by Meris Lee
“I grew up in Australia, so the accent was not hard to put on,” said McKenzie. “I was to go in disguise as an Australian playboy, and get to know as many of these women as possible. The women were forced into prostitution, and the Rocking Waves was where they were to lure their customers.”
Ana found it hard to believe that she and Zoe were inside the lair of a criminal organization. “So Boris was the boss?” said Ana.
“It would’ve been an easy case if he were,” said McKenzie. “So, whenever I picked out a girl, Boris would put me and her in a taxi and sent us to an apartment building a few streets away. Turns out Boris’s gang also owned a taxi company, as well as the apartment building. The building was where the actual transactions normally took place.”
Ana shook her head, feeling disgusted.
“Of course, I would just have the girl give me a massage when we got to the apartment,” said McKenzie with a serious face. “We tried to track the bills I paid to the women using the serial numbers, but the bills never made it to a bank. We thought about raiding the taxi company and the apartment building, but we decided to wait until we could find out who was behind all of it.”
Ana gave McKenzie a nod.
“Eventually Boris mentioned the island where they kept the women, and told me about how to ‘schedule’ a visit,” said McKenzie. “I wasn’t allowed to bring a cell phone or anything electronic. I went once to see what it was like, and faked a bellyache to get out. One of my shirt buttons was a GPS tracker, but these criminals had jammed the signals. In short, the investigation was going nowhere.”
“So,” said Ana, “you invented this whole story with the ex-girlfriend, and worked at the dive center in your down time? Why did you come and talk to me at the nightclub?”
“The story with the ex-girlfriend was true. I did get dumped just before I took on this assignment,” said McKenzie. He grinned. “The dive job was a cover, of course, but I really am a certified Divemaster. Regarding you, well, I like you. I was dating while working in Russia, so what’s wrong with dating while working in Vietnam? Life happens, even to a police officer. Right, Tuan?” McKenzie looked toward the corner of the room.
Tuan gave a sad smile, and cast his eyes at Zoe.
Ana sensed that whatever went on between Tuan and Zoe was probably more than friendship. “So how did Zoe get involved in this?” said Ana.
McKenzie cleared his throat and said, “Tuan, you want to take over?”
Tuan took a deep breath, and then he said, “I was originally working in Hanoi, and was assigned here also for the investigation of the same group that McKenzie just talked about. Of course, the local police department was kept in the dark. They thought that I was just a rookie. The police chief here was taking bribes from Boris’s gang, we suspected. Well, we proved it now, thanks to Zoe. At first she was just getting one of the Russian women she met to feed her stories.” Tuan looked toward Zoe, his voice was shaky still.
McKenzie sat down next to Tuan, and patted him on the back.
Tuan continued to say, “I shouldn’t have told her to do that to begin with, communicating with one of the captives. I knew Yurik was beating her, so I asked her to leave. She was so stubborn. She insisted on staying so she could try to get more information. She didn’t even know that I was investigating the case. I had already planted someone else in the club. Billie, the drummer, she’s my colleague. She was investigating the women smuggled here from Cambodia, Thailand, and rural Vietnam for the Russian sex tourists. Billie could speak and write many languages of Southeast Asia. I used Zoe to get her in.”
Ana couldn’t believe what she just heard. Her heart sped up.
“In the end, we were able to make headway in this case when Zoe bugged Boris’s phone and his office. Plus, the thug she was with had a big mouth,” said Tuan. “There were several links in between that we had to figure out, but we got the big boss, and we got proof of the police corruption. We cleaned house.”
Tuan paused for a second before he went on. “On the night of the raid, I told Zoe to ask her band to stay home. I was so busy afterward that I didn’t look for Zoe until the next morning. I couldn’t get her on the phone, so I went to Yurik’s apartment. And that’s when I found Zoe lying on the floor, unconscious. I got her here immediately and the doctor said there was a bleed in her head and she had to have surgery right away. I went back to the police station to get Yurik to tell me what happened. I swear I could’ve killed him. He wouldn’t say anything until I showed him a picture of Zoe’s face. He laughed out loud like the devil and finally told me what happened just to show off. He got angry when Zoe was trying to slip out of the apartment and he didn’t like her excuse. He grabbed her guitar and she fought him to get it back. So he punched her hard in the face. She lost her balance and hit her head on the doorframe.”
Ana was horrified. She covered her open mouth with her hand, and her heart ached as she pictured Yurik striking Zoe, tossing and thrashing her around. She felt nauseated.
“She passed out, and Yurik just left her for dead,” said Tuan. “Oh, Zoe.” His voice cracked.
The three of them sat silently for the next few moments. Ana couldn’t wrap her head around the entire sequence of events. She still couldn’t believe that her daughter helped solve an international human trafficking scheme. How did the anarchistic runaway become a hero in a blink of an eye?
“Tuan, can I call you Tuan?” said Ana.
Tuan nodded his head as he sniffled.
“Tuan,” said Ana, “it’s not your fault. Zoe always has her own idea about doing things. You couldn’t have talked her out of it. You may have used her, but it’s for the greater good. I can’t say that I am not angry, but I know that she would not regret any of it.”
“I knew you would understand,” said McKenzie. “I found out about Zoe when Tuan was screaming at Yurik. So I dragged him here this morning. I figured that we owe you an explanation.”
Ana told Tuan what the doctors had said earlier in the morning, and Tuan broke into a big smile.
“So, what’s next?” said Ana.
“Next,” said McKenzie, “a few other officers and I will escort these criminals back to Moscow. We are taking the Russian women back, too. Tuan and his team will help return the women from Thailand, Cambodia, and rural Vietnam. And Tuan is looking at a big promotion. He will probably become head of a police department somewhere, right? Maybe re-assigned back to Hanoi?”
“I much prefer to just be a detective here,” said Tuan.
“Anyway, Zoe’s found a great catch if she will be smart enough to keep him around,” said McKenzie.
Tuan gave a sheepish smile, and then he said, “You are thinking too much. Zoe never said she liked me.”
Ana smiled, too. She said, “But you like her, don’t you? Anyway, she’s too young. She just turned seventeen, but you will wait, won’t you?”
“Ha, so the mother-in-law approves,” said McKenzie. He clapped his hands.
“I’m going back to work,” said Tuan. He stood up and said to Ana, “Please keep me posted. I will visit again tonight.” He exited the room.
McKenzie produced an envelope from his suit pocket, and handed it over to Ana. “This is from Irisa, the woman that Zoe was trying to help rescue. She wanted to visit Zoe, but I didn’t want to risk Zoe’s involvement being made public. So, to show gratitude, Irisa sent Zoe this card instead.”
“I will make sure Zoe sees this,” said Ana.
“Well, I should say goodbye, too,” said McKenzie. “I’ve got some more details to wrap up for this case.”
“I totally underestimated you,” said Ana.
“Too late, you had your pick, and you went for the nerdy professor,” said McKenzie.
Ana didn’t want to discuss what happened between Vo and her, so she said, “Have a safe trip home. And keep those thugs locked up forever.”
“We’ll do our best,” said McKenzie. He gave Ana a hug, and then a military salute before he left. It was min
utes after McKenzie had left when Ana realized that she had forgotten to ask him for his real name; she would probably never see him again.
Ana went to stand by Zoe’s bed to look at her. She had such new respect for her daughter. What a courageous young woman, Ana thought. As she gazed at Zoe, she felt uneasy all of a sudden. What if Zoe never woke up? What if the police didn’t catch all the criminals and some were planning to retaliate?
Someone approached from behind and startled Ana. She almost screamed when she thought a man was holding out a knife in front of her.
“Ms. Romanova, are you all right?” said the phlebotomist. She was holding a needle and few tubes to collect Zoe’s blood for testing.
“Oh, you gave me a fright. I’m fine. I’m just going to sit down and rest for a while,” said Ana. She sat down in the chair in the corner, and within minutes, she dozed off.
Chapter 35
Ivan had to put on a warm, water-repelling jacket while waiting for Sofia on the designated bench on the beach promenade. The sky was pouring rain. Ivan held tight to his umbrella so it wouldn’t be carried away by the gusty wind. He had been waiting there all morning, and now the afternoon was almost gone. There were only a few people out on the beach to watch the waves that day. Ivan had spent the previous night with Misha’s family, and heard something about a typhoon being reported on the television.
Tran Phu Boulevard, running parallel to the beach promenade, was not as busy as it normally was. Ivan watched as each car or motorcycle zoomed in and out of his sight, causing great splashes of muddy water; luckily, no pedestrian was there to suffer such an unwelcome baptizing. The coconut trees shook back and forth, the branches creaking as they knocked against one another. Occasionally a frond of leaves would fall to the ground next to Ivan’s feet. Ivan looked up and observed the coconut fruits hanging above him, contemplated leaving his post, but decided to stay put. He had his helmet on, just in case.
“Ivan, Ivan.”
Ivan was so glad to hear his name called out. His heart rate sped up as he turned toward the source of the sound. He had imagined this moment a thousand times and rehearsed over and over what he was going to say to Sofia until his mind went blank from exhaustion.
“Sofia,” said Ivan. He looked at the figure, cloaked in a plastic, yellow rain suit, running toward him.
“Ivan,” said Misha, panting.
“What are you doing here?” said Ivan.
Misha took a minute to catch his breath, and then he pulled out a newspaper from inside his rain coat and showed it to Ivan.
“Read this,” said Misha.
“Okay. Crime boss arrested in Russia. So?”
“Look at the picture. It’s Sofia’s pa.” Misha pointed to a mug shot below the headline.
“No way,” said Ivan. He studied the man in the picture; he bore no resemblance to Sofia whatsoever.
“I’ve seen him pick up Sofia from school once or twice. Sofia hugged him and called him ‘papa’ over and over. Nicolai Kutyakov. Same last name as Sofia’s.”
“Why would a mob boss pick up his daughter from school?”
“Who knows? For fun? Anyway, I don’t think Sofia is coming back. You should come home with me now.”
Ivan held on to the newspaper and read the article quickly. Nicolai Kutyakov was charged with trafficking Russian women to Vietnam, specifically Nha Trang, for the sex trade. His men also imprisoned countless women from Southeast Asia, either forcing them into prostitution in the major cities of Vietnam, or smuggling them to Russia. Both the Russian and Vietnamese authorities had been aware of his gang’s activities for years, and started tracking his movement when he was operating out of Hanoi. However, it was not until recent months that they were able to penetrate into his organization and gather enough evidence to arrest him.
“This doesn’t say anything about Sofia,” said Ivan. “This doesn’t prove that Sofia is his daughter. Anyway, even if it’s true, Sofia’s life will still have to go on. She still has to go to school. She is not going to prison with her father.” He was somewhat breathless.
“They caught him in Russia,” said Misha. “Sofia went to Russia with him. I’m sure they will put her up with a relative or a guardian—in Russia. She’s not coming back.”
Ivan suddenly lost the strength to hold up his umbrella, and it fell to the ground along with the newspaper. Misha bent over to pick up both items. He held the umbrella over Ivan’s head and put the newspaper back into the pocket of his rain suit.
“Ivan, give up. She’s not coming back,” said Misha.
Ivan felt dizzy, but he managed to get up from the bench. He wobbled, and Misha reached out a hand to keep him upright. Ivan brushed off Misha’s hand, and walked toward the ocean where the surf was getting higher and stronger, crashing against the shore as it pushed inland.
“Where are you going?” Misha yelled at the top of his lungs but the roaring wind was drowning his voice out.
“I’m taking a walk. I’ll see you later,” said Ivan.
Ivan walked south on the beach, each footstep on the sand washed away as quickly as he made it by the waves that rushed in. He walked until he could not advance any further, as the wind was starting to push him in the other direction. He stood and watched the sky over the ocean, black with monstrous, whirling clouds. There was no one else left on the beach now. Everyone was safely sheltered in his home, thought Ivan. He wondered for a second whether Sofia was also thinking of him. Did she know that he was still waiting despite the storm? Maybe she didn’t show up because of the typhoon. He should probably go home and clean up, and when he saw her again, he could joke about her last name being the same as that of the mob boss in the newspaper. It would amuse them for days or even weeks, Ivan was sure.
Misha showed up again, this time with his father and Viktor. They ran up to Ivan as he swayed in the elements, and together they tried to push him off the beach and toward the road. Ivan was not really putting up a fight, but he was not exactly cooperating, either. Finally, they turned him horizontal and carried him into a car.
“Boy, his face is all wet from the rain,” said Viktor.
“Or his tears,” said Misha.
They quickly wrapped a towel over him, and tried their best to dry the water from his hair and his face while Misha’s father drove as fast as he could to get home.
“Oh, poor thing. He’s as white as paper,” said Misha’s mother when she saw Ivan.
She drew Ivan a hot bath and gave him some fresh, dry clothes. She set a bowl of hot soup in front of Ivan. He didn’t have an appetite at first, but after he tasted a little of it, he quickly devoured it and asked for a second.
“That’s much better. Got some color back,” said Misha’s mother, looking at Ivan’s face.
“Anything else we can do for you, Ivan?” said Misha’s father.
Ivan didn’t answer right away, and for a few moments Misha’s cozy home seemed to have been invaded by the tropical depression as well.
“Could you take me home?” said Ivan eventually.
“No way,” said Misha. “The storm is crazy outside. Viktor is staying here tonight, too.”
Viktor, who had come to Misha’s house with Ivan, said, “My ma didn’t want me back out there.”
“I’ll walk home, if you won’t take me,” said Ivan toward Misha’s father.
Misha’s father sighed, and grabbed his car key.
Ivan’s legs felt like lead as he went up the stairs of his apartment building to his fourth-story home. When he got there he was greeted by several large, black plastic bags on the landing. There was a new chain lock on the metal door. Ivan knew that he wouldn’t be able to get in, but he didn’t know why he was being locked out. He opened some of the bags to inspect the contents. They were clothes and personal items, his and his mother’s. His mother’s framed photographs were also in some of the bags. It seemed that the landlady had thrown them out.
Ivan was trying to figure out what to do when he heard footsteps comin
g up the stairs. When he saw his mother’s face, he was actually glad. She was not in the habit of listening, but he had always poured his heart out to her when he needed to. There was usually no one else.
“What’s this?” said Ana.
“Looks like we got kicked out,” said Ivan.
Ana stood still for a moment, as if trying to recall something. Ivan bent over to tie up the bags that he had opened.
After a minute of silence, Ivan looked up at her mother again. She seemed to be spacing out.
“Ma?” said Ivan.
Ana tensed up all of a sudden, and screamed.
Ivan watched as Ana collapsed. Her arms and legs stiffened up, drew her body to one side, and started shaking violently. Ivan got down on his knees, not knowing what to do. He had never seen his mother like this before. He put his hands on Ana’s body to try to stop the shaking, but it was no use.
“Ma, Ma,” said Ivan. His voice was also trembling. He was scared, and started crying.
He heard a clunk. Ana’s cell phone had fallen out of her pocket in the commotion. Ivan picked it up. He steadied his hand as best as he could, and dialed the number for ambulance.
Chapter 36
The line seemed to stretch on forever as it wrapped around the ancient, massive building, out of the corner of which a bread shop was receiving and dispensing customers very, very slowly. Someone seemed to be coughing incessantly in the distance. Ana blew into her hands for warmth, the fingertips of her gloves worn and torn. She stood next to her grandmother as they inched forward. Someone came out of the shop with a loaf of bread, and Ana threw him an envious glance, hoping that there would be some bread left when it was her grandmother’s turn.
Her grandmother and the other adults broke into laughter all of a sudden, but little Ana was not made aware of the joke. She was fine with it, because they soon started singing a cheery song and passed Ana from one to another while twirling her around. She could hardly feel her toes from the cold, but she danced on, until it was her grandmother’s turn at the bread counter.