Peking Assassin

by Waggoner, Robert C.

  "I'm not sure yet Mr. President, but given a little more time with our own Master the good always overcomes evil."

  Mi Ling said, "Both my father and I feel rather helpless at this point. Our security would be useless; as well as your secret service guys. We are totally in your hands Brad."

  "That's a lot of pressure Mi Ling. Although my President said the same thing. My boss, forgive the expression, says 'that why they pay me the big money.'"

  The President laughed and said, "I know there's nothing I can offer you Brad, so I won't. My humble thanks are all I can say. I saw the video of your Master saving the life of the Defense Secretary. I too hope he can save my life. I want the guy who hired him very badly."

  Brad asked, "What do you know about Hi u Yah and the Everground Development Corporation?"

  "He's my nemesis and a man without a heart. He stands to lose the most if my monetary system is accepted. I've never met a man as greedy as he is. Rumor has it that he's personally killed over twenty men or competitors, I should say. He claims a linage to Peking Man. Gold is his choice of specie. Also his number two man is just as ruthless as he is. Nowadays Hi is a recluse and his bidding is done by his number two. Hi is paranoid someone is going to kill him and he's probably right. He has some of the best body guards money can buy."

  "Mr. President, if he has hired a Master like ours, it would be very difficult to stop him. However, like my Master says, nothing is impossible."

  "Brad, even if I'm killed the monetary policy will eventually go through. I've very little real power, but do have a lot of influence with the council. We expect a large dip in our economy and the workers will complain. However, for the good of our country we need to align ourselves with the world.

  For example, right now Taiwan is protesting the fishing rights off some islands that the Japanese claim to have purchased. The upshot is a factory here in China that is owned by Taiwan and employees almost 80 thousand workers. They're threatening to shut it down if they can't fish around this disputed area. Well, you can see how this could development exponentially without some government interference."

  "I'm not much into politics and leave that to others like you. I just do the bidding of our President. But indeed I see the bigger picture you're drawing. I'll do what I can and if the past is any example, my team has yet to fail."

  In an exclusive posh neighbor hood, behind walls of security, Hi u Yan paced his work area in his house. His number two sat in a comfortable chair rather relaxed as his boss ranted and raved as usual. Hi u Yan, with an American cigarette in one hand and a glass of brandy in the other stopped pacing and looked at his number two with daggers coming from his eyes. He said, "Number Two, as we all set up in Frisco?"

  "Yes we are Number One. Our person is making one stop in Oregon and then going down to San Francisco."

  "Why again is he going to Oregon first; I forgot."

  "He's leaving a message for Brad Pratt and his Team of misfits."

  "Now I remember," said Number One. "We mustn't fail. If the yuan is devalued we stand to lose millions if not billions."

  "Never fear Number One. Our Master is unstoppable. He's the oldest living Peking Man in China. Yes, I know about the Master from Chengdu. He's good but not up to standard with our Master."

  "I hope you're right Number Two. Your life depends on it," Number One said as the ash fell off his cigarette onto the Persian Carpet.

  Number Two took a large gulp of his brandy and shivered. He wondered why it would be his life; as he didn't suggest this assassination of the Chinese President. He stood up and bowed thinking that he had an ace up his sleeve, as the Americans would say. He took his leave thinking his ace of hearts had a name: Mi Ling.

  Chapter Five

  Air China touched down in Portland, Oregon. A first class passenger was an old Chinese man wearing black pajamas with a green dragon on the jacket. The flight attendants tried to remember him, but couldn't place the man. Stacy, her English nickname, caught a glimpse of him and then he was gone.

  Going through immigration the official just blinked and he was lost from sight. The Grand Master exited the building, entered a taxi, and then whispered in the driver's ear. Five hours later the taxi pulled into Bandon, Oregon. The driver took the Beach Loop road and let off his passenger just about a mile from the golf course. It was three o'clock in the morning. The taxi driver never remembered driving to Bandon.

  The Grand Master had a note tied to a rock with string. At the Round House, Sandy was on guard duty that night. All was quiet until a baseball size rock landed in front of the door. The rock thrower continued down the road to the end of the Beach Loop Road where it T-boned highway 101. A motor home was driving south when the driver saw a black clad old man with long grey hair wave at him. He stopped and picked up the old man. Next stop was San Francisco many miles from the southern coast of Oregon.

  Back at the Round House, Sandy did her job, using her nose against the short four inch square post in the ground that held a sign saying NO TRESPASSING. It sent a signal inside the house indicating an intruder or something out of the ordinary was happening.

  Sujin cautiously opened the front door. Sandy wagged her tail as if to say it was all clear. Sujin saw the paper wrapped rock. She took rock and all inside to read see what this was all about. She was careful not to disturb any fingerprints. Setting the rock on a cutting board she snipped the string with a pair of scissors. She used some chop sticks to unfold the note. It said: "Brad Pratt. This Chinese business is no business of yours. Fair warning. GM"

  Sujin called her husband.

  Brad didn't seem overly alarmed. It was just a warning. Sujin relaxed and asked how Billy was doing. She knew the plan before he left. Brad told her he was still in the mountains with his new found friend. He'd quit smoking and was in training to learn to mediate and other things. The last thing he told her was he would be home in a few days.

  Brad and Sandy were flying home. Something was bothering Brad and he couldn't lay his finger on it. He went over the Chinese Presidents schedule again. The first stop was San Francisco. This was more of a good will trip than anything else. The California governor would give him a tour of the famous Napa Valley wineries; Fishman's Wharf and a special dinner party on Nob Hill. This was a three day two night affair.

  The second stop was in Texas and then on to Chicago. After that a state dinner at the White House. What Brad wished for was the Chinese President made all of his stops on schedule.

  Brad was dozing off when he was woken up by the satellite phone. It was the US President Sam Bates calling. He said, "Brad are you on your way home now?"

  "Yes, I am Mr. President. Is there something urgent," Brad asked.

  "Well, maybe or maybe not. I got a message that said you were still in China and wouldn't be back for a week or so. That would be after the Chinese Presidents visit to Frisco."

  "I don't know where that message came from, but right now I'm over the Pacific Ocean about two hours out of North Bend Airport."

  "Let me research the origin of this message and I'll get back to you. I've decided to meet the Chinese President in Frisco. However, it'll be the second day rather than the first day. Have you arranged for security Brad?"

  "Yes sir. We've the best there is at this time. However, we are up against a formidable foe. However, we have a little surprise waiting for him."

  It might be said that there was a little surprise waiting for them too. In Beijing, Mi Ling was on her way to the sanitarium where he mother was a patient. She suffered a nervous breakdown, but was recovering well. She was riding in the back seat with her two guards, one driving the other riding shotgun. The Sanitarium was located quite a ways from the CBC. It was very exclusive with its own small airport.

  At the entrance one guard got out to open the door for her. As she began walking up the low, marble steps, from out of the corner of her eye she caught a glimpse of a person. Her body guard went down in a heap. The other guard was parking the car. Mi Ling felt
an iron arm wrap around her midriff while she felt a cloth over her nose and mouth. The smell was horrible. But it didn't last long.

  The next thing she realized was the sound of a plane engine. Slowly she opened her eyes, blinked a time or two seeing, not very clearly, a small door. She tried to move her arms to sit up, but to no avail. Her hands were tied behind her and she soon discovered she was bound hand and foot.

  Mi Ling turned her head to look at the passenger side of the small plane to see smiling eyes looking at her. His face had a black bandana over it to hide his identity. She tried to speak, but her mouth and throat were so dry only a croak came out. He said, in very good English, "Relax and enjoy the flight. We'll soon be on the ground where you can freshen up a bit. Do not try anything funny or you will die," as his formally friendly eyes turned to eyes that frightened her.

  Mi Ling swallowed a few times and that helped her dry throat a little. Then she felt the plane tilt down and she realized they were going to land soon. It was a smooth landing and she wondered where she was or where she was going and why. Her brain was still foggy from the sleeping drug she was forced to breathe.

  The plane came to a stop and the engine shut down making it very quiet. Her capturer cut her ankle ties saying, "I'll say it again, don't try anything like running or some dumb thing like that. Now I'll take you to a restroom where you can relieve yourself and drink some water. After that you will board a plane that will be coming very soon."

  Mi Ling kept her mouth shut while holding out her thin frail hands. Her handler snapped out a wicked looking knife and cut her plastic ties around her wrists. She rubbed the sore skin. He took her arm, none to gently, and led her to a smelly restroom. She looked at the door less holes in the floor and shook her head. He said, "Last chance. Pee your pants if you like."

  She hung her head and walked out. The warehouse was mostly empty with weeds growing up near the sliding doors. The she heard a jet airplane coming in for a landing. At first she thought maybe she was being saved by the military, and then she heard laughter as her handler saw the look of hope on her face.

  Mi Ling noticed it was a private jet that corporations regularly used. It stopped at the front of the warehouse, the engines kept running as a door opened and she was quickly ushered inside. She was sat down rather roughly and a seat belt was quickly fastened. The jet made its way to the runway and took off. Mi Ling didn't waste her time thinking about where she was going but how to escape.

  Her handler gave her bottled water, which she gratefully accepted. It appeared he was he was the only male passenger; besides assuming the pilot and copilot were males. She soon fell asleep.

  Mi Ling woke as the planes wheels hit the asphalt. She noticed it was dark out. Her watch said it was past ten at night. She guessed they'd been in the air about six hours.

  Her handler put a hood over her head and tied it off under her chin. She found it smelly, but not uncomfortable. Her handler, once the plane stopped, led her down the stairs into a waiting vehicle. Her handler sat next to her as the car made its way to an unknown destination.

  It wasn't long until the smooth rode turned into a bumpy ride. She was glad her handler let her use the plane's restroom, but she was beginning to get hungry. When the car stopped and the doors opened a blast of cold air hit her. She shivered. A wool blanket was thrown over her shoulders as she was led on a path to a waiting door. She could see a light coming through her hood and was led into a warm room.

  Mi Ling stood there waiting for something or someone to remove the hood. She heard the door close and a lock fastened. Then it turned eerily quiet. She reached up and untied the string around her neck and pulled the hood off. The first thing she saw was a fireplace burning nicely with wood. Then her eyes saw an old wood table and two chairs with a candle burning in the middle. Against the wall sat a single bed with a pillow and blanket. On the other side of the room a thin wood door stood open. Mi Ling took the candle and looked inside. A one hole outhouse was the only thing inside the small closet area.

  That was it, nothing more and nothing less in her cell. There wasn't even a window in the place. She stood next to the fireplace and broke into sobs. She'd never been alone before in her life. There was always someone around, but now she was entirely alone except whoever kidnapped her. With the blanket still around her shoulders she sat on the hard bed. Not since she was a little girl did she cry herself to sleep; but now she felt all hope had abandoned her.

  When the President of China was told his daughter was missing, he went ballistic. One of her bodyguards was dead and the other was in a coma in the hospital. He knew she'd been kidnapped, but as yet, no ransom or demand was recorded. All witnesses had been interviewed, but all that was reported were two men with hoods or black bandanas covering their faces were seen abducting a woman. All other information was useless, such as license plate number or color or make or model.

  What the President did know was he needed help of a kind that his regular police or military didn't possess. He stood looking out his window at a very peaceful setting. A well tended landscape of colorful plants and flowers belied how he felt. He turned and picked up the red phone that put him in direct contact with the President of the United States.

  Brad was talking with Sujin when the special satellite phone rang. It was a secure phone that was untraceable. Brad went downstairs to answer it as he was the only one besides his wife in the house. He identified himself and listened while the President told him about Mi Ling being kidnapped. This put a completely different light on the planned trip by the Chinese President. Brad was being asked to return to China and investigate her disappearance.

  Brad said he was on his way. He made a call to Chengdu to put a hold on the Master leaving China. He then called the pilots to tell them to file a plan to Beijing. He was going to need some help. He first called Mike and then Nancy telling her to meet him in Beijing.

  It took Brad awhile to bring Mike up to the present time. Mike was more than curious about Billy and his 'new life' he'd found. Mike laughed when Brad described his attire and demeanor with Mi Ling in Frisco. Mike shook his head and smiled thinking how much he wished Billy luck. It simply was impossible to not like Billy Ricker.

  But now it was back to business. Brad filled him in with the only known suspect the real estate developer. He was all they had to go on. Brad was going to need all the help he could get. He sent word to Billy to come and to ask his fisher girl to come too. Brad and Mike went over the bio of the developer, Hi u Yan. Billy would be a big help here. If they whisked her away, it was probably a known location to his circle of acquaintances; or at least a location with an airport close by. However, with the size of China, that could be one of thousands of places.

  Mike lay down on the floor with a pillow. Being ex military and a retired SEAL, he could sleep anywhere at any time. Rocky thought he had the right idea and lay down next to him. Brad was too wired for sleep. His brain was still racing. One thought was would these people kill the girl? What demands would they make of the President? Like he said, "I have very little real power. The real power lies within the Politburo Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China. That committee is a group of less than ten elder men."

  Brad lost a lot of respect to this land developer as it was common knowledge the President didn't make policy. This was really stupid of the man; if he was the one who kidnapped the daughter.

  Mi Ling woke up very cold. The fire was out. It never dawned on her to put any wood on it. Now what would she do. Also it was day light out, but fairly dark inside as her cell didn't have any windows. A thin line of light came from under the door and down one side of it. The candle had long since burned out. She wrapped up in her blankets and let the tears flow one more time.

  She looked at her watch as someone was at the door. It was 8 am according to her watch. The door swung open revealing an old woman dressed like a monk. Mi Ling watched her as she set a tray on the table; looked at the fire; and glanced at the burned out can
dle. She reached into her pocket and laid a box of stick matches and a handful of candles on the table.

  Mi Ling spoke to her but there was no answer. The old woman just shook her head. Mi Ling pleaded with her and finally the old woman opened her mouth and showed Mi Ling she had no tongue. Mi Ling jumped back and then she really started crying. The old woman left; locking the door behind her.

  Hunger replaced the tears and Mi Ling spooned the very tasty soup until the last drop. After that she set to build a fire. There were still some hot coals and with some slivers of wood, she got a small fire going. In no time life giving warmth was radiating from the small fireplace. Mi Ling smiled for the first time in a long time. Now she realized she needed to brush her teeth and take a shower. She really felt grubby.

  With all of her strength she moved the heavy wooden bed closer to the fire. She lay down and with one eye on the fire she nodded off.

  Brad's Gulf touched down in Beijing. A government car was waiting for them. They were taken to the private residence of the President. He was waiting at the front door. Security was tight. All within the hierarchy of the government were aware of the kidnapping. When apprehended the ones involved would be executed.

  The President led them to his study. Brad and Mike both were aware of the one child policy and to lose an only child would be simply horrible.

  Tea was served and Brad could see the President trying to compose himself. Silently he passed a note across the desk to Brad. Brad quickly read the note then translated for Mike. He said, "The note simply says, "You know what you have to do. Your daughter is unharmed. Keep it that way."