The military man with the medals spoke briefly with Bret then turned and said something to the others, waving his arms wildly. The two jeeps backed up and turned around. The man with the gun jumped onto the back of one of the jeeps and they sped off.
Bret raced up the stairs, brushed past Jason, and stuck his head into the cockpit. “Get this bird in the air immediately!” he barked at the pilots. “We’ve got a real short window to get out of here!” He turned back and sat down in the seat outside the cockpit. He indicated to Jason to sit down. “Buckle up there, brother. This might be a wild ride.”
As Jason fumbled with his seatbelt, he asked Bret, “What was all that about? I thought I was just going to take a civilian airline back to the States. I didn’t realize I was causing an international incident.”
Bret wiped his forehead with the back of his sleeve. He checked out of the plane’s window, breathing heavily. He turned from the window and looked at Jason. “It seems you’ve created quite a stir. Your boss, Madam Chen, wants to keep you here in China. It’s something to do with Brian Thompson’s disappearance. I had to play the diplomatic immunity card out there. Fortunately for you, Agent Namath alerted us at the American Embassy and enlisted our help to get you out. You must be working on something big.”
“If I am, it’s news to me, Jason answered. I’m just trying to get back to the United States to my daughter. I know I’ve tripped over something the feds are interested in, but I’m not sure how it involves me.” He felt a slight surge as the jet started moving.
“What about this Brian Thompson fellow?” Bret asked. “It seems I may have heard the name before.”
“If you follow the solar energy or green energy movement, that’s where you may have heard about him. He’s a good friend of mine, and I helped him get out of the hospital in Hong Kong where they were keeping him. He told me he thinks Madan Chen was having him poisoned.”
The jet’s engines started to roar and Jason felt himself being pushed back in his seat by the thrust. The jet rumbled down the runway and lifted off, its nose pointed to the sky.
“I think you’re going to join up with your friend Brian when we get to Japan and fly home with him back to the States. From what I heard, he’s still in bad shape. So, what do you think?” Bret asked. “Is Madam Chen capable of murder?”
Looking out the window, Jason paused to ponder the question. Is she, he thought? She is ruthless and ambitious, and I’m beginning to believe she’ll commit murder. He thought back on the events of the last few months. Andrew Dillon gets murdered, and since he owns Earth-Sun and is our only competitor for Copper Mountain, we get the job. Then when Brian Thompson expresses concern over Soltech’s ability to perform, he gets sick and Mei Chen steps in. Now she’s trying to keep me in China by force. Coincidence or nefarious? He looked back at Bret. “I don’t know the answer to that, but I don’t believe there is anything Mei Chen wouldn’t do to get her way. Even murder!”
Bret unbuckled his seatbelt and sat up on the edge of his seat. “Well, we’re not out of the woods yet. We’re headed to Japan to refuel before we cross the ocean. The Chinese still have a lot of influence in Japan and they could make our lives difficult when we arrive.” He stood. “We have a few hours to kill. Would you like a drink to ease the tension? I sure would.”
“Yeah, a scotch sounds good right about now.” He turned and stared out the window, looking down at the land slowly disappearing below him.
FORTY-TWO
The heavy jail door was pushed opened by a young soldier, and he stepped back to let the odor coming from the cell dissipate. The colonel standing next to him tapped another soldier on the shoulder. “Get Mr. Wilson on his feet. I want to see if he’s finally changed his mind and is willing to sign the documents.”
The young soldier bowed and entered the jail cell. His eyes adjusted to the light and he saw the form of a man lying curled up on the floor in the corner of the cell. Moving toward it, he kicked the man in the left side. Nothing happened so he kicked him again harder. The man didn’t move. Bending down, the soldier fumbled around for the man’s arm, squeezed his wrist for a second, and then tossed it away.
Jumping up, he bolted out of the cell, came to attention, and saluted. “Colonel, sir, I believe the prisoner has expired. I can’t get a pulse and he feels stiff.”
The colonel’s face turned ashen and he hurried into the cell. He rolled the body over and placed two fingers on the man’s jugular vein. He came back out of the cell, sweat pouring off his forehead. “How did this happen!?” he screamed, his face inches from the first soldier. “You were in charge of interrogating him, not killing him! You will be severely punished for this!” He screamed at another soldier standing at attention outside the cell. “Both of you, get him cleaned up and out of this cell!”
The two soldiers dropped their weapons and sprinted into the cell. Two minutes later they half-carried and half-dragged David Wilson’s emaciated and bruised body out of the cell. The colonel paced back and forth in front of the cell, took his cigarette out of his mouth, and threw it on the floor. The soldiers stopped outside the cell and looked dazedly at him. “Where do you want us to take him?” one of them asked the colonel. “Should we take him to the prisoner’s morgue?”
Stopping to light another cigarette, the colonel waved his arms excitedly. “Wait. Wait, let me think.” He drew in a deep lungful of cigarette smoke and exhaled a thick, blue cloud. “No, don’t take him there. Take him to the backroom of the infirmary, where the ambulances come to drop off patients. The members of the Party are going to want to keep this quiet.” He turned and glared at the two soldiers. “No one is to be told about this. No one! If word gets out, you two will be shipped to the Mongolian front and will never be heard of again. Do you understand?”
Wide-eyed, both soldiers nodded. They bent down and grabbed David by his armpits and slowly carried him down the hallway. The colonel watched them for a moment then pulled out a cellphone from his pocket. He dialed a number and lit another cigarette while he waited for the other party to answer.
A male voice came on the phone. “Hello?”
The colonel cleared his throat before speaking. “Comrade Tan Wen, it’s Colonel Zhang speaking.”
“Ah, Colonel, good to hear from you. You are calling me with good news regarding our friend, Mr. Wilson? He has agreed to our terms for the hotel properties?”
The colonel lit another cigarette, his hands shaking as he held it. “Unfortunately, that is not what happened. Before we could get Mr. Wilson to agree to our terms and sign the necessary the papers, he passed away in his cell.”
There was a long pause on the phone. The colonel took the cap off his head and wiped the sweat from his face. “You’re telling me Mr. Wilson is dead?” Tan screamed into the phone. “You killed him?”
The colonel put his hand over his eyes and shifted uncomfortably. “Well, not exactly, Comrade. We didn’t kill him purposely, but were trying to convince him to change his mind. We might have, uh, used some rough tactics to accomplish this, but we never left him in bad shape. I was with him yesterday and he was in great spirits.” The colonel swallowed hard after he made that statement. When I saw him yesterday, he barely moved. I shouldn’t have ordered that beating to be given to him, but how was I to know he was such a weakling? Chinese prisoners are beaten more severely every day and survive. It never occurred to me he might die.
“Well, Colonel, it seems you have created a very tenuous situation,” Tan said in a stern voice. “Your instructions were to keep Mr. Wilson alive. He was a very visible member of Hong Kong society. Many people knew of his disappearance and many have suspected he might have been imprisoned, but for him to turn up dead at the hands of the Chinese government…this could turn into an ugly international event.”
The inflection is Tan’s voice told the colonel things were not going well with this conversation, and he knew what that meant for his future and it was not going to be good. Trying to keep his voice calm, h
e said, “I knew that would be the case, sir, so I instructed my soldiers to have the body taken to the infirmary. It can easily be moved from there to someplace where we can buy some time to come up with the appropriate story to explain the man’s sudden demise. I didn’t want anyone to know he was here in the prison the whole time.”
Tan spoke firmly, without any emotion. “That was good thinking, Colonel. We’re going to need to find a place to hide him and then come up with a believable explanation for finding him dead, wherever we leave him. I’ll have to report this to Madam Chen. She will not be pleased.”
The colonel winced at the mention of Madam Chen. Her status within the Party assured him that his career was probably over. “I understand, Comrade Wing. Let me know if there’s anything else you want me to do with the body.”
“For right now, leave it in the infirmary until further notice. You will hear from me as soon as I receive instructions.”
♦
The scent of cherry blossoms from thousands of fruit trees left a pleasing scent in the air as the gentle breeze carried loose blossoms into the sky. A parade of dignitaries, all dressed in formal attire, meandered down the wide boulevard, cutting though the center of the immense orchard. The start of the summer festival was underway, and every high-ranking Party member was in attendance. Mei Chen and her husband, Ho, were at the forefront of the parade, waving half-heartedly to the throngs of people gathered on both sides of the street.
Mei had a fake smile planted on her face as she turned from one side to the other, pretending to be enjoying the spectacle. She heard her husband’s hushed voice speaking to her as he leaned in next to her ear. “I have heard disconcerting rumors, my dear, about your recent activities,” he whispered as they walked. “Many of the Party are very concerned about you. They are not looking favorably at what you are doing.”
She turned slowly, her fake smile never wavering. “Why do you pay attention to such gibberish, husband? There are many jealous people in the Party who would like nothing better than to take over my position. They can’t and they know it, so they try to make up gossip. It’s beneath you to listen to that and take it seriously.”
“Oh, but you are so wrong, my dear,” he said softly as he bowed to the crowd. “True, there are jealous people in the Party, and there is no doubt that some would like to replace us and take our positions. But new things have surfaced recently that have drawn unwanted attention shined on both you and me.”
Mei raised her chin defiantly. “Really, and what might have happened recently that is causing such a fuss? I’ve been busy with my factory and haven’t had time to do anything scandalous.”
“Your friend, Mr. David Wilson, has been missing for about three weeks or so.” They continued walking the same steady pace. “There’s talk that you wanted to take over half of his properties and when he refused you put him in prison. Some of his friends and family contacted the British Embassy, and the embassy staff have been making inquiries. Uncomfortable inquiries. Scotland Yard has been alerted and they are also asking questions.”
Turning to him, her face expressionless, she said in a firm voice, “Mr. Wilson is a big boy. He can handle himself. I did make him a proposition to buy half of his hotels and he was giving it some thought. He never turned me down.” She turned back to the crowd and waved again. “Where he is right now, I couldn’t say. I haven’t talked to him or seen him in weeks. He’s got interests all over the globe. More than likely he’s with a women at one of his exotic resorts.”
They turned a corner and headed down another street as the crowds excitedly waved and cheered when they came into sight. “Maybe you are correct and he is on holiday,” Ho said quietly. “But I would hope you will take this matter seriously. If you have had anything to do with his disappearance, you must correct it immediately and let him go free. Stop interfering with ownership of businesses. This does not reflect well on the Party, and they are watching you. And if they are watching you, they are watching me. Don’t think that I won’t do what I need to do to protect myself, even if it’s from you.”
She stopped, glaring disdainfully at him. “Look at you, you fool,” she hissed. “You wouldn’t be near where you are without my pulling the strings.” She felt her face heat up from anger and she stared straight ahead as she started walking again. “Don’t even think of threatening me, as I will leave you in the dust so fast your head will swim.”
“Always so confident, Mei,” he said, his irritation growing. “You are not aware of the many people you have stepped on who are waiting patiently for the perfect moment to destroy you. Your family connections will not save you from your enemies, and you have many. There is talk in the Party that you might have committed treason to the State. You have been playing a very reckless game.”
♦
Two hours later, the dignitaries had gathered in the main dining room of the Hong Kong Polo Club. Four long rows of tables sat parallel to each other, brimming with food set on silver platters. Servers in dark coats, starched white shirts and dark trousers, carried magnums of champagne and kept the patrons’ glasses full. A string quartet played softly in the corner of the room and the air was filled with laughter and music.
Mei was chatting with another woman when she looked across the room to see Ho talking with Xi Ping, the Head of the Party. The conversation seemed to be intense from the look on the men’s faces. What a pathetic creature Ho is, she thought. Who does he think he is, telling me what to do with my business? If he had half an ounce of sense, he would help me rather than hinder me. All he’s interested in is being the next President, and he doesn’t care whose ass he has to kiss to get there. What a joke. I would hope he realizes he’s not going anywhere without my help!
Looking out as she sipped her champagne, she spotted Tan Wen standing near the wall at the entrance to the room. Their eyes locked and she could tell he needed to speak to her. She excused herself and followed him as he walked out of the room. He reached the main door to the club and held it for her as they stepped outside.
Pulling a pair of Gucci sunglasses out of her tiny purse, she slipped them on to buffer the bright sunlight. “Well, Tan, what an unexpected pleasure. What brings you to the Polo Club?”
“Let’s take a walk, if you don’t mind, Madam Chen,” he said as he walked with her toward the garden area of the club, where a huge fountain sprayed water into the air in the center of a large pond. Colorful Mandarin ducks paddled aimlessly in the water, dipping their beaks down every so often to take a drink.
When they reached the edge of the pond, Tan stopped and looked back toward the clubhouse to see if there was anyone around them. Seeing no one, he put his hands behind his back and spoke in a serious tone. “We have a problem, Madam Chen. Mr. Wright has died.”
Her face never changed expression. “How did this happen? Your instructions were to get a signature from him, not kill him.”
Tan put his head down and explained what had transpired. After he finished, he said in a lowered voice, “I am sorry we let you down, Madam. I will do whatever you ask to make this right.”
She put her hands behind her back and paced in front of the pond. Tan followed at her side. “What are you going to do with the body? His body must never be found.”
“I understand, Madam, and I will make sure it will not surface. I’m in the process of creating a fake itinerary for him to be out of the country as of two weeks ago. We will have witness statements saying he was in other parts of the country. It will look like he disappeared some place other than Hong Kong.”
“What about Jason Ballard and Brian Thompson?” she asked, her face flush with anger. “Tell me at least that you have kept them in China.”
Looking over her shoulder at another couple who had stepped outside the building, Tan shook his head. “No, we couldn’t keep them. Someone alerted the US Embassy and they sent some personnel over to the airport and escorted them to a government jet. Without starting an international incident, there was nothing w
e could do to stop them.”
Nodding, Mei stated, “It was good that you didn’t interfere at the airport. Where are they going? We need to get to them. They both know too much and must be stopped. What do you suggest?”
“My sources tell me their flight plan was to Tokyo and then on to San Francisco. They also tell me that Brian Thompson is already in Tokyo and will join Jason for the flight to San Francisco. I don’t think trying to mess with them in Japan would be a good idea. The Japanese are very touchy about us doing things in their country without their prior approval. We can get them easier when they land in the US. Once we get them, what do you want done with them?”
Mei started to walk slowly along on the edge of the lake, her hands folded across her waist. “What I want is for them to be permanently eliminated without repercussions. I don’t want David Wilson’s disappearance or this incident to touch me or anyone associated with me.” She stopped and looked Tan in the eye. “You failed me last time with David Wilson. How can I be assured you won’t fail in this also?”
Bowing slightly, Tan responded, his voice void of emotion, “With due respect, Madam Chen, you sent Mr. Wilson to jail, where he was tortured in order to comply with your demands. It was unfortunate the torture did not produce the results you desired, but torture is torture, and sometimes it gets out of hand. What you are asking is less complicated. We can take these two out without creating a scene and without drawing attention.”
Still staring at him, she replied sharply, “Failure is not an option. If you need help, I have some sources in San Francisco who specialize in this sort of thing. If you want, I can place a call and maybe you can work together.”
The Money Is Green Page 25