While Noah drove, Chad kept trying Master Wu’s number but there was no answer. Noah had a sinking feeling in his stomach as he parked the “borrowed” vehicle in front of the master’s studio.
“Please, please,” whispered Noah as he and Chad rushed in.
It was Noah’s worst fear come true. Master Wu was unconscious, bruised, bleeding and seemed to be at the point of death.
“No, please, God!” yelled Noah with a quick prayer.
Noah pressed his fingers and thumb at strategic healing points on the top of Master Wu’s head while Chad ran to the bathroom and got a wet cloth and some water. Noah knew that Wu would never consent to Western medicine, preferring the five-thousand-year-old Traditional Chinese Medicine techniques of his good friend, Dr. Tang. While hardly a practitioner, over the years Noah had observed the doctor as he treated Master Wu and his students, including Noah.
“He’s not moving or nothing. Shouldn’t you push a little harder?” asked Chad as he wiped the blood from Wu’s face.
“No. I just need to increase the circulation,” said Noah, moving his fingers to healing points on the hands.
In the Chinese healing cosmos, all parts of the body interconnect through energy, or qi. That was why head trauma could be treated by massaging the back, or blood pressure might be changed by manipulating the spine.
“Maybe we should get Dr. Tang?” asked Chad.
Noah shook his head. “We don’t know where he is or how long it will take to find him.” Noah pulsed his digits, then let out a sigh of relief—the master groggily opened his eyes.
“Are you trying to scare me, Sifu?”
Master Wu blinked hard, trying to focus, then said quietly. “You’ve arrived, Noah. You’re ready to take my torch.”
“I... No, I’m not.”
Wu gripped Noah’s hand and spoke weakly. “There is little point in being a master or grandmaster or sifu unless you have someone who can carry your torch. That is why I have never stopped teaching... Once I thought it might be Chin, but that was my mistake, a mistake that has taken me the rest of my life to try to correct.”
Master Wu sighed, regret etched on his face. “And then, I thought it might be Garret, but his time with Chin tainted him. Once you break an egg, you can never really put it back together properly.”
The elderly master struggled to sit up. His eyes fondly caressed Noah. “From the time you brought me to your parents, I saw that you were special.”
Noah smiled. “Sifu, I was always the kid who got beaten up by the school bully. Nothing too special about that.”
“But it was how you reacted after such moments. You didn’t give up, but it was more than that. As I trained you, I saw something in the character of your parents and in you that I did not understand. I saw a humanity that transcended anything I ever experienced, that went far beyond the superficial world.”
Master Wu balled his fists and lifted them to Noah. “Strength is not merely muscle. There will always be someone stronger than you.” He pointed to his temple. “Nor is knowledge a matter of intelligence only. If brains and brawn were the only ingredients for honor, we would be ruled by robots.” He took Noah’s hands. “But I look at the great leaders of history: Genghis Khan, Jesus Christ, Winston Churchill. What did they all have? They had a heart that people would follow to the ends of the earth.”
“I’m no hero. I’m a chicken.”
“And that is what will make you strong. Use your fear, and let it morph into courage. You have that heart, Noah. I have waited from before you were born for now. You didn’t win a scholarship to university or to law school. I asked Garret to set it up without you knowing. Just as I asked Garret to hire you. Because I believe there is something else for you, Noah. Do you remember, Noah, about the superior man?”
Noah fidgeted a bit, then nodded. This was a truth he always suspected but had never been able to confirm. He spoke in a barely audible voice.
“The superior man has neither anxiety nor fear. There are three things of which the superior man stands in awe.” Master and disciple recited together the age-old words of Confucius. “He stands in awe of the laws of Heaven. He stands in awe of great men. He stands in awe of the words of sages. The superior man in everything considers righteousness to be essential.”
Noah contemplated a moment then said sadly, “If I am in debt to Garret, and Garret is in debt to Chin, then I am in debt to Chin.”
“But that does not mean he owns you. That is an important difference. Do you understand now, Noah?”
Noah nodded. “You waited a long time for me, Sifu.”
“If there is one thing I learned from your parents, it is patience. If the Jews waited thousands of years for their Messiah, a few decades is not worth complaining about.” Master Wu took Noah’s head and turned it to the painting on the wall that Noah gave to him so many years ago—the tiger and crane entwined together.
“What do you see, Noah?”
Noah’s breathing sped up. “I see that... it is time to release the Tiger.”
Five minutes later, they dropped Master Wu off with his good friend, seventy-five-year-old Dr. Tang. “Sorry, I can’t stay, Dr. Tang.”
“Go, Noah. I will take care of him,” croaked the kindly doctor.
Chapter 36
In his rainforest space, Stella watched with horrified fascination as Chin pummeled an already battered and bruised Garret Tightly bound to a chair, Garret had no means of resistance, yet somehow did not wince after each devastating blow.
Two bruised purple eyes mocked the Tiger Master. “Hardly a fair fight, Chin. Didn’t think that was your style.”
“I’m not here as your battle opponent,” Chin scorned. “We will wait for the right time for that. I’m here as your master. I want the information.”
Garret coughed out blood, then snickered. “I told you I will not be your Joe Boy anymore.”
Chin leaned down to Garret’s eye level. “What do you possibly gain by turning me down? Even now, Garret, I will forgive you. You will be king of Golden Asia.”
“I would be your puppet.”
“You already are,” smirked Chin.
“I don’t want to have my every move controlled by you,” Garret spat. “I want freedom. I wanted it fifteen years ago and I want it now.
Chin stood up and shook his head. “That’s too bad.” Chin delivered another bone-crunching wallop to the face. “I want the access codes to all of my accounts.”
Garret looked up at Chin, daring him to hit him again. “Not telling you is the only thing keeping me alive right now.”
“Wrong answer.” Chin straightened his right leg and twirled it with a solid blow into Garret’s stomach. “Works for me.” A second kick sent Garret crashing unconscious to the floor.
“Keep an eye on him, Terry,” snapped Chin as he left the room.
“You bet, Chin,” said the young man, eager to impress his boss.
Noah and Chad were in the Toyota, climbing up Victoria Peak. “So where exactly are we going?” Chad asked.
“The biggest house on the hill.”
“Oh, that one. Owned by Tommy Sung. Girls up the yin-yang, parties with swimming pools full of booze, one of the richest guys in Asia. The dream of every guy in the Orient.”
“More like nightmare than dream. He got killed by a crossbow arrow last night,” Noah said.
Chad swallowed. The car sputtered as the mountain’s incline got steeper. In fifteen seconds, at a forty-five degree angle, the Japanese beater completely conked out.
“Did you really think banging the engine with a wrench was going to fix the damned thing?” snapped Noah.
“I didn’t think we were going to have to drive up Mount Everest.” Chad groaned when he saw there was another half mile of increasingly steep terrain to climb.
“Let’s go.” Noah hopped out of the car.
“Can you piggyback me?” asked Chad.
Abby took gun from another secret drawer and gave it to Olivia.
“Do you know how to use this thing?”
“No, but I’ve seen Dirty Harry ten times,” quipped Olivia.
Abby groaned. “Be serious, Olivia. You like guns?”
“No, I like Clint Eastwood. And he’s a piano player, too.”
“Get him to teach you.”
Before Abby could make a comeback, the women heard gasping noises downstairs in the front from where the door used to be.
Suddenly, all the house lights went off.
“Another intruder,” whispered Olivia.
The two girls walked quietly outside the bedroom door. They couldn’t see anything but weren’t going to take any chances.
They fired blindly.
“I surrender!” shrieked Noah.
Just as suddenly as the lights went out, they came back on. A momentary power outage at the worst time possible.
“Noah?” asked a startled Olivia, looking down to the front entrance as she and Abby picked themselves up off the floor.
“No, I’m the damned ice cream man making a home delivery. Of course, it’s Noah, and this is my friend, Chad.” Noah noticed the bleeding animal parts. “What’s this?”
“It’s a souvenir. What else? Where’s my father?” Olivia demanded.
“We were in WWIII with some guys who ambushed us at a building site. He kept them distracted and told me to leave to find you,” said Noah as he and Chad raced up the stairs.
“Holy shit! exclaimed Chad, pointing to the dead thug in front of the bedroom door. “Did you guys do that?”
Olivia snarked, “Of course we did. It’s a lesson for you in case you cross me.”
Chad turned to Noah. “This is your new girlfriend?”
“I am not his girlfriend!”
Yet, thought Noah.
Fear filled Abby’s voice. “He said my father had money that belonged to his boss, Chin. He told me to get it back to him.”
“Have you heard from your father?” asked Noah.
“No, not since his call at the construction site,” said Olivia.
Noah steeled himself. “He said if he didn’t make it to tell you that you were right to hate him. I don’t...”
Olivia started crying, then whimpered to Abby, “Our fathers were responsible for our mothers’ deaths in the plane crash... Your dad is gone and mine will be next.”
Noah took control. “Chin can’t kill him,” stated Noah firmly. “And he can’t kill you, either. If he did, he wouldn’t know where the cash was. If he killed you, Garret would never break.” Noah pointed toward the body of the dead thug. “If he was trying to kill you, you would be dead. My guess is that this guy needed to take you alive so Chin could have leverage. A ballbreaker like him isn’t used to playing footsy. That’s why he’s dead.”
A sobering thought stopped Olivia’s tears. “Noah, can we save my dad?”
Noah inhaled, thoughts racing and digesting. He replied grimly, “The only way to get your father back is to give Chin his money back. My guess is that the only clues to its whereabouts are somewhere in this house or at the office.”
“Why not Olivia’s dad’s place?” asked Chad. “I mean, he is the head honcho law dude.”
“Because there is nothing there,” Olivia said. “There’s no furniture, no desks, no beds, no hiding places. Dad leads two lives. His public persona is of an extraordinarily powerful lawyer. His private life is that of an ascetic Shaolin monk. At home, there’s not a television or even a radio around.”
“Okay, that’s good,” breathed Noah. “Abby and Chad, you stay here and tear the place apart. Olivia and I will head to the office. Abby, we need a car.”
Abby offered, “Mercedes, BMW, Rolls, Mini-Cooper, Range Rover, Tesla, Ferrari...”
“Range Rover,” affirmed Noah.
“Wait a sec. What are we trying to find?” asked Chad. “The trail of a money launderer can be buildings, artwork, yachts...”
“No,” said Olivia firmly. “We are looking for something that can store a huge amount of cash. Secret bank accounts, probably offshore, is my best guess.”
Noah scrunched his face. “Why? Doesn’t make sense.”
“Because one of my father’s favorite sayings to me is, ‘Cash is king.’ Let’s go, Noah.”
Chapter 37
At 4 a.m., even the eager beavers were few in number. The deserted parking lot gave Noah the pick of any spot he wanted for the Range Rover. On the way up to Pittman Saunders, Olivia and Noah had the elevator to themselves.
“This is where we first met. Weird, huh?” said Noah.
“Be thankful I’m a cheap date.”
“Can you put that in writing?”
“Do you ever stop joking?” Olivia scowled.
“It’s a stress reliever. Try it sometime,” suggested Noah.
“I like men to be serious.”
“Then you should have gotten along with your father just fine.” Noah gave her a gotcha look as they exited the elevator. “I’ll go check out the computers in our office, and you check your dad’s out. We’re searching for needles in cyberspace. The slightest hint that something seems different.”
“I don’t need to be told over and over again. We’re not married,” Olivia said, eyes focused ahead as they walked.
“I can fix that too if you like.”
Chad had taken over Tommy’s home office, bringing in every single computer he and Abby could find in the house. There were seven desktop computers, ten laptops and eight tablets sitting in front of him.
Chad’s eyebrows rose as he frowned. “Every one of these is different. None of the information is the same and they’re not even connected. What gives?”
Abby gave a little shrug. “Actually, he didn’t really know how to use any of them. Every time he had a problem, he just bought a new one. He never bothered with any kind of technician.”
“I wish I’d known him sooner. He could have outfitted my whole café with the ones he wasn’t using,” sighed Chad. “It could take hours to go through them all.”
“We don’t have hours.” Abby slumped down on a sofa in the office.
All of the computers, laptops and tablets suddenly began smoking. Chad stared, knowing there was nothing he could do and that any information on them was now irretrievable.
“Now that’s not the work of a technological illiterate. Pretty damn impressive,” marveled Chad.
Abby gaped. “What happened?”
“Could be anything, but my guess is that your dad must have had timing sensors put in so that if one or some or all of them weren’t turned on in a certain period or in a certain way, they would all self-destruct. You’re sure your dad never had anybody working with him on the computers?”
“Well, I’ve been in New York for the last few years, but he never did before, and I doubt he did while I was away.”
“In that case, I think your dad was a lot smarter than you gave him credit for.”
Abby’s cell phone dinged with a new text message. The sender was her father. She quickly opened the message. Thanks for the breakfast. I loved the extra butter, maple syrup and bacon. Can hardly wait until you make pancakes again.
She showed it to Chad. “Somebody’s idea of a cruel joke, impersonating my father.”
Chad stared at the text. “You know, I think this genuinely came from your father. Unless I miss my guess, that message was programmed to be sent by one of the computers just before it went kaput.”
Abby nodded as a new thought came. “He specifically asked me to make pancakes for him. He has never done that. He hates Western food. If he wants me to make them again...”
Abby quickly dashed out of the office and headed to the kitchen. She pulled out a jar of flour she used to make breakfast with. She reached into the finely ground powder and pulled out a Ziploc bag with a USB flash drive inside.
She showed it to Chad. “I think I’ve found what we’re looking for.”
Chad took out his laptop. “Let’s plug it in and see what’s on it.”
> At her father’s computer, Olivia skimmed thousands of documents and files, but nothing appeared out of the ordinary. Digging down a few layers of folders, she found one oddly called Heaven.
She opened it and began to tear as she perused it. There were dozens of pictures of her parents and herself at all stages of their lives, including Mary and Garret’s wedding, Olivia’s kindergarten graduation and the happy family on a private cruise around Aberdeen Harbor.
She picked up her cell phone and punched in a number for the thirty-seventh time in the last hour and a half and, for the thirty-seventh time, there was exactly the same response—the call went directly to voicemail. “This is Garret Southam, senior partner for Asia Pacific at Pittman Saunders. Please leave me a message.”
At the sound of the beep, Olivia whispered, “Daddy, where are you?”
She examined the computer’s photos again and saw a photo of herself with both her parents standing by an airport ticket counter. The picture showed a dashing, rugged Garret lifting scrawny eleven-year-old Olivia over his head, with Olivia holding a sign reading, Don’t Drown, Mom, and Mary, a Heidi Klum lookalike wearing a Red Cross uniform.
Noah entered, frustrated. “I got nothing. How about you?” He saw Olivia’s tears, then moved to the computer. Seeing the photo onscreen, he softened. “Is that your mom?”
Olivia nodded. “That was the last time I saw her.”
“She’s beautiful... just like you.”
“She was even more beautiful inside than out...” However, there was a job to do, and Olivia snapped out of her reverie. “I couldn’t find anything. It all seemed like the same stuff Dad gave us before, except more stuff and more boring. Nothing that looks like secret accounts squirreled away.”
Olivia’s cell rang—it was Abby. “What’s up, girlfriend?”
The voice at the other end of the line replied, “It’s Chad, Olivia, not Abby but feel free to call me girlfriend anytime... Hop onto a computer and keep this line open.”
The Noah Reid Action Thriller Series: Books 1-3 (plus special bonuses) Page 19
