Point Blank (Sisterhood Book 26) (10 page)

Mindful of her manners, Lily tried not to gobble her food, but gobble she did, to the amusement of the monks standing by. When her bowl of stew was finished, she sighed, then smiled when she saw a wedge of pie with clotted cream placed in front of her. “Brother Sune made this pie from apples in our orchard. It is very good,” the giant, Brother Lok, said.

Lily took a bite and closed her eyes. “You are right, Brother Lok, this pie is splendiferous.”

“I do not know that word.”

“It just means ‘very good.’ We use that word sometimes in America to say something is very special. Do you want me to spell it for you?”

“Later, little one. Finish up so you can bathe and go to sleep. We will speak again in the morning, and at that time you can give me a spelling lesson.”

“That sounds like a good plan. I am finished, Brother Lok. Can we save the rest of this splendiferous pie for when I wake up?”

“But of course,” Brother Lok replied, smiling with pleasure at the little girl’s obvious delight.

The bathroom was warm and scented with incense, a pleasant smell. Fresh clothing, many sizes too big, rested on a small stool. Yuke Lok stood watch while Lily bathed, because she was afraid the little girl would nod off in the water. When she finally had her tucked into the bed, she bent over to kiss the top of her head. “Go to sleep now, Lily. You had a very busy few days.”

“I have to say good night to Cooper. We talk every night. I need him to know that I am all right. He worries about me.”

Yuke Lok watched, fascinated as Lily stared off into space, oblivious to everything around her. Finally, she focused again on her surroundings, smiled, and snuggled deeper into the covers.

“What . . . what . . . did you talk about to Cooper, Lily?”

“He told me he’s on the way with my family. They are coming to get me. He said he knows the way. He told me not to worry. I love Cooper,” she said sleepily.

Yuke Lok stared at the little girl for a long time, wondering if what she was saying was true or just a fantasy on Lily’s part. In the end, she decided it was easier to believe than disbelieve. She hoped to meet Cooper someday. The thought brought a smile to her face as she filled the tub a second time.

As she lowered herself into the steaming water, she couldn’t help but wonder what life had in store for Lily and her.

Surely it would be something wonderful.

 

T
he moment that Annie’s pilot’s voice came over the intercom, announcing they were starting their descent to Hong Kong International Airport, the occupants became busier than beavers as they prepared for their landing.

Maggie took center stage as she started to bellow what would happen the minute they set foot on Chinese soil. “You follow my and Ted’s lead in all things. We are, as you know, Crescent China Tours tour guides. Remember that there will be eyes and ears everywhere. Also remember that the Chinese do not like Americans. They tolerate us. Never forget that. The one thing we have going for us is all the demonstrations going on with the students. The authorities are going to be concentrating on that and not so much on new arrivals from America. Still, two private planes with American travelers will not go unnoticed. Stay alert. Any questions?”

No one had a question, not even Dennis West, who was Mr. Question himself when it came to a mission.

Maggie looked around and marveled as she always did at what Alexis had done with her red magic bag of tricks. Annie now looked like an aging Shirley Temple. Snowden had warned that even the Chinese knew who Countess Anna de Silva was. As far as Maggie was concerned no one, not even Fergus, would have recognized his ladylove had he met her on the street. Her new passport said her name was Alice Sylvester, a retired schoolteacher from Fargo, North Dakota. Myra, just as recognizable, according to Snowden, now looked like a watered-down version of Cher. The name on her passport said she was Elsa Miller, a librarian from New York.

Harry was the biggest challenge, Snowden warned. Alexis had stewed and fretted until she came up with what she thought was the perfect disguise. Latex to fill out his cheeks, a little filler to his lips, and a fat pigtail secured with a special hair glue along with a second hairpiece of unruly curls that sat smack on the middle of his head. Huge window-glass eyeglasses completed his facial features. A little spare padding around his middle took away his lanky, sinewy frame. His passport said his name was Chi Chung, the owner of six Oriental markets that sold all things Chinese from clothing to food in Omaha, Nebraska.

Yoko was now an awkward twelve-year-old student dressed in a plaid skirt, matching blazer, white knee socks, and lace-tied shoes. She sported a Buster Brown haircut, full bangs, and a short bob. Artificial braces adorned her teeth. Wire-rim glasses perched on her nose. Her passport said her name was Lee Ann Sylvester, the granddaughter of Alice Sylvester, a.k.a. Annie.

The others, including herself and Ted, had only minimal alterations to their appearance. As Snowden put it, just enough that you couldn’t be sure who was who.

“We’re good to go, people,” Alexis said as she packed up her red bag of magic tricks and stowed it in a cavity at the back of the plane.

Charles stepped forward to open the overhead bin to remove his duffel bag and Myra’s. Everyone had one duffel bag, and that was it. All were red and gold, China’s favorite colors, emblazoned with
CRESCENT CHINA TOURS
on both sides. The name tags also bore the name of Crescent China Tours.

The attire they would be wearing when they disembarked was khaki slacks and lightweight matching Windbreakers, again with the name Crescent China Tours spread across the backs of each jacket. Baseball caps for the men with the same logo on the brim, and floppy fishing caps for the ladies also, as Maggie said, logoed out the kazoo.

The red light overhead turned on. The hostess’s voice could be heard ordering all passengers to take their seats and buckle up. Everyone obeyed immediately.

In just minutes, they would be standing on Chinese soil.

Jack looked around. Everyone seemed calm, even he and Cooper. Harry, however, looked to Jack like a ticking time bomb. And as far as he could tell, there was no way to defuse Harry. He childishly crossed his fingers and hoped for the best. Harry was not stupid—he knew what was at stake. Mentally, Jack ordered Harry to take deep breaths and relax. Much to his surprise, he saw his best friend in the whole world do just that. And then he winked at Jack. Son of a bitch! Harry did have it going on. Cooper barked to show he got it, too.

Jack leaned back in the luxurious seat and closed his eyes. He didn’t open them again until he felt the wheels of the Gulfstream hit the runway. He steeled himself for the pullback, then let loose with a long sigh. On land again. Jack really did hate flying.

As planned, the moment the cabin door opened, Maggie and Ted were the first two people off the plane. They skipped down the steps, duffels on their shoulders, and took up their positions at the base of the steps. When everyone was gathered in a circle, Maggie, with Ted’s help, went into her spiel. “All right, people, we are here! Here meaning Hong Kong, China. Also known as the Pearl of the Orient. We have some time before our host hotel’s, the Peninsula’s, fleet of Rolls-Royces arrives to take us there, where we will spend the next two days. I’m told the vehicles are Peninsula green. Keep your eyes peeled for them.

“Does everyone have their gear? Are you sure you didn’t leave anything on the planes? Raise your hand if you’re good to go.” Every hand shot in the air, even Snowden and his people, who had somehow arrived ten minutes before the rest of them did.

“All right, then, a short lesson on Hong Kong, but first, see the hats my partner and I are wearing? Notice the huge plumed feather. That’s so you can spot us easily as we make our way around. If you lag behind or get lost, just look for the feather. Raise your hand if you understand,” Maggie said in what she hoped was tour-guide dialogue. Hands shot in the air. The feather, they got it.

“Is this a warm cookie moment?” Isabelle grinned.

“Not yet,” Ted snapped.

“Some facts, people. Pay attention. For starters, Hong Kong is located on China’s south coast. It is a mere thirty-seven miles from Macau, which we will be visiting while we’re here. As you know, Macau is the gambling Mecca of the Orient. You might possibly win, but the odds are you will lose, so gamble accordingly. Do not lose more than you can afford to lose. Please. Crescent China Tours wants you to have enough left after this trip to come again.

“While we’re here, we’ll be visiting, if time permits, the Kowloon Peninsula and New Territories, with over two hundred offshore islands, the largest being Lantau Island. But only if time permits.

“Another fact is that Hong Kong averages 1,948 hours of sunshine per year. That’s if you can see it with all the smog. The air in Hong Kong is very polluted. We’ve issued paper-filtered masks to you, and I urge you all to use them. I can guarantee that you will not like the diesel-scented air.”

Maggie looked around to see if the Peninsula Rolls-Royces were anywhere near, so she could cut short her spiel, which was boring everyone to tears.

Ted decided to take over. “For those of you who don’t know this, Hong Kong has the seventh largest stock exchange in the world, with a capitalization of US $2.3 trillion. That was back in 2009, so we can assume it is much more by now.

“Hong Kong is the eighth most expensive city for expatriates. Hong Kong is also rated fourth in terms of the highest percentage of millionaire households, behind Switzerland, Qatar, and Singapore, with 8.5 percent of all households owning at least one million US dollars.”

“Like we really care about this,” Kathryn grumbled. “Someone should be paying attention to those four guys over by the gate. They haven’t taken their eyes off us since we got off the plane.”

“Thank God, here come our rides!” Nikki shouted.

Maggie blew her whistle for silence. “Orderly fashion, everyone, and yes, I have been watching those four guys myself. Pile in. We need to go through customs. And then we’re on our own. Don’t look obvious, people. Some pictures of our observers would be nice if someone can manage that little feat without drawing attention to ourselves. If successful, we can upload them and send them on to Abner to check out for us.”

Dennis was happily snapping away, his phone pointing everywhere but at the four men standing at the gate. In his haste, he pretended to stumble, giving him just enough time to aim and click before righting himself. “Done and so done,” he chortled as he quickly pressed more buttons. “Abner will have it in five seconds.”

“Good work, kid,” Ted said.

Finally, the tour group was settled in the luxurious limousines and headed to customs, where they were whizzed in and out in under thirty minutes.

And then they were finally on their way to the Peninsula Hotel. The drive was made in virtual silence as the people in the various cars tried to make sense out of the congestion, the smell, the demonstrations, and Hong Kong in general.

The time was late afternoon.

On their arrival, the group waited while Maggie and Ted as the tour leaders checked the group in. Lizzie Fox had requested the entire eighth floor even though they wouldn’t be using all the rooms. There had been no problem once she agreed to wire the money from a hastily set-up corporate account. Armed with all the paperwork, they found that it took just minutes for everyone to locate their rooms and settle in. They all agreed to meet in the lobby in ninety minutes, enough time to shower and change. No one was upset that the time for high tea had come and gone, nor were they upset to see that it was fully dark outside. So much could be accomplished once the sun had set.

Snowden and his people took off on their own, the agreed-on plan.

The gang asked for and got a hotel van with no windows that would accommodate all of them to Dishbang Deshi’s showroom on Nathan Road, where the plan was to order bolts and bolts of silks to be shipped back to the States. Harry sat in front with Ted, who was doing the driving.

While the ride wasn’t as pleasant as the ride to the hotel in the Rolls-Royces, it met their needs, and no one complained. Not even Dennis, who had to hold Cooper on his lap because of the lack of room.

Ted turned on the radio and instructed Harry to tell them what was going on in regard to the demonstrations taking place. “Are we going to run into any trouble? Are we even near the area where it’s all taking place? And while you’re at it, tell us what the hell they’re demonstrating for. This would not be a good time for a van full of Americans with bogus passports to get arrested. And just for the record, this map looks like a three-year-old drew it up with some bad crayons.”

Harry leaned forward to hear better. He listened for a full five minutes before he told Ted to turn down the sound. “They’re saying there are over nine thousand demonstrators, and they’re using umbrellas to confuse the issue. It seems last night they took back part of the Mong Kok District that they’d ceded the day before. Talks failed. The university president, Leonard Cheng, was the moderator.

“It’s a pro-democracy demonstration. Beijing is not happy with what’s going on. We’re okay the way we’re traveling. We’ll skirt the troubled areas. Just be alert and always cede to the other guy, and you won’t get in trouble.

“They’re saying two hundred and forty people were injured and taken to hospitals in the last twenty-four hours. Eighteen police officers were also injured. They arrested thirty-three people for property damage, disorderly conduct, weapons possession, and resisting arrest. This took place in a residential area of Kowloon. Another area that is close, but we’ll skirt it, too. It’s the area they call the main section of downtown.”

“Turn here, Ted! Jeez, you almost missed it. Damn, I never saw such congestion. Where the hell are we supposed to park? Harry?” Jack bellowed

“Like I’m supposed to know? Wherever you can see a spot,” Harry shot back.

“I’ve never seen so many people in my life. It looks like the seven million people who live here are out and about. The air is so putrid, you can barely breathe. How do these people live here with this pollution?” Jack asked. “It just seeps into this van.”

“It’s not like they have a choice, Jack. They live here. They also die young,” Harry said ominously.

“I see a spot! Hurry, Ted, snag it, and let’s get this show on the road. If this crazy-ass map is even half right, then the showroom we want is about a block up on the right.

“You called your buddy Dishbang Deshi, right, Harry?” Jack said, making it more of a statement than a question.

“I did, but he wasn’t taking calls. I had to leave a message. Entrance to the showroom is by appointment only. In my message, I left the key word that Dishbang Deshi and I agreed upon, which was
Jun
. Don’t worry, he’ll be here. He’s just playing it careful because he’s scared out of his wits.”

Ted managed to squeeze the hotel van into a space so small, he was sweating profusely when he climbed out. He immediately started to gag, as did the others. They quickly put on their filtered masks, then formed a straight line like a mother duck and her ducklings as they followed Maggie and Ted to make their way to the Bang Import and Export showroom, with those behind keeping Ted’s and Maggie’s plumed feathers in sight. Cooper barked the entire way.

It was a modern showroom, with plate-glass windows decorated in red-and-gold Chinese symbols. The waiting room was a comfortable area with bamboo chairs, colorful cushions, and a proliferation of luscious green plants. Colorful art hung on the wall, models wearing presumably silk gowns with the silk purchased at Bang Import and Export. A bell tinkled somewhere, then a buzzer sounded from the back of the showroom. A slim man nattily dressed in a custom-made silk suit, of course, walked toward them. He looked around, puzzled at the group of people standing clustered together. He stood on his tiptoes to see the taller men in the back—Ted, Jack, Espinosa, and Dennis.

The nattily dressed man frowned, his eyes worried. “Can I help you?”

Harry stepped forward. “Cut the crap, Dishbang Deshi, it’s me, Harry. We’re in these getups to protect you. Start showing me bolts of silk and talk like you’ve never talked before.”