Rogue Angel 51: The Pretender's Gambit

by Alex Archer

  “I believe so, although several of her assailants are not.” Rao watched an emergency medical team remove yet another body on a stretcher while a crowd stood by to observe.

  “Sequeira’s people?”

  “No, these appear to be local criminals, judging from the few conversations around me I have been able to understand. Perhaps Sequeira hired them to apprehend Annja Creed. I cannot see any other reason these men would have gone after her.”

  “Her work has turned out to be a lot more involved than I had known.”

  “Yes.”

  “Look, you called me and I was able to alert her, so I owe you, but I need to know how you fit into this.”

  “I want the elephant, Detective. That is all I have wanted from the beginning.”

  “Why?”

  “That I may not tell you. There are some secrets I must keep.”

  McGilley cursed.

  Rao turned from the scene. “I would earn your continued support in this matter if I may, Detective. I give you my promise that I wish no harm to Annja Creed. I have acted to save her when I have been able.”

  “I know Annja. She’s not going to give up that piece until she figures it out or she has no choice.”

  “The people I serve have come to realize this and they have allowed me permission to share with her the information I have. If she will permit that.”

  “She doesn’t trust you. And I don’t know that I do either.”

  “Then we are at an impasse. You wish Annja Creed to have protection while she investigates the elephant, and I am limited in what I can do to aid her if she continues to view me as a threat.”

  McGilley hesitated. “I’ll talk to her, but I can’t guarantee that she will listen. She tends to have her own mind about things. Which is one of the reasons I like her. But I promise you now, if you’re lying to me and you hurt her or get her hurt, I will find you and there will be a reckoning.” He hung up.

  Replacing the phone in his coat, Rao couldn’t help feeling that he and Annja Creed were both in small boats on a treacherous sea with no safe harbor in sight.

  * * *

  “PROFESSOR ISHII?” ANNJA walked into Domodedovo International Airport, thinking that using Moscow’s other large airport might be a good idea. Sequeira was somehow trailing her so easily. She hadn’t yet returned Bart’s phone calls because she’d been busy watching her back and trying to get in touch with the history professor.

  She felt a little safer inside the terminal with all of the security around them, though she knew Klykov wasn’t so happy without a weapon close to hand. He’d had to abandon his. Again, he’d pointed out. There had been no sign of Sequeira, but Annja knew that the man and his enforcers were out there somewhere.

  “Hai, this is Professor Ishii.” The man’s voice sounded strong and authoritative. “To whom am I speaking?”

  “Annja Creed. You had left word you wanted to speak to me, and I would like very much to speak to you.”

  “Ah, this is good, Creed. We are in agreement regarding our need to meet. You have the elephant in your possession, yes?”

  “I do.” As she admitted that, Annja couldn’t help glancing around to see who might be listening.

  “I had heard you have had some trouble keeping it.”

  “I have.”

  “I see. Are you safe now?”

  “I believe so.”

  “Can you come to Tokyo?” Ishii’s voice remained level and unchanged, but Annja detected the keen interest in his words more because he sounded so calm.

  “I can be there tomorrow. I haven’t yet secured tickets, but most likely I can get there by the morning. If that’s acceptable.”

  “But of course. I will clear my schedule for this day and the day after. And, if need be, for longer, as well.”

  Annja thought, all things considered, the offer was being overly generous, and she wanted to know why. “What do you know about the elephant, Professor Ishii?”

  “Enough that I look forward to seeing you, Creed. Unfortunately, there is much about that elephant, if it is the one I believe it to be, that I do not know, but I have stories to share with you. And perhaps a path you may follow that will lead you to the rest of the history.”

  “Maybe you could give me a preview.”

  “And spoil the surprise?” Ishii laughed good-naturedly. “You will find what you are looking for in Nagasaki, Creed, not the final answer you seek, but enough to put you onto the last trail you will need to follow. I promise.”

  Despite her wariness, Ishii’s words made Annja tingle in anticipation. “All right.”

  “Email me the details of your flight and I will happily meet you at Haneda Airport.”

  Annja promised she would and hung up.

  * * *

  “DO YOU GROW weary of my companionship, Annja?” Klykov gazed at her guilelessly. He knew perfectly well that he was trying to guilt her. “Is that why you’re suggesting I remain behind now?”

  “No. I just think that you’re not going to fit into Japan as well as you do Brooklyn, Ukraine and Moscow.” Annja sat across a small table at one of the restaurants in the terminal. They had dined on a Russian menu that was far better than she had expected, then followed it with Kissel a la Russe made with raspberries and cream.

  “I will fit in where I need to fit in,” Klykov declared. “You should not be alone.”

  “I’ve often been alone. I work better that way. I mean no disrespect, and you have been very helpful.”

  “Then tell me I am holding you back and I will be gone.”

  Gazing at the old man, Annja knew her suggestion, made as politely as she could, had stung Klykov’s pride. She tried to harden her heart and let him know that she didn’t intend for him to risk his life on her behalf anymore, but that was difficult. Klykov had helped her throughout Ukraine and Russia. In fact, she figured things might have gone much differently in those places had he not been along.

  “I can’t tell you that because it wouldn’t be true.”

  “Good.” Klykov smoothed his coat. “I am not some old man to be put on a shelf and left to wither away.” His eyes twinkled. “Well, perhaps I am old, but I prefer a life of adventure. Tell me truly, Annja, were you my age, would you not want to chase after adventure if it came your way?”

  Annja made no reply, but she knew Klykov knew what her answer would be.

  “Then allow me the same privilege. This undertaking has been exhilarating. Do not seek to push me away when we are so close to the goal that you seek.” Klykov looked humbled. “Would you break an old man’s heart so willfully?”

  Unable to stop herself, Annja burst out laughing loud enough to attract the attention of nearby diners.

  “What?” Klykov demanded, and he even managed a look of indignation.

  “That,” Annja said, “is the biggest con job I’ve heard in a long time.”

  Klykov tried to hold his stern face, but a few seconds later, he was laughing, too. “So,” he said when they regained themselves, “I am allowed to come?”

  “What if I said no?”

  “I would come anyway.”

  “That much was obvious.”

  “I am not a man to be denied without concentrated effort. Possibly even physical restraint.” Klykov shrugged. “You already have several people following you. Doubtless I would be lost in the crowd, but at least I would be on your side when those others are not. My presence could be very useful.”

  Uneasily, Annja realized that might just be true. No matter how hard she tried, she could not grow eyes in the back of her head.

  Klykov evidently read her apprehension. “You may not need someone with you, Annja, but I would like the chance to help. And, though your young detective would be loath to admit it, I think he expects me to watch over you.”

  She smiled at him, knowing Bart would agree. “If you’re going to be following along, I want you where I can keep an eye out for you.”

  Chapter 34

  “You trust
Rao?” Annja frowned in disbelief as she held her sat phone to her ear and considered what Bart McGilley had just told her. Seated in the gate area, awaiting her flight, she kept watch over the arriving passengers. “And when did you two get on a first-name basis?”

  She and Bart had been missing calls from each other for the past few hours. Annja had been busy making arrangements for the flight to Tokyo and purchasing some necessary clothing to replace the things she’d been forced to leave behind at the hotel. Airport fashion wasn’t exactly chic, but she managed to get the essentials she needed.

  Bart had been fielding a homicide that involved a politician and someone who had not been his wife. That investigation promised to be controversial for the homicide division because it was already blowing up in the media.

  “It’s not a matter of trusting him,” Bart replied tiredly. “I don’t trust many people when it comes to looking out for you. Even fewer people since I’ve gotten a better firsthand look at what you do. It’s a matter of the lesser of two evils. Out of everyone else chasing after you, Nguyen Rao hasn’t tried to kill you.”

  “Yet.”

  Bart ignored that, but Annja knew the thought rested uncomfortably in her friend’s mind. “Rao is also the reason you and that old gangster didn’t end up captured—or maybe killed—at the hotel this morning.”

  “I like to think that Leonid and I had quite a bit to do with our escaping.”

  “I know, but if Rao hadn’t called me so I could get in touch with you, things might have worked out differently. And the state department is going to be busy squaring your involvement in this. Luckily, the hotel had security cameras that showed those men were trying to kill you.”

  Annja knew that was true.

  “You’re going to need friends,” Bart continued. “And, like you said, the elephant is leading you back into Asia. Klykov has had the Russian connections you’ve needed. Nguyen Rao knows the Asian beat, and he’s a historian, familiar with the past you’ll be digging into over there, too, so he’ll be another pair of eyes and hands. Maybe if you guys join forces, you can figure out why that elephant is so important. The sooner that happens, the sooner you’re safe and the sooner I stop worrying.”

  Annja glanced at Klykov, who was talking to an older Russian couple only a short distance away. They appeared animated and engaged. She couldn’t help wondering if they’d brought Klykov a weapon, then she thought maybe she was being too paranoid. Maybe. “I’ve already taken on a partner.”

  “Klykov is making the jump with you?”

  “He is.”

  “Good.” Bart actually sounded content.

  Feeling surprised and happy, Annja grinned. “I’m sort of shocked to hear you say that.”

  “Yeah, well, I gotta give the old guy credit. He stays the distance and he can handle himself. And I’d rather you not tell him that.”

  “I won’t. For a while.”

  “Terrific.” Bart’s tone held mock despair.

  “Where is Nguyen Rao?”

  “On his way to you. That’s all I know.”

  Annja glanced at the clock on the wall over the check-in desk. “We start boarding in ten minutes.”

  “Not sure if he’ll be there by then. Getting through the mess you guys left at the hotel has probably held him up.”

  “Not exactly our mess.”

  “Noted.”

  “I can’t wait for him, Bart. The next flight to Tokyo won’t land until hours after this one. I’ve already got a meeting set up.”

  Bart sighed. “Fine. But will you at least relay the details of your flight and meeting to Rao? He can rendezvous with you when he can.”

  Annja promised that she would, then they said goodbye. The boarding call went out only a few minutes later. She stood and pulled her backpack over her shoulder while Klykov bade his new acquaintances farewell. Together, they headed toward the check-in.

  BE PATIENT, FERNANDO. IF YOU TRY TO TAKE ANNJA CREED HERE YOU WILL LIKELY LOSE HER. THERE IS NO WAY TO SPIRIT HER AWAY FROM THE AIRPORT WITHOUT GETTING THE AUTHORITIES INVOLVED.

  Sequeira glared at the text on his sat phone, not liking the truth of Brisa’s words. But they were the truth. It frustrated him that Annja Creed was only a short distance away, so accessible, yet off-limits. From his seat in a small bar, he caught occasional glimpses of her as she shuffled through the boarding line.

  I KNOW, he responded. It was already too late to try to kidnap her. Any resistance on her part, and he knew she would resist, would summon airport security. The situation would become sticky immediately.

  SHE HAS A DESTINATION AND A PLAN. REMEMBER THAT WE CAN FIND HER ANYTIME WE WANT TO. EVEN IF SHE FOUND THE TRACER I PUT ON HER, OR IF IT SIMPLY STOPPED FUNCTIONING, YOU KNOW WHERE SHE IS GOING. THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE PLACE.

  Sequeira finished his glass of wine and ordered another as he watched Annja Creed disappear into the yawning mouth of the tunnel leading to her flight.

  She was going to Dejima Island. There could be no other place in Japan that she would go if she was staying on the trail of the elephant. According to the journal that had found its way into his hands, the true secret of the elephant began there. Annja Creed would have to solve that puzzle before she could go any farther.

  The problem was that there were others who would also be interested in the elephant now that it had surfaced. The monks had been searching for the elephant and the secret it guarded for centuries.

  * * *

  “ANNJA CREED?”

  Propelled by the crowd that had deplaned at Tokyo International Airport, Annja kept moving forward but searched for the man who’d called her name. Klykov kept pace at her side.

  “Annja Creed!”

  The voice was more strident this time, and Annja had no problem spotting the thin, middle-aged Asian man standing at the front of the crowd waiting to greet the arrivals. He wore a dark blue suit, wore black-framed glasses and had shoulder-length graying hair that he obviously took pride in. He held up a sign with her name on it.

  Klykov swept the crowd with his gaze, as Annja did, then she followed Klykov through the arrivals because they gave way naturally before him.

  “I am Professor Hamada Ishii.” The man bowed carefully. “It is an honor to meet you, Creed-Chan.”

  “The pleasure is all mine. Thank you for meeting us so quickly.” Annja took Klykov by the arm and introduced him to the professor. “Leonid Klykov, Professor Ishii.”

  Klykov nodded and Ishii bowed again. The professor started walking toward the baggage claim and spoke over the noise of the other bystanders.

  “Will you need hotel reservations?” Ishii asked.

  “They have already been made,” Klykov replied. “But thank you.”

  Ishii spoke quickly to one of the uniformed men standing at the baggage carousel. He handed him a folded sheaf of yen, and then turned back to Annja and Klykov as the man walked along the line of suitcases and carry-ons. “He will gather your bags and bring them to us. Perhaps you would like a cup of tea while we wait.” He coaxed them along.

  Annja went because getting out of the press of the crowd sounded fantastic. The flight had been long and her mind had been busy. It felt good to be moving instead of sitting and standing around.

  * * *

  THEY TOOK THEIR tea at a small noodle shop not far from the baggage-claim area and sat at a round table. Ishii assured them that the man could find them with their luggage.

  The professor was effusive and fastidious. “Do you have the elephant?”

  “Yes,” Annja answered.

  “May I see it?”

  “Of course.” Annja swung her backpack up and took the elephant from inside its protective case. She placed the elephant gently on the table. Analyzing it there, the tiny statue looked like a cheap souvenir, a child’s toy with the warriors riding in the basket on the great beast’s back.

  “May I touch it?” Ishii gestured to the elephant.

  Annja nodded. “As long as it stays on the table.”


  Ishii looked up at her in surprise.

  “After the trouble I’ve gone through for it, I’m not letting it out of my sight.”

  “I understand. I would be protective of it, too. In fact, I already feel that way.” Slowly, Ishii picked up the elephant and examined it closely. He shook his head. “I see nothing special about it.”

  “Neither do I, but several people seem to think it’s worth killing over.”

  Ishii placed the elephant back on the table. “Do you know any of the legends of the Elephant of Ishana?”

  “No.” Curiosity filled Annja because she’d never before encountered the name. “Ishana, as in the Hindu god Shiva?”

  Ishii pushed his glasses farther up his nose. “The very same. There is a legend that Ishana, as an aspect of Shiva, created a hiding place for a lost temple during the war between Le Thanh Tong and P’an-Lo T’ou-Ts’iuan during the fifteenth century. That was back when the Vietnamese were building their empires at the expense of the Khmers. Do you know these names?”

  “Vaguely.” Annja took notes in her journal. “Thanh Tong was the emperor of Vietnam.”

  “Hai.” Ishii’s eyes gleamed. “You are well versed in the histories of these lands. As you may recall, wars over territory have been prevalent throughout Asia. Empires have risen and fallen, and the blood of warriors has long soaked into the ground where those empires once stood.”

  “Thanh Tong believed that the country should be ruled by men of noble character, not just nobility through family names.” It seemed that many nations had their version of this notion during those times. She’d done some writing about it—that as civilizations grew larger, the people tried to figure out ways to work together.

  “To achieve this,” Ishii said, “Thanh Tong took power away from those ruling families and gave it to the scholars. He ordered places be built throughout the provinces, places where all the classic works of Confucius could be found. As a result of this, Thanh Tong also halted the building of any new Buddhist and Taoist temples.”

  “The war between Thanh Tong and P’an-Lo T’ou-Ts’iuan wasn’t based on religion as I recall.”