Two masked men dressed in black were escorting Fang into the building, just like he’d said.
Ching paused the footage. “We got them coming in, but the masks do a pretty good job of hiding their faces.” He advanced to the footage of the front desk guard being attacked.
“They’ve done this before. Everything seems coordinated. Two men to deal with the doctor, two to deal with the guard,” Lee summarized.
Ching pressed another button. “Here’s Dr. Fang is escorted down the hall and into the lab. Unfortunately, there are no cameras in there.”
They watched the rest of the footage, but there wasn’t much more to glean from it. Fang had given them a pretty accurate account of what had happened.
Ching leaned back in his chair. “I wish the footage was better, but the cameras aren’t high-def. I’ve been requesting an upgrade for years but am told there’s no money in the budget.” He shook his head. “Maybe this will have management reconsider.”
“Do me a favor,” I said handing him my card. “Email me the video footage.”
He smiled. “No problem.”
As soon as they were out of earshot of the office, Lee asked, “You got an idea who these men are?”
“Triads,” Leslie said firmly. “No doubt they’re involved.”
“Well, if that’s the case, we should have luck identifying that tattoo. We’ve catalogued most of the ink of known members. But if you’re right, this only complicates the case.”
“No shit. If it wasn’t already bad enough that it involves Abby’s mother-in-law and her late husband, the Triads appear to have a hand in the mix. I feel like I’m the friend from hell. Every time I call her, it’s bad news.”
“Peng in bed with the Triads. It can’t get any worse than that.”
Chapter 50
I tried sleeping, but after Leslie’s call to meet the following morning, my mind ran through endless worst-case scenarios all night long. The tossing and turning eventually had me pulling myself out of bed around five. I fixed myself a cup a tea and sat on the balcony while I waited for Leslie to arrive, sometime between eight thirty and nine. By the time the clock ticked just past nine, she arrived and I had already downed a pot and a half. The kids were up by then as well. They were eating breakfast and watching TV.
“Sorry I’m late,” she said when I opened the door.
“It’s fine. There’s tea out on the balcony.”
We settled in, and Leslie wasted no time in filling me in on what else she had learned about the attack on Fang.
“All the DNA is gone?” I asked.
“Destroyed, but Dr. Fang had already created DNA profiles, which he sent to the FBI. He did mention there wasn’t much more your guys could do in terms of testing.”
“My contact had already told me to manage my expectations, but you never know. At least we can run the profiles through our database.”
“Every little bit helps,” Leslie said.
She removed her cell phone from her purse and showed me the security camera footage on her phone. I refrained from making any comments until I’d had a chance to review it all. I wanted to be absolutely sure of my opinion. When I watched the last of it, there wasn’t any doubt in my mind those men were Triads.
“Sorry, I know you didn’t want to come to the same conclusion as me, but…” Leslie let her last word trail for a second or so. “But there is a silver lining in all of this: the tattoo. Right now, Lee’s pulling all dragon tattoos we have on file so Dr. Fang can look at them. If we can identify that man, we have someone else to talk to. This could be the break we’ve been looking for.”
“I know, I know. But it’s that break that troubles me. It can’t lead to better news for me.”
“Hey, you don’t know that. Now that we think the Triads are involved, they could be the reason behind all of this. Po Po could be speaking the truth: Peng could have nothing do to with his brother’s death or that other body, and lastly, this puts the gang back on the hook for your husband’s murder. You could have the connection between them and Peng’s murder that you were missing the first time around.”
“I realize that, but how did the bodies get into the building?” I threw my hands up. “I still find it hard to believe that Peng wasn’t aware of it. No matter how you slice it, it’s hard not to see him as an accessory to the crime.”
“Yes, but now we’re working on a new premise. Whoever put those bodies in the building also took them from the lab.”
I tucked my hair behind my ears. “Okay, let’s say Peng finds out after the fact that there are bodies in the building, and he somehow finds out one of them is his estranged brother. He now becomes a loose end.”
“Exactly.”
“So they get rid of my husband.”
“Right,” Leslie said. “Now the only person left who knows about the bodies in the building is the person who put them there.”
“The plan was perfect until demolition began.”
“Prompting this person to get rid of the bodies once and for all.”
“You know what I really think is the reason for stealing the remains?” I asked as I leaned back in my chair.
Leslie raised her eyebrows and shook her head.
“Someone doesn’t want the identity of those victims to be revealed. That could really be what’s driving all of this. Maybe the identity of the bodies—wait, strike that—the identity of the second body is what can hurt the killer. Not the fact that the bodies were found.”
A smile grew on Leslie’s face. “Hmm, that’s interesting. I didn’t look at it that way. It could explain why they did nothing when we found the first body.”
“And like I said before, maybe they really didn’t anticipate the second body being discovered.”
“I’m liking this theory more and more. Nothing gets past you, does it?”
I waved her off. “Please, we feed off of each other. I’m your sounding board. This is your case, not mine.”
“You know what I like about Ms. Abby Kane?”
“Nope. Why don’t you tell me, Ms. Leslie Choi?”
“Well, besides the fact that you left your position, allowing me to swoop right in and snag it, along with the significant pay raise that came with it…”
“Yes,” I said struggling to keep a straight face. ”Do tell.”
Leslie’s grin widened. “It’s your genuine and selfless friendship.”
I could feel the tears welling in my eyes and my face tighten.
“Wait, don’t cry yet. You have to say something nice about why I’m a good friend.”
I relaxed my face, placed a hand on the table and drummed my fingers. “You mean now, right?”
Her eyes widened. “Yes, now!”
“Okay, um… Ooh, the pressure…Um, let’s see… Well…” I scratched my head.
“You’ve got six more seconds of enjoying my raw honesty before I take back what I said.” Leslie scrunched her nose and held up a clenched fist.
“All right, all right. Seriously, you’re the sister I never had. I can’t imagine you not in my life.” I stuck my pinky finger out. “Sister friends for life.”
Leslie hooked her pinky around mine. “Sister friends for life.”
“Okay,” I said, clapping my hands together. “Now that we’ve lightened the mood, let’s catch the sonofabitch responsible for tarnishing Peng’s name.”
Chapter 51
The plan was for Leslie and me to head over to Liu’s apartment and question Po Po again. The hiccup? I didn’t want the kids to tag along. Ryan mostly. I already thought he suspected something was going on. Sooner or later he would start asking questions, and I wasn’t ready to answer them just yet.
“Abby, I can go to Liu’s by myself. It’s not a big deal. I mean, it is my case,” she said with a cheeky smile.
“I know, but I’m worried about Po Po.” I took a seat in the chair near the desk.
Leslie rolled her eyes. “Please. Po Po could watch a ninja punch a hole into
someone’s chest, and rip their bloody beating heart out, and she wouldn’t blink an eye.”
Just then Ryan walked into our suite, scrunching his nose and rubbing his eyes. “Who’s ripping hearts out?” he asked.
I’ll admit, Leslie’s choice of analogies surprised me. “No one, sweetie. Get ready and please make sure your sister is getting ready too.”
Once Ryan stepped out of earshot, I turned to Leslie and playfully raised my left eyebrow into a sharp arch. “Ninjas? Bloody beating hearts? You really need to get a life.”
“Excuse me, I have a life…when I’m not busy.”
“Oh yeah? All right, when’s the last time you had sex?” I crossed my legs and leaned back, tapping my fingers on my knee.
“What?”
“Come on. Let’s hear it.” I snapped my finger impatiently.
“I get sex. I’ll have you know I had dinner—dated this guy, um…for a few weeks— months ago.”
“Mmmm, hmmm.” I peered into Leslie’s eyes and alternated arching my eyebrows. “What’s his name?
“Um, it’s, ah…Roberto. He was Italian.”
“Is that the name you gave your hand?” I held mine up and wiggled it while doing my best to choke back my laughter.
Leslie tilted her nose up and looked off to the side. “I like my hand. He knows exactly what I like.”
“Why do you like your hand, Aunt Leslie?”
Neither of us noticed Ryan enter the room again.
“I thought I told you to make sure your sister is getting ready,” I said, trying not to laugh.”
“She’s ready.”
Just then, Lucy appeared, properly dressed with her hair brushed.
“Oh, okay. Well, today I have a different plan for you two. The hotel has these neat day programs for kids. Lucy, I thought I could sign you up for Chinese doll-making class.”
Ryan made another face. “Doll making?”
“That’s just for your sister. You, young man, will get the class that covers marine life in the bay.” I pointed toward the large span of water between Kowloon and Hong Kong Island.
Leslie said she had calls to make and that she would wait in the room while I went downstairs and got the kids squared away. It didn’t take long to sign them up with the program director, a young woman with way too much enthusiasm for my taste. Within twenty minutes, I had handed my children over to the smiling woman and walked back to the elevators.
Just as I stepped into the elevator and the doors closed, my cell phone rang. The number was local. Must be Po Po.
“This is Abby.”
“Abby!” It was Liu. “They take her, Abby,” she blurted. “She’s gone.”
“Wait, slow down, Liu. Who took who?”
“They come into my apartment and take Ethel. She’s gone.”
I kept my voice low and spoke slowly to help keep her calm. “Liu, tell me exactly what happened?”
“Two men. I never see them before. They break my door and—”
“Liu? Liu? Are you still there?”
I pulled my phone away from my ear and looked at the screen. I had no service. Stupid elevator! My eyes shot to the bank of floor numbers. We had just passed the sixth floor, ten more to go. Dammit! Time seemed to stop at that instant as my eyes followed the numbers as they lit up.
Seven.
Eight.
Nine.
Ten.
Eleven.
And then the elevator stopped on the twelfth floor. Crap! The doors opened to reveal housekeeping with a large cart. No way, lady. “Sorry.” I held up a hand, stopping her from entering. I jabbed my forefinger at the Close Door button. Come on. Move! I pressed it a half a dozen times and uttered more swear words than I’d like to admit. I must have looked like a lunatic.
I stood there, tapping my leg and gritting my teeth as I willed the elevator to move faster. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, we reached the sixteenth floor. I called Liu back as I made a beeline to my suite. After the third ring, she picked up.
“Liu, I’m sorry. I was in an elevator. Listen, we’re coming to you right now. Calm down. Everything will be all right.”
I disconnected the call just as I walked back into the room. “Leslie, we need to go. Po Po’s missing.”
“What?”
“I just received a call from Liu. Some men broke in her apartment and took her. Can you put a call in and see if there’s a patrol car near Liu’s apartment?”
“Yes, of course.”
She dialed a number on her cell phone, and I grabbed my purse. Within seconds, I had slammed the hotel door behind us, and we were hurrying toward the elevator.
Chapter 52
By the time we fought through Hong Kong’s notorious morning commute, a patrol car had already arrived at Liu’s apartment, and the officers were inside with her. I exited Leslie’s SUV and hurried inside.
“Liu, are you okay?” I asked as I gave her a hug.
“Yes, I’m okay, but Ethel… I’m worried.”
I sat down with Liu on the small couch. Leslie entered the apartment and had a brief conversation with the officers.
“I asked them to knock on doors and question the neighbors,” Leslie explained to me as the officers headed out the door. She brought one of the chairs at the kitchen table over to us and took a seat.
I nodded at Leslie and then turned back to Liu. “Tell us everything. Start from the beginning.”
“We were sleeping. I was in my room. Ethel was on the couch.”
Liu explained that a loud noise had woken her, and she heard male voices. When she came out of her room, she saw two men holding Po Po by her arms and hurrying her out the door.
“I tried to stop them, but they made her get into a black car and drove away.”
“And you didn’t recognize the men? Were they wearing masks?” Leslie asked.
“No mask. I never see them before.”
Leslie pressed Liu for as many details about the way the two men looked: facial hair, any noticeable tattoos, a guess of their height and weight, and other biometric details. Liu had already told her that the vehicle was a black, four-door luxury sedan, possibly an early-model BMW.
Leslie went ahead and alerted HKP regarding the abduction and then fed the details we learned to the officers outside, who were still talking to the neighbors. In the meantime, I pressed Liu harder on what happened.
“Liu, are you telling me everything you know? And I’m not talking about what happened this morning, I’m talking about everything that’s happened so far—the bodies in Peng’s building and Rong’s death. Those men took her for a reason. If you care about your friend, you’ll tell me what you know or at least what you suspect.”
Liu let out a heavy breath, and her shoulders drooped. She brought her hands up to her face and cried softly. I leaned in and gave her a gentle hug. “Don’t worry, we’ll find her. Trust me, we will.”
Just then, Leslie walked back inside. “Okay, I issued alerts for HKP to look for an older-model, black luxury sedan, possibly a BMW or a Mercedes, with an elderly lady and two young men. If they’re still on the road, there’s a good chance we’ll spot them. They can’t be traveling that fast with all that traffic out there.”
“Excuse me,” Liu said. She stood up and shuffled to the bathroom and closed the door behind her.
“Were you able to get anything else out of her?” Leslie asked.
I shook my head. “She’s too frazzled right now. She knows more though. They both know more than what they’re letting on.”
“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
“Triads. It’s the only possible explanation.”
“I agree with you. This smells like them.”
Just then, Leslie’s cell phone rang. “Choi speaking. You did? Okay, good job. Find him!”
Leslie disconnected the call and pocketed her phone. “That was Lee. Remember the tattoo Dr. Fang noticed on one of the masked men? We got a hit. That tattoo belongs to man name
d Fai Wu. He’s associated with the Wo Shing Wo Triads.”
“I knew it.” I slapped my thigh with my hand. A sense of relief washed me. Every bad thought I’d had up until then regarding Peng seemed to flow away. I knew he was a good man. The Triads are behind all of this.
Leslie’s phone beeped, and a few seconds later, we were looking at a picture Lee had sent of Fai. “He looks like a son of a bitch,” Leslie remarked.
Fai had a flat, wide nose, bushy eyebrows, deep-seated eyes, and a thick neck. He resembled a bulldog.
“Should be easy to spot, given his appearance,” she added.
I walked over to the bathroom and knocked on the door. “Liu, is everything okay?”
A few seconds later, the door cracked open and she slipped out. Her eyes were red, but she had composed herself. “I’m fine.”
“Liu, we want to show you a picture.”
I led her over to Leslie, and she showed her Fai’s picture. Liu’s eyes shot open. “This the man who take Ethel.”
I looked at Leslie. “I think it’s time we pay a visit to our favorite bar and talk to a certain Triad.”
Chapter 53
Leslie screeched her SUV to a stop outside the Bullet. Before she could shut off the ignition, I had both feet planted on the pavement. I marched toward the entrance of the bar with my fists clenched and jaw tight.
“Abby, wait for back up. They’ll be here any second,” she called from behind me.
I heard her, but at that moment, I wanted nothing more than to wrap my two hands around Jo’s skinny neck and choke the living crap out of him, or at least shake a few answers from him. I gave the door a forceful push, sending it crashing into the wall and grabbing the attention of everyone inside. Conversation ceased, and all eyes fell on me.
I spotted Jo in the booth farthest to the back and headed straight for him. About seven steps later, one of his men stepped into my path and held up a hand to stop me. Wrong move. I throat-punched the guy and sent him reeling back, choking on his own saliva.
Another Triad member stood and reached into his leather jacket, but Leslie was on it. “I wouldn’t do that,” she said as she pointed a Sig Sauer P250 pistol at his face. “I got itchy fingers.”
Kowloon Bay (Abby Kane FBI Thriller Book 3) Page 16