Chapter 22 Preparing for the Meeting

The next day, the rail company's official inquiry into the acts of sabotage took place, and I was called to support George Burley's evidence. But there was little they could do, except record that the events had happened, unless Johnson turned up, which seemed unlikely. As for Sheridan's death, since the family had made no complaint to the rail company, then it was not their business: it would have to go to a proper court of law.

I asked George to come in uniform to the races tomorrow, and gave him a pass from Nell to get into Exhibition Park for the event. Then we parted, and I went to a doctor about my shoulder, which had not yet begun to improve.

He looked at me over his glasses and asked whether it hurt when I coughed.

'It hurts when I do practically anything, as a matter of fact,' I answered.

He checked me over, and then declared that I had a broken shoulder-blade. He bandaged me up tightly so that it would heal, but I wouldn't let him bandage my arm to my side: I was hoping to use my arms in Hawaii. But he insisted on a sling.

I asked the doctor for a proper medical report about my broken shoulder, and he gave it to me.

That evening, Bill Baudelaire arrived from Toronto, and then Catto from England. We had a meeting in my hotel room. An eyebrow or two was raised at my sling, but I had already told them about my midnight fight with Johnson, so they asked no questions about it. Catto had brought some papers with him.

'It was a good guess of yours, Tor, that the report on the cats which you found in Filmer's briefcase had come from a computer printer. The Master of the College had a call from Mercer Lorrimore this morning - well, this morning in English time - giving permission for him to tell us everything. So now we have a copy of the official college report on the affair, and the vet's report too.'

He showed the papers to me and Baudelaire. 'What we don't know, however,' he continued, 'is how on earth Filmer came into possession of a copy of the college report.'

'It would be neat if we could find out,' I said. 'It would enable us to tie things up better tomorrow.'

'One of my men is working on it,' Catto said. 'I'll telephone him before tomorrow's meeting to see if he's got any news for us. I think we've got him anyway, but we'll need all the evidence and the help we can get.'

Julius Apollo Filmer walked into the private conference toom at Exhibition Park the next day expecting to receive official notice that Laurentide Ice was now his and would run in his name alone in the afternoon's race.

When he entered, the two Directors of Security were sitting at the end of the conference table, with other senior members of the Canadian Jockey Club beside them. They were there as witnesses. Bill Baudelaire and Valentine Catto were seated at the table, facing the door by which Filmer would enter.

There were two doors into the room — the one Filmer entered by, and another one which led to a small kitchen, where I was waiting with three other people. As soon as Filmer arrived, I went along the passage, locked the door he had come in by, and put the key into my pocket. Then I returned and took my place behind the other door.

A microphone on the table was connected to a tape recorder, and also enabled those of us in the kitchen to hear what was being said in the conference room.

We heard Bill Baudelaire's deep voice greeting Filmer and inviting him to sit at the table opposite himself and Catto. 'You know Brigadier Catto, of course,' Bill said.

As the two men had looked in anger at each other on many occasions, especially that day in court in England, then yes, he knew Catto.

'And these gentlemen are officials of the Canadian Jockey Club,' Bill went on; I imagined him pointing down the table.

'What is this?' Filmer asked. 'All I want are my official papers about Laurentide Ice.'

The Brigadier said, 'We're taking this opportunity of making a first investigation into some racing matters, and it seemed best to do it now, as so many of the people involved are in Vancouver at this time.'

'What are you talking about?' asked Filmer.

'We should explain,' the Brigadier continued smoothly, 'that we are recording what is said in this room this morning. This is not a formal trial, but what is said here may be repeated at any trial in the future. We would ask you to remember this.'

Filmer said strongly, 'I object to this. You can't do this; I'm not
staying.' But he found the door locked, of course.

'Let me out,' Filmer said. He was angry now. 'You can't do

this.'

In the kitchen Mercer Lorrimore took a deep breath, opened the door to the conference room, went through and closed it behind him.

Date: 2015-12-24; view: 578