The Glacier Gallows by Stephen Legault Page A

relationship with the deceased, and who had quarrelled with him both in public and in private over the course of the last five days. You seem to me to be the man here with the strongest motive for wanting Mr. Marriott dead.”

NINE
    OTTAWA, ONTARIO. FEBRUARY 12.
    BRIAN MARRIOTT ADJUSTED HIS SCARF and prepared to step from the West Block and into the falling snow. He had been sandbagged, and by a senior Cabinet minister at that. He had his friend and long-time political compatriot Rick Turcotte to thank.
    Some of David Canning’s announcement would be good news for the Alternative Energy Group. A review of the regulatory process to allow new energy solutions across Canada would help many of the companies that made up the AEG . To lump a review of the country’s failing approach to traditional oil and gas development into the same process muddied the waters.
    What worried Brian the most was not what the minister had said, but what he had not said. What else would be in the regulatory review? A minister like Canning could bury less-savory elements of a review in hundreds and hundreds of pages of material. Brian would have to start digging.
    Now he faced an awkward dilemma: what to do about the following day’s press conference in the Centre Block. In the past when he’d been invited, it was to applaud the government’s plans to expand the tar sands or approve a pipeline. He had been their lap dog. Now he was in an unfamiliar position. He didn’t know what was going to happen and that worried him.
    Before he left the building, he dug into his pocket. The one person he knew who might provide some advice was three time zones away. He looked at the time on his Blackberry—10:00 PM eastern, so only 7:00 on the coast—and then dialed the familiar number.
    â€œBlackwater.”
    â€œIt’s Brian.”
    There was a pause; Brian imagined that Cole looked at his watch, wondering why he was calling after business hours. “What’s up, boss?”
    Brian laughed. “The day I’m Cole Blackwater’s boss is the day the Earth stops spinning around the sun. Look, I hope it isn’t too late to call.”
    â€œIt’s okay. I’m at Nancy’s. We were just about to eat dinner.”
    â€œI can call back.”
    â€œIt’s alright. I’ve got a minute. It’s late where you are. What’s going on?”
    â€œI need some advice. I need to know how to handle something political.”
    â€œYou’re asking me? You’re the Ottawa insider.”
    â€œI’m on the outs. I just got bagged, to use your vernacular. I need to know what Blackwater would do.”
    â€œNow you’re really in trouble. Tell me what happened.”
    Brian Marriott took five minutes to explain his meeting with Rick Turcotte and then the announcement at the reception by the minister. Cole listened and then said, “And you think this presser tomorrow will be a lot of smoke and mirrors to cover up something nefarious.”
    â€œI don’t know. All my political alarm bells are warning me that this is a trap. But I just don’t know what the trap is. Do you think I should go?”
    â€œYes. I think so. Why not? Just make sure that you don’t bite the hook.”
    â€œWhat do you mean?”
    â€œLook, when I was doing Hill stuff, ministers would invite us enviros to the meeting or announcement and throw us a few bones. For you, it’s going to be a review of the rules around renewable power generation. I wouldn’t be surprised if the minister made some kind of announcement that said renewable energy had to be considered for all federal power-generation projects. We’ve been pushing for that, right?”
    â€œThat’s right.”
    â€œSo that’s the bone. But you say carbon sequestration will be in the mix too?”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œSo what else?”
    â€œThat’s the thing . . . I just don’t