Is that what’s got you goin’? Hey, I hardly recognized you and I was looking for you. Is that what this is all about?’
‘He recognized me. I am sure of it.’
‘Ah, c’mon,’
‘We were not five feet apart. I was paying the check and I turned to leave and he was just sitting down at the next table and we stood there and stared at each other and I swear, for a moment he almost said something. Then I got out, very quickly. But as we were pulling away in the launch I looked back up and he had come outside. He was at the rail, watching me.’
Burns said, ‘Humh.’
‘I have been terrified ever since. It is frightening, to be afraid to walk on the street. My company is in Mui Wo, on the island of Lantau, to the west of here. Only occasional tourists come over there, to visit the silver mines. And yet I have been afraid to go outside. Today, coming here, my stomach hurt. 1 sat in the back seat of the car looking out the window, looking at every face.’
‘Take it easy.’
‘It has been a nightmare.’
‘So far you did everything right. You didn’t try anything. No phone calls. Didn’t try to get a line on him, right? Nothing to set anybody off?’
‘No. I followed the plan. I contacted you and waited.’
‘Okay. Good for you.’
‘There is a danger. He may have reported it to someone.’
Burns said nothing. He stared straight ahead, his brain clicking off the options, the odds. Finally he said, ‘Okay, we got to go on the assumption be didn’t. I mean if he did, it’s too late anyway. So we got to figure he’s here on vacation, okay? Was he in uniform?’
‘Yes.’
‘Okay, nine, ten to one he’s on a furlough. So it’s a fluke. Maybe he got a little shot, see? Thought to himself, Hey, I know that guy. But it’s fifteen years. You changed a lot. What were you then, anyway? I don’t see him putting it together. I don’t see that at all. Maybe, if anything, he’s probably still trying to put his finger on it.’
Burns thought some more.
‘Thing is, if he’s on vacation, he’s too busy having a good time. He’s outa the element right now. He’s thinking, maybe. Maybe even he’s touched it around the edges. But it’s a long shot, he made you. I promise you. What we gotta do, we gotta locate him fast and then. . . .‘ He snapped his fingers and smiled. DeLaroza stared at him and a chill passed through him. Burns went on:
‘Okay, okay. You relax, see? You forget it. We have a good lunch, you go back over there to whatever, Mooey Pooey, whatever you call it, lay low another day. By tomorrow it’ll be over. You don’t worry, see? This is my end of it. This is my business. I’m glad you didn’t panic. Anytime there’s trouble, I handle that. What I don’t want, I don’t want amateurs fallin’ in the soup, know what I mean?
‘Yes. Thank you.’
‘Forget it. My problem. It’s done. Besides, I may be needing to call on you one of these days. I may have to make a big withdrawal.’
‘What happened?’
‘Well, you know, this and that and the other thing. Some friends of mine, used to be friends of mine, they may have tumbled on to our little freelance thing down there in Brazil. It could be just I’ve got the butterflies like you. But just in case . .
‘How much?’
‘I dunno. Couple hundred thousand maybe.’
‘It will be no problem, my friend.’
‘Good. One more thing. About Halford. I want a good description. And I’m gonna need money, Hong Kong dollars.’
‘How much?’
‘I dunno yet. Could be, maybe fifty thou Hong Kong. How late can you do business with the bank?’
‘Up to six is no problem at all. It will come out of the box. The president of the bank and I are friends. We play golf together.’
‘Ain’t that sweet? Six is okay. I’ll probably need to make the tap about five. Deliver it to my hotel. In a shoebox, wrapped up like I bought some shoes, had them delivered. You call me at five, I’ll give you the tally. Where’s the bank?’
‘Right around the corner from the hotel. The China Bank, behind the old Supreme Court building just before you get on the Star Ferry in Kowloon.’
‘No problem. You ain’t five minutes away.’
‘Right.’
‘Okay, how about Halford? What’s he look like?’
‘His full name is Charles David Halford and he is a full colonel,’ DeLaroza began, and then described the military man.
‘That’s beautiful. Look, you can forget it, okay, Victor? Now, what are we gonna have for lunch?’
‘Well, I would suggest starting with shark’s fin soup and then either the Shanghai crab or empress chicken...’
At 2:30, Burns made his call from a public phone booth in the lobby of the Excelsior Hotel, directly across the causeway from the Typhoon Shelter. Chan answered.
‘Royal Oriental Rug Company.’
‘Is Mr. Wan there?’
‘Which Mr. Wan?’
‘George.’
‘This is George Wan.’
‘It’s Johnson again.’
‘Yes sir. Do you have the information yet?’
‘Yeah. An eagle colonel, U.S. Army, name of Charles David Halford. H-A-I,.F-O-R-D, Halford. Six-one to two, hundred-eighty pounds, white hair cut short, one of those curled-up-type moustaches. I’m guessing he’s down from Tokyo or maybe the Philippines. I don’t think he’s here permanently. That’s all I got.’
‘It is enough.’
‘I was planning, I’d like to be outa here tonight, know what I mean? Can it be handled that quick?’
‘I feel certain, if there are not complications. Call back each hour. If there is no answer, I have nothing to report.’
‘That’s fine, just fine. Did you make the shipping arrangements?’
‘Uh, yes, uh, you understand, there is a risk in moving the object about. There will need to be an additional charge for, uh, packing and insurance.’
‘Of course. You get too greedy, I’ll let you know. Dor jeh.’
‘Dor-jeh.’
There was no answer at 3:30. At 4:30 the line was busy and Burns began to get nervous. Another hour would be pushing the bank deadline. He. waited a minute and tried again. The phone rang several times before someone answered.
‘Jo sun,’ a high, whining voice said.
‘is this the Royal Oriental Rug Company’?’ Burns asked.
‘Um ying gok yung,’ the voice said.
Jesus, he can’t speak English, Burns thought.
‘George Wan? You know, George Wan?’ he said, speaking the name slowly and distinctly.
There was a disturbance on the other end, a flurry of Chinese words spoken in anger and then:
‘This is George Wan. Hold a moment, urn goy.’ Then he heard him snap out a stream of Chinese, followed by another flurry. Finally: ‘I am sorry. This man was using the booth for business calls. I had a small problem with him. Is this Mr. Johnson?’
Burns paused. Then: ‘Where do you work?’ His voice was flat, harsh, and suspicious.
‘Royal Oriental Rug Company. It Is George Wan, believe me.’
‘Okay. what’ve you got?’
‘The eagle colonel Halford is with military Intelligence.
He comes from Korea by way of Tokyo and is on rest leave. It required many calls. I had to prevail on a friend in Japan in the Yakuza and . . .‘
‘Forget the road map, okay? I don’t care where he came from, how he got here, all that. You got to understand, George, you and me we’re in the same business. You don’t have to jack up the price with all these details. All I want is essentials.’
Wan paused, then he said, ‘Yes. Halford is at the Ambassador Hotel on Nathan Street in Kowloon. Everything is arranged for tonight.’
‘You got the shipping thing set up?
“Hai, nin.’
‘I’m changing signals a little. It’ll be two.’
‘Two?’
‘Yeah, two.’
‘But I don’t understand, who...’
‘Think about it, George. You can figure it out. I said I wanted shipping and insurance, see?’