Before heading to the coroner’s office, Chan stopped by a phone booth to look at the directory. He dialed up the Hawai‘i University operator and asked for the Personnel Office. The woman connected him with the receptionist.
Chan identified himself and asked if there was a Dr. J. Komine on staff.
“Yes, Lieutenant, she’s an adjunct professor with the Psychology Department.”
“And her first name?”
“Jasmine, sir.”
For a moment, Chan forgot how to breathe.
“Sir?”
“Ah, yes, I see,” said Chan. “And as an adjunct, does that mean she’s part-time?”
“Yes, sir. In fact . . . Yes, she’s only teaching one course this semester. Abnormal Psychology.”
“Uh-huh, I see. Ah, well, thank you very much for your help.”
After he’d hung up, Chan sat in his car for a while calming himself down. So Jasmine Komine was real. At least the name was. How had he known that? That he was in any way psychic, he didn’t believe that at all. Had his son or daughter mentioned a professor they liked at HU, a favorite psychology teacher? Perhaps. But the name alone, now way. That wasn’t enough to convince him that he’d somehow had any paranormal experience. Now, he wanted to see her even more than he had. If she looked like the woman of his dreams, now that, well that would be surreal.
When he entered the lab at the coroner’s office, Chan was met with what he assumed was a warm smile behind Kathy’s mask.
“You rang?” he asked.
“Yes, I wanted to show you something.”
She went over to the far slab and pulled back the sheet on a body Chan didn’t recognize. He’s assumed she’d be showing him the charred body of the woman who’d been found in the Pacific Insurance Building. It was not.
“Who is it?” he asked.
“It’s another fire. A house in Kaimukī. A Jason Li‘ikini. At least he’s the registered renter. But look at this.”
Kathy pointed to a large gash in roughly the same place on the stomach where the one had been on the woman. “Look familiar? It’s a stab wound as well. Again, it’s a large blade. Some kind of hunting knife, I think. One edge is serrated.”
Chan peered at the wound. “So again, dead before the fire, just like our Jane Doe.”
Kathy said, “You know, it’s very interesting, from an M.E.’s perspective at least, that someone would think that a fire could cover up a murder where the wound is so obvious. I mean, the murderer knows we’ll see it, so why go through the trouble of trying to cover it up with a fire?”
This was interesting. “Maybe,” said Chan, “the killer thought he or she had used an accelerant that was supposed to be more powerful than it turned out to be, one that would more completely burn the bodies?”
And then it came to him. “Or maybe simply stabbing them wasn’t enough. Not only will I stab you, but I’ll burn you as well.”
Kathy nodded. “Yeah yeah, I can see that. Some kind of a jealous type of rage. Like, I’ll kill you twice.”
“Yes,” said Chan, “I’ll kill both of you twice. Perhaps a love triangle.”
“Geez, there are some pretty sick people out there,” said Kathy.
And a lightbulb went off for Chan. “Yes, that’s right. Abnormal people,” he said.
Just then the phone rang. Kathy took off her gloves and went back into the office. When she returned, she had a message for Chan. “That was your partner Kelso. He said to tell you someone from the fire department wants to talk to you about the investigation findings in the Pacific Insurance fire.”
“Good,” said Chan, “this is all starting to come together.”
“Well, I’m glad you think so,” said Kathy. “It’s a little bewildering for me.”
“No, really. You’re not going to believe this, but I’ve found the woman in my dreams. There is a Jasmine Komine. Well, she may be the woman in my dreams. A name is one thing. But I’m going to be getting a look at her pretty soon. She teaches psychology at H.U. I’ll probably see her today, either there or at her apartment.”
“That’s good,” said Kathy. “Hey, I’m glad for you.”
Chan said, “Ah, will you be able to come over tonight?”
She shook her head. “Hank’s physical therapy is going to take longer than he’d hoped. He was supposed to be back in to work this week, but he can’t do it. Even worse, now he’s thinking he might have to retire.”
“Great,” said Chan. “So you were hired to be his number two coroner, and now with him gone, you’re shorthanded again.”
“Yes,” said Kathy. “And,” she indicated the bodies on all three slabs, “there’s no shortage of work.”
Chan felt bad for Hank Lee, the longtime coroner. Chan’s father had worked with him, and so had Chan for all of his career up to this point. Age was not helping Lee recover swiftly from his gunshot wound.
But Chan felt bad for himself as well. He found all the time that he wanted Kathy near him more and more. At this rate, that desire was far from being fulfilled.
“Hey, Pop,” came the sound of a familiar voice.
Turning around, Chan was surprised to see David III come through the door. So was Kathy.
“Dave,” she said, “what brings you by?”
“Well,” said Chan’s son, “Hank Lee’s been talking to me and to my head of residency at Queen’s Hospital. They’ve worked it out so that part of my rotation will be assisting here.”
“That’s wonderful,” said Kathy. “I can surely use the help.”
“Yes, Dave,” said Chan, “that’s the best news I’ve heard in a while.”
Before heading to the coroner’s office, Chan stopped by a phone booth to look at the directory. He dialed up the Hawai‘i University operator and asked for the Personnel Office. The woman connected him with the receptionist.
Chan identified himself and asked if there was a Dr. J. Komine on staff.
“Yes, Lieutenant, she’s an adjunct professor with the Psychology Department.”
“And her first name?”
“Jasmine, sir.”
For a moment, Chan forgot how to breathe.
“Sir?”
“Ah, yes, I see,” said Chan. “And as an adjunct, does that mean she’s part-time?”
“Yes, sir. In fact . . . Yes, she’s only teaching one course this semester. Abnormal Psychology.”
“Uh-huh, I see. Ah, well, thank you very much for your help.”
After he’d hung up, Chan sat in his car for a while calming himself down. So Jasmine Komine was real. At least the name was. How had he known that? That he was in any way psychic, he didn’t believe that at all. Had his son or daughter mentioned a professor they liked at HU, a favorite psychology teacher? Perhaps. But the name alone, now way. That wasn’t enough to convince him that he’d somehow had any paranormal experience. Now, he wanted to see her even more than he had. If she looked like the woman of his dreams, now that, well that would be surreal.
When he entered the lab at the coroner’s office, Chan was met with what he assumed was a warm smile behind Kathy’s mask.
“You rang?” he asked.
“Yes, I wanted to show you something.”
She went over to the far slab and pulled back the sheet on a body Chan didn’t recognize. He’s assumed she’d be showing him the charred body of the woman who’d been found in the Pacific Insurance Building. It was not.
“Who is it?” he asked.
“It’s another fire. A house in Kaimukī. A Jason Li‘ikini. At least he’s the registered renter. But look at this.”
Kathy pointed to a large gash in roughly the same place on the stomach where the one had been on the woman. “Look familiar? It’s a stab wound as well. Again, it’s a large blade. Some kind of hunting knife, I think. One edge is serrated.”
Chan peered at the wound. “So again, dead before the fire, just like our Jane Doe.”
Kathy said, “You know, it’s very interesting, from an M.E.’s perspective at least, that someone would think that a fire could cover up a murder where the wound is so obvious. I mean, the murderer knows we’ll see it, so why go through the trouble of trying to cover it up with a fire?”
This was interesting. “Maybe,” said Chan, “the killer thought he or she had used an accelerant that was supposed to be more powerful than it turned out to be, one that would more completely burn the bodies?”
And then it came to him. “Or maybe simply stabbing them wasn’t enough. Not only will I stab you, but I’ll burn you as well.”
Kathy nodded. “Yeah yeah, I can see that. Some kind of a jealous type of rage. Like, I’ll kill you twice.”
“Yes,” said Chan, “I’ll kill both of you twice. Perhaps a love triangle.”
“Geez, there are some pretty sick people out there,” said Kathy.
And a lightbulb went off for Chan. “Yes, that’s right. Abnormal people,” he said.
Just then the phone rang. Kathy took off her gloves and went back into the office. When she returned, she had a message for Chan. “That was your partner Kelso. He said to tell you someone from the fire department wants to talk to you about the investigation findings in the Pacific Insurance fire.”
“Good,” said Chan, “this is all starting to come together.”
“Well, I’m glad you think so,” said Kathy. “It’s a little bewildering for me.”
“No, really. You’re not going to believe this, but I’ve found the woman in my dreams. There is a Jasmine Komine. Well, she may be the woman in my dreams. A name is one thing. But I’m going to be getting a look at her pretty soon. She teaches psychology at H.U. I’ll probably see her today, either there or at her apartment.”
“That’s good,” said Kathy. “Hey, I’m glad for you.”
Chan said, “Ah, will you be able to come over tonight?”
She shook her head. “Hank’s physical therapy is going to take longer than he’d hoped. He was supposed to be back in to work this week, but he can’t do it. Even worse, now he’s thinking he might have to retire.”
“Great,” said Chan. “So you were hired to be his number two coroner, and now with him gone, you’re shorthanded again.”
“Yes,” said Kathy. “And,” she indicated the bodies on all three slabs, “there’s no shortage of work.”
Chan felt bad for Hank Lee, the longtime coroner. Chan’s father had worked with him, and so had Chan for all of his career up to this point. Age was not helping Lee recover swiftly from his gunshot wound.
But Chan felt bad for himself as well. He found all the time that he wanted Kathy near him more and more. At this rate, that desire was far from being fulfilled.
“Hey, Pop,” came the sound of a familiar voice.
Turning around, Chan was surprised to see David III come through the door. So was Kathy.
“Dave,” she said, “what brings you by?”
“Well,” said Chan’s son, “Hank Lee’s been talking to me and to my head of residency at Queen’s Hospital. They’ve worked it out so that part of my rotation will be assisting here.”
“That’s wonderful,” said Kathy. “I can surely use the help.”
“Yes, Dave,” said Chan, “that’s the best news I’ve heard in a while.”
Lanning Lee 