by Larry Darter
Chan's wife hadn't returned from work when we arrived. Jackie and I found our luggage in the guest room. Digging through my suitcase, I found Madison's list and took it to the kitchen. Chan had emptied the urn of the jewelry onto the dining room table. The three of us checked the individual pieces against the list. When we finished, we had accounted for all the jewelry.
Lee Wing Yan arrived home from work a few minutes after we'd completed our inventory. She welcomed Jackie with the same grace she had shown me the previous evening, then she briefly disappeared to change out of her business attire before setting about preparing dinner for us all. While Jackie helped in the kitchen, I went to the guest room to make phone calls. I reached Madison on her mobile and gave her the good news. She was over the moon about the jewelry and didn't seem grief-stricken when I told her that reports suggested his Triad mates may have killed Clements.
Madison told me she had returned to L.A. but would catch the first available flight back to Honolulu to take possession of her jewelry. She gave me the fax number for her attorney and told me to have Chan's firm fax their final statement there. The attorney would wire full payment to Hong Kong Confidential Investigations.
After saying goodbye to Madison, I rang Mike. I didn't know whom to contact at the Honolulu Police Department about coordinating with U.S. Customs to explain I'd be bringing a quarter-million dollars' worth of stolen jewelry back into the country with me. I was sure Mike would know and wouldn't mind helping out.
At first, though, Mike whinged about not hearing from me sooner, telling me how worried he'd been the whole time I'd been away. But, he brightened quick smart when I told him I was planning to catch the first available flight back to Honolulu the following morning. No doubt it helped, too, when I mentioned feeling lustful and was so looking forward to seeing him.
Mike said Detective Yu could coordinate with the customs officials. He also said he and Yu would be on hand at the airport to make certain there weren't any problems.
We talked a while longer, exchanging sweet nothings, along with a few of the more wicked, concupiscent things we meant to share with each other as soon as I was back in Honolulu. By the end, I was feeling somewhat hot and bothered, and judging by the heavy breathing on Mike's end, he was feeling the same. I told Mike I had to go as it was time for dinner, and we said goodbye.
Lee Wing Yan had prepared a sumptuous meal for us. I felt like such a hungus after having seconds, and then thirds. We all enjoyed a great chat together during the meal, and I thanked both Chan and his wife for opening their home to us. In Chan, I felt I hadn't only met a new colleague, but a new mate, too.
As we cleared the table together after dinner, Jackie spoke up. "But aren't we still going out for drinks like we planned?"
"That would be dangerous, Jackie," Chan said. "I should think you've enjoyed enough of the Triads' hospitality.
"True, but I was so looking forward to having a few drinks at a club tonight," Jackie said.
While I could understand Jackie's disappointment, it was winding me up she seemed ready to throw a wobbly over missing out on a night at the club.
"Don't worry, Jackie," Chan said, laughing. "You can have your drinks tonight, and I'll provide the liquor. You can stay safe by having them right here. And, I have a little surprise."
"What's the surprise?" Jackie said.
"I realized your friend Will is one of my clients," Chan said. "I've invited him to join us for drinks. He should be here soon."
"Oh, that's so sweet," Jackie said. "Lee Wing Yan, you're so lucky having such a thoughtful man."
Lee Wing Yan laughed. "Chan has his moments."
I asked Chan if he might lend me his laptop, so I could see about making flight reservations for Jackie and me. Chan smiled and told me he had already taken care of the flight reservations. He said his secretary had organized reservations for a ten o'clock flight to Honolulu that departed the following morning.
"You're a lovely good man, Chan, thanks for that," I said.
A few minutes later, Will arrived. After a quick catch-up with Jackie, Will and Chan left together for the bottle shop to pick up the booze. There hadn't been anything in the flat to drink except wine. We all knew Jackie was expecting more than a few glasses of plonk. While the men were out, Jackie, Lee Wing Yan, and I enjoyed a nice chat.
Once Chan and Will were back, the drinks flowed freely. I found our impromptu piss-up every bit as enjoyable as it would have been to go out to a club. It was mean as. We all got trolleyed. All of us, except Lee Wing Yan. She didn't guzzle drinks like the rest of us but was a gracious hostess, making sure everyone else had a full glass throughout the evening. Chan put some awesome tunes on the stereo. Will and Jackie even danced.
Will was handsome, nice, and such a crack up. He was a master at spinning yarns and enthralled us all with stories from his days in the army with Jackie. Jackie regaled us with the account of her courage and resolute defiance in the face of the desperate, murderous gangsters that had held her captive. Seeing the way Will looked at Jackie, and how he seemed to hang on her every word, it seemed clear Jackie was far more than just an old mate from the army to Will. I wondered whether Jackie had been candid when she told me they had never been more than friends. I intended to interrogate her further on that point during the flight back to Honolulu.
Will consumed far too much alcohol to drive, and Chan insisted he crash on the sofa. Lee Wing Yan fixed Will up with a pillow and bedding before she and Chan said goodnight and retired to their bedroom at three in the morning. Jackie and I took the cue from them. We said goodnight to Will and retired to the guest room. Having had way too much to drink, I perished the thought of taking a shower. Instead, I stripped off my kit and fell into bed. Because she had only just escaped captivity, where her captors had denied her use of the facilities, Jackie insisted on having a shower. I fell asleep and never knew when she came to bed.
15
Morning arrived far too early, as mornings do after a night of excessive drinking. Lee Wing Yan woke us at seven to give us ample time to get dressed and take care of last-minute packing. I felt somewhat like a failed suicide attempt and gutted knowing there wasn't much chance I'd be able to get any sleep on the plane. That meant I'd arrive back in Honolulu on about four hours’ sleep out of the previous twenty-four. I wasn't sure that would bode well for the plans I knew Mike had for me when I arrived home.
Jackie was worse off than me. She said she felt crook and seemed beached-as on the bed. I wasn't sure I could coax her awake in time for our flight. But, after I showered and returned to the guest room, she was up and trying to get dressed.
I tidied up our suitcases while Jackie finished dressing. After she visited the bathroom to brush her teeth and apply makeup, we joined Chan, Lee Wing Yan, and Will for breakfast. Jackie and I settled for toast and a cuppa, declining Lee Wing Yan's generous offer of a more substantial breakfast.
At nine, I asked Chan if we shouldn't leave for the airport. He told me we would leave at nine-fifteen, as he wanted to get us there just in time for the boarding call. Chan wanted to minimize as much as possible the time we spent hanging about the airport before boarding our flight.
At exactly nine-fifteen, we left the flat for the parking garage. We had already said goodbye to Lee Wing Yan, who had left for work at eight. Will lurked about until the last minute. He rode the lift down to the parking garage with us. It was obvious he was packing a sad, feeling disappointed that he and Jackie had so little time together. Chan and I got in the car after loading the luggage to give them some privacy while they said goodbye. I watched in the outside rear-view mirror as Jackie gave Will a quick pash before sending him on his way and getting into the back seat.
Chan started the car and reversed out of the parking space. He took out his mobile straight away and made a call. When we arrived at the exit, I saw an astounding sight. There was an honest-to-goodness motorcade of Hong Kong Confidential Investigations' vehicles and personnel waiting to esco
rt us to the airport.
"For fuck's sake, Chan," I said, as he steered the Mercedes into our place in the procession. "Isn't this a bit much?"
"Not at all, T.J.," Chan said. "You don't understand the grave danger you face until you and Jackie are on board your flight. I'm not taking any chances."
The motorcade whisked us to the airport, and we arrived at nine thirty-five. I admit, a part of me loved the royal treatment with all the fuss being made over us. But, looking at my watch, I wondered how we would ever get through security in time to make our flight. Again, I had underestimated Chan's attention to detail.
The motorcade stopped at the curb in front of the international departures terminal, and everyone disembarked from the fleet of vehicles. Seeing the bulges in their jackets, I knew everyone, including Chan, was armed. Armed airport security officers met us inside the terminal, adding to the massive group we already had surrounding us.
Chan pushed boarding passes into our hands and whisked us through security, with the staff giving only the most casual glance at our passports and boarding passes. Two of Chan's associates carried our luggage right to the departure gate, where they turned it over to airline employees waiting to carry it out to the tarmac to load it on the plane. Chan spoke to one of the service agents behind the desk at the gate. She nodded to him. He returned and told us we could board the plane. The entourage followed us down the jetway, stopping only when we arrived at the open door of the aircraft.
"Have a pleasant flight," Chan said. "It was a pleasure meeting you both."
"Thank you, Chan, and likewise," I said, shaking his hand. "And, thanks so much for everything.” I wasn't sure if it was appropriate according to Hong Kong customs, but I threw my arms around Chan and gave him a big hug. He didn't seem to mind.
When I released him, he held out a small nylon zippered case. "Don't forget this," Chan said. He had transferred Madison's jewelry from the urn to the bag before we had left his flat for the airport.
"No, wouldn't want to do that," I said, smiling.
Jackie followed my lead and gave Chan a hug too, plus a quick pash on the cheek. "Thanks for saving me from the bad guys, Chan," Jackie said.
"You're welcome, Jackie, but you know T.J. did much more."
"I hope you and Lee Wing Yan will come to Honolulu for a visit sometime," I said. "It seems it might be awhile before I can visit Hong Kong again."
"Yes, I will talk with Lee Wing Yan about it," Chan said. "We have only been to Hawaii once, and that was many years ago."
"Awesome," I said. "Well, goodbye mate, see you soon."
"Goodbye, T J. ─ Jackie," Chan said. "We will remain here until the plane pushes off from the gate. Take care."
"Thanks again, Chan," I said. I followed Jackie into the aircraft. Onboard, we received another welcome surprise. Chan's secretary had somehow got our return tickets upgraded from coach to business class. The extra leg room was most welcome.
Since we had boarded before the official boarding call, we had to wait on the plane for another twenty minutes for the rest of the passengers to board before the plane pushed off from the gate. I glanced at the terminal as we cleared the jetway, and what I saw gave me a chill. Several men, all dressed in black, stood inside the waiting area at our gate. They stared out the windows at our plane. It seemed Chan had been right. Perhaps I had underestimated the danger posed by the Triads. Suddenly, I felt grateful to be on a plane minutes away from departing Hong Kong.
16
The return flight was much the same as the one that carried us from Honolulu to Hong Kong. We had the same stopover in Guam. I had the same difficulty sleeping, but Jackie slept like a contented infant the entire way. I dozed on and off, but each time I awakened with a start from some noise or other inside the cabin, I felt more exhausted than before. At just before six in the morning, local time, we began our descent into Honolulu. We arrived at the gate at twenty minutes past six.
Mike and Detective Yu were waiting for us in customs. Customs agents took us to a private room to inspect the jewelry and to compare it against the official theft report that Yu had brought along. Yu was in fine form. He insisted that I, as a licensed private investigator, had agreed to go to Hong Kong as an official consultant to the Honolulu Police Department. While there I had taken custody of the jewelry, stolen in Honolulu and unlawfully transported to Hong Kong. I had transported it back to Honolulu as a representative of HPD, and the jewelry was evidence in a state criminal case. The customs agents agreed that no duties were due the government, but they didn't seem happy about it.
Once through customs, I asked Yu to take custody of the jewelry until Madison arrived in Honolulu to take possession. I'd have gone mad from worry, had I taken it home and kept it at my flat until she arrived. Yu agreed to take it and book it into the property room at the station for safekeeping until Madison arrived to claim it. Given it seemed Clements had met his demise at the hands of the Triads, there would be no trial, so the police did not need the jewelry as evidence. HPD would return it to Madison as soon as she arrived to make her claim.
Outside the terminal in the car park, we said goodbye to Yu, and Mike drove Jackie and me to my flat in his unmarked police car. After helping us get the luggage upstairs and into the flat, Mike whispered in my ear. He said he couldn't wait until the end of the workday. He would be back at my flat straight away to collect on the promises I made during our phone conversation. I smiled bravely, pretending to be just as excited by the prospect, all the while feeling shattered. I hoped I'd be able to get enough sleep before Mike returned after work to have a proper go at fulfilling his keen expectations.
After Mike left for work, Jackie said she needed to get home and have a nap. I stifled the urge to point out she had again slept almost the entire flight, unable to imagine how she could need more sleep. Instead, I smiled and wished her a nice rest. We walked downstairs to her car, and I waved goodbye as Jackie drove away.
Back upstairs in my flat, I took two painkillers for my sore head before enjoying a brief but luxurious soak in the tub. After toweling myself dry, I fell into bed without bothering to put anything on. I slept until my alarm woke me at half-past three in the afternoon. That gave me an hour to pull myself together before Mike arrived.
There seemed no point in putting on a proper outfit since I expected Mike would pull the clothes right back off me in less than an hour. Instead, I put on a long tee shirt I liked to sleep in that covered the basic essential bits, without bothering with undies. In the kitchen, I made toast and a cuppa of hot tea. After spreading some Marmite on it, I ate the toast. A snack seemed wise, since I reckoned Mike would require an extended lovemaking session before he would offer me another chance at sustenance.
At four, the phone rang. I answered, and it was Madison. She told me she would arrive in Honolulu at twelve-thirty the following afternoon. She would stay at the same hotel as before and would ring me when she arrived there. I told Madison that her jewelry was at the Honolulu Police Department for safekeeping and that I was happy to accompany her there to claim the jewelry when she arrived. Then we said goodbye. I reckoned I could have offered to pick her up from the airport, but then I was certain she wouldn't have enjoyed riding on the back of my motorbike. Besides, what would we have done with all her luggage?
After disconnecting the call with Madison, it occurred to me that Malone hadn't crossed my mind for several days. Maybe I was getting over him. That thought left me feeling a bit conflicted, even the tiniest bit sad. I wasn't sure I wanted to get over Malone, if I were honest about it. I was still thinking about that when at four-twenty, there was a knock on the door. It was Mike, a keen smiling Mike. I could tell by the grin on his face he approved of my casual attire. Less time for him to waste removing unnecessary articles of clothing before he could get down to business. He gave me a quick pash and then swept me into the bedroom. I sat on the bed, astonished by how fast he took off his kit. He then whisked the tee shirt off over my head, and it was let th
e naughty games begin.
While my sore head had subsided, and I felt a bit better overall after getting some rest, I admit it didn't disappoint me when Mike didn't display his usual stamina. I wasn't surprised.
It had been almost a week since our most recent copulation. The lovemaking felt sweet and left me satisfied. I wasn't up for the usual marathon-like session Mike could deliver when we could enjoy coitus often, so the timing felt just about right when things reached their climax. Mike rolled off me, satisfied for the moment, and snuggled against me. Soon Mike's even breathing told me he had fallen asleep. Usually it annoyed me when a man fell asleep straightaway, but not this time. I was happy to get more sleep myself, and I reckoned I'd need it. After a week of imposed abstinence, I was sure Mike planned to go a few more rounds in bed before he would feel satiated.
I drifted off to sleep, wondering again what it might be like experiencing with Malone what I'd just had with Mike. Would I have been as happy had it been Malone in my bed who had spent his passion so quick I wondered? Or would I have been craving more? My last conscious thought was, "For fuck's sake, I must stop doing this to myself!"
17
Jackie and I were having coffee at the office. It was almost two in the afternoon. After Mike had left for work, I had gone back to bed and slept until noon. I'd reckoned the jet lag entitled me to a sleep in. It wasn't like I had anything on for the morning. Jackie had already made a freight run to Molokai and was back when I arrived.
"So, how was it with Mike last night?" Jackie said. "Hot and heavy I'll bet."
"Yeah, nah, I'm not discussing my sex life with you, Jackie," I said. "Sure, we're mates, but there are still boundaries we must observe."