Winston Patrick Mystery 2-Book Bundle. David Russell W.

into the department from the A.G. in Victoria.”

      The Attorney General is essentially the top lawyer in the province. Appointed by the Premier as a member of cabinet, he or she is usually also an elected member of the Legislature, though that is not officially required. The Vancouver Police Department, like the R.C.M.P., operates at arm’s length from the legislative branch of the government, guided by the Policing Act and the Criminal Code of Canada. Though the Attorney General has a significant amount of clout in determining what types of actions may be pursued in the courts, he almost always remains completely neutral and uninvolved in criminal cases. The very fact he had made a phone call to the police department had taken the “simple” case of homicide into the political arena. It could also prove to be useful in my preparation of Carl’s defence, though I didn’t share that thought with Andrea. She had put her ass on the line for me, after all.

      “Did she note what the A.G. said or wanted?” I pressed.

      “Not really. Like I said, they haven’t done a great deal of paperwork yet, and I’m sure she didn’t talk to him herself. It’s probably more of a mental note that there is pretty significant pressure to clear the case.”

      “Have you ever heard of the Attorney General taking a personal interest in an ongoing investigation?”

      “Not since I’ve been there,” she confirmed. “And he’s not the only one so keen on seeing it cleared.”

      “Other than the mayor?”

      “Other than the mayor, rumour has it around the station that a call came from Ottawa.” She let that one sink in for a moment.

      “The Prime Minister’s office wants a progress report on the status of a teenager killed in a park in Vancouver?” I was beginning to break out into a small sweat. I knew it wasn’t from the coffee. It was dropping below the lukewarm level.

      “Not quite. But definitely from the federal cabinet. Specifically Foreign Affairs.” She referred again briefly to her notes.

      “This was in their file?”

      “No. The Foreign Affairs angle is just rumour at this point, because I haven’t talked to Smythe and Furlo about it and don’t really intend to unless it becomes necessary.”

      “Probably a good plan.” I had made myself sufficiently unpopular with at least half of the detective duo in charge of gathering evidence against my client. Even if Andy’s career were immune to the repercussions stemming from such a conversation, Furlo in particular was not likely to be forthcoming with any information prior to official discovery procedures. “So why Foreign Affairs?”

      “Turns out Tricia Bellamy was the niece of the consul general of Serbia in Vancouver. Evidently, he is making all kinds of noises in diplomatic circles about getting Carl convicted sooner rather than later.”

      “Federal government has no jurisdiction over how the courts plan trials,” I informed Andrea of the obvious.

      “In a perfect world,” she countered. “What crown prosecutor do you know would be immune to pressure from a federal cabinet minister about getting a high profile case before the courts as soon as possible? The police, the Justice Department, everybody is gonna want to try to avoid looking bad in diplomatic circles when the relative of a diplomat is killed.”

      I thought about that for a moment. We have all kinds of checks and balances in our legal system to ensure political influence has no part in the administration of the courts. But it was hopelessly naïve to think a few well-placed phone calls wouldn’t have some impact on how things got done. I had seen that already by the speed at which the forensic evidence in the case had been processed thus far.

      “Bellamy doesn’t sound particularly Serbian,” I mused aloud.

      “It isn’t. That’s the step-dad’s name, and he’s long since gone. Mom’s a widow, twice, I’m led to believe. Her maiden name is Dantolovec; she’s the sister of the consul general, whose name, by the way, is also Dantolovec.”