Connie stared at Isaac but he remained pensive and quiet.

“Sir,” she said, “I don’t mean to sound pessimistic, but we’re trying to identify a kid that nobody has even reported missing. We’re looking through stacks of files on perverts that ... well, it’s a little like looking for that proverbial needle in a haystack.”

Isaac stared intently ahead and Connie had the feeling that he was only half listening.

“Believe me,” she continued. “I want to catch this sick ...” Connie paused, glancing at the Bible on Isaac’s desk, and continued, “this sick person. Whoever did this ... well, the profile indicates he’ll do it again. This case is a priority for our whole office. We won’t rest until—”

“Have you checked with Intelligence?” asked Isaac.

Connie sat back in her chair. “Ah ... no, sir. We’re not looking at this as organized crime. The profile indicates a person acting alone. Probably single, keeps to ...”

Isaac raised his hand, signalling for Connie to stop and said, “Check with Intelligence. Corporal Taggart was working on a file involving human smuggling. Constable Secord was assisting him. The main culprits are Russian, but I believe it also involved local Vietnamese criminals.”

“I wasn’t aware of that, sir. I’ll go to their office and talk with Jack immediately.”

“Um ... I spoke with Staff Quaile this morning,” said Isaac. “He indicated that Corporal Taggart was home with the flu.”

“I know Jack, sir. He’s dedicated. He won’t mind if I call him.”

Isaac shook his head and said, “No, there’s a bit of a ... situation ... with Corporal Taggart at the moment. He’s been transferred and is no longer with Intelligence.”

“I wasn’t aware of that, sir.”

“It only happened yesterday.”

Isaac was about to suggest that Connie speak with Constable Secord, but he remembered that she was the reason Quaile called him this morning and thought better of it. At least for now.

Later that night, Isaac sat alone in his den, holding the picture of his daughter in his hand when Sarah entered the room. He quickly put the picture down.

“Sorry,” he said. “I’ll be right out. Didn’t mean to abandon you for the evening. Just needed a few minutes to think some things out.”

“A few minutes?” said Sarah. “Honey, you’ve been in here for two hours, ever since dinner.”

“Has it been that long?” he asked, genuinely surprised.

Sarah walked over and stood behind him and bent over, wrapping her arms around the front of his chest. “She was beautiful, wasn’t she?” said Sarah, looking at the picture on the desk. “I miss her, too.”

Isaac nodded, but didn’t speak.

“Are you going to talk to me about it?” asked Sarah.

“About what?”

“About why you’ve hardly spoken a word to me ever since Aggi and Leon were here for dinner. Now tonight, it’s worse. Something happened today, didn’t it?”

Isaac swivelled his chair around, wrapping his arm around Sarah and sitting her on his lap. “You would have made a great detective,” he said.

“Doesn’t take much detective work to figure you out,” she said. “Not after thirty years of marriage. You’ve only acted this way once before, when ...” she didn’t finish, but glanced at the picture and back at her husband’s face.

“I’m sorry,” he said.

“Can’t you talk to me about it?”

Isaac took a deep breath and slowly let the air out before replying, “I’m troubled over a homicide case.”

“The one Aggi told you about?”

Isaac nodded.

“You’ve encountered horrific cases before.”

“I know, but now, after losing Norah, it bothers me more.”

“Now you know what some other parent feels like after losing a child.”

Isaac nodded.

“We’ve had to learn to accept it. The pain never goes away ... but time makes it more bearable.”

Isaac looked into his wife’s eyes. No parent could ever accept or understand what this little girl went through.

“You’re worried that you won’t be able to solve the case?” asked Sarah.

Isaac nodded, but his mind was elsewhere. Lord, surely you can show no mercy for whoever did this?

“Well, as you always said ... you just pick the best person for the job and let them do it. What else can you do?”

Her words echoed and replayed themselves in Isaac’s head.

If I were a criminal ... a child molester ... who would be the last person I would ever want on my trail?

“What is it, dear?”

“I think you’ve given me a message,” replied Isaac.

A few minutes later, Isaac kissed his wife goodbye at the door.

“I should come with you,” she said.

Isaac shook his head and left by himself. It was the first time outside of a normal religious event that he had gone to church in the evening.

It was also the first time that he felt justified in asking for forgiveness.

chapter twenty-two

It was seven o’clock Saturday morning and Jack lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling while Natasha slept soundly with her head on his chest. He didn’t know if it was the headache that awakened him, or the fact that his tongue felt thick and sticky in his mouth. He also had the urge to drink a litre of water. That would awaken Natasha, so he lay there as his brain regressed on his own life ... and what had gone wrong.

A knock on their apartment door startled him.

Natasha’s eyes flickered and she said, “Who is that?” She looked at their bedroom clock and added, “At this hour! Damn it, I feel ill. You got me drunk!”

“Coming!” yelled Jack as he put on his bathrobe and dropped his 9mm into the pocket.

He could only find one slipper, so he left it and padded barefoot to the door and stood to one side, gripping the 9mm in his pocket before waving his other hand across the peephole.

No shots ... good sign. He squinted into the peephole. “Jesus!” he said aloud, stepping back while releasing the grip on his gun.

“Who is it, honey?” asked Natasha.

Jack cast a glance at Natasha, who had slipped on her bathrobe and appeared behind him. He didn’t reply as he quickly opened the door.

Natasha had never seen the man before.

“Do you mind if I come in?” the man asked.

“Are you executing a warrant?” asked Jack, while looking out in the hall to see who else was there.

Natasha thought her husband was joking. He wasn’t.

The man seemed taken back by the comment, but smiled and said, “No. It’s not that kind of a visit. I came here to ask for your help.”

Jack nodded and motioned for the man to enter before closing the door behind him.

“I’m sorry to awaken you at this time of the morning,” the man said, looking at Natasha.

“And you are ...?” she asked.

“Excuse me. My name is Jacob Isaac,” he said, offering his hand. “I, uh, work with Jack.”

Natasha shook his hand and asked, “Are you on Highway Patrol?”

The question caught Isaac off guard, but he grinned and replied, “Not anymore. Years ago, yes. Only for a short time.”

“Didn’t write enough tickets?” asked Natasha. She turned to Jack and said, “That’s the way for you to get out of there. Don’t write any tickets and the ol’ man, as you call him, will transfer you back.”

“Honey,” said Jack. “This is the ... uh, Assistant Commissioner Isaac. He’s the top boss.”

“Oh,” said Natasha as her cheeks developed a crimson glow. “I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to ...”

Isaac chuckled and looked at Natasha and said, “I am an old man ... but I would really prefer it if you called me Jacob.”

Natasha looked at Jack and said, “I think I’ll take a shower.”

Minutes later, Isaac sat at the kitchen table while Jack made coffee. He eyed Isaac curiously. Must be something pretty damn serious for him to come here—let alone on a Saturday at this time of the morning.