Senator Nathaniel Diamond was cruising at 34,000 feet over Lake Winnipeg on his way back to Ottawa. He couldn’t wait any longer and placed the call using the air phone.
“Senator Leboeuf, it’s Nate again.” He’d called him just prior to boarding the plane and tried to explain what Kaito had done, but Leboeuf was in the middle of something and after hearing what it was about, asked Nathaniel to call back in two hours.
“Uh huh.” His displeasure was clear. “So what’s this about? You said Kaito Hui’s created a breach?”
“Yes, and I think we need to meet as soon as possible.”
He heard Francois Leboeuf sigh loudly. “Where are you now?”
“Somewhere over Manitoba at the moment.”
“How bad is it?
“Bad. That’s why we need to meet. Can we meet at Val David? The usual place?”
Leboeuf sighed again. “You know, Kaito’s had a few of us on edge from the beginning. You do understand my position?”
“I do. That’s why we need to meet.”
Francois breathed heavily into the phone without responding. It was what he always did when he was uncomfortable. He didn’t answer.
“Senator, Leboeuf? I’m catching a flight back to Montreal as soon as I land in Ottawa. I can be at the lake by eleven tonight.”
Francois continued to breathe heavily. “You do know that place closed down last December.”
“Closed down? Hotel La Sapiniere? Really?”
The Senator didn’t respond.
“Well, have it opened back up. We can meet in the bar.”
“Open it? You make it sound easy.”
“We don’t have time to find a new place. Everyone knows the protocol involved in meeting there. And it’s discreet—maybe even more discreet with its doors closed.”
Leboeuf breathed heavily again.
“And get as many as you can to come,” Nathaniel added.
“I was against bringing Kaito in from the beginning, Nate. A few of us were.”
“I did hear that, yes.”
“Then why call me? Of all people, I’m the least on your side when it involves Kaito Hui.”
Nathaniel Diamond laughed. “And that’s exactly why I am calling you. If I can’t get you on my side, then this whole business might just be finished.”
“Damn you! I’ve kept my neck clean working at this business for far too long to have it shredded by the likes of one Kaito Hui.” His French accent erupted when he was angry, making his English hard to understand.
“I understand, Senator,” Nathaniel replied. It was his respect for Francois and his lengthy career in the Senate that made him always address the Senator by his title. Only three other senators had longer careers than Francois Leboeuf.
“No, I don’t think you do!” The word “think” was pronounced “tink.” “Nate, you are a damned good man, and I regard you with the highest of compliments, but I still think you were wrong introducing Kaito Hui into our little group! I should be castigating you right now instead of engaging in this conversation with you.” Nathaniel admired how the French-Canadian accent exerted such explicit passion into every conversation.
“I only pitched for him. He was voted in on a consensus.”
“It was on your word. He wouldn’t have stood a chance without your endorsement.”
“Well, he’s in, and we now have a problem.”
“‘Breached’ you said.”
“Not just breached—well, not yet, anyway. We don’t know for sure where we are. That’s why we need to meet. I took care of the problem I uncovered last night. Sent a package overseas.”
“You did, did you?”
He sounded disturbed by this news.
“How many packages are we talking about?”
“Only one at the moment, and I want to keep it at one.”
Leboeuf released a sigh that sounded full of relief. “One’s easy.”
“Yeah, one’s easy,” Nathaniel repeated, but he didn’t like dealing with packages. The outcome was never certain.
“Packages disappear overseas all of the time. Nothing abnormal about that.”
But this package was different than the any other Nathaniel had been responsible for sending overseas. He didn’t want this one to disappear with a simple command or stroke of the pen like others in the past.
“And what about Kaito?” Leboeuf asked.
A waitress moved towards him down the aisle in first class. Senator Diamond nodded and smiled at the waitress as she approached. He held up his crystal wine glass for a refill.
“Kaito’s upset.”
“He’s upset? Why is he upset? Isn’t he the one causing all of this bloody scrambling?”
Nathaniel hesitated in his reply. “The package was his son.”
Francois began breathing heavily into the phone again. He was clearly upset. “Damn.”
“His son.…”
“Hush!” Leboeuf interrupted sharply. “I don’t even want to guess how that could happen! Bloody sakes!”
“I’ll break it down when we meet.”
Senator Leboeuf sighed. “I’ll need to think on this for a while before I decide who to call. How’s midnight in the same unit as last time? Everyone knows which one it is.”
“The time is perfect for me, but it’ll probably much easier to just open up the main building and meet in the bar if the power’s been cut. There won’t be anyone around to see us on the lake anyway. It’s very secluded.”
“This is bad, Nate. Very bad. But it was only a matter of time before something like this happened.”
“I am sorry.”
“Bah,” Leboeuf scoffed. “Being sorry doesn’t help a damn thing here. If not Kaito Hui, then someone else eventually. We’ve had sticklers before and always found our way through. A package is still just a package.”
Leboeuf’s words cut him deep. He knew Kaito’s son personally, and he wasn’t just a package.
“You are a good man, Leboeuf.” Nathaniel chuckled. “You always have been.” He hoped he could say something to change things this time. He couldn’t think of anything.
Leboeuf slipped a small chuckle back. “We are all good men, Nate. That’s why we put ourselves through this shit over and over again.”
Nathaniel debated saying what he really wanted to say to Leboeuf. Leboeuf was a serious man who trusted few but was trusted by many. Asking Leboeuf to look away on this package was simply out of the question. “I will text you if I am delayed.”
“I doubt I can get who I think I need on this one. We have to keep this very tight.”
“Please, just get who you can. If it’s just you and me, so be it.”
Leboeuf chuckled again. “You and me? I really don’t think so. I’m not getting involved in this one.”
“But, I thought.…”
“No, Nate. I’ll get you some help, but I’m staying far away from this one and even further away from your friend Kaito Hui.”
“I appreciate anything you can do.”
“And you should. Have you told anyone else about this?”
“No one.”
“Then this conversation stops here—right now. You speak to no one about any of this until we meet.”