The Downtown Business Improvement Association was Sunny's first stop along the campaign trail, and they were holding their regular meeting in a private banquet room in the Boston Pizza restaurant, on Columbia just before it became Stewardson Way, which was good for him, because it was on his way home from work and he could stop there for a meet and greet.
Tori accompanied him to make sure he didn't stick his foot in his mouth and stayed on message, and they left work together in separate cars so they could split up after. Tori lived in Sapperton, which was in the eastern part of the city and the oldest part too. The neighbourhood was named after the "Sappers," the British Royal Engineers who first set foot on land already occupied by the Qayqayt Nation, and decided it would be a strategic base to intercept ships sailing up the Fraser River, enable trade with Fort Langley up the river, build industry, and subtly inform Americans travelling north that this was British territory, never asking the Indigenous people already there what they thought of the idea (not that they would have welcomed the Americans either, necessarily.) They razed the forest and built roads, levelled ground and erected custom houses and trading posts, planting the seed that would grow into what would soon be called New Westminster, named by Queen Victoria after the centre of government in London.
The Downtown area was the centre of business for the city until Uptown, along Sixth Avenue, came into existence, causing a slow and painful decline in the fortunes of the businesses along Columbia Street. When the Skytrain was completed in the Eighties, with its original terminus the New Westminster Station on Eighth Street and Columbia Street, people from outside New Westminster began to notice the decrepitude of Downtown, and subsequent mayors and councils decided the time had come to revitalize it, joining with enthusiastic, committed residents of Downtown to put the focus back on the area as a place to live and do business. The Downtown BIA was the inheritor of that legacy, and they were a creative, trendy bunch who loved their neighbourhood and visualized walkable streets filled with diverse businesses and fancy restaurants on the ground floor, with homes big enough for families on the floors above them, looking out over the Fraser.
Sunny gave a version of his speech from Saturday from the small podium they'd set up in the room, putting more focus on his vision for Downtown. "The library used to be downtown," he said. "If Queensborough can have a branch of the library in its community centre, then I don't see why we can't open a branch in a similarly paired space, such as the new Anvil Centre. A library anchors the neighbourhood, and when it left Downtown for Sixth Avenue, I think it ripped out the soul of Downtown and started its decline. I want to work with the Library Board to make that happen."
The applause was polite but not overly enthusiastic for that and for other planks in his platform. He wondered if they were looking for promises like lower taxes or utility bills for their member businesses. He sympathized; his firm was a medium-sized business operating Downtown, and they also faced financial challenges. It wasn't that he wouldn't vote to lower them; if it wouldn't leave a hole in the budget that would have to be filled with cuts to vital services, he was fine with it, but he knew there were candidates who already had that in their platforms, and he wanted to run on a grander vision and differentiate himself from those candidates.
He was encouraged that the audience wasn't homogeneous. Almost half were women and a third of them weren't white. He hoped they wouldn't make assumptions about him just on sight.
He answered questions at the end of his speech, was thanked by the president of the BIA, and he and Tori took their leave while they got down to the rest of their meeting.
"What did you think?" he asked her once he closed the glass door behind them.
"I'm not going to lie," she said. "It could have gone better. Don't get me wrong, you were completely on message, I just don't think that was the message they wanted to hear."
"Well, we can't win over everyone, I guess. Maybe we'll get a few votes out of that group."
"Maybe. I noticed some of the women casting you appraising glances. It might be cynical of me to say, but women have voted for politicians just for being handsome."
"Tori, you're making me blush."
"Don't play it down, buddy. You might not be my cup of tea but you do have a kind of United Colours of Benetton model appeal."
"Um, thanks?"
"Don't you remember that store? Popular in the Eighties? Bright coloured clothing, fresh faced youth representing all races in the cause of harmony through commerce?"
"Sure, sure. I don't think I ever shopped there, but my sister might have; she was more into clothes than I was."
"For a man who says he isn't into clothes, you do dress well."
"Men have it easy. A well-tailored suit and a nice tie, maybe paired with my turban, a well-shined pair of shoes, and I'm good to go."
She frowned. "You're right, men do have it easy."
As they left the restaurant and emerged into the dying light of a relatively warm autumn day, they nearly ran into a man hurrying for the door. "Excuse me," the man said. Then he stood back and examined the two of them. "Oh! Mr. Parhar, just the man I wanted to see."
Sunny let his eyes adjust to the change in light from the restaurant and looked at the man. Recognition dawned. "Mr. Sandhu, what a surprise," he said, offering his hand.
He noticed Tori's eyes widen as the two of them shook. She hadn't expected to run into the man they'd discussed with two police detectives on Monday. Neither had he.
"Well, I saw your campaign website and noticed you were speaking at my BIA meeting tonight, so I thought I'd come listen to you," Birinder said. Then he frowned. "Unfortunately, I ran a little late, and it looks like I missed out."
"Oh, you're a member of the Downtown BIA?" Sunny asked.
"Yes, well, my office is on Columbia. My wife shares it with me, as do a few other agents."
"Ah," Sunny said, nodding. "Well, you haven't missed out. On the contrary, you have me exclusively for the next few minutes. May I introduce Victoria Ramos, my campaign manager?"
Birinder shook her hand and said, "Nice to meet you."
"You too. So, how do the two of you know each other?" she asked.
"Well, Mr. Parhar attended an Open House I was hosting over in Connaught Heights. He accompanied his wife, who was representing friends of theirs. I haven't heard back from them about an offer, by the way." He said this last to Sunny.
Sunny cleared his throat and said, "Unfortunately, it was out of their price range, and they decided on another property. I hope you weren't counting too much on their interest."
Birinder smiled and said, "Ah, no, we received a few offers already, but we wouldn't have turned down another, start a bidding war, you know?"
"I get it. Well, what can I tell you about my campaign, Mr. Sandhu?"
"I was actually hoping you could give me your thoughts on Queensborough in particular. You used to live there, am I correct? And I told you I lived there?"
"That's right. Well, one of my promises is to get the School Board to approve a school bus transporting Queensborough students to Endub."
Birinder smiled. "You called it Endub. Only Endub students call it that. Did you go? I did."
"Actually no, I went to Khalsa School in Surrey."
Birinder nodded in understanding. "Ah, yes, you went all in."
"I have friends who went to Endub, though, and I know a lot of Queensborough youth need to go there, because they may have a middle school down there, but they don't have anywhere else to go for grades nine through twelve."
"True. I have a different issue I wonder if you'd consider taking to Council if you got in."
Sunny shrugged. "I'm all ears."
"Drones."
Sunny blinked in surprise. "Did you say drones?"
Birinder nodded sheepishly. "I know, you're thinking, what the hell am I talking about, right?"
Sunny shrugged nonchalantly, but internally he was popping with excitement. "I guess I'm just not well-versed on the subject. Do you mean those flying machines that are so popular right now, with the propellers and the cameras?"
"Exactly. They're a pain in the ass."
"How so?" Sunny asked, glancing sidelong at Tori, whose mouth was slightly open.
"Some yahoo in the neighbourhood flies one around late at night. What the hell he's even doing up that late I don't know, I mean, doesn't this guy have to work? Unless he's some teenage delinquent hiding in his parents' basement; kids don't have any motivation to do anything but play video games and smoke weed nowadays, in my day my parents would have clipped me round the ears if they found me sitting on my ass--"
"Wait, how do you know the person flying this drone is a he?" Sunny interrupted, just to stop Birinder's flow, because he suspected the man might have kept complaining about kids nowadays, even though he was younger than Sunny.
Birinder shrugged. "I don't, I guess. But, come on, it's basically a flying dick, don't you think?" He saw Tori's startled reaction and cleared his throat. "Sorry, I mean, if you think about what a drone is for. It goes from place to place, investigating, prodding, inserting itself where it isn't wanted."
Sunny wondered what Birinder's approach to sex was, if that was his view on the penis. Maybe that was the reason he was already on his second marriage. "So this person," he said, "we'll assume is a he for now, is flying a drone late at night. How do you know this?"
"It woke me up a couple of times. Those propellers make a sound like a giant mosquito. I was so startled the first time that I went to the window to investigate, and there it was in the light of the street lamp. It was creepy."
"Did it wake your wife as well?"
"Yeah, it did, as a matter of fact. She makes sure the drapes are closed from now on, because she's afraid it's looking in. Maybe this asshole is a peeping Tom. Isn't that illegal?"
"Yes, I believe so. Drones are kind of a grey area, though, I'd have to look at recent case law. What about your neighbours? Have any of them seen it and made a complaint?"
Birinder huffed in frustration. "No. For all I know, one of them could be the guy who owns the drone."
"Have you called the police about it?"
He waved off that suggestion in disgust. "They won't do anything. They want proof, but unless I present them with the drone, how do I have proof? Maybe I'll get myself a shotgun and take it out of the sky like I'm skeet shooting, and then I can show them."
"I wouldn't do that if I were you. Discharging a firearm in a residential area is a lot more serious than flying a drone in one, however late at night it is. How often is this happening?"
"Every night, it seems. It's hard for me to get to sleep now, because I keep expecting to hear those propellers."
"Last night, too?"
"Yup. Maybe I'll put a big sign on our window saying 'Fuck off, creep.'"
"Huh." So, Jordan was still up to his old tricks. "Can I take this away and think about it? I might have some resources I can use."
"Sure. Thanks for giving this your attention."
"No problem. I'd be disturbed by this too, but if this turns out to be a criminal matter, I don't know how much I'd be able to do as a municipal politician. I have your card, though, so I'll call you if I discover anything."
"That's very nice of you." Birinder suddenly chuckled sheepishly and said, "You know, when I first met you, I had a very different impression of you, and I feel a little guilty for thinking that way."
"It was that question I asked about bodies in the basement, wasn't it," Sunny said ruefully.
"What did you say?" Tori asked in shock.
Sunny squirmed as he said, "Birinder mentioned that the basement of the house for sale was unfinished, and I asked if you could brick up a body between the studs."
"Jesus Christ, Sunny, do I have to be with you every minute of the day?" Tori asked irritably.
"It was a joke, but in poor taste, and I apologize," Sunny said.
"Ah, well, everyone misspeaks from time to time," Birinder said. "I certainly have. Hey, by the way, I've been checking up on your wife."
Sunny felt himself bristle. "Oh, yes?"
"Checking her sales, you know. She's a very well regarded agent, but she's on her own."
Sunny let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Yes, her choice, actually. She wanted to make her own hours while she raised two kids."
Birinder nodded in understanding. "Perfectly reasonable. I was wondering if she'd like to join our team, you know, if the kids are of an age where they don't need as much care."
Sunny blinked in surprise. "Are you serious?"
"Deadly serious. She'd be a great asset."
I bet she would, Sunny thought, remembering how Birinder had checked her out right in front of him, before he'd known Sunny was her husband. "Well," he said, "you can reach out to her, if you like. You have her card?"
"I do. Perhaps we should all get together some time, I can have you over at our place for dinner. My mom makes the best dahl and saag paneer, since you're probably vegetarian."
Sunny felt a flush of excitement at the possibility of seeing the house in the footage and maybe investigating for himself whether there were any bodies bricked up between the studs. He played it cool though, by saying, "Those are fighting words, Sandhuji. My mother, in fact, makes the best dahl and saag paneer."
Birinder chuckled and patted Sunny on the arm. "Well, you can test your theory by bringing your lovely wife and kids by and tasting for yourself, and we'll talk business and municipal politics."
"You're on. Shall I call you after I check my and my wife's schedules?"
"Perfect. Looking forward to it. I'll head in now and catch the rest of the meeting. Have a great rest of the night."
"You too."
Birinder smiled once more at Tori before entering the restaurant. She looked to Sunny and said, "You're going undercover, aren't you."
"Why Tori, what gave you that idea?"
"You're going to a near stranger's house for dinner, a man inordinately interested in your wife, because she's gorgeous and even I will admit that. I doubt you're doing it because you have any interest in Tej joining his team so he can look at her all day even with his own wife in the room, and I don't think you're doing it just so you can win one vote." Sunny had given her more details of Birinder's interest in his wife after they'd finished talking to the detectives on Monday.
Sunny shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe I'll make a new friend."
"Maybe you'll discover the other Naira locked in a dungeon in the basement."
"Don't joke," he said, but secretly he wondered about that. On Monday night Lauren had called him to let him know Joanie had gone to the Coquitlam detachment and found out Naira Sandhu, the one in the picture with Jordan, was indeed based out of there, but hadn't been seen in a few days, according to her fellow constables. None of them knew if she was on vacation or some other leave, but since employee relations were confidential, her superiors wouldn't reveal the answer. Nobody seemed worried, though, at least for now. That would have to suffice as the extent to which an off-duty sergeant from another detachment could take an amateur investigation into the whereabouts of someone she didn't know. Now that Tori was involved after Monday's revelations, he thought he should keep her in the loop.
As they walked to their cars, Sunny said, "Did you see how the drone bugged him last night too? Jordan must still be looking for her, so she hasn't turned up."
"Yes. It seems, though, that Birinder doesn't know who's flying the drone. Do you think he's lying?"
"I don't know. The fact that his wife Naira took the tracking device with her out of the house must mean they know its connection to the drone, must it not?"
"That is true... unless the wife Naira really mistook the device for something else. I mean, from the schematics you showed me, it really might have looked like a tampon to her."
"I suppose, but again, why was the device there in the first place, if the other Naira, we'll assume here that she's Birinder's ex-wife, isn't living there, or at least not anymore?"
Tori shrugged. "We're assuming here that they divorced in acrimony. Maybe they're still friends, and she drops by for visits."
"If that's true, then she must be lying to Jordan about fearing for her safety. She's lying to him about being married to Birinder, or still married to him, anyway."
"Yes..."
They reached Tori's car first, and Sunny said, "Go home now, and enjoy the rest of your night. We'll see each other tomorrow."
"Roger, boss," she said, saluting, and Sunny chuckled.
As she drove away, he decided to call Lauren and let her know of the conversation he'd had with Birinder and his invitation to dinner.
After listening to his update, she said, "This is serendipitous, Sunny. I can't believe he sought you out."
"I know, but I guess when I told him I was running for Council on Sunday, he thought I might be someone he could talk to about an annoying if not criminal practice going on in his nieghbourhood."
"And he sounded like he had no idea who was flying the drone?"
"He thought it was kids with too much time on their hands."
"Interesting. Do you have any qualms about infiltrating his house and having a look around while you're there?"
"Not really, but if he's inviting me over, I doubt he has anything to hide, not in the house, anyway."
"I think I'd still like to coach you anyway, on snooping without drawing suspicion."
"Okay. If I'm bringing the kids, though, I might not be free to snoop that much."
"We'll see. How about recording conversations and taking photos inside the house?"
"Jesus, Lauren, do you think that's necessary?"
"Just thinking about all the options. Did you say Detective Tracey spoke to Jordan?"
"Actually, I don't know if he has yet. I only had Jordan's email to give him, so I don't know if Jordan's responded to any email Tracey sent him, and I don't think Tracey would tell me if they've talked, anyway. I'm just a civilian, after all."
"Fuck," Lauren breathed.
"What is it?" he asked, surprised by her reaction.
"If you're going to see Birinder at his house, then I think we need to talk to Jordan again. He needs to know we're taking an interest in this, and if the cops haven't talked to him yet, we don't want him to incriminate himself by continuing to take risks with that drone. You said the drone flew last night, too?"
"That's what Birinder said."
"Well, unless someone else is flying a drone in the neighbourhood, it's got to be him, and the police haven't warned him off yet."
"Okay. I'll email him and let him know."
"When you do, can you see if he'll give you his address? If you're going to see Birinder, it might be worthwhile for one or more of us to tour the neighbourhood and survey the flight path of that drone, just in case we missed something else on that footage."
"Huh. Really?"
"I know, it might seem like more work than I need right now, but if you and your family are going into the lion's den, I won't feel comfortable unless one of us is keeping an eye on the house from the outside, at least, and if we're there we might as well have a look around, maybe talk to Jordan while we're there."
"Lauren, I'm touched at your concern for my safety."
Lauren cleared her throat and said, "Well, you'd feel the same way if I was doing something like this."
"You're right, I would."
"Anyway, it's more Tej I'm concerned about, after watching Birinder undress her with his eyes."
Sunny chuckled. "Ah, you saw that too, did you?"
"Yup. He's not very subtle. Anyway, I'll let everyone know of our tentative plan. Once you have a date for this dinner, let me know, and I'll make sure we're all available to help out."
Suddenly he felt excited. That old tingle was coming back. "Okay! LSDC forever, eh?"
"You know it."
He hung up and walked back to his Prius with a spring in his step.
Thanks for reading this far! If you liked what you just read, hit the "Vote" button to send this title up the ranks. Leave a comment and let me know what you think!
To go back to the time teenage Sunny attended a Vaisakhi parade, missing Al's visit, and learned of his sister's desire to learn martial arts from Lauren, click on "Continue reading."