The Sodden Sailor (A Nick Williams Mystery Book 11)

by Frank W. Butterfield

  "Are you from here?" I asked.

  "Yes, sir. My parents were living here when I was born."

  I did some quick math in my head. "Were you—"

  She shook her head. "No, sir. My father was a geologist. He had a job near Darwin. In Australia. We were there when the Japanese invaded."

  I nodded as I opened the car door for her.

  Carter said, "Nick was stationed in New Guinea during the war."

  After we were all in inside, she said, "We went over to Port Moresby once. Right in the summer of '39, when I was only 5. All I remember was that it was hotter there than in Darwin."

  I smiled and nodded as she turned to speak to the driver. "Hongkong and Shanghai, I should think."

  He replied, "Right, Miss."

  "Next we'll stop by the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank. It has a marvelous lobby. So artistic. It was the large white building just below Government House."

  Jerry asked, "Can we go inside Government House?"

  Miss Hawkhaven smiled and replied, "I'm afraid not, Jerry. It's by invitation only."

  He looked at Carter. "But you have an invitation."

  Carter nodded. "I think it's for adults only."

  Miss Hawkhaven said, "If it's OK with your mum, I'd be happy to take you and my younger brother Peter to the cinema tonight."

  Jerry smiled. "The cinema! I haven't been there since—" He stopped suddenly and looked at me with his owl face.

  I said, "What Jerry means is that it's been a while since he's been. Right?"

  He nodded. "Right. I'd like that, though. If Ma agrees."

  . . .

  When we got back to the hotel, Carter and Jerry went upstairs after very politely thanking Miss Hawkhaven.

  I said to Carter, "I'll be up in a minute."

  He looked at me for a moment and then put his hand on Jerry's shoulder. "Come on, Jerry, let's go tell your mama everything you saw today."

  He nodded, very adult-like all of a sudden. "I think we should give her a tour."

  As they moved away, Carter said, "I think she's been to all those places."

  Jerry laughed and said something I couldn't hear. I turned to Miss Hawkhaven and handed her a couple hundred dollars, Hong Kong. She frowned slightly and looked up. "The tour is a service of The Peninsula, Mr. Williams."

  I nodded. "I know. This is just for something nice. We really appreciate the tour. I doubt Jerry's mother will let him go to the movies. But thanks for the offer."

  She looked at the money and then quickly folded it and slipped into a pocket of her skirt. "Thank you, Mr. Williams."

  I replied, "You're very welcome, Miss Hawkhaven. Thanks for the tour."

  She had a look on her face that said she wanted to tell me something, so I asked, "Something on your mind?"

  Looking around the hotel, she leaned in and said, "My mum told me this morning that Dr. O'Reilly is here at the hotel. She also said she is staying in your suite."

  That surprised me but I tried to keep a neutral face. "Is that so?"

  "Yes. Furthermore, most everyone seems to know it. But the governor has asked the English papers not to print the story." She lowered her voice to a whisper. "Please tell Dr. O'Reilly how very happy we are that she made it over."

  I nodded. "I will."

  She put her hand on her chest. "Oh! Do let me explain. You see, most days, I'm a nurse. Saturday is my off day and I like giving the tours because it gives me a chance to meet people from all over the world."

  "Where do you work?"

  She smiled. "The Queen Mary. But I also help out on Fridays at a small clinic up near the border. Have you seen the refugee camps up there?" She shook her head. "The governor is doing all he can but there are so many people. That's why her being here is so good."

  I opened my wallet and pulled out the rest of the cash. I handed it to her. "Take this and give it to whoever is running the clinic."

  She looked down at it with a surprise on her face. "But this must be four thousand."

  "A little bit more. Take it. You'll know what to do with it."

  She nodded and quickly shoved it into her skirt. "May I call later this afternoon to see if Jerry may go to the cinema?"

  I nodded. "Of course. Our butler is Cheung. If we're not around, find him. He'll be able to say whether Jerry's mother gave her permission or not."

  She smiled. "Thank you, Mr. Williams. For everything." She reached over and gave me a kiss on the cheek.

  . . .

  After I'd cashed a check for five thousand more Hong Kong dollars, I made my way back up to the suite. When I opened the door, the O'Reilly family was discussing the matter of whether Jerry could go to the movies.

  "But, Mai, think of the boy. He's been, you've both been, up in that camp for so long. Let the boy have a little fun. Meet someone his own age."

  Mai shook her head. "No. It's too dangerous. No one must know we're here."

  I said, "Too late. Apparently everyone knows and the governor has asked the papers, the English ones, not to print anything about it. I expect we'll be getting a visit from someone official before long." I passed on Miss Hawkhaven's message and then added, "I think you're going to be quite popular here."

  She smiled at me and then sighed. "But I don't want to be popular. I want to work."

  I nodded. "There doesn't seem to be any shortage of that. It's none of my business, but you could probably take a day or two off."

  Jerry was sitting on the sofa watching the adults have it all out. I looked down at the kid and added, "You got a smart kid, there. He really needs to be in school."

  Mai sighed again. "Yes. But where? And how will we pay?"

  Carter immediately piped up. "That's not a problem."

  She shook her head. "No, I cannot. We cannot. You have already been more than generous."

  Carter shrugged. "You can refuse Nick, if you dare..."

  O'Reilly frowned for a moment. "But what if Mai is in trouble? What if we're all in trouble?"

  I shook my head. "There's going to be trouble, but I'd guess it's gonna bounce off all of us."

  "What about Lee?" asked Carter.

  I sighed. "I don't think we'll see Lee again. Not until the next time we're in Hawaii. My guess is that he's already smuggled himself out of Hong Kong. Or will have done so by tomorrow morning at the latest."

  "Why's that?" asked Mai.

  "We had to smuggle him in. He's not allowed into Hong Kong, for some reason. Also, Tony said that he would be out of commission until tomorrow. Not that the two of them would be. Just him."

  Jerry, getting us back to the point, asked, "Can I go to the cinema?"

  She shook her head. "I don't know."

  Right then the phone rang. I walked over and picked it up. "Yeah?"

  "May I speak with Mr. Carter Jones, please?" The voice was female, polished, and crisped.

  "Sure. Hold on." I looked at Carter and handed him the phone as he walked over.

  "Hello?" He listened for a long moment and then said, "I see." He listened for a long moment and then looked down at me. "I understand. We'll be there at 8. Thank you for calling." He put the phone down very carefully.

  "Who was it?" I asked.

  "The governor's secretary. Seems that because of what happened this morning, the tour of the hospital has been canceled as has the reception. The four of us have been summoned to the Government House to meet with the governor and the American consul. They want us to dress for dinner."

  . . .

  I asked Cheung to arrange for Mai and Jerry to get some new clothes. He also confirmed that word was out about her being in the hotel and suggested that clothes be brought up. Along with lunch.

  The suite took on a swirl of activity as a tailor and a seamstress came in to take measurements. Cheung had a spread of sandwiches sent up. I had half of one and then told Carter I was going to take a nap.

  After I'd stripped and was in bed, Carter walked in, closed and locked the door behind him, and sat next to me.
He put his hand on the side of my face and kept it there for a long while. Then he leaned down and kissed me gently on the lips.

  As he sat up, I asked, "How was the tour of the firehouse yesterday?"

  He laughed. "Monumental. Ceremonial. They treated me like I was the Fire Chief of San Francisco. There was a call just past noon. I rode out with them. It was in a narrow alley. The truck was longer and leaner than the ones at home. We barely made it in. Hooking up the hose was tricky. Fortunately, it was a kitchen fire and no one was hurt. But it was in the oldest part of town. Not far from here."

  I reached up and began to loosen his tie.

  "The shift changed at 4, so I invited the guys to have a beer at their favorite bar." He stood and unbuttoned his shirt. "That went on until 7. I was invited to the apartment of one of the British firemen." He pulled his shirt off. "Met his wife and kids and all the neighbors. Played poker, of all things, with several guys in the building. Oh, and they warned me about the triads, too."

  I chuckled. "I'd guess they're no longer interested in us now."

  Carter shrugged as he loosened his belt. "Maybe. One of the neighbor guys invited his sister over and she flirted with me while we played. All in all, it was fun." By that time, he was down to his BVDs. He crawled in bed next to me. "But not as fun as this." He demonstrated what he meant for the next few minutes until I fell asleep from exhaustion.

  . . .

  "Where are the captains and Christine?" I asked.

  Carter and I were in Captain O'Reilly's room. He and Murphy were sitting, arm-in-arm, on the edge of the bed. Carter was leaning against the wall and I was sitting in a chair. We'd decided to have a pow-wow away from little ears and before going to dinner.

  Carter answered, "They signed up for an all-day tour of Hong Kong. I understand they went to a casino last night."

  O'Reilly laughed. "We'd have heard by now if they got arrested. Not exactly legal here. Macao, on the other hand..."

  That made Murphy laugh, for some reason.

  Carter said, "Nick tells me you're suspicious of Newland."

  O'Reilly nodded. "In talkin' to Captain Morris and Tony, in particular. Seems like the timing of his hiring is suspicious."

  Carter took in a deep breath. "But he was referred by a friend of Captain Morris. Right?"

  O'Reilly shook his head. "No. Captain Morris took the call and heard the lad's plight. His credentials check out. He knows what he's doin' in the cockpit. But that 'friend of me father' story was new to Morris when I mentioned it to him."

  I asked, "What tipped you off?"

  He shrugged. "Maybe I'm wrong. Who knows? But it just seemed to me he was a little too wide-eyed and innocent-acting, if you see what I mean."

  I shrugged. "Maybe he never reads the papers?"

  "I'm with the captain on this. And I bet Mike would agree." That was Carter.

  "He was the one who noticed the drain on the power plant that led Mike to find the hidden tape recorders."

  O'Reilly shrugged. "Maybe he knew about them already. There's no better cover story to come in the hero."

  I nodded. "So, what do we do?"

  Murphy piped up. "What you been doin'. Keep him at arm's length. And, I'd send the lad home as soon as you can. You could find an engineer here, no doubt."

  "I agree. Will you talk to Captain Morris about that tonight when they get back?"

  Murphy nodded. He leaned into Captain O'Reilly. "I won't say I'm sorry to be missin' your fancy dinner, tonight."

  The captain laughed and then asked, "Something else on your mind, Mr. Williams?"

  "I wanted to tell you about who was helping us last night."

  Murphy said, "Danny told me already. So, this Kid? He's a friend of yours, is he?"

  I shook my head. "Not a friend now. I knew him in school. We ran around in '38 and '39."

  Carter said, "I think he must be crazy."

  I nodded. "Something happened to him." I sighed. "I was thinking about it on the way back this morning and I wonder if it has to do with him going to Sicily."

  "Sicily?" asked Murphy.

  I nodded. "The mob sent him over after the war to learn how to be a killer. He told me that's what his father did and his grandfather, too."

  O'Reilly nodded. "There are some men who like the feel of a gun. They like knowing they hold the difference between life and death in their hands. In that gun." He paused. "Does he work for the mob?"

  I shook my head. "He's a hired gun. He made that crystal clear when we spoke." I explained about our meeting at The Silver Rail.

  Murphy asked, "Did you know he was here? In Hong Kong?"

  I shook my head. "Mike has been keeping an eye on him but he gave them the slip on Thursday night. He must have flown here and arrived before we did."

  O'Reilly nodded. "And he knew to do that from talkin' to old Pete."

  "Before he killed him," I added.

  Carter asked, "Does Mai know about that?"

  O'Reilly nodded. "She does indeed. I told her how we went out on Saturday last to spread his ashes." He sighed. "She knew him well enough to know something like that was inevitable. He was always getting in trouble."

  "No great loss," added Murphy.

  O'Reilly grunted. "But don't you be sayin' that to me sister. You hear, boyo?"

  There was a long silence in the room. I could hear the traffic on the street as it floated in through the open window.

  Murphy folded his arms. "I'm not tryin' to blame you, Mr. Williams, but this would've been a clean job if it hadn't been for him."

  I nodded, leaned over, put my head in my hands, and looked at the floor. "We're lucky only the two guards died. Even that didn't have to happen. We had a good plan."

  Carter knelt down next to me, put his hand under my chin, and lifted it up. "No. This is not your fault, Nick."

  I refused to let him comfort me. "But if I'd stayed behind. Just like everyone suggested." The tears were coming.

  Carter took out his handkerchief and handed it to me. I wiped my eyes and gave it back to him. He turned my head towards him and gave me a long, searching kiss.

  Chapter 20

  Government House

  Upper Albert Rd

  Saturday, February 19, 1955

  At precisely 8 in the evening

  The Rolls-Royce stopped under the portico of the white stone building at precisely 8 that evening.

  Fortunately, we'd given ourselves time to get through the hotel lobby. It was mobbed with photographers and well-wishers. Everyone wanted a chance to talk with Mai.

  She was friendly and polite but just smiled and nodded and said very little. I could see she was a good politician. I figured that would help going forward with whatever she ended up doing.

  Mai had relented and let Jerry go to the movies with Miss Hawkhaven and her younger brother. I never heard what they were going to see but Jerry was excited. He'd told me that the last time he'd been to the movies was in Shanghai when he was "just a kid." I figured it must have been in '48, before the end of the revolution. He would have been 8 or so at the time.

  We were greeted at the front door of the building by a man who introduced himself as William Harper, the governor's assistant. He led us through a large hall and into a library where he asked us to wait.

  And wait we did. Mai looked beautiful in her new dress. It had a full skirt that went to just below her knees. A hairdresser had come to the suite to take care of that and give her a manicure. As she and her brother, resplendent in his dress whites, stood next to each other and talked, I could see the resemblance. It was mostly in their eyes and the way they held themselves.

  Carter and I were in black tie. He looked as handsome as ever. He was, easily, the most handsome man on four continents.

  After about fifteen minutes, there was a knock at the door and a man asked, "May I come in?"

  He was obviously an American by his accent. He was tall, about 6'2", had a military bearing and a military haircut. He looked around the roo
m and landed on me. "Mr. Williams?"

  I nodded.

  He walked forward, with his hands behind his back, and said, "My name is Everett Drumright. I'm the American Consul here in Hong Kong." He didn't offer to shake.

  "How are you, Mr. Drumright?"

  He smiled wanly. "I've had less exciting Saturdays."

  Carter walked over. I said, "May I introduce Carter Jones?"

  Drumright nodded. "Mr. Jones."

  I motioned. "This is Captain Daniel O'Reilly."

  "Captain. Good to see you again."

  O'Reilly nodded but didn't smile. "Mr. Drumright, this is my sister, Dr. Mai O'Reilly."

  "How do you do?"

  She smiled politely. "I am well, thank you."

  The consul turned on me, looked down his nose, and said, "Mr. Williams, I have a message for you from the State Department."

  "What is that?"

  "Please leave Hong Kong by the end of the day tomorrow."

  I nodded but didn't reply.

  He looked around the room. "It's been nice meeting all of you. I hope you enjoy your dinner with the governor. Unfortunately, I have another engagement."

  With that, he turned on his heel and briskly exited the room.

  I looked at the captain. "How do you know him?"

  "From when he was at the consulate in Chungking, before the war."

  I nodded. "Any thoughts?"

  "None that I'd care to share, if you don't mind, Mr. Williams." He winked at me and then turned back to his sister.

  . . .

  About fifteen more minutes went by before a Chinese butler entered the room. "Dinner will be served shortly. Will you follow me?"

  With Mai leading the way, we followed the man back out to the large hall and then down a long corridor. He opened a large, wooden door and announced, "Dr. Mai O'Reilly and party."

  Whatever room we were in wasn't a full dining room. There were two round tables, all set for dinner with silver and white linen. Two couples were speaking quietly and stopped when we entered the room.

  One of the women crossed and extended her hand. "Dr. O'Reilly, this is quite a privilege. Welcome home." The woman had an open face, a charming smile, and a flat, Midwestern accent. She was obviously from somewhere like Kansas.