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  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.”

  Dishbang Deshi fought a smile. He nodded and gestured for Harry to follow him to the far wall, where long bolts of colorful silk were stacked one on top of the other. He started to gesture with his hands at the various bolts just as the doorbell tinkled from the front of the shop.

  Nikki and Kathryn were the closest to the door. They watched as five men pushed against the door just as the little lady at the desk pressed the buzzer to try to lock it. Her job done, she picked up her purse and a light stole and left the showroom, a look of fear on her face. “So much for by appointment only,” Nikki whispered. “Don’t take your eyes off them. They are trouble with a capital T.”

  Isabelle looked at Kathryn and Nikki and said, “Now I ask you, do those guys look like they’re here to buy silk?”

  Yoko, sensing trouble, turned around and ran to Nikki and grabbed her around the waist the way a child would if frightened. She hissed, “They do not belong here.”

  “You’re right about that, too. The question is, did they make us or are they here for that guy we came to see? Kathryn whispered. “We can take them, Nikki.”

  Jack sidled up to Nikki and said, “They look like gangbangers. They’re spreading out. Classic maneuver. Also a big mistake.”

  Nikki looked at Ted and said, “Make sure the door is locked, then turn the sign around to say that the showroom is closed. Then lower the blinds.”

  Dennis jumped up to help. If the five men noticed, they gave no sign that anything had changed since they had entered the shop as they perused the many bolts of colored silk.

  Out of the corner of his eye, Harry watched the way the men spread out. “You in shape, Dishbang Deshi, or do I have to take these guys out on my own?”

  Harry’s longtime friend tried for a nonchalant smile, but it came out as more of a frightened grimace. “I think I can hold my own.”

  “Maybe you should sit this one out, pal. Between me and the ladies, we can take these guys with our eyes closed.”

  “You’re jesting of course,” Dishbang Deshi said in a jittery voice. In the same jittery voice that was lower, he whispered, “In case you haven’t noticed, Harry, those women are old. Except for the child. I don’t think either one of us should expect any help from a gaggle of old women and one child.”

  “Look at me, Dishbang Deshi. Do I look like I’m jesting? Do you think I came halfway around the world to let five scrawny guys who haven’t shaved yet take me? For your information, those old women could take us both out and never break a sweat.”

  While Harry and Dishbang Deshi argued back and forth, Annie and Myra were t
rying to take it all in. “This is exciting, isn’t it, Myra?” Annie said as she fingered a bolt of sky-blue silk. “Those men do not have a clue. Look how the boys are positioning themselves. Definitely third-string. I think you and I could take them, but from the looks of things, you and I are sitting this one out.”

  “Hit it, honey,” Harry bellowed.

  Her eyes dancing, Yoko started to skip across the room to come to a stop in front of one of the five scraggly-looking men. It happened so fast, the others barely had time to blink. Yoko dropped down slightly, bringing her clenched fists directly up into the man’s groin before she straightened, whirled, and kicked out, sending the gangbanger across the room, where Kathryn caught him under his arms. Nikki grabbed one leg, Isabelle the other, and they had him trussed like a Thanksgiving turkey within seconds.

  “One down and four to go,” Nikki grunted as she dragged the man to a small alcove, where she shoved him between two bolts of champagne-colored silk. When she turned around, she saw that the other four men were similarly bound.

  “Now what?” Charles demanded.

  All eyes turned to Dishbang Deshi. He shrugged. “As much as I hate to lose all this silk, I think we should simply stuff them inside the cores. Each bolt can hold two men. But first, don’t we want them to talk? They must have cell phones. Shouldn’t we be checking on that?”

  “Maybe you aren’t so dumb after all, Dishbang Deshi. Good thinking. Annie, Myra, call Snowden, explain we need to get rid of some silk. Tell him time is of the essence.”

  “Okay, Harry, you have the floor. Talk to these guys and see what you can get out of them. If they speak English, go with that. If not, translate as you go along. Ah, five cell phones. This is good. No other ID. Not good,” Jack said. “I guess in a way we should be flattered that whoever is behind this thought these five could take us. My, oh my, now, aren’t they going to be surprised,” Jack said.

  One by one, he tossed the phones to the girls. “See who they called last and who called them.”

  Fergus ran to the door the moment he heard the bell. He peeked between the slats of the door covering before he opened the door to reveal Avery Snowden and six of his men.

  “I have to say I did not expect this much action this fast. It goes without saying I’m going to need a delivery truck,” Snowden said happily.

  “It’s out back,” Dishbang Deshi said.

  Cooper took that moment to get up from his position behind a bolt of scarlet silk. He walked into the room and circled it before he came to a stop next to Harry, who was getting nowhere fast with his interrogation. He let out a soft yip, then another, as he encouraged Harry to step back. Satisfied at the distance, Cooper moved forward, growled, and snarled, his teeth glowing brightly as he lunged at the man Harry had been questioning. The man, his eyes wild with terror, started to scream as he let loose with a string of Chinese that made Harry laugh out loud.

  “Good job, Coop. Good job. You can go back to sleep now.” Cooper strutted back to his bolt of scarlet silk and lay down.

  “Okay, everyone, listen up. This is what this scumbag just volunteered.”

  Chapter 10

  “Spit it out, Harry! What did that weasel just say?” Jack demanded after ten long minutes of hysterical Chinese dialogue.

  Harry grinned. “Well, for starters this particular weasel said he’s more afraid of the kid than the dog. Kudos, honey,” he said to Yoko, who beamed in delight.

  “What else?” Jack said, quickly losing his patience.

  “Actually, nothing. These guys are thugs for hire. They got their orders over the phone. Money is left at a noodle shop after they call in the results. I have the address of the noodle shop. None of them have ever seen their employer. You were right; they’re the third string. They don’t even know who the second or first string is. I guess we should take that to mean when these guys don’t report in, the second string takes over. That’s just a guess on my part. This guy doesn’t know what the next step is.”

  “Did they come here for us or for your friend Dishbang Deshi?” Charles asked.

  “For Dishbang Deshi. He said the five of them have been staking out his offices, but Dishbang Deshi has some good security and hasn’t left the premises since he spirited his family out of China. Today was the first time he’s left since then. They tried to get to him on the way here, but as I said, Dishbang Deshi’s security is tight.”

  Another volley of Chinese reverberated about the room, this time coming from Dishbang Deshi.

  “English only!” Kathryn bellowed. “How are we supposed to know what’s going on if you babble in Chinese. English!” she thundered again. The others started to mumble and mutter among themselves. Dishbang Deshi drew back in horror, his eyes on Harry.

  “He wants Snowden to smuggle him out, to get him to the airport. He also wants to know why these women have such authority. He says right now he doesn’t trust his own security if these guys were able to make it here to the showroom. He knows the second string will be . . . should we say, more dangerous if not lethal.”

  Annie stepped forward. “Well, now, I’d say that all depends on what Mr. Dishbang has to tell us. About your friend Jun Yu and what went down,” she drawled.

  Harry looked at Annie, then at Dishbang Deshi, and shrugged. “She’s the boss. What she says goes. Don’t even think about telling me you don’t know anything. Just for the record, Dishbang Deshi, you’re going to hate Mud Flats, Mississippi. You sure you don’t want to stay and fight?” Harry waved his arms about. “What happens to all of this, the business, your money, if you leave?”

  “I have to think about my family. I’m not a coward, if that’s what you’re implying. I have loyal people who are capable of running my business.” Seeing the disbelief on Harry’s face, Dishbang Deshi cringed. “I’ll have to take my chances. I have money in the States in various banks. I’m not a complete fool, Harry, even if you think I am.”

  “Where’s the duct tape?” Snowden barked.

  Startled, Dishbang Deshi pointed to a cabinet under the window.

  “Cut the bullshit, Dishbang Deshi. Right now, all you’re worried about is your own skin. Which, by the way, means squat to me and the rest of this group. So before my friend makes the decision to take you or leave you here, start talking.”

  “I thought you were my friend, Harry.”

  Harry’s jaw dropped. “I’m taking that to mean you think I should put you and your safety ahead of my daughter. If that’s what you mean, then no, I am not your friend. Now start talking. I want to know everything, and only speak English.”

  “I told you on the phone, Harry. Jun Yu did not tell me anything. He said the less I knew, the less I could tell. Rumors have been rife this whole past year. I’m repeating rumors, so treat what I say as such.” Dishbang Deshi threw his hands in the air to make his point, and muttered, “I don’t believe this is happening.

  “All right, all right!” he shouted at the menacing look he was seeing on Harry’s face. “Remember, all I’m saying now is rumor. You must know that China is the number two film market in the world. You must also know that having the convenience of an online subscription streaming service is a natural fit for Alibaba’s e-commerce network. You must have heard about that company. The whole world knows about Alibaba and that guy Jack Ma. China, you should be aware, is not a straightforward place to do business. Just recently, Chinese regulators announced that they would cap the amount of foreign TV programs local providers could stream to online subscribers. Billions are in the offing. Not yen, Harry. US billions with a capital B. I bought Alibaba stock. I hope you and your people did, too. It’s going to skyrocket. Take my word for it.

  “You must also know that there is a new temporary Abbot at the monastery. There are those who say he isn’t even an Abbot but an imposter. His name is Chi Xongin. The Chinese media refer to him as the CEO monk. He and whomever he represents want to commercialize the Shaolin Monastery. He’s rented out the monastery as well as its name for f
ilms, reality television shows, and computer games. What was once sacred has now become a sick joke. The man believed to be an imposter even went so far as to approve an online store selling Shaolin kung fu manuals for 9,999 yen or $1,600 US. Many are saying he leads too lavish a lifestyle for a holy man. To Jun Yu that meant he is not a holy man but a shill of some kind. I heard that Jun Yu was planning on exposing him, but that was just a rumor. I want to stress that Jun Yu did not tell me any of this, so let’s be clear on the facts as I know them.

  “About a month ago, I heard that an exhibition was being planned with Jun Yu, you, me, and Wing Ping. You remember Wing Ping, don’t you, Harry?” Dishbang Deshi said, a look of revulsion on his face. When he saw Harry clench his fists and his jaw tighten, he rushed on. “I called Jun Yu, and he said there was no truth to the rumor. You do remember how Wing Ping was expelled, so that they crowned Jun Yu the number one martial-arts expert. And all those threats he made. How his family lost face. Then it got worse; Wing Ping joined the triads and became a contract killer. At least that was the scuttlebutt. I asked Jun Yu if it was true, and he said he didn’t know. But he also said that, in his opinion, it was a route Wing Ping would take.

  “Wing Ping hated us, Harry. We were everything he wanted to be and for some reason could not. We were never able to figure out what his problems were aside from the fact that he was in love with himself. You know that. What I don’t understand is why he would wait all these years for payback if that’s what this is. If we’re being honest here, then we have to agree that Wing Ping is the one who should have been number one. He was born to the art. We had to learn it. He was better than all of us put together, and you know it, I know it, and Jun Yu knew it. We spoke of it many times.

  “Then, during our last year, the Abbot kicked him out before the decision was made. The Wing family, one of the oldest families in all of China, lost face. Wing Ping dropped off the face of the earth. As far as I know, the Wing family never recovered. I do know for sure that both of Wing Ping’s parents are dead. Wing Ping has only a brother and three sisters. All three have families, many children among them. All are older, and all of them went to the monastery and left honorably. Wing Ping was the outcast, the black sheep of the family. The sisters and the brother cut all ties to Wing Ping. Again, Harry, this is all rumor. There is nothing I can pin down as pure fact.