Surviving Spies (Irving Waters, Spy Fiction Series)

by Irving Waters

  Matt had the apartment to himself today and took the opportunity to prepare a makeshift photo developing studio in the second bathroom. He went to the safe to get the disposable camera, and the tiny spy camera, whose film was always annoyingly fiddly. On his knees, with the safe open, he looked at the police baton and other bagged-up evidence: the scalpel, the straw, and the bloody pebbles. He grimaced. Smuggling them from China to Langley would be risky. Is it worth it? The evidence alone probably wouldn’t put anybody in jail, but it could start some shit. If he was in Lu Lei’s position, he’d definitely want the evidence at some point.

  The incriminating photos dried on the line, some of which would shock the virologist when Casey presented them to him. Matt wondered how she was doing with Lu Lei. They had agreed to do something good with her old house instead of selling it. Though Lu Lei was now only six, they had decided to see what ideas she came up with on her own. The psychologist had encouraged them not to sell it, saying that it would help her to maintain a connection with her parents.

  Lu Lei sat at the stall, still wearing her tai chi uniform that she loved so much, as it had been a gift from the Master. When she put it on each afternoon, it signified that it was time to forget her worries and think of the present. She missed the meditation that used to take place at the beginning and end of class. The Master had cut that out of the training sessions for some reason.

  Lu Lei nodded in agreement as Casey ordered her favorite dishes. Casey had been trying to get her to talk, asking her questions, but Lu Lei was in a quiet mood. She felt like sitting quietly and watching the man cook. In class, the Master had urged them to meditate in every moment, but to never speak of it. He’d explained why, but she had not really understood. Something to do with the government.

  “Have you thought about some ideas for your old house, Lu Lei?”

  “It could be where I will live with all my dogs when I get them.”

  Casey laughed as she accepted the bowls from behind the counter. “Any other ideas?”

  “A tai chi studio?”

  “That’s a great idea. You can ask Matt what he thinks, when we get back.” Casey was surprised that Lu Lei had arrived so quickly at this sensible idea. The Master had planted the seed. Sneaky old devil.

  Casey waited alone in the park for her police officer. Matt, who was at the factory, wouldn’t have approved of any part of what she was doing. I’ll get it done and tell him later.

  The policeman rolled up next to the park on an expensive looking new motorbike, wearing a matching helmet. Casey shook her head disapprovingly. She sat still and waited for him to walk over.

  She stood as he neared her. “Oh, that’s new. How will you explain that little purchase?”

  They both sat down on the bench. Casey motioned for him to open his shirt. She checked him. “The bike looks ridiculous, by the way. You should sell it immediately. Buy an old one. Don’t be stupid. Do you understand how serious this is?”

  He looked at his feet for a moment, discomfort showing on his face. Men in China didn’t like to do business with women, let alone be admonished by them.

  This guy is going to get me killed. “Look, I understand how you feel. If you want girls, pay for them. It’s easier and less risky than trying to attract them with big shiny toys. You get noticed, you put us all at risk. We can not have that. Do you understand?”

  “What do you need from me this time?”

  “I need the file on the Police Chief’s car accident. It might be hard to find. This one will pay well. I can give you some bribe money in case you need it. What do you think? Possible?”

  “I know where to look. Why do you want that?”

  “I’m worried his airbag went off too soon. Don’t you worry about why.”

  “Fine. So, steal it, or copy it?” he asked.

  “Steal it. And sell the bike.”

  Casey felt some regret for being bossy as she watched the informant put his helmet on and ride off. There was a delicate balance when manipulating Chinese assets. They hated being bossed around by women, but they were greedy and frightened. Being a woman made the job more complicated. If she were single, she would probably bring sex into the mix. The agreement with Matt to be honest with each other, and to keep fornication out of the job, had turned out to be a relationship saver. She knew after today’s little breach of trust, she would incur Matt's wrath when she told him about it.

  Casey’s policeman was back at the precinct soon after lunch and headed directly down the back stairs. The filing clerk in the basement raised his eyebrows at him as he approached the cage door.

  “How are you enjoying your exile?” he asked the clerk.

  “Easy work, but I would prefer to be back on the street.”

  “Next time, don’t get caught taking bribes,” he replied, passing an envelope through the security window.

  “Please come in, my friend.”

  14

  Renovation

  Casey had just gotten out of the shower when the intercom buzzed.

  “Courier... certified parcel from the United States Embassy,” the voice said.

  She buzzed him in and went to the kitchen to boil the kettle. She’d been expecting Lu Lei’s passport and certificate of naturalization. Instead of asking Roet to pull strings to get the paperwork through, Matt had called in a favor from a friend in Washington, DC.

  The courier handed her the large envelope which she opened before signing his paperwork and sending him off. Lu Lei was already excited about her first passport. Matt would be relieved too. It had been twelve months since they had been back to the States. China had the ability to make westerners miss home. It wasn’t just the food, the crappy weather or the constant smog, it was more the general heaviness that pervaded all life in China.

  She picked the small pair of black binoculars up off the bookshelf. They looked like old ones, the kind people keep around because they look nice, but internally they were state-of-the art. At the window, with her coffee in one hand, she trained them on the wall across the street. No chalk mark yet. Her dirty cop used white chalk to write a small number in Mandarin when he had something for her.

  She spotted him approaching on foot. He paused and wrote the characters for: ‘thirteen’ on the wall and then kept walking. That meant he would be in the park at 1PM today.

  She spent the morning charging batteries, cleaning her pistol and tidying up the disaster that Lu Lei’s room had become. It had been difficult finding a balance between being a disciplinarian while remaining a friend.

  Lu Lei had screamed at her a few times: 'You are not my mother,' which she had been told to expect. It was lucky that they had the Master to complete the parental team. Lu Lei could always lean on him when she felt lost and alone. He had a knack for saying what Lu Lei needed to hear. Between the three of them, they could stop her from going off the tracks. She hoped that her growing love for Lu Lei would carry their relationship through. Meanwhile, they could keep her so busy that she would not have the energy to rebel.

  She loaded the pistol and put on her leather holster. The pile of cash was a little bigger for this job. The cop was stealing confidential files, and it was never a good idea to cheap out on an asset if your life depended on them following protocol.

  Casey was parking her motorbike as her cop friend arrived, dressed in plain clothes, riding his bicycle. He coasted up next to her. She left her engine running.

  “That’s better,” Casey commented on his bike. “You’ll live longer if you change nothing.”

  He sighed. “Do you have the money?”

  “Open your shirt, please. You know how it goes.”

  She looked him over. “Easy job?”

  “It was very difficult. I had to bribe three officers in records. I need more money.”

  “You have the file?”

  He opened the flap on his nylon satchel and pulled a thin brown folder out. “Interesting. Looks like the Chief is a killer.”

  “It’s best for y
ou if you keep that to yourself.”

  “Obviously,” he replied, as Casey leafed through the accident report.

  “By the way, the Chief has a new best friend at the precinct. His name is Cheng Li, and he seems to have skipped a few ranks on his way up. Promotions are suspicious. He used to be in surveillance, following enemies of the Party. Now he’s behind a desk, ordering people around. I have a copy of his file right here in my bag if you are willing to pay for it.”

  “If he’s close to the Chief, he is of interest to us. Here’s your cash. There’s already extra in there to cover your other bribes. Don’t worry. My employers want you to be happy, but also alive. Did you sell that bike yet?”

  “I will tomorrow.”

  “Have a nice day, then.” Casey put her helmet on, revved the bike and rode off.

  The Master and Matt stood outside Lu Lei’s old house. Matt waited for the Master to speak first, but the silence was so lengthy that his mind drifted to the consequences of getting caught spying in China. He thought about it often, though never discussed it with Casey.

  “Did you hear that they are putting practitioners in re-education camps?” the Master asked.

  “I've heard. Basically torture, right? Why don’t they just stop demonstrating and meditating in the open?”

  “I admit that theirs is not the path I would choose, nor is it one that their leader himself chose.”

  Matt waited for the wise resolution. He’d been told that Li Hongzhi was now touring Europe giving lectures.

  The Master sniffed loudly and looked at Matt. “Shall we go into the house?”

  They walked toward the front door. The Master asked, “Are you making peace or war in your job?”

  “I’m helping to avoid war.”

  The Master laughed. “Then you are making peace, Matt Nelson.”

  “They are following you again. You’ve noticed them, I suppose?” Matt asked.

  “Yes, yes. New friends. They watch me, but I do not think their heart is in it, me being so old and useless.”

  “Casey told me that they put a young spy in one of your classes.”

  “How did she know that? Never mind,” he smiled. “Yes, we have accepted him with understanding and respect. I am doing my best to follow Party policy so that my students will continue to have uninterrupted access to their training and indeed, to their teacher. We are now, of course, purely ‘tai chi’, which brings us to the topic of today: the renovation of the tai chi studio. We could call it ‘The Sun Yi Centre for Tai Chi’ or ‘The Wu Feng something.’”

  Matt replied, “Maybe use Lu Lei’s name since she now owns the building.”

  “Ho, ho yes, she is indeed a landlord now,” laughed the Master. “How is she getting along at school now?”

  “Actually, she came out of school the other day holding hands with Wei Bao.”

  “How surprising she can be.”

  “Her teachers tell us she is quiet most of the time, a little sad and pensive.”

  “To be expected.”

  “By the way, good work on those photos you took in the morgue.”

  The Master smiled. “And do you think you will go after the Chief?”

  “There’s not really any point. He’s too high up. They’ll make it disappear if anyone pursues it. We’ll process all the evidence that we have, and file it, you know, just in case. At the very least, we all know for certain what he’s capable of now.”

  “Indeed.”

  They both surveyed the inside of the house, which looked more like an abandoned factory again, having been cleared out by some volunteers.

  Matt said, “It really is an enormous space, isn’t it?”

  “There is a lot of work to be done. The floors should be wooden. Are you sure you want to spend the money?” the Master asked.

  “The barbecue business is good. A little too good, really. I’d like some money to go into something wholesome instead of filtering back to our employer.”

  “I have a student who does this sort of thing. I’ll let him know what we are planning.”

  “Oh, and we have to involve Lu Lei at every step of the way. Her psychologist told us it would be good for her.”

  “How are you finding parenthood?”

  “Actually, it has been getting more difficult lately. Lu Lei snaps sometimes. She can get angry with us for no reason. We worry about her. The crying at night has mostly stopped, though.”

  “I shall do what I can to help. Shall we... keep her busy then?” the Master raised his eyebrows.

  “Let’s.” Matt smiled, thinking, The Master has a fun little sadistic side to him.

  Casey approached the small table at the restaurant, which had all but emptied out. The virologist stood up, surprised that blonde westerner sat down in front of him.

  “Calm down. I am Matt Nelson’s wife. Please. Sit. Matt couldn’t make it today. He sends his apologies. He wants to make you a very nice offer. I think you are going to like it.”

  The virologist’s face went from confused to afraid. He didn’t reply.

  Casey waited for him to say something. Nothing came.

  “What he would like a favor from you, in return for keeping these interesting photos a secret.” She paused and fanned three of the worst photos out on the table for a few seconds before putting them back in her bag.

  “Go on,” he said.

  “Our employers would like to know exactly what work is being done on the ‘SARS virus’. They want copies of files and... well, you can fill in the blanks. By the way, there’s a cash reward in it for you if you do the job right. Here’s your camera. It fits in a cigarette box. I want that back when you are done. Pull to open, point and press. Push together to wind. Repeat. Fifty exposures on the film. Got it?”

  Casey then handed him a piece of paper with his home address written on it and the name of his wife. She looked him in the eye. “Tell one, single person, and the following will happen: one, no cash bonus for you, and two, your wife gets these photos and a few that are even worse. Now, the cash can be an ongoing thing if this first job goes well. Don’t take it personally; we are just doing our job. You can help the world and get paid at the same time. Here’s an advance.” She put an envelope on the table, which he looked at, bewildered. “The big payment will come if we are happy with your work. Now, we are professionals, and you can be sure that you are not the only one working for us. You are being watched. We will be in touch soon. Work fast and don’t get caught.”

  “Nicely done.” Matt’s voice came over Casey’s earphone. “You forgot to tell him not to–”

  Casey interrupted, “Don’t spend the money in big amounts. Hide most of it at home where your wife won’t look. You can use it in the future when you want to travel. In the meantime, no presents, no new watches. Nothing.”

  “Good?” she looked at the virologist, who nodded meekly. He picked up the envelope and looked inside. He blinked, clearly surprised at how much money was in it. Casey always enjoyed seeing the look on a new asset's face when they saw how much money was on offer.

  “Very good,” he said, looking much less dubious.

  Casey stood and left the restaurant. Twenty meters down the street, Matt started the motorcycle, rode the short distance to her, and handed her a helmet. In ten seconds, they were gone.

  The virologist stayed late at his desk, saying goodnight to the lab assistants and scientists who passed him on their way out. It wasn’t uncommon for him to be the last to leave.

  Alone now, he took the camera out of the cigarette box and opened the file he’d moved to his drawer earlier that afternoon. Methodically, he took as many photos as the film would allow. In the right hands, the files he was photographing would point the foreign scientists in the right direction. Work on the SARS virus had progressed at a snail’s pace and was far from complete. It would be decades before China could come up with the bio-weapon that the military was asking for.

  He put the camera back in the cigarette packet. After
replacing the files in the correct cabinet, he put his suit jacket on and headed for the elevator down to security.

  “Briefcase, please,” the guard ordered. They always checked.

  “Good night, sir.”

  “Good night,” the virologist replied, and walked to his car, smiling just a little. I’m finally doing something good for the world, and making some money.

  15

  The Virologist

  The Master meditated at home in the few dark hours left before sunrise, probing his intuition for signs of better times ahead. On two occasions during the past week he had run into the Chief, whose disdain for him had now become unfettered. He was clearly relishing the wielding of power which was causing the Falun Gong community to crumble. He had put Beijing's police force to work, instilling fear in the people, and rewarding those who reported Falun Gong members. As the Master had expected, the Communist Party’s crackdown on the Falun Gong community was relentless. The propaganda machine cranked up its lies, encouraging people to police each other. The reporting of neighbors, friends and even family was touted by the newspapers as being ‘an act of bravery in service of China.’ It wasn’t yet known what was happening to the Falun Gong members after their arrest.

  Lu Lei found herself suddenly very busy with extra activities. Casey and Matt had explained to her the importance of being well rounded. Once a week she was dropped at the local swimming pool for lessons. She had instantly made friends with two American girls her age and had surprised herself with how much English she had picked up since living with the Barbecue Couple.

  The new activity that she really hated was the weekly erhu lesson. She could tell that her teacher was disgusted by the sound she made when she drew the bow across the strings. She felt that she was not improving and she would do anything to get out of practicing when she was at home. She suspected that they, too, hated it when she practiced the dreadful instrument. Oftentimes she used it to express her fury, forcing the horsehair into the string, expelling a crunching, creaking screech, much like a falling tree trunk.