Frye explained the photo in Eddie Vo’s room. “My name’s Chuck.”
Loc remembered. “I need my brother back, and that’s the truth. You’re from Eddie, aren’t you?”
“I told you, Loc. I’m not from anybody. You took my box and I need it back.” Even if they’ve made a copy of it, Frye thought, at least I’ll have something to give back to Bennett. “I’ll give you a hundred bucks for it.”
Loc steered the wagon north on Beach Boulevard, running a red light on the turn. At a break in the traffic, he turned left into Westminster Memorial Park. Frye looked out at the trees, the gently sloping grounds, the picnic tables, and barbecue stands.
Loc pulled into a parking spot and killed the engine. “Let’s walk,” he said, reaching for the door.
“Let’s stay right where we are,” said Frye.
Loc turned back to Frye with a huge revolver in his left hand. He cocked it — Frye could hear each part moving into place, followed by the definitive, lower click of the trigger locking — and placed the barrel against Frye’s ear. “You don’t understand anything,” said Loc. “Now we will walk.”
“A little fresh air might be nice.”
Loc followed him out the passenger door, the gun pushed hard into Frye’s side. “That way.”
They moved down a path, past the park’s restrooms. Frye’s legs felt like old wood. A young Vietnamese couple passed them, moving off the walkway when they recognized Loc. Frye could see a table and benches in the dim lights as they cut across the park toward the north end. When they got to the picnic area, Loc pushed him onto a bench. He stepped back and with one hand produced a cigarette and lighter. The other one stayed in the pocket of his coat. Frye watched the orange flame illuminate Loc’s thin, hard face.
“Where is he?”
“I told you, I don’t know. How long has he been gone?”
Loc puffed on the cigarette. “Since Sunday. Where did you get his bracelets?”
“They’re not his. Smith gave them to me.”
“You are a friend of Smith?”
“Not exactly.”
“But you are a friend of Eddie Vo.”
“No more than you are.”
Loc stepped forward, grabbed Frye’s hair, and jerked back his head. The gun barrel found his neck. “Why did you go to him then?”
Frye looked up at the fierce face. Loc’s flat-top seemed a foot and a half high. A cloud of smoke lowered into his eyes. Frye could feel his stitches yawning. He realized now that if he played his cards just right, Loc would kill him. “I was looking for Li Frye. I went to Stanley and found Eddie, too.”
Loc cinched up on Frye’s hair. “What do you care about Li Frye?”
“She’s my sister-in-law.”
Loc stared down at him, cigarette dangling. He released Frye’s hair and stepped back. “You are Bennett Frye’s brother?”
Frye nodded.
“What’s this shit about a box I have?”
Frye looked at Loc, wondering if this boy would give an inch. “Some friends saw you go into my house, Loc. Nice job — you creamed it pretty good. I don’t care about the house. I need the box back. It means a lot more to me than it does to you. Name your price.”
“What’s in it?”
“Shit, Loc, you don’t even know?”
“It was just a job, man.”
“For Lawrence?”
Loc studied him. “That’s right.”
“Did you already give it to him?”
Loc nodded.
Frye groaned. That video tape keeps getting farther away, he thought.
“What was in it, Frye?”
“It was personal. It doesn’t mean anything to anybody, except me. And whoever in hell Lawrence is.” Frye looked out to the darkened park. An older couple walked a tiny dog down the sidewalk. “Nice job with the Christmas lights, Loc. A very festive approach to residential burglary.”
“Christmas lights were the first thing about this country I liked. You’re really Li Frye’s brother-in-law?”
“Really.” Frye watched Loc pocket the big weapon, then light another cigarette.
“Man, I wouldn’t have ruined your house, if I knew that. I love Li Frye.”
“Me too.”
“Ever heard ‘Lost Mothers?’”
“Of course I have.”
“That’s my favorite.”
“I’m glad you’re such a fan, Loc. It’s really doing me a lot of good.”
Loc sat down on the bench. He called something toward the trees and his three friends materialized from the darkness. Frye turned to watch them approach.
“I believe you, Frye. Now what do you know about Duc?”
“I told you already. Nothing. The deal was that Lawrence would locate your brother, if you got that box for him?”
Loc nodded. “Duc disappeared Sunday afternoon. He and another Dark Man went out. They missed a party I had on Sunday night. They did not come home. They missed work on Monday... and lunch. He never misses lunch. He is like a dog. If I don’t find him soon, he will do something. He can be talked into anything. He’s a fool.”
“When did Lawrence talk to you?”
“Yesterday afternoon. He came to the restaurant. He said that it was Ground Zero that took Li Frye, and my brother and my friend, too. He said Eddie Vo would kill them, but he could prevent that. But he wanted something in return. Something that would save Duc’s life. It was easy to get. And Lawrence promised that Duc would be free soon.”
“That’s a pretty thin proposition, Loc.”
“Lawrence wasn’t asking much, in return for what he promised. I knew right away that he was dangerous. What choice did I have?”
“You could have gone to Minh.”
“I don’t trust Minh. Then Duc would die and Li would be gone and it would be my fault. Li helped bring Duc over from the camps.”
Frye watched Loc toss his cigarette. The boy seemed to diminish into his big black coat. What Frye saw now was a scared, skinny kid — a hundred and thirty pounds of anxiety under a wild haircut. “How did you get the box to Lawrence?”
Loc eyed him sullenly. “No.”
“Where is he? I need that thing real bad.”
“Lawrence said that Duc would die if I talked.”
“When was he supposed to get Duc free from Eddie?”
Loc sighed and looked down. “This morning.”
“Then you got screwed, Loc.”
Frye stood up. Loc’s friends sprang back, hands moving inside their jackets. Loc snapped something at them and they edged away.
“Loc, you know Eddie. If he even has Duc and Li, where would he keep them?”
Loc shook his head. “I’ve looked everywhere I know. Twice. Now Eddie has vanished, too.”
“Do you really think Eddie arranged the kidnapping? Do you think he could have done it?”
“Eddie is crazy enough to do anything. Minh would have him now, if not for you.”
If not for me, Frye thought. “If we can find Lawrence, maybe he can lead us to Duc. And Li.”
“He’d kill you. I could see it in his eyes.”
“What’s he look like?”
“Tall as you, but stronger. Dark hair and mustache. Very handsome, like a movie star without the smile.”
“Where can I find him, Loc?”
“I don’t know.”
Frye sat back down. “Okay, you won’t go to Minh because you don’t trust him. What are you going to do?”
“I was going to ask General Dien. He is the most powerful man in Little Saigon.”
“And?”
“He is... not to be trusted.”
“And what’s happening to Duc while you wait? Or to Li Frye?”
Loc stood glowering above him. “You insult me.”
“I’m trying to get my box back, for chrissakes. If I can find Lawrence, I can get it. Maybe he doesn’t know squat about your brother and Li, but maybe he does. It’s worth a try, isn’t it? He used you, Loc. Use him back.”