"Not as exciting as spending time with you."
"Okay," I wanted to keep this short. Robert had a way of getting under my skin and I just didn't need it.
"How's it going?" he asked.
"Fine. I've got to go actually, why are you calling?"
"Can't a friend just call to say hello?"
"Not you."
"You're always assuming things about me, Sydney. I just wanted to check in on you."
"Well, now you have. I'm fine. Like I said. I have to go."
I hung up the phone and returned the living room. "Ready," I said to Dan. He held the door for me and Blue. As we walked down the hall toward the elevator I tried to forget the syrupy tone of Robert Maxim's voice but it was floating through my brain, putting me even more on edge. I needed a job. A tough one.
#
After lunch I called Merl. I glanced over at Blue while I listened to the phone ring. Merl had three Doberman Pinchers of his own and spent years as a dog trainer before joining Joyful Justice. I'd looked over the mission notes Merl left. His plan started with him visiting an old friend in Shanghai who knew Mo-Ping and might be able to provide insight into why she was not responding. I wanted to know what he'd learned so far. but Merl didn't pick up his phone.
I chewed on my lower lip as I looked down at the mobile device. "Everything okay?" Dan asked.
We were in his office. The control room below us was starting to fill back in after lunch. "Yeah, I'm sure it's nothing, just Merl didn't pick up his phone."
Dan was sitting at his desk and turned to his keyboard. "I'll track him," he said.
"Of course, I should have just asked you from the beginning."
Dan smiled, the blue of his screen casting an eerie light over his tan skin. His face slowly shifted, the edges of his mouth turning down and his eyes narrowing. "What is it?" I asked.
"He's probably just in the mountains," he said.
"What do you mean?"
"I'm not getting a signal, but that could be because he is out of satellite range."
"Is that normal?"
Dan shrugged. "Can be. I'm going to check where I last had him." More typing and a bigger frown. "Shanghai," he said. "That doesn't make any sense."
"What are you tracking, his phone?"
"Yes, and a beacon in Chula's collar," Dan said, referring to Merl's youngest dog.
"Couldn't he still be in Shanghai?"
"Sure, but neither beacon has moved or updated in hours."
I walked around the desk and leaned over his chair looking at a map of Shanghai on the screen. It looked like the chaos of veins in a body. A small red dot sat motionless in the center of the screen.
"So, Merl would have had to remove the device from Chula and smash his phone?"
"Basically. Or he went underground."
"Underground?"
"Yes, the beacons can't signal if they are too deep under the earth."
"Is that possible in Shanghai?"
"Sure, it's possible anywhere."
"Should I be worried?" I asked, already feeling worried.
"Not yet. Let's give it a day. Maybe there is something weird going on. But if we have not heard from him by tomorrow I'll start to worry."
"I'm going to call Mulberry and see if he's heard from him."
"Good idea."
Mulberry picked up right away. "Sydney," he said, his voice sounded like he was smiling.
"Hey, have you heard from Merl?"
"He checked in yesterday, didn't he?" Mulberry said, his voice turning serious, reacting to my own.
"Yes, but I just tried calling him and he didn't pick up. Plus, his beacons don't appear to be working."
"Strange," Mulberry said, his voice low.
"If we don't hear from him tomorrow I'm going after him."
Mulberry was quiet for a second. I could hear howler monkeys in the background, roaring at the setting sun in Costa Rica. "Okay," he said. "But I don't want you going alone."
"I can move faster on my own."
"You can die faster, too," Mulberry said, his voice harsh. "We don't need two members of the council disappearing in one city. I want to send you some men."
"That will take time."
Dan was watching me, he cocked his head. "Mulberry doesn't want me going alone," I said to Dan, putting Mulberry on speaker and holding the phone out so Dan could join the conversation.
"I agree," he said.
"You think we should leave Merl out there for longer while we wait for reinforcements to arrive from Costa Rica?"
"No, but I can send a tech guy with you and let's call Lenox, see who he has on the ground."
"Smart thinking," Mulberry said. "Sydney?"
"That's fine," I said.
"Dan, what do you think the chances are that Merl's in some kind of trouble? Couldn't this just be a malfunction?"
"Of two devices? Unlikely."
"Shit. Merl's not an easy man to take down," Mulberry said.
"I'll call Lenox," I said.
"Fine," both Mulberry and Dan said at the same time, their voices edged with tension.
"We'll call you tomorrow," I said to Mulberry before hanging up.
I put the phone down on the desk next to a pile of folders and stared at the screen, at the overlapping red dots in the center of that big mess of a city. "Give me everything Merl left us about his route."
Dan turned to his computer and began to type.
We went over it together. Merl's friend, Mo, was a tai chi instructor at a training center in a small village in Yang Shuo, Guaxgxi about 18 hours from Shanghai. The training center was closer to Hong Kong but Merl had a friend in Shanghai, Xiu Sing, who he wanted to see before heading out there. Sing knew Mo and Merl hoped to confirm that there was really something wrong before he showed up on Mo-Ping's doorstep. It was possible she was just ignoring him.
Sing was a sword maker, one of the last in China. At the age of 82 he still worked every day. Merl had tried to speak to him on the phone—Sing didn’t use email—but Sing told him to come to Shanghai. Dan tried the number in Merl’s notes. It rang over twenty times before he gave up. We tried the tai chi center's number but as Merl had noted it had been disconnected for months.
I left Lenox a message and hoped that he would get back to me soon. I didn't know exactly where in the world he was or what time it was there... or who he was with, so I guessed it could be some time before Lenox responded.
I returned my attention to Merl's notes. If encouraged to do so by Sing, Merl planned on traveling by private plane to Yang Shuo. A man with three Doberman Pinchers can't exactly just hop on a train. The village was isolated and surrounded by mountains, which is why Dan thought it was possible we'd just lost his signal for a short period of time.
But I had that uneasy sense that was growing stronger with every moment. "Merl doesn't say anything about what he thinks might have happened to her," Dan said.
"I don't think he had any ideas. As far as he knew the tai chi center was perfectly safe. But he was worried."
"Worried enough to go all the way to China."
"He loves her," I said, not taking my eyes off the documents in front of me.
I felt Dan turn his head to look at my profile. "I guess people do crazy things for love."
"It's not that crazy to go to China," I said, my lips quirking into a smile as I glanced up at him. "After all I'm about to go there for Merl and I'm not in love with him."
"But you love him, don't you?"
"He's one of my best friends."
"Do you trust him?"
"As much as anyone," I said, returning my gaze to the papers in front of me.
"You trust him more than me?"
"We have a less complicated history," I answered. My phone rang, interrupting the conversation.
Lenox's smooth, accented voice came over the line clear and familiar. "Sydney," he said my name like he enjoyed it, playing with the syllables, making me close my eyes and imagine his strong hand
s, sculpted shoulders, and deep kisses.
"Lenox, nice to hear your voice," I said, moving away from Dan and walking toward the couch.
"Always a pleasure to talk with you. Is everything well?" I could picture his thick lips forming the words. I wasn't sure where Lenox was but I imagined him in the sunshine, wearing a white linen shirt that made his dark skin look that much blacker. The thin gold chain around his neck glittering in the light. The memory of the smell of him as he leaned in for a kiss made me smile despite my troubles.
"I have not heard from Merl," I said. "Dan and I tracked him. He’s not answering his phone and his beacon has stopped updating since soon after he arrived in Shanghai. I'm planning on heading there to look for him and was wondering if you had any contacts who could help me."
"Of course, I have an apartment there."
"Right," I said with a little laugh.
"My head of operations, Loki Falk, can look after you. He is a very good man."
"If he works for you I'm sure he is."
"I'll call him now. Send me your travel plans, he'll meet you at the airport."
"He can get me weapons, maybe a couple of men for back up?"
"Send me a list, guns are difficult in China but we will see what we can do."
"Thank you."
"Any time. And Sydney?"
"Yes."
"Be brave."
"You too, Lenox."
Another Journey
We didn't hear from Merl and so I was back on a plane, heading west over the Pacific toward China. Dan sent Mitchel, the young man who I'd met in his office, along with me. While I worried that he was young and inexperienced Dan told me Mitchel was the best. It was his first field experience with Joyful Justice but according to Dan, Mitchel had been hacking since he was ten. And I could trust him. Eager to be on my way I didn't argue.
Mitchel was excited and bounced his leg as we descended into Shanghai. Blue was at my knee. I was wearing my jeans, a long sleeve cotton top and a leather jacket. I'd worn it in India and totally forgotten about it, but Dan had been carrying it around apparently. It had a hidden pocket where I'd kept a lead pipe after Blue and I were attacked by a pack of wild dogs. The pipe was gone now but the pocket was still there.
I assumed that even if Loki couldn't get me a gun there were plenty of other weapons, and I was happy to have a jacket to hide one in. There was also space in the lining for currency, always useful to have in a foreign nation.
Entering China was not a simple process but Merl had managed to get himself and his three dogs through this very airport days earlier. I hoped we wouldn't have any problems. Blue's papers were in order and this was a "no quarantine" entry point. Mitchel had brought his laptop with him, but was going to pick up more equipment once on the ground. "Some of the equipment would look suspicious," he told me. "But we may need it."
I didn't question him.
It was a cloudy day and I couldn't see anything as we descended to the small private airport. One minute we were in the smog and the next the runway loomed up at us. The landing was smooth and we taxied over to a hangar where we were met by customs agents and Lenox's man, Loki.
Loki was tall with dark hair and black eyes. He was handsome, not surprising considering his profession. It helped that he was dressed in a tailored black suit that followed the elegant lines of his body perfectly and a crisp white shirt with gold cuff links.
Loki did the talking while the stern-looking customs agent inspected our paperwork. Loki's voice was smooth, low and deferential. The customs agent, wearing a green uniform and a sour expression, eyed Blue with distaste but agreed that everything was in order and let us go.
Loki had brought two cars. "Mitchel, I believe you have business in the city you wish to attend to immediately."
Mitchel nodded, "Yes, thanks."
"This is your driver, Chang. He will take you where you need to go."
"Great, thanks," Mitchel said, turning to the small man standing behind Loki who wore a traditional chauffeur uniform, dark suit, narrow tie, white shirt, and cap. Mitchel threw his bags into the backseat of the dark Mercedes and climbed in after them, waving at me. "See you at the house."
"Sure," I said, turning to Loki.
"This way," he said, pointing to another dark sedan.
#
The air was thick with smog, the sun glowed blood orange through the wavering mist. The sounds of vehicle traffic and the tinkle of bicycles filled the air. Blue tapped his nose against my hip as Loki unlocked the door to the apartment building. It was four-stories tall and European in style. Probably built by the British a century or more ago. I wasn't surprised Lenox kept his apartment in the Bund, the older part of town, across the river from Pudong and its glittering lights.
I liked this street. There was a fruit stand steps away and as a breeze blew down the block it brought the sticky sweet scent of lychees and mangosteens with it. Loki got the door open and he stepped back, holding his arm out for me to go ahead. Taller than me by about six inches, his dark eyes caught mine for only a moment before dropping to the ground. A subservient stance. I wondered what Lenox had told him about me.
As I passed by him, our bodies close, I paused. "Loki?"
"Yes, Ms. Rye?"
"What did Lenox say about me?"
"He said to help you in any way you needed." His eyes stayed down.
"What does that mean?"
"You tell me."
I smiled slightly, letting my eyes wander over him. Loki's hair was jet black, shiny and straight, curling just a touch at the base of his neck. His shoulders were broad, narrow but strong. He had a cat-like elegance to him and moved like a fighter. That was the kind of thing I could see now. How a man moved, where he placed his eyes when I spoke to him, told me so much. "Loki," I said his name again, quietly.
"Yes, Ms. Rye?"
"Look at me."
His eyes came up, slowly, not unsure but careful. "What do you do for Lenox?"
"Whatever he needs."
I smiled fully this time. Enjoying his coyness. Coming from a man who looked like Loki it was funny. He didn't look coy, he looked dangerous. I turned and entered the building, passing through a small vestibule to a narrow hall. There was a door to my left that appeared to enter a ground floor apartment. "Second floor," Loki told me as he closed and locked the door behind us.
Blue went first, his nails clicking on the hardwood. I ran my hand along the smooth bannister as we climbed. The steps were worn in their centers, the building felt well used and well cared for. The walls were freshly painted, the wood glossy and dust free.
Loki passed me on the landing of the second floor to open the apartment door. He entered first, Blue and I following as he flicked on lights. The curtains were drawn against the waning light of day. Track lighting illuminated a modern space with old world details. Large windows that could have been in a Paris apartment, prominent mouldings and original wood floors contrasted with the white walls, modern paintings, and clean-lined furniture.
I could picture Lenox here, sitting on the heather gray couch, in front of the art book-laden coffee table, holding a glass of wine, enjoying the abstract landscape hanging above the fireplace. Loki walked behind me, moving into the kitchen, which was open to the living room and a dining area. "Would you like a drink?" he asked.
"Yes, and a bowl of water for Blue please."
Loki nodded and began to fill an elegant white ceramic dish with water from a large container on the counter. "Red wine?" he asked me.
"Just seltzer if you have it."
He nodded. "Bedrooms are upstairs," he said as he placed the water on the ground for Blue. I motioned for Blue to drink and he padded across the floor, crossing over an intricate, hand-woven rug on his way to the kitchen. As Blue lapped at the water Loki brought me a blue bottle of seltzer from the fridge. "Would you like to get settled?"
"Yes, a shower would be nice."
Loki led the way upstairs, Blue close behind me. Loki open
ed one of three doors leading off the landing. The room was of a similar style to downstairs, grays and whites, large windows, antique details. A chandelier hung from the ceiling, and when Loki turned it on the room was bathed in yellow light.
I opened the curtains, letting the opaque light of late afternoon filter in. "The bathroom is through there," Loki said, and I turned to see him pointing to his right where a door stood ajar, darkness beyond it. "Is there anything else that you need?"
"No, thank you, I'll meet you downstairs."
"Your friend..."
"Mitchel."
"Yes, he will be here soon. Do you share a room?"
I laughed. "No, no we do not."
"Will you be needing company tonight then?" Loki kept his eyes on the ground. I felt my face grow hot.
"No, I'll be fine."
"Very well." Loki turned and left, closing the door behind him. I listened to his soft footfalls as he walked back downstairs before heading to the bathroom.
The shower was big enough for two with excellent water pressure. I spent time under the hot spray letting my muscles relax after the long flight. I wanted to take a jog but first needed to touch base with Mitchel. The spot where Merl's red dot disappeared was close to Lenox's place, in the Bund.
I thought about the modern skyscrapers across the river and what Loki had told me about the rapid growth of the city as we'd driven here from the airport. It amazed me what humans could do when they put their minds to it. This was my first time in China and I sensed how different it was. Despite the familiar architectural details of this apartment, of the corporations’ names that glowed on the facades of the skyscrapers, this was not like the Western world. There was some of the madness of India on the streets, the pollution, but there was something else. Communism and Confucianism left a mark of order on this place, an attempt at organization that you didn't feel in India.
I found a white quilted robe hanging on the back of the bathroom door and slipped it on before returning to my bedroom. I then dressed quickly in my jeans and a button-down navy blue cotton shirt that had wrinkled a bit in my suitcase but was still wearable and wandered barefoot downstairs. Loki was in the kitchen and the scents of ginger and lemongrass wafted through the house.
Shadow Harvest (A Sydney Rye Mystery, #7) Page 4