by Larry Darter
Just as I was leaving the bathroom, I remembered something from when I was a constable in New Zealand. There had been a clever hiding spot where I'd once found some P stashed, the drug methamphetamine, during the search of a suspected drug house. Retrieving the nail-file I'd found earlier, I walked back to the shower.
After bunching the shower curtain in the middle of the rod, I checked the ends. The shower rod rested on two metal support clamps. A screw at each end of the rod went through it into the clamps to secure the rod in place. Using the nail file, I removed both screws. They came out easier than I'd expected.
Setting the nail file aside, I lifted the shower curtain rod off the clamps. I angled one end of the rod toward the floor, and the curtain with the rings attached slipped off the rod into a pile. Holding the rod out like a telescope, I looked inside. "Oi," I said out loud. Something was blocking the other end of the rod. I angled that end toward the floor and tapped it against the tile. Something fell out on the floor. I stooped over and picked it up.
It was a fancy metal case with a key folded inside of it, like a penknife, There was a silver button on the case. I'd seen car keys sort of like it. I pushed the button, and the key popped out, operated by a spring inside the case. The key was now ready for insertion into a lock. I didn't think the chances were great that someone other than Clements had hidden the fancy key in the shower curtain rod. But, what lock did the key open I wondered? A bank security box, perhaps?
As I was putting the shower curtain rod back on the supports, Jackie appeared in the doorway.
"I didn't find a damn thing," she said.
"Well I did," I said, holding up the key.
"What is it?" Jackie said.
"A key of some sort, maybe a key to a bank security box," I said.
"And, you think Clements left it here?"
"I can't imagine who else would have hidden it and wouldn't have returned once they missed it."
"Cool," Jackie said. "Maybe the key goes to a safe deposit box where Clements hid the jewelry."
"My thoughts precisely," I said.
"So, all we have to do is find out what the key goes to," Jackie said.
"Yep, that's all," I said, laughing, as if it was as simple to do as it had been for Jackie to say it.
"Well, I guess that's it then," Jackie said. "I am wiped out. I need a nap."
"A bloody nap, you say," I said. "How could you be tired? You slept all the way here from Honolulu."
"Duh, T.J., it's called jet lag," Jackie said, with a smirk.
"Oh, jet lag is it now?" I said. "Ahkay, I guess that's it then. You can go back to the room and have a rest. I'll lurk about the lobby in case Clements returns. Then when you feel up to it, you can relieve me."
"Cool," Jackie said. "But aren't you tired?"
"I'm a bit knackered, but no worries. I can sleep tonight."
"If you're sure?" Jackie said.
"Yep, all good," I said.
We left Clements' room and I locked the door. I pocketed the fancy key I'd found, then I handed Jackie our room key, and she walked down the hall to our room.
After taking the stairs down to the lobby, I found a chair that was tucked in a corner, out of the way. From the chair, I could still see the front door of the hotel. I sat down and settled in to wait until Jackie had finished her bloody nap.
11
Jackie frightened the life out of me when she shook me. I must have been more knackered than I'd thought. While sitting in the lobby keeping watch for Clements, I'd dozed off. I looked at my watch. It was almost seven.
"I'm starving, let's find someplace to have dinner," Jackie said.
I didn't want to leave the hotel unwatched. After finding the key in Clements' room, I was positive he would return for it. I couldn't predict what he'd do if he came back and discovered the key was missing. But, maybe it didn't even matter in the grand scheme of things. I felt rather confident that if we could find what the key went to, we'd find Madison's jewelry.
"Ahkay, let's go find a restaurant," I said. "What do you feel like eating?"
"I'm thinking Chinese food," Jackie said.
I chuckled. "Finding Chinese food in Hong Kong should be easy enough."
We left the lobby and made our way to the main road we had turned off of earlier to get to the hotel. We walked down the road only a short distance before finding a restaurant. The management had posted a menu next to the door. While printed in Chinese, there were photos of the dishes on offer. I saw many that were familiar. We went into the restaurant where we both had the steamed xiaolongbao served in a traditional steaming basket, turnip cake, and bean curd roll for dinner. It was quite nice, actually. After we'd paid the check and walked out, Jackie stopped on the footpath.
"What now?" she said. "Back to the hotel, or do you want to get a drink somewhere?"
"Getting a drink sounds awesome," I said. "But I want to do something else first."
"What?"
"We passed a shop on the way with a large key hanging in the window. I reckon it must be a locksmith shop. I want to take the key we found there. They might know what it goes to."
"Good idea," Jackie said. "Let's go."
We walked back towards the hotel until we found the shop. A young Asian man was sitting behind the counter reading a comic book. He looked up as we approached and slipped the book beneath the counter.
"Do you speak English?" I said.
"Yes, I study English at university. May I help you?"
"Sweet," I said. I pulled the fancy key from my pocket and laid it on the counter.
"Have you ever seen a key like this?"
The man pushed the button on the metal case and exposed the key.
"I've seen similar keys," the man said. "Yours?"
"Yes, mine. My dear departed uncle left it to me. But, I can't make out what it goes to. Can you tell me what sort of lock it opens?"
The locksmith smirked at me. It was clear he didn't believe my rubbish story. "Sure, I tell you," the man said. "Easy."
He stood up and walked down the counter to a large magnifying glass on a stand. The man held the key beneath the lens. He peered through the glass with his face close to it.
"Microdot," the man said. He read off a series of letters and numbers. He scribbled them on a pad of paper on the counter and then looked at me. "The key goes to a security box, number 3947." He turned and typed on a computer keyboard behind him.
"Do you know which bank the security box is at?"
"Not a bank," the man said, turning back towards me for a moment, and then looking at the computer monitor. "Woo Kwan Security Limited."
"Woo Kwan Security?"
"Yes, a private company. They have security boxes inside a vault to store valuables for a fee. It is very secure."
"Like bank security boxes then?" I said.
"Yes, but not a bank. But, you know that, right? It's your key." The man eyed us intently.
I reached out and snatched the key from his hand. "Yep. It's my key. Cheers, mate, and thanks." I turned to Jackie and jerked my head towards the door. We turned and walked out of the shop before the man asked more questions.
"That's terrific," Jackie said. "Now all we have to do is go to Woo Kwan Security and see what's in the safe deposit box the key goes to."
"Yep, except we don't know where Woo Kwan Security is, or even whether it is in Hong Kong."
"Why didn't you ask the locksmith where it was?" Jackie said.
"Didn't you notice how he was behaving? I didn't want to risk him asking more questions or ringing the cops. We also don't know whether having possession of the key is all that's needed to access the box."
"It should be," Jackie said. "My dad has a safe deposit box. He shows them the key at the bank and signs a register. Then they escort him right inside the vault to access it."
"Let's skip the drinks for now," I said. "I want to go back to the hotel, and ring Chan. If Woo Kwan Security is in Hong Kong, Chan will tell us where it is."
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"Okay," Jackie said. "We can get drinks after."
We walked back to the hotel, to return to our room. But, just as I put the key to the lock, I heard noises coming from inside. I turned to Jackie, putting my index finger to my lips. She nodded, understanding she was meant to be quiet. Placing my ear to the door, I listened. There were voices speaking Cantonese inside and sounds of things being moved about. Grabbing Jackie by the arm, I pulled her back toward the stairs, but then I heard the door to our room opening.
"Shit, this way," I said, pulling Jackie into an alcove. There was a door there. I turned the knob, and it opened. Pushing Jackie inside, I followed, shutting the door behind me. There was the sound of footsteps, someone running down the hallway. After a moment, it went quiet. I felt along the wall until I found a light switch and switched it on. A single bare bulb lit above us, illuminating the room, or large cupboard, filled with cleaning supplies.
"What's going on?" Jackie whispered.
"Someone’s in our room," I said. "It sounded as if they were searching for something."
"Do you think they've gone? Can we go back to the room?"
"Sounded like more than one person, I heard more than one voice. Someone may have stayed behind in the room. We can't risk going back. We need to get out of here."
"Who would break into our room? Thieves?"
"Chan warned us that the Triads knew we were coming to Hong Kong. I reckon it was them looking for us. They must have found out where we were staying, and they may also know about the key we found."
"That's not good," Jackie said.
"Well, Jackie, now that we have a firm grasp of the obvious, we need to organize a plan to get out of this bloody hotel."
"There's no need to get tetchy about it," Jackie said. "I was only saying."
"You're right," I said. "I'm just feeling tense at the moment. I'm sorry."
After five minutes had passed since we entered the cupboard, I opened the door a crack and peeked out. I could only see the wall of the hallway across from the alcove, and I heard nothing.
"Wait here while I check the hallway," I said.
"I'm ready to get out of this cleaning closet," Jackie said. "It smells bad in here."
"Yep, but just stay here a moment while I check the hallway," I said.
I eased out the door, closing it behind me. Making my way to the hallway, I peeked out to the right and left. There wasn't anyone in the hallway. I couldn't tell whether the door to our room was open or closed and returned to the cupboard.
"There isn't anyone lurking about. Let's try to make it downstairs and out the front door," I said.
"Okay," Jackie said. She propped a broom against the wall. I supposed she had grabbed it as a weapon.
We exited the cupboard and walked to the stairway. It seemed the coast was clear, so we descended the steps, being as quiet as a pair of church mice. At the bottom of the stairs, I surveyed the lobby. I couldn't see the front desk from my vantage point but saw no one lurking about.
"They’re gone. Let's make for the front door," I said.
It only took seconds for us to cross the lobby and reach the door. Jackie went out first, with me right behind her.
They were waiting for us outside, three young men dressed all in black. One man shouted something in Cantonese. Two of them grabbed Jackie, and the third grabbed one of my arms. While I was struggling with the one hanging onto me, I watched the other two men dragging Jackie to a black SUV parked at the curb. One of them opened a rear door, and they shoved Jackie inside.
I'd kept the guy who had me by the arm from gaining control of me, but out of my peripheral vision, I saw one guy at the SUV coming toward us to help him. I had to do something fast. The guy had moved behind me. He had his left arm around my midsection pulling me against him and was trying to get his right arm around my throat.
Snapping my head back with full force, I head-butted him in reverse. He yelped, and I felt his grip on me relax. Spinning round anti-clockwise, I raised my right forearm as I turned. He lost his grip on me. By the time I was facing him, my loaded right forearm was driving square into his face with a full turn of my hips behind the blow. There was the sound of breaking cartilage when my forearm connected with his face. Blood spurted from his nose straight away.
He staggered backward, but I pressed the attack. After shoving him hard in the chest, in the same movement I took his feet out from under him with a foot sweep. As he fell backward, his head smashed against the wall of the building behind him.
Whirling around, I side-stepped the guy coming at me from the SUV without a moment to spare. He had been reaching out for me as he came. Warding him off with my forearms, I brought my right knee up delivering a hard blow to his groin. He gasped and staggered forward but didn't go down. A solid palm-strike to his head with my left hand that caught him smack on his right ear put him down.
Glancing toward the SUV, through the open rear door I saw Jackie inside with the third guy. He had pinned her and was tying her wrists with a bit of rope. I saw the gleaming large nickel-plated semi-automatic tucked into his waistband at the small of his back. The driver was getting out, pulling a pistol of his own. Even the krav maga skills I’d picked up from a mate with the Israeli Defense Forces that I’d used to subdue the first two blokes were no match for two guys with handguns. It was a gut-wrenching decision, but with Jackie beyond rescue for the moment, there was only one option. It wouldn’t do if the Triads captured us both. With no other choice, I ran.
Sprinting up the side road the hotel was on, I reached the large main road again. The sound of running footfalls followed me, but I didn't risk a look back. Instead, I kept running full tilt, straight out into traffic to cross the road. Tires screeched, and horns blared. Just before I reached the far side, I had to roll across the bonnet of a taxi that had braked hard and stopped. But getting slammed into from behind by another car, the taxi lurched forward, almost hitting me. Turning left at the first side street, I sped up again.
Having no clue where I was, at the next intersection I turned right. Then I made random turns right or left whenever I reached an intersection, just running flat out. A massive shopping mall appeared, and I dashed inside. Soon the throng of shoppers swallowed me. Coming to an escalator, I took it to the second level. Once there, I paused at the railing and looked down. No one below was running or seemed to be searching for me. With a moment to catch my breath, I tried to gather my wits.
I had to call Chan. We had to find where the crims had taken Jackie and organize a plan to get her back, fast.
I rang Chan to tell him the thugs had kidnapped Jackie. When I described the shopping mall where I was, he recognized it. Chan told me he was on the way and disconnected. About fifteen minutes later, he found me waiting on the second level.
"T.J., what happened?”
"Some blokes dressed in black ambushed Jackie and me outside the hotel when we returned from dinner. They grabbed Jackie and stuffed her into a dark SUV. I fought off two of the dudes, but two others had guns and I had to do a runner.”
"It must have been the Triads. They must have learned where you were staying. It surprises me they attacked you. I learned just before you called that the Triads have already found Clements. Since they have him, I would have believed they would have lost interest in you.”
"They seemed interested enough in snatching us," I said. "But, since they have Clements now, I think I know why they wanted to grab us."
"Why?" Chan said.
"We found something in the room Clements rented, a key to a security box. Clements must have told them about the key and where to find it. When they discovered it wasn't there, they must have put two and two together and reckoned that Jackie and I had it."
"A security box key?" Chan said.
"Yep, a key to a security box at a place called Woo Kwan Security Limited."
"Ah, yes I know of it. The firm is in the CBD, near to my office. Clements must have concealed your client's jewelry there for
safekeeping."
"Precisely," I said. "And, the bloody key may be the only leverage I have to get Jackie back."
"What do you plan to do?" Chan said. "Hand it over to the Triads?"
"All I know is, I'm not trading Jackie's life for some bloody jewelry. I'll give them the bloody key if I have to."
"Let's get you somewhere safe," Chan said. "You can't go back to the hotel. You can spend the night at my apartment. I'll send my associates to collect your luggage from the hotel."
"I couldn't impose."
"No imposition," Chan said. "My wife will be happy for you to stay, and we have a guest room."
"Thank you, Chan. You're awesome."
We left the mall for the parking garage where Chan had left the Mercedes. I got in the car and was fastening the seat belt when my phone, the one Chan had lent me, rang. "Who could that be, calling me here?" I said as I dug the phone out of my pocket. I held the screen up so that Chan could see it. "Recognize the number?"
"Yes, it's the mobile I gave to Jackie," Chan said. "Answer it." I did.
"O'Sullivan," I said.
"Hello T.J.," a male caller said. The caller was Asian; his English was flawless.
"Who is this?" I said.
"That's not important," the caller said. "I have your friend, Jackie, and you have something I want. Perhaps we could make a trade."
"Is Jackie all right? Have you hurt her?"
"She is fine, T.J., for now. But, my hospitality will not last forever. I want the key."
"Don't hurt my friend, I'll give you the bloody key," I said.
"A wise decision. Tell me where you are. I'll send a man around to pick up the key. Once he has it, I'll release your friend."
"No way," I said. "You don't get the key until I see my friend."
"As you wish. Take a taxi to Tsuen Wan Ferry Pier. Be there in one hour, and we'll make the exchange."