by Unknown
"When you're that old, you don't have time to waste," Jones joked as he backed into a parking spot. Just in case there was trouble. "How do you want to play this?"
"I'll talk, you snoop. Kia stays near me."
The three of them exited the SUV and walked onto the front porch, where they were greeted by Chi-Gon Jung, who was in his midforties and spoke perfect English. He was the owner of a hunting and fishing service that worked closely with the resorts on the island, providing tourists with boats, guides, and whatever else they needed. He handled logistics from the cabin, taking advantage of its proximity to Mount Halla and the Daeyu lodge, but mentioned that customers rarely stopped by. This was his personal office, nothing more. Most of his employees were scattered around the island, manning booths in hotel lobbies or guiding tours in the field.
Jung led Payne and Kia inside his spacious cabin, which was decorated with an assortment of mounted animal heads that would have looked at home in any hunting lodge in the States. Meanwhile, Jones opted to stay outdoors, claiming he needed some fresh air after their long drive from the Black Stone. In actuality, he wanted to snoop around and make sure they were alone. To warn them of potential danger. To protect them from interlopers.
"How did you meet Mr. Lee?" Payne asked as he took his seat in front of Jung's desk. "Was it through your business?"
"Yes," Jung said with a smile. "Mr. Lee is a wonderful man who takes care of his guests. We've been helping each other for years. Referring clients and so on."
"And he called you about me?"
Jung nodded, his grin quickly fading. "He called me late last night, asking for my help. Hoping I would fax the photo of the Parks to all of my guides. So we could keep an eye out for them in all our locations." He paused, measuring what he was going to say next. "But I told him it wasn't necessary. I already knew where they were."
"You do? How is that possible?"
"They came to me earlier in the week, looking for a guide."
"A guide? Why did they want a guide?"
"Honestly," Jung said, "they wanted to disappear."
"And you could help them with that?"
There was a long delay. "Yes."
Payne nodded, noticing the stress in Jung's face. The tension in his voice. The indecision in his eyes. In a heartbeat he had gone from a cordial host to a nervous one, a metamorphosis that concerned Payne. If Jung got spooked, there was a chance he would lie and give them bad information about the boy. In the long run, that could prove disastrous.
So Payne did what he was trained to do when dealing with an anxious witness. It was a simple trick, but one that worked quite well. He made him feel comfortable by talking about something less threatening. Something to brighten his mood. And in this case, it was the first innocuous thing that popped into Payne's mind. Something he knew would make him laugh.
"Out of curiosity," Payne asked, "what's the deal with your father's truck?"
Jung's smile returned. "He's married to that thing. It's much older than I am."
"That's what I figured. Honestly, I didn't know what to think when I saw him pull into the Black Stone this morning. Especially after his phone call. That made me so jumpy."
"My father made you nervous?" Jung laughed for several seconds before he could continue. "How could such a little man make you nervous?"
"He didn't sound little on the phone. He ordered me into the lobby in twenty minutes. Then, when I tried asking him a question, he hung up on me. I thought the guy was crazy."
Jung laughed louder. "My father isn't crazy. He hangs up on me, too! The man can barely hear. I doubt he heard a word you said!"
"Oh," Payne grunted, pretending to be embarrassed. "That would explain a lot."
"I'm sorry if I worried you. I would've met you myself, but this is my busy time of year. Not only is it hunting season, but thousands of tourists fly in for our New Year's celebrations. And tourists mean money."
Payne waved him off. "Not a problem. I'm just thankful for the lucky break. I didn't know whom to turn to until Mr. Lee offered to help. He's been a savior."
"I will tell him you said so. He will be honored."
"It is / who is honored. Both of you have been so gracious and friendly."
Jung bowed, showing his appreciation.
"Anyway, I know you're a busy man and I feel guilty for taking up so much of your time."
"Not a problem, Mr. Payne. I am glad I could help." He paused for a moment, once again struggling for the right words. "But before I do, there is something I need to ask. Why are you looking for the boy?"
It was a question Payne had anticipated, one he'd been thinking about all night. In his mind he had two options: he could tell the truth, or make up a story. Obviously, both had risks. The fewer people who knew about the village, the better. Not only for national security but also for international relations. There was a chance the South Korean government knew what was going on in the cave, but if they didn't, he didn't want to be responsible for spilling the secret. On the other hand, if the Parks had told Jung about the violence, then Payne couldn't afford to lie. One misstep and Jung was liable to point him in the wrong direction. Or notify the Parks. Or both.
In the end, it was something the old man had said to Payne that helped him decide. He mentioned his son needed to look him in his eye. He needed to judge his character. That's the reason they couldn't talk on the phone. He needed to trust him before he would speak.
Based on that, Payne made a gut decision and opted to tell the truth.
"Recently a prisoner escaped from American custody and killed several islanders, including some members of the Park family. We believe Yong-Su witnessed much of the violence. Anything he can tell us will be useful, not only to capture the killer but also to protect the Parks and everyone on this island. The sooner he is caught, the safer Jeju will be."
Jung paused, studying Payne long after he had finished speaking. Several seconds passed—several excruciating seconds—before Jung nodded his approval. He believed what Payne had said. "Are you familiar with Seongsan? It is a massive peak on the eastern side of Jeju."
Kia spoke up. "I know where it is."
"Tonight there is an important festival honoring the New Year. The entire coast will be jammed with boats from Japan and Korea. That is how the Parks are leaving Jeju. Masked by the large crowds. Under the cover of darkness."
"And you're sure of this?" Payne asked.
Jung nodded. "I am positive. They have rented my boat."
* * *
27
Seongsan Peak is a picturesque landmass on the eastern end of Jeju that was formed more than 100,000 years ago when a volcano erupted under the sea. The resulting peak stands 600 feet above the blue water below, its crater stretching more than 325,000 square feet, adorned with 99 natural peaks along its outer edge, creating the illusion of a majestic crown—an image that is heightened in the early morning when the sun rises above the Korea Strait, bathing the volcanic cone in golden light. The view is so breathtaking it was described nearly 800 years ago in the Tripitaka Koreana, the most complete collection of Buddhist texts still in existence.
Every year thousands of revelers flood the local village, nestled near the base of the peak, to participate in the Seongsan Sunrise Festival, a massive celebration that begins on New Year's Eve with a ritual known as a gut— where a shaman offers a sacrifice to the spirits—and continues well beyond sunrise on New Year's Day. In between are massive amounts of eating, drinking, gambling, and fireworks, none of which Payne and Jones would be enjoying. Their sole purpose was to find the Parks as quickly as possible and gather as much information as they could,
Chi-Gon Jung had given them a map of Seongsan Harbor, explaining where his boat was docked and how to get there. The boy and his father were scheduled to arrive at midnight, the most chaotic moment possible, when they hoped to slip aboard unnoticed. An hour later, one of Jung's most reliable tour guides would pilot them to the open sea. By morning, they would re
ach one of the small ports on the southern coast of South Korea, where they hoped to disappear into the countryside. At least that's what Jung had gathered.
Unfortunately, he had no additional information about the Parks. No hotel. No phone number. Not even a backup plan. They had stumbled into the Daeyu Hunting Lodge looking for a guide and were given Jung's business card. They showed up at his cabin unannounced, told him what they needed, and gave him a small cash deposit. The entire time the boy never spoke. He just stood near his father, clutching his hand or holding his waist. More like an infant than an eight-year-old boy. Jung knew something was wrong, but every time he asked Mr. Park, he became angry. Aggressive. Protective. Eventually Jung got the hint and stopped asking.
That was two days ago, and he hadn't heard from them since.
Payne, Jones, and Kia arrived in Seongsan just before dinner. The town was abuzz with tourists, the pulse of the festival just springing to life.
The trio lucked into a parking spot adjacent to the harbor, five minutes from the marina entrance. Jung's boat was just where it was supposed to be, tied off at the end of a long wooden dock. No one on board. Nothing suspicious.
Payne glanced at his watch and noted the time. They would check back in a few hours, just in case someone showed up early.
But until then, they had plenty of time to kill.
Dozens of pojangmachas—street stalls on wheels that cooked and sold Korean food—lined the narrow roads. Clouds of steam rose off the metal carts, the smell of spices filling the air. Payne and Jones browsed the selections as Kia translated the menus. There was gimbap (rice rolls), sundae (Korean sausage in hot sauce), tteokbokki (rice cakes in red pepper sauce), and odeng (simmered fish cakes on a skewer). Plus an assortment of items they recognized on their own. Egg rolls, dumplings, fritters, and meat on a stick—although no one knew what kind of meat it was. Payne ordered okdom, a fish found only off the coast of Jeju and Japan. It was broiled in sesame seed oil and served with a side of scallion pancakes. Jones bought a combo platter, grilled pheasant and pan-fried kimchi (fermented vegetables), plus a seafood egg roll. Meanwhile, Kia fed her sweet tooth, getting a persimmon shake and a small bag of yugwa (grain cookies), treats she used to eat when she was a little child growing up near Seoul.
They took their food to a nearby table and ate in relative silence, watching people stroll by as the sunlight began to fade. Every few minutes firecrackers burst in the distance. The pop! pop! pop! echoed across the harbor like gunshots in the night. Kia flinched the first few times but eventually filtered out the sound, realizing it posed no threat. The whole time Payne and Jones never budged, years of experience honing their senses.
Suddenly, as if on cue, hundreds of paper lanterns were lit by villagers, who hung them in their windows and trees, while a giant bonfire was ignited at the top of the crater. Sparks and ash erupted into the night like a volcano. In an instant the entire village was bathed in firelight. Everyone's attention soon shifted to the outdoor theater at the base of the peak. The rumble of a Korean drum, beaten with pulsating precision, heightened the drama, as if the mother ship from Close Encounters was about to land in Seongsan, as it did at Devil's Tower. A rainbow of colors exploded from the bank of spotlights as a provincial dance team, dressed in white masks and ancient robes, started their performance, leaping and twirling to the sounds of a Korean orchestra hidden in the wings. Tourists surged forward, jostling for the best view possible, trying to soak in the pageantry of center stage.
Kia spoke above the clamor. "This is only the beginning. The festival goes until tomorrow morning, when we welcome the New Year. In fact, the sunrise is the most important part."
Jones joked, "I guess that's why they call it the Sunrise Festival."
Kia smiled. "I guess so."
Payne asked, "You mean nothing goes on at midnight? Jung said it was going to be crazy."
"Don't worry. It will be. The whole night will be crazy."
"Yeah, that's what I'm worried about."
They made their way through the crowd, casually searching for the Parks, even though it would have taken a small miracle to find them. Too many people. Too much frivolity. Everywhere they looked, Koreans were dancing and singing, their faces shielded from the cold with hats and hoods. Others wore elaborate masks, painted with festive colors, that obscured their identities.
Ironically, the two people who drew the most attention were Payne and Jones. Not because of their actions, but because of their genetics. Payne stood six-four, almost a head taller than most of the Asians he passed. Couple that with Jones—a black man in a nonblack world—and people assumed they were American athletes. Kia laughed the first few times someone asked to take their picture, even goading them on, whispering in Korean that they were NBA stars but didn't like to be bothered. Payne played along at first, even signing fake autographs for his "fans," until the crowds started to grow out of control and he realized it might have an adverse effect on their mission. After that, they excused themselves and found a table that overlooked the harbor.
It was nearly 11:00 p.m. An hour still to go.
Thirty minutes later, Payne's phone started to vibrate. His caller ID said Nick Dial, his buddy from Interpol. He excused himself and answered the call.
"Hey, Nick, Happy New Year!"
"Same to you, Jon.... Sounds like you're out partying."
"Yeah, I wish. I'm actually on a stakeout."
"A stakeout, huh? I didn't know soldiers went on stakeouts."
"Maybe that's why I suck at it. I've been signing autographs all night long."
"You whatT
Payne explained the situation as he walked along the water's edge, looking for somewhere private to sit. Although he doubted anyone was listening, all this open space made him vulnerable to parabolic microphones. "So, any luck with your search?"
"That depends on your definition of luck. I attribute my recent success to being so damn good." He laughed to himself. "Anyway, I talked to multiple sources, who briefed me on the rumors that have been floating around. Over the past few months, several big fish have fallen off our radar screen. Not surprising, since they're terrorists. Of course, we don't know if they were killed, if they're playing bingo in a mosque basement, or if we got sloppy and lost them."
"That's the problem with terrorists. They never tell us anything."
"Actually," Dial said, "sometimes they do. Two months ago the French government nabbed a Muslim named Abdul Al-Amin trying to sneak a firearm into an art museum in Paris. Why? I have no idea. I'm guessing it had something to do with The Da Vinci Code."
"Go on."
"Anyway, Abdul's paperwork seemed clean, so the French decided to give him a slap on the wrist and let him go. But before they could, the idiot started blabbing, claiming he was part of an active terrorist group called the Soldiers of Allah and he'd be willing to give up vital information if they would cut a deal for his release."
Payne laughed. "What an idiot."
"Yeah, a real Einstein. Anyhow, this is where it gets good. Once the French did some legwork, they realized the Soldiers of Allah had committed most of their acts of terror in America. So what did they do? They called Interpol and asked us to get involved. Long story short, I got access to a whole lot of info."
"Anything useful?"
"That's for you to decide. Abdul was exactly who he said he was: a midlevel asshole for the Soldiers of Allah. He gave us names, dates, locations—the type of intel that only an insider would have. Some of it proved quite useful. We actually busted some of the smaller cells."
"Good."
"But not good enough. We told Abdul that we weren't going to let him go unless he gave us some intel on their leader, an Arab named Hakeem Salaam."
Payne frowned. "Never heard of him."
"Me neither. So I called one of my buddies at Homeland Security to get some background info, and he nearly popped a boner when I mentioned Salaam's name. I honestly thought he was going to drop the phone and play wit
h himself right there. Turns out Salaam is at the top of one of their special lists. I'm talking ex/ra-special. You ready for this? He's what they call a Big Tit."
"Did you say titV
"Stands for Towel-headed Islamic Terrorist. And no, I'm not making that up. Half those boys at Homeland Security are racist bastards. They claim it helps them do their jobs."
"Go on."
"So I make a joke of it. I tell him we should trade information, you know, tit for tat, but for some reason he didn't think it was funny."
Payne stifled his urge to laugh. "He tell you anything else?"
"Actually, he wanted me to tell him what I knew. Turns out Salaam and his top advisers disappeared a week after the incident at the museum. Poof! Just like that. No one knows why or where, but no one's heard from them since."
Payne winced. Three days ago Colonel Harrington had used similar terminology to describe Schmidt and his squad.-They had disappeared, but no one knew why or where. Now the same thing was being said about Salaam and his advisers. The major difference? The terrorists disappeared several weeks ago, back when Schmidt was running a black op for Harrington in the Persian Gulf. Something he was reluctant to talk about when Jones questioned him.
A coincidence? Probably not.
In Payne's mind, the most likely scenario had Schmidt tracking down Salaam and his men, dragging them to the secret cave, and torturing them for information. At least until something went wrong. Now Schmidt and his crew were dead, Salaam was missing, and the only witness was an eight-year-old boy who had managed to disappear.
"Where's Abdul now?"
"Good question," Dial said. "Unfortunately, I don't have access to that information."
"Why not?"
"Because he's no longer in Interpol custody."
"He was released?"
"Hell, no. We don't release terrorists. Even dumb ones."
"So what happened?"
"About a week ago, we cut a deal with some country that took possession of Abdul. I'm not sure which one because the transfer papers were sealed. But the obvious choice is America."
