“So, how did it end up in Canada?”

“Your guess is as good as mine. I-HIT sent it to the lab to see if it has been involved in any other cases. It will take a week or two before we find out. Longer yet for the U.S.”

Rose nodded and said, “After all the other cases you have been involved with, this seems rather mundane.”

Jack shrugged. “Yesterday you told me if I ever needed a break, to let you know. Maybe this is it.”

“Do you think I-HIT would mind having you poke around?”

Jack sighed and said, “Connie might not like it. CC is good, but our paths have crossed before and she never seemed overly appreciative of the methods I used.”

“Isaac spoke to me about those cases. Perhaps Corporal Crane would have been more appreciative if you had left her someone to take to court, rather than someone hauled off in a body bag.”

“That —”

“I know. Was a coincidence.”

“Exactly,” said Jack, feeling uneasy.

“Does the victim have any personal relationship with anyone you know, other than being treated by your wife on a professional basis?”

“No. My wife took it hard … losing a patient. She felt sorry for him, but that’s it.”

“Well, as you obviously know, gun smuggling into Canada is a top concern. The seizure of the weapons that you and Laura were responsible for over the weekend illustrates the need for our involvement. Would you be content to limit your field of investigation to the gun for the moment and let I-HIT handle everything else? Until such time, of course, that circumstances or information indicates otherwise?”

“Definitely,” said Jack, with a smile. “Do you think you can convince the powers that be that a Saturday night special falls in our mandate?”

“Leave that to me. Do you know Connie Crane’s boss? What is he or she like?”

“It’s Staff Sergeant Randy Otto. In a nutshell, I’ll tell you what I know. He’s a good guy. Very experienced policeman. Cares about his people … but is also the type to see the big picture. The only bad thing I can say about him is he prefers Scotch over martinis and demands that the Scotch not be pedophilic.”

“Pedophilic Scotch?”

“Has to be well-aged,” replied Jack with a grin.

“Sounds like you know him well.”

“Got to know him over the murder of a Vietnamese girl. I really respect him.”

“I’ll give him a call first, then mention it to the brass after. It would also be helpful if you could find out the proper description of the pistol. I doubt that the brass would know the difference between an Uzi and a wobbly Webley, but describing it as a ‘Saturday night special’ won’t exactly impress them.”

“I already asked. It’s a 9 mm six-shot semi-automatic made by Bryco Arms in the U.S. Bryco used to be well known for making the most Saturday night specials used by criminals. They sold for under fifty bucks. A lawsuit in 2003 finally put them out of business.”

“Good. That sounds better. So we’ve got a weapon from a notorious gun manufacturer in the U.S. catering to criminals, and now has been used to commit a murder in Canada. Don’t worry, I won’t have any trouble pitching it. You get any flack, direct it my way.”

“Thanks, Rose. I appreciate this.”

“No problem.”

Jack was leaving when Rose said, “Jack!” She waited until he turned to face her before lowering her voice and saying, “If you solve it, I’d appreciate it if the bad guy makes it to trial.”

Jack nodded quietly and left.

Two hours later, Jack and Laura received a visit to their office from Connie Crane.

“Okay, Jack! What the hell gives?” she shouted as she strode in.

“Hi, CC. Haven’t you gone to bed yet?” replied Jack.

“Don’t give me that shit! I talked to Dallas. Why are you sticking your face into my homicide?”

“Because I told him to,” said Rose, walking in behind her.

Jack quickly made introductions and CC cast a suspicious glance at Jack before turning to Rose and saying, “Why? What business is it of yours?”

“International gun smuggling,” replied Rose.

“International gun smuggling!” replied CC. “Jesus, this is just kids! Not organized crime!”

“Kids?” asked Jack.

“Yeah, we found a footprint made by the perp. Not clear enough to match to a shoe, but from the size of it, we think it was a young teenager. We’ve already got the school liaison officers checking out the youth gangs.”

“The gun was left at the scene,” said Jack.

“So what?” replied CC.

“Most kids would value a handgun. Dropping it at the scene is something a pro would do.”

“A pro? That’s a laugh. Sounds like you need some sleep. This is just some kids who used a cheap pistol to whack a wino. A thrill kill, that’s all.”

“A thrill kill?” replied Jack. “Why drive him all the way out there for that? Except for the victim, the hit matches a lot of organized crime type hits.”

“Organized crime! Get off it! This isn’t The Sopranos! I don’t see what business it —”

“Cool the attitude,” said Rose quietly. “We are all on the same team. Gun smuggling from the U.S. into Canada is a major concern. Perhaps you aren’t aware of it, but our office was instrumental in seizing several automatic weapons last weekend.”

CC paused and said, “Sorry. And yes, I’m aware of that case. Randy and I talked to Mad Dog about it after he was arrested.” She glanced at Jack and Laura and added, “Good going, by the way.” She turned to Rose and said, “But this is different. No Mac-10s and Uzis here.”

“Maybe you’re right,” said Rose. “But if it is a juvenile gang, let’s put a stop to them before they do become The Sopranos. I really don’t see what the problem is.”

CC eyed Jack suspiciously. With you, there is always a problem.

“Our office will concentrate on following the trail of the gun and your office can handle everything else,” continued Rose.

“Okay,” sighed CC. “You work on the gun. Good luck. I think you’ll find it to be a dead end, but if you do discover something, I expect to be notified immediately.”

“Naturally,” replied Jack. “By the way, Dallas told me Melvin had a clear garbage bag over his head and upper torso. Kind of unusual.”

CC pulled up a chair to sit in while Rose perched on the corner of Jack’s desk.

“Kids watch a lot of CSI these days,” replied CC. “Maybe they thought it would stop us from finding any DNA in their van.”

“Van?” asked Rose.

“No witnesses to anything, or tire tracks. We’re guessing he was hauled out of a van by the way his heels were dragged in the parking lot.”

“Why would anyone kill Melvin?” asked Laura.

“Kids … no conscience,” replied CC. “Probably their way of getting an adrenaline rush.”

“You seem certain that it was kids,” said Jack.

“We’re checking into the possibility that it was someone who knew him, but it doesn’t look like it. The cheap pistol found at the scene was sold to some guy in the States who didn’t have a record and has since died of old age. I meant it when I said good luck on finding anything out about it.”

“We’ll give the gun a shot,” replied Jack.

“I’m so tired, I actually think that is funny,” said CC. “But I’m sure we’ll discover the murder is connected with a youth gang. Kids won’t keep it a secret for long. Eventually somebody will talk.”

“Yes, or eventually someone else will be murdered,” suggested Jack.

“Yeah, well, there is always that possibility,” said CC, getting up to leave. “Nice to have met you, Rose. Sorry if I sounded off before. I haven’t had much sleep.”

Jack followed her into the hallway and said, “Listen, CC. I don’t have any intention of looking over your shoulder. I only want to help out a bit.”

“Help out a bit? Yeah, I’ve heard that one before. Can you blame me for being a little paranoid? Last night I find Natasha’s name on the victim. An hour later I watch you kill a cat at the crime scene. Speaking of which, that really shook you up, didn’t it?”