‘ Hungry?’ Raveneau asked Candel as they sat down at a table on the small deck above the sidewalk.
‘I’m always hungry.’
‘OK, order whatever you want and order me a beer and a burger. I’m buying. I’ve got to return a call but it won’t take long. What made you call me? I didn’t know if I’d hear from you again.’
‘I remembered some other things.’
‘Good. I want to hear about them. I’ll be right back.’
Raveneau called the crime lab and asked for Lim but it was several minutes before Lim picked up. When he did, he said, ‘Some information for you. The first is we got a good fingerprint from one of the photos.’
‘It’s probably mine.’
‘It’s not, I checked. Second is I scanned in that landscape photo and ran an app that compares a photo to a database of hundreds of thousands of photos. It comes up with a percentage probability of a location. The app recognized the terrain. It is the north-west shore of the Kohala coast on the Big Island. Check a map and you’ll see there’s one road that cuts through from above. That’s where the photo was taken from. The last thing is I did more research and I’m sure these photos were taken between 1981 and 1990. I know you want it closer but that’s the best I can do.’
‘Thanks for what you’ve done.’
‘What about the fingerprint? What do you want to do with it?’
‘Put it somewhere safe. I hope to send you prints to compare it to very soon.’
When Raveneau came back out on to the deck he saw Candel had zipped his coat and turned up the collar. The sky was white with winter fog this afternoon and it was chill on the deck, but they could talk easily out here.
‘Sorry I was drunk last time we met,’ Candel said. ‘I rip through cocktails way too fast.’
‘I used to have that problem.’
‘How did you get rid of it?’
‘I started making sure my first drink lasted at least twenty minutes.’
‘Like you just changed overnight?’
‘Took about fifteen years.’
‘Great.’
‘You’ve got to want it.’
‘I’m getting there.’
‘You’ll know when you’re there.’
‘Were you a cop then?’
‘I’ve been one so long I don’t remember what it’s like not to be one. But cops are people, Ryan. Listen, I’ve got a question for you. If your dad turns out to be a good guy, how will you deal with that?’
‘He won’t be.’
‘What if he is?’
‘He and my mom had other problems. He dumped her but she was leaving anyway. He was big-time into political stuff, like seriously over-the-top right wing action, which was a major problem for her. His friends too, same deal with them. They had meetings and planned shit. That’s what I didn’t tell you that night.’
‘In laid back Hawaii?’
‘Yeah, it tripped her out. You should have talked to her about how laid back Dad and his ex-Nam buddies were.’
‘Give me a story she told you?’
The waitress came out before Candel could answer. She brought the beers. When the deck door closed he said, ‘The word they used was interdiction. They liked that word. They did interdictions and there was like a small group of them. She thought they killed two draft dodgers, American dudes who went to Canada. She thinks they killed them after the war was over, as in went up there and found them. She was pretty sure that happened.’
‘This doesn’t sound like your mom the way you’ve described her up until now. She doesn’t sound as in love with Captain Frank.’
‘She was. It’s all true. What I told you was true. She mentioned this other stuff more as I got older.’
‘Your mom loved him, so how bad could he be?’
‘She also said he smuggled things for people in his luggage. I guess they didn’t use to check a pilot’s luggage. A pilot could like walk on a plane carrying his bag.’
‘Any idea what he smuggled?’
‘No clue.’
‘OK, well, thanks for this and I’ll do what I can to check out that Canada story.’
Truth was Raveneau was disappointed. After their earlier phone conversation he thought Candel had something more substantial. He pointed down the street toward the Ferry Building. ‘There used to be a freeway here.’
‘I kind of remember it.’
‘Commuters would park in a lot underneath it. Alan Krueger was shot and killed not far from that lot and between two support pylons for the freeway. Very recently someone sent a videotape addressed to me, probably because I’m in the Cold Case Unit. It’s a videotape of the shooting of Krueger.’
‘Like a snuff film?’
‘In a way I guess you could say that. But I think it was proof that Krueger had been dealt with, though I wonder if the shooter knew the video was being made. In the video is a partial profile of the shooter, not a very good one, but enhancement techniques are much better now and I’ve had photos of your dad compared.’
‘I knew it.’
‘It’s not your dad. Your dad didn’t shoot Alan Krueger. He may have known him but he didn’t kill him. When your mom talked about his friends did you ever hear the name Alan Krueger, or any nickname that might sound something like his name? If your dad was called Captain Frank it’s possible his friends had nicknames too.’
‘I don’t remember any.’ He was quiet now then said, ‘So he didn’t kill this Krueger, but it’s still weird stuff and he was around. I don’t think he’s going to turn out to be a good guy. I’m friggin’ afraid of what I might find out about him.’
‘Do you want to see this video to know what this case is about?’
‘Why do you want to show it to me?’
‘You were five years old in 1989 and that’s old enough to have memories. Alan Krueger may have been a friend of your dad’s. He may have known your mom, so seeing him might jar your memory. It’s a longshot, but it’s possible.’
But it was more than that. Raveneau was hoping Candel would feel something for the man gunned down and it would stay with him.
‘OK, I’ll do it, but when?’
‘How about tomorrow?’
‘I’ve got a music gig tonight. I’ll be up all night.’
‘Then call me in the late afternoon.’
‘OK. All right, I’ll call you. I want to know more about this. I want to know who this Krueger guy was.’