“No. He knows about another friend who I used to work for. Leo Krushnik. He has his own investigation operation on Hastings Street. The bikers watched Leo’s apartment and his office, but I’m not sure their people will still be on the job if Dao killed Curtis Parnell.”

“I’ll have my team take a look at the place to see if anyone is keeping an eye on it.” Kristof looks through me, toward the door. I think he only came in to see where I was staying, to enter another line of data into the report he has created for me.

“I’ll be in touch tomorrow,” he says.

When he leaves, Simone comes back in. “That man needs a little excitement in his life.”

I begin to laugh, out of sheer exhaustion. I take off my jacket. “You’re exciting.”

“He should be so lucky. Who is he, anyway?” she asks, following me into the bedroom.

I fill her in.

“Everything is moving too fast. We’re trying to figure out who Dao is, where he is. We’re trying to keep up with the investigation to see if the authorities find him first. We’re trying to keep you and Bonnie alive while we do it. It’s too much. I’ve been looking into Van Nguyen, and since he doesn’t live at his West Van house, I’m assuming he has another property, maybe purchased through a shell company. I’m still working on it. Also not much on his alleged girlfriend, the restaurant manager. She’s still overseas, rumor has it in Dubai. Whoever these people are, they know how to lay low.” She shakes her head. “Okay, maybe it’s time to get Brazuca in here.”

“No,” I say quietly.

“Don’t you think he’d want to know you’re alive? And, more importantly, wouldn’t he want to be involved?”

“I know he will. He always has before. But it’s still too dangerous.”

“Is my favorite misanthrope growing some kind of conscience? I’m shocked and delighted. Alright. Give me an hour and let me finish up some work. Then we’ll go over everything we know about Van Nguyen.”

Simone doesn’t know what happened between Brazuca and me in Indonesia, and after. Or that I’ll do anything to keep him from getting hurt worse than he already has been.

Time passes, I don’t know how much. I fall asleep waiting for Simone to finish her work.

The smell of fresh coffee jolts me awake.

“You have to see this,” Simone says. She’s crouched in front of me with her open laptop, much too close. “They found him.”

“What are you talking about?”