Point Blank

by Fern Michaels

  “Reinforcements. How many, I don’t know. How many monks are in residence? How many students? You know the monastery, what’s your best guess?”

  “Sixty-seven monks plus the Abbot. At this point in time, I simply can’t be more definite. That’s what it was the year before Lily came here. The last I heard, there were one hundred eighty students, but that was the last semester. It could be more, or it could be less. I don’t know how many people Wing Ping would need to . . . to keep everyone in line. The monks won’t give him any trouble, nor will the students if the monks caution them. If this had happened when I was there, we would have done nothing. It’s all about instant obedience. Wing Ping would know that, so he might be going with a skeleton crew.

  “There is something else, Jack. The monks live a holy life. They live to do good and to help mankind. But”—Harry held up his hand to show he had more to say—“back in the day as we students got older, we realized that the monks had a way of communicating with each other in secret. At the time, we didn’t know what sign language was, but that’s what they were doing. I’d bet my life on it.”

  “So, let me get this right, Harry. Are you saying even though that scumbag Wing Ping thinks he is in control of the monastery, the monks are actually in control and will revolt when the time is right?”

  “In a manner of speaking. Back in the day when I was here, they didn’t have computers and phones. They used runners. Much the way the American Indians did during their time. It would always be the young novitiates that did the running. Fleet of foot, that kind of thing. I guarantee that those monks know we are on the way and are just waiting for our arrival.”

  Jack shook his head to clear his thoughts. “If all you say is true, that has to mean, at least to me, that Lily is safe. That the monks spirited her away. Probably right after your old friend Jun Yu arrived to snatch his kids. Why did you go so nuts then?”

  “Because I wasn’t thinking properly. I reacted the way a father would react. I forgot to look inward to my teachings. And then there’s Cooper. Aside from my inward teachings, Cooper was really all the proof I needed to convince myself that Lily is safe. Go on, Jack, say it before I have to beat it out of you. I’m putting all my beliefs and hopes on a dog. Cooper is not just any dog, Jack. I thought we agreed on that. He’s . . . he’s . . .”

  “Yes,” Jack drawled.

  “He is what he is. We can speculate from now till the end of time and probably never come up with an answer that satisfies us both. We simply accept it.”

  Jack nodded and bent over to scratch Cooper between the ears, just long enough for a thought to enter his mind. Finally you’re getting it. Cooper cracked open one eye and stared up at Jack. Later when he told Nikki, he said he could almost swear Cooper was grinning at him. “I’m telling you, Nikki, my blood ran cold there for a minute.” And Nikki had just smiled and smiled. And at that precise moment, somewhere not far away, he could hear a dog bark. Even though he was not a rocket scientist, he knew Cooper’s bark, could recognize it miles away.

  “We’re here!” Maggie shouted from the front of the bus. “And if I am not mistaken, there is a . . . let’s just say for the moment a welcoming committee of a dozen or so scrawny-looking men. I don’t see any yellow-garbed monks. Ted and I will take the lead here. Even though I think our cover is blown, let’s all continue to play our parts. Gather all your gear, people.” She jammed the straw hat with the plumed feather snug on her head. Ted did the same thing.

  The weather was foul, the cold mist that had been falling back at the tram stop now an icy rain. One of the scrawny men, dressed in a shiny black slicker, made motions with his hands to indicate they were all to turn around and get right back on the bus. Being American, the group pretended not to understand.

  That’s when Cooper rose on his hind legs and let loose with an unholy bellow of sound. The black-clad figure stopped and stepped back as Cooper raced toward him just as the monster doors to the monastery opened to allow a gaggle of monks to emerge, all jabbering in different languages. They rushed forward, reached out to the tour group, and pulled and tugged them forward into the monastery. Cooper showed his teeth in an ugly snarl as he advanced on the welcoming committee of scrawny men, who decided it might not be wise to antagonize the strange-looking animal.

  Alexis and Espinosa were the last in line and saw the greeter in the black raincoat hit the speed dial on his mobile phone.

  Once inside, they all knew they were prisoners. Of a sort.

  Brother Hung stepped forward and in a low whisper in English asked where Harry Wong was.

  Cooper nudged Brother Hung’s leg and growled as he nudged him forward.

  Harry held out his hand. The old monk clasped it tightly in both his hands. “I knew you would come. I just didn’t expect you to . . . is it a disguise?”

  “It is. And these are all my friends. Tell me, where is my daughter? Is she safe?”

  “She is safe. She will remain safe until it is time for you to take her back to your home in America.”

  The relief on Harry’s face made the old monk smile. “And who is your friend?”

  Dishbang Deshi held out his hand the way Harry had. “It is good to see you again, my esteemed teacher.”

  “Ah, I see. Master Dishbang. An excellent disguise. I never would have known either of you. As you can see, the others do not recognize you. Remarkable. Absolutely remarkable. We are under siege here. But we are in control. These idiotic people just don’t know it or refuse to accept that fact.”

  “How many are there, Brother Hung?” Harry asked.

  “We counted fifty. They are spread all over the monastery. Chi Xongin, our current Abbot, is an imposter. He is in charge of these thugs. He has been hiding out in the offices. His meals are taken to him. We have not seen him in days. Brother Dui, who has always done the clerical work in the office, says he is on the computer and his mobile phone all day long. Come along to the dining hall, so we can show you our hospitality. None of these thugs understand English, but the Abbot does. Be careful. Tell me you have a plan, Harry, to . . . to liberate us and the monastery.”

  “We have a plan, Brother Hung,” Harry said somberly. “You’re sure my daughter is safe?”

  “As safe as if she were in her mother’s arms. I assume that little schoolgirl in disguise is Lily’s mother.”

  “She is.”

  “I had Yuke Lok spirit her away the moment I realized what was happening. You remember Yuke Lok from when you came to visit, right? She is what we call Lily’s big sister. As you know, the older girls look after the younger ones just the way it was when you were here with your big brothers looking after you and the younger boys.

  “We do not like living like this, Harry. Those people are desecrating this beautiful monastery. They bring evil here. Why? Why are they doing this to us? Do you know?”

  “It’s Wing Ping. He wants to be number one. But more than that, he wants revenge on all of you and the monastery itself for expelling him and shaming him and his family. He wants it all back, and this is the only way he thinks he can do it. I am convinced he killed Jun Yu. If he didn’t do it, he had someone else do it for him. I was not aware of what became of him and how he chose to lead his life after he was sent home from the monastery, until Dishbang Deshi told me. It’s a miracle that Jun Yu was able to send his family to me. They, by the way, are as safe as they can be. They will be sad for a very long time, but they will acclimate to their new life with all the help we can give them. Jun Yu said he tried to get Lily but couldn’t. Failing to acquire Jun Ling and the children had to enrage Wing Ping. He wants . . . needs to reclaim his old life and bring honor back to his family. At least that’s my take on the whole thing. Nothing else makes sense.”

  “So you will fight him?” Brother Hung asked quietly.

  “It’s the only way for all of you to reclaim the monastery. If I were to go wherever it is you have Lily sequestered and leave, Wing Ping would do terrible things to all of you and this be
autiful monastery. We both know that. I can’t walk away and leave you to his tender mercies. It goes against all you have taught me during my days here. But . . . I think I might have an idea. I need to think about it and discuss it with Yoko and my people before I say anything more.”

  “But, Wong Guotin, Wing Ping was born to the art. Tales of his expertise are all over China. These past years he has goaded Jun Yu to fight him, but Jun Yu refused. They called Jun Yu a coward. He was not, as you know. This is the result.”

  “So I guess the next move is Wing Ping’s. Either we wait him out, or we take matters into our own hands. I think the people in my group here”—Harry said, waving his arm about—“are capable of taking all fifty of them out and securing the monastery. There are no weapons here, are there?”

  The old monk shook his head. “You should know better than to say a thing like that. Even Wing Ping would not dare bring a weapon onto this sacred ground. He considers himself a weapon, as do all those . . . those people he sent here. Look around, Wong Guotin, we have gotten old. True, we have some younger brothers here, but the majority of us are old and, while not useless, we won’t be of much help. I heard you when you said your group is quite capable of taking care of these intruders. How can that be, Wong Guotin? There are more women than men.”

  The sudden burst of laughter at the long dining table brought color to the old monk’s cheeks. “I meant no disrespect, Wong Guotin.”

  “And none was taken. You have no worries where these females are concerned. They can all take care of themselves.”

  Brother Hung’s voice dropped to a whisper, “But . . . but two of them are . . . old. Like most of my brother monks.”

  “I heard that!” Annie said, amusement ringing in her voice.

  “I did, too.” Myra giggled.

  Charles and Fergus both wiggled their hands in the air to show the monks they, too, were in the game. Brother Hung’s face turned even redder.

  Cooper took that particular moment to move front and center to weigh in with his opinion. He tossed his head from side to side before he let loose with a god-awful howl, before he trotted back to his place next to Harry.

  “There is old, and then there is old, my teacher. Trust me, you have no worries where my friends are concerned.”

  “I see, I see. This then,” Hung said, to indicate the entire group, “is your clan. Your force.”

  “I like the word army,” Dennis said boldly. The others hooted their approval as the monks suddenly started setting food down on the long table. It was simple food—hot, nourishing, and smelled wonderful. The group fell to it, jabbering and gesturing as they chowed down.

  “Just so you know, that was the last of our food. We have a few staples and a little food in our freezers, but this is it. Part of Wing Ping’s plan is to starve us. No supplies are being brought in. His people have consumed most of the food we had in store since they’ve been here,” Brother Shen said quietly.

  As one, the group looked guilty. Annie apologized for their hearty appetites, saying had they known how dire the situation was, they would have curbed their food intake. Brother Hung waved away her words. “What we have we share. We are not novices when it comes to doing without. As I said when you arrived, we have been under siege. The only person permitted to go back and forth is the egg man. We do not even know why that is, unless the man is in the employ of Wing Ping. Or that he and his people at the base of the mountain have a fetish for eggs.”

  Brother Shen wiped his hands on a pristine white apron as he looked around at the guests sitting at the table. “We need a plan. Do we have a plan? We want to help, but until you tell us what we can do, our hands are tied.” He went on to tell them about their original plan to give the egg man two notes. “It was all we could come up with. But if the egg man is in the employ of Wing Ping, then we cannot involve him.”

  “That will be easy enough to figure out when he arrives,” Jack said. “We’ll just give him the old American third degree and wait for him to either fall apart or offer to cooperate.”

  Kathryn raised her hand to show she wanted to speak. “What would happen if the monks sent word that they wanted a sit-down with all the men here in the monastery? If they come to the table, we take them out. Don’t look at me like that! We can do it. They won’t give us women a second thought. We turn the tables on them, lock them up somewhere, and force Wing Ping to come here in person. With, I suppose, another endless supply of men to do his bidding. I think we can do it. What do you all think, people? The sooner we get this show on the road, the sooner we can head back home.”

  Nikki agreed, her voice ringing the loudest, to the monk’s dismay. Yoko whistled sharply, an earsplitting sound that made the monks cower and move closer together as they stared first at Yoko, then at Harry. Dennis thought it was funny and burst out laughing. He did a jig of sorts, still laughing, until Ted told him to bottle it up.

  Harry and Dishbang Deshi looked over at the line of monks, who appeared to be standing at attention. They slowly ripped at their various disguises until they looked once again like Harry Wong and Dishbang Deshi. “How do you communicate with the intruders?” Harry asked.

  “We don’t. They just follow us around and shout orders. I will say that none of them have laid a hand on any of us. I want to believe it is out of respect, but I simply do not know whether that is true.”

  The girls were now ripping at their wigs and shedding the extra clothing and padding they’d been wearing. Yoko tossed her glasses into the flames of the kitchen fireplace, along with the hated knee socks. While she didn’t look any bigger or smaller, she once again looked like Yoko. She grinned at the others, who simply grinned back.

  “Are we all agreed that we will . . . um . . . take them on?” Myra asked.

  Every hand in the room shot in the air.

  “Brother Hung, it is up to you to invite all of Wing Ping’s men to the arena. All of them. Jack, Dennis, and Yoko will go with you.” Cooper barked. “And, of course, the dog.” Cooper barked again. “Sorry, Cooper. Jack, Dennis, Yoko, and Cooper will accompany you.” Harry looked down at Cooper and hissed, “Show-off.” Cooper barked happily as he trotted off.

  “And if they don’t or won’t do as I ask?” the old monk asked fretfully.

  Harry laughed. The old monk shivered as Cooper let loose with another happy bark.

  Dennis was so giddy that he was being included in the initial takedown, he almost blacked out in excitement. That Harry thought he was good enough to accompany Jack and Yoko had him floating on a cloud of pure bliss.

  “What? Are you waiting for a bus? GO!” It was an iron command from Annie and Myra at the same moment.

  “Hold on here a minute,” Jack said. “Do any of you think there might be a little bit of a problem since Dennis, Yoko, and I do not speak Chinese?”

  “True, but Brother Hung does speak Chinese. He can do all the talking,” Brother Shen said. “He has been our spokesperson with these people since they first arrived.”

  Cooper let loose with several happy yips as he danced around Yoko’s legs.

  “If the dog isn’t worried about the language barrier, then you don’t need to worry either,” Harry snarled. “Go already!”

  “Well, since you put it like that, Harry, I guess I’ll just take my little merry band and the dog whose name is Cooper and head out to save the monastery and return or not return as the case may be.”

  Harry couldn’t resist a parting shot. “Don’t come back unless you are victorious.”

  Cooper stopped in his tracks, but he didn’t bark. He simply looked up at Harry as much as to say, stupid is as stupid does. The thought raced through Jack’s brain at the speed of light. “See, even the dog whose name is Cooper knows we will be victorious. O ye of little faith!”

  Everyone in the dining hall started to talk at once, the decibel level so high, the fine hairs on the back of Annie’s neck started to move back and forth. She whistled sharply for silence. “Let’s all sit down and
get with the plan.”

  “We don’t have a plan,” Maggie said.

  “I know that, dear. We are going to make a plan right now at this table. So, everyone please sit down, and let’s get to it.”

  “It’s about time,” Kathryn grumbled.

  “Amen!” Nikki said.

  Chapter 18

  The foursome, along with Cooper, exited the dining hall and emerged into a wide corridor that smelled strongly of incense. The little group was quiet, all of them looking over one shoulder to see if anyone was following or watching them. “No eyes that I can see,” Yoko whispered.

  “I don’t see anyone either,” Jack said. “Are you and the others free to walk around at your own leisure?” he asked Brother Hung.

  “No, not at all. Someone, usually groups of two or three, monitors the halls. Something must be going on. I would assume that the interlopers who have been occupying the monastery are gathering somewhere to discuss what to do with all of you. Us as well, I would think. It is possible, of course, that those inside are waiting for orders from Wing Ping. I simply do not know. Nothing like this has ever happened to us before, so there is no precedent.”

  “Let’s head for the offices so we can speak with the imposter who claims to be your Abbot,” Jack said forcefully. “Where is it located from where we are right now?”

  The words were no sooner out of Jack’s mouth than the bells from the center bell tower in the courtyard outside the entrance to the monastery started to ring. They all stopped to listen. “Why are the bells ringing?” Dennis asked in a jittery voice.

  Brother Hung looked around. “I do not know. This is the first time that the bells have rung since these people arrived. We ring the bells only when there is an emergency of some sort. Our captors do have people on guard outside. The weather might have worsened, so it might be a call to come indoors. Or possibly it’s a call for them all to gather. Quickly, go around the corner, and the office is to the right.”