Chapter 53: New Body

Four minutes later he was guiding his unmarked Hyundai Sonata south on Seoae-ro, then east on Pildong-ro. He drove fast, whipping around slower traffic, grateful that the streets were still largely empty; rush hour would not begin till 7 AM.

From the crosstalk crackling over the radio, Kim Hyeok gathered that Detectives Bong and Myung were already on the scene. Apparently they'd been heading home after a nightlong stakeout when the call came in; although not part of the task force, they'd volunteered to secure the crime scene and supervise the uniforms until Kim Hyeok arrived.

At 6:15 AM, he turned onto a narrow residential street lined with thick-boled date palms and leafless elms. Yellow evidence tape had been strung between trees and hydrants to cordon off half the block. Kim Hyeok was pleased to see that Bong and Myung had protected a wide area; it was possible, however unlikely, that tire tracks or a discarded object might be found in the street.