by Fritz Galt
He pointed to his watch. “In five minutes, it’ll be seven o’clock. What if it’s timed to explode on the hour?”
“What are you talking about?”
“What I’m saying is I don’t know what the hell is inside this briefcase.”
“It’s the access codes, for god sake.”
“How do we know that? The last time we saw it open was when the security men took it away from us at the consulate.”
“I know those men. They did not plant a bomb in there.”
“So you’re willing to wait around and find out? I’m seriously considering dumping three hundred million dollars over southern China.” He threw the galley curtain back and headed for the emergency exit.
She grabbed him by the shoulder and jerked him back.
“Let me go. I gotta do it.”
The door had a simple red handle. A large arrow showed him how to swing it open.
“Don’t open that door.”
She clawed at him and hauled him away from the handle.
“Get a hold of yourself,” she shouted.
“Gotta push it counterclockwise. Follow the left arrow.”
She whipped the curtain shut. “There is no bomb. I can tell you what’s inside.”
So she did know. He slumped against a microwave oven. “Tell me the truth.”
She refused to look him in the eye.
“Tick, tick,” he said.
She sighed and leaned against the counter next to him. “The two men weren’t locksmiths. They were our communications technicians. They did install something electronic. They placed a simple tracking device inside.”
“Why, in case I lose the access codes?”
“No, when you lose the access codes.”
Slowly it dawned on him. “Now I see the game plan. I’m the stool pigeon. The sitting duck.” He tried to find the right expression. “The dupe.”
“Don’t take it personally.”
“Was all that fun in the sack just for show?”
“No way. Are you kidding?” She looked him up and down as if he were crazy.
“And who appointed you my handler?”
“Nobody. Would you rather I carried it?” she offered. “You can take the letter of authorization.”
“No. I’m just wondering why Pete informed you but not me.”
“He thought it was better if you acted surprised.”
He closed his eyes. “If you’re carrying someone else’s hot money around a police state, you don’t act surprised when you’re discovered.”
“Well, that was their thinking.”
“Their thinking? Who else is behind this?”
“The director in Taipei.”
“Why that old bastard. Here I thought I was paying off a general.”
“We don’t know who’s going to stop you, whether it’s the police, the army or someone else. That’s why we’re carrying the codes. To see who snatches them.”
“So I wasn’t paranoid after all.”
She gave him a funny look.
“And the codes are still in here?”
“Every last one.”
He winked at her. “Do you wanna go to Bermuda?”
“Yeah, if we ever survive this flight.” She paused before drawing the curtain open. “And wipe that fanatical grin off your face.”
Dr. Morisot’s fleshy index finger spun the dial of the military airplane’s rotary telephone.
The helicopter had dropped them off at Chang Kai-shek International Airport, which seemed to operate as a busy American air base on wartime footing. A C-5 transport had just dropped off supplies and was waiting for Morisot and crew to arrive, in order to take them to Hong Kong.
Things went like clockwork. The air force pilot had even allowed the scientist to make a call.
He squashed his eyeglasses against his face and wiped his forehead. He heard only static as the phone connected. It wasn’t easy to hear in the noisy cabin of the cargo plane.
The line picked up. “Hello. This is the Alabaster.”
“Get me Odette,” he whispered brusquely.
A moment later, she answered, “Oui?”
He glanced around to make sure he wasn’t being overheard. “It’s me,” he whispered in French.
“Where are you?”
“I’m flying from Taiwan to Hong Kong right now.”
“In what?”
“An American military cargo plane.”
“Are you crazy? Get off the phone.”
“No,” he said quickly. “It’s safe.”
“What were you doing in Taiwan?” she asked with irritation. “We couldn’t find you.”
“Please excuse me. I wanted to witness your handiwork in person and make sure General Li authorized the illegal transfer of government funds. I sent his signature on to Johnny.”
“So you’re the reason Taiwan’s military screwed up. They’re backing down on martial law.”
“They wouldn’t have if Wang Lo hadn’t screwed up buying the stocks. What happened with him? I heard that the Americans stopped the transaction.”
“That’s right. They robbed the access codes from Wang. It has forced us to alter our plans.”
“How? What other leverage do we have on General Li, or Taiwan?”
“Who cares about Taiwan?”
“I do. General Chou will march his troops in there, and the military will resist. I assured him they wouldn’t. I can’t end up looking like this.”
“Okay, so we’re all worried about your reputation.”
“This isn’t just my reputation. This is about winning General Chou’s contracts. If I can’t deliver, he won’t deliver. It’s as simple as that.”
“Don’t worry. All isn’t lost,” she said. “Even if General Li knows that the investment never went through, he knows that he’s vulnerable as long as his signature is out there somewhere and his funds aren’t in the proper account.”
She certainly sounded confident. “You sound like you can get the access codes back.”
“And General Li’s signature. I’m on top of it. We’ll have them in time to show General Chou tonight. When he sees the signature, the transaction record and the access codes, he’ll know we did our part and the Multiple Launch Rocket contract is ours.”
“That wasn’t our plan. It’s not airtight.”
“Well, it’s the best we can do. Chances are Taiwan’s military will roll over and play dead once we show him we have the authorization letter.”
“So, who has the codes?” Morisot asked.
“Two Americans. They’re flying from Shanghai to Hong Kong as we speak. They have with them a metal briefcase with the signature, the records and the codes.”
“Good. And you’ll arrange a welcoming party.” He swung the heavy receiver to his other ear and took a moment to imagine the details of the snatch operation. “Are Marius and Nicole on call?”
“That’s what we pay them for.”
“Use whatever means necessary to bring the briefcase to me. I’ll be waiting at the top of Conduit Road on Victoria Peak. I’ll personally deliver the evidence and codes to General Chou. I think it’ll be enough proof that our consortium did what we said we’d do and enough evidence for General Chou to send over his troops and give us the contract.”
“It’s a lot of money,” she said slowly, her voice lowering. “We’ll split it.”
“Mais oui,” he said.
“And then we can make love,” she whispered.
His glasses slipped down his nose.
Suddenly, he heard footsteps.
“Someone’s coming. Au revoir.”
Hong Kong Island loomed as a tall, dark specter rimmed at its base by streetlights.
To Alec’s surprise, the Alabaster did not steam directly into Victoria Harbour. Instead, it veered toward the island’s southern coast.
“Stanley?” he asked, leaning on the rail.
Odette shook her head.
“Repulse Bay?”
&nbs
p; She shook her head again.
They steamed along steadily. A large marina opened up before them.
“Not Aberdeen,” he said.
She nodded.
The enormous pleasure craft began to pick its way through sampans that drifted in the moonlight.
It was a smelly, overcrowded safe-haven for literally thousands of floating families. Hardly an appropriate homeport for a luxury yacht.
The group of five passengers leaned over the bow and watched the Alabaster approach the modest city of Aberdeen. The stench of diesel fuel and drying fish was overwhelming.
“Yuck,” Stacie said. “I can’t take it.” And she and her husband headed below.
The yacht passed large fishing sampans tied to one another in a floating community.
“It’s my husband’s choice of ports,” Odette explained. “He was born in Canton. Fishing was his family’s livelihood for generations. This is where he feels most comfortable.”
“I hope to meet him,” May-lin said.
“You’ve got business with him. I’ll take you to Victoria House directly.”
“I don’t have my credit cards,” Alec said.
Odette smiled. “It’s our private estate.”
Silly him. “You’re too generous.”
“Why? Business is business. Besides, where else would you stay tonight?” Her dark eyes sized him up in the lights of the city.
He wasn’t fishing for a place to stay, but he wouldn’t turn it down, either. And what better access to the killer? Of course, it came at a price. He would have to fend off Odette.
She gathered the ringlets of her dark hair with a delicate hand. The sparkle from an enormous diamond ring flashed in her face and glittered in her eyes. She hadn’t worn it all day. But she was returning to her normal life.
She sought out his eyes, then flashed the ring at him and gave him a sultry smile. Damn. She liked to play it dangerous.
The ship drew up to an open slip at a private club.
“Where are the lights? Merde,” she shouted. Almost too late, someone at the club saw the ship and turned on the outdoor lighting.
The captain reversed the engines, then cut the power completely. They floated in silence up to the brightly painted moorings. A Filipino deckhand stepped ashore and pulled them tight to their berth.
The LaRues emerged on deck with their luggage.
“What a nautical adventure,” Miles said in a stout voice. “Thank you so much for your charming hospitality.” He pressed his lips against Odette’s cheek. “We’ll have to do this again sometime.”
Stacie stood on the tips of her platform shoes to throw her arms around Alec. “It was great fun meeting you.” She had alcohol on her breath.
“Memorable,” he said.
She giggled.
He helped her find her balance.
“Memorable,” she repeated several times.
Miles whisked her off into the night as if they had a tight schedule to meet.
“Well, that leaves just us,” Odette said. “Get your things, and we’ll meet on deck in fifteen minutes.”
Alec followed May-lin to her quarters.
“Johnny is not expecting us.” May-lin lingered at her door. “I have never met him. He doesn’t even know us.”
“He knows who you are. He’ll listen to your report. I’ll just act dumb.”
“That will not be difficult.”
She shut the door in his face, but not before he noticed how tidy her room looked. Only then did he realize that they hadn’t spent a single night onboard the ship. It had been one long day.
He returned to his own berth. There they were, the sinful metal shower stall and the sheets lying tangled on his bed. Odette Ouyang had penetrated their lives and thoroughly destroyed their relationship in less than twelve hours.
He was just smoothing out the sheets when he noticed a small white heap on the floor.
It was the thong swimsuit stained with coconut oil.
He remembered walking away from Odette, preening a bit and hoping she’d stalk him back to his cabin. He remembered the door opening quietly. The rush of tanned muscle running toward him. Who was seducing whom?
He folded the fabric into a neat triangle and put it in his trousers pocket.
The game was not yet over.
Chapter 39
The time had come for President Charles Damon to accept or reject Taiwan’s bid for membership to the UN.
Accepting membership would lead to a vote on the floor of the UN General Assembly that would oust China from the UN Security Council. Rejecting the bid would encourage China’s invasion of Taiwan.
What he needed most was to find out what was behind China’s bellicose behavior.
He faced his National Security Council over the gnarled walnut conference table in the situation room. This time, they had come prepared.
Vic’s staff and the Pentagon had posted maps and charts on the walls.
Blue stickpins plotted the American aircraft carrier battle group’s current position, a day north of Taiwan and closing rapidly on the strait. Red stickpins representing the Chinese Navy clustered along China’s coast like a beehive.
A chart showed the relative superiority of China’s forces over Taiwan’s from ships to troops to tanks to airplanes. China dominated every military power in Asia and the Pacific save one: America.
A telephone sat on the table before the president, its keypad staring him in the face. He would have to call China’s president.
The ring of faces studiously avoided him.
Politicians liked people. They liked to shake hands, engage people in debate and call them up to chat.
Not in this case.
President Damon picked up the phone and waited for the Pentagon operator.
“Get me President Fu,” he said softly.
“Right away, sir.”
A moment later, he heard an old man’s strident voice. It was the president of China.
“President Fu?” He waited for an interpreter to translate into Chinese.
It was going to be an awkward conversation.
“President Damon?”
He decided not to mince words. “I want you to call off Operation Summer Wind.” He waited nervously for the exchange to be translated.
“Why should I?” the interpreter’s voice replied. “We are merely exercising our authority over Taiwan. Our joint communiqués spell out our jurisdiction over Taiwan. Now Taiwan needs us and is pleading for our help.”
“They don’t need your help,” he shot back, trying to contain his emotions. “The UN can handle the crisis there.”
“This is an historic moment when the Chinese people can seal their natural bond. We were only too glad to hear that your nation has agreed to let us assume Taiwan’s defense.”
“You know we didn’t say that.”
“Now we are gravely hurt that your military has begun firing on our homeland and shedding our blood.”
Spelled out in President Fu’s words, the American position sounded untenable.
“Mr. President,” Charles said. “There have been many incidents leading up to this point. Some are outcomes of internal pressure, some are mistakes, and some are pure nature. But one question disturbs us most deeply. Did you set off the atomic bomb that triggered the earthquake?”
There was a long pause, then President Fu conversed with his interpreter in Chinese. He sounded confused.
Finally, the interpreter came back with a simple question. “What atomic bomb?”
The National Security Council stared dumbfounded at the speakerphone.
“That’s all I needed to know,” Charles said. “I will call you back later.”
He hung up and stared at the dark blob on the map that represented Beijing, tucked into northern China near an arm of the Yellow Sea.
At that moment, he tried to imagine what President Fu’s team was thinking.
“By God,” he said. “They didn’t know about the bomb. They
think they’re helping Taiwan.”
He looked for Hugh Gutman, who was trying to hide his massive bulk behind a report.
“There was a bomb, wasn’t there?”
Gutman looked up uncertainly.
“Well, was there?”
“The intelligence community believes so,” Gutman said. “Although we have yet to verify it.”
“You mean that we don’t even know?”
“We’re working on it, sir,” Park Bunker said, on behalf of the Pentagon.
“Then we’ve got to find out if this happened, who did it, and prove it to the Chinese.”
He stared at the blue stickpins zeroing in on the red stickpins.
“And fast.”
“We don’t have a landing slot,” the air force pilot informed his passengers over the intercom of the roaring C-5 Galaxy.
Mick and Natalie exchanged glances. Hunched over the gas burner at AIT, they had gone over the plan with Bronson. Eli Shaw was not aware of what he was transporting, nor that he would be mugged. Mick and Natalie would follow the criminals who wanted General Li’s documents. In all his deviousness, Bronson must have overlooked one critical detail. The Hong Kong authorities were aware of the plan, but had not asked their air traffic controllers to accommodate the plane.
“Go talk to him,” she said. “Tell him it’s urgent.”
Mick unbuckled his seatbelt and lurched toward the cockpit.
The pilot was busy checking alternate destinations with his navigator, who relayed suggestions from Hong Kong’s Kai Tak control tower.
“Why not Kai Tak?” Mick said. “We’ve got to beat another flight there.”
“Because our departure was so abrupt,” the pilot explained. “We have no landing slot. Kai Tak’s a busy, commercial airport.”
The navigator clicked off his receiver and shook his head. “ATC says it’s a no go. Does it have to be Kai Tak?”
“It’s the whole point of this operation,” Mick said, stepping into the cockpit. “Why not call the Naval Operations Center in Hong Kong? They can override the control tower.”
The pilot turned to the navigator. “Can you get the BNOC?”
“If you think it’ll work.”
The navigator consulted his frequency chart and tuned the radio. “British Naval Operations Center, this is a U.S. Air Force C-5 cargo transport originating from Taipei. Need clearance to land Kai Tak Airport at twenty-two hundred hours. Repeat, request clearance to land with vital cargo.”