A Million Reasons

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A Million Reasons Page 11

by Mark David Abbott


  “Papa?” Thapa called out from the stairs.

  “Ma thika chu. I’m okay.”

  Thapa ran down the stairs and looked around.

  “John?” he called out.

  “In here,” came the muffled reply.

  Thapa turned and moved to the door at the stern end of the boat. He opened it and looked inside at John standing with his back to a plump middle-aged Chinese man who appeared to have wet his pants.

  Thapa grinned. “Need some help?”

  35

  John grinned back. “Did you bring coffee?”

  Thapa walked over and took the scissors from John’s hand and cut him loose, then bent down and cut the cable ties securing John’s feet. John rotated his wrists and stepped side to side, getting the blood flowing again.

  “What about this guy?” Thapa asked with a jerk of his head at David cowering against the side of the boat.

  “Cut his feet loose but leave his hands. I need to ask him some questions. Was there anyone on board?”

  “A gweilo and a Chinese guy. My father has secured the Chinese guy.”

  “Joseph. What about Peter?”

  “The gweilo? I don’t know.”

  “Okay, let’s take this guy upstairs and decide what to do.”

  Thapa grabbed David by the arm and shoved him out the door. John followed him out, and as Thapa pushed David up the stairs, John went to the forward cabin. Joseph’s kit bag was still lying on the bed, and John removed a handful of cable ties before heading upstairs.

  Thapa waited for John in the galley, a terrified-looking David by his side.

  “Make him sit over there,” John indicated toward the sofa in the saloon with a jerk of his head. Thapa pushed him down into the sofa, then turned to John.

  “John, this is my father.”

  John looked toward the rear of the saloon where a powerful-looking man sat astride Joseph.

  “Mr. Rai, a pleasure to meet you. And thank you.”

  Tejpal grinned back.

  “What happened to the other guy?”

  Tejpal nodded toward the open rear door. “I’m sorry John, but he got away.”

  John walked to the back and stepped out the door. He looked around, but there was no sign of Peter anywhere, and the tender was missing from the rear of the boat.

  “Shit.”

  He stepped back inside and looked down at Joseph who was scowling back at him despite having a wicked-looking blade held to his throat. John passed Tejpal the cable ties.

  “Use these. We need to question him.”

  Tejpal rolled Joseph over and bound his hands together, then pulled Joseph to his feet and shoved him toward the sofa where he forced him to sit next to David. David shifted away from him, trying to keep as much distance as possible.

  Joseph sneered at the men standing in front of him.

  “You are in big trouble. I am a police officer. I will see that you spend the rest of your lives in prison.”

  John walked over to the dining table and removed the listening device from underneath, holding it up for Joseph to see.

  “Maybe we should listen to what’s on this?”

  Joseph’s face changed, his look of defiance faltering.

  “Yes, I thought so.” John pursed his lips. “It would seem Peter has not been as honest with me as I thought.”

  He looked at Tejpal. “Mr. Rai, please take him downstairs. Secure him in one of the cabins. We’ll question him later.” Tejpal nodded and pulled Joseph off the sofa and shoved him toward the stairs. Joseph sniggered at John and spat on the floor in front of him.

  John ignored Joseph and grabbed a chair from the dining area, placed it in front of David, and sat down. Thapa perched on the arm of the opposite sofa.

  “David, perhaps we should start with you.”

  “I don’t know anything,” David sniveled. “I thought you worked for Broken Tooth.”

  “So, you haven’t been texting me?”

  “No,” David shook his head violently. “I don’t even know who you are.”

  “You didn’t put a million dollars in my account?”

  “Why would I do that?”

  “Because you owe money, and you wanted me to kill Peter so you could take control of Pegasus and sell off the assets to pay your debts.”

  David stared at John in disbelief, his mouth hanging open. He shook his head slowly and looked from John to Thapa and back again.

  “Yes, I owe money, but I would never kill Peter. I’m not a criminal.”

  John studied his face for a moment. His protestations sounded genuine, and he appeared to be genuinely scared.

  “I found deposit slips in your office at Pegasus Land. One million dollars paid into my account in cash.”

  David shook his head in disbelief. “I haven’t been to that office in weeks. I have other businesses to run. I talk to Peter on the phone, but I hardly ever go to the office.”

  John frowned and thought for a moment, trying to make things add up. But the more he thought, the more confusing things seemed.

  “Why did you have me beaten up?”

  “What? When?”

  “Earlier this week. Two tattooed thugs in a black G-Wagen.”

  A look of recognition dawned on David’s face.

  “Father.” David looked up at John. “Where were you?”

  “I was following you from your house.”

  David nodded. “My father likes to keep an eye on me, unfortunately. Look, I don’t know what has been going on, but I promise you, I have had nothing to do with any messages or money in your account.”

  “Okay,” John nodded slowly. “Maybe I believe you. But one thing I don’t understand. You are rich. Why would you borrow money from a guy called Broken Tooth?”

  David sighed. “You don’t know my father.” He cast his eyes down to the floor. He looked up again and stared earnestly at John. “I’ve never been good enough for him. He watches over everything I do.” He shook his head. “I’m forty years old… he still has me on an allowance, for God’s sake.” His shoulders slumped as he looked down at his feet again. “My cars and the casinos are my only escape.” He sighed again. “But I’ve had some bad luck,” he looked up at John, “and I can’t tell my father. He will kill me.”

  John stood up and paced around the saloon. Thapa watched him as David slumped back into the sofa, his body language defeated. John paused and looked out the window—at the boats passing in the channel, the garish multicolored hulk of the Jumbo floating restaurant. He came to a decision. He turned back and looked at Thapa.

  “Cut him loose but watch over him while I search the boat.”

  He nodded at Tejpal who was standing at the top of the stairs, his khukuri ever present in his right hand.

  “Mr. Rai, perhaps you can help me?”

  Tejpal nodded and passed the khukuri to Thapa. John followed him downstairs. They started at the front cabin and searched the cupboards but found nothing. John picked up Joseph’s bag and searched it again. There was no sign of any recording equipment, just more cable ties, the empty gun holster, and a change of clothes.

  The other cabins turned up nothing of interest, so they moved to the rear cabin where Joseph laid, bound hand and foot on the floor.

  “Tiu lei lo mo. Motherfucker. You will never get away with this,” he sneered. John kicked him in the groin as he walked past which put a quick end to any conversation.

  The cupboards only contained Peter’s clothing, so John moved to the writing desk. The drawers he had searched before, but below the drawers was a locked door. He searched through the drawers again for a key but couldn’t find anything.

  “Mr. Rai, see if you can find anything we can use to open this.”

  Tejpal nodded and left the room. John continued searching the bathroom cabinets and under the bed but found nothing. Tejpal appeared in the doorway with his khukuri and a grin.

  “Try this, John.”

  John took it from him and hefted the blade in his h
and, admiring the craftsmanship. It must have weighed about half a kilo and was approximately forty centimeters long. The blade curved in a semi-circle away from the polished wood handle, the cutting-edge concave. On one side was engraved the Gurkha war cry “Ayo Gorhkali, The Gurkhas are here.”

  It was an impressive weapon, and John was reluctant to use it for something so mundane as opening a cupboard. He looked back at Tejpal.

  “Are you sure?”

  Tejpal nodded.

  John turned and slid the blade between the edge of the door and the desk. He levered the door outwards, and the wood around the lock splintered and gave way. He passed the khukuri back to Tejpal and bent down to look inside… and whistled. Reaching inside, he pulled out a brick of five-hundred-dollar notes bound with a rubber band and tossed them on the bed. There were more inside, and he pulled them all out until there was a pile on the bed. John stood up and winked at Tejpal.

  “I think we’ll need a bag.”

  36

  Tejpal and John rejoined Thapa upstairs after locking the main cabin door with Joseph inside. They weren’t sure what to do with him, so they put the decision off until later.

  “Let’s go. I need to listen to the recording and try to work out what has been going on.”

  “What about him?” Thapa nodded at David sitting on the sofa.

  “Bring him with us. I’m inclined to believe him, but until I sort this out, let’s hang on to him.”

  Tejpal retrieved his backpack from the bow of the boat and came back inside, removing the leather sheath from the bag. With the khukuri, he made a small cut on his thumb, drawing blood, then slid the blade inside its sheath. He noticed John watching.

  “Tradition,” he replied to John’s unspoken question with a smile.

  John looked around the saloon, making sure he wasn’t leaving anything behind. He spied the Glock lying on the kitchen benchtop. He picked it up, realizing he was still wearing the latex gloves. He popped the magazine and found it was the loaded one. He slid the magazine back in and handed it to Tejpal.

  “Here, this might be useful. Careful, it’s loaded.” Tejpal took it with the familiarity of an ex-army man and tucked it into his waistband.

  John noticed for the first time a sports jacket draped over the dining chair Peter had occupied earlier. He walked over and searched the pockets. He found a set of house keys, Peter’s wallet, and an iPhone. The phone was locked, he would have to deal with it later. He stowed it in Joseph’s kit bag, along with the keys and the wallet.

  “Let’s go.”

  Thapa helped David to his feet and pushed him toward the rear door.

  As John neared the rear door, he spotted Joseph’s Glock lying on the floor. He bent over and picked it up, and as he walked out onto the rear deck, tossed it over the side. He slid the rear door of the saloon closed behind him and removed the latex gloves, tucking them into his pocket. Looking around, he sucked in a deep breath of air. The sky was clear, not a cloud to be seen, and the water sparkled in the light of the sun. He was happy to be alive.

  37

  John, Tejpal, and David took the long walk back along the pontoons to the shore while Thapa retrieved the borrowed inflatable from the bow of the Pegasus.

  He was already at the dock by the time they arrived, then the four of them walked out the gate onto the road.

  “My car is over there, John,” said Thapa, waving at a silver mini-van parked across the road.

  They crossed the road, and Thapa unlocked the vehicle with a blip of his key-fob. He was about to open the door when a black Mercedes G-Wagen pulled up beside them, all four doors opening and four hard-looking men got out and encircled them.

  “Shit,” John cursed

  Tejpal and Thapa tensed beside him, Tejpal reaching behind him for the Glock tucked into his waistband.

  A sleek, black 1960s Rolls Royce Silver Cloud purred to a stop behind the Mercedes, the view inside hidden by curtained windows.

  David’s shoulders slumped even more. “Father.”

  One of the thugs walked back to the Rolls Royce and opened the door, beckoning to David. David sighed.

  “Wait here, I’ll speak to him.” He walked over, bent down and looked inside. A conversation ensued, but John couldn’t understand what was said. Instead, he kept his eyes on the men surrounding him. Eventually, David turned back to John.

  “He wants to speak to you.”

  John looked at Thapa and Tejpal.

  “It’s okay, they won’t be harmed,” David reassured him.

  John nodded and handed the kitbag to Thapa. “Here take care of this.”

  Thapa nodded, keeping his eyes on the men lined up around them. John walked over to the Rolls Royce and looked inside at the elderly Chinese man dressed in a dark suit, his white shirt buttoned up to the collar but no tie. His hands rested on a black cane with a silver dragon on the handle.

  “Mr. Hayes, you are a very resourceful man.”

  “Mr. Yu.”

  “Perhaps you would like to take a ride with me, Mr. Hayes? I think we have a lot to discuss.”

  “How can I trust you?”

  “I can assure you, Mr. Hayes, I will not harm you. You have my word. You have a bigger enemy to worry about. Your men will be safe too. Tell them they can go.”

  John looked at Ronald Yu, weighing his decision, then straightened up, turning back to Thapa and Tejpal.

  “It’s okay. Go home. I will call you later.”

  “Are you sure, John?”

  “Yes, Thapa. I’ll call you… and thank you.”

  Thapa nodded but didn’t move until the four men climbed back into the Mercedes and closed the doors.

  John looked at David who had been standing quietly by his side, his eyes cast down at his feet.

  “Please join me in the back, Mr. Hayes. My son will sit in front.”

  John looked at David. David nodded unhappily and opened the front door. John bent down and sat beside Ronald Yu, closing the door behind him. Ronald tapped the driver’s headrest with his cane, and the Rolls Royce glided away from the curb.

  The seats were soft and well worn, the interior smelling of leather and a faint aroma of Tiger Balm. John sat quietly, not wanting to be the first to start the conversation. He had no idea what Ronald Yu’s involvement was and was still trying to work out how all the pieces of the puzzle were supposed to fit together.

  Apparently, David Yu wasn’t sending threatening messages, but his father’s men had beaten John up. Peter Croft was not the nice guy he made out to be, and the policeman, Joseph Wong had hit him on the back of his head and tied him up. It was all very puzzling. Who were the bad guys, and what was going on? Was everyone a bad guy?

  In the corner of his eye, John could see Ronald Yu studying him. He was an elegant looking man, his hair grey and slicked back, his frame slim. John turned to look at him. His face was stern but not unkind, and his eyes sparkled with a keen intellect as he looked back at John.

  “Well, Mr. Hayes, you have had a very busy week. Perhaps we should start from the beginning?”

  “Perhaps you can start with why your men have been following me, and why they beat me up the other day.”

  “A fair question,” Ronald Yu nodded. He glanced toward his son sitting in the front seat. “Do you have children, Mr. Hayes?”

  John shook his head.

  “No? Well, Mr. Hayes, a father always wants the best for his children. I had a very tough life, it was a struggle, but as you can see,” he waved his hand around the car interior, “fate has been very kind to me.” His eyes flicked toward David again.

  “I never wanted my son to struggle like I did. I gave him everything—the best education money can buy, a generous allowance, and helped fund his business ventures—but sometimes,” Ronald sighed, “your children don’t fulfill your expectations.”

  John glanced at David in the front whose shoulders had slumped, his head hanging as he looked down at his feet.

  “I love my son, Mr. H
ayes, but he is a disappointment. He has no business acumen, I constantly have to bail him out, and…” Ronald raised his voice and directed it toward the front seat, “he has a nasty gambling habit.”

  “I don’t see what any of this has to do with me.”

  “No. Forgive me, Mr. Hayes. Let me explain. My son has borrowed money from a very nasty individual and hasn’t paid it back.”

  David turned his head to look back. “You know?”

  Ronald Yu muttered something in Cantonese, and David flinched and looked away.

  “I will have to clean up his mess, Mr. Hayes, as I have done many times before. He is a disappointment, but he is my son, and I will never let any harm come to him. So, my men watch him around the clock, and when we saw you following him, we had you followed. I apologize for the beating… Sometimes, my men enjoy their job too much. I assumed someone had employed you to retrieve the money. Apparently, I was wrong.”

  John nodded, thinking over what he had said and how it explained certain events.

  “Which brings us to today, Mr. Hayes. My son tells me you have saved his life, and for that, I am indebted. Perhaps you can explain what has been going on and let us see how we can resolve the matter.”

  John pursed his lips, considering his options. He needed help, and he didn’t understand what was happening. Perhaps this old man could help him. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Making his choice he started from the beginning, Ronald Yu listening carefully, only interrupting now and then for clarification. When John got to the part where he had left Joseph Wong tied up on the boat, Ronald chuckled.

  “Mr. Hayes, assaulting a police officer? You are a very naughty man.”

  John shrugged. “I will worry about that later.”

  “Leave Inspector Wong to me. I know him. He is not a good man, and he is a terrible policeman. He has been a thorn in my side for a long time. I will take care of him.” Ronald issued some instructions in Cantonese to his driver, who dialed a number on the phone attached to the dashboard and spoke. A moment later, the black G-Wagen in front of them peeled off and made a U-turn.

 

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