Honolulu Blues Page 8

  "Let's go to the warehouse," I said. "Let's do a drive by and have a squizz. I want to see the setup, and how they get in and out of the area. Then, if the guy hasn't rung me back by the time we finish, I’ll redial him. I'll tell him he has one last chance at getting the key. If he wants it, he will have to return Jackie, and I'll hand over the key. If he refuses, I'll tell him I'm taking the bloody key to the police."

  "So, you will set up another meeting and let them try to kill you again?"

  "No, Chan. I want Jackie back in a vehicle out of that warehouse," I said. "We need to isolate the ways in and out of the area the warehouse is in. Then we need enough vehicles to cover them, so that when the vehicle leaves the warehouse to drive to the fake location I give them, we'll be waiting. We need enough vehicles so we can block the SUV in from front and back. Then we take down the vehicle and free Jackie."

  "That might work," Chan agreed. "We've got four vehicles here now. That should be enough, assuming there aren't more than two ways in and out of the warehouse complex. From what I remember about the area, I think there are only two."

  "Right, then. Let's crack on and get over there," I said.

  13

  We got in Chan's Mercedes and took off for the Kowloon Docks, with his associates and their three sedans following. Taking the causeway across the bay from Hong Kong Island to Kowloon, we arrived in the vicinity of the warehouse in less than fifteen minutes’ time. It turned out that the warehouse was right on the harbor front, and there were only two roads leading in and out of the area. Finishing the reconnaissance, Chan drove back to meet up with his guys. The other three cars had hung back, so we didn't pass by the warehouse like an impromptu parade.

  We all got out of our vehicles. Chan gave instructions to his associates for where they were to set up, and what to do once the crim SUV exited the warehouse. He selected the points on each route where he wanted to block in the gangster's vehicle. We were the fourth car and the trail vehicle for the blockade on one of the potential routes. But Chan decided we had to set up close to the warehouse, so we could get out on foot to observe. We could watch and alert Chan's team which direction the Triads' SUV took when it left the warehouse. Then we'd have to get back to the car fast, to trail the vehicle if they left in the direction we were to help cover.

  Once the plan was confirmed, Chan's team drove away to their assigned locations, and we headed back to the warehouse. Chan found a car park out of direct sight of the warehouse, but close to it.

  "It's time to make the call, I reckon," I said. "Where shall I tell him I want to meet?"

  "I hope the guy goes for it," Chan said. "We're running out of options. Tell him...."

  My phone rang before I even had it out of my pocket, cutting Chan short. It was Jackie's number on the screen. I answered.

  "It seems you aren't as interested in getting your friend back as I am in releasing her," the caller said. "I warned you, no tricks."

  "It was you who stuffed it, rat bastard," I said. "You tried to have me killed and never meant to release my friend."

  "Who was with you?" the caller said.

  "With me?" I said. "There wasn't anyone with me. The guy that tried to kill me should be able to tell you that."

  "What he told me was men with guns showed up before he could finish the job," the caller said. "Who was with you?"

  "Those guys weren't with me," I said. "They were cops. There was some kind of event on at the park. Cops kept showing up. They saw your man attacking me and came to my aid."

  "You still have the key?"

  "Yes, I still have the bloody key, for now. But, I'm so over being buggered about. You have one last chance to get the key. You cock things up again like last time, I'll know you have no intention of releasing my friend. I'll take this key straight to the police, and you will never get it."

  "Calm down, T.J., we both want the same thing. We want to find a way for you to get your friend back unharmed."

  "Then prove it. Let's meet, and make the bloody trade this time," I said. "And this time, stick to the deal."

  "All right, my men will meet you…."

  I cut him off. "No bloody way you're choosing the location after the stunt you pulled. I'll choose the location and the time.”

  Chan held up a writing pad. I read the note.

  "This time we'll use a popular tourist spot with plenty of people around. Bring Jackie to Po Lin Monastery Plaza on Lantau Island. I'll be at the bottom of the steps leading to the Giant Buddha. No vehicles this time, no bloody blindfold. Have your men bring her to me, I'll hand over the key, and we're done."

  I looked at Chan's note again. "Tell your men to be there in one hour. If they don't show up in one hour, I'm going to the cops."

  "Wait, you must be reasonable. I can't get my men there in one hour. It's too distant from our location."

  "You're stalling so you can set up another ambush," I said. "You're not serious about releasing my friend. I'm going to the cops."

  "No, wait, wait. Don't do that. Neither of us will get what we want. If you go to the police, I must keep my word. Your friend will die today. You don't want that, and neither do I."

  "Right. I'm listening."

  "My men are leaving with your friend now, but it will take more than an hour for them to arrive at Po Lin Monastery. Fifteen or twenty minutes more, that's all. Wait for them. They will be there."

  "I won't wait over twenty minutes past the hour," I said. "Better tell them to drive fast."

  "All right. They are leaving now. Just wait for them."

  I disconnected the call. "He bought it," I said. "We better get where we can see the front of the warehouse. He said his men are leaving with Jackie."

  Chan and I got out of the Mercedes and sprinted toward the warehouse. We found a hedge on one side that concealed us from view. We peeked through the shrubbery and could see the front of the building. It was an ancient wooden structure with a row of overhead garage doors the length of the front. One door started to roll up. The same black SUV I'd seen twice before roared out of the warehouse. It turned left and sped down the road away from us. They were taking the other route, the one we weren't responsible for helping to cover. Chan was on the phone alerting the team assigned to intercept the Triad vehicle on the route they had chosen. He ended the call.

  "Should we get back to the car?" I said.

  "No, my team will handle it," Chan said. "With the tinted windows, it was impossible to see into the vehicle. We'll wait here until we hear from my team on the off chance it's another double-cross. If Jackie's not in the vehicle, we must risk attempting a breach of the warehouse. There won't be much time to act."

  "You think they would pull another stunt?" I said.

  "I don't know, but I'm not willing to bet Jackie's life they will keep their word this time," Chan said.

  Only a few minutes passed before Chan's phone rang. He answered it and listened for a few moments, then spoke in Cantonese rapid-fire. Then he disconnected.

  "What happened?" I said.

  "They kept their word," Chan said, smiling. "My team has Jackie. She is unhurt. I told them to take her to the office, and that we will meet them there. I told them to go now before the police arrive."

  "The police? You called the police?"

  "No, not me," Chan said. "But someone will. There was a lot of shooting. My team killed the driver and a passenger. I told them I wanted a quick, violent assault to minimize the risk to Jackie. It would be very awkward explaining it all to the police after the fact."

  "Ahkay," I said. "I see your point."

  "Let's get back to the car," Chan said.

  We ran back to the Mercedes and got in. Chan took off with a squeal of rubber, and we rocketed down the street in the direction the Triads' vehicle had gone minutes earlier. Chan didn't even slow as we passed the black SUV. There was no tinted glass left in the windows. I saw the driver slumped over the steering wheel. Hot, orange flames engulfed the SUV.

  "For fuck's sake!
Did your team also set it alight?"

  "Yes, that should destroy most of the evidence before the police and fire arrive."

  We rode the rest of the way to the CBD in silence. I was over the moon that Jackie was free at last, and safe. Chan drove into a parking garage beneath a monolithic downtown high-rise. After parking, we took the lift to his firm's offices. Hong Kong Confidential Investigations, I learned, occupied an entire floor in the high-rise. Chan ushered me into an office. Jackie was sitting at a table, seemingly no worse for wear beyond needing to fix her makeup and her hair needing a brush, having a cuppa.

  "Damn, it's good to have coffee again," Jackie said. "Those uncivilized bastards wouldn't give me anything but water."

  "You all right?" I said. "Did they hurt you?"

  "I'm fine," Jackie said. "They blustered and threatened, but they didn't hurt me. Except they denied me coffee and alcohol, which was nothing less than cruel and inhumane torture. But I'll survive."

  I burst out laughing. "Oh, Jackie, you're such an egg."

  Jackie smiled, the smile I loved about her that went all the way to her eyes. "I expect you to take me drinking tonight, and you can also pay to make up for letting me get kidnapped."

  "No worries, mate," I said. "Let’s have a big one on the turps tonight."

  Chan had watched our conversation with a confused look on his face. He looked at me and said, "I expected the abduction would have upset Jackie."

  "Yeah, nah, mate," I said. "Jackie is a hard case. I'll take her to a pub and get her pissed as a chook, and she’ll come right."

  "Since Jackie seems to be all right, we should get over to Hong Kong Buddhist Cemetery," Chan said.

  "Oi!" I said. "You're right Chan. In all the excitement, I'd forgotten all about that bit."

  "Cemetery?" Jackie said. "What the fuck? I expected we would go to the security place to open that safe deposit box. I've been looking forward to it. It makes me think about that Bourne movie where Jason goes into the vault and finds all that money and all those passports in the safe deposit box he didn't even remember having."

  "Yep, sorry, Jackie, but you already missed that bit," I said. "We already accessed the security box. Only a note and another key were in it. But, no worries, now we're onto a bit of grave robbing."

  "Grave robbing?" Jackie said. "Oh my God, that sounds like even more fun. But, what are we looking for in a cemetery?"

  "Come, this way," Chan said. "T.J. can tell you all about it in the car on the way."

  14

  Jackie and I rode in the backseat to the cemetery. One of Chan's associates was in the front passenger seat. Chan didn't believe the Triads knew about the cemetery but said he felt more comfortable having another gun along just the same.

  I brought Jackie up to date during the ride and told her about the second key we'd found, the note, and the niche we were looking for in a columbarium at the Buddhist Cemetery.

  "Did you learn where the niche is we're looking for?" I said to Chan.

  "Yes, my secretary did the research back at the office," he replied.

  "Let's hope the jewelry is there," Jackie said. "We only have a couple more days here, and I haven't caught up with Will yet."

  "Yep," I said. "I'm so over treasure hunts and murderous gangsters."

  "Five minutes away," Chan said. "Soon we will know whether the jewelry is at the cemetery, or just another clue."

  We rolled into a massive car park. "This is it," Chan said. He parked the Mercedes, and we all got out. As we entered what proved to be a huge cemetery, Chan stopped to examine a map. "This way," he said.

  Jackie and I followed Chan, and his associate brought up the rear, his head on a swivel, casing the area. After several minutes, Chan led us into a columbarium, a structure of vaults lined with recesses for cinerary urns. I'd never been inside one before. We passed heaps of three-sided alcoves off the main footpath before Chan stopped and consulted his notes. Then he detoured into one of the alcoves. We all followed. Chan read the names on each of the small, square niches. Then he found it.

  "This is it, Sun Yun-wing," Chan said. He inserted the key into the lock and turned it. He grasped the square front of the niche and pulled it off over four metal rod guides that held it in place. There was a copper-colored urn inside. This whole adventure was feeling grotty, like we were desecrating a tomb.

  "This urn is a contemporary design, but the dates on the niche inscription are ancient," Chan said. "They used urns made of wood at the time this person died."

  "That's horrific news," I said. "Clements must have tossed the urn meant to be in this niche in the rubbish after replacing it with that one."

  Chan removed the urn from the niche. He twisted off the threaded top. After removing the top, he peered inside.

  "Well, what's inside it?" I said.

  "Have a look," Chan said, holding the urn out at arm's length.

  I looked inside the urn. It was a relief there was no pile of gray ashes inside. Instead, the urn held sparkling jewelry up to the rim. "Thank God," I said.

  "I want to see," Jackie said.

  There was a marble table in the center of the alcove. Chan poured the contents of the urn out with care onto the tabletop. It was a heap of jewelry. The light gleamed off the gold, diamonds, and a few emeralds and rubies. There were pendants, necklaces, bracelets, brooches, and rings. There was even a pearl necklace.

  "Wow," Jackie said.

  "Yep," I said. "Wow."

  "Do you believe it's all there?" Chan said.

  "Dunno," I said. "I have a list with descriptions of all the pieces. But, the list is in my luggage back at the hotel."

  "Your luggage should be at my apartment now," Chan said. "You can check the pieces against the list when we get back there."

  "We're not going back to that awful hotel?" Jackie said.

  "No, I stayed at Chan's flat last night," I said. "He and his gracious wife have offered to let us stay in their home until we leave Hong Kong."

  Chan had been returning the jewelry to the urn. He stopped and looked up at me. "I don't think it wise for you and Jackie to stay elsewhere. By now, every member of the Triads is out scouring the city for you."

  "While I appreciate the gesture, Chan, I feel horrible for imposing on you and Lee Wing Yan."

  "Nonsense," Chan said. "We are honored to have you both as guests in our home. And, since you mentioned it, now that you have recovered your client's jewelry, I think it best if you and Jackie cut short your visit. You should leave on the first available flight to Honolulu tomorrow morning."

  "But I promised to visit an old friend while I'm here," Jackie protested.

  "Do you believe it's that necessary for us to leave right away?" I said.

  "Yes, I do," Chan said. "T.J., we have poked a stick in the eye of the Triads. We have stolen a hostage from them, you never turned over the security box key, and two of their members are dead."

  "And, we burnt their car," I said. "Don't forget that bit."

  "You did what?" Jackie said.

  "This is serious, T.J.," Chan said. "We have swatted a hornet's nest. They will not stop searching for you as long as you remain in Hong Kong."

  "I reckon we've got what we came to Hong Kong for," I said. "We haven't found out what happened to Clements, but I wasn't all that concerned about seeing him arrested, anyway. I wanted to get my client's property back."

  "Clements is probably dead by now," Chan said. "I received word from a reliable informant that the Triads had found him. That is the only way they would have learned of the security box key. My informant told me once they extracted that information, they would remove a hand from Clements with a meat cleaver and allow him to bleed to death."

  "Oh my God, are you serious?" Jackie said.

  "Yes, if what I've heard is true," Chan said. "My sources said that Clements sold this jewelry to the Triads and then stole it back from them. They would have made an example of him, an example of the foolishness of stealing from the syndicate.
"

  "Yes, it's true," I said. "I learned that in Honolulu at the time I found out Clements had fled to Hong Kong."

  "You should heed my advice, and leave as soon as possible," Chan said. "When the Triads learn you have recovered this jewelry, they will consider you no less a thief than Clements. They will intend to deal with you in the same manner."

  "But, it isn't their property, it belongs to her client," Jackie said.

  "Not in the view of the Triads, I assure you," Chan said. "The Triads don't care that Clements stole it from someone else. They care only that they purchased it, and that Clements stole it from them. As far as it concerns the syndicate, the jewelry is their property, and you have it now."

  "When you put it that way, I think I'm ready to go home," I said.

  "A wise decision," Chan said.

  "Then let's get back to your flat, Chan," I said. "I need to call my client to have her wire your company the balance owed for your services. And, I need to call the police in Honolulu so they can coordinate with U.S. Customs. No bloody way I'm paying import duties on this jewelry when we get back to Honolulu."

  Chan nodded as he finished replacing the top back onto the urn. He spoke to his associate in Cantonese, and the young man removed the jumper he was wearing and handed it to Chan. Chan rolled the urn up inside the jumper and then handed me the package. "It wouldn't do for people to see us walking out of here with an urn," Chan said. "People recall things like that if someone asks."

  "Good thinking," I said.

  We left the columbarium and walked back to the car park. We got in Chan's Mercedes, and he drove us back to the CBD, dropping off his associate in the city on the way to his flat.