As he read over the fire investigation report, Chan explained to Kelso that there was a new fire victim in the morgue and that this male from the Kaimukī fire had an identical large abdominal stab wound made with the same kind of hunting knife.
“So the accelerant was gasoline with Pacific Insurance,” said Kelso, “and it’ll probably be the same with this second one then.”
His partner’s desk sat opposite Chan so that they were face-to-face. They did a lot of face-to-face thinking. This was one of those occasions. It was a good thing they got along well. There’s nothing like having to stare at someone you don’t like for protracted periods.
“Yeah, that’s great,” said Chan. “The most common accelerant in arson cases. But I was thinking that maybe this wasn’t the work of a full-fledged arsonist. Maybe the killing is more important than the fire.”
“So why light the fire at all?” asked Kelso.
“I thought maybe it was a kind of double revenge. Someone outraged, maybe beyond thinking straight. How about torture as well? Stab the person, then set the body on fire to watch the victim suffer even more.”
“Ho! Pretty grisly,” said Kelso.
Chan nodded. “Yes, I’m speculating it might be a love triangle.”
“Good one, David. If that’s the case, David, then what are we looking for? A second male or a female?”
Shaking his head, Chan laid down the report. “Well, I visited both residences I found in the phonebook, Harvey Wong and, get this, a woman who turns out to be a Jasmine Komine.”
“Two for two, boss. Spooky kind, uh?”
Chan nodded. “Maybe, but I’m still chalking the whole thing up to coincidence.”
“Nah nah nah, boss. In two dreams? Come on, David, what’s the chances? Canna be.”
“Komine teaches part-time at HU, said Chan. “I was thinking, that maybe in her case, my son or my daughter may have mentioned her to me. She teaches part-time at UH. Maybe one of them took a class from her. I’m going to go over there to see when she has office hours. Hopefully, I’ll catch her in.”
“Part-time teacher? What else she does?”
“I don’t know.”
Chan’s phone rang. It was Gi Yu.
“David, I checked the Pacific Insurance personnel files. There’s no one named Komine. But then I wondered about who else might be in the offices downstairs. It turns out that there is a Dr. Jasmine Komine, a psychologist with a practice on the Second floor. Suite 213. Right where the body was found.”
Chan broke out in a cold sweat, and a shiver ran down his spine. He thanked her and hung up, then told Kelso what she’d said.
“Change of plans, Chin. No one will ever see Jasmine Komine at HU again So this is what needs to get done now.”
Kelso listened to his partner work on his theory.
“I have a hunch, Chin. I have a strong feeling that I know what whoever set the fire was trying to burn. Besides Jasmine Komine. It was her files. What do you think?”
Kelso sat silent, wondering, shrugged his shoulders.
Chan picked up a pencil and began tapping it on the desk blotter. “Okay, well, I know it’s a little out there. But it’s what my gut tells me, Chin.”
“Then what about the guy in Kaimukī? You saying the fire was lit to cover something else.”
“Hmmm. Right, that’s something to think about. The idea of the overkill out of rage, I like that, the torture angle on top of the stabbing.”
“And given how intense the fire was at Pacific Insurance,” said Kelso, “your gut wouldn’t tell you all her files were burned and then some?”
Chan sat back in his chair. “Ah, yeah, you’re right. Maybe my gut is wrong there. But if I can’t find anything in her files, then wouldn’t the key lie with Harvey Wong?”
Kelso nodded. “Yeah, that, I like. Your dreams. Freakin’ amazing, boss.”
“Maybe,” said Chan, “maybe not. Maybe that’ll be a dead end. But I have to go see him. If he is the one in my dreams, I just have to see him to . . .”
“Right,” said Kelso finally. “If.”
“Do me a favor, Chin. Run a background check on him and radio me with any important information you might find.”
“Will do, boss.”
And with that, Chan was out the door. As he drove back to Algaroba Street, something else occurred to him. What if, he wondered, Dr. Komine had any files at home? Should he go to her place first to have a look around?
Lanning Lee 