Текст книги "Jack Taggart Mysteries 7 - Book Bundle"

Автор книги: Don Easton

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Текущая страница: 56 (всего у книги 141 страниц)

chapter twenty-nine

Jack saw Chi enter the room with Bien a few steps behind her. He had a round face that seemed out of place on his thin body. He walked with his shoulders stooped, giving the illusion that his face was even bigger and rounder than it really was. His black eyes looked sadly out over puffy mounds of darkened skin. Jack saw a flicker of optimism when Bien glanced his way.

“Are you an American policeman?” asked Bien. “FBI?” he said, as he shuffled toward him.

“No,” said Jack. “We are both Canadian police officers.”

“Canadian?” Bien frowned, but said, “I know why you are here.” He looked at Tarah and continued, “I am sorry, I told Linh to lie to you before. The news you want to tell me, I already know.”

“Tell us what that news is,” said Jack.

“That my daughter ... Hang, was killed in a car accident. Have you brought me her body or her ashes?”

Jack shook his head and said, “Please sit down. First I must ask you to look at a photograph. I have been told that it is a picture of your daughter. It was taken after she died. There are lots of injuries to her face.”

Bien sat and his hands shook as he took the photo in both hands. He looked at it for a moment before pressing it to his chest while squeezing his eyes shut, but not tight enough to stop the silent flow of tears.

Several minutes passed in silence before Bien opened his eyes and looked at the picture again. He choked out the words and said, “Hang ... her face ... did she die quickly? Did she suffer?”

“I will tell you about how she died in a moment,” said Jack. “First I would like you to tell me who told you she died in a car accident.”

Jack saw Bien’s eyes dart around the room before pausing and saying, “I do not know. It was a man I met at the market. He has relatives in America who told him the news.”

Jack watched Bien as he spoke. He grimaced at Bien’s pathetic attempt to lie. In Canada, many of the people who lie say they met someone they don’t know in a bar. Here it is a market. What is he hiding? Why would he lie about the death of his own daughter ... unless ... damn it!

Jack cleared his throat and said, “Bien, if you do not wish to tell me who told you of her death, please tell me this. Where is ...”

“I told you, I do not know the person!”

Time to use another approach. “You must be able to tell me how Hang came to be in Canada and why you believed she was in the United States?”

Bien shook his head and said, “It is late. I need to go. I have to be at work soon,” he added, getting to his feet.

“Bien, please sit down,” said Jack. “Hang did not die in a car accident. She was murdered and her body was found in a Dumpster.”

Jack saw the shock on Bien’s face as he gasped, grabbing the table for support as he fell back into his seat.

“That is not possible,” he said, as his brain grasped for other possibilities. “Perhaps after she was hit by a car she was put ...”

“She was chained and tortured for at least three or four months. Then she committed suicide, but because of what happened to her, it is still murder.”

“Chained and tortured! No! You are lying!” Bien’s face went red with rage. “You hope to catch the men who are smugglers by using such trickery!”

Tarah burst into tears, startling Jack and Bien, who ceased arguing and stared at her in silence.

Several seconds later, Tarah regained her composure enough to speak in halting sentences to Bien in Vietnamese. After a short exchange of conversation, Bien sat back in his chair and wept openly.

“I told him you were not lying,” said Tarah, while fighting to regain her composure. “That the police in Canada would never say such a terrible thing to a parent.”

“Bien,” asked Jack gently, “where is your other daughter? Where is Linh now?”

Bien’s face contorted in anguish and he emitted a moan that filled the room. Tarah moved to sit beside him and put her arm around his shoulders.

Bien looked at Jack and slowly shook his head. “She is in America, too,” he finally said, telling everyone what they already knew.

“Perhaps you’d better start at the beginning,” said Jack.

Bien told him how he was approached by local smugglers who arrived on his doorstep one morning. He described the events that followed, including a painful six weeks of worry when Hang made the trip to America.

“She called me from America,” said Bien. “I did not send Linh until I knew that everything was as it should be. Then I put Linh on the boat. She too, called me from America.”

“When?” asked Jack.

“One week ago,” replied Bien.

Jack and Laura exchanged a glance. That was around the time they had followed the cube van to Vancouver Island and back to Richmond.

“Did Linh sound okay?” asked Jack.

“She was crying because she was just told by Mister Pops that Hang was killed by a car. She said Mister Pops was very nice ... but she was sad.”

“Did she say how she was smuggled into the United States?”

“A man drove her across the border in a car. She saw the signs saying it was the United States border. She was excited to see the signs.”

“She just went through the border as a passenger in a car?” asked Jack. “Didn’t they ask for proof of ...?”

“No, no,” said Bien. “I asked her the same thing. She said she looked up and saw the signs but then pulled a handle to hide and the police at the border did not see her. I do not think that she was supposed to tell me that on the phone, but she was crying and not thinking very clearly. I think it was the same for Hang. She also told me about seeing the sign.”

“Jack,” said Laura. “She was in the trunk!”

“Folding rear seat,” said Jack, feeling nauseous.

“It was her that day who Dúc ...” Laura couldn’t bring herself to finish as the realization sank in as to how close they had been to Linh.

Jack briefly clenched his jaw to quell his tears.

“You know where she is?” asked Bien excitedly.

Jack shook his head and said, “No ... but we do know who one of the smugglers is in Canada. The one, perhaps, who drove her in the trunk of the car.”

“You must find her,” said Bien. “She is not as strong as Hang. She is like her name.”

Tarah saw the puzzled look that Jack and Laura gave each other and said, “The translation of Linh means Gentle Spirit.”

“Hang’s spirit is strong,” said Bien. “She would not commit suicide, knowing that Linh would be coming to such a place.”

Hang’s spirit is strong—don’t you mean, was strong? thought Jack. He looked at Bien and said, “I’m sorry. Our medical examination was very thorough.”

“How did she die?”

“She used some type of metal rod to ... to make herself bleed. By the marks ... and marks on her hand ... we know that it was self inflicted.”

Bien looked at Jack and said, “If that is true, she did not do it for herself. It would be for Linh. She loved her very much. She promised me that she would do whatever was necessary for her sister. If she died, it was to save Linh.”

Silence descended on the room for a minute as everyone became lost in their own thoughts. Eventually, Jack placed his hand on Bien’s shoulder. “We will find her,” he said, forcefully. “We will also find out who did this to Hang.”

Bien nodded silently.

“I must call the Vietnamese police now,” said Jack. “There is a man I have been working with. He will want to speak to you.”

“Yes,” said Bien. “I will wait.”

Jack called Sonny and explained the situation. He handed the phone to Tarah to give directions, while watching as Bien walked over and opened the door and stepped outside.

Is he going to take off? Jack glanced at Laura who had also noticed and they quickly followed.

Bien stood on the doorstep. For the second time that night the clouds parted, giving his face an eerie complexion as he looked up at the moon. He dropped to his knees and started crying, while speaking Vietnamese and looking up to the sky.

Jack felt Tarah’s hand touch his arm and he turned and whispered, “We didn’t say anything to him. He just came out here. Maybe he needs time to be alone.”

Tarah shook her head and said, “The translation for Hang is Angel in the Full Moon. Look up. He’s not alone.”

chapter thirty

It was six o’clock in the morning when Sonny dropped Jack and Laura off at their hotel with a promise to call them in a couple of hours after he spoke with his superiors.

As soon as they were alone, Laura said, “Jack ... we had her. She was in the trunk ... we just let her go.”

“I know.”

“I feel like crying. I’m so angry and frustrated,” said Laura, her eyes brimming with tears.

“It was me who let her go. It was my call.”

“I’d like to chain Dúc to a wall. He’d talk.”

“As nice as it is to fantasize, we don’t have the time. We’ve got to do something, fast.”

“What do you think of this Mister Pops? Likely not his real name.”

“My guess is it falls in the realm of the nickname for Dad. I’m going to call CC.”

Jack called Connie Crane to tell her what they had learned.

“How the hell did she end up back in a Dumpster in Canada?” asked Connie. “And now her sister is with the guy, too? Jesus fucking Christ!”

“Dúc is the key,” said Jack.

“Yeah, like he’s going to talk,” said Connie sarcastically. “I’m not even sure if we have grounds for a warrant. Even if we did, if we search and don’t find her, she’ll be killed once they realize we’re on to them.”

“Check the border crossings,” said Jack. “See if Dúc has been across. If Hang did die across the line, why bring her back? I think this happened on our turf. Probably in the Surrey area. That’s where she was found.”

“Dúc is running hookers—maybe he’s got a special place built just for the perverts.”

“A possibility. Actually, it’s a sickening possibility—the Orient Pleasure is in Surrey. Get on it. You’ve got to get into his places for a look.”

“What about your informant? Don’t you have someone connected to that place?”

Jack sighed. “Not anymore. Besides, if that friend had known about it, I would have been told. You’ve got to get a warrant and search everywhere.”

“How, without tipping our hand?”

“Call Rocco Pasquali with the City Anti-Gang Unit. Get him to help. If VPD takes out the warrants under a prostitution investigation, the bad guys may not clue in as to what we are really after. Make it look like the RCMP is just assisting them with the places outside of Vancouver.”

“That might work.”

“You’ve got to do this without mentioning my informant in the warrants, or anything to do with Hang and Linh. Also, don’t mention anything about how the girls arrive at the parlours. Keep the warrants as simple as you can. Do both massage parlours as well as their homes and any other building they own. Search everywhere. Attics, basements, out-buildings, hidden dungeons under garage floors ... look at everything.”

“Dungeons under garage floors?”

“I’ve seen it done for grow-ops. Hidden trap doors under workbenches. Search everywhere. Look for hollow panels. Use the narcs to help. They’re good at it.”

“What if we don’t find her? We could still be signing her death warrant if they get scared.”

“And if you don’t search and she is there, she may die anyway. It’s a chance I think we have to take.”

“Damn risky chance for Linh.”

“Do you have a better idea?”

Connie was silent for a moment and replied, “No.”

“They take credit cards at the massage parlours. Maybe you can match some names to your pervert list.”

“I’ll do that. Especially perverts who live in nice homes.”

“Both Hang and Linh told Bien they were in a very wealthy home, but the standards here are different. Any home with more than a couple of rooms or two toilets is considered wealthy by Vietnamese standards.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“If you identify any perverts, take a look and see if they used the credit cards to purchase construction materials leading up to last January.”

“Will do.”

“Laura and I will catch the next flight back. We’re bringing Bien back with us.”

“Why?”

“Because he couldn’t afford the ticket himself. I’ve already spoken to our Vietnamese contact. He says it won’t be a problem, if we pay for it.”

“No, I mean why ...”

“Damn it, Connie, think about it! If your kid was over here, would you be sitting on your fat ass over there! We owe it to him! One of his kids is murdered and the other one missing!”

The silence that followed reminded Jack how tired and exasperated he was ... Now I can add rude and thoughtless to the list.

Jack sighed and said, “I’m sorry, CC. I haven’t slept all night. You haven’t met the father. I just did. I feel for the guy. He fits the grandfather image more than a dad. Don’t take it literally about the fat ass comment. It’s just an expression.”

Jack paused, but Connie didn’t reply.

“I mean, you’re in good shape. Buns of steel ...”

Connie laughed out loud and said, “I was just yanking your chain. I know what my ass looks like. I was just wondering if you had ever noticed. I’ll talk to Randy. We’ll think of a suitable reason for you to bring Bien.”

“Appreciate that. Maybe say you want to drive him up and down the kiddie stroll in Vancouver and see if Linh is one of the kids turning tricks for the perverts there.”

“That’ll work. What about the Russians? What are the Vietnamese police going to do?”

“They’re being really cooperative. They appreciate our concern with Linh. They’ll keep gathering evidence, but won’t touch them until we ask. If you get the warrants and find Linh, they’ll grab the Russians over here. Neither of them would ever see the light of day.”

“Better than the twelve or eighteen months they might get here.”

“Right now, I don’t care. Just find Linh.”

“To get the warrants under the guise of prostitution and coordinate with City, it will probably take a day.”

“If you get them signed before Laura and I get back, don’t wait for us.”

“Believe me, we won’t. Talk to ya later.”

When Jack hung up the phone Laura looked at him and said, “That was a good idea you had about matching perverts to construction materials.”

Jack shrugged and said, “Except the list of known pedophiles on the lower mainland, not to mention licence plate data included from those who pick up children on the kiddie stroll, is what, over a thousand? Linh doesn’t have that much time.”

“It’s still a good idea. You really would be good on Homicide.”

“I’m not suited for it. I hate pedophiles and bullies who abuse children. Makes me think of my own father too much. Put me in that section and the murder rate would go up, not down.”

Jack, Laura, and Bien boarded a flight leaving Hanoi at 11:05 that same morning. With the time difference, they were scheduled to arrive in Vancouver forty-five minutes later on the same date. In fact, it was almost twenty-five hours later.

It did not help Jack’s peace of mind when he discovered that Moustache Pete and the Fat Man were on the same flight and flying first class.

So much for Sonny gathering more evidence on them ...

Jack and Laura were still three hours out of Vancouver over the Pacific Ocean when Connie received confirmation that the Vancouver City Police had obtained the search warrants.

She met with teams of police officers who were a combination of both Vancouver City Police and RCMP. The briefing was thorough and everyone assigned knew their duties.

Two VPD plainclothes officers, posing as customers, would be sent inside The Asian Touch massage parlour in Vancouver. Two RCMP officers, also posing as customers, would enter the Orient Pleasure massage parlour in Surrey at the same time.

The job of the insiders was to stop anyone who tried to burn or flush evidence when the raid commenced. They would be given exactly two minutes. Hopefully long enough to gather evidence of prostitution, but a short enough time to hide the fact that they were not going to be customers and that they were carrying weapons and wearing Kevlar vests under their shirts.

Three hours after the search warrants were signed, multiple teams of officers in Vancouver and Surrey waited at their assigned locations at the ready.

Connie gripped the police radio in one hand and watched the seconds tick by on her watch as she sat parked with her partner near Dúc’s house. Eight other officers assigned to her team were parked close by.

“Now! Now!” echoed across police radios and Connie leapt from the car and ran to the front door of Dúc’s house. The sound of splintering wood from the rear told her that other officers had just gained entry ahead of her.

Elsewhere, squads of officers were entering the massage parlours and smashing their way into the homes of the other Tran brothers, as well as two apartments belonging to employees who worked at the parlours.

Hopefully the sounds of splintering wood, breaking glass, and yelling would momentarily shock and paralyze anyone to delay them from grabbing a weapon.

Hopefully, Connie realized. But not always ...

Within a few seconds, all the places being searched were secured and all those found inside had been handcuffed. Connie breathed a sigh of relief. Nobody hurt ...

The initial search being conducted by Connie’s team yielded nothing. Now a more careful search was being conducted. Every room, ceiling panel ... anything new that had been built ... rugs to be looked under for trap doors.

Connie answered her cellphone and discovered it was Jack.

“Just landed and cleared Customs,” he said. “Anything?”

“We’re doing the searches now. Started about fifteen minutes ago. Doesn’t look good. I’m at Dúc’s house. He’s got an attached garage. I’m going to look at it again.”

“Could you use a hand?”

“Got lots of help. No use burdening you.”

“What about the other places?”

“So far they’ve got a bunch of credit card receipts. Also a lot of red-faced guys lying around handcuffed wishing they were wearing pants ... but nothing of real interest.”

Jack sighed and said, “Call me if ... you know. I’m going to the office and then will find a hotel room for Bien.”

“Talk to ya later.”

“There’s one other thing.”

“What’s that?”

“The Russians came back on the plane with us.”

“Shit!”

Connie entered Dúc’s garage. It had a cement floor but she noticed some partial sheets of plywood lying on the floor under a work bench. She got down on her hands and knees to take a closer look. The sound of running footsteps approached her from behind.

“Connie!” came the excited voice of a young officer from her team. “Something you should see in the basement!”

“What?” she replied, trying to maintain a professional calm while her pulse quickened.

“A wall with wooden panelling. I knocked on it. Sounds hollow in one place!”

chapter thirty-one

Jack arrived at his office and plunked himself down behind his desk as Laura went to find an extra chair for Bien.

Jack called Natasha at work to let her know he was back. Not home. Just back. He then listened to the messages left on his office phone.

He hung up just as Laura wheeled a chair across the office floor for Bien to sit on. “I took this from Staff Pendejo’s office,” she said. “He’s not around. Probably not back from lunch.” Laura glanced at Jack and raised an eyebrow and asked, “What’s with you?”

“Isaac wants to see me immediately upon our return,” replied Jack.

“What about?”

“I don’t know. Maybe I should have Natasha call and ask. She’s on a first-name basis with him.”

Jack met with Isaac and was asked to give a quick debriefing on what had transpired in Vietnam.

After Jack told him, Isaac nodded and said, “Staff Otto had basically filled me in on the details. How is the father holding up? Does he speak English?”

“Yes, sir. His English is excellent. As far as holding up goes ... he is doing as well as could be expected under the circumstances.”

“I would like to meet with him shortly and assure him personally that we will do everything possible to find Linh and apprehend whoever is responsible,” said Isaac. “Now, however, there is another matter I wish to speak to you about.”

Jack listened as Isaac told him about Quaile’s lack of good judgement in regard to taking a picture of the Russians as they boarded the flight to Costa Rica.

“Lack of good judgement, sir?” seethed Jack. “I would call it obstruction of justice.”

“I can see on the surface how you might feel that way. However, I spoke with him and he explained that they caught him off guard and he reacted in a manner that he hoped they would think a policeman would not do. He was so upset by being seen by them that he was too embarrassed to come forward and admit it earlier. I’m sure he would never make the same mistake again. However, it is also obvious that his judgement in his assessment of you may have been flawed.”

“Flawed, sir?” said Jack sarcastically.

“We all make mistakes, Corporal,” said Isaac flatly. “Perhaps I am making one now, by cancelling your transfer to Traffic Services.”

“You are letting me remain here on Intelligence, sir?”

Isaac nodded and said, “You were correct in your judgement to work on the Russians.”

“I believe that Staff Quaile disagreed strongly with that point of view on my last assessment,” said Jack.

“I appreciate that your last performance rating was less than satisfactory. Far below what you have normally achieved. Staff Quaile and you obviously had a personality conflict. With that in mind ... and considering all the circumstances, I will see to it that a new performance rating is completed by whoever is selected to replace Staff Quaile.”

“To replace Staff Quaile? I appreciate that, sir!”

Isaac frowned and said, “We all have different abilities in different areas. I can see that, perhaps because of your background and experience, you have a more analytical mind when it comes to how organized crime functions. I’m sure that Staff Sergeant Quaile will be well-suited for the administrative position that he is now being transferred to.”

“When is that effective, sir?”

“At the end of the month.”

Jack tried hard to look solemn.

“In the meantime, I would strongly advise you to put your differences behind you. We all have our strengths and weaknesses. The administrative position that he will soon be responsible for is an important one ... that I suspect you would not perform well in.”

“Yes, sir. I’ll keep my interaction with him professional at all times. In fact, to show there are no hard feelings, I have a box I can lend him to pack up his personal belongings.”

Isaac locked eyes with Jack for several seconds before adding, “I will be watching you closely. You step out of line and I will come down on you hard. Understood?”

“I would expect nothing less.”

Jack arrived back at his desk and Laura looked at him and said, “So?”

“In a nutshell, my transfer to Highway Patrol is cancelled. I’m staying on Intelligence. Quaile is being transferred at the end of the month.”

“Are you serious?

“Very.”

“That’s unbelievable,” said Laura, getting to her feet and gripping each of Jack’s hands. “I feel like we’ve just won the lottery. What happened?”

Jack glanced at Bien and replied, “Quaile burned the Russians at the airport before they flew out to Costa Rica. That’s why they were so jumpy.”

“Intentionally?”

“No doubt in my mind.”

“That jerk!” Laura glanced at Bien and said, “I’m sorry.”

Bien didn’t respond and it was obvious that his mind was elsewhere.

“Anything more from CC?” asked Jack.

Laura shook her head.

“I’m going to call her. Isaac wants to meet Bien right away. “Why don’t you take him in and introduce him?”

Connie used her flashlight to knock on the wood panelling. There was no doubt that approximately one metre of the wall sounded hollow along a portion of the wall that one would have expected to be up against the cement walls of the basement.

“Shall I kick it in?” asked the young officer. “There doesn’t appear to be any handle or anything to pull it open.”

“Did you try pushing on it?” asked Connie.

“Pushing? We want to open it, not close it.”

Connie used her hand to push on various locations. She was rewarded by the sound of a metallic click and a portion of the wall opened outwards a crack.

“Magnetic push latch,” said Connie excitedly. “Got the same thing at home on a cabinet,” she added, putting her fingers in the crack and pulling outwards.

The section of the wall opened and Connie unconsciously held her breath.

The area she looked into was a large notch in the cement foundation that was meant to be a roughed-in fireplace. All it contained was a dresser and she swallowed as she tried to hide her disappointment.

The young officer pulled a drawer open. It was packed with money.

Two hours later, Jack, Laura, and Bien met Connie at the I-HIT office. After introductions were made, Randy took Bien into his office to explain some of the steps that had been taken in the investigation. He also had Bien look at mug shots of members of various Asian gangs on the lower mainland.

Randy didn’t expect it would yield anything, but he knew it made Bien feel better to think he was helping.

“Everyone demanded lawyers immediately,” said Connie. “Dúc and Cuóng are in Surrey cells right now. They’re going to be transferred to City lockup within the hour to face a joint indictment of keeping a common bawdy-house. Maximum sentence is two years. I expect everyone will be charged and released tomorrow morning on a promise to appear. Most of the women will be held for now and likely deported.”

“If we can’t keep these guys in jail, at least we can piss them off,” said Jack.

“That’s not all,” said Connie. “Dúc will really be pissed. We found where he keeps his money. It was hidden in his basement. Over a half-million in cash ... and get this. It also included the money you used to buy that kilo off of Giang. Might help if we could ever pin Giang’s murder on him.”

“I’m sure members of his gang were responsible for the actual dirty work,” said Jack. “Still, that’s good. He was trying to hide the paper trail. Proceeds of Crime should be happy.”

“Yeah, them and the taxman both.”

“What about credit receipts?” asked Laura.

“Got boxes of them. Lots with criminal history. Also dumped the phone records. Besides massage parlours, they just started operating as an escort service, too. We’ve got a ton of numbers, most of which are hotels. It’s going to take time.”

“Linh doesn’t have time,” said Jack, quietly. “Do you think anyone twigged as to what we were really after?”

“I don’t know,” said Connie. “I don’t think so. It went out over the media as a low-interest prostitution bust. All the media wanted to know is if there were any judges or politicians caught. They were told not this time. Some may not even bother to run it.”

“So now what do you intend to do?” asked Jack.

Connie shrugged and said, “We can try for a wire, but my guess is we’re better off looking for leads amongst the credit slips and phone numbers. We’ve got a criminal profile. A male, under the age of fifty. May fantasize by looking at pornography or lingerie catalogues and drawing pictures of chains and ropes on the female models. Likely suffering from other mental disorders as well.”

“Not suffering like his victims,” said Jack. “I agree with you about the wiretap. Unlikely anyone would ever open their mouth about it over the phone. But working through mounds of paper in the hope you’ll find the guy? We don’t have time for that bullshit!”

“I know what you’re thinking ... but you so much as glare at a prisoner these days and a judge will rule the statement inadmissible.”

“Why does everyone think I’d torture the guy?” said Jack.

“Wouldn’t you?” asked Connie.

“I actually do have a better idea. It’s even legal. Hard as it is for you to believe that,” he added, looking at Connie.

“I’m all ears ... except for my buns of steel,” replied Connie.

Jack ignored the comment and said, “It would be nice to hear what the Tran brothers have to say when they’re all put together today.”

“These guys have been around. Even if we did have a wire, once we put them in a nice quiet cell to listen, they’d clue in.”

“Not what I had in mind. How about putting someone in the general holding cell at City with them? Do it before Dúc and Cuóng even arrive. Someone who speaks Vietnamese.”

Connie shook her head and said, “Try and find an operator who speaks Vietnamese ... good luck. I know the City has someone who does, but he works the street and is well known.”

“We’ve got someone,” said Jack.

“Yeah? Who?”

Jack pointed at Bien.

“You nuts? He’s the father! We can’t do that! They’re liable to kill him, especially if they find a wire.”

“So we’ll stick some other operator in there for protection. Someone to stay in the background. Bien could gesture when he wants out. I’d do it, but Dúc and Cuóng have both seen me.”

“Christ, we can’t ask him to do that. Besides, the brass would ...”

“Bien will want to help. He speaks their language and definitely doesn’t look like a cop. Put him in for a couple of hours and take him out.”

“The brass would never allow ...”

“The brass have nothing to lose. Linh does, if we don’t find her.”

Connie took a deep breath and slowly exhaled before saying, “They won’t trust him. He’s a stranger.”

“I’ll give him a quick course on UC. I’ve got a story he can give that will make them want to be his friend.”

“That would have to be some story. These guys will be pissed off. We took their money and their girls. They won’t be in the mood for making new friends.”

Jack smiled. The steam had gone out of Connie’s protest. It was no longer about not doing it. It was about how to do it.

“We use that to our advantage,” said Jack. “Bien can say he got off the plane from Hanoi today and was arrested when the hotel taxi-van delivered him from the airport to the hotel lobby. He can say a nice young Vietnamese woman was also on the plane ... and just happened to be going to the same hotel where she got busted for bringing in heroin. All he has to do is wink and say, of course I never met the lady ... and she really doesn’t know me. Dúc will think Bien is a watcher.”

“A watcher?” asked Connie.

“That happens regularly,” explained Laura. “Someone who is on the plane with the mule to make sure they’re not arrested and turned into informants before completing the delivery. The mules often don’t know who is watching them, although the list of possibilities narrows once they leave the airport. Same goes for the police, if they are watching.”

“With Dúc’s background, he’ll know all this,” said Jack. “It will make sense to him. Usually there isn’t enough evidence to charge the watcher ... but making them sit in cells to sweat for a while wouldn’t be unusual. With Dúc having his girls taken away, it will really help.”