“Did you solve that case as well?”
“It wasn’t my case; I was called in for a consult. Another inspector is lead on it. I’m not sure where they are at.”
Should I tell her? Did she open the door? She’s vulnerable. I could say I thought the company was legit but then realized it wasn’t after all and now I’m caught up in it and am trying to get out. It’s not that far from the truth. I am trying to wrap things up. Maybe she would understand. Maybe she would agree that it was a Darbytastic idea, much too good to turn down.
“Well?”
“Well what?”
“Why were you down at the docks?”
Tell her, Darby. It’ll be okay. My heart no longer beat, it vibrated. I was so nervous. “Well, funny you should ask.”
Leslie’s cell phone started ringing.
“Oh, Darby, could you pass my purse, please?”
I watched her nod and responded to a plethora of questions. She was speaking in Cantonese of course. Clearly, it was her supervisors. And then suddenly Leslie’s eyes locked on to me.
My God, she knows. I quickly began to formulate my story. “Leslie,” I whispered.
She shook her head as she held a finger up to me. She spoke a few more words and then hung up.
I frantically tried to gauge the look on her face. What did she know? Something was up. Her mood was no longer snuggly. She had snapped back into detective mode.
“They want me back as soon as possible. There’s been a break in the turf war case. Up until now, not much was known about this up-and-coming faction, the Fan Gang. But the team back in the office believes they’ve identified the top lieutenants and possibly their leader. This will help a great deal.”
“Who are they? I mean how does one find out who is a leader and who isn’t? Especially if you know nothing about the organization.”
“Good old-fashioned surveillance. It’s slow, but it often pays off.” Leslie groaned a little as she tried to reach for the FedEx package.
“Hey, hey,” I said, taking it out of reach. “You need to rest. Besides, it sounds like the guys back at the office have a handle on the case.”
“You’re always looking out for me. Thank you.” She smiled and closed her eyes. Within seconds she was fast asleep and I was taking every photo of me out of the package.
Chapter 120
Kowloon Peninsula, Hong Kong
When Jo Woo left the massage parlor that day, he had no idea what sort of shit storm he would unleash. Entering The Bullet, Chan Lu’s hangout, he felt a little uneasy. He was the bearer of bad news––not a good position to be in. Chan had just returned from a business trip up north, and this was Jo’s first opportunity to see him. So far he had not told anyone about the massacre he discovered, nor did he speak to anyone about it all being captured on video. Li Li was very important to Chan. She managed all of the girls employed in various Wo Shing parlors.
Chan was sitting in the rear booth as usual except there were no women, only another man: Sing Chow. It was a little after five on a Friday afternoon. Sing and Chan had been meeting like this every two weeks for about six months now. The other brothers in the bar knew well enough to keep quiet. Whatever business Chan conducted in here was never to be repeated.
“You haven’t had much to say to me lately. I feel as if you had a change of mind.”
“This wasn’t our agreement, Chan. You are taking advantage of the situation.”
“Are you questioning me?” Chan asked, cocking an eyebrow.
“I’m questioning our agreement.”
Chan slammed his fist down against the table toppling an empty glass. “You came to me, Sing. You asked me for this favor.” He then leaned in close, his voice a controlled growl. “You want into Wo Shing Wo after being banned. Do you understand the risk I’m taking to recommend you?”
Sing angled away from Chan and nodded.
He did want to be a part of Wo Shing Wo. He had always wanted to be with them, ever since he could remember. He was sixteen when he was first considered a prospect. The head enforcer at the time was Tony Woo, currently head of the Wo Shing Wo faction now. Sing had begged Tony to let him take on the next hit. He was eager to prove his worthiness to the gang. But Tony always refused. He didn’t think Sing had it in him.
After much pleading, Tony finally agreed. Sing was ordered to kill an enemy in the 14k faction. This would mark the final task Sing needed to complete to become a full-fledged brother. But Sing bungled the job and the hit never took place. This caused great embarrassment for Tony––so much that instead of punishing Sing in a physical way, he punished him in a way that caused more pain than Sing could ever imagine; he was banned from becoming a Wo Shing Wo forever.
Sing believed Chan was his only hope at ever regaining entry into the faction. No other member had Tony’s ear like Chan. Sing was determined to make it, no matter what the cost. Even if it meant offering up his own men. Chan agreed to help Sing for a price: He was to tell Chan when a big operation went down. Chan would send his men to hit them and take the cash or product. This is where things took a turn.
Chan and Sing had never discussed killing Fan Gang men; only the robbery was agreed upon. But Chan’s way is to leave no witnesses. So he killed Sing’s men on the first hit. Chan told Sing he would decide when he had taken enough before pleading Sing’s case to Tony. Six months later, there were twelve dead Fan Gang members and Chan appeared to be no closer to talking to Tony then he was when they first started.
It made perfect sense for Jo to stop dead in his tracks the second he saw Chan and Sing talking. Jo had been ordered to hit Sing’s gang over and over by his boss. Seeing the two huddled close in deep conversation with a bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue made no sense. Jo thought twice about interrupting, given the nature of the conversation he would need to have with Chan. But before he could make a decision himself, both men stopped their talking and Chan called to him.
“What can I do for you, Jo?”
“I need to discuss an important matter with you. It can’t wait another minute.”
“This information––when did you become aware of it?”
“A few days ago.”
“This news has already waited more than a minute.”
“Yes, I apologize. There’s more to it…it’s complicated. We must speak, Chan.”
“I’m in the middle of an important conversation. You know Sing Chow, don’t you?”
“Yes, I do. Pleased to meet you, Mr. Chow.”
Sing said nothing. He wasn’t here to make friends. Instead he ignored Jo in favor of lighting up a new cigarillo.
“Jo, you can fill me in after I’m finished with Sing.”
“Actually, what I have to tell you involves Mr. Chow.”
Chapter 121
For the third time in row, Chan and Sing watched the video on Jo’s laptop. Neither said a word. Sing was still confused as to what these killings had to do with him. He ordered no such hit. He didn’t even know who the old man was.
“Who is this man?” Chan finally uttered.
“I’m unsure of that…but maybe Mr. Chow can enlighten us.”
“Me? I don’t know this man. Never seen him before.”
“Yes, but you know this man very well,” Jo said. He pulled up another video. This one had footage captured outside, at the entrance to the parlor.
Sing’s eyes widened and his cigarillo fell to the table. Was this a set-up? “Play it again,” he shouted.
How could this be? This must be a dream. Right there on the video, in plain view, was Darby Stansfield. The video showed him and the old man arriving at the parlor. Darby was clearly talking on his cell phone, and then a moment later he hung up, patted the old guy on the shoulder, and left. He knows the killer. He set it all up.
“You know this man?” Chang said.
Sing was unsure of what to say, how much he should divulge. Plus he didn’t know how much Jo knew. It never dawned on Sing that Jo was keeping tabs on the gang. Cl
early he knew enough to connect Darby to the Fan Gang. All of this could blow his chances with the Wo Shing Wo. All of his hard work to earn Chan’s trust could go right down the drain.
Chan dismissed Jo from the table. When he was sure Jo was out of earshot he turned to Sing. “How do you know the man who murdered Li Li and one my girls?”
Sing knew he had to choose his words wisely. Although it looked like Chan was calm and handling the news well, this was when he was most dangerous. Many men had sat before Chan thinking everything was okay. That was always their last thought.
“I have seen this man around. He’s a business associate with Chu, one of the brothers in the gang. Chu was in the process of developing other avenues to make money through technology.”
“What do you mean with technology?”
“Chu knows more than I, he handles all contact with him, it is his deal. But from what little I know, he’s basically a phone salesman. I think he was trying to convince Chu to buy the entire gang a certain type of cell phone, a way to keep communication open. Personally, I don’t know how this will help him make money.”
“But you are making money Sing. Don’t think we didn’t notice. The whorehouses, the websites, they have all expanded.”
“With all due respect Chan, we are a gang. We are always trying to increase our revenue. With our current arrangement, revenue dropped drastically. I could not say no to Chu for wanting to work with this man. I’m having tough time answering for the deaths of our brothers. What can I do to help with this situation?”
“Where is this man?”
“He travels back and forth between Hong Kong and San Francisco.”
“I want this man. He will experience the wrath of Chan. Death by Ling Chi. And you, Sing––you will take care of Chu.”
“Chu? But why him? Why me?”
“Did you forget the purpose of this meeting? Chu killed two of my men. He and his crew are well-armed, Sing.”
“Yes, and I will discipline him.”
“Yes, you will. You will bring me his head. Or I will take yours.”
“Chan, I can’t––”
Before Sing could finish, Chan had whipped out a blade and pressed it against Sing’s throat. It cut in a little, releasing a dribble of blood. With eyes narrowed and his teeth clamped, he spoke with a grave voice. “You will do as I say or you will face a death more gruesome then Ling Chi.”
After Sing left, Jo joined Chan at his table.
“Brother Jo, what do you know of this businessman?”
“His name is Darby Stansfield. He is a foreigner from San Francisco. He stays at the Colony Hotel. We will know when he comes back.”
“Excellent.”
Chapter 122
The movies were the best part about flying oversees. A close second would be joining the Mile High Club. On the flight to Hong Kong, Tav and I didn’t do much talking. We had personal entertainment systems and no shot at joining any club.
It was a quick two days from the time Kang and I rescued Leslie that Tav and I had to jump on a plane back to Hong Kong. It had taken a lot of convincing to get Tav to come back with me. He actually put his entire argument together in a PowerPoint presentation––that’s how serious he was.
“The facts,” as stated by him: “Fucked up situation number one: The police are monitoring the gang. Fucked up situation number two: The police have photographs of you consorting with the gang. Fucked up situation number three. The guy who cooked us food was a major fucking serial killer. Fucked up situation number four: He might have killed someone while you took him on vacation in Hong Kong. And finally, fucked up situation number five: He almost killed your girlfriend who happens to be some highly ranked inspector and is about to start investigating the gang that you are currently doing business with.”
When he laid it out like that…I could see his concern.
I tapped Tav on the shoulder. “Thanks for coming out with me.”
“You owe me big time,” he said.
“This is the last bit of business. We wrap up the financial bullshit and we’re gone. I’m cutting my ties. My job is done.”
“I hope so, Darb. I really hope so.”
It was true. The gang no longer needed my on-site consultation. That part of my job was over. Of course if they had questions about product or problems arise, they would call Teleco like any other client and get their answer or problem resolved.
I would also be picking up my last payment from the gang. I had made a nice profit on this end, even with my take being reduced to ten percent. I wasn’t sure what I would do with the leftover money once I paid off my credit card debt. I’ll fantasize about it later.
After landing in Hong Kong, it didn’t take us very long to get to the hotel and check in. Coming here was business as usual for me. I got the same room and Tav was put in the room next door. The exact one Mr. Fu stayed in. I didn’t dare tell him. I didn’t need him adding another reason to his stupid presentation.
As much as I appreciated the opportunity to see what the elephant on the ceiling was up too, I couldn’t for the life of me figure out what I said or did that gave the hotel staff the impression I would want the same room.
“I’ll see you in an hour,” I called to Tav as we keyed into our rooms.
Chapter 123
After a long hot shower, I stood naked near the window. The view of the city was hypnotic. The buildings stood tall, brightly lit. They were encroaching on each other, but that’s what gave Hong Kong its beauty at night. The dazzling light display is like nothing I’ve ever seen. It gave me a slight hard-on.
Figuring Leslie should have returned to Hong Kong by now as well, I picked up my cell phone and dialed her. “Leslie?”
“Hi, Darby. I’m guessing you arrived safely.”
“Very good Detective. Too bad we couldn’t get on the same flight. How are you, by the way?”
“Missing you.”
“Well, we should remedy that. How about a bite to eat with Tav and me tonight?”
“Sounds delicious. I have a briefing in a few minutes but after I’m all yours. Let’s meet at the Night Market around eight thirty.”
“We’ll see you there.”
A couple of hours later and I found myself watching Tav trying to stomach a deep fried lizard. That’s when Leslie arrived. Tav had gotten only half of the critter into his mouth when he started chewing madly. His eyes were closed and his fist clenched as he did his best to chew and swallow as quickly as possible. The funny thing was the two hind legs and a tail were still hanging outside of his mouth. He made the last swallow and spit the remaining snack onto the street.
“There, I did it,” he said as he continued to spit particles of lizard out of his mouth.
“No, the deal was for you to eat an entire lizard. You, my friend, have only eaten half a lizard.”
“Aw, come on. I ate the lizard. That was the deal.”
Leslie and I were laughing hard. Tav was green in the face and still spitting. “Disgusting.”
“I’m sorry, Tav,” Leslie giggled. “I know this isn’t funny. I’ll stop.”
Again we erupted into uncontrollable laughter, this time sounding as charming as a pack of laughing hyenas.
“Whatever,” Tav snapped amid his spitting and gagging. “Darb, you owe me a hundred bucks.”
When we were able to shake our laughing fit, we made our way over to a nearby noodle stall.
“So, how goes the toy business?” Leslie asked as she expertly twirled some noodles with her chopsticks.
“Tav is just about done with the financials. Once we wrap it up, we’ll be free to head home.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. I’ll miss you.”
“Every now and then, I’ll have to do a little maintenance on the account. That’ll require that I be here on-site.”
Leslie raised her glass, “Well here’s to things going wrong on the account.”
Tav started making a barfing sound. “I’m sorry to interrupt
this little love fest, but I’m sitting right here if you two haven’t forgotten.”
I made a sad face for Tav before turning back to Leslie. “So, how’s the case coming along?”
“We had a setback. The gang got nervous with the surveillance outside the restaurant and they are making themselves sparse. We’re trying to get a bug placed inside.”
I made a mental note about the bug. Chu should know.
“Hey guys, I’m going to grab some bubble tea. You want?” Tav offered.
“Yummy. Get us the lychee-flavored ones,” said Leslie. “Trust me, Darby, you’ll love it.”
We both watched Tav walk away. I was still thinking about the bug when Leslie interrupted my thoughts.
“What’s on your mind Darby?”
“Oh, nothing.”
“Is there something you want to tell me?”
She knows about the gang. She must know now that she’s back.
“You look beautiful?” I managed.
“Is that what you want to tell me?” Leslie asked as she removed a familiar FedEx package from her bag. She placed it on the counter.
I froze. I couldn’t believe what was happening. I didn’t understand. I was positive I had taken every photo of me out. Did I miss one?
“Look, Leslie, I can explain everything. Really I can. It’s not what you think.”
“Explain what,” said Leslie as she fetched a tiny, gift-wrapped box from her purse. Written across the wrapper in curly yellow and blue type were the words Happy Birthday.
I stared at the gift in Leslie’s hand realizing I was seconds away from an unnecessary heart attack.
“Don’t you want your gift? Shame on you for thinking you could sneak this by me.”
I took the gift. “Thank you.”
I couldn’t believe how close I had come to blurting out the whole Fan Gang connection. I dodged that bullet.
“So what’s this ‘I can explain’ thing?”
Whoops, spoke too soon. “Oh…it’s my birthday, that’s all. I mean, I can explain why I kept it from you.”
Darby Stansfield Thriller Series (Books 1-3 & Bonus Novella) Page 26
