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10 suddenly recanted his testimony in a deal with Crown prosecutor Leslie Singer. Richard “Dum Dum” Duff had originally told the court that Hodge had been at his home in the Bowness neighborhood on the night of the murder, discussing whether to make Duff a full member of the Wild Roses. Duff reportedly had a change of heart, however, and changed his testimony on the condition that he not be charged with perjury for lying on the stand. In his second testimony, Duff said Hodge had offered him five thousand dollars and full member status in the Wild Roses to lie in court, and that Hodge had never been to his home.
    The prosecution also entered evidence in the form of a photograph from Dunn’s camera that, according to Singer, showed Hodge standing behind Ferbey after the murder weapon was fired.
    Singer, who was seconded out of semi-retirement to act as prosecutor for the trial, said she was “ecstatic” over the judge’s ruling and believes the sentence will send a strong message to organized criminals in Alberta.
    “This verdict will echo through the halls of justice in this province,” Singer told the Chronicle in an exclusive interview. “Criminals have been told in no uncertain terms that frontier justice is alive and well in Alberta, and that they should beware.”
    Diane Manning, Hodge’s defense lawyer, said her client would appeal the conviction immediately.
    “We believe the prosecution’s case was built on pillars of sand,” Manning said yesterday. “A shaky eye-witness account, a grainy photograph, and the testimony of a small-time criminal who switched sides when it suited his own purposes, are hardly the basis for a murder conviction. There isn’t a shred of hard evidence linking Mr. Hodge to the crime scene.”
    Asked whether Duff should fear reprisal from the Wild Roses, Manning said the group is simply a “social group of motorcycle enthusiasts,” and that Duff would have “to live with his decision to misrepresent a man who has shown him nothing but kindness.”
    Hodge was transported to the maximum-security Badlands Institute for Men outside Drumheller immediately after the verdict, and will be remanded there until any appeals are exhausted.
    Dunn said he looks forward to returning to his work with the Chronicle , and that he is considering writing a book about Ferbey’s murder, the trial, and organized crime in Western Canada.
    “I think the Canadian public will be very interested in what I have to say.”
    See Verdict applauded , Page 3, and Justice system finally gets one right , Opinion, Page 16.
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    Leslie Singer’s office was in direct contrast to the rest of Calgary’s downtown courthouse. While the building itself was the epitome of functional modernism, all glass and concrete, Singer’s corner was a study in Old World charm, which wasn’t surprising. She’d been born and raised in Montreal and was as much of a liberal as Justice Gregory Larocque, at least on election day. Her desk was burnished mahogany with a gleaming top surface and ornately carved claw legs. The desk lamps were old school, with flat bases and wide fluorescents under simple shades, the thick carpet hunter green.
    The old lady motioned for Alex and Palliser to sit as she pulled a crystal decanter from the matching mahogany wardrobe on the wall next to the desk. She poured two fingers of amber liquid into each of three crystal tumblers, handed one to each of her guests, then raised her own glass.
    “Gentlemen, I can think of no more eloquent toast than this: To justice.”
    The three clinked their tumblers together and downed part of their drinks. Alex marveled at how smooth the cognac was – far better than he could afford on his salary, even with a “bestselling author” credit to his name. His knew this because his father had a cellar full of it.
    “Hear-fucking-hear,” said Chuck with a wide grin. “God, I love taking bad guys off the street. If I had a choice between nailing Hodge and fucking