Crystal pulled into a gas station and filled her car. She saw the orange van in the reflection of her car window as it slowly drove by behind her. Minutes later, she paid for her gas and was walking back toward her car when she saw the van drive by again. The two men inside stared back at her.

She fought to control her fear. Probably some past trick who recognizes me… She spotted a cellphone on the seat of another car. The driver was inside paying for gas.

Moments later, Crystal pulled back out into traffic. There was no sign of the orange van and she felt foolish for being afraid. By the time she eased her car off the on-ramp and onto the eastbound lane of the Trans-Canada Highway, the sun was glistening down the western side of the mountains, sparkling off the snow on the peaks.

The sun was directly in her eyes, but it was Sunday morning and the traffic was light. She accelerated and passed a semi-truck before switching back to the slow lane. Seconds later, she saw the orange van in her rear-view mirror.

“Thanks for dropping by.” Danny closed the door behind Jack and gestured to one of two sofas in his living room. “This is the new one. The other one needs to go upstairs. It’s a hideaway bed. Weighs a ton. Susan and I would never get the damned thing up there by ourselves. Have you had breakfast yet? We’ve still got the coffee on.”

“I’ve eaten. Let’s move this and then I’ll have a coffee before heading out to the farm. What about Crystal? What do I owe you?”

“The bill is in the kitchen. We can figure it out over coffee.”

Danny led the way up the stairs while Jack wrestled with the lower end of the sofa. Halfway up the stairs the sofa became wedged on a landing. Both men paused to rest.

“Did she leave yesterday?” Jack asked.

“No. She called me last night and said she was heading out this morning.” Danny’s voice sounded glum.

“You did a good thing by helping her. Why the long face?”

“I was hoping she would take Marcie with her.”

“You said she tried. What more did you expect her to do?”

“I told her to go over to Marcie’s and talk to her direct. She did, but Marcie wouldn’t go.”

“Doesn’t Marcie still live with Red?”

“Yeah.”

“Was Red home when she went over?” There was concern in Jack’s voice.

Danny chuckled. “That was the good part. I was going to tell you over coffee. Crystal gave her a knuckle sandwich and she backed right off. Too bad she didn’t do it a long time ago.” Danny saw the furrowed look on Jack’s forehead and said, “You don’t think that’s funny?”

The conversation was interrupted when Danny paused to answer his cellphone.

“Danny! I think I’m being followed!” The fear was evident in Crystal’s voice.

“Where are you?”

“Two guys in a van. They could be bikers. They watched me gas up and now they’re behind me on the freeway.”

“Where are you?” Danny yelled into the phone.

“I’m on a cellphone. Just coming up to the Willingdon exit. What should I do?”

“Keep driving. Don’t get out of your car and don’t hang up. I’m on my way. You’re less than ten minutes away from me!”

“Crystal’s in trouble!” Danny yelled to Jack, while jumping over the railing. The glassware in the dining room vibrated, knocking into each other.

Seconds later, the tires squealed as Jack drove through the quiet residential street. Danny sat beside him and tried to talk calmly with Crystal. She said that she was driving in the slow lane but explained that she had changed her speed a few times and each time, the van had matched her speed.

“Danny! They’re pulling alongside me now! What should I do?”

“Can you see them in your side mirror? Is the passenger window open? What about a sliding door?”

“Side mirror? The fucking passenger is practically beside me. His window is closed. The van doesn’t have a sliding door!”

“Then they’re probably not going to shoot at you. We’re only five minutes away. What does the van look like? Can you see the plate?”

“Oh, Danny.” Crystal started to giggle. “They drove right past! Didn’t even look at me.”

Danny heard Crystal laugh out loud, then she said, “I’m so stupid. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have called. I was just scared after seeing Red yesterday. Christ! I even ripped off some guy’s cellphone…”

Nails turned in the passenger seat and looked out the rear window of the van. He held a small radio transmitter bought from a hobby shop. The kind intended for small remote-controlled airplanes. He nodded at Axle and then thumbed the control. Axle didn’t slow down as the explosion sounded behind them.

The bomb, wrapped in nails, had been placed to blow the gas tank up into the interior of the car. Normally death would have been instant. Nails hadn’t counted on the bags stuffed with clothes that Crystal had placed inside the car.

Danny heard the roar of the blast over his phone and the uninterrupted screaming that followed as Crystal’s car came to a stop in the ditch.

A fire truck, returning from a small garage fire, witnessed the explosion as it drove in the westbound lane of the freeway. The driver cut across the meridian, but the truck became stuck in the middle. It was close enough that the firemen were at Crystal’s car in less than a minute. The interior of the car was ablaze.

The firemen were using the jaws of life to cut open her door as Jack and Danny arrived. She gazed up at Danny for a few seconds, then died.

It wasn’t the smell of burnt hair and flesh that would forever haunt Danny. It was the look in her eyes. They didn’t express anger or fear. Only acceptance of death — and a look that asked him why he did this to her.

Jack put his hand on Danny’s shoulder and said, “Come on. Let’s get away from here before the media arrives.”

Danny felt numb as he threaded his way past onlookers who were getting out of their cars. The sound of sirens could be heard approaching in the distance. He waited until getting in the car before turning to Jack and asking, “Why?”

“If Satans Wrath let her go they would start losing control of the others. That’s why they didn’t kill her with an overdose or something. This is the same as Lenny. They wanted to advertise. Make sure everyone knows what happens if you cross them.”

“I killed her.”

“What?”

“I killed Crystal. I told her to go see Red. If she hadn’t, she would still be alive.”

“It’s not your fault. You didn’t know.”

“It is my fault … and you know it!” Danny’s voice cracked as he spoke.

Jack’s anger showed in his voice. “You didn’t know! If anything, it’s my fault.”

“Your fault?”

“I brought you into a world that you didn’t even know existed. The rules are completely different. Crystal knew the rules and took her chances when she went over to Red’s place.”

“But I sent her to Red’s! Looking back on it, I should have seen how scared she was.”

“You didn’t kill Crystal. She had her doctorate in street smarts! You’re still in kindergarten. She knew that. Ultimately, it was her decision to do what she did.”

“I feel sick, oh Jesus!” Danny said, while opening the car door and leaning out.

Jack put his hand on Danny’s shoulder, and when he finished vomiting, Jack gently pulled him back into the car.

Jack pointed out the window and said, “Uniform is arriving. Homicide will be here soon. You’ve got to make a choice.”

“About what?”

“You could tell them what you know about Red. Then they’ll interview her.”

“She’ll just tell them to fuck off.”

“I know. It would also heat her up. The narcs expect me to meet her and arrange a big score. They’ve probably got her phone and pager tapped.”

“What choice do I have?”

“Find out who did this ourselves.”

“What can we do that Homicide can’t?”