Free Russian Hill (Abby Kane FBI Thriller - Chasing Chinatown Trilogy Book 1) by Ty Hutchinson Page B

suggesting.”
    The two detectives looked at each other, then back at me. “Go on, Abby,” Sokolov said. “We’re listening.”
    I’m not one to shy away from admitting I’m wrong. I’ve been wrong plenty, but I’ve been right more. And my gut told me I was right about this one. “Let’s get back to the SF tie-in: gold rush, redwood trees and Victorian homes. This is the connection, not your body mutilation and not three murders in a specific time frame. San Francisco is what connects these three victims.”
    “So he could be making a statement about the city through things that represent San Francisco.”
    “Right. The Painted Ladies are a huge tourist attraction. Victorian architecture is as much of a part of this city as the hills are. It’s what gives the city its charm.”
    “So our guy doesn’t like Victorian homes, and this is his way of saying it,” Kang continued.
    “I think you’re in the ballpark.”
    Sokolov snapped his fingers. “Panning for gold. The teeth in the gold pan are his way of paying homage to the San Francisco gold rush.”
    “Yes!” I said, pointing at him. “And the hiker. Well, the tallest living thing in the world is a redwood tree. The ones in Muir Woods are protected and can’t be chopped down, but our guy found something else to chop down.”
    “A tall girl,” Kang finished.
    The three of us stood on the sidewalk quietly, letting the conversation sink in as the first vehicle of the CSI crew arrived. We’d had a breakthrough on the motivation, and the City by the Bay had a serial killer.

 
     
    Chapter 17
     
    After Kang had a few units from SFPD set up a perimeter and I had briefed CSI, we headed back to Central Precinct. Kang had commandeered the small interrogation room and turned it into our war room. He and I began making lists of San Francisco icons as well as popular attractions in the city and pinning them up on the corkboard next to a large map of the city which had the locations of the bodies identified by colored thumbtacks. I was busy adding to the list on the board when the door opened and Sokolov entered the room. He had a look of despair on his face, and his shoulders hung lower than usual.
    He placed both hands on his hips. “Bad news, guys. The fighting between the Russian gangs in the Inner Richmond area has intensified. Boss wants me to head up a joint task force aimed at curtailing this ongoing war. I’m off the thrill kill case. Sorry, I must get started on it.” Sokolov left, closing the door behind him.
    “Well, that sucks,” I said, not caring whether it was appropriate to say.
    “Cavanagh did it on purpose,” Kang said. “He considers you an extra body and doesn’t think he needs three personnel on this case.”
    “But I don’t work for him.”
    “He doesn’t care. He wants to look good for the top brass. There’s usually some type of political motivation behind every decision he makes. This Russian thing must be a hot button.”
    “We’ll have to make do.” I continued working on the list but stopped when I heard Kang chuckle to himself.
    “What’s so funny?”
    “Nothing.” His growing smile disagreed.
    “Come on; give it up.” He had tickled my curiosity enough that I stopped writing.
    “Well, since it’s the two of us and our last names are kind of similar…”
    “I don’t think they’re similar.”
    “They totally are. How about we go by ‘Kang and Kane: crime-fighting duo’?”
    “Kang and Kane? Why not Kane and Kang?”
    “Wait, how about the Asian Ks?” Kang painted an invisible marquee with his hands.
    “Nuh-uh.”
    “Double K?”
    “I don’t think we need a nickname.”
    “Capital K and Lower K? Get it?” he said, moving his hand up and down.
    “I wish I didn’t.”
    He returned to his list, and I to mine.
    “Kan-Kan?”
    I nearly threw my pen at him. Inside, I giggled like a schoolgirl, but I wasn’t about to let Kang know his stupid jokes made me laugh. Men think that, because they make