplies the majority of our planet in meth? Australia, Asia … you name it.”
    â€œHeck of a thing for Canada to be known around the world for,” muttered Connie.
    â€œWe can thank our provincial judiciary for their leniency and lack of foresight for that,” replied Laura. “They aren’t known for seeing the big picture, are they, Jack?” She gave a wry smile at employing a phrase often used by Jack.
    Jack shook his head and said, “We’re globally famous for both peacekeeping and supplying the world with methamphetamines. Hell of a combination. Men and women giving their lives for peace around the world while fellow Canadians destroy lives.”
    â€œI don’t want to think about it,” said Connie. “Too depressing.”
    â€œWe do need to see the big picture,” said Jack, glancing at Laura. “We have to find out everything we can. I’ll check with Drug Section, VPD, and Toxicology to get info on anything to do with meth. This is the Easter long weekend. By Tuesday morning we should have enough reports to give us an idea of what is going on. Then we will target someone specifically. Maybe do a quick UC, buy some drugs and see if we can turn an informant. If we find one biker lab, surveillance may lead to more. Eventually we’ll find Cocktail.”
    â€œYeah … unless the bikers look at him as a loose end,” said Connie.
    â€œIf they did, VPD would have found his body in the alley alongside Varrick and Zack.”
    â€œToo bad they didn’t,” replied Connie. “It would save us all a lot of time.”
    â€œStarting to think like me?” said Jack with a smile.
    â€œI hope not,” replied Connie, frowning.
    â€œEven if he was dead, Satans Wrath would still have others running the labs,” said Laura.
    The dismal tone of her voice brought a moment of silence as the investigators thought about the situation. The meeting came to an end with Connie agreeing to see what they could learn over the next few days.
    * * *
    On Friday night Jack and Natasha sat on the balcony of their condo overlooking the city lights while sipping on a glass of Glayva. Jack snuggled closer to Natasha on the love seat while swilling a taste of the Scotch-based liqueur around in his mouth. My life is great , he thought.
    He glanced at his watch. It was nine o’clock. It was a moment in time that he would remember.
    * * *
    Ai-li Cheung walked over to lock the front door of their corner grocery store. Her husband, Frank, had already plodded upstairs to the second storey that was their home for the last thirty-seven years. The