Chapter 8: The Cardinal Deviations
"There were two women," said Eda. "I crosschecked Mr. Pigeon's story with other witnesses before coming back. What he was told doesn't hold up. They were Eurasian, both late twenties, possible early thirties. There was a fracas involving the two before the bomb went off. Outstanding features, one was an albino."
"Interesting," said Yolanda, her eyes were closed. They had returned to the "bubble" beneath the church rectory. The analysts were working rapidly at the consoles. "Albinos are rare, the age would be about right."
"We'll have something shortly," said Eda.
Yolanda sighed. "Reliance on these machines is a weakness. I prefer the methods of the blessed Ramon Llul and the teachings of the Jesuits. A moment please, the ars memoria is played with association."
"Phony old bitch ," thought Eda. She shifted uneasily and as the minutes passed. "Crap, I think she died..."
Yolanda's eyes opened. She moved slowly to scratch the brow above the eye-patch. "Too clever, too conceited."
"What do you mean?" said Eda.
" The story of the gold of Sarkhan," said the elderly nun. "Used to entice Mr. Benny and Ms. Bhai's curiosity and avarice. Yoshiko Kawashima, the original dragon lady, her birth name was Aisin Gioro Xianyu. Aisin means gold in the Manchu language."
"After World War II, the daughter of Kawashima, along with other Manchurian expatriates fled to Sarkhan. The Soviets were involved and the daughter became an agent of theirs during the cold war. The Chinese, both Communist and Nationalist found her existence to be intolerable regardless of ideology. She was assassinated in 1960. She also had daughters. The older daughter was Lijuan the Albino."
Eda nodded, impressed despite herself. "I remember reading the case study on her during my training: Baader-Meinhoff gang, Pol Pot, piracy. She spread herself about like leprosy. Didn't she die in a car accident somewhere around New York? No one ever figured it out what exactly happened. Search on Lijuan!" she yelled abruptly at the two analysts.
"It didn't end there," said Yolanda with some asperity. "The other sibling also had children. It took some doing on our part to get this information which I share freely. Jin Cheong, the crime boss of Bangkok was her oldest son. There are also twin daughters, one an albino just like Lijuan. They are the great-grand daughters of Yoshiko Kawashima. In a manner of speaking, they are the gold of Sarkhan."
"Wow, four generations of pure crap," said Eda. "It must be genetic. And you knew all this because a young woman had white hair in a bar? That's sort of pushing it."
"I'm the J. Edgar Hoover of southeast Asia," said Yolanda. "I know everyone's dirty laundry. A good operative only needs some of the pieces for deniability. But they should be able to put the puzzle together when the rest is uncovered. The G Spot Bar is a franchise run by Jin Entertainment, a legitimate front for Jin Cheong's criminal enterprises out of Bangkok."
"Jin means gold also," burst out Eda.
"Now have your analysts check out this web address," continued Yolanda. "It will give you a link into the web cams the Thai Central Investigation Bureau installed throughout the city. The CIB has become very worried about our backwater city recently. The Church of Violence has of course already subverted their efforts, most of what they see are feeds we control. Check the camera located at Rakhon Natch."
"Do that also," Eda barked at her men, "Jesus! What about all that nonsense about Ramone Who-lu and the ars memoria? How the hell'd you pull that off?"
"Do not take his name in vain," said Yolanda with a gentle smile. "One must keep abreast of the times. Brother Rico noticed on the cams this morning what can only be described as a mega yacht anchored off the peninsula of Rakhon Natch, north of the bay. We confirmed. The yacht belongs to Jin Cheong."
"The questions then are: Why is Jin Cheong here? Why did his bar get blown up and how will Hotel Moscow react? What will Bai Ji-shin Chang do when he finds Jin Cheong is here? And why this peculiar interest in the Lagoon company?"
"We have something from Langley," interrupted one of the analysts. "It says here the Lijuan incident a decade ago involved Asian refugee street gangs and Thai mercenaries involved with the Golden Triangle. Two of the witnesses confirmed that a girl was the leader of one of the street gangs."
Eda hovered over the consoles. "Really, what else? Select all incidents from Asian street gangs located in New York City. Time period equals 180 days before and after using the NYPD Nexus database."
"Got it," said the second analyst after minutes of frantic searching with Eda and Yolanda waiting intently for the results. "I've just pulled up an New York Herald front page cover. Is this what you're looking for? There's more if you want."
On the monitor the headline screamed: "Funeral Massacre Shocks City! Born to Kill Bloodbath!" a grainy black and white photo, apparently taken from the ground showed a blurred figure of a young girl hurtling over a gravestone - guns in hand. The face was turned away, the guns were Berettas.
We need to talk," said Yolanda taking Eda's arm and pulling her to the back of the room out of earshot of the two men.
"This presents something of a problem for you, doesn't it?" said Yolanda leaning back against the door. "I believe you are authorized, indeed expected, to make arrests based on criminal behavior against Americans by American citizens regardless of your current mission. There is no statute of limitations on murder. And now Mr. Ravencroft will be auditing the search you've done. Doesn't help there's the suspicion you've embezzled money after the Bhai affair."
"Screw that," said Eda heatedly. "We got saddled with Section 423 of H.R. 5020 against the concerns of the agency. It violates the terms of my mission in Roanapur. We're not law-enforcement, and there's no clear evidence that's Revy, it's just us leaping to conclusions."
"Your mission was to keep out of sight and mind and be a nun of the Church," said Yolanda, shaking her head. "And you and the getaway girl are friends. A pity. She saved your life."
"I have no friends here. It's just an assignment," hissed Eda stepping back and crossing her arms. "I need a break. It can't be her! I think I'll just go get my Harley back."
"Sister Eda!" said Yolanda stiffening in outrage. "How could you? Nuns don't ride motorcycles!"
--
"That's a hardcore bitch," commented Dutch after listening to Rock's account. The large man had just finished putting on a new shirt and wiped his face with a towel. For once he wasn't wearing the sunglasses. They stood on the dock looking east over the Roanapur harbor towards the boat.
"I know," said Rock. "The chainsaw girl's almost as nimble as Revy."
"I meant Shenhua," said Dutch. "Damn lucky that pretty boy scraped her ass of the ground after 'Sister' Eda shot her up. Mercy's in short supply around here."
Dutch opened a beer. A pile of cans was already growing on the concrete slab. The ships in the harbor barely stood out against the shape of the Buddha Mount, the water flat without even the shimmer of a ripple. Even the seagulls had given up on flight this afternoon.
"I was under the pier for almost an hour," Dutch said into the thick stillness of the air "Damned muddy, damned uncomfortable. I was lucky, the sloppy bastards. They made no attempt to confirm they got me – just a mad scramble to set up their business with Revy. Same with you and Benny, no follow through. Then Sensak shows up barking at the front of the pack, and the show moves on. Our bit role in the play is over."
"So we're dealing with amateurs then," said Rock frowning.
"Nasty, lethal amateurs with firepower and men," Dutch crumpled the beer can. "Only a blood feud gets this messy. Well, she's on her own."
"What!" said Rock outraged.
"That's what I said," said Dutch, dropping the can among the others. "This is a business, and not a very successful one right now. She knows the score. We're not playing at being some kind of psycho three's company like Shenhua and pals. Just leads to all sorts of unpleasant shit when things go bad."
"I got a ship that's shot to hell and two bodies to dump in the Gulf now 'cause of Revy," continued Dutch over Rock's growing consternation. "Benny's going to be at the hospital for a couple of days and you look rather crispy yourself. When an employee's personal life screws with work, it's up to them to take care of it on their own time or they're out on their ass. We're business partners, not bosom buddies."
"I disagree," said Rock heatedly. "We're all in this together."
"Revy takes care of herself," said Dutch lighting up a cigar. "She hasn't called on the hour like we're supposed to when this kinda show goes down. Anyway, she'll just show up - she always does. That bothers you, doesn't it."
"Yes it does," said Rock.
"Let me ask you something," Dutch flicked the match away. "That business we had a while back with the Neo-nazis. She ever get around to telling you what happened with the crew?"
"Yes, she shot one in the leg as an example," said Rock suspiciously. "Said they didn't have a leg to stand on."
"That's not what happened." Dutch took a deep drag on the cigarette. "She took them all out. Doubletaps, no witnesses -- no survivors."
Rock shivered. Revy had lied. He remembered now the way her eyes had slid away from his.
"Rock, let's keep this real," said Dutch. "If we're gonna have a heart to heart, then you should know I don't think there's much difference between you and someone in the Manson family. You're building a fire that will burn you up if you're not careful."
"The girl's a sociopath right out of the textbook," Dutch continued. "No conscience, no guilt or remorse, except apparently what you give bring to the show - and that's not much. If she ever decides to be done with you, you won't even see it coming."
She turned in the car seat, the look in her eyes uncharacteristically soft, almost pleading. "I am your gun. My job is to protect your life, not to interfere with it. So... I'm with you Master."
Revy had ended up skewered on the ground, screaming in agony. Rock grimaced, "We need to take care of this..." They had both lied to Dutch about the disastrous ending in Japan, blaming Revy's injury as a consequence of Rock being kidnapped... again.. by the Yakuza girl.
"I'm sorry, that is not acceptable." said Rock firmly. "I must find her even if I'm too late."
"Thought you'd say that," rumbled Dutch taking the cigar from his mouth. The end was a shredded ruin. He reached into his pocket. "Here's what we got. 'Lijuan, Jin Cheong, Nakhon Ratch.' Her handwriting stinks. Found it on the helm when I cleaned up."
"Nakhon Ratch it's that little peninsula above the slums?" said Rock frowning at the paper fragment. "And Jin Cheong's the big boss up in Bangkok, he doesn't have any business down here, or does he? Who is Lijuan?"
"Was. That goes way back," said Dutch reflectively. "that Sarkhanese bitch was called Great White, and not because of her looks. She fed people to the sharks. Luak and his brigands used to go raiding with her back in the old days when refugees ran the gauntlet from Vietnam to Thailand. Had a few run ins with her."
"Hell, I need another beer," Dutch picked up the last one. "For a while there, Mr. Chang and her were lovers, till they had a falling out of sorts. The usual bloodbath. Then Lijuan up and disappeared. Nobody cried."
"I don't get it," said Rock puzzled. He sat down suddenly, as a wave of dizziness overcame him. He needed to rest. "Did Revy ever say anything about this Lijuan. She would have been just a kid. She wasn't even here. Or was she?"
Dutch sat down beside him with a sigh, "Nope. Revy showed up later. One day I get a call from an old war buddy of mine, says he sending someone out my way for safekeeping – she'll be useful he says. Okay then, a month goes by, another, turns into a year – I forget all about it and then Revy shows up on my doorstep. Starving, practically naked and a thousand mile stare. How she got from New York City to Thailand is anyone's guess and I never asked. Why she had to leave the states I never asked about either."
Dutch laughed, "Thought she was a mute till she opened her mouth one day, hasn't stopped swearing since. I set her up with a job at a dive shop, thought she'd be happy there. Yeah..."
"How about this friend of yours," said Rock desperately. "Maybe he knows some..."
"Dead. Cancer."
"Oh. Damnit!" Rock stood up, "I've got to do something now. She needs us."
Dutch fumbled for his sunglasses and put them on. "You're good for her you know. Like a compass. You keep her pointing north."
Rock bit his lip, "Well, if I'm a compass, I need adjusting. Revy's broken. And that Sawyer girl never had one. I need a gun."
The eyebrow arched. "What? You really did get knocked upside the head. I'm not sure that's a good idea."
"A gun's just a piece of metal without ammunition," said Rock, the meaning clear only to himself. "I'll be right back."
"And I'm right here," said Eda. The nun had walked up behind them from the side alley without being seen. She smiled. "Hey, there's my hog. What's going on?"
The Glock was visible underneath her arm.