“Was it?” asked Isaac.

“I don’t know, sir. That was just an observation. Maybe he hadn’t had a passenger since he last cleaned his car.”

Or was Taggart his passenger? wondered Isaac.

“A theory is, if we go by what Linh told us,” said Connie, “Dúc chained Pops to the floor and then disconnected the propane tank and went around the room lighting candles. The propane would sink to the floor so he would have had plenty of time to leave before the gas reached the height of the candles. His body was next to Pops and we found a complete candle under his body. He may have gotten too close to Pops, who grabbed him. Dúc may have stabbed him, but Pops was a big man and a body builder. He could still have snapped Dúc’s neck before he died.”

“Did he die from the knife wound or the fire and the explosion?”

“That is inconclusive. The autopsy indicates only minute quantities of soot in his lungs. He may have been on his last breath.”

“Hell of a way to die,” said Randy. “Being chained there with a knife stuck in your liver and watching the candles flicker while the gas fills the room.”

“You seem to have some reservation about what the child told you?” noted Isaac.

“She just didn’t strike me as being totally honest,” said Connie, “but it was pretty traumatic. Her father wants to take her back to Vietnam, but I’m holding his documentation. There are still a couple of loose ends I would like to clear up. I’d like to interview Linh again in a couple of days. The psychologist feels she is doing well, all things considered.”

“You think she is hiding something?” asked Isaac.

“She seemed really straightforward about everything leading up to her escape. After that I felt everything she said had been coached and rehearsed.”

“Can’t you verify her story?”

“We checked the pay phone she used. A call was placed to her grandmother in Hanoi. Also found the coins with her prints—but only her prints. We know she made the call.”

Randy cleared his throat and said, “Tell him what else you found, Connie.”

“There is a gas station across the street from the payphone. We managed to review some film footage and it showed Linh making the call in the background.”

“Good work. So you have confirmed she was telling the truth.”

“About that. Yes, sir. She told us that she borrowed some money from a man. That is on film, too. Unfortunately, the guy never looked toward the camera and he can’t be identified.”

“Do we need to identify the man?” asked Isaac.

Connie and Randy looked at each other and Randy turned to Isaac and said, “He appeared to favour his right arm ... or wrist, sir.”

Isaac looked sharply at Connie and said, “Corporal Taggart has a cast on his right arm. Just out of curiosity, do you happen to know how long he’s had it?”

Connie glanced at Randy and said, “Yes, sir. He was getting the cast put on right after he and Constable Secord dropped Linh and her father off at the hospital. He said he broke his wrist when he fell off a chair cleaning the leaves out of his gutter.”

“You said there were no other prints on the coins that Linh used?”

“In the gas station film, you can see where the man retrieved a small pouch from his pocket, like someone would keep parking change in. He handed it to Linh, who placed the call before giving it back.”

Isaac nodded knowingly. I bet there were no prints on any of the coins in that pouch. He looked at Connie and said, “You mentioned a couple of loose ends. What else is there?”

“Just speculation, sir. Trying to prove, or disprove, any other possible theories. If, for whatever reason, Linh did not escape on her own that night, then the question remains as to who helped her and how did that person—or persons—find out where she was?”

“Don’t beat around the bush, Corporal. Do you suspect Corporal Taggart or Constable Secord of somehow being involved?”

Connie’s face blushed and she looked at Randy for support.

“Sir,” Randy said, “when it comes to murder cases, I have to admit that anything that arises as happening by coincidence is automatically suspect. The man on the film favoured his wrist ... Corporal Taggart gets a cast on his wrist right after. It would be negligent of us if we didn’t investigate that matter a little further.”

Investigate a little further, mused Isaac. Good luck. Many before you have tried

“If that theory was actually true,” said Isaac, “is it also your theory that Corporal Coincidence set the explosion to—sorry, did I say coincidence? I meant Taggart.”

“It certainly destroyed most evidence of fingerprints or DNA in the room,” said Connie, “but there’s more.”

“More?”

“Yes, sir. The father, Bien, had a mark on his forehead. It looked exactly like some of the marks we found on Hang’s body. They were made by the pervert shooting at her with a CO₂ pistol. We found the pistol in the room after the fire. That was how Hang was blinded in one eye. The pathologist found a pellet—it was hold-back information.”

“Did you ask the father about the mark on his head?”

“Yes, sir. He said he fell on some bushes.”

“Well, well, well,” said Isaac. “Corporal Taggart and the father both happen to fall and hurt themselves on the same night.”

“Another coincidence, sir?” said Randy, glancing at Connie as she grabbed her ringing cellphone.

“Sorry, sir,” she said. “This could be relevant, I better take it.”

“Go ahead,” said Isaac. “Use the outer office.”

After Connie left, Isaac clasped his hands under his chin while resting his elbows on the table. “Tell me,” he said.

“Sir?” replied Randy.

“How did Corporal Taggart find her? Compared to him—even if you include Constable Secord—your office has abundantly more investigators and resources.”

“Sir, all this is just a theory that we are trying to prove or disprove.”

“I know. Just to tie up loose ends. But as you are well aware, this isn’t exactly the first time that some criminals, albeit very evil criminals, connected to Corporal Taggart ended up dead while he is still walking around above ground with the word coincidence stamped all over him.”

“Sir ... everyone in my office is extremely dedicated. I would personally vouch for every one of them. Everyone follows procedure and everyone works very, very hard to bring every case to a successful conclusion.”

“I’m not implying that you or anyone in your office is negligent or lazy,” said Isaac. “In fact, it is the complete opposite. It is my respect for you personally, that allows me to ask you the question. This discussion is just between the two of us.”

“I see,” replied Randy.

“I’m not blaming you. If anyone is to blame, it was me who cancelled his transfer out of the section and brought him back into the case.”

“Understood,” replied Randy.

“So how did he do it?”

Randy took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. “Well, the truth is, sir, we are half expecting to find two more bodies. If we do, I suspect that they may show signs of having been tortured.”

“Who?” asked Isaac coldly.

“This morning I learned that the two Russians have both been missing ever since this happened,” replied Randy. “We think they knew who Pops was and where he lived. Most of their belongings are still at their apartment.”

Isaac slammed his fist on the desk and said, “I want everyone involved in this put on the polygraph! Taggart, Secord—the father, too! Take his daughter and put her with Social Services. I’m not accepting a theory that Taggart may have tortured and killed two people! I want the truth!”

“Yes, sir,” replied Randy. “I know that Constable Secord had to fly to Toronto today for a court case, but is due back the day after tomorrow. Corporal Taggart is around and both Bien and his daughter are ...” Randy paused as Connie returned and bent over beside him.