Watson Manor Unfolding: Second Novel in the Watson Mystery Series (Watson Manor Mystery Series Book 2)

by Ronald Craig

  "We did and, following your advice, stayed in the hotel," Jenny said.

  "Good. Some of the documents in the binder you gave me have proven to be informative. There was a reference to a company in Dalian, east of us on the coast, which manufactures children's clothing, very large exporter and believed to be involved in human trafficking and drugs. There are a couple companies in Beijing that have no real physical presence. Fronts, I suppose. We are still digging into them."

  "Steven, we have a lead from home. A second ticket was purchased by Crown for a Judy Morrison arriving here at eleven today," Charlie said.

  "That’s very good, I will send Jimmy. Do you have a photo of her?"

  "No, apparently that’s not her real name. No records found on her. Jenny and I have seen her though back in Marina, where we live," Charlie said.

  "I am feeling a little better about you aging us twenty years, Steven," Jenny commented with a smile.

  "Sometimes wise. Even if she is special to him, I don't think he will meet her there, but will surely send a car. A public taxi is another trail he won't want. It’s a long shot, you can't get close to the arrival gate and there are many people traveling through our airport."

  "I can watch the baggage claim area, that will have the flight number marked," Charlie said.

  "I'll back track from there to the closest exit doors for China Airlines, in case she only has a carry-on," Jenny offered. "Even given a short time, I'd fill a suitcase if I were leaving the US for good."

  "It's critical she doesn't see you or feel watched. We need for Crown to drop his guard. I wish I could send experienced observers, but without a photo, it's only you two. I am well known here and don't want to risk being seen by someone sent to meet her or the driver, who might know my face. Jimmy will remain in the car outside in the pickup area."

  Chapter 30

  Jimmy was driving this time on their trip to the airport and he explained that the other driver was in a second car, waiting outside the airport. The idea being they would alternate tailing the car sent to pick up Judy. He reached over the seat and handed them two cell phones.

  "Look like flip phone, but radio. All same, one talk all hear same. When she go to exit, you call, tell me, I get in position. You see before, big or small, tall or short?" Jimmy asked.

  "She is shorter than I am and thin. Medium brown hair, the length of mine now," Jenny said.

  "When you see, call tell me color clothes, if she different from before. Be close behind, will move quick. If I see, important to follow. You no here, I come back, you wait at exit."

  "OK, we understand. Jenny, if Judy goes toward baggage claim you should get in the car so we are not seen together."

  "That makes sense," Jenny said. "Be ready to run if she heads straight for the exit door."

  "I better find a place half way between you and baggage claim then," Charlie said.

  "Good idea, you do before? I drop you here. Next gate China. Maybe driver already there," Jimmy remarked.

  They exited the car at the Korean Air terminal one at a time. When Jenny passed through the terminal door Charlie got out and followed. Charlie saw Jenny approaching the bank of four escalators, two going up for ticketing and two coming down from the gates. She took a seat off to one side. Charlie was passing the fifth luggage turnstile when the logo's changed from Korean Air to China Airlines. There were three on his side of the escalators and more beyond. The radio clicked," Mr. Chen say on time. Maybe see fifteen minute more."

  "OK Jimmy," Jenny said into the radio.

  "Heard you both," Charlie said. He located the empty turnstile that had changed to display, 412 Los Angeles, USA. He moved to the glass wall that separated the terminal from the car traffic outside and took a seat. Jenny was 60 yards away from him. There were six uniformed drivers holding signs at the base of the down escalators. Charlie was behind them and couldn't see what was written on the signs. He raised his hands in a questioning fashion and put the radio to his ear.

  "Unless she reads Chinese, they are not for her," Jenny said softly.

  Charlie looked around to see if anyone was paying them any special attention and realized seventy percent of the travelers were Asian and the rest a mix from around the world. They didn't stand out as the only Americans there. His concern using the radio faded as half the people around him were talking on cell phones. He found additional comfort when he caught an English word spoken as they passed by him.

  Charlie watched as Jenny raised the radio to her head and appeared to be casually conversing on a phone. He raised his own and heard nothing, then guessed as he noticed a large group coming down the escalator that she was getting ready.

  "Blue jeans, green jacket, has a carry-on bag. Looks nervous but focused on the police at the door," Jenny said.

  Charlie stood up slowly and moved in behind a group gathering beside him.

  "Stepping off…looking around not at drivers. Carry-on is light blue going to baggage claim."

  "I've got her. See you in the car, use the Korean exit," Charlie said and put the phone in his pocket. He waited a minute after she passed him then fell into the group moving toward the turnstile. She found a position just beyond the middle of the belt and watched the luggage chute to her left. Charlie moved in ten people further down the belt to the right of her figuring her eyes would never turn that way. The luggage started coming down the chute and he glanced around her to see if anyone had arrived to help her. After a few minutes he saw she stiffened, preparing to retrieve her bag. Her bag was held out of reach by another large bag and she started moving toward him.

  "Can someone help me? That’s my bag," she said focused on the bag and moving travelers away from the turnstile as she followed the bag closer to Charlie. There were two people between them when she said, "Sir, can you help."

  Charlie grabbed her bag and turning away from her with the bag sat it down beside him. Then with his back still to her, he moved quickly down the belt as if chasing his own bag. "Thank you sir," she said then pulled the handle and moved away. Charlie waited a minute before turning and saw her heading toward the exit. "She has a matching larger blue bag, in case I don't make it," he said and walked briskly to the Korean exit. He spotted his car moving slowly toward the China Airlines terminal and made a mad dash to catch it and jumped in. A black Mercedes had pulled out a moment before and they fell in three cars behind it.

  "Close one," Jimmy said.

  "Two more seconds and I was going to jump out," Jenny said.

  "And miss all the fun tailing them?"

  "Together, no option."

  "Was Crown in the car with them?"

  "No just the driver. He put her luggage in the trunk then her in the back. If Crown was in the back seat she would have gotten in right away I think."

  "See the license plate?"

  "Yes, a California plate," she said laughing. "There were three nice cars lined up and I got all of them before I got in the car."

  "You stood there behind each car and wrote the numbers down?"

  "Yes, and asked each of the drivers if they were there to pick up Judy Morrison and if they knew where Crown was."

  Charlie couldn't hold it in and started laughing. When they both regained composure he asked, "So what did they say?"

  "The car that just pulled out, he said yes for Judy and follow me for Crown. I used my phone camera, Charlie. I held it below the car windows as I passed between them looking for my ride in traffic."

  "Maybe Beijing find number two investigator," Jimmy said with a short chuckle. Then he turned and spoke into the car radio mic in Chinese. "Talking other car," he explained.

  "It's good she didn't see you in there," Jenny said.

  "Oh, I helped her with her bag and she thanked me."

  "Very funny, I guess it's your turn with the jokes."

  Charlie didn't answer but smiled.

  The traffic through the airport moved slowly for awhile as they all watched the black Mercedes ahead. It moved over, worki
ng its way to the far left. Jimmy relayed the information to the other car and moved over in gradual steps. The Mercedes took the exit on the left and Jimmy instantly relayed the information in the radio. "Not go downtown. When other car come, we drop back."

  It was a twenty five minute drive and the cars had changed positions four times when the Mercedes slowed making a right turn into an affluent neighborhood. Jimmy was in the lead position and held back from making the turn but watched the car from the corner. The Mercedes turned left into a residence mid way down the block. Jimmy made the turn, "Keep eye open, make slow pass one time," he said.

  As they passed the house, Judy was in the embrace of a man who looked like he could be Crown, but in profile they were uncertain. When they reached the end of the block, Jimmy turned right and pulled to the curb. He was talking fast on the radio and listening to the return conversation. Jimmy turned to Jenny, "You have license number?"

  Jenny grabbed her phone and searched through the photos. When she found it she handed the phone to Jimmy. He relayed the number over the radio.

  "Citizen Beijing," Jimmy said handing the phone back to her.

  "How do you know so quickly?" Charlie asked.

  "Blue citizen, black no citizen."

  "The license plate color you mean?" Jenny asked.

  "Yes, what I say." They waited there about five minutes and the radio came to life. Charlie and Jenny recognized the voice as Steven but didn't understand a word of the Chinese message. "We go see Mr. Chen."

  "What about watching the house?" Charlie asked.

  "Other car watching," Jimmy said as they pulled away from the curb.

  "Do we know who owns that house or car?" Jenny inquired.

  "David Lu own. Mr. Chen tell."

  They arrived at Steven's office and went right in. "A very successful lead taking us to a property owned by David Lu," Steven said in greeting them. "Were you able to ID Crown in the drive past the residence?"

  "Eighty percent," Jenny said. "We passed Judy Morrison, or whatever her real name is, in an embrace with a man the same height and hair color as Crown but in profile. Her head was closest to us so his was hidden behind hers," Jenny said.

  "Look at this," Steven said turning the computer screen toward them. It was a picture of a man very similar in both height and hair color as Crown but clearly with Asian facial features. "This is David Lu."

  "Damn, it could have been either one of them," Charlie said.

  "Yeah, my eighty percent just went down the drain."

  "David Lu is a very wealthy man and owns many properties in China, including the factory in Dalian that I mentioned before. He travels all over the world for business. With what we know of Crown's arrival in Beijing, it would seem unlikely that you saw David Lu holding Judy beside the car but it is possible."

  "It would help if Crown cared about her and it was David holding her. A little friction from a love triangle could strain the relationship with his contact here," Jenny said.

  "Or if David Lu thought Crown cheated him in a business deal," Charlie suggested.

  "We don't know if they shared business dealings or a common interest in human trafficking." Steven said. "Your love triangle would get him kicked out of the residence, but taking money out of David Lu's pocket would solve your problem and feed our fish."

  "Crown's attorney is under arrest in the US and is cooperating to save himself. Maybe we can get some insight from him about their relationship and fabricate a deception," Charlie offered.

  "This could be our answer," Steven told them. "I will look into it from this end and let me know what you find. We are watching the residence, which we believe is David Lu's primary one. With Judy here and no love triangle, she and Crown may be moved to one of his other properties. I need your cell phone numbers and you should be ready to leave here at a moment's notice."

  "One thing bothers me. If we can get this deception into play and Crown disappears we won't have the benefit of the world knowing he is dead," Jenny said.

  "That’s where you are missing the beauty of this working, Jenny. If David Lu believes he was cheated by Crown, we will find Crown hanging from a street light in downtown Beijing to communicate to David Lu's other associates and the world what happens when you cheat him."

  "Like I said, Jenny. I really like this guy!"

  "We'll check with our sources at midnight, Steven and let you know tomorrow," Jenny said.

  Chapter 31

  Charlie and Jenny stayed close to the hotel in the event a call came in from Steven and they needed to grab their bags. With Crown across town they ventured into the shopping mall across from their hotel killing time until they could call home.

  "I would love to see more of China then the hotel and this mall," Jenny said.

  "Our return flight is six days away, but we paid the extra to keep it flexible."

  "Getting Crown is still my priority, but standing on the great wall, the Forbidden City and seeing these exotic gardens would be wonderful."

  Charlie took the China travel book they were paging through to the register and purchased it. They had lunch in the food service area and after a few more hours picking up souvenirs to take home returned to the hotel.

  Jenny called the Marina Police Department at 11:30 and spoke to Jacque. "Just making coffee Jenny, how are things going there?"

  "We think we've located Crown. Judy coming to Beijing was a great break. Is the Chief in?"

  "Not yet, but I have a detective here waving his arms to speak to you. Hold on I'll transfer you before he has a heart attack."

  "Jenny, thirty five children are heading home! Every one of the Crown Storage locations, except San Jose, had children being held. This is phenomenal! It's all over the news, of course it reads Special Agent Baker is leading the charge."

  "Credit doesn't matter, thirty five children going home, thank God!"

  "Edwards we need some information, we hope Richards can help. We need to find anything that ties Crown to David Lu here in Beijing or to a children's clothing factory in Dalian."

  "Judy Morrison was kind of Crown's accountant. I have her computer here from our raid on the law office, when we brought Richards in. Fortunately Baker has been too preoccupied getting pats on the back, he hasn't taken it yet. I was able to get in. Let me check, hold on."

  "Charlie, they have recovered thirty five children!"

  "That's fantastic news. I'll bet Baker is glad he woke up."

  "Exactly. Edwards says he is leading the crusade in the newpapers."

  Edwards was back on the phone, "Jenny, here it is. It’s a simple spreadsheet headed DL. Not conclusive but DL could be David Lu. It dates back a few years but shows monthly inventory received in units, sales of inventory and cost of goods sold. As I look at it, the sales are twice the amount of the cost of goods sold across the board."

  "Can you email that to me?"

  "Sure, not a problem."

  "How about communications, letters written or emails that might relate to this spreadsheet or David Lu?"

  "I'll check and email anything I find with the spread sheet."

  "Do you still have access to Richards?"

  "He is still in county lockup," Edwards said. "The FBI has made so many arrests from the other Crown Storage locations they have been too busy to move him."

  "We have units passing between Crown and David Lu, maybe Richards can tell us units of what and which way they flowed. Edwards hold on a minute," Jenny said. "Charlie, do you have anything?"

  "The FBI are the ones that went to Crown's home. Maybe the Chief can get word from Baker on a tie to David Lu found there."

  "Edwards, Charlie suggested we get Chief Walker to call Baker to find out if anything we've talked about relating to David Lu was found in Crown's home."

  "He should be in shortly, should I have him call you?"

  "It's after midnight here. We're beat and I'll call you back around five pm your time."

  "Good night Jenny, talk to you then. Sweet dreams
with thirty five going home!"

  Jenny put the phone down smiling the thought of thirty five children running into their parent's arms. Thirty five times the sight of Timmy reuniting with Julia on the porch at Oakley Day Care, not even a week ago. She felt so blessed to see that and be a part these new thirty five getting a second chance of a loving home. Charlie was already in bed and she realized had been watching her silently as her mind wondered. She undressed and joined him.

  "We did good, partner," he said.

  "We did. Together, no option. You, me and our guiding hand." She moved into his arms and they drifted off to sleep.

  Charlie woke to Jenny's ringing cell phone. "Hello."

  "Charlie, did I wake you?"

  "Good morning Edwards," Charlie said glancing at his watch. He moved into the living room to let Jenny sleep. "It's six in the morning here, I was hoping for at least one cup of coffee first."

  "Sorry, I need to leave soon and wanted to make sure Jenny got the information she needed."

  "You sound excited Edwards, so I'm guess you found something."

  "Part of the thirty five I told Jenny about, eight of them are young Chinese girls, who were being held in the Santa Rosa Crown Storage. They are all much older, between thirteen and fifteen years old. Richards has confirmed these are the units brought in from David Lu. The FBI is not releasing his name at this point."

  "What, smuggled inside shipping containers?"

  "No, this is the crazy part! They all flew in on commercial airlines with student visa's. They were picked up at the airport in a shuttle bus that was recovered in Santa Rosa as well. On the side of the shuttle is printed 'Our Future is Our Children'. You have to hate these bastards!"

  "Young Asian girls; they weren't brought in as labor, but visa's have time limits and are monitored."

  "And when those visas were run back through Customs, they were off the radar here."

  "Sounds like the visas are not generated by the Chinese Government."

  "And we are tracking down how those visas went back through customs for a return to China without the girls. All the documents were faked. These girls are from very poor rural families in China. David Lu's people drove into the small villages with this student exchange program they sold as government sponsored. Sounded like a chance of a lifetime for these girls and the parents were told that the girls would return in two weeks. They showed them videos of what the girls would see and all the new experiences they would bring back. When Baker arrived in Santa Rosa, one of the girls asked him if it was time to see Disneyland."