Point Blank

by Fern Michaels

  “I know, I know. But the simple truth is that that is not going to happen. Not until we come up with a plan that is foolproof. We can’t just send them into China willy-nilly and not expect repercussions. We don’t even really know what we’re dealing with here. Oh dear, now they’re all stomping their feet.”

  “That means they’re tired of waiting for you to . . . um . . . get on the stick and advise them. Tread carefully, my friend. Very carefully. Time to blow that whistle you have hanging around your neck.”

  Charles took a deep breath and exhaled slowly before he clicked the remote device that turned the switch on the huge monitor that hung from the top of the dais that would reveal Lady Justice in all her glory. He was rewarded with instant silence and surly looks. But there was always respect for the scales of justice.

  “You’re not scaring me, ladies and gentlemen, so get rid of those surly looks and focus on what I’m going to tell you. That’s an order unless you vote to impeach me, and if you do that, then Fergus goes with me. Just so you know. Ah, that’s better,” Charles said when he saw a small smile work its way to Myra’s lips.

  “For starters Ms. Jun Ling and her children are on their way to safety via Pearl’s underground railroad. That means they are no longer a cause of worry for any of us. Second, Jun Yu is dead. We will mourn his passing later on. For now there is nothing we can do since he has passed to the land of his ancestors. Our immediate concern is the child, Lily Wong, Harry and Yoko’s daughter, because we cannot account for her presence at this moment in time.

  “Having said that, we need to form a plan. A plan that will work for all of us. I want to repeat the ‘all of us’ part again. Harry and Yoko, you are to sit on the side. We cannot have you interfering with the plan, because you are both too emotional right now. You have to trust us, your friends, all of us here in this room, to do the right thing. You also want to avenge Jun Yu, whom you consider a brother. We will help you to achieve vengeance for your brother, too. But only when we come up with a plan that benefits us all.

  “Last but not least, we all know, though perhaps Myra, Annie, and I know more than any of you, that there is nothing worse in the whole world than losing a child. We will find Lily or die trying. Do you understand me?”

  Harry chewed on his lower lip, his eyes like angry storm clouds. He nodded, as Yoko wept on his shoulder.

  “One last question. Are all your calls still going straight to voice mail?” Harry nodded again.

  “Do you have a plan, Charles?” Jack asked.

  “Not yet, but I’m working on it. Fergus and I need another few hours to gather all our information. I am also waiting to hear from Avery Snowden in regard to what Jun Ling referred to as the special phones that her husband gave her and the children when he arranged to have them smuggled out of China to the United States. We’re hoping Jun Yu somehow provided us with clues that he felt Harry would be able to figure out. Since time is of the essence, I suggest you all catch a bit of a nap and return here to the war room in two hours. Annie, you can alert the pilot of your Gulfstream. Have him and his crew on standby. Myra, call Jack Sparrow at the FBI and clue him in. Have him expedite all the passports and whatever else we need to get into China. Ask him if he would like to make the trip with us. He will probably decline, saying he can be more help here on the ground, but ask him anyway. Any questions?”

  In a scratchy-sounding voice, Dennis West asked if he needed shots or a visa.

  “Myra will help with all that. No visa is required. We have a doctor on call who can come out to the farmhouse at an hour’s notice and take care of whatever needs to be done. The truth is we all need a physical of sorts before we leave, so someone arrange that ASAP.”

  “Are we all going?” Maggie asked.

  “I assume so. Since the flight time from Dulles to China is about fourteen and a half hours, it is questionable for Abner with his ear problems. He will have to make that decision himself after his physical. All right, then, if there are no other questions, you can all return to the house, and Fergus and I will do what has to be done down here. Two hours tops, ladies and gentlemen.”

  When the door closed behind the chattering group, Charles threw his hands in the air and stomped his way down into the main part of the war room, where he plopped down in Myra’s chair. Fergus joined him, sitting in Annie’s chair.

  “This is not going to be a walk in the park, Fergus. China is . . . is . . .”

  “The last place anyone in their right mind wants to travel to. We need to be ever mindful that Harry might try to take matters into his own hands and try to go on his own. If that were to happen, I can almost guarantee that he will be red-flagged. He’ll never get into China on his own.”

  “I know, I know. At this moment in time, we are totally dependent on FBI director Sparrow and Avery Snowden. Snowden has the contacts and the people. He should have gotten back to us about those special phones by now.

  “Fergus, what about your old contacts at Scotland Yard?”

  “I’ve contacted all of them. No one has gotten back to me as yet. We need time, Charles. I sense a certain impatience in you, and that’s not who you are. I’ve always thought of you as a slow-and-steady, leave-no-stone-unturned kind of operative. This is just another case for the boys and girls. So, mate, tell me what’s really eating at you?”

  “The child—Lily. I think you and I both know she’s being held hostage with the other children. Jun Yu told Harry he tried to get her out but was unsuccessful. And yet he got his son and daughter out. That’s bothering me.”

  “Perhaps the children from outside China are separated from those inside, and he didn’t know where or how to locate her. I’m inclined to believe him, Charles.”

  “Yes, yes. But I don’t think Harry believes him, for some reason. It’s just a gut feeling, nothing more. All he sees is that Jun Yu got his boy out and girl out but left Lily behind. And, of course, any resentment he holds for Jun for not telling him that he was Jun Yu’s equal in the martial arts and was equally deserving of being named the number one martial-arts expert in the world. Yes, he denies it, but even so.

  “Anyway, right now Harry is not thinking too clearly. His daughter is foremost on his mind; Yoko’s, too. And that is as it should be. Any parent would feel the same way, helpless. Then there is the death of a man Harry considered a brother. Add the arrival of that brother’s family, which the dead man sent to him for safekeeping, and Harry Wong’s plate is filled to overflowing.

  “The only positive thing right now is that Jun Yu’s family is safe, thanks to Pearl and her underground railroad. At least that worry is not hanging over our heads as we move forward.”

  Charles stared up at Lady Justice. “I don’t have a good feeling about this mission, Fergus. This one is different. If it were any country but China, I might not be so worried. The Chinese do not play by our rules, we all know that.”

  Fergus struggled to find words that he hoped would portray confidence. “Having said that, Charles, the Chinese have never come up against the Sisterhood. Look lively here, mate, and tell me. If you were a betting man, where would you place your bet?”

  Charles knew what he was supposed to answer, but the words stuck in his throat. “The special gold shields won’t work in China. Do you know anything about Chinese prisons, Fergus?”

  “A thing or two. I don’t exactly live in a cocoon, Charles. I know more about Chinese prisons than I care to, thanks to all my years in service at Scotland Yard. I assume you have no intention of notifying the State Department that we will be visiting China.”

  Charles gave off a snappy salute to Lady Justice before he climbed the three steps that would take him to his workstation, where Fergus was waiting for him. “In a manner of speaking. Tell me what you think of this . . . plan? Subject to change, of course.”

  “I’m all ears, mate.”

  “We go in as a tour group. Crescent China Tours. We have Lizzie Fox backstop us, set up a dummy company that’s been in busines
s for like twenty-five or thirty years. She knows how to do all that. She can have CCT incorporated within an hour, and up and running in two hours. She can come up with everything we will need, and if she requires Avery’s help, he will be available. Jack Sparrow can help, and he has sources we can only dream about. Then there’s Annie. As she is fond of saying, money talks and bullshit walks. If she’s willing to spend, and people are willing to buy what she’s selling, I think we can make it all come together to make it work for us.”

  Fergus’s jaw dropped. His eyes were round as saucers as he stared at Charles in admiration. “I guess that’s why they pay you the big bucks. In a million years, I never would have thought of something like that. It’s pure genius, Charles. Absolutely pure genius. One small question. Who is going to plot out the tour?”

  “You are! Avery just sent a text. He should be here in about fifteen minutes. He has news. With all the information Harry gave you, and using Google, you can map out something that will pass muster. In the end, it won’t matter because that’s just a tour on paper for anyone who needs to check it on the Chinese end. Once we arrive on Chinese soil, we will be going in an entirely different direction. Get cracking, Fergus. I’ll call Lizzie now and have her get on it right away. Make sure when you do your bogus itinerary that you do not put the tour group anywhere near Song Mountain. I also think we should go via Hong Kong, as that’s where Jun Yu sent his wife and children to get them to Harry in Washington, D.C. Hong Kong must have been important to Jun Yu for some reason. I think those special phones are going to give us the answers we’re looking for.”

  “I’m on it, Charles.”

  While Fergus went about his assigned tasks, Charles dialed Lizzie’s personal cell phone number in Las Vegas from memory. He let loose with a huge sigh of relief when she picked up on the second ring. Sensing the urgency in Charles’s voice, she got right to the point. “Tell me what you need, when you need it, and I’ll take it from there.”

  Ten minutes later, Charles clicked off. Fergus raised his head from the computer keyboard he was working at to see his partner raise his clenched fist to indicate done and done. He grinned, knowing that Lizzie Fox could outmaneuver anyone, and that included the Chinese government. Suddenly, his heart felt lighter.

  He went back to work with a new intensity and didn’t look up again until he sensed another presence in the war room. Avery Snowden had arrived. Charles continued to work, knowing that if he was needed, someone would call his name.

  Charles once again descended the steps to join Snowden at the conference table so as not to distract Fergus. “I hope you are bringing some good news. I don’t mind telling you, Avery, this little caper has my undies in a bit of a twist. China is a foul word these days.”

  “I hear you, Sir Charles. I do have a bit of news. It will be up to you to decide if it’s good or bad. I daresay I have to agree with you about China.”

  Charles clucked his tongue. “Are you ever going to stop calling me Sir Charles? We’re in America now, and titles mean nothing. I’m just plain old Charles Martin. You know I no longer go by Sir Malcolm Sutcliff. That was another world ago. I mean it, old chap, from here on in it is simply Charles and Avery. Or Martin and Snowden, if you prefer. Now, tell me what you have for me.”

  Snowden shrugged as he stared at the man who had once controlled his life while working for the Queen. It was a hard habit to break, and he wasn’t sure he could ever show a lack of respect for the man who had saved his young life on too many occasions to count by calling him Charles. “Those phones. Your man Jun Yu must know some very powerful Americans because those special phones are used only by the CIA. You can’t go into a Radio Shack and pick one up, nor can you buy them on the black market. I have it on good authority that only a certain number were made and, apparently, according to my source, all of them are accounted for, which I find remarkable. And, of course, that is manifestly untrue since I have three of them sitting in my pocket right now. My source asked countless questions on how I even knew about them. I kept mum, just said I’d heard a rumor. That means someone is lying, but right now we don’t have to worry about that.”

  “All right. Now, tell me what all that means.”

  “I don’t know what it means, Si—, um, Charles. All three phones are programmed with one name and one phone number. In Hong Kong. Am I right in saying Jun Ling and the children came through Hong Kong?”

  “Yes. What’s the name?” Charles asked.

  Snowden grinned. “Dishbang Deshi. It means protect the country. I don’t think its meaning is of any importance to us—perhaps not to anyone else, for that matter. The phone number is in Hong Kong. I did some research, and Dishbang Deshi lives in Kowloon and owns an export company. He has a showroom on Silk Road in Hong Kong. He specializes in silks. He’s quite wealthy. He’s married, with seven daughters. But, Charles, here is the kicker. He was a student at the monastery with Jun Yu and Harry Wong. I guess the three of them hung out together or whatever it is kids do who go to a monastery. In other words, they have been friends for ages. So that means Jun Yu was comfortable sending his family to Dishbang Deshi to make sure they made it to America and Harry Wong.

  “Oh, before you can ask, no, I did not try to call the number. I thought that would be something you or the ladies would want to do, or maybe Harry. But somebody had better call that number, and soon, would be my advice. For all we know, the guy could be waiting on pins and needles to help us and also to know if Jun Ling and the kids arrived safely.”

  Charles nodded. “My thoughts exactly. I assume you saw everyone upstairs when you came through. We’ll be reconvening in”—Charles looked down at his watch—“about an hour. We’ll discuss it then. You’re welcome to stay unless you have something you need to do.”

  “I need to get my team ready. Three days, four? What’s our timetable for departure, and do I go with the crew or do we go separately? Right, right, too early to make that decision. Shoot me a text when you have something concrete.”

  Avery reached behind to pull out a sheaf of papers from the backpack he was never without. He tossed it to Charles. “This is all the research on Dishbang Deshi. By the way, Dishbang Deshi did not, I say did not, send any of his daughters to the monastery like Harry and Jun Yu did. He married an American woman, and she would not allow it. That information might come in handy when you present it to Harry.”

  Once the door closed behind Avery, Charles sat for a few moments as he tried to digest everything Avery had just told him. There was a monkey in the woodpile somewhere. He was sure of it. He flipped through the stack of papers and glanced at the highlighted areas. His eyes narrowed more than once. He didn’t know why, but he felt like he was missing something. Something that in another place, another time, would have jumped out at him and bitten him on the nose. Maybe he was getting too old to play in the big leagues. Maybe he was losing his edge. The thought scared him half to death, because the sisters depended on him to get it right. The thought of any one of them languishing in a Chinese prison was enough to bring on a head rush, the likes of which he’d never felt before. “Not on my bloody watch!” he bellowed.

  Fergus poked his head around the corner of the computer he was working on. “Did you say something, Charles?”

  “Not really. I was talking to myself. You know how I like to do that when I’m working on a problem that I can’t solve in an instant. I’ll figure it out. How are you doing with the tour?”

  “It’s coming along. Two days in Hong Kong for starters. I don’t know why but I think, and Charles, it’s just a feeling, but Hong Kong is somehow crucial to all of this. I can’t be more specific—just a gut feeling and more than forty years at Scotland Yard is the best I can come up with by way of an explanation.”

  Charles nodded in agreement. How well he understood that vague, uneasy feeling that could only be traced back to years at MI6 and his childhood friend, Lizzie, the reigning Queen of England. Before this was all over, he just might have to enlist her aid.
Just the thought that he could made him feel better immediately.

  “All right then, Fergus, you show me what you have, and I’ll show you what I have.”

  Fergus laughed out loud. “So that’s how it’s going to be, eh, mate?”

  Charles barked a laugh, then his shoulders shook. The tension left his body and he was back in the groove. A bit of levity worked every time.

  Well, almost every time.

  Chapter 5

  Myra’s kitchen was like a hive, with everyone buzzing like furious bees. Food prepared by Dennis West was being served and gobbled down helter-skelter by the sisters and the boys. Ted Robinson was adding logs to the fireplace in the kitchen, which was big enough to roast an ox. A monster swoosh of flame shot upward, sending the dogs scurrying, except for Cooper, who sat and stared into the flames as though mesmerized.

  Myra toyed with her tuna sandwich and the pickles on her plate. Annie watched her, wondering why she wasn’t fingering the pearls that adorned her neck and she was never without. “What has you worried, my friend?” Annie leaned closer to ask.

  “Harry and Yoko. I’ve never seen either one of them this quiet. That’s probably not quite true. Harry rarely says much. I’ve never seen Yoko so . . . so . . . weepy. Sometimes, I think she’s stronger than Harry. And, Annie, as hard as I try, I can’t get our last trip to China out of my mind. I’m talking about my . . .”

  “Don’t say it, Myra. I know what you’re thinking. While I wasn’t here at the time for that little caper, I heard every single detail, so I know it by heart. You made that heartless bastard with diplomatic immunity pay for killing your daughter. Don’t go there, Myra, please. Let that go. We made a pact not to live in the past, and that’s what you’re doing, and you need to stop right now. We need to all be on the same page for Harry and Yoko’s sake. We will save Lily. And then we will wreak whatever vengeance we need to wreak in the process. Tell me you’re with me, Myra.”