In the Bronco again, he drove to a vantage point about a half mile away to watch.

It didn’t take long for the spark from the incense cone to touch off the book of matches, igniting the first condom full of gas. Things erupted quickly after that, and in a matter of seconds, the bin went up in a pyre visible for miles, the thick black smoke from the burning plastic and rubber lifting to the sky. There would be no trace evidence found there.

Gavin’s next task was to clean up his beloved Bronco.

He drove through two different car washes because seedpods and grass can sometimes tie a vehicle to a crime scene. But a car wash could not change the tread of his tires. That’s what brought him to the tire shop.

At first the guy acted like he didn’t want Gavin’s business.

“Your tires ain’t that bad. Ya got a good twenty thousand miles left on ’em.”

“They don’t ride well,” Gavin said, avoiding his lisp.

“But why do ya want used tires? What I got here in the shop ain’t as good as what ya got on there now.”

“I prefer older tread.”

“But that don’t make sense.”

“I could go to another company—”

“No, I’ll take care of ya, it’s just…Fine, if ya want used tires, I’ll get ya used tires.”

Chapter 12

A nurse led Niki Vang and Matty Lopez to a room in the Hennepin County Medical Center where a young woman lay sleeping in the lone bed. Her face was hollowed out by her ordeal, her hair tangled, having gone unbrushed after being wet. Next to her, a man in his late forties slept in a green chair, his head propped up by an elbow on the armrest. When the detectives entered the room, the man sat up and wiped the exhaustion from his eyes.

“This is her father,” the nurse whispered.

The man blinked as if confused.

“Mr. Vauk?” Niki said.

“Yes.”

“May we speak to you?” She pointed to the corridor.

The man looked at his daughter and nodded, standing to follow the detectives out of the room.

“I’m Detective Vang, and this is Detective Lopez. We need to talk to Sadie, but we’d like a word with you first, if that’s okay.”

“Did you find him—the one who did that to my little girl?”

“We’re just getting started, Mr. Vauk,” Niki said. “We need to learn everything we can—every detail. Do you know where your daughter was yesterday or last night?”

“I already had this conversation with you people.”

“We’re with a different unit, and we’d like to go over it again. Make sure nothing gets overlooked.”

“What unit?”

Niki handed a card to Mr. Vauk. “We’re with Homicide.”

“I don’t understand. Sadie’s alive.”

To avoid getting into the weeds about the three cold cases, Niki simply said, “Someone made an attempt on your daughter’s life. That’s why we’re here. What do you know about Sadie’s whereabouts yesterday?”