A Lotus for Miss Quon Read online

  Then as the Colonel bent over her and put his hands on her, she began to scream.

  Outside the room, the two executioners had squatted down again. It was cool and restful in the passage. There was nothing to disturb them for the room into which the Colonel had entered was sound-proof.

  At half past two, the Dakota from Phnom-Penh arrived at the Saigon airport.

  Blackie Lee sat in his car waiting for his brother to pass the Customs and Immigration barriers. He had to make a conscious effort not to look across the car park “where the black Citroen was parked. The car had followed him from the club. He had now identified the two detectives in the car. He knew they were from Security Police Headquarters.

  He wasn’t unduly alarmed although he found it a little unnerving to be followed wherever he went. If they had a case against him, he argued to himself, they wouldn’t be wasting time following him. They would arrest him. Since he had survived so far, he didn’t intend to be stampeded into flight. He had, at first, thought that he would go with Charlie and Jaffe in the helicopter, but it would mean not only leaving his club, but also Yu-lan. There was too much money tied up in the dub to run away at the first sign of danger.

  Charlie Lee came out of the airport. He walked with a springy step of a successful man as he crossed over to Blackie’s car.

  “All right?” Blackie asked as he opened the off-side door.

  “Very satisfactory,” Charlie said. “Nothing to worry about at all.”

  Blackie drove the car out onto the main road. He glanced into the driving mirror. The black Citroen was moving slowly behind him.

  He drove carefully back to Saigon. He didn’t tell Charlie about the following car. There would be time for that when they got back to the club. He listened to Charlie’s recital of his arrangement with Lee Watkins.

  “There will be no hitch,” Charlie concluded. “He is trustworthy. Did you get the gun?”

  Blackie nodded.

  “When you have had a rest,” he said, “I think you should see Nhan and talk to her. Don’t tell her too many details, but warn her to be ready by ten. Make sure she doesn’t take too many things with her. These Vietnamese girls cling to their possessions.”

  “It is a pity we have to bother with her,” Charlie said.

  “We can’t avoid it. The American won’t leave without her. I am sure of that.”

  The car pulled up outside the Club. As the two men got out, Blackie noticed the Citroen had already parked further down the road. He didn’t notice Yo-Yo watching them from the shade of the tree opposite the club.

  When the two men had gone up the stairs and out of sight, Yo-Yo stood up and walking casually, his hands in his pockets, crossed the road and entered the club.

  He had seen Yu-lan go out a few minutes before Blackie and his brother had arrived. It occurred to him the club might be empty, and he might just possibly get a chance to overhear a conversation between the two brothers that would give him a clue to what was going on.

  Moving silently, he walked into the club. There was no one in the big hall. He tiptoed across the dance floor until he reached the door leading into Blackie’s office. He could hear voices. Pressing his ear against the panel of the door, he listened.

  Blackie was telling his brother about the Security Police and being followed. Charlie listened with growing alarm.

  “I don’t understand it,” Blackie said. “If they had any proof, they would arrest me. It may be nothing to do with Jaffe. There was that currency deal last month.”

  “I don’t like it,” Charlie said. “I think you should come with me tonight. It may be nothing, but you mustn’t take risks. There will be room in the helicopter for the four of us.”

  “I’ve thought of that, but what will happen to Yu-lan? If I leave now, they’ll never let her get out. Besides, I can’t just walk out of this place. When I do go, I intend to sell it. I must take a chance, Charlie.”

  “You could be sorry. I don’t like it.”

  “I don’t like it either. I’ll think about it. There’s time. I have until ten tonight to make up my mind.” There was a pause, then he went on, “I have a million piastres in the safe, Charlie. I think you had better take the money with you. If anything goes wrong, it will be something for Yu-lan if she can get to Hong Kong. Will you do that for me?”

  “Of course,” Charlie said. “I still think you should come with me. If they’ve found out you know about the diamonds and where Jaffe is hiding, they will wipe you out.”

  “If they knew that,” Blackie said bleakly, “I wouldn’t be here talking to you now. I’ll let you know definitely by tonight what I am going to do. In the meantime, will you see the girl? She has got to be ready by ten. There must be no delay.”

  Charlie got to his feet.

  “I’ll go now,” he said, “then I’ll come back and have a nap. I won’t get much sleep tonight.”

  Yo-Yo moved silently away from the door: his thin vicious face alight with excitement. He concealed himself behind a curtain that covered the entrance to the kitchens.

  He heard Blackie and Charlie come out of the office. Blackie accompanied his brother as far as the entrance to the club.

  “I don’t think they’re interested in you,” Blackie said, “but be careful you are not followed.”

  When his brother had gone down the stairs, Blackie returned to his office. He looked through the shutters into the street. The two detectives still sat in the Citroen. He saw his brother walk briskly away. No one seemed to pay him any attention.

  A slight sound behind him made him look sharply over his shoulder.

  Yo-Yo stood in the doorway, smiling at him.

  “Hello, Mr. Blackie,” he said and came into the office, closing the door behind him.

  Blackie had a sudden premonition of danger. How long had this little rat been in the club? Had he heard anything?

  “What do you want?”

  “I’ve been listening, Mr. Blackie,” Yo-Yo said. “I want that million piastres you have in your safe. If you don’t give it to me, I’ll tell those two detectives out there you know where. Jaffe is. You know what they’ll do to you if I tell them that.” Blackie eyed Yo-Yo thoughtfully. Yo-Yo was slim and wiry, but Blackie knew that once he got his hands on the boy, he could easily master him. He would have to kill him. He had no other alternative. Already he had made up his mind that sooner or later he would have to murder the boy.

  “What million piastres?” he asked, moving casually forward. “What are you talking about?”

  Yo-Yo with the swiftness of a striking snake whipped a knife from his hip-pocket. Its long, glittering blade threatened Blackie.

  “Don’t come any nearer,” Yo-Yo said. “Just give me the money.”

  Sweat broke out on Blackie’s face. The sight of the knife filled him with sick fear. Then he remembered the gun in his safe. It was fitted with a silencer. He would open the safe, pretending to get the money, then he would grab the gun, turn and shoot.

  He pretended to hesitate. He remained motionless, staring at Yo-Yo.

  “Hurry!” Yo-Yo said. “Give me the money!”

  Blackie lifted his shoulders in resigned surrender. He took from his pocket the safe key, crossed the room and unlocked the safe. He had to kneel to reach in the safe. His broad back covered his movements. His hand closed around the butt of the gun as Yo-Yo silently crept up behind him.

  As Blackie lifted the gun and tensed his muscles to bring his body upright, an agonizing pain hit him between his shoulder blades. His hand slipped off the gun and he fell forward. The agony was repeated as Yo-Yo stabbed him again.

  2

  A little after five o’clock, the telephone bell rang in Lam-Than’s office. With an impatient exclamation, Lam-Than put down his pen and picked up the receiver. He listened to the excited voice on the line. What he heard made him stiffen in his chair.

  He said, “You arc certain of this? There can be no mistake?” He listened while the voice beat against his ear
-drum, then he said, “Very well,” and hung up.

  He sat for a long moment staring down at his desk, then he got to his feet and went swiftly along the passage to Colonel On-dinh-Khuc’s office. He knocked and entered. The office was empty. He paused in the doorway, frowning and looking around. He saw the Colonel’s tunic lying on a chair and he immediately guessed where he was.

  He hurried to the questioning-room. The two executioners, guarding the door, looked at him inquiringly.

  “Is the Colonel in there?” Lam-Than asked.

  One of them nodded.

  Lam-Than turned the handle of the door and pushed the door open. He stepped into the room and immediately closed the door on the curious staring gaze of the two executioners.

  With a growl like that of a wild animal, the Colonel turned quickly and glared at him. Lam-Than looked past the Colonel at the table and his mouth tightened.

  “Get out!” the Colonel snarled.

  “You must leave immediately, sir,” Lam-Than said, speaking distinctly and quickly. “A warrant for your arrest was signed half an hour ago. You are being charged with the murder of the woman, My-Lang-To. The driver of the jeep who killed her has confessed he did so on your instructions.”

  The Colonel leaned forward and peered at Lam-Than. The muscles in his heavy face suddenly went slack.

  “They can’t arrest me,” he snarled. “No one can arrest me!”

  “The warrant has been signed by the President,” Lam-Than said. Did she tell you where the American is hiding?”

  The Colonel leaned against the wall. He seemed crushed and defeated.

  “I cannot understand it,” he said, and there was dazed wonder in his voice. “Nothing I did to her would make her speak. A woman like that… perhaps after all she really didn’t know.”

  Lam-Than shrugged his shoulders.

  If you can reach the Bien Hoa airport you have a chance of reaching Phnom-Penh,” he said. “They may not have thought of alerting the airport. You must go at once.”

  Even as he spoke there came the sound of tramping feet down the passage and the two men looked at each other.

  Lam-Than shrugged his shoulders. He moved away from the Colonel as if disassociating himself from him.

  The door opened and Inspector Ngoc-Linh appeared in the doorway. Behind him were four policemen armed with rifles.

  The Inspector looked from the Colonel to the body on the table. He felt the wall of his stomach tighten with horror. Then he turned and signalled to the policemen who filed into the room. He pointed to the Colonel.

  “Arrest this man.”

  As the police formed a group around the Colonel, the Inspector said to him, “In the name of the Republic, I arrest you for the murder of My-Lang-To. You will also be charged with the murder of this woman, Nhan Lee Quon.” He turned to Lam-Than. “You too are under arrest as an accessory to both murders.” He nodded to the policemen. Take them away.”

  Colonel On-dinh-Khuc straightened himself and squared his shoulders. He marched out of the room at the head of his escort. Lam-Than limped after him.

  The Inspector beckoned to one of the executioners who was standing in the doorway, staring.

  “Get a blanket and cover this woman,” he said.

  When the executioner had gone, the Inspector moved closer to the table. Because he was a devout Catholic and still had some pity left in him, he made the sign of the cross over Nhan’s body, then turning, he went out of the room, closing the door behind him.

  3

  Charlie Lee stood in the doorway of his brother’s office and stared unbelievingly at Blackie’s dead body lying before the open safe.

  It was some minutes before he forced himself to move into the room. He closed the door and locked it, then he went over to his brother and made sure he was dead.

  The shock made him feel weak and old. He went to the desk and sat down. He wept for a little while, his face buried in his hands. Blackie had been part of his life. He felt lonely and defenceless now. He could not imagine what his future would be like without his brother.

  But after a while, he got over the shock. He suddenly realized now that Blackie was dead, there would be no need to share the two million American dollars, and with that sum of money, he should be able to face life without his brother.

  Getting to his feet he went to the safe and peered into it. He saw the gun and took it from the safe. A quick glance told him the million piastres were missing. Some sneak-thief must have killed Blackie and taken the money, he thought, but there was no point in wasting regrets on this loss.

  Everything was now going wrong. He had spoken to Nhan’s uncle who had told him Nhan had been arrested and had been taken to Security Police Headquarters for questioning. This information had alarmed him and he had hurried back to warn his brother that not only Jaffe’s hiding place was in danger but Blackie might expect to be arrested at any moment. Charlie had no doubt that when submitted to torture, the girl would betray them all.

  There was still a slim chance of getting his hands on the diamonds if he acted quickly. He would take Blackie’s car and go immediately to Thudaumot. He would take Jaffe to the agreed landing place. They would wait there until the helicopter arrived. He was sure it would be fatal to tell Jaffe that Nhan had been arrested. He would say that Blackie was bringing her later. When the helicopter arrived, he would try to persuade Jaffe to leave. If he wouldn’t leave without the girl, then he would have to kill him.

  Charlie put the gun in his briefcase: the long silencer made it impossible for him to carry the gun in his pocket.

  He paused to look at his brother’s body. He was distressed to think that Yu-Ian would find Blackie, but he didn’t dare wait for her return. He would write to her from Hong Kong, he told himself, trying to ease his pricking conscience. He would invite her to come and live with him.

  Carrying the briefcase under his arm, he left the club and went over to where Blackie’s car was parked. He glanced at the police car up the road. The two detectives looked at him indifferently and then returned to reading their newspapers. He wondered if they would follow him, but as he drove away, he saw the black Citroen hadn’t moved. “He reached Thudaumot after five o’clock. He parked the car by the lacquer factory and then walked over to the little wooden villa.

  From his window, Jaffe saw him coming. Charlie was sufficiently like his brother for Jaffe to recognize him.

  What was he doing here at this hour? Jaffe wondered. Had something gone wrong? Was there to be a new arrangement?

  Nhan’s grandfather had gone out and Jaffe was alone in the villa. He hurried down the stairs and opened the front door.

  Charlie entered, giving Jaffe a little bow.

  “I am Charlie Lee,” he said. “Blackie has told you about me?”

  “Yes. Why are you here? Has something gone wrong?”

  “Not badly wrong,” Charlie said. During the drive to Thudaumot, he had carefully rehearsed his lies. “But it is necessary for you to leave here immediately. Blackie has heard from a friend at Police Headquarters that your hiding place is now known. The police are already on their way to arrest you.”

  Jaffe stiffened.

  “How did they find out?”

  “I will explain everything later,” Charlie said. “You must leave immediately. There is not a minute to lose.”

  “Where’s Nhan?” Jaffe asked.

  “She is quite safe. Blackie is looking after her. She will join us in a few hours. If you have anything you want to take with you, please get it. I have the car here. We must leave at once.”

  “You are sure she is safe?”

  “Of course. Please hurry.”

  Jaffe hesitated, then he mounted the stairs two at a time, went into his bedroom and threw his few possessions into his canvas hold-all. He put the police gun inside his shirt. He made sure he had the tin containing the diamonds in his hip pocket, then he picked up his hold-all and moved to the door. He paused for a final look round.

  On
the bedside table stood Nhan’s little ivory Buddha. Jaffe grinned as he went over to it and picked it up.

  She said as long as I have it, no harm will come to me, he thought. I’d better take it along with me. Funny superstitious kid, but she means well.

  He dropped the Buddha into his shirt pocket, then joined Charlie in the hall.

  “Wait here,” Charlie said. “I’ll bring the car to the door. Get in the back and lie on the floor. You mustn’t be seen.”

  While he waited for Charlie to bring the car, Jaffe tried to steady his alarmed mind and to assess the consequences of his hiding place now being known.

  Nhan’s grandfather and her family were certain to suffer.

  What have I done to these people? Jaffe thought. I am a crazy, selfish sonofabitch. Is Nhan really safe?

  Charlie tapped the horn button of the car impatiently.

  I won’t even be able to say good-bye to the old man, Jaffe thought as he moved into the hot sunshine. If I had any guts I would stay right here and warn him to get out when he comes back.

  Charlie had opened the rear door of the car. He was beckoning to Jaffe.

  “Come quickly,” he called.

  With a feeling of shame, Jaffe ran down the path and scrambled into the back of the car. He lay on the floor of the car. Charlie slammed the door, then he trod on the gas and the car shot away.

  As the car roared down the dusty road towards Ben Cat, Jaffe kept thinking of Nhan. He still had five and a half hours before the helicopter was due to arrive. Much could happen in that time.

  Charlie had to stop once or twice to consult his map. He told Jaffe that the landing-ground couldn’t be far, but it was nearly seven o’clock and growing dusk by the time Charlie finally located the exact place.

  He saw at once that it was a good place for concealment. There was a thick fringe of bamboo in a half circle before a disused rice-field which was burned into a hard mass of dark mud by the sun, and it was very suitable for a helicopter landing.