Honolulu Blues Read online

  I looked at Chan and repeated aloud what the caller had said. "Tsuen Wan Ferry Pier in one hour?" Chan shook his head from side to side. He pulled out a small writing pad and silver ballpoint pen. He scribbled on the pad, then held it up.

  "I'm not a bloody moron," I said to the caller. "I'm not meeting you at some dodgy out-of-the-way pier in the dark."

  "We have to meet somewhere," the caller said.

  Reading from Chan's pad, I said, "I'll meet you at Victoria Park at eleven o'clock in the morning. I'll be at the Queen Victoria statue near the pedestrian bridge over Causeway Road."

  "That is satisfactory," the caller said. "Be there alone, and no tricks or your friend Jackie will die."

  "Agreed," I said. "Once I see that my friend is okay, I'll hand over the key."

  "Tomorrow morning at eleven then," the caller said, before disconnecting.

  "Did he accept?" Chan said.

  "Yes," I said. "I'm meant to meet them at Victoria Park at eleven tomorrow morning."

  Chan handed me the pad and the pen to hold. He took the car keys out of his pocket and started the car. I shifted in the seat and stuck the pad and pen into the front pocket of my pants as we drove out of the parking garage.

  "May I offer a suggestion?" Chan said.

  "Sure, please do."

  "I know Jackie's safety is the priority, but once you give them the key, any chance of recovering your client's jewelry will be gone forever. I could have an associate, posing as a businessman, arrive at Woo Kwan Security with the key when they open for business in the morning. He could access the security box and recover the jewelry, if it's there. He would have plenty of time to return the key before the meeting at Victoria Park. Then it wouldn't matter about turning the key over to the Triads."

  "That seems risky," I said. "I won't risk Jackie's life. If the gangsters are watching the place, even if your associate didn't arouse their suspicions, what if there is a tripwire of some sort?"

  "A tripwire?"

  "Yes, as in what if the Triads have someone on the inside, someone to alert them if the security box was accessed?"

  "Woo Kwan Security is a most reputable company," Chan said. "They vet all their employees with strictness. The risk is tiny, infinitesimal. Even if the Triads were to work out we emptied the security box, you would still have the jewelry that the Triads want. The power would still be in your hands.”

  "Can I have time to have a think about it?"

  "Yes," Chan said. "You can give me your decision in the morning. There would still be time for me to get my associate to Woo Kwan when they open."

  "It's tempting," I said. "But I have to think about it. I need to know Jackie will be all right."

  "I understand," Chan said.

  A few minutes later, Chan drove into the parking garage beneath a modern high-rise building. We took the lift upstairs, and then he ushered me inside a large, opulent flat. An attractive Asian woman, Chan's wife Lee Wing Yan, was waiting in the lounge. She stood up and with grace welcomed me into their home.

  After I'd said goodnight to Chan, Lee Wing Yan showed me first the bathroom, and then the guest room. She took a white terrycloth bathrobe from a wardrobe and offered it for my use, then bade me goodnight and left the guest room.

  Accepting the robe, I went to the bathroom and showered. Then I walked back into the guest room and got into bed. As concerned as I was for Jackie, I felt shattered and fell asleep almost the moment my head touched the pillow.

  12

  It was half-past six when I woke up the next morning. While I had felt shattered the night before when we arrived, I was in such a state about Jackie; I had slept restlessly and felt groggy. After dressing in my clothes from the previous day, I walked to the kitchen where Chan and his wife were having breakfast.

  "You seemed tired last night, so I thought I'd let you sleep," Chan said.

  "Yep, I was shattered," I said. "I'm still not feeling great, but I have to power through it."

  Lee Wing Yan prepared a plate for me, eggs and fresh fruit, along with a welcome cuppa of English Breakfast. Famished, I attacked the food with relish and sipped the hot tea.

  "Did you make your decision about accessing the security box?" Chan said.

  "Yes,” I said, sliding the key across the table to him. "While I loathe the idea of handing over my client’s jewelry to those crims, Jackie’s safety comes first. I won’t have that compromised.”

  "I understand," Chan said. "I'll ring my associate. Then we will organize a plan for the meeting." He left the table to make the call while Lee Wing Yan and I chatted. Lee Wing Yan, I learned, was a solicitor at an international legal firm. Chan returned and sat down at the table.

  "All set. My associate is on the way to pick up the key."

  "As far as a plan for this morning, I won't hand over the key to them until I see Jackie," I said.

  "That's the only option," Chan agreed. "Once they have the key, you have no leverage."

  Lee Wing Yan excused herself to dress for work.

  "So, what are you thinking?" I said.

  "If you insist on seeing Jackie before making the exchange, they will have to bring her somewhere within view of the statute. I will post an associate on the pedestrian bridge over Causeway Road to watch for their vehicle. There are thick trees on both sides of the park entrance. I'll have associates concealed in the trees to either side. When they get Jackie out of the vehicle, so you can see her, we'll make our move to free Jackie."

  "Will you be armed?" I said.

  "Yes, we are all licensed."

  "Can you lend me a firearm?"

  "No, T.J., that would be unwise. The firearm laws here in Hong Kong are among the strictest in the world. If you are found with a firearm without a license, it's an automatic one hundred thousand-dollar fine and fourteen-year prison sentence."

  "Yeah, ahkay then," I said. "I'm meant to be back in Honolulu much sooner than fourteen years from now."

  "You will be fine. My associates and I will be close by. I expect only one man will approach you to get the key. He should have no intent to harm you."

  The doorbell rang. Chan went to the door and admitted an older Asian gentleman dressed in a proper business suit and carrying a briefcase. Chan handed him the key and spoke to him in Cantonese for a few moments. The man pocketed the key and left. Chan returned to the table.

  "One thing, T.J.," Chan said. "The gangsters cannot get possession of the key unless they have freed Jackie. If something goes wrong, if we don't have Jackie, with the key in hand they will learn right away we have emptied the security box."

  "Yep, I understand."

  Lee Wing Yan bade us goodbye and left for work. Chan and I drank tea and went over our plan until the doorbell rang again. It had been just shy of an hour since Chan's associate had left with the key. I heard the older Asian man speaking to Chan, and then he followed Chan into the kitchen. The man placed his briefcase on the table and opened it. I looked inside expecting to see heaps of expensive jewelry. The contents were disappointing. An envelope was the only thing inside.

  "The jewelry was not in the security box," Chan said, "only that envelope."

  "For fuck's sake," I said. I reached into the briefcase and picked up the envelope. There was no writing on it. I opened it and tipped the contents toward the table. A folded sheet of paper slipped out onto the table, along with another key that landed with a dull clunk. Chan picked up the key and studied it while I unfolded the paper. Written on the paper was "HK Buddhist Cemetery" and a name, "Sun Yun-wing."

  I handed the paper to Chan. He glanced at it, then back at the key.

  "Any idea what the fuck the key goes to?" I said.

  "Yes," Chan said. He held up the key. "I recognize what this key opens. My parents were Buddhist. When they died many years ago, I had them cremated and their ashes placed in urns. I had the urns interred in niches inside a columbarium at Hong Kong Buddhist Cemetery in Chai Wan. I have two keys just like this one in my office desk d
rawer."

  "So, you believe this key opens the niche belonging to someone named Sun Yun-wing?" I said.

  "Yes," Chan said. "The cemetery has a computerized database. I can access it on the Internet and get the exact location of the niche. Then we will go to the cemetery where I expect we will find either your client's jewelry or another clue to its location inside the niche."

  "Sweet as," I said. "But there’s no time for that now. We better leave for the meeting at Victoria Park."

  "Yes," Chan said. He spoke to the older Asian man. The man bowed, handed me the security box key, and left.

  "My associates are already on the way to the park," Chan said. "Let's go."

  I followed him out of the flat to the parking garage where we collected the Mercedes. We drove in silence for over twenty minutes. It didn't seem far to the park from Chan's flat, but traffic was heavy.

  "We will arrive in a few more minutes," Chan said. "I will drop you on Causeway Road, one kilometer from the entrance. Proceed straight on the footpath. The entrance to the statute is just before the pedestrian bridge above the road."

  "Got it," I said.

  Chan slowed and then pulled over to the curb. "Don't worry, T.J., you will be under observation at all times once you enter the park."

  "Thanks, mate," I said, as I got out of the car. "See you soon." Chan pulled away from the curb into traffic, and I walked toward the park. I could already see the pedestrian bridge he had mentioned suspended above the road. After about a ten-minute walk, I arrived at the park entrance. I turned left onto the footpath.

  After passing through the trees Chan had mentioned, I saw the Queen Victoria statue straight ahead. It was massive and ornate, a bronze relief of the queen sitting on a throne wearing her crown and holding a scepter. They had set the statue on blocks of white stone. A low metal fence surrounded the statue. I reckoned they had built the fence to keep pedestrians off the grass lawn surrounding it. I leaned against the top of the fence where I could watch the avenue of approach from the street and waited.

  A few minutes before eleven, a man emerged from the trees on the footpath. He wore the now-familiar black shirt over black pants. Once he cleared the trees, he stepped off the footpath, stopped, and crossed his arms. He was wearing sunnies, but I could feel his eyes on me. I noticed he also had a Bluetooth earpiece. My mobile rang. I took it out of my pocket and answered.

  "You should see my man in front of you," the caller said. It was the same voice from before.

  "Yep, I see him." The man uncrossed his arms and beckoned me to come to him.

  "Walk to him, and give him the key, T.J.," the caller said.

  "Where's my friend? I'm not handing over the key until I see Jackie."

  There was an audible sigh over the phone. "All right. Can you see the street through the trees?"

  I stood up and walked to my right where I could look up the footpath.

  "Do you see the black SUV at the curb in front of you?"

  "Yep, I see it," I said.

  Another bloke wearing all black appeared from the front seat of the SUV. He opened the passenger door facing me, then reached inside and dragged Jackie out of the vehicle, holding onto her left forearm and grabbing her by the hair with his right hand. They had blindfolded Jackie and bound her wrists in front.

  "There she is, safe and sound," the caller said. Now give my man the key."

  I knew it was risky to continue resisting the caller’s instructions, but I felt certain if I handed over the key with Jackie so distant they wouldn’t release her at all. The key was my only leverage. "I won't," I said. "I'm not giving him the key until you send Jackie to me. Let her go."

  "Listen, T.J.," the caller said. "You don't understand what is going on here. Either give my man the key, or I'll instruct the driver of the SUV to put Jackie back in, and he will drive away."

  "Nope, I won't," I said. "I don't trust you. Tell your bloke to send her walking this way. I won't turn over the key until he does."

  The line went quiet. I heard the man by the trees say something, speaking into the Bluetooth mic. Then he walked toward me. As he closed the distance, he smiled at me as if he was about to speak. Instead, his hand snaked behind his back. The hand reappeared holding a wicked-looking knife. He lunged at me, arm extended, the blade slashing at my midsection.

  It all happened so fast, I didn’t have time to be terrified. I wasn’t terrified, anyway. My training kicked in. Years ago, when my old Israeli mate serving in the IDF, had taught me the krav maga self-defense techniques, defense against a knife attack was one skill we worked on most since it was something the IDF soldiers faced often.

  As the guy lunged at me with his right arm extended, I side-stepped and then pivoted to my right. At the same time, I delivered a palm strike with my right hand that connected with my attacker's right jaw. It wasn't a game changer, but I didn't intend it to be. I meant for it to distract, just one more thing for the guy to think about.

  I grabbed the top of the man's right wrist behind the knife with my left hand. Pivoting back to my left, I grabbed the attacker's knife-hand with my right hand, and delivered a knee-strike that connected with his gut. I twisted and locked out the attacker's right wrist, and then forcibly pushed the hand holding the knife down toward the ground. With his wrist and arm locked out, the momentum of the movement flipped him onto the ground on his back. I yanked his right arm straight and twisted again to immobilize the elbow. Then I delivered a heel strike to the exposed right side of his head.

  Feeling his grip relax once I'd stomped his head, I ripped the knife out of his hand. I released his right arm and stepped back. Then I turned and threw the knife as far away as I could. I didn't care to find out if he knew any techniques for taking the knife back. I wanted the knife out of the fight, and he was already back on his feet.

  He launched himself at me and got his arms around my neck. I twisted to free myself, which put him behind me. He draped a forearm over my throat from behind and tried to choke me. His other arm was across my chest, pinning one of my arms so I couldn't try to break the grip of his arm over my throat. I couldn't breathe and was losing focus.

  My right hand brushed the pocket of my pants, and it was then I remembered the ballpoint pen I'd forgotten to return to Chan. Frantically, I tried to dig it out of the front pocket of my pants, and after a struggle succeeded. I grabbed the barrel of the pen at the top like a knife handle. I stabbed backward and downward with the pen, aiming at the rat bastard's crotch. Instead, the point of the pen pierced the top of his upper thigh. He howled in pain, and his grip loosened enough for me to break free. I turned to face him, backing away to prepare for another attack.

  The guy had lost his sunnies during the struggle. I watched as he looked down at the pen sticking out of his thigh. After grabbing hold of it he yanked it out, howling in pain again. Then I saw him glance past me over my shoulder. He threw the pen down, turned, and ran away as fast as his injured leg would allow. I turned to see Chan and two of his guys running toward me at full tilt with pistols out. They all skidded to a stop when they reached me.

  "Are you all right, T.J.?" Chan said.

  "All good," I said. "Where is Jackie?"

  Chan looked at the ground. "Gone," he said.

  "Gone? For fuck's sake! What happened?"

  "As soon as that guy started for you, the guy at the SUV shoved Jackie back inside, and then jumped in and drove away. My associates weren't able to get to the vehicle in time to stop him. We tried, T.J., all of us did."

  "Fuck!" I screamed. "That rat bastard never intended to release her. He sent his hoodlums here to take the key, and then he meant for them to kill us both."

  I scanned the ground for my mobile which I'd dropped when the guy had attacked me. Finding it, I picked it up. The call had disconnected. I intended to hit redial for the number the bastard had called from. "I'm telling that shit that if he doesn't bring Jackie back this instant, I'm going to the nearest quay and will throw this bloody key in
to the sea."

  Chan reached out and grabbed my hands. "No, T.J., stop. Don't call him back yet. Let's think about this. No matter what he intended, he still wants the key, and we still have it. He will do nothing to Jackie while we still have the key."

  "But, we have no damn clue where he has taken her," I said. "I've got to organize another meeting."

  "No, you don't," Chan said. "We were ready this time. My associates at the office were monitoring and waiting for another call from Jackie's phone. The guy was on the line for a long while. Let me call the office. They might have got a GPS fix."

  "What good will that do, I reckon he was calling from the SUV. He’s driven away now."

  "I don't think so," Chan said. "My associates said there was no one in the SUV when it drove away except Jackie and the driver."

  Chan whipped out his mobile and punched in a number. He spoke into the phone, but in Cantonese so I couldn't understand what he was saying. After a few moments, he ended the call and looked at me, a big smile on his face.

  "What?" I said.

  "I was right. The guy on the phone wasn't here. The call came from the Kowloon Docks on the coast between Hung Hom and Tai Wan. That's across Kowloon Bay from here. I feel sure that is where they are holding Jackie, and where they are taking her back to right now."

  "Did you get a precise location?" I said, feeling a flicker of hope again.

  "Yes, my associates said there is an old shipping company warehouse at the coordinates. Accuracy is plus or minus ten meters."

  "Then what are we waiting for?" I said. "Let's go."

  "Listen, T.J., I think it's time to go to the police. They can surround the warehouse, and a hostage rescue team can storm it."

  "No," I said. "No one is storming anything, not with my friend inside. We've got to go there and get her out."

  "T.J., we don't know how many men they have there, or what weapons they have. They could have CCTV surveillance and may see us coming before we ever get close. They could kill Jackie before we could get inside."

  "Let me have a think," I said. I walked away from the group and tried to calm down and suss out a plan. Knowing Jackie’s life depended on it, I had to make the right decision. Everything Chan had said was true. But that meant even if we involved the police the crims would probably kill Jackie just as surely if they saw the police approaching as they would if we tried to rescue her ourselves. What we needed was a plan that duped the gangsters into bringing Jackie outside the warehouse so no one needed to storm the place. I had an idea how to make that happen. After I'd sorted it, I walked back to Chan.