Wave of Death

by Charlie Vogel

A long moment passed. He took a deep shaky breath then leaned forward on the desk, not missing how I tensed. “Pencils, sit down while we talk this over. This situation can be worked out. Mr. Wong has a lot of money he enjoys sharing. You cannot even imagine the riches available to the people he favors. You are an intelligent man. I’ve always said you were too educated to be an enlisted. Now is your chance to really make it big. I’m offering you a chance to become my partner in a legitimate real estate firm, a big profit venture Mr. Wong is underwriting. What do you say, eh?”

  I watched this half man melt into an oversized bucket of gooney bird shit. Relaxing back against my desk, I asked, “How much do you think we can make?”

  A smile tightened the puffiness of his lips. “Possibly a million dollars or more.”

  “Hm, interesting. And how about broads, Sir? You know, how many women do you think Wong will provide whenever we want?”

  His smile broadened. “As many as you can afford to buy. Wong has some prime flesh available. Shit, once the chicks find out we have money, we’ll be fighting them out of our beds.”

  “I underestimated you, Sir. I think you have some great ideas. I’m in. Should we shake on it?”

  Holcomb stood, laughed, and extended his hand. “Of course we’ll shake on it, Pencils. And I didn’t underestimate you! From now on you can call me Andy.”

  Stepping around his desk, I extended my right hand. Although my left hand had always been the weaker, I used it to pound a statement into the closest feature that stuck out of his face. Blood sprayed from his nose a moment after impact. He stumbled back, collapsing in his chair, his expression wide-eyed with surprise then fear. Bending my knees to use my body weight, my right fist fanned the air and connect with the lips that had just held the goddamn smile.

  I shook the soreness out of my knuckles and stepped back from behind his desk. “Well, Andy, I changed my mind. I hope you’re not too sore.”

  As I yanked open the door, he blurted, “Goddamn you, Pencils! I’ll have you court-martialed for this.”

  I turned back to face the red pimple. “Sir, before coming here this morning I visited the Admiral. Any moment Captain Baker will be asking you a few questions. If I can give you some advice, Sir, it would be to resign your commission . . . today.”

  His eyes glazed as his expression turned blank. Without looking away from me, his hand carefully opened the top drawer of his desk. He lifted a Navy Colt. My mind struggled to put my body in motion, but I froze seeing his finger firmly planted on the trigger.

  “Whoa there, Andy. I was only offering some advice.”

  “Please get out of my office,” he ordered in flat voice.

  “So you can shoot me in the back?”

  “Now!”

  The gun turned. The instant of the blast his face broke into hundreds of small blood vessels. His body flopped forward onto the ink blotter. In the silence that followed, the gun fell to the floor with a clank that jerked me out of my horror.

  Chapter 15

  The last man in the dark, civilian suit from the investigation team closed the door behind him, leaving the Admiral and I alone for the first time in three hours. Although Admiral Collins spent most of the time out of the office, his attention was continually requested throughout the time I sat during the interrogation.

  From my chair, I looked up at the old man staring out between the blinds. His cigar held the inch thick ash as if it had been glued. He shifted his feet and turned on his heels.

  * * *

  Catching my eye, he said, “Marinous, how much time do you have to get to that opium den?”

  “I have to be there in one hour.”

  “Can you still make it?”

  “If I leave right now and break a few traffic laws.”

  “Good. I had a few yeoman type up a packet. You can take it to Wong and pass it on as the Operation Market Time documents. I suggest you hurry.” He reached into a top drawer of his desk and handed me a large, manila envelope. The three-inch thick package appeared to be the same one I carried out of Subic Bay.

  “But Sir, you heard. I’ve been restricted to barracks.”

  “Goddamn it, Coleman! I’m an Admiral. I outrank those pussy-foots from Intelligence. Here, I have a special pass for you to come and go as you please. You shouldn’t have any problems getting off and on base with it.”

  “Why are you doing this, Sir?”

  “Simply because I believe in you, Marinous. You had nothing to do with that Lieutenant shooting himself. He was a goddamn traitor. I think your finding who is involved in this conspiracy will be beneficial to the Department of the Navy. Also, you’ve got a little lady that needs your attention. Which reminds me, I have a room at Schofield Barracks where she can stay until Wong is placed behind bars. Now, get your ass out of here. That’s an order!”

  * * *

  The Kaiser fired off on the first try. I left tire marks on my parking spot as I spun out onto the drive. A hundred yards later I shifted into high gear, the wind whistling in my ears as I cruised at close to seventy miles an hour. A Volkswagen pulled out from the shoulder and stopped, blocking the highway. I braked and skidded.

  A girl stepped out of the car, her short, military-style hair cut flowed from under the baseball cap. The pressed Navy dungarees she wore almost sparkled, they were so clean. They had never been worn on a paint detail, that was for sure.

  Leaning over the windshield, I yelled, “Jenny, get your ass out of my way! I’m in a hurry.”

  “I’m going with you.”

  “No, you’re not. Damn it, I don’t have time to talk. Get out of my way.”

  She hefted a duffel bag with a long strap dragging the ground. Before I could object, she jumped over the passenger’s door, the heavy baggage falling into her lap.

  “Well, step on it, Coleman. You’ve got plenty of room to go around my car. By the way, Rex and Brutus are behind you. They’re in a blue Chevy.”

  Looking over my shoulder, I saw the Bel Air coming to a stop. Not asking any more questions, I placed the Roadster in gear and created a cloud of dust as I pulled around the Volkswagen.

  The humming Kaiser quickly returned to seventy with no problem. Damn, Corkie deserves dinner and drinks for this! In the mirror, I noticed Rex had no problems keeping up with me. I concluded his Chevy had to have a super eight in it. On the passenger side of Rex’s car, I noticed a dark object taking up half the windshield. Brutus was definitely the biggest swabby I’d ever seen.

  As I took the curve on squealing tires, I glanced at the white-lipped Jenny, “Why are you here?”

  “I decided to save my career in the Navy and help you out.”

  “What about your boyfriend?”

  “You were right. I hate to admit it, but he’s one of Wong’s men. He really didn’t care about me. He was a plant.”

  “So how are you going to help me?”

  “I’ve got civilian clothes for you to change into when we get to Honolulu. I’m also carrying two Thompson submachine guns with fully loaded drum magazines and an extra hundred rounds of ammo. If that’s not enough, I dropped in hand grenades and a couple of Navy Colts. It’s all checked out of the Admiral’s personal armory.”

  “Does Admiral Collins know?”

  “Of course, and he has a small detachment of Seabees and a platoon of Marines to help clean up Hotel Street . . . when the time comes.”

  After a near collision with a truck loaded with pineapples, I concentrated more on my steering, but my mind still raced. “Damn it, why didn’t Admiral Collins tell me everything? I haven’t had time to think up a strategy. How in hell will I get Lihua out before Wong kills her?”

  Jenny clutched the door handle on the next curve. “The jar-heads are moving her right now to the dispensary at Schofield Barracks.”

  Initial relief surged, but Tanya’s warning smashed it down. “Who’s idea was it to move her to the dispensary?”

  “Watch out! I think you just ran over something in the road. Keep y
our mind on driving or we’ll end up dead before we even get started. Who? Oh, the Admiral said he wants Lihua out of Honolulu. He then said you are to drop off the documents and get the hell out before all hell breaks loose. Rex, Brutus and I—and the Marine platoon—will cover the outside of the building. If there’s any problems, we’ll take care of them.”

  “No, that won’t work. Someone is probably telling Wong about Lihua’s removal right now. He will know something is wrong. I’ll handle this my way and stick to my original plans.”

  Jenny screamed during another near miss with slow-moving car. I found a straight away leading directly onto Hotel Street a few blocks from Mia’s Coffee Shop. My watch told me I had fifteen minutes to spare. I parked and turned to Jenny. “You get out of here. Thanks for your help.”

  Her mouth dropped. “What the hell do you mean? Drive on to the coffee shop!”

  “But Jenny, things might become dangerous. Here you’ll be out of the way of any stray bullets. Wong’s men don’t care who they shoot.”

  “I’m going where you go. You’re not looking at some pansy-assed little girl! I’m from Montana and can shoot bull-eyes from the back of a horse, and I don’t mean paper eyes. I’m talking about the large, blinking brown kind you’re going to be staring into. I’ve seen more action fighting smart-mouthed cowboys in saloons than you have in the Navy. Now get your ass in gear. We’ve got work to do.”

  My mind couldn’t come up with a response. “Where-where did you say you’re from?”

  “Brock Creek, Montana.”

  * * *

  I backed into an alley a half block from Mia’s.

  Jenny stood outside with her back to me while I changed into civilian clothing. She did check me twice, but to say anything to her sounded childish. Then I allowed her to drive me to the front of the shop. After slipping the Storm of Pearls from my pocket and around my neck, I grabbed the manila envelope. As I stood, the fake gold medallion bounced heavily against my chest.

  Looking into Jenny’s eyes, I wanted to kiss her, but thought she would somehow be offended. Instead, I said, “I’ll be out as soon as I get the name of the sailor who killed Lieutenant Barnes. Before I go, do you know what Admiral Collins put in this package?”

  “I could tell you, but I won’t. It’s a surprise. Get your ass going. You have about one minute.”

  A young oriental woman with black hair flowing to her hips answered my knock at the rear door. Her eyes stunned me. The pupils were dilated to the point the black spots looked like eight balls pasted on the white round surface. She blinked at my necklace then motioned me in.

  I stared about the dark room. Oriental designed shades covered the light fixtures in two corners near the ceiling. Coming out of bright sunlight, my eyes slowly adjusted to the dim reddish glow. Shadowed figures moved about. My eyes burned as they focused on curtain enclosures and lovely oriental women, looking between the ages of eighteen and thirty, wearing white shorts and nothing else. They glided in and out of the curtains, some carrying long stem pipes, all looking as stoned as the girl who had admitted me.

  My eyes began to water and I couldn’t quite get a breath. The nauseating, sweet smell of burning opium hung thick in the room. The hostess removed her long mu’umu’u. The waist of her shorts crossed just below her belly button. Her small breasts looked like hard plastic imitations.

  She politely said, “Twenty dollars, please. You take the curtain to your left. A lady will be there momentarily.”

  “I have an appointment with Mr. Wong.”

  “Oh yes. Follow me, please.”

  At the far end of the room, she pulled a curtain back, allowing me just enough space to enter. Ducking my head, I looked up to see Wong seated on a floor cushion, unclothed, except for a white towel draped over his lap. His two female companions knelt on each side, one massaging his shoulders. He removed the pipe’s stem and said, “Pencils, you made it just in time.”

  “I kept my word.”

  “We’ll see. Would you like a smoke?”

  “No thanks.”

  “Why don’t you at least remove your shirt? The girls give an excellent rub down.”

  “No. Wong, I’m not here to share your perverted enjoyment. I just want to drop this off, get Lihua back, and hear the name of that skinny sailor.”

  “Don’t be in such a rush, Pencils. It is rude to us Orientals, you know. You will get your information as soon as I read the document.”

  I tossed the package in front of him. Because the small cubicle confined the smoke within the area, I started to feel light headed and unbalanced. The curtains brushed the back of my head. I wanted to rip them apart so I could breath some clean air.

  Wong took a long drag from his pipe. A naked girl with almost flat breasts bent over the bowl, gently blowing on it. When she straightened I saw she had either shaved her private area or wasn’t old enough to grow hair. My stomach rolled. After Wong finished his smoke, she took the long stem pipe and placed it on the floor. He closed his eyes and sat motionless as if savoring the effects of the opium.

  I calmly said, “I have a lot of things I could be doing today, besides getting stoned from your used up smoke. Should I return later?”

  He opened his eyes. “No, Pencils, I want you right here. I’ll look over the documents now. And, I heard about your friend, Lieutenant Holcomb. Very unfortunate.”

  “Who told you? The unfortunate incident happened just a few hours ago.”

  “News travels fast on this island, Pencils. Of course I have also been told about your Marines taking Lihua away. She’s going to Schofield Barracks, correct?”

  “How would I know? No one told me and I have no paid informants.”

  “It doesn’t matter, I have very good friends working at Scofield. Oh, and outside, my people have your platoon of Marines and your three friends surrounded. I hope we have no problems. Don’t you agree, Pencils?”

  Swallowing hard, I worked to keep a bland expression. What in hell did the Admiral put in that package?

  Gently he leaned over and picked up the manila envelope from the floor. Holding out a hand, the girl on his left flashed a blade from the spring action of a knife and placed the handle in his palm. He sliced the top off in one motion, reached in, and held up a stack of papers. Adjusting his thick glasses, he began to read.

  For twenty minutes, I watched the naked girls sitting motionless, staring back at me. I wondered if they even saw me through their drugged state. Over half the papers had been stacked on the floor, when Wong finally said, “Everything looks fine, Pencils. The people in Peking will be happy to see them. But one thing bothers me. Since you brought all these armed people with you, I assume some of the higher ranking officers may have knowledge of your business here. Is this correct?”

  My mind quickly flashed spotlights, looking for an answer. Suddenly I responded, “Yes, there’s a few people carefully selected because . . . we are all looking for a cash profit, those high ranking officers included.”

  “Have I mentioned anything about payment?”

  “Yes, you have, and Mister Holcomb said I could make millions.”

  “Andy. That poor fellow. Right now, I can only spare one hundred thousand. Would this keep your superiors satisfied?”

  “Maybe, but I think they were expecting a little more. The only thing I want is the name of the sailor who killed Lieutenant Barnes.”

  “You are focused, aren’t you! In due time you will get the money and the name you want, but I believe I will wait for both. I have to get an answer from Peking. Perhaps this document isn’t the same you had delivered to Admiral Collins. Could this be so?”

  “I don’t know. I told you I never read or even glimpsed the document.”

  “Pencils, I can’t believe you were that loyal to the Navy’s code of ethics. You had these papers in your possession all that time and curiosity never prompted you to see what it said?”

  “I may have been curious, but Navy regulations drilled into me those words
‘Top Secret’ meant it wasn’t for my eyes.”

  “An honorable man. You are very different from most people I have met. I will take your word and get these sent.”

  “What about Lihua?”

  “I too can be honorable. She’s safe. She’s in your hands now. What are you going to do with her?”

  I watched as the naked girl filled the pipe. “What do you mean?”

  “She no longer has work. There’s not a place on the island who will hire her. I guess you will have to support her, Pencils. Did you understand she is accustomed to having a lot of money?”

  * * *

  I felt empty handed as I walked to the parked Kaiser.

  A bored rather than attentive Jenny sat behind the wheel. She looked at me as I sat in the passenger’s seat. “You look kinda pale. What happened?”

  “Nothing.”

  “What do you mean? Shit, we’re all sitting out here waiting to kill goons and you say nothing happened?”

  I frowned at her then looked around to see if I could spot the Marines and Wong’s men. I couldn’t. “He read the documents and believed they were authentic. Were they?”

  “Heavens, no! For two hours, I worked with ten other yeoman to type Admiral Collin’s plan to invade Hawaii. We changed a few names and places and made copies of it.”

  “You lost me. What did you say about Hawaii?”

  “A code name was used for Hawaii, of course. You see, when the Admiral went through War College, he had an assignment to create a plan to invade and regain the islands if the Japanese took possession. That’s what we used for the documents, except I added a few words in the last paragraph on the last page.”

  I grinned. “I hope it wasn’t too offensive.”

  “It was.”

  She started the motor and pulled onto the street. With a wave of her hand, she motioned Rex’s Bel Air to follow. I watched the store fronts pass, trying to imagine what she had put in the last paragraph. Curiosity got to me. “You are very entertaining, do you know that? So, what did you add to it?”

  She fought a smug smile, but lost. “In the part where the supply ships make the third landing, I suggested that uncooked dry rice be shoved up the ass of every Chinese prisoner, who would then be sent to Peking, submerged in a barrel of hot water. And, maybe, I mentioned something to the fact that Ho Chin Minh could kiss Admiral Collin’s ass.”