THE GREAT NORTHERN MAPLE SYRUP ADVENTURE

PART TWO: CANADA

RECAP: Fraser and Ray have followed the maple syrup in Chicago to Brannigan's Wharf and mobster Frank "The Toothpick" Nardo's warehouse. They are inadvertently shanghaied in a barge containing illegal weapons and drugs for parts unknown. Meanwhile, in Chicago, Inspector Thatcher, Diefenbaker and the 27th Precinct try to find them by following the few clues left behind ...

CHAPTER ONE

"How does Fraser sleep with that racket?" Huey complained, sipping his cold cup of coffee.

"It's not that bad," Guardino said, "you should have heard my ex-wife."

Diefenbaker was sacked out on the back seat. The three of them had been watching the pier, warehouse and bar on Brannigan's Wharf for the past few hours. Apart from the hustle and bustle of the business day, they had seen nothing unusual. The bar was doing a good business as the workers in the area knocked off their shifts. The warehouse at the end, the one that Dief had singled out, had been relatively quiet, without the comings and goings of the other businesses on the pier.

Elaine had checked in with them a couple of times, staying at the station long after her shift had ended. She had returned the Riviera to the Vecchio home. Ray had not checked in with his family in over twenty four hours, an unusual occurrence for him. His sisters were worried, but hadn't yet said anything to their mother, who was away in Florida visiting her sister. Turnbull had confirmed that there was still no word from Fraser. Elaine had found a receipt from a sandwich shop on Flint Street in the Riv, and was checking it out. Meanwhile, the Lieutenant had prioritized the case. Every law enforcement agency in the greater Chicago area had a BOLO from the 2-7 for the two missing cops, including the Feds.

"I gotta go," Guardino said, opening the door. Dief sat up abruptly and followed him out. Man and wolf used a space between two containers, sheltered from the wind, to take care of business. As he was zipping up, Guardino heard Dief's quiet woof.

"What is it, boy?" He peered around the corner. There were lights approaching across the water. They hurried back to the car. Huey was watching through the small binoculars he had retrieved from Vecchio's car.

"It's a boat," he said, stating the obvious.

"What kind of boat?"

"Can't tell yet," he replied. "But, it's coming our way." They watched as the lights got closer. Then, the warehouse at the end of the pier came to life. Exterior lights and spotlights came on, illuminating the approach from the water. Lights blazed on inside. This was the most activity that they had seen for this warehouse since they started the surveillance. As they watched, fascinated, a tugboat delicately maneuvered a barge loaded with cargo. Men scurried around the pier as the barge approached. To their surprise, the barge kept moving past the pier, ending up under the warehouse, where it was completely shielded from their view.

"Huh," Guardino said. "That's weird."

"Yeah," Huey agreed.

Dief yipped.

They continued to watch for a couple hours. Guardino and Dief took another walk, not as close as before, and returned.

"I think they're unloading the cargo from underneath," he told Huey. "I could hear the sound of machinery, maybe a winch. Guys shouting back and forth. But, you can't see any of the stuff that they're unloading. It's completely hidden." He frowned. "That's hinky."

"Very suspicious," he agreed. They called it in. It wasn't anywhere near enough for a warrant, but it confirmed in their own minds that they were watching the right place.

Eventually, the warehouse quieted down. Most of the lights went off . Men exited the building in twos and threes. A few walked in the direction of the parking lots. But, most went into the Redeye Bar.

An hour later, Huey's cell phone rang. He answered it.

"Reg?" A pause. "Uh-huh. ... OK ... I'm coming in."

Guardino looked a question at him. "He got something?"

"Yeah." As he opened the door, he made a move to follow him. "Stay here, Louis."

"Jack, it's a rough –"

"Reg won't talk to me unless I'm alone," he said. "Keep an eye out. If I'm not back in half an hour, you and the wolf come get me."

Guardino reluctantly agreed. He took the binoculars, training them on the warehouse first, then on Huey as he made his way to the bar. When he disappeared inside, he switched back to the warehouse, but looked over at the bar from time to time. He felt hot breath on his cheek and a wet tongue as Diefenbaker gave him a lick.

He jerked his head. "C'mon, keep me company up here, Poochie."

Dief moved into the driver's seat and stared alertly at the warehouse.

Huey entered the Redeye. It was smoky, noisy and crowded. He managed to squeeze in at the bar. He got the bartender's attention and ordered a beer. As he sipped it, he looked around. The crowd was mostly made up of bikers and dockworkers, and their women, sitting separately in various small groups, but in apparent peaceful co-existence. The juke was loud. There were a couple of pool tables in the back, near the restrooms. He spotted Reg at one of the tables with a cue in his hand. Their eyes met, but they gave no sign of recognition. He finished his beer and made his way to the mens room. He checked the stalls and saw they were unoccupied, before approaching a urinal. A minute later, Reg joined him at the next urinal, plus one.

"What have you got?"

"This is big, Jack. Worth more than a twenty."

"We'll see," he replied. "If it's as good as you think it is, I'll treat you right. You know that."

"OK." He unzipped and began urinating. "I been playing pool, see. Two guys come in a little while ago and start playing at the other table. Older guy named Sonny Barone, I used to know from Joliet. The younger one, dude named Bobby, I ain't never seen before. He was pretty wasted." He paused. "So, Bobby's bragging on himself to one of the waitresses, the cute one named Tina. Something about being a made man now. You know, trying to pick her up."

"Yeah, that always works with the ladies," Jack said, drily.

Reg looked at him strangely, then continued, "Sonny heard him and sent the girl packing. I don't know what he said to her but she looked pretty scared. Then, he grabbed Bobby and shoved him up against the wall. Told him to shut the f— up." He finished and zipped up. "Bobby kept arguing with him, so Sonny grabs him around the neck. He tells him 'if you don't shut up right now, you'll end up in the same place as those two stiffs.'" He smiled at Huey. "Bobby shut up." He laughed. "I don't know if he wised up, or he couldn't talk after that choke hold."

Huey looked skeptical. "I can't believe they said that in front of you."

He grinned. "You'd be proud of me, Jack. I dropped the chalk on purpose, and was down, under my table, when Sonny was roughing up Bobby. He was talking low, but I got good ears. He never saw how close I was."

"And, you're sure that's what he said?"

"That's the straight shit, Jack. I swear," he said, earnestly.

"Who does Sonny work for?"

He shrugged. "Back when he was doing time at Joliet, he was working for the Toothpick. Dunno if he still does. But, y'know, the Pick's got a lot going down at the waterfront."

"Describe them."

Reg did. Huey peered into his face, then satisfied, pulled out his wallet. He handed him a hundred dollar bill.

"Thanks, man," he said, happily. He stuffed the bill in his pocket.

"Keep an eye out, OK?"

"Sure, sure," he said. He headed to the door.

"Reg?" Jack called. "Watch yourself."

Reg nodded and left. Jack went to the sink and leaned heavily on it. After a few minutes, he ran the water and washed his hands. When he left the bathroom, he ordered another beer and maneuvered over to the pool room with it. He spotted Reg at the one table. At the other table, he saw two men fitting Sonny and Bobby's descriptions. Bobby was playing badly, and kept rubbing his Adam's apple. Sonny shot a casual glance at Jack, but then went back to the game. He watched the play for a while, finished his beer, and left the Redeye.

When he got back to the car, he saw Dief sitting in the driver seat. He motioned for Guardino to join him outside the vehicle.

"I was just about to come looking for you," he said, worriedly. "You OK? You look funny."

Huey shook his head.

Alarmed, Guardino grabbed his arm. "What did Reg say?"

Huey told him. Louis looked as sick as he felt. "I didn't want to say anything in front of him," he said, pointing at the car behind Guardino.

Diefenbaker was staring out at them. As they watched, he flung his head back and howled. The sound was muffled but still sent a chill down Huey's back.

"You forgot, Jack," he said solemnly, "he can read your lips."