She Demons by Donald J. Hauka

Author:Donald J. Hauka
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Dundurn Press
Published: 2010-11-11T00:00:00+00:00

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The Sun Yat Sen Gardens are an oasis of peace and beauty in the bustle of Vancouver’s Chinatown. Its ponds and gardens are just a few blocks from The Corner and the outreach office of Millennial Magic. Inside its walls, visitors can easily forget the crowds, the traffic, the junkies wandering around Pigeon Park a stone’s throw away. Jinnah found Jassy in a quiet corner by the little bridge across the muddy, brown waters, contemplating the koi that drifted slowly among the lily pads. From the moment she looked up at him without her customary hostile coolness, Hakeem knew she was not bullshitting him — something had scared her sufficiently to give him the straight goods. His inherent instincts were tingling. It was all systems go. He slid onto the stone bench next to her.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“I’m being set-up for Thad Golway’s murder. Does that sound okay to you?”

Oh, ho! Jinnah’s brain kicked into overdrive. What had happened in the few hours since she had given him the slip outside the cop shop? Half a dozen scenarios raced through his mind at once.

“Just who is setting you up, Jassy?”

“I’m not sure who. And I have no idea why.”

“What makes you so sure you’re being set up?”

Jassy briefly recapped her interview with Daisley. The information fit at least one of Jinnah’s possible scenarios and had the ring of truth about it. But it didn’t go far enough in explaining Jassy’s loquaciousness.

“So Daisley covered his ass by making you the front for his grow op business. Very sensible from his point of view, but I still don’t see how Thad’s involved in all this.”

“Neither do I. I just know the two things are connected.”

Jinnah was torn. On the one hand, he admired Jassy’s instincts — they matched his precisely. On the other, he knew she wasn’t telling him absolutely everything she knew. He had two options: press her hard right now and see what spilled out, or try to gain her trust. He’d already seen just how far Graham had got when pressing her. No, this warrior princess required a gentle touch — for the moment.

“So you want me to help you connect the dots and save your ass, hmm?”

Jassy nodded. “Look, I know I shouldn’t have taken off on you — that was a shitty thing to do —”

“Especially since I’d already sprung you from jail —”

“— but maybe we can make a new deal?”

She is desperate. She is scared. And now I know who she is scared of — Ray Daisley. If nothing else, Jinnah had to admire Jassy’s taste in enemies.

“Okay, here’s the deal: you have to help me get inside the MiMis — be my guide. In return, I’ll find out just who is setting you up. And you have to lead me to Andy Gill.”

Jassy stared at the brown, still water for a long moment. Jinnah had asked for a lot, but it was the bottom line from which he would not budge. Would she agree? It depended on just how scared she was.

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