28
John sat deep in thought as he waited for the ferry to depart. He shifted position in his seat, the Glock tucked in his waistband digging into his side, an uncomfortable reminder of the seriousness of his situation. Once the ferry left the pier, John stood up from his seat and walked to the men’s toilet at the rear of the deck. Opening the door, he slipped inside and bolted it from the inside. Bracing himself against the rocking of the boat, he removed the gun from his waistband where he had hidden it from sight underneath his untucked shirt and looked at it closely. It was light, weighing not much more than half a kilo, and small. It had been easy to hide under his shirt. He guessed that’s why the police used it. It felt good in his hand, but he had no idea how to use it. He flipped the toilet seat down and sat on it.
Resting the weapon on his lap, he pulled out his phone, opened the web browser, and searched for the Glock website. He scrolled through their products until he found the Glock 17, then looked through the specifications. It didn’t help him much—there were no instructions on how to use the weapon. He switched to YouTube and grinned. You had to love the internet. There were plenty of videos reviewing the weapon. He looked at his watch—fifteen minutes before the ferry docked in Discovery Bay. Clicking on a video, he started watching. After a six-minute overview of the weapon, he had a fair idea of what to do. He picked up the weapon from his lap and held it in his right hand. With his thumb, he pressed the magazine release lever and ejected the magazine. It popped out onto his lap, and he picked it up. It was empty. John frowned. With his left hand, he pulled back on the slide as he had seen in the video and looked in the chamber. It too was empty. Joseph had given him an unloaded weapon. He supposed it made sense if the idea was just to frighten David, but then why tell him it was loaded? John released the slide, and it slid back into place, cocking the trigger. Satisfied the weapon was empty, John uncocked the trigger, picked up the empty magazine, and slid it back into the weapon. He turned the Glock over and examined the right-hand side. There were two sections that looked like they had been filed away. Someone had filed the serial numbers off—strange. John slid the Glock back into his waistband and pulled his shirt over it. Unlocking the door, he walked back to his seat. Things were definitely not what they seemed. Inspector Joseph Wong was up to something, and John needed to figure out what. John needed a Plan B, a safety net. He picked up his phone and made a call.
29
After freshening up at home, John jumped on the train, took the MTR to Lai King, then changed to the Tsuen Wan Line. From there, he rode the four stops to Sham Shui Po. Sham Shui Po was a notorious working-class area in Kowloon, infamous for its cage homes—squalid apartments that had been subdivided by private landlords into six feet by three feet cages to house the city’s poor, sometimes as many as twenty people in an apartment as small as five hundred square feet—ironic in a city that had more Louis Vuitton stores than Paris. The area was also famous for its street food, drawing thousands of visitors from the more affluent areas in the evenings to sample Chao Tau Fu, stinky Tofu and bowls of Hong Tau Sa, sweet red bean soup. But John wasn’t here for that, he had other things on his mind.
He had left the gun at home, hidden under the mattress. He didn’t expect anyone to visit his flat while he was away, he just felt more comfortable keeping it out of plain sight. He didn’t like guns. The only time he had used one hadn’t been pleasant. The thought of what he had done that night back in India sent a shiver up his spine. Steeling himself, he walked through the station to the large map on the wall. He wanted to find the Golden Computer Arcade, an old two-story mall known all over Hong Kong as the place to buy electronics.
He found exit D2 and climbed the steps to street level. He paused and looked around, getting his bearings and breathing in the polluted, humid air. Grimy grey tenements towered above the road, aluminum poles festooned with washing jutted out from the buildings, and ancient air conditioners dripped water on passersby below. Signs advertised karaoke and massage parlors in converted apartments on the upper floors. The streets were packed, crowds of people rushing in both directions, the air filled with the noise of vehicles honking and the sound of multiple languages being spoken at once—Cantonese, Mandarin, Nepali, Urdu.
John grinned as he watched a young Pakistani boy in a full-length kaftan run down the street, followed by his little sister in a headscarf. He had hated his job, but he loved the city. It had a buzz like no other, an energy that soaked through your pores and became addictive. Everywhere you looked, it was full of contrasts. This area couldn’t be further removed from the glitzy world of luxury mansions and exotic cars David Yu inhabited, yet it was just a short train ride across the harbor. John was sure neither David nor Peter had ever stepped foot in this place.
The thought of them reminded him why he was there. He glanced behind him, looking for a tail, but in these crowds, it was impossible to spot anyone who shouldn’t be there. He hadn’t noticed anyone on the train so would have to take his chances.
John waited for a taxi to pass, then crossed the road to the Golden Computer Arcade. The arcade was on two levels, the ground floor and basement of a residential building. He climbed the short flight of steps from the street and pushed his way through the crowd, wandering along the aisles, studying the shops for the one he wanted. Small shops overflowing with computer and gaming equipment, pirated software, and cut-price laptops lined each side, every shop full with customers of all ages
Spotting a shop that looked suitable, John wandered in and scanned the shelves. A salesman wandered over, a young man with a ready smile, and asked John in English if he needed any help. John explained what he was looking for, but the man didn’t stock it. He suggested another store a few doors down. Sure enough, the shop had what John wanted, an item which was surprisingly easily available, and John made the purchase and left.
His stomach growled as he left the mall, and he realized he hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast. Once out on the street, he turned left and walked toward Fuk Wa Street. He was really hungry and spotted the New Kashmir Halal Restaurant on the next street. There were some things he didn’t miss about his time in India, but food wasn’t one of them. Pushing the door open, he walked inside. A table of Pakistani and Nepali youths eyed him suspiciously, but he walked past and took a table at the back, facing the door. He ordered a plate of Mutton curry and garlic naan, watching the street while he waited. Crowds of people streamed past the door, and he watched them without paying much attention until, through a momentary gap in the crowd, he thought he saw a man in black watching the restaurant from the other side of the street. He narrowed his eyes and concentrated, trying to get a better look, but he couldn’t see him again. He must be getting paranoid.
After he finished, he walked outside, his taste buds craving something sweet after the spice-laden food. Immediately next door, a shop sold tofu in a sweet soup and was packed with customers with more queuing up to be seated, but he had never been a big fan of tofu. He headed back to the MTR station and spotted a stall selling sweets made of rice and sugar. He bought a sticky rice flour bun, filled with sweetened red bean. Turning, he faced the street while he ate the dessert. Again, he thought he saw a man in black watching him, but then lost him in the crowd. John shrugged. There was nothing more he could do. He had one more purchase to make, then he would head home.
30
Saturday
John leaned back against the headrest as the Mercedes wound its way through Pok Fu Lam, along the north-western edge of Hong Kong Island. Samuel had been there to pick him up from the ferry as arranged the previous day.
John’s nerves were jumping—he had slept badly and had needed a lot of coffee to get him started. Now the caffeine was increasing his anxiety as the car approached Aberdeen Marina. The gun was inside a large zip-lock bag which John had tucked into his waistband, under his shirt. He had given it a thorough wipe down the previous evening, removing all his fingerprints from the weapon, then carefully placed it in
side the bag.
Peter had assured him he would be alright, but for some reason John couldn’t put his finger on, he didn’t trust the cop. The guy gave him the creeps, the way he was always watching him. John was suspicious now he had provided him with an unloaded weapon despite saying it was loaded. So, John had a plan of his own in mind, a card up his sleeve. Hopefully, he wouldn’t need to play it, but it was there in reserve if needed. John closed his eyes and deepened his breathing in an attempt to relax. He had done everything he could that was in his control. He had to go with the flow now and hope everything worked out.
The Mercedes slowed as it approached the Marina Club, then turned right and pulled to a stop in front of the entrance gate to the yacht berths.
“Here we are, sir.” Samuel turned in his seat and smiled back at John.
“Thank you, Samuel.” John inhaled deeply, paused for a moment, then opened the door. He stepped out into the heat, making sure his shirt remained over the gun in his waistband and straightened up. He looked around, but the street was empty, there was no one around. John walked to the security gate, entered the passcode Peter had texted him earlier into the keypad and stepped inside. Peter’s boat, being one of the larger boats in the marina, was on one of the farthest berths. John followed the path around in front of the Marina Club and past the pier for the Jumbo Floating Restaurant. The boats increased in size as he moved further from the entrance, and by the time he reached the last pontoon, the boats ranged from sixty to a hundred feet in length. Peter’s boat was at the end, and as John neared, his mouth fell open.
He had suspected Peter had a large boat, but this was huge. It stretched from one end of the pontoon to the other, a sleek, black-hulled Azimut at least one hundred feet in length. John knew nothing about boats, but this was beautiful. An inflatable tender was tied to the swim deck at the rear, and on the stern of the boat, the name Pegasus was written in large chrome letters. Above that, the flag of the British Virgin Islands waved gently in the breeze. A pile of shoes lay on the wooden pontoon, so taking his cue, John removed his and stepped onto the boat. He climbed the steps that led from the swimming platform onto the aft deck just as the rear door slid open, and Inspector Joseph walked out.
“Good morning,” John greeted him
Joseph nodded at him.
“Come inside.” He turned and walked back in. John shook his head. Joseph would never win Miss Congeniality.
John followed him inside, slid the door closed behind him, and turned, looking around. He knew the yacht was big, but the space inside was unbelievable. A huge saloon with L shaped sofas upholstered in soft cream leather and adorned with scatter cushions. Behind the seating area was an eight-seat dining table, already set up with place settings for two. On the other side of the dining area, at the forward part of the deck, was a luxuriously appointed galley which would be the envy of many a homeowner. To the right of the galley, a staircase led up to the bridge, and to the left, a set of stairs led down to the lower deck. On this deck alone, the space was more than John had in his entire apartment.
Joseph stood by the dining table, watching him look around and cleared his throat impatiently.
“John, Peter and Mr. Yu will sit here for lunch.” He indicated the chair with its back to the stairs. “Mr. Yu will sit here. Peter will sit over there, opposite Mr. Yu.”
“Okay.”
“I’ve set up hidden cameras and microphones to record everything.”
John nodded and looked around. He couldn’t see anything. “Where are they?”
“It’s better you don’t know. Otherwise, you will be conscious of them, and it won’t look genuine. We want it to appear as natural as possible, so Mr. Yu doesn’t get spooked.”
“Will there be anyone else on the boat? What about serving staff or crew?”
“Peter wanted it kept to the minimum for safety. He didn’t want any of his staff harmed unnecessarily, just in case anything goes wrong, so he has given them all the day off.”
John frowned. “What could go wrong?”
“We are just playing it safe. Don’t worry. The caterers will deliver the lunch at twelve-thirty, then leave. Clear?”
“How about your colleagues?”
“There is no need, I can handle Mr. Yu by myself. Don't worry. Just do everything as we have planned, and there will be no problems. Clear?”
John nodded.
“Good. Now follow me.” Joseph headed down the stairs to the lower deck. John followed him but paused beside the dining table and removed the small listening device he had bought in Sham Shui Po from his pocket, quickly sticking it to the underside of the table, away from sight. It was voice activated and contained a telephone SIM. Any conversations would be recorded and saved as files in the cloud which John could access later. Satisfied it wouldn’t be seen, he followed Joseph down the stairs, and they stepped into a narrow corridor. Joseph walked to the rear, opened the door into the master suite, and walked inside.
“This is where you will hide until about one thirty. Then you come up the stairs and confront Peter with the gun. Once Mr. Yu sees you, I want you to turn the gun on him. You have the gun?”
John nodded.
“Good. Be very careful with it. We can’t afford for anyone to get hurt. I will join you, and we will all confront Mr. Yu and force a confession out of him.”
John frowned. It didn’t really seem like a great plan, and again, Joseph was referring to the weapon being loaded. It was all very strange, but he hoped it would work as they had no other options.
“So, now I wait?”
“Yes. I’m going up to check on the equipment once again, then I’ll come down and hide in one of the other rooms just before one o’clock.”
John nodded. “Okay.” He looked at his watch—almost twelve. He had an hour before things got underway. He may as well make himself comfortable. Joseph let himself out, closing the door behind him.
John looked around the spacious master suite. The room took up the entire width of the boat with a king-sized bed in the center of the room, and as on the upper deck, padded cream leather lined the walls. A white, lacquered writing desk took up the space underneath the full-length windows on the port side, and a coffee table and two easy chairs sat under the window on the starboard side. On either side of the bedhead, two doors led into an en-suite bathroom. John reached into his pocket and removed the pair of latex gloves he had bought the day before and slipped them on before opening the en-suite door and poking his head inside.
A polished, white marble countertop above shiny, white lacquer cabinets gleamed in the light from the multiple spotlights overhead. The port side of the bathroom contained a full-size bath and washbasin, and the starboard side held the WC and another washbasin. Separating the two was a glass and timber-paneled sauna. The bathroom was much bigger than the one in his apartment and certainly more luxurious. Not for the first time, John realized he had chosen the wrong career path.
John glanced up at his reflection in the full-height mirror—his forehead was creased in a frown, and dark smudges under his eyes were proof of the strain he had been under in the past week. He was looking forward to this being over.
He walked back out into the bedroom and paused by the windows which stretched the length of the room. The windows were tinted, so he had no concerns about being spotted from the dock. He walked over to the seaward side of the boat and gazed out at the view. The sea appeared to be just below the window, and in the near distance, he could see anchored out in the channel the large floating Jumbo Seafood Restaurant, starting to fill up with customers for lunch. A heavily laden sampan passed the Pegasus as it ferried customers to the restaurant while an empty boat headed back for its next load. The sun shone down brightly from the clear blue sky above. It would have been an ideal day to spend on a boat—if only the circumstances had been different. John sighed and turned back to the bed.
May as well get some rest before the main event. He laid back on the bed and closed his ey
es. Nothing to do now but wait.
31
At around twelve-thirty, John heard a noise outside on the dock and opened his eyes. He slid off the bed and cracked the door open. The sound of voices and movement upstairs carried down to him as the caterers delivered the food. He wanted to stretch his legs, so he pulled the door open wide and stepped out into the corridor. The corridor led past the stairs toward the front of the boat with a door to each side and another door at the front. John walked forward carefully, conscious not to make any noise and checked each room. The door to the right opened onto a stateroom with two single berths and to the left another double berth stateroom. At the end of the corridor, in the bow, a door opened onto one more double berthed stateroom which, like the other two rooms, was empty but had a sports bag lying on the bed. John looked behind him to make sure he wasn’t being observed, then stepped inside, closing the door behind him. He crossed to the bed and unzipped the bag. Inside was a bundle of plastic zip ties, a cell phone, and another Glock in a holster. John picked up the Glock, removed it from the holster, and pressed the button to release the magazine. It was loaded. John reached behind him and removed the zip-lock bag containing the Glock and carefully opened it, removing the weapon and laying it on the bed. He put the zip-lock bag in his pocket, then popped the empty magazine from his Glock and replaced it with the loaded one from the bag. With care, and remembering what he had learned the previous day, he pulled back the slide on Joseph’s Glock and ejected the live round from the chamber. He released the slide, then pulled it back again to double check the chamber was empty before slotting in the empty magazine from his own Glock. He slid it back into the holster and placed it back in the kitbag. He picked up the live round from the bed and slipped it into his pocket, zipping the bag shut. He hoped he wouldn't have to use it but felt better knowing he was the one with the loaded weapon. He looked at his watch. Not long to go now. Tucking the Glock back into his waistband, he moved back to the master suite, taking care to keep to the side away from the stairs, in case anyone was looking down, and let himself back into the suite. Unable to relax, he stood by the window, watching the boat traffic, and tried not to think of what was to come.
A Million Reasons Page 9