Russian Hill (Abby Kane FBI Thriller - Chasing Chinatown Trilogy Book 1) Read Online Free Page A

keep them in a safe place. Do you know when the owner will be in?”
    “Oh, he almost never comes to the hostel. He talks to the staff by phone. He totally trusts us to run this place. Crazy, huh?”
    I guess I can scratch the owner off my list of people to talk to . “Here’s my card in case you think of anything else that might help. Call me anytime.”
    Katerina walked me down the stairs to the entrance. As I turned to walk away, she called out.
    “Agent Abby, wait. I remember. Piper mentioned a place in Sausalito. I can’t remember the name but she said they made organic cotton candy.”

 
     
    Chapter 5
     
    I was a block away from my favorite dim sum shop; I figured a quick bite before heading across town to the medical examiner’s office wouldn’t hurt. I huffed it uphill along Sacramento Street to Young’s Fresh Dim Sum on Stockton. I knew I had pigged out on this stuff the day before, but I have a serious addiction to dumplings. Plus, Young’s wasn’t like the sit-down restaurant I took the family to on Sundays where the servers push carts around from table to table. No, this place was a hole in the wall. It had character.
    Young’s had a simple counter to order from. Behind it were three stacks of bamboo steamers four high. Each one was filled with a different dumpling. There were a few tables to sit at, but mostly the place was designed for takeaway. I didn’t feel much like taking this stuff back to the office, and there was a seat open at one of the tables, so I made my selection and sat my butt down in the open chair.
    I didn’t pay much attention to the gentleman next to me. He appeared busy with his spread of cheap eats. Two bites in and I realized the suit next to me was the Asian detective from the other day. Of all the dim sum joints in town… I couldn’t believe my luck—stuck at a table next to a guy I never thought I would see again. I couldn’t get up and leave; there was no place to go. It was only a matter of time before he recognized me. Wrong.
    The guy continued to eat without looking up or taking a breather. He plopped his dumplings, one by one, into the sweet dipping sauce before popping them into his mouth, chewing fast and loudly. When he finished his main course, I thought for sure he would look up and notice me. Nope. He steamrolled right into the rice cake.
    I finished my entire meal without being discovered. What kind of detective is this guy? Clearly he wasn’t observant. Sheesh, lucky for the SFPD. Real keeper they got—
    “I remember you,” he said without any sort of prompt coming from me.
    I looked around, unsure if he had spoken to me. Eventually, he turned his head to me.
    “How did you know? You never looked up once.”
    He motioned with his head to the table in front of us. Sitting on top was a brand new, hot water heater used for tea. I could see both of our reflections in it.
    “Oh.”
    “I’m sure you were thinking I must be some crappy detective for my bad observation.”
    Busted. “Why would I think that?”
    He finished the last of his rice cake and wiped his hands on a napkin. “Look, I’m really a nice guy. We started off on the wrong foot. Truce.” He stuck out a clean hand and followed that up with a large toothy smile.
    Realizing how silly the situation was, I gave in. “Truce. My name is Abby Kane.”
    “Nice to meet you, Abby. I’m Kyle Kang. How’s the arm?” he asked as he held onto my hand and turned my arm from side to side as if he could somehow see through my jacket and make some sort of medical observation.
    “The arm’s fine. Thanks for asking.”
    “Do you eat here much?”
    “Not as much as I would like,” I said, wiping my hands with a napkin. “You?”
    “Quite often. I work out of the Central Precinct, which isn’t far. Plus, we’re responsible for Chinatown. You work in the area?”
    “No, my office is near City Hall.”
    He nodded as if he knew what building I worked in. “Oh, yeah, yeah. Do you work at the