Coit Tower (Abby Kane FBI Thriller - Chasing Chinatown Trilogy Book 3)

by Ty Hutchinson

  Heads nodded in agreement.

  “I think Castro got up here first, and then Lin surprised him.” I walked over to the doorway. “Castro is standing over where his body is. Maybe he’s walking toward the room where the children are when Lin enters the suite. Castro turns around, sees him, and draws his weapon—but not before Lin hits him with the knives.” I pretended to throw knives. “Stunned, Lin moves in”—I walked over to the body—“and finishes the job.”

  “But this is all still based on the theory that Lin worked for the mastermind,” Knox countered.

  I bent down near Lin and pointed at one of his gloved hands. “I’m betting that’s Castro’s blood.”

  “There might be prints on that knife sticking out of Lin’s neck. Tying it to Sei is still questionable, though,” House added.

  “So Lin finishes Castro, but before he can make a move on the kids, Sei shows up and kills him?” Knox asked.

  “I know what you’re thinking. ‘Why?’” I stood up and rested my hands on my hips. “I can’t say exactly why, but it might just be that the game is unraveling. I mean, it really has been ever since we started investigating. Changing the game to target me is a prime example. Add that the local management for the game had been targeted and removed, well, it’s not the same game we first discovered.”

  “It certainly sounds like a lot of damage has been done,” Copeland agreed.

  “Still, that doesn’t quite answer why Sei killed Lin,” I said.

  “It might be as simple as a squabble between two assassins, you know, fighting over a contract or something,” House suggested.

  Kang appeared right then. “I talked to Po Po and the kids before coming up. I’m really sorry this happened,” he said, giving my arm a friendly squeeze.

  I quickly brought him up to speed on what we had just been discussing. He took it all in without saying a word and glanced over the bodies before kneeling near Castro. He studied one of the blades sticking out of his thigh.

  “I’ve seen a couple of shops in Chinatown selling those types of knives,” I said.

  “Yeah, these are common throwing knives, mostly sold for show. But these knives were not bought in Chinatown.”

  “What makes you say that?” I asked.

  “You see this?” He pointed at an engraving on the handle. “There was another character painted on the teapot we found in the tong. This one.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Positive.”

  “What does it mean?”

  Kang stood up and let out a loud breath. We all stared at him, waiting for an answer.

  “Well, I doubt any of you will believe me. Even I didn’t believe it at first and had to triple check my research, but this character roughly translates into something known as Vagabond Kung Fu.”

  We all had the same look on our faces: blank.

  “I wouldn’t say it’s a matter of believability,” I finally said, “but more that we’ve never heard of it.”

  “Most people haven’t because its whole existence is rooted in folklore. It might just be an overzealous assassin paying homage to a myth.”

  “Well, either way, you said the same character was on the teapot, right?”

  “Yup, and that’s where it gets tricky. It’s clear that Sei is the mystery person who lived on the top floor of the tong. That means the teapot most likely belonged to her. If these throwing knives were used by Agent Lin, that’s two separate people owning items with that character mark. That’s not coincidence.”

  “So you’re saying they’re from the same school of assassins?” Knox asked with a slight smirk.

  Kang turned toward him. “That would make sense. As the story goes, Vagabond Kung Fu is a form of martial arts practiced by beggars or nomads that made their living from street performances that often involved acrobatics and rudimentary magic.”

  “Sort of like the Gypsies of Europe,” Knox suggested.

  “Yeah. These bands of wanderers were often victims of crime or were busy committing them. Either way, it’s the reason why they developed this style of kung fu. It’s a melding of the most deadly of Northern and Southern techniques. These beggars were often recruited as mercenaries because of those very skills.”

  “Acrobats? Magic? Sounds like ninjas,” Copeland chuckled.

  “Like I said, it’s supposedly just folklore. Many believe that the shinobi or ‘ninjas’”—Kang used air quotes to emphasize the word—“got their inspiration from Vagabond Kung Fu. Now, I’m not suggesting they didn’t exist; they definitely did. There’s documentation of clans existing as early as the Eastern Dynasty.”

  “So what are you saying? This knowledge was passed on through the years?”

  Kang nodded. “Pretty much. It also developed further into what was considered the Black Arts, fanciful stuff like casting spells and witchcraft.”

  “Sounds like Harry Potter bullshit,” Knox interrupted.

  “But it also included skills ranging from simple pickpocketing to assassination,” Kang continued. “That’s the area where it continued to thrive as far as I understand it.”

  “So Lin and this Sei girl were tied together through this Vagabond Kung Fu?”

  “Like a secret society,” I said. “Maybe the mastermind is also one of these practitioners. It also helps to connect the dots between the game and the Triads. Maybe within the Triads, these secret mercenaries exist.”

  “Wouldn’t you have heard about it with all the time you spent in Hong Kong?” House asked.

  “You’d think, but I didn’t.” I looked at Kang. “What do you think?”

  “It’s easy to keep something hidden when it’s widely considered to be nothing more than good, old-fashioned storytelling, especially within the Triads. From the Chinese point of view, they’re compared to the Illuminati.”

  Knox rubbed his forehead. “I don’t know, guys. Ninjas, secret societies, mythological kung fu: this is a bit too much. Do we really think this stuff matters, even if there is some truth to it?”

  “If it helps to answer the ‘why,’ then yes, it could help,” Kang said.

  “So those two are part of the same secret group of assassins. Phhfftt… How does that help us put an end to the mastermind and get this bounty off Abby’s head?”

  Good question.

  Chapter 44

  “Drago!” Petrovic flung a pillow at the sleeping man’s head, hitting him square. “Wake up!”

  Zoric lifted his head off the pillow slightly. His eyes were crusted over, only one able to break the seal. Adrijana lay next to him completely under the covers and motionless, obviously still asleep.

  “What time is it?” Zoric asked as he looked around.

  “Look at what’s on the TV!” Petrovic pointed at the flat-screen that had CNN showing.

  Zoric rubbed his eyes and propped himself up on an elbow for a better look. A reporter was covering the double murder at a B&B in Napa Valley.

  “Two FBI agents are dead. Apparently, that is where they were hiding our target’s family. We’re fucked, I tell you. No way we can get near her now.”

  “Shut up!” Zoric ordered as he scooted forward to the foot of the bed and listened to the reporter recap the events of the night.

  “Another team struck while we were here sleeping like we’re on some fucking holiday. We completely screwed up. I knew—”

  “Shut up!” Zoric said again more intently as he leaned in, taking in the situation unfolding on the newscast.

  By then, Adrijana had awakened and sat next to Zoric, watching with great interest. The live report had switched to Agent Kane making a statement earlier in the morning. A reporter had asked if the murders were the mastermind’s doing. The three of them were surprised when they heard her answer.

  “We have evidence to believe that Agent Lin worked for the mastermind. We alerted Agent Castro of the threat, but by the time we arrived, both agents were found dead. Agent Castro prevented Agent Lin from harming my family, but unfortunately, he su
ccumbed to injuries sustained during that confrontation.”

  “Another team tried to get to the agent through her kids,” Petrovic said.

  Zoric wiped his hand across his mouth. “I don’t think that was another team. The only way to get to Agent Kane through her kids is to kidnap them. What then? Ask for a ransom? Lure her into a trap? It’s a stupid move. It would have never worked.”

  “So then why was this agent sent to attack her family?” Adrijana asked.

  “I don’t know, but I think somehow the mastermind is behind this move.”

  “You think the game is changing again?” Petrovic’s voice rose, a barometer for his agitation. He threw both arms up before kicking the ottoman over.

  “I think the sooner we make our move, the better,” Zoric said.

  “Now what?” Adrijana asked. “Security will be tight around that place. Surely they will know we’re not real journalists.”

  Zoric clasped his thighs with his hands and kneaded the flesh a bit. “That’s why we must wait for her at the tong. It’ll be easy to blend in with the others. Eventually they’ll come back, and that’s when we’ll strike.”

  Chapter 45

  House and three other agents that I knew well took over duties to secure my family and move them back to our home. The premises had already been secured by Knox to the point that a presidential visit was viable. Reilly also ordered checkpoints to be established at either end of my street. Only residents would be allowed entry. I had complete confidence in House’s ability to keep my family out of harm’s way.

  By the time we had left the B&B, it was nearly nine in the morning. We were heading back to the tong to determine our next steps. Interviewing Ethel would be a priority since we still hadn’t had any solid leads regarding Charles Yee’s whereabouts. Lots of calls from the public, but nothing had panned out. Even Kang’s efforts to reach Yee via phone weren’t helping—endless ringing, no voicemail. I wanted to push Ethel harder for her cooperation. She needed to understand the seriousness of the situation and that finding Yee had become the bureau’s top priority. So far, he was most likely to be the mastermind or at least someone who could put us a step closer to him. Reilly had already dispatched two agents to bring her in for further questioning.

  I rode back into the city with Kang. Knox and Copeland followed us in their SUV. “Look, Kyle, I know you think we’re overreacting, but it’s important that we have a heart-to-heart conversation with Ethel. Right now, she’s our best bet at identifying Yee, even if it’s only to provide a sketch artist with a description. We need to be circulating his picture.”

  “No, you’re right. He’s our number one suspect in this case, even if he is her friend. I know Ethel; she’ll cooperate.”

  The deaths of Castro and Lin wouldn’t have any effect on the tong serving as our command post and living quarters. It was business as usual and another opportunity for Sei to pay me a visit. At least, that was my hope.

  I had a lot of questions and not a whole lot of answers. The pieces just didn’t fit right. The question that got batted around in my head the most was why Sei had showed up at the tong to warn me about my children. It’s not like she was an informant I had developed. We barely knew each other. Plus, she was a killer, and there was a big paycheck on my head. Let’s not forget that very important detail.

  As a whole, we were still undecided on whether she killed only Lin or both of them. CSI’s investigation would hopefully shed some light on that. Either way, I wanted another conversation with her. Only this time, I wanted to make sure she couldn’t leave.

  Driving over the Golden Gate Bridge, my eyes wandered off toward the mouth of the bay and into the blue Pacific Ocean. The water was choppy and dotted with white peaks. A large container ship slowly made its way toward the bridge, escorted by four tugboats. Most of the morning fog had burned off, and the sun was beaming down. It was a beautiful sight.

  “Never gets old, does it?” Kang said.

  I blinked at him.

  “The view,” he added helpfully.

  I nodded slowly, still lost in my thoughts. I was heading back to the tong when I should have been heading home with my family. The mother in me screamed at my selfishness. However, the agent in me countered. My family and I would never be safe until we caught the mastermind. Working the case instead of staying with them was a necessary but unpopular decision.

  When we turned onto Waverly Place, Kang promptly drove up onto the sidewalk and parked right outside the tong. The area had unofficially been designated as our parking spot. A few news vans were still camped out along the street, though most had followed us to Napa. I expected they’d all eventually make their way back to Chinatown or split duties between both locations. The double murder at the B&B had become the hot story.

  Before we could enter the tong, a woman and two men approached us. She spoke with a European accent. “Excuse me, Agent Kane. Could you spare fifteen minutes for an interview?”

  “Sure. Who are you guys with?” I asked as I looked toward the two news vans.

  “Oh, we’re with a small news service in Serbia. We are here to cover the investigation.”

  “Serbia?”

  “Our government doesn’t want CNN to be the only source of world news. Our van is that one at the far end of the street.” She pointed. “We can conduct the interview inside.”

  “Nah.” I needed to freshen up first. “Follow me. There’s a small office on the second floor that I’ve been using as a media room.”

  I held the door open for the trio. “Come on. I don’t have all day.” Everyone else had already headed inside except for Kang, who paced the sidewalk a few feet away. He was talking on his cell and motioned for me to go ahead without him.

  I led the news crew up to the media room on the second floor and told them to make themselves comfortable and that I would be back in a few minutes. I then went up to my floor to splash some water on my face. Knox and Copeland were already up there looking at the boards. While their assignment was my security, they had obviously taken an interest in the investigation and were working it alongside me. I didn’t mind. I needed the help. “I’ll bang out this interview quickly and join you guys when I’m done.”

  I returned to the second floor. The meeting room I had been utilizing was small, maybe twelve feet by twelve feet. It was furnished with a small, round table and four chairs with an old wooden credenza against the wall. It was windowless and probably not the most comfortable place in the building, but it served my purpose; I didn’t want the interviews to be longer than needed.

  As I walked toward the room, I could see the woman sitting at the table, smiling at me. The taller, skinner man operating the camera stood off to the side, but the other male, the shorter, bulkier one, remained hidden from my view. “Sorry about the wait,” I called out before entering the room.

  <><><>

  “Are you going to be at the B&B covering the double murder?” Kang asked into his cell phone.

  “No, another crew got that assignment. I’m stuck in Chinatown,” Suzi said, her tone clearly indicating that she had a pout on her face.

  “Hey, it’s not that bad. I’m here. We can grab lunch together.”

  “I guess.” Her voice warmed slightly. “What’s happening there now?”

  “Nothing really. We just got back. Abby’s giving an interview to a news crew, and I’m not sure what the other agents are doing.”

  “Which news channel?”

  “They’re foreigners. I think they said they were from Serbia. I guess this case is bigger than I thought.”

  “Why aren’t they at the B&B? That’s where the story is.”

  “Not sure. Maybe they were for a little bit. So what time do you think you’ll get here?”

  “I don’t know. Gary should have picked me up about an hour ago, but he’s late and not answering his phone. I swear, he’ll be the reason I get fired. He’s always late. I don’t know how he even got this job. He’s not even that great with
the camera, always catching me when my guard is down and not looking my best. I have an image to uphold, you know? I…”

  As Suzi went on and on about Gary, Kang dropped the phone down to his side, her yakking still ringing out loud and clear as if the phone were on speaker. He didn’t know if a fresh pot of coffee had been brewed upstairs and decided to grab a cup from the restaurant on the corner. Just before he reached the entrance, he passed a news van. Painted in bold lettering on the side was KTVU Channel 2.

  Recognizing the station, he put the phone back up to his ear. “Hey, Suzi. …Suzi!”

  “Why are you interrupting me?”

  “You said Gary was supposed to pick you up a while ago, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well, I’m standing next to a KTVU news van right now. I’m pretty sure it’s the same beat-up van that he drives you around in.”

  “What? Are you sure? Wait, look inside the window. Do you see little rubber Smurfs sitting on the dashboard?”

  Kang stepped closer to the passenger’s side door and peered inside.

  Crap! Abby!

  Chapter 46

  Kang pocketed his phone and drew his weapon in one fluid movement before racing toward the front entrance of the tong. How could I have let this happen? Why didn’t I check their news credentials? The team entrusted to keep Kane safe had gotten sloppy, and Kang worried they were in danger of paying the price.

  It didn’t take much more for Kang to piece together that the journalists were impostors. The only piece of the puzzle left was whether Kane was still alive.

  Up the first flight of stairs he bounded, his heart pumping out a resounding bass line in his chest. With his weapon out front, he pivoted on the small landing between the first and second floor. From there, he kept his steps light and his movement minimal. He didn’t know if he was walking into an ambush. He couldn’t save Kane if he was injured, or worse, dead.