The Money Is Green (29 page)

“What do the doctors say about her chances? Is she going to be alright?”

“They don’t know, Jason, they don’t know. They’ve been all over her and have done the best they can. Her brain has some swelling, which they’ve tried to relieve, but now it’s just a waiting game.”

Jason looked up at the ceiling and let out a big sigh. “Do you know how this accident happened? Where was she? Who was she with?”

“I’ve only got bits and pieces, Jason. The kid who was driving was her friend, Steve. He survived but has a few broken bones. I talked to him for a few minutes and he told me she snuck out of the friend’s house where she was staying while you were gone and they were driving to North Dakota to see her mother. Apparently Debbie knew nothing about it since it was going to be a surprise.”

Rolling his eyes, Jason banged his fist into the wall, almost breaking through the sheetrock. “North Dakota? You’ve got to be kidding. How in the hell did she think she was going to pull that off?” He stopped for a moment. “Does Debbie know her daughter’s been in an accident?”

There was a pause on the other line. “I didn’t call her, Jason. I don’t know her number. I also don’t feel comfortable making that call.”

“Don’t worry about it. That will be my next call. Thank you for helping and staying with her, Janine. I really appreciate it. I’ll make arrangements to grab the first plane out of here and head for home. It’ll probably take me twenty hours or so, but I’ll call you the first opportunity I get.”

“Okay, Jason, be safe. I’ll be here when you get here, and hopefully you’ll return home to good news.”

He hung up and stared at the phone for a second. He left the conference room and signaled to the young woman who had brought him the phone to come over. When she got there, he said to her, “Would you arrange for a car to be brought to the front with a driver who can take me to the airport? I need it done right away.”

She bowed and hurried away.

Picking up the phone, he held it in his hand for a moment. This is not going to be a pleasant call. He took a deep breath and dialed. After a few rings he heard the familiar voice of his ex-wife. “Hello?”

“Debbie,” he said, trying to keep his voice calm, “it’s Jason.” He paused for a second. “Crystal’s been in a car accident. She’s currently in a coma, and the doctors are doing the best they can for her.”

A loud gasp came over the phone. “Oh no!” she screamed. “What have you done to my baby!?” She burst into tears and started yelling, “I can’t believe you let her drive around! What kind of father are you? Oh my god, you’ve killed my baby!”

“Stop it, Debbie,” he said firmly. “Get ahold of yourself. It was an accident. Yelling at me isn’t going to accomplish anything. I only called to let you know what happened to Crystal. I thought you should know. I’m in China and I’m heading home.”

“What are you doing in China? Why aren’t you home taking care of Crystal? Did you leave her with that slut again?” She started wailing again into the phone so loud that Jason held it away from his ear.

“Look, I’m in China because of my job and she was staying with the family of one of her teammates and friends. I don’t know more than that. Why don’t you quit feeling sorry for yourself and make arrangements to get back to California so you can be with her? You could get there before I do.”

“Oh sure, Jason, I’ll just pull a plane ticket out of my ass and fly there. I’m not loaded with money like you are and you still haven’t sent me the extra money you owe me from your new raise. I could afford to get there if you’d do what you’re supposed to do.”

Rubbing his eyes, he looked around the office through the glass windows of the conference room. Fifteen of his co-workers were sitting at their desks staring at him. He gave a half-hearted smile and a quick wave and turned his back to them. He saw the young woman he sent for the car wave at him and indicate the car was ready.

He nodded to her and turned his attention back to the phone. “Listen, Debbie, I’ve got to go. I suggest you ask Dave for a loan or take one out yourself and go check on your daughter. Your financial straits are not because of me. I send you plenty of money every month in child support and alimony, and I don’t know nor do I care what you
do with it. But don’t try to lay any guilt trip on me if something happens. If you need money for a flight, book it and leave the payment information on my voicemail and I’ll take care of it for you. I’ll talk to you later.” He hung up the phone and headed to the front entrance of the office.

Just before he got to the front of the office, a man came through the front door with a briefcase in his hand. He moved to Jason and stuck out his hand. “I’m here to pick up the package for Mark Namath. I know you’re in a hurry, so if you can get it for me, I’ll be on my way.”

Jason waved him over. “Follow me. It’s in my office and I’ll get it for you.” They moved through the main office until they reached Jason’s office, and he closed the door quickly after the man stepped inside. Jason reached into a gym bag behind the door and handed the man a small container with clear liquid and a small envelope.

The man held the jar up to the light, then opened the briefcase and set it in a designated position along with the envelope. He shut the briefcase and shook Jason’s hand. “Thanks. I’ll be on my way.”

Jason followed him out of the office and to the waiting car. As he opened the door, he noticed two military men sitting in a jeep across the street, parked in the same direction as his driver was. Once he got into the car, he turned around and looked through the rear window. As his driver pulled away, he noticed the jeep start up and follow at a distance.

I wonder what this is all about, he thought. It seems every time I turn around there’s some type of military presence following me.

His cellphone rang and he answered it.

“Jason, it’s Agent Namath. Thanks for all your cooperation. Do you know what your boss’s relationship to Wo Sung is?”

Looking nervously through the back window at the jeep, which was still following him, Jason answered, “I’ve never heard of Wo Sung. Mei never mentioned him in my presence. Who is he?”

“That’s what we’re trying to figure out. If he’s who we think he is, he may be the missing link to this whole gun-running operation. But one thing’s for sure: Whoever he is, he’s not someone to mess with. We’ll be working on our end to figure out who he is, but you should keep an eye out and be careful.”

“Listen, Mark,” Jason said, “I’m trying to get out of China. My daughter has had an accident in the States. I may just be getting paranoid since everything that went down with Brian Thompson, but I have a feeling I’m being followed and that I’m not going to be allowed to leave the country. Is there anything you can do to help me?”

“How were you planning on getting out?”

“I was going to take one of Soltech’s corporate jets, but I don’t know that Mei would allow that,” he answered. He noticed the jeep had dropped back a few hundred yards but continued to follow. “Do you have any other suggestions?”

“Yeah, go to the Malaysia Airlines counter and buy a flight to Thailand. Go through security and hang out in the waiting area for your flight. One of our agents will come get you and we’ll fly you out of there on one of our government jets.”

“How will I know if it’s him?” Jason asked nervously.

“They’ll ask you if you know the score of last Sunday’s Dallas Cowboy’s game. Don’t talk to anyone while you’re waiting and try to be inconspicuous.”

“Okay,” he said as he searched for the jeep behind him. It was nowhere to be seen.

T
HIRTY
-E
IGHT

T
he smell of body odor, urine, and vomit hung in the air of the tiny jail cell. The small straw bedding in the corner was chewed by rats and barely in one piece. The only light was a small amount that crept under the heavy metal door. David Wilson lay curled in a ball next to the mat, his white shirt stained with dirt and blood. His bare feet were raw from bite marks, and his lips were dry and cracked. He faded in and out of consciousness, waking up when he would hear a blood-curling scream come from another cell in the prison.

The clink of a key turning in the door woke him, and he tried to sit up. What are they going to try to do to me this time? The last two beatings didn’t get them what they wanted. Now are they going to kill me? The door creaked open and he held his hand up to shield his eyes from the flashlight shining into his cell. He could barely make out the silhouettes of two men in the doorway.

One stepped forward and nudged him with a steel-toed boot. “Are you ready to come to you senses, Mr. Wilson?” he asked in a sarcastic voice. “There’s no need for you to go through all this suffering. I only need a couple of signatures and we’ll have you fixed up in no time. Fresh water, some good food—all will be good again. What do you say we put an end to all this nonsense?”

Still holding his hands to his eyes, David could see the man holding the light was the same army colonel who had visited him the last two times. “Why do you think I would change my mind?” he responded, his voice cracking. “I’m not giving half my hotels to Mei Chen or anyone else in the Chinese government. Not now or ever. I know what will happen next; she’ll take total control and leave me with nothing. She’ll probably leave me to rot in this jail!”

He felt a sharp pain in his side as the man kicked him in the ribs, lifting his body off the ground. He grabbed his side in agony and gasped for breath.

“I don’t think you are understanding what I am saying, Mr. Wilson. I am not asking you to sign the papers; I am telling you to sign them. This is not Hong Kong as the British ruled it. It is Chinese Hong Kong, and in Chinese Hong Kong, the government runs the show. If the government tells you to do something, you do it.” He leaned down on his haunches and put his face right up to David’s. “Do you understand me now, Mr. Wilson?” He poked him in the ribs with his flashlight, causing David to yell out in pain.

Wincing, David stared back at him, his anger rising with every breath. Sadistic bastards, he thought. I’m not going to give you the pleasure of beating me into submission. I will never sign anything. He spit in the colonel’s face, which brought the flashlight smashing into his nose.

The colonel stood up, wiping his face with his sleeve. He started kicking David in the side with his boots, angrily yelling at him, “You are a stupid, arrogant, capitalist pig. You think you can defy Madam Chen? You will never see your hotels or the outside of this cell again!” He stopped kicking and bent over, his hands on his knees to catch his breath. Turning, he waved his flashlight at his companion, who had stood at the doorway, his rifle at the ready. “Take over, comrade,” he said, his breath labored. “Teach this fool a lesson about obeying orders.”

The other man stepped into the cell and brought his rifle butt crashing into the side of David’s head. Blood immediately started gushing from a large gash. The man brought the butt down again against David’s face, smashing his nose.

David curled and tried to use his hands to fight off the blows, but they kept raining down. The pain seared through his body and he finally started to lose consciousness. The man continued beating him until he too ran out of breath.

“That’s enough,” the colonel said. “I must report to Tan Wen.”

♦

The sleek Cessna Citation jet, with its white fuselage and red striping, sat idling on the runway at the Hong Kong Airport, awaiting clearance to take off. The pilots went through their preflight routing, glancing up to watch the Mitsubishi Commander jet that was ahead of them and lined up to take off. It started to move and gradually picked up speed as it raced down the runway.

One of the pilots pushed down on the throttle and the jet gently moved forward and turned, facing down the runway. After a minute, the co-pilot leaned across his seat and turned toward the back seat. “We’re cleared for takeoff, Madam Chen. Please fasten your seat belt.”

Without looking up from the stack of papers on her lap, Mei reached down, grabbed one section of seatbelt, and fasted it snuggly around her waist. She felt the momentum of the plane as it headed down the runway and felt it lift off into the bright, cloudless sky.

Holding one of the documents in her hand, she carefully re-read it.
Copper Mountain is ahead of schedule by two weeks. 100 megawatts of panels have been installed and accepted by Nevada Power
. She smiled to herself and looked out the window of the plane. This is such great news. Soltech gets paid thirty million for its solar panels and Inter-Power gets one point three million dollars per month
in energy sold back to Nevada power. The money is going to be gushing in.

The co-pilot leaned back again and announced, “You may power up your electronic devices and use them now.”

Mei looked up and held the documents behind her. A uniformed man in his early forties sitting behind her reached up and took them from her hands.

“Put those in my briefcase,” she commanded. “I’ll want to look at them later.” Reaching into her pink tote bag, she pulled out a cellphone and dialed a number. Her head of security answered.

“Madam Chen. I hope you’re having a pleasant flight,” Tan Wen said in a soothing voice.

“So far, it has been normal, which is good,” she answered. “But I didn’t call to discuss my flight. Give me your report on Mr. Wilson. Did you accomplish what I asked you to do?”

Tan cleared his throat before speaking. “Uh, unfortunately, Mr. Wilson has proven to be harder to convince then we thought. He refuses to sign your documents in spite of our repeated attempts to help him out. I don’t understand his stubbornness, as what you offer to him is more than generous.”

Frowning, Mei asked curtly, “Are you sure you’re doing everything to convince him it’s in his best interest to do as I ask? Does he understand that he could lose one hundred percent of his properties instead of only half?”

“Indeed, Madam Chen. My people have conveyed exactly that to Mr. Wilson, yet he refuses to budge. With your permission, I would like to push him harder. I think he will see the wisdom of cooperating with us soon.”