Russian Hill (Abby Kane FBI Thriller - Chasing Chinatown Trilogy Book 1) Read Online Free Page B

Asian Art Museum? Are you a docent there?”
    Just when I thought we could be friends. “No, but nearby.”
    He stood up quickly and adjusted his jacket. “It’s nice to properly meet you, Abby. I hope to see you around,” he said, smiling, completely oblivious to the barb he had thrown my way earlier. I hoped it wasn’t intentional.
    I politely said goodbye and headed back to my car. It was time to pay my friend, Dr. Timothy Green, a visit.

 
     
    Chapter 6
     
    Detective Pete Sokolov sat at his desk with butcher paper spread out. He was busy picking pieces of flesh off an entire dried mackerel.
    Kang waved his hand in front of his nose. “I should have known you were the source of that smell.”
    “I’m Russian. This is my people’s food. And anyhow, you eat that fermented fish sauce. It’s worse smelling than this.”
    “Maybe, but I don’t eat it every day.” Kang leaned back in his chair and watched his partner and best friend since high school tear away at the fish like a lone piranha. “Hey, remember that lady from the other day? The short Asian one?”
    “The one that took our guy out? Yeah. She’s a looker, that one. Why?”
    “I ran into her again at the dim sum shop.”
    “Maybe she’s following you to make sure you don’t need help,” Sokolov said before letting out a low laugh.
    “Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Kang waited for the big man sitting across from him to calm down. “I’m serious here. Something’s been bothering me since that day, and I finally figured it out after bumping into her again. She reminds me of someone we know.”
    “You talking about that inspector from a few years ago?”
    “That’s exactly who I’m talking about. What was her name?”
    Sokolov scrunched his eyebrows. “Chu, Chee—”
    “Choi! That’s her name. Inspector Choi.”
    “What about her?”
    Kang shook his head from side to side. “She just really reminds me of her. I don’t know why.”
    “Maybe it’s because she’s short, female and Asian.”
    Kang rolled his eyes. “It’s more than that.”
    Sokolov gripped both flaps along the gut of the fish and tore it open, revealing more of the flesh. “You’ve seen this woman twice, and you think you know her.”
    “Eh, it’s a hunch. Forget about it. What’s new?”
    “Cavanaugh wants to know where we’re at on those two bodies that popped up last week.”
    “I think we have to tell him what we’re thinking.”
    “You remember what happened the last time we went that route?” Sokolov spit a bone between his two fingers before brushing his hands together.
    “Yeah, and we were right.”
    “I’m not so sure he remembers it that way, regardless of what ended up happening.”
    <><><>
    “Are the two of you trying to blow my diet? You know damn well that food is my go-to in stressful situations.” Captain Richard Cavanaugh stood there behind his desk with both hands on his hips, his belly hanging over the front of his belt buckle and his face projecting a look of disbelief.
    “I’m just saying that findings are pointing this direction and we think we need to start looking at one guy here,” Kang answered evenly, not wanting to worsen the situation any further.
    “I’m not seeing it. Make it clear for me.”
    Words sputtered out of Kang’s mouth as he sat perched on the edge of the chair, waving his arms like a conductor who was desperate to keep his symphony from straying. “This isn’t random,” Kang continued. “The killer knows what he’s doing.” He held up a hand and began a count. “Our male vic had almost all of his gold teeth removed. His other jewelry and money was left untouched. He wasn’t beaten. There were no witnesses. He died quickly from a knife across the neck. Our second vic, she had her finger removed—”
    “She was robbed. According to her husband, there was a diamond ring on her finger,” Cavanaugh blurted.
    “Hold on. If that’s all the person wanted, why kill her? Why leave a body that could come back