He nodded as a tear rolled down his cheek. Lu Lei got off her bike, walked to him and hugged him tightly.
“Things will be better for you now. Don’t worry. Maybe we can try to find your mother.”
“Thank you, Lu Lei. You are my best friend.”
Lu Lei watched Wei Bao’s mouth turn downward, quivering, before he turned to hide his tears and walked away with his bike toward his front door.
At the door of the Barbecue Couple’s apartment, the squad leader knocked. Receiving no answer, he took a lock pick from a pocket and knelt in front of the door. After several minutes of trying, he stood and sheepishly gave the signal to break in the door. The battering ram splintered the doorframe, causing all four to wince at the loud cracking noise.
The apartment was dark, and after a room-by-room search, the team relaxed and put their weapons away.
“You two go back down and watch the front of the building. Keep out of sight. We’ll stay here and wait for your call. Best if we arrest them here.”
“What kind of car do they drive?”
“I don’t know. You can use your radio, can’t you? Ask the boss.”
“You ask. You’re the squad leader.”
“Just get down there. Look for white people.”
Lu Lei watched Wei Bao’s sad little form enter his empty house. She felt sorry for him, but she felt an enormous relief as she pointed the bicycle toward the safety of home, where only the wrath of her parents lay in wait.
She had tried her best to shoot the Chief, and he had nearly succeeded in strangling her. The mystery shooter had saved her life. It was a miracle. Someone was watching over her.
The distance home seemed insurmountable. She began to feel the pain of the injuries that the Chief had inflicted. Her hand and jaw were both swelling up now, and her tongue was still bleeding. She was sure that her neck was black and blue. Home was minutes away. She would have to tell them everything. Maybe they would understand. All the gun lessons had made her suspect that they actually wanted her to take her revenge on the destroyer of her world.
Three blocks from home, she stopped to check the hook in the wooden telephone pole. She looked down at it and then couldn’t look away from it. Downward? That’s the signal. Could it really be true? Her parents’ cover was blown? Maybe it was a mistake. It was a fairly new thing they were doing with the physical signal. Could somebody else have turned it? Maybe a quick ride by the apartment building to see if all the lights were off would reassure her it wasn’t a mistake. What harm could it do? Maybe she could go up to the apartment to see if her parents were gone.
The impulse to run overcame her uncertainty. She turned her bike around and headed toward the safe house.
Matt heard Casey’s specific knock at the door, followed by keys rattling. He picked up his pistol and walked quietly to the door, stealing a look out the peephole. She was alone. Still no Lu Lei.
“Any sign?” she asked as she opened the door.
“No luck.”
“Matt, she’s going to turn up. I can feel it in my bones.”
“I’m just thinking worst-case scenarios. Some versions don’t have any good solutions. If they catch her, we are going to suffer, as will Lu Lei. That’ll be on us. We did that to her.”
“I’m trying not to think about that. Did you call Roet while I was out?”
“Yeah. He’s got people working on flights for us. I told him what to do. We may have to split up.”
“Hmm, we can talk about that. By the way, I had a clear shot at the Chief from outside his house. Think I should have taken it?”
“Tough call, honey. The guy has done a lot of damage and will probably do a lot more. He’s sick in the head. He deserves a bullet, but I don’t think it’s up to us.”
Casey gasped at the sound of a key going into the lock.
Matt was still holding his gun and moved next to the door just as it opened.
“Lu Lei.” Casey walked straight over and wrapped her arms around her.
Matt yelled, “Is that your blood?”
“No Dad, it’s the Chief’s. The Chief is dead.” Lu Lei said and burst into tears.
“Did you...?” Casey started, but couldn’t finish her question.
“Someone shot him from outside the house. He was about to choke me to death because I pointed your gun at him.”
Matt walked over and unzipped Lu Lei’s backpack, which was still on her back. He retrieved the pistol, holding it up for Casey to see.
“Dad, can you check that the magazine is full? I just want to make sure. There was a lot going on and I was busy getting choked.”
Matt sat down at the table with the pistol, surprised that little Lu Lei’s sense of humor was still up and running.
Casey looked down at Lu Lei. “Honey, did he hurt you? Your neck and jaw are swollen.”
“Yeah, he got in a few, but I kicked him in the balls pretty hard when I was on the floor. Balls are weird.”
“Let’s get some ice on that jaw. Wow, look at her neck, Matt.”
Lu Lei asked, “By the way, why are we leaving? What happened? This isn’t about me, is it?”
Casey replied, “No, it’s not about you. We had a problem with an asset. He... told on us. We are not sure who he told, but we have to assume the worst.”
Lu Lei nodded and looked across at Matt.
“Yep. Full magazine. Young lady, would you mind telling us what happened, please?”
“Long story short, I left those fun accident files on his doorstep with an invitation. He showed up at the house expecting you guys, but found himself staring down my gun barrel. Pow, I pulled the trigger on him, but you didn’t teach me how to shoot, so I missed. Next thing you know, the Chief was choking me, then bang, he took a mystery bullet between the eyes. Wei Bao and I got out of there, just in time too, as two black cars drove past us. We were hiding. Wei Bao’s at home with no dad, and we seem to be on the run, right? So what now?”
“Wow Lu Lei.” Matt replied, shaking his head. “First of all, you’re grounded.”
Casey yelled, “Matt, this is serious. Lu Lei, we have bigger fish to fry right now, so you both need to focus on how we are going to get out of China.”
“We’re having fish for dinner?” Lu Lei asked.
Casey shook her head impatiently. “Canned tuna. That reminds me, let’s do a little equipment check. What do we have?”
Matt opened the safe as he started down his list. “Two motorbikes, but only two helmets. Plenty of cash. Three Canadian passports, but no plane tickets. We have comms for three, one encrypted cell phone, I have one full beard and wig kit, you have a hair dye packet, Lu Lei too, right? And scissors for you ladies. The files, I’ll shred and burn after I photograph them. So all in all, we are prepared, but if we have just the smallest piece of bad luck between here and JFK–”
“Lu Lei, just let it be said that we are very glad that you are safe now, but the game is now life or death, so no more breaking the rules.”
Lu Lei nodded and looked at the floor.
“Are you okay, honey?”
“My hands won’t stop shaking.”
“Oh, honey, that’s just the adrenaline. They’ll stop shaking soon, don’t worry. That happens to me still. Everything’s going to be okay as long as we work together and stick to the plan.
Cheng Li heard the police radio squawk. He turned the volume up.
“Sir, are you there? Over?”
“Go ahead. Over.”
“The Chief is dead. Repeat. The Chief is dead. Shot in the head. It looks like an execution, sir. Sniper rifle. It doesn’t look like anyone else was here with him. Over.”
“It must have been the Barbecue Couple. They are cleaning up before they make a run for it. Touch nothing. Leave the scene. Someone can find him tomorrow. Two of you go to the airport. Don’t show any identification or talk to immigration. Just look for their faces near the check-in counters. The other two of you, come back in and start on phone records from t
he apartment and the factory. Over.”
Cheng Li’s mind started churning. Murdering Beijing’s chief of police was a high-profile crime. If he could catch the Barbecue Couple, his success would be indisputable, and possibly very public. Keeping the information to himself was risky.
29
The Chase
Matt watched Casey and Lu Lei together in the bathroom, starting on their looks. Despite all that was going on, he enjoyed the moment, as Casey lovingly cut Lu Lei’s long black hair.
“I’m calling Roet. Let’s hope he has some flights booked.”
“Okay, honey.”
Matt pulled a bottle of scotch from a top cupboard in the kitchen and blew the dust out of a glass. The faucet ran brown water, which was common in China. They were finally heading home for good. What a relief it would be to leave this unforgiving and backward country.
The encryption software took a few seconds, the call going through to Roet’s desk at what was now start of business in Virginia.
Marcus answered. “Go ahead.”
“How did you make out with the flights?”
“Hello Matthew. Our people have you on the 9:30AM to Tokyo, where you have a connecting flight to JFK. On such short notice, it was the best that they could do.”
“You put us together as a family? That’s riskier. A white couple traveling with an Asian girl? It’s exactly what they will be looking for.”
“First of all, you’re welcome. Secondly, your Canadian passports are under the same family name: Jones. It would be odd if your names all came up in different manifests, don’t you think?”
“Marcus, if they are smart, they will be looking for non-Chinese surnames in groups of three. Separate flights would have been better. Listen, do this one thing for me; can you please book three flights to Seoul under our real names? Flying out of Tianjin. Same time as our real flight. A bit of a wild goose chase for them. It might tie up some of their resources while we are slipping quietly out.”
“I’ll have the team try to work something out.”
“Do your best, Marcus. We are not sure what we are up against here. Anything we can do to avoid getting our fingernails pulled.”
“Let’s not forget your achilles heel. If they capture your daughter, they will use her against you to reel you in. If I were you, I would be prepared to cut her loose if that happens. Are you ready for that?”
“She has just shown up, actually. So there will be no cutting loose of family, Marcus.” Matt tossed back the whisky as Roet mumbled a reply. Matt thumbed through his Canadian passport, reading through the story told by its carefully chosen stamps.
“One more thing Marcus, if we go with the Tokyo flight scenario, do you have any assets in Japan who could provide backup at the airport, in case we have problems?”
“You are very demanding, Matt. I really don’t foresee anyone following you to Japan, but I’ll see what I can do.”
“Thank you, Marcus. Be seeing ya soon.”
“Good luck. I’m sure you won’t need it.”
Lu Lei awoke at 4:30 from a fitful sleep. Matt’s alarm went off at 5AM. It had been a short night’s sleep. Casey had taken her time last night, cutting Lu Lei’s hair into a bob with bangs, insisting that she must do a professional job, even adding purple tips to give her the troubled teenager look. Before bed, Matt had made her sit up for another hour memorizing the passport and the trips her character had taken with her fake parents.
Her dreams had been about the Chief and the Master, with nothing revelatory about the future, except perhaps for the vague dream that had just woken her: a scorpion crawling between the pages of a book.
Matt and Casey came into the kitchen, Casey looking very different now with brown hair.
“Looking good, Lu Lei,” said Matt, nodding with approval. “The bangs suit you. You’re going to love my beard. I’ll glue it on after breakfast. Then we will be the Jones family.”
Casey hugged her. “Any dreams, sweetie?”
“Kind of. Just a short one about a black scorpion in my book.”
“Any ideas what it meant? Past or future?”
“Never had a scorpion in my dreams before. I guess it’s negative. Something dark, maybe small. I don’t know, evil or dangerous maybe.”
“Great...” Matt commented as he put coffee on. “On that topic, we stay armed until we get to the airport. Lu Lei, you will be on the back of my bike. Casey, you’ll be in the lead, a couple of miles ahead of us. We’ll wear comms, so you can let me know if you see a roadblock. If anything goes wrong, go with the safe house plan. Take action to lose any tails, and return here to regroup.”
Casey put her hand on Lu Lei’s shoulder and looked earnestly at her. “Lu Lei. You will go inside the airport with Matt. I’ll be in there already. If they are looking for us, they will have more difficulty if we change it up like this. I’ll check in and go through passport control by myself. Hopefully, they won’t ask if I’m traveling alone.”
“Casey, we’ll see you on the plane, but we won’t know each other until we get to Tokyo. Lu Lei, you do not speak Mandarin. Got it? Make sure you don’t react to anything they say in Chinese, being especially careful if they say something you don’t like. Sing your favorite Beach Boys song in your head. It will stop you blinking at the wrong time. Remember, most immigration officials are idiots, following some guidelines that they have been taught by other idiots. Typically, they only react if someone’s story doesn’t track properly. Your fallback should be a scowl. American teenaged girls get away with a lot, just by making faces at people. It can be very disarming.”
Lu Lei gave Matt an incredulous look.
“That works too. Use that one.”
Casey leaned behind Lu Lei to turn off the coffee percolator.
“Who wants coffee? Lu Lei? Matt, you pour it. I need to get started on my makeup.”
“We leave in ninety minutes.”
Lu Lei looked out the window. The darkness was giving way to Beijing’s grey dawn.
“Ready everyone?” Matt asked, standing by the front door, looking like a completely different person with his long-haired wig, bushy brown beard and flannel shirt, little round glasses and hiker’s backpack on his front. Casey was also dressed down. Her brown contact lenses and chestnut hair, ironed straight, made her look softer, less beautiful and less striking.
Lu Lei thought about Wei Bao. She had not said goodbye.
“I’m ready,” Lu Lei replied. “Let’s go and catch a plane.”
Matt smiled at her. “Remember, there are no prizes for getting caught.”
Casey nodded. “Follow me out in two minutes, Matt. Comms check?”
Lu Lei answered, “I hear you, kind of. Stupid earpiece is too big. Do you hear me?”
Matt chuckled. “Loud and clear.”
Casey said, “Everyone be safe. I’ll see you when I see you,” and she checked her pistol’s magazine and loaded it, then put her helmet on and headed out the door.
Lu Lei was in awe of her parents when they were like this. So professional. They never seemed to be scared for their own safety.
Matt was looking around the apartment.
“What are you doing?”
“Just... checking. The next person in this apartment will probably be the next American agent assigned to Beijing. It might be quite a while, though. Come on Lu Lei, let’s go.”
The motorbike weaved through airport traffic. Lu Lei had to keep letting go of her Dad’s waist to poke her earpiece back in so she could hear the sporadic conversation between her parents.
“All clear ahead. I don’t see any problems. Proceed as planned.”
Lu Lei was surprised that they weren’t riding faster. There didn’t seem to be enough urgency in her Dad’s riding. Too casual.
Lu Lei saw the sign for the short-term carpark. She felt him apply the brakes. Stopping on the side of the off ramp, he sat up straight, unbuckled his shoulder-holster and then unzipped his backpack, pulling out a garbage bag. H
e put his gun inside, tied a knot in the top of it, looked over his shoulder and then hurled the bag over the edge. Her mother had probably done the same.
A few minutes later, standing next to the bike in the carpark, her dad pulled his earpiece out and dropped his communication gear in a trash can. She did the same, relieved to be rid of it. It seemed weird walking away from the motorbike. It was a possession. Expensive. She wondered who would benefit from this American excess.
The banter with her Dad on the way through the doors into the airport felt strange. He started calling her by the name in her passport and was talking about his favorite attractions in China. He sounded like an idiot. His body language changed, too. His head and shoulders bent forward a little. He looked so harmless and happy. She joined in the game and chatted along in a heavy American accent.
“Hello, Mister Jones,” said the lady at the check-in counter. “Where are you two flying this morning?”
“To Tokyo.”
Lu Lei turned her back to the counter and casually scanned the hundreds of travelers’ faces. Skimming quickly over them, her eyes came to rest upon two very obvious plain-clothes cops standing by the door, looking around the departure hall. Lu Lei turned her back to them as the lady handed over the boarding passes.
“Passport control next, honey.”
“Dad, don’t look, but there are two cops at the door.”
“Yeah, I saw them when we walked in. Don’t worry about it. Just enjoy yourself. Smile.”
Lu Lei had to stop herself from turning around to look back at them.
After security they approached passport control, and Lu Lei began to sing a Beach Boys song. She was worrying. If the cops are here, it means that immigration has our pictures too.
The border agent behind the glass window stamped both their passports without asking any questions. He just nodded at them and looked past them to the next in line.
Surviving Spies (Irving Waters, Spy Fiction Series) Page 23