“One thing is bothering me. Our guy is going through the trouble of creating these presentations, yet the public is essentially unaware of his efforts. Look around us; do you think any of these people would have noticed that gold pan? And the finger? Who would have seen that?”
“Hmm, interesting. If no one notices, what’s the point? If he wants the public’s attention, hiding a finger in a bush wasn’t the brightest thing to do.”
“Exactly. Maybe he doesn’t care if the public sees it or not.”
“Then why do it?” Kang asked.
“Maybe it’s for an individual or a small group of people. He could be documenting the presentation and showing it to them.”
“So what we’re finding are the aftermaths of a personal show?”
“Could be…”
We both stood there quietly for a few moments while we chewed on our thoughts. It felt good to be out of the office, surrounded by clear skies and crisp air. The fresh air can work wonders on the thought process. I drew a deep breath and let it sit for a moment before releasing it. “You know, the girl at the hostel gave me a lead I haven’t followed up on. Care to tag along?”
“Sure. What’s the lead?”
“Cotton candy.”
Chapter 19
Kang and I continued to discuss bits of the case on the drive over to Sausalito. It seemed like we were gaining ground, and I began to feel better about finding Piper’s killer. Kang proved to be an excellent sounding board and had great ideas. I was surprised at how much I was enjoying working with him. Not that I thought it would be a disaster, but it can be difficult to pair up with someone new. Everyone has a different way of working. Kang, in many ways, was a lot like me. He was a problem solver, and he wasn’t afraid to explore areas off the main path.
But then the conversation derailed, and we were off topic, once again. Somebody give this man a bottle of Ritalin.
“So you’re from Hong Kong?” he asked.
“Born and raised,” I answered as I stared out the window at the hordes of tourists walking across the Golden Gate Bridge.
“You don’t miss it?”
“I miss some things.”
“Mind if I ask what brought you to the States?”
Yes. I turned to Kang. He had his eyes on the road, but I knew he was waiting for my answer. “Work and a change of lifestyle. Hong Kong was intense and became a bit too much. Have you been?”
He glanced at me. “To Hong Kong?” He shook his head. “Nah, only Beijing. I have some family there.”
I nodded before turning back to the window, looking past the tourists, into the bay.
“How long were you a detective—”
“Inspector.” I had cut him off.
“—with the Hong Kong police force. It was Organized Crime and Triad Bureau right?”
“A long time and yes.” What’s with all the questions? “Look, I’m sorry, but you keep steering the conversation away from the case,” I said, shifting in my seat so that I faced him. “It’s messing with my thought process.”
“Sorry. It’s…”
My eyebrow arched. “What? Spit it out now, or forever hold your peace.”
“This might sound silly, maybe even stupid.”
I hope not.
“But you remind me of someone I met a few years back.”
Oh, God. Please don’t hit on me. Please don’t hit on me. Please don’t hit on me.
“My partner thought I was reading too far into things, but once I found out you were an FBI agent and from Hong Kong, it’s been on my mind ever since.”
I hope that doesn’t include the private time you have with yourself.
“A few years back, my partner and I met an inspector from Hong Kong who also worked for the Hong Kong Police Department.”
“What are you talking about?”
“She was about your height, Asian and very knowledgeable in the field of serial killers,” he carried on. “In fact, she actually helped us solve a case while she was here — one involving her missing niece. It’s the reason she traveled to San Francisco in the first place. But here’s the interesting part — and I’m sure you’ll find this as puzzling as I did: this woman, the inspector, told us she was in charge of the Organized Crime and Triad Bureau. Imagine that. Same department you were in charge of. So my question is, how can two different women claim to be in charge of same department, at the same agency, around the same time?”
Good question.
Chapter 20
“I am not that person you’re describing, if that’s what you’re alluding to.”
Kang looked at me. “I knew there was something fishy happening. Out with it. I won’t be able to focus until I know exactly what is going on here, Abby. Or should I call you Leslie Choi?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Are you out of your mind?”
“What, did you get some work done to your face? You think a little plastic surgery, a name change, and a background story would be enough? Did you honestly think I wouldn’t figure it out?”
“Let me explain.”
“Oh yeah, I can’t wait to hear this explanation. Gather around, kids. It’s story time,” Kang said with exaggerated excitement as he rolled his eyes.
If he doesn’t shut up, I swear…
“Come on; let’s have it. Hurry. I don’t want you to have time to fashion another tall tale. Ha! A tall tale from a short woman.”
“Are you going to let me speak, or just carry on with your babbling nonsense?”
Kang stared ahead for a moment before shooting a quick glance over at me. “Explain.”
I giggled a little but caught myself from letting it rage into laughter. “Look, I’m not that woman. I realize we kind of look the same, but we are two different people.”
“Wait, so there are two of you? You have a twin or something?”
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “Leslie Choi worked for me and eventually assumed my duties when I resigned. We’re actually friends.”
“So there just happened to be two short, badass women in the same department?”
“Hey, maybe the Chinese people you know are all tall, but the majority of us are short, if you haven’t noticed.”
That comment broke the icy look on Kang’s face, and he started to laugh, which triggered my funny bone, until we were both laughing our butts off. People passing by must have thought we were nuts, because Kang batted the steering wheel repeatedly while I threw my head back and forth. Eventually we calmed down.
“Leslie and I worked together for about six years,” I said when I caught my breath. “I taught the woman everything she knows, and she’ll back the claim up. Anyway, when she moved over to my department, we were like two peas in a pod. She was the perfect replacement for me when I left.”
“But if I’m doing the math right, you should have still been in Hong Kong when I met her.”
“I was. After I resigned, it took us about eight months to prepare for the move.”
“Did you know she was in SF?”
“Not at the time. I was so focused on our move that we actually lost touch for a bit. I found out later about her niece, after she had returned to Hong Kong. I think we just missed each other, with her going back and me heading over here.”
“How often do you see or talk to each other?”
“Not as often as I wish. Out of sight, out of mind, I guess.”
Kang shook his head as he looked forward.
“What a small world we live in.”
“Yeah, tell me about it.”
Chapter 21
We crossed the Golden Gate Bridge and exited the 101 Highway at Alexander Avenue. We were nearing the small port town of Sausalito.