Jack paused to speak with the Secret Service agent posted at the end of the hallway leading to Clements' room.
"Anyone come in or out?"
"No movement at all, Agent Bauer."
Jack nodded. "Okay, thank you."
Marc was talking strategy with another officer from RCMP Tactical. Jack was going to have to be a spectator on this one, and it was getting under his skin. He'd chaffed at the bit at having to wait for a warrant, but they'd used the time to review security footage from the front desk. Now at least they had a photo of the suspect.
His cell phone buzzed on his hip. He walked further down the hallway before he answered.
"Yeah."
"Jack, it's Michelle. We've got the information on that photo you sent." Michelle scrolled down her computer screen. "Your guy's first name is Sam, but Clements is an alias. His real name is Sam Davidson. He's an American, Jack."
Jack was confused. "I thought this threat was about Canadian environmental legislation under Free Trade. Why is an American involved?"
"We don't know. But his photo came up in a list of suspects for the bombing in Aspen last year. It could be an eco-terrorist group working on both sides of the border. You'll need to question him."
Jack snorted softly. "I'll see what I can do. The Horsemen aren't too happy with my technique right now."
Michelle decided not to ask. "I'll see if I can do something from this end to get you in there."
"Okay, thanks Michelle." He closed the phone and headed back towards Clements/Davidson's room, where the RCMP were getting into position.
Marc signalled to the other officer and tapped on the door. "'Ousekeeping. Turn-down service." He let his accent show through his normally flawless English to divert suspicion. Most of the hotel's staff was either Quebecois or Australian. There was no response from inside the room, so he used the master key to open the door. The officers entered, guns drawn.
"We're clear." Marc called. He stepped back out into the hallway and motioned to Jack. "Agent Bauer, there's something you should see."
Jack followed Marc back into the room. Spread out on the table were the conference schedule and a number of newspaper clippings featuring the Senator. The Senator's breakfast speech was highlighted on the schedule. Next to the schedule there was a stack of brochures for other ski resorts across North America.
Marc's radio beeped and he turned away from the table to answer it. "Okay, merci." He hooked it back on his belt and turned to Jack. "We caught a break. Clements just signed his dinner to his room. He's in the bistro downstairs."
The two men headed for the door. "This way," Marc indicated a small door just past the elevators. The staff stairwell was narrow, but it would be faster than the ancient elevators. As they descended, Jack filled Marc in on what Michelle had told him. They hit the ground floor and turned left as they exited the stairwell. Clements was just putting on his ski jacket as he prepared to leave the bistro. Marc walked up behind him, purposefully keeping it casual. His hand was on his weapon but he left it in its holster.
"Excuse me, Mr. Clements?" The man was shorter than Marc, with brown hair tied back in a ponytail. He turned.
"RCMP," Marc flashed his badge. "I'd like to ask you a few questions."
Clements nodded, stepping closer. "What's this about, Officer?" Suddenly, he lunged into Marc, pushing him into Jack, who had moved in behind the officer. Clements ran down the hallway towards the piano lounge.
"Dammit!" Jack helped Marc to his feet and took off at a run. He rounded the corner into the room just in time to see his prey disappearing through the double doors leading to the patio. Jack narrowly avoided a waiter carrying a tray of hot chocolate and dodged around a low couch. Startled patrons and the piano player looked up in alarm as Jack and Marc raced through the room.
Jack reached the door when he realized Marc was no longer behind him. Marc had ducked in to one of the high-end clothing boutiques along the far wall. He flashed his badge. "I need to commandeer these coats!" He grabbed two parkas and some gloves before the clerk could react and ran after Jack, who was already on the patio. "Here." He tossed a set of clothes at Jack and they ran to the railing, putting the jackets on as they went. "We'll last longer in these." He tugged the fur-trimmed hood over his head.
A flight of stairs took them off the terraced patio to the top of a tree-covered hill. Another set of stairs led down the hill through a pine forest to the golf course beside the river. Far below they could see a figure in a long blue parka starting to unhitch a pack of large husky dogs from a sled for the night. The suspect appeared, running towards the sled.
As they started down the wooden stairs they could see Clements fell the sled owner with a single punch and turn the dogs back onto the trail. Jack called to Marc. "There are two sleds. Can you --?" He didn't know how far or fast this guy could go, and he was getting a good head start.
Behind him, Marc laughed. "Do I look like Sergeant fucking Preston?" he snorted. "Those are for tourists. There are snowmobiles at the golf course clubhouse. I'm calling for helicopter backup."
They reached the bottom of the stairs and Marc led the way to a side yard behind the clubhouse. He threw off the tarpaulin covering two snowmobiles. "Keys are in the seat."
The machines roared to life and Jack and Marc raced off across the snow-covered golf course. At least there weren't many places to go. The golf course hugged the Bow River as it wound around the north side of Mount Rundle, an imposing slab of rock reaching jaggedly into the starry night sky above them. To reach the highway or railway, Clements would have to cross the river and make his way through a thick forest of pine and spruce trees on the north bank. There was really only one good trail past the golf course, and it was dead straight, with few hiding places.
They rounded the corner on one of the fairways. "There he is!" Jack shouted to make himself heard over the noise of the machines as he pointed. Ahead of them, Clements turned at the sound of the snowmobiles. He faced forward again and tried to turn the sled, cracking the whip to the right of the dogs. Either his aim was off or the dogs were startled, but they turned too sharply, dumping the sled. Clements leapt up and started running.
"He's going for the river," Marc hollered and turned to head him off. Clements was running and slipping on the ice, picking his way between the large slabs thrust up on shore.
Marc ran his snowmobile onto the frozen river, dodging around the rough spots. Jack was still on the shore when Marc reached Clements. There was a loud crack and Jack watched helplessly as the snowmobile sank out from under the RCMP officer. Marc and Clements disappeared through the ice.
"Dammit!" Jack stopped his own machine on the riverbank and jumped off, frantically searching through the storage compartment. Thank god, there was a rope. He grabbed it and set off at a run across the ice. It had looked solid enough, but now Jack could see that there were thin spots where the current was flowing fast under the surface. There was no sign of the two men.
Suddenly, Jack heard a splash downstream and some shouting. He slid a little as he turned towards the noise. Marc had found a hole, and Jack could see two heads. Marc was holding on to Clements and the ice, but the current was strong, and it was holding their bodies under the frozen surface of the freezing water. The edge of the ice was breaking away under their weight. There wasn't much time before they'd both be under again.
As he got close to the hole, Marc yelled at him. "Get down! Lay down or you'll go through!"
Jack did as he was told. He lay on his stomach and quickly tied a loop in the rope. He inched forward and threw it to Marc. Marc caught it and managed to get it under Clement's arms. "Okay! Pull!"
Jack flipped over onto his back and turned his feet to the hole. He scooted away to thicker ice upstream and dug his heels in as he grasped the rope, using the strength of his legs to pull against the current. One final tug and Clements flopped onto the surface like a seal.
Jack pulled until he was sure it was safe to approach. He got up and ran to the suspect. Quickly, he grabbed the other man's arms and hauled him to the shore. As Jack cuffed the shivering man to a small sapling, he could hear the chopper flying down the valley from Canmore. He reached up under his parka to his vest and pulled out a flashlight, setting it on the ice as a signal.
Jack slipped and skidded as he ran back to the hole in the ice. Marc was still holding on, but barely. Jack could see white frost forming on his hair and sleeves. There was no way he would be able to hold onto a rope. Looking around, Jack spotted a thick slab of ice standing almost upright near the shore. He looped the rope around it and tied the other end around his waist, then got down on his belly again and inched to the edge of the hole.
"Marc! Grab my hand!"
Marc raised his arm weakly, but the movement broke off another chunk of ice and he slipped, his head dunking under the water briefly. There was no time to waste. Jack lunged forward and grabbed the officer. The ice cracked and gave way, plunging him into the freezing water.
Jack gasped with shock as he hit the cold water, closing his mouth just before the current pulled him under the ice. Jack forced himself to hold on to the other man, feeling the sharp tug as the rope reached its limit and held. They had moved about two feet downstream of the opening, and Jack kicked his feet as he pulled on the rope with his free hand, inching back towards the surface.
Their sodden parkas and winter boots weighed him down, but he couldn't stop to take them off. He could feel his limbs getting heavier as his body started to shut down in response to the extreme cold. He was out of air and his lungs felt like they were going to burst, but he was still six inches from open water. He kicked at the ice above him, trying to either break it or get some traction, but neither was working. Just as he realized he would have to let go of Marc or die, he felt a tug. Someone was pulling on the rope.
Jack surfaced, gasping for air. Marc lay still and heavy in his arms. There was a chopper on the shore, and a man and a woman in RCMP parkas were hauling on the rope. They pulled Jack and Marc to safety and immediately started stripping off their wet coats, replacing them with thick blankets.
Jack started shivering uncontrollably as he tried to stand and follow the constables carrying Marc to the helicopter, but his legs wouldn't work right. Pins and needles were pricking his legs as the circulation started to return. He stumbled and fell just as the female constable returned to help him. "It's okay, Agent Bauer. We're taking you to the hospital now."
"I'm fine, really," Jack replied stubbornly through chattering teeth as he stood up again. "Is the suspect on board?
She nodded. "Yes, we found him. He's in pretty rough shape."
"What about Marc?"
The constable looked back over her shoulder at the waiting helicopter, then at Jack. "He's alive, thanks to you. Now please, let's get you looked at."
Jack nodded and allowed himself to be helped into the helicopter.