‘So it is; but a lot of it comes from Japan, and I am the head of the department that is a thorn in the side of the Japanese smugglers. They have their spies and must know that. If they could get hold of me they could make me reveal our methods of getting information in advance about their shipments. But they wouldn’t stop at that. They’d kill me.’
‘Do you really think so?’
‘I’m certain of it. I hold so many strings to the illicit traffic from Japan, and in the past few years must have cost them many thousands of pounds by causing their parcels of dope to be seised. They would never let me return to Hong Kong and resume the fight against them.’
‘What did you say to the Japanese, then? I take it he was a Jap?’
‘Yes. I again refused to go with him. Then he gave me an ultimatum. He said, “If you won’t come to Japan with me now you must come on your own. Either you will be sitting in the lounge of the Miyako Hotel in Kyoto at ten o’clock in the evening a week from today, or we will cut your daughter up into little pieces.”’
Chapter IX
The Sprat to Catch the Mackerel
For a moment Julian stared at Tilly Sang in horror. Then he burst out, ‘But you must go! You must! You can’t just remain here and let Merri be murdered.’
Staring back at him, she wrung her hands and cried, ‘God knows I’d give all I possess to prevent that! I offered to ransom her, but he only laughed at me. And if I do go they’ll kill me. I’m certain of it.’
‘No!’ he said sharply. ‘It will need all your courage; but you’ve got plenty of that. We’ll get on to the police. They’ll get in touch with the Japanese police, who will protect you and enable us to trap these people.’
She shook her head. ‘That’s no good. You don’t know them. They have spies everywhere; even in the Japanese police force. They would find out that the police were shadowing me; then, like all kidnappers, they would never risk being caught with their victim. They would kill Merri at once and dispose of her body; so that there would be no evidence against them.’
‘That’s a ghastly thought. But we’ll have to risk it. For you to go there under police protection is our only chance. At least we know now that Merri has not been sold into a brothel and is still alive, but she’ll be dead within ten days if we make no effort to save her.’
‘We can’t even be certain that she is still alive. Anyhow, if I did go we’ve no guarantee that they would release her. They would be afraid that she would tell her story and give the police the evidence to arrest them. Oh God, I don’t know what to do! I feel sure that it’s not only information this man wants. If he does get hold of me I’m certain that he’ll kill me.’
‘This man,’ Julian repeated quickly. ‘You know who is the head of the ring, then?’
‘Yes. At least I … I think so. I couldn’t swear to it, but I’m as near certain as can be.’
‘In that case, why shouldn’t we put the police on to him right away? Even if you have only suspicion to go on they would start enquiries and, perhaps, find some excuse to search his premises.’
‘I daren’t; and I’ve already told you the reason. He would be tipped off that the police were after him and protect himself by doing away with Merri.’
‘If you are not absolutely certain that this particular man is the head of the ring what leads you to believe that he is?’
She made an angry gesture. ‘Oh, there are a dozen lines in my files that seem to lead to him. Added together it could hardly be anyone else; but not one of them is strong enough to hang a case on. If we had had any concrete evidence against him we would have asked the Japanese police to pull him in long ago. The trouble is he never leaves Japan, and he’s too rich and powerful ever to need to run any risk himself. If I’d had any doubts the man who came up from the sea would have settled them for me when he demanded that I should go to Kyoto. There are a dozen other big cities in Japan, but it is in Kyoto that this human spider lives.’
Julian nodded. ‘I see. That certainly adds greatly to the probability that you are right. In addition to being rich and cautious, what sort of a man is he?’
‘He must be well over sixty, comes of a good family and has a finger in all sorts of pies. He owns a controlling interest in a radio factory, a coastal shipping line, a silk works, a famous doll shop and …’
‘A doll shop?’ asked Julian with a puzzled frown.
‘Yes; not the sort where you’d buy a doll for a child, but one of those that are peculiar to Japan. The dolls are real works of art. They represent mikados, empresses, shoguns, court officials and famous geishas, in gala attire. Everything is correct to the minutest detail and the embroidery on the silk and satin clothes so fine that it has to be examined with a magnifying glass. Some of them cost as much as a hundred pounds sterling, and the rich Japanese collect them as Europeans do Dresden or snuffboxes. Incidentally, he is a great collector of antiques. When the Japanese overran China they looted it of an immense amount of treasure and a great part of the stuff is still in private houses in Japan. He is said to have paid very high prices for many beautiful things.’
For a moment she paused, then hurried on: ‘Of course, all these activities are good cover for dope smuggling. They conceal packets of heroin even in miniature radios and in rolls of silk. We have found it, too, buried in the stuffing of quite ordinary dolls. He is not above using antiques for that, either. It comes through in the secret drawers of lacquer cabinets and in the hollow bodies of cheap modern Buddhas faked up for the tourist trade. And, of course, these things are smuggled through as part of the genuine cargoes of his coastal ships.’
‘What else do you know about him?’ Julian enquired.
She hesitated. ‘Not much. He travelled extensively when he was a younger man and, of course, was an officer during the war. He was married but lost his wife some years ago. Like most of these Japanese he was a great lecher, and he used to throw big geisha parties at his house for himself and his friends. Our informants report that he still sends for one of the more expensive ones now and then. But the Japanese tycoons don’t mix business with that sort of pleasure so much in these days.’
‘How do you mean?’
‘In the old days all big business was transacted at geisha parties. Each man had his favourite girl and the host used to be expected to invite her. Over the meal, while the girls waited on them, they talked stocks and shares, contracts and mergers. Afterwards they relaxed, the girls danced and sang for them, and the party ended as one might expect. But now all big business is done on the golf courses. The Japanese have gone mad on golf. It may surprise you to know that the entrance fee to the crack golf club in Tokyo is six hundred pounds sterling.’
‘It certainly does.’
Walking over to a trolley in a corner of the room, Tilly Sang mixed herself a stiff whisky-and-soda, then told Julian to help himself if he would like one. When he had done so they sat down and proceeded to hash matters over for the best part of an hour. He continued to insist that she could not possibly just let matters slide; while she, although obviously desperately concerned about Merri, maintained that if she herself went to Kyoto her life would not be worth an hour’s purchase.
By one o’clock in the morning they had got no further; so, telling her that he would come to discuss the matter with her again in the morning, he prepared to take his departure. As she accompanied him through the hall to let him out, his glance happened to fall on the magnificent life-sized gilded bronze figure of the goddess Kuan-yin. Pausing in front of it, he said:
‘One moment. I have an idea. You say this man is so rich that he wouldn’t listen to the offer of a money ransom. But if collecting Chinese antiques is his passion this might tempt him.’
Tilly Sang shook her head and said despondently, ‘I don’t think it would. I’ve certainly never seen a finer. But it’s me he wants to … to eliminate.’
‘Yes, I appreciate that.’ Julian turned and looked at her. ‘But why? Because over the years you have become the leading expert on
the methods used to smuggle dope from Japan into Hong Kong. Because your activities have cost him a lot of money. Perhaps even because he thinks that you have now become a menace to him personally. But from what you’ve told me I judge him too old a hand at the game to fear seriously that you’ll catch him out; so I doubt the last. If so it boils down to this being a plot he has hatched to save himself from further loss of revenue. But when men become very rich many of them place other desires before that of simply making more money. They begin to crave for honours, estates and big houses in which they can entertain, political influence or possessions of which they can be proud. It is at least possible that to own your Kuan-yin this dope king would be willing to go on losing a certain amount of money and return Merri to you.’
Again Tilly Sang shook her head. ‘I doubt it. Really, I think it’s most unlikely.’
‘Anyway, it’s worth trying,’ Julian urged her. ‘Do you happen to have a photograph of it?’
‘Yes. A few years ago I had photographs taken of all the best pieces in the house, and a book made up of them.’
‘Good. We could have had a photograph taken tomorrow, but this will save us a day; and we’ve got seven days to work in. There is at least one air service to Japan every day, if not two. If it’s posted tonight it should be in Kyoto within twenty-four hours. With luck we’d get a reply by Wednesday. And if he turns down the offer that will still leave you three clear days in which to make up your mind to go there yourself under police protection.’
Obviously she had little faith in his idea, but he had judged rightly that she would clutch at any straw to avoid, for the time being, agreeing to go to Japan. Returning to the drawing room, she produced an album from the drawer of a bureau and tore out the page with the photograph of the Kuan-yin, below which was typed a description of the figure. As she did so, Julian said:
‘Now write him a covering letter making the offer, then we’ll pack the photograph up and I’ll take it with me. The airport at Kai Tak is certain to be open all night. When I get back to the hotel I’ll make the night porter rouse out a driver and a car for me and take it over to Kowloon myself. Then we’ll be sure of getting it on the first plane leaving for Japan in the morning.’
‘No,’ she replied. ‘The letter is going to be a very tricky one to write. I may have to make several drafts before I’m satisfied that I’ve put things in the most likely way to excite his cupidity. I may even offer, if he’ll do a deal, to resign from my job with the Narcotics Advisory Committee as an extra inducement. But I’ll have to think about that. You go back to your hotel now. When I’ve written the letter I’ll get my car out and take it to the airport myself.’
With that, for the moment, Julian had to be satisfied; so he said good night to her and walked slowly back to his hotel. On the way there he told himself that he ought to be a little comforted by this new development. At least Merri had not been white-slaved and disappeared for good to suffer as her mother had done in some house of ill fame in Macao or Formosa. He felt, too, that for the present she was in no immediate danger, since for her kidnappers to kill her prematurely would be pointless and by keeping her alive they could put the squeeze on Mrs. Sang by forcing Merri to write a pathetic letter of appeal to her mother. Even so, he knew that the week to come was going to be a desperately anxious time for him.
Since coming out of hospital he had several times thought of going down to Aberdeen to thank the woman sampan owner who had saved his life, but had still been so groggy from his recent fever that he had not felt up to it. By Monday morning he was practically his old self, so he had a car take him to Aberdeen and sought out the woman.
Having through an interpreter expressed his gratitude and admiration for her courage, he asked what he could do for her by way of reward. She replied very humbly that her boat was old and that if he could possibly spare a hundred dollars that would help her to exchange it for a better one. Smiling at the modesty of her request, he had her take him to a boat builders and, to her delighted amazement, ordered the best sampan that money could buy to be made for her; then he gave her five hundred dollars to buy new clothes for herself and her son.
But that had occupied only a morning, and he knew that he had to get through another two or three days of suspense before a reply could be expected from Japan. Thinking it just possible that Tilly Sang might receive a cable, and fearing to be out should she telephone him, he spent the time hanging about the hotel. It was while he was having breakfast on Thursday morning that the anxiously awaited call came through. Hurrying into his clothes, he went down to the house. On his arrival Tilly lost no time in telling him the result of their bid to ransom Merri.
‘He’s interested,’ she said. ‘Although he pretends that he knows nothing about Merri’s having been kidnapped. But he says that it is impossible to judge from a photograph whether the Kuan-yin is a genuine antique; so I must send it to him on approval.’
‘Thank God!’ Julian exclaimed. ‘We’ll get it packed up at once.’
She gave a bitter laugh. ‘Yes, I suppose so. But you are an optimist if you expect a man of his kind to give us a fair deal. He’ll keep the Kuan-yin. He may even pay me for it. As we’ll have proof of delivery he can hardly avoid doing that. But he won’t let Merri go. Not unless I go to Japan; and I doubt if he’ll do so even then.’
‘If he wants the Kuan-yin badly enough he will,’ Julian replied promptly. ‘And there’s no need for you to go there. I’ll take the Kuan-yin to Japan and negotiate with him. Either he hands Merri over to me or he doesn’t get the goddess.’
‘Perhaps you’re right. It’s certainly a good idea that you should act as my intermediary. I can only pray that you may be successful.’
‘If we’re on the right track you can be sure I’ll leave nothing untried,’ Julian assured her. ‘But his having denied all knowledge of Merri does make it possible that he is innocent and you’ve picked on the wrong man.’
Tilly gave an angry snort. ‘You wouldn’t expect him to be such a fool as to admit his guilt, would you? Of course he’d deny having Merri in order to protect himself.’
‘That’s true. Still, you had better show me his letter, so that I can see exactly what he said and be better able to judge the form.’
After a moment’s hesitation she went to a drawer in her desk, took the letter from it and handed it to him. It was typewritten, in English, and read:
Dear Mrs. Sang,
The honour of your acquaintance having been denied me and, in fact, never previously having even heard speak of you, I was much surprised at the contents of your letter. And more particularly so as you appear to believe that I am, in some way, connected with the most regrettable disappearance of your daughter. Having disabused your admirable mind of this unworthy suspicion, I send you my condolences on your loss and sincerely trust that the all-seeing gods will devise ways in which your estimable daughter will shortly be returned to you.
Now with regard to your fortunate possession of the figure of the Queen of Heaven, a photograph of which you enclosed in your letter. It undoubtedly appears to be an exceptionally beautiful portrayal of the goddess and, should it be genuine, I should greatly like to add it to my collection. However, without casting the faintest aspersion on your own unquestionable honesty, I feel sure you will forgive me for remarking that certain skilful, crafty and evilly disposed persons have, at times, succeeded in producing very passable faked reproductions of such valuable antiques.
Since you are agreeable to disposing of the figure, I therefore suggest that you should have it shipped to Japan in order that I may inspect it. Even with my limited knowledge of ancient craftsmanship I might then be able to satisfy myself with regard to its genuineness. If so I should be most happy to ask your acceptance of a suitable return for it.
May the gods prosper all your undertakings, my dear Mrs. Sang. Meanwhile I shall hope to hear further from you shortly; and, I hope, favourably.
With my respectful compliments to your esteemed
-person …
Julian read it through quickly, looked again at the small letters of the signature—which at first glance were a little difficult to decipher—then gave a gasp.
‘What is it?’ Tilly Sang asked quickly. ‘What’s the matter?’
A slow, grim smile spread over Julian’s face. ‘Inosuke Hayashi,’ he murmured. ‘Well, you were right about him being our man. I haven’t a doubt about that now.’
‘You know him, then?’ she exclaimed in surprise.
‘Yes. It’s a small world, isn’t it? Although I suppose there are not many really big operators of dope rings in it; and that is the tie-up. Before the war Hayashi spent a lot of his time in Europe. His cover was chief representative of the Shikoko Products Company, who were wholesale exporters of soap; but his real business was distributing narcotics. He was one of a group of super-crooks. They were much too canny ever to risk being caught through doing a job themselves, but employed scores of smaller fry on espionage, bullion thefts, I.D.B., white-slaving and every other filthy racket. I was then a young diplomat. I chanced to find out about them while in my first post, at Brussels, and flattered myself that I was clever enough to land the whole bunch in jail; but they very nearly landed me in jail instead. Anyway, matters ended with a most unsavoury scandal that ruined my career. Later I succeeded in reducing the number of the group and doing it a considerable amount of damage, but that is another story. The last I heard of Hayashi was that he had been sentenced to ten years as a war criminal. Being a good bit older by then I decided, rather than risk my own neck again in an attempt to get even with him, to leave it at that. But now, after the suffering he has caused Merri, I mean to put an end to the little swine if I possibly can.’
Tilly nodded. ‘I don’t wonder you feel so bitter about him. You are right, too, about his having been given ten years.’
‘Why didn’t you tell me about that?’
‘I … well, I didn’t think it really necessary. Although I suppose I ought to have because it’s probably one of his reasons for wanting to get me into his clutches. You … you see … Sang, my late husband, was one of the witnesses against him at his trial and gave evidence about the atrocities he committed while in Singapore.’
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