An hour later, Jack was still writing when Randy Otto came out of his office and said he received a message from some uniform members that they wanted Homicide to attend a car fire in an industrial area.

“An off-duty fireman was driving past and saw the smoke,” said Randy. “He had an extinguisher in his car and put the flames out before things got too badly burned. Partial crispy critter slumped over in the passenger side. Looks like knife wounds to his throat and face. The fire was started less than fifteen minutes ago, so let’s get on it.”

Connie started to get up but Randy said, “Connie, you’ve got too much to do and still have a trial to prepare for. Wells, you take the lead on this.”

“What kind of car was it?” asked Jack, glancing up from the notes he was writing.

Randy picked up a portable radio off a desk and said, “I’ll find out.” He radioed and asked the officers at the scene.

“Red Pontiac GTO,” came the reply.

“Giang’s car!” said Connie, looking at Jack for a response.

Silence descended over the I-HIT office as everyone turned to look at Jack.

After several long seconds ticked by, Randy said, “How did you piece that together, Jack? What made you ask what type of car it was?”

Jack shrugged and said, “An hour ago I handed Giang more money than most of the punks he hangs out with would see in a lifetime. If Giang is the crispy critter ... I’m guessing he doesn’t have the money now.”

“You know,” said Laura, “he did do the deal in the alley behind Billiard Bill’s. A lot of the gang who work for Dúc hang out there. Wouldn’t take much for someone to look out a window from above and see the deal go down.”

“Damn it,” said Jack, throwing his pen down on the desk. “If it is him in the car, we just blew a lot of money for nothing.”

Connie stared at Jack. I always did think it was for nothing ...

It was four o’clock when Jack saw Natasha and Jade sitting at a table at the Red Robin restaurant in the Metrotown Mall in Burnaby.

Jade was now wearing slacks and a blouse that was buttoned up to her throat. Her long black hair that once hung halfway to her waist had now been cut to just below her ears.

“Hi, honey,” said Jack, before kissing Natasha on the cheek and sitting down beside her. He looked across at Jade and said, “Hi. How are you holding up?”

The stress had brought dark circles to Jade’s eyes. “Okay,” she replied, with little enthusiasm, before asking what was really on her mind. “Mister Dúc, he angry?” she blurted.

“No, not with you. Everything went well. Dúc has ... received a lot of money from Giang for you.”

“He angry with Giang?”

“Don’t worry about Giang. The important thing is that you’re okay. Dúc does not think you ran away and he has received a large amount of cash as compensation.”

The relief was evident on Jade’s face and she gave a genuine smile for the first time in several months.

“You like?” she asked, gesturing to her clothes.

“I like it very much,” replied Jack. He looked at Natasha and said, “I see you got her a haircut. Not a bad idea, although where Holly lives, it wasn’t ...”

“That was Jade’s idea,” said Natasha.

“It looks nice,” said Jack, smiling at Jade.

“I no have to look pretty for men,” replied Jade.

Jack gestured to the shopping bags piled next to Jade and turned to Natasha and said, “Hey, honey, it looks like you girls have been having fun.”

“It has been fun,” said Natasha.

“I pay you back, Jack,” said Jade. “Much money you honey pay for me.”

“No, Jade,” said Natasha. “I told you, this is our gift to you.”

“No,” replied Jade. “Too much. I pay back some day quick. You no worry.”

“We’ll talk about that later,” said Jack. “I’ve called Holly, the woman you’ll be working for. We’re to meet her at five. We have to get going.”

“In North Van’?” questioned Natasha.

Jack nodded and said, “But she wants to meet me at a place in some strip mall near her house. She said she has a surprise to show me.”

“What place?”

“She wouldn’t say. She said I would know when I got there.”

Minutes later, they placed the shopping bags in Jack’s car and Jade sat in the passenger seat while Jack said goodbye to Natasha.

“Did you know she didn’t even have any underwear on?” whispered Natasha.

“How would I know that?” replied Jack.

Natasha paused, smiled and said, “Correct answer, Officer.”

Jack drove slowly through the strip mall, grinned, and parked the car.

“You see Miss Holly?” asked Jade.

Jack shook his head and said, “No ... but she’ll be in that coffee shop over there.”

As they approached the coffee shop, Jade said, “It closed. Sign say grand open ... something.”

“Grand opening, tomorrow,” said Jack, as he knocked on the door.

Holly was quick to unlock the door and hugged Jack and beckoned them inside. After Jack introduced Jade, Holly said, “So what do you think? My own place now!”

Jack looked around. The room was spotless and redand-white checkered tableclothes were already in place. “This looks great,” he said.

“I’ll have flowers on every table tomorrow morning. What do you think of the name?”

“The Torn Twenty,” said Jack. “I like it.”

Holly gestured to an item on the wall behind the cash register. Jack saw that it was a framed twenty-dollar bill that had been torn in half. The glass held it in place and allowed for a small space between the two halves.

“Why you put money in picture?” asked Jade.

Holly smiled and said, “I used to work for someone in a coffee shop. That was the best tip I ever received,” she said, glancing at Jack. “It came in two pieces. It brought me luck. Now I have my own place. Speaking of which, we should get going. I’ve got a girl babysitting from next door. I said I would be back in time for her to be home for dinner.”

A short time later, Holly and Jack watched as Jade sat on the living room floor playing with Charlie and Jenny.

Charlie sat on the floor propped up with his back to the sofa while Jade pretended to drive a small plastic car up his arm and onto his tummy where she said, “Oh, car stuck!”

Charlie squealed and giggled as Jade tickled his stomach. Linh saw that Pops was about to leave the room and she shook as she crawled naked toward the toilet to wash the urine from her head. The chain rattled on the floor and he looked up.

“You worthless little beast,” said Pops, “tonight I have a treat for you. It’s not a red-circle day, but here,” he said, reaching into the box at the far end of the room.

Linh glanced at the calendar on the wall and back at the box. Her clothes were in that box ... along with metal objects that Pops would sometimes clang together while he looked at her, telling her she would have to wait until her first red-circle day to find out what surprises awaited her.

He pulled out a jacket and threw it at her.

Linh put it on. It wasn’t her jacket, but it looked familiar—a look of horror crossed her face and she looked up at Pops.

It was the response Pops wanted. He laughed, and moments later Linh heard the passageway door creak shut and she was alone.

She slowly put her hand in the pocket and felt the tissue paper containing the pearl necklace from Ha Long Bay.

chapter twenty-five

At nine o’clock Monday morning, Randy drove Jack and Laura to the Vancouver International Airport.

“What do they use for money over there?” asked Randy.

“The Vietnamese dong,” said Jack. “A hundred dollars Canadian is worth approximately 1.5 million dong.”

“You’re kidding, right?”

“No, dead serious. When I checked with the bank I figured I’d need a wheelbarrow to pack it around,” he chuckled. “Apparently they have really large denominations. They also don’t allow you to take the dong out of Vietnam, so you don’t want to get more than you’re going to spend. Banks outside of the country don’t carry it, but you can get it at ATMs in Vietnam. I’m also told that the American dollar is widely accepted.”