Chen finally appeased the irate patron with a free meal, and came over to Maya. Stepping close, he clutched her arm. “Did my guests receive their fortune cookies?”
Maya nodded.
His fingernails left red welts on her arm. Maya rubbed them as Chen returned to his office. Moments later, the front doors flew open and the two black-garbed special guests reappeared. They pushed past her and entered Chen’s office, slamming the door behind them. Maya heard the scrape of a chair, a volley of angry shouts, then a loud smack and thud. Before Maya could react, the two men burst from the office and came up behind her.
They sandwiched her between them, and the taller thug hissed in her ear, “You’ve got something of ours, bangzi.”
Maya flinched at the derogatory Chinese word for a Korean. The men grabbed her upper arms and dragged her toward the entrance. Maya cast a desperate glance at Rob and saw him moving toward them, talking into a cell phone.
From the other side of the seating area, the customer who’d complained to Chen stepped forward. “I’m dialing 911,” he shouted. Chipped Tooth shoved past him and the two men quickened their pace toward the entrance.
“May I help you gentlemen?” Rob blocked the way, chin lowered, hands flexing. His voice held a sharp edge of command Maya had never heard before.
“Get outta the way,” barked the taller man. They moved forward and Rob raised his fists. Chipped Tooth sniggered and flipped open a switchblade. The naked steel looked sharp enough to gut a fish in one swipe.
Maya snapped out of her shock. She raised one knee, ripping the shiny fabric of her narrow skirt, and slammed her stiletto heel into Chipped Tooth’s instep. Rob lashed out with a booted foot and caught the taller one in the groin and, a split second later, pounded his fist into the other man’s throat. The men released Maya and collapsed to their knees.
Adrenaline feeding her anger, Maya smacked the heads of both men together. They crumpled in a black heap on the floor. Customers and staff erupted into cheers and applause.
Rob relieved Chipped Tooth of his knife and searched both men. He found two pulverized fortune cookies. Pulling a pair of handcuffs from under his leather jacket, Rob secured the men to a pillar supporting the koi pond enclosure. Rob waved over the two soldiers she’d seated and asked them to keep on eye on the thugs. They nodded and stood over the prisoners.
Maya’s heart thudded painfully. Had she really knocked two people unconscious? Rob had used moves out of a kung fu movie. And why in the world did he have handcuffs on him?
Rob wrapped an arm around her. “Slick moves there, champ. Surprised me and them.”
“Who . . . who are they?”
“You tell me. What’d they want with you?”
“No idea. I didn’t know you could fight.”
“There’s a lot you don’t know about me.”
Maya started. “Oh, no—Mr. Chen!”
They ran to Chen’s office. Inside, the restaurant owner lay face up on the floor, mouth sagging open, lids closed. Was he dead? She staggered.
Rob placed his fingers against the man’s throat. “Steady pulse.”
Maya exhaled. She hadn’t liked Chen, but didn’t wish him dead.
Chen stirred, then sat up and massaged his head. “What happened?”
“Your so-called special guests beat you up and tried to kidnap me,” Maya said.
Chen’s face flushed dark red. “Where are the men who attacked me?”
“Handcuffed to the koi pond railing,” Rob said.
Chen moaned. Maya grabbed a pillow off the sofa and eased him back down to the floor.
Rob stepped toward the office door. “I’d better go meet the authorities I called. They should be here soon.”
Maya didn’t want to be left alone with her boss. “I’ll send Mei Mei to look after you, Mr. Chen,” she said.
“I’ll be fine.” He groaned and shut his eyes. “I’m too groggy to move.”
Restaurant employees congregated outside Chen’s office. Rob asked them not to let anyone leave until the police had a chance to talk to everyone. Mei Mei went into Chen’s office, and the rest of the staff went to calm the customers.
Maya leaned against Rob and shut her eyes. The image of Chen belly up, gaping like a fish, sent shivers down her back.
“I need you to stay alert,” he said. “Tell me what happened.”
“They went into Chen’s office, then came for me.”
“Why?”
“They said I had something of theirs. Must be the fortune cookie I dropped. A special one from Mr. Chen’s office.”
“Show me where it is.”
They went to the pond, side-stepping the cuffed men who were just coming to. Rob and Maya peered into the koi pool. Maya pointed. “One of the fish shoved it under that rock.”
Rob tested the strength of the wrought iron fence edging the pond. “This won’t support my weight. You’ll have to retrieve the cookie.”
“I’m not sticking my arm in that water.”
“Koi aren’t carnivorous. They don’t even bite.”
“You’re sure?” Maya found the food stick she’d tripped over and flung it into the far end of the pond, drawing the koi away. With Rob’s hands gripping her waist, she leaned down until she could reach under the rock.
“Got it.” She straightened, the dripping cellophane in her hand. The cookie appeared dry inside. Maya ripped it open and cracked the cookie. A narrow metallic rectangle a half-inch long dropped into her hand.
“What’s that?” Rob asked. “A thumb drive?”
“Yes. This type holds huge amounts of data.” She shuddered. “They thought I had this. That’s why they came for me.”
“Looks like your boss was passing information of some kind via the fortune cookies. I’d better go secure him.” They hurried to Chen’s office. Mei Mei lay unconscious on the floor. Chen was gone. Maya rushed to help the prostrate woman.
Rob swore under his breath. “I thought he was too incapacitated to run.”
A man appeared in the doorway. Maya started as she recognized him from the security office at Fort Knox.
“Lieutenant Henchley?” she said.
He looked surprised to see her there, her Asian garb clearly confusing him. “I came to find Rob. He called me about those two thugs.”
Maya glanced at Rob. Why’d he call Fort Knox security instead of the local police?
“You subdue them yourself?” Lieutenant Henchley asked Rob.
Rob smiled and shook his head. “I had help. Maya knocked them out.”
Maya explained about the fortune cookie and the special guests, and showed Lt. Henchley the thumb drive. Before he could take it, the local police and ambulance arrived. As emergency personnel went to check on Mei Mei, Lt. Henchley explained to the cops that this was a military matter.
Rob touched the device in Maya’s hand. “What do you think is on that thing?”
“One way to find out. My laptop’s in my locker.”
Her computer had protective spyware and had been scanned and declared clean by Ft. Knox, so Lt. Henchley agreed to let her try to read the device. Rob and Lt. Henchley followed her to the employee rest area where she retrieved her computer, set it on a table and inserted the memory stick.
Her fingers flew across the keyboard. “Encrypted, natch.”
“We’re sunk,” Rob said.
“Have a little faith,” Maya said. “The decoding software I developed for my senior thesis should crack it. Hold on.”
A minute later, the computer dinged. “We’re in.” She let out a long whistle. Rob leaned over, his breath warm on her ear. Maya forced herself to concentrate on the screen.
Lt. Henchley read as she scrolled through the contents. “Military maneuver schematics, top-level strategy briefing documents, new tank specifications. You guys hooked a big one.”
“How’d Chen get his hands on this?” Rob asked.
“I intend to find out,” Lt. Henchley said. Maya removed the drive and
surrendered it to Lt. Henchley.
Maya looked at Rob. “How come you had handcuffs on you?”
Rob glanced at Lt. Henchley, eyebrows raised.
“Go ahead,” Lt. Henchley said. “She has security clearance.”
“I’m working undercover for the military.”
“So why did you let me think you’re an unemployed loser who rides around on a big noisy machine with a bunch of hairy men?”
“Because of this.” Rob extracted a billfold from his back pocket and flipped it open.
Maya sucked in her breath. “That’s a Fort Knox identity badge.”
“My first assignment was to go undercover in a motorcycle club that hangs out in a bar by the river.”
“Why would the military be interested in a local biker gang?”
“One member was flagged as a possible terrorist threat. Turns out the rest are just a bunch of middle-aged thrill seekers who ride around on Hogs and collect toys for sick kids. I’m disappointed you were so ready to believe I’d thrown away my education and embraced unemployment.”
“Next time I’ll be sure to check if there’s another explanation for your idiotic behavior.” She paused. “Why didn’t you tell me you had a job?”
Rob flushed. “I’m still on probation. Eighty percent of probies don’t make it. I wanted to be sure I was in before telling you.”
He met her gaze, and her stomach did another flip. She wanted to believe him, believe he was one of the good guys.
“I was reassigned today to come watch Chen’s place,” Rob continued. “He’s been under suspicion since he opened.”
“Those two guys you asked to watch the attackers?” Maya asked.
“My backup from the Army base.”
Relief flooded through Maya. It was true—he wasn’t a biker bum. Rob took her hand and pressed it gently. She squeezed back.
* * * *
By the time they gave their statements to the police and military, it was early evening.
Rob faced Maya and placed his hands on her shoulders. “I’m not letting you out of my sight.”
“Oh?” Maya felt a surge of pleasure.
“You’re a key witness,” Rob said, his voice grave. “We only captured the couriers. Chen and whomever he’s working for might try to silence you before the trial.”
Her chest tightened. She was in danger.
“Lt. Henchley assigned me to protect you,” Rob said. “I’m taking you to my apartment. You’ll have to ride on the back of what you call my big noisy machine. And unless you’re willing to ride with that torn skirt hiked up to your, um, thighs, you’ll need to change out of that dress.”
A few minutes later, dressed in blue jeans, her long hair stuffed inside a helmet, Maya clutched Rob’s leather jacket and closed her eyes as he started the bike. Mercifully, he drove at a leisurely pace, following a meandering two-lane road along the Ohio River, almost empty on this Saturday evening.
The rumble of a powerful vehicle approaching fast made Maya turn. A truck bore down on them two car lengths away, accelerating as it came.
“Behind you!” Maya screamed in Rob’s ear. He glanced back, and then gunned it, the cycle responding instantly. They sped down the road, outrunning their pursuer. Rob ran a stop sign, continued another half mile, then careened into the motorcycle-jammed parking lot of a ramshackle beer joint. He drove right through the bar’s propped-open front door and rolled up to a table of leather-vested bikers.
“Who wants to catch a bad guy?” Rob yelled.
A dozen kerchief-headed men leaped to their feet and followed Rob as he backed out the door.
“Who are they?” Maya asked.
“The biker club I told you about. I’m an honorary member now.”
“Terrific.”
Just as they got outside, the truck barreled into view. The driver slammed on his brakes.
“Bring me the driver of that truck,” Rob said.
The bikers raced to the truck and one yanked the driver from the cab. They brought him, struggling and swearing, to Rob.
Maya couldn’t believe it. “Mr. Chen?”
Rob parked his bike and led the club members, dragging Chen, back inside. They tied Chen to a chair. Faced by a dozen tattooed bikers, even if they were more beer belly than muscle, Chen’s bravado evaporated. He admitted he’d tried to run the motorcycle off the road to kill Rob and Maya.
Her thoughts whirling, Maya went outside to a deck overlooking the river. She gripped the handrail. She had misjudged everything—Rob’s lifestyle, the Koi Palace. Nothing was as it appeared. Maybe if she’d tried harder to talk with Rob about the biker gang, she could have gotten him to admit what he was doing. Maybe she should have trusted him.
Rob appeared beside her and draped an arm across her shoulders. “I’m glad that’s over. The authorities are on the way to pick up Chen. They’ll get him to talk and capture his co-conspirators. You’ll stay at my apartment until everyone connected with the plot is in custody.”
Maya opened her mouth to protest, and Rob hastily added, “I’ll sleep on the couch, if I have to.” He nuzzled her cheek. “You’ll get a citizen’s award, you know.”
“For dropping a fortune cookie into a koi pond?”
“For foiling a spy ring stealing military secrets and cracking the encryption on that device.”
They stood silently for a minute, staring at the rippling water. A fish broke the surface, and then splashed under again.
Rob pulled her closer. “I’m really glad you were at the restaurant.”
“We nearly got killed.”
“But we didn’t.”
“I don’t want to work there anymore. I quit. I’m not even giving two weeks notice.”
“With Chen in police custody, the Koi Palace will probably be permanently shut down.”
Was there a koi rescue league that would take care of the fish? They might be slimy beggars but she didn’t want them to starve. “I’m sorry I doubted you. I’ve been wrong about a lot of things lately.”
“I should have told you about my job. Trusted you.” Rob gently kissed her. “We work well together.”
“I wouldn’t mind hearing how you managed to land a paying job with the military.”
“How about over dinner?”
Maya grinned. “As long as it isn’t Chinese.”
__________
Heidi Saunders lives on a Kentucky farm with a pond harboring one orange and white monster koi. Prior to writing mysteries, she worked as a wedding musician, canoe explorer, census worker, business consultant, and city planner. Vice President of her local Sisters in Crime chapter, she is polishing a political thriller.
SOMETHING FISHY THIS WAY COMES, by Deborah J. Benoit
Elizabeth found them down by the edge of the water, the old woman and the girl. Girl. She would probably always think of Sophie that way. She had to be in her twenties now. Elizabeth had known Sophie a long time, since Elizabeth herself was a young woman. Sophie had been a child from an inner city grammar school escaping to the country for a few weeks each summer. Part of some do-good program Aunt Josie and Uncle Pete had supported.
Uncle Pete was gone now. He’d been dead for nearly five years, a massive stroke. But Aunt Josie still clung to the life and the land. Growing frailty and the gout had failed to move her from the family homestead. Neither had a minor heart attack and all the persuasion her remaining family could muster. And now it was down to the two of them. And the girl.
There was no way a kid from the city was going to come to live in a cottage on the outskirts of a small, do-nothing New England town just to keep an old lady company. Especially not this kid. Elizabeth had listened to her blather endlessly on about childish schemes. People didn’t change. Likely her reason for making nice was a nice cut of Josie’s estate when the time came.
Elizabeth stood at the top of the path, watching. The old woman waved to a man in a row boat out on the lake. He waved back and turned the boat toward a spot further down the shore
line.
“Bye, Henry,” the girl called. The two women turned and began to walk back. Sophie spotted Elizabeth first and nudged her companion. Josie smiled, hurrying up the path.
“Lizzy,” Josie gasped when she grew nearer, pulling her niece into a hug. Elizabeth stifled her response. No one else called her Lizzy and she never hesitated to correct anyone who made the mistake. But this wasn’t the time. Instead, she yielded to Josie’s embrace, patting her back in response.
“I’m so glad you could come.” The old woman wrapped her arm through Elizabeth’s as they followed Sophie along the path to the house. “Sophie got here on the interstate bus last night.”
Sophie laughed. “My old clunker would never make it this far. Busses are my friend.”
At least she hadn’t convinced the old woman to turn over the keys to Uncle Pete’s Caddy. Josie kept it in prime running condition, taking it into town each spring for a bit of exercise and a tune up. The rest of the time it sat in the garage, waiting for its day on the auction block as some collector’s fancy.
“We’ve been having a wonderful time catching up.”
“Yeah,” Sophie said over her shoulder. “You can help us celebrate. Auntie has asked me to stay for a while. Isn’t that great?”
Not so much, Elizabeth thought. “Really?” she said. “How interesting. When did all this come about?”
“Just this morning,” Josie said. “We got to talking over breakfast and it just makes so much sense. Why don’t I make a nice pot of tea and we can tell you all about it?”
“That would be wonderful,” Elizabeth said. What she meant was, tell me what that girl has convinced you to do and we’ll put a stop to it here and now.
Today was well worth the change of plans. Even if this did make her second trip to the country this month. A week ago she’d talked herself blue in the face trying to convince the old woman to sign a power of attorney and move into a safe little retirement condo closer to civilization. But Josie remained adamant. She would not give up her home. Or her garden. Or the ladies’ reading group at the church. Elizabeth couldn’t help but smile picturing the girl accompanying Josie to the ladies’ church group. Of course, it was never going to happen, but the image amused her.
Fish Tales: The Guppy Anthology Page 19