See You in Saigon (14 page)

Scorpion shrugged.
“Yeah, it sucks but I need all the insurance I can get right now.”

“What exactly do
you think kidnapping them, and us, will get you?” asked Sandy. “Do you actually
believe this stunt is going to convince anyone to simply let you go?”

Scorpion gazed at
her with a slight smile before replying. “I’d like to think your husbands would
consider some concessions to ensure your safety. Wouldn’t you?”

Sandy laughed.
“You obviously don’t have a clue who you’re dealing with. Your kidnapping us is
likely the dumbest thing you’ve ever done in your life. It’s damned suicide is
what it is.”

“You’ve got a
mouth on you, lady,” Scorpion snapped as he looked around the room. “Where’s
their stuff?”

“Here, boss,” said
one of the men, pointing to the small packsacks on a side table.

Scorpion went to
the bags and turned to Sandy. “Which one’s yours?”

“The gray and blue
one,” Sandy replied, pleased to have so easily gotten a rise out of him. “Why?”

“Because I need
your phone,” said Scorpion. “I want to give hubby a call to see if he shares
your opinion.”

“I know he does so
you’re wasting your time,” said Sandy as she watched him pull her phone out and
power it up, “But suit yourself.”

“What’s your pass
code?” asked Scorpion.

“Bite me,” Sandy
replied.

Scorpion shook his
head. “You’re starting to piss me off, lady.”

“I’m not too happy
with you either, mister,” Sandy scoffed as she held out her hand. “Give me the
damned phone if you want it unlocked.”

With a sigh, he
handed the phone over which Sandy returned seconds later.

“You see?” she
said. “That wasn’t so difficult now, was it?”

“What’s your
husband’s name?” Scorpion asked in response.

“Go to Chris in my
favourites.” Sandy replied.

* * * *

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon),
Vietnam, mid-afternoon

“… So you see,
Tuan,” Chris concluded, “You’re worthless to Scorpion now. Cao’s entire
organization is worthless to him because his North American distribution
network is gone. Setting that up again, or even making distribution deals with
other gangs is not something which can be done overnight, especially when he’s
on the run, literally to save his life. Any chances you might have had to keep
on working for Scorpion’s organization are gone now because that game is over.”

“You are telling
me the truth,” Tuan stated numbly, shaking his head. “Mr. Minh died for
nothing.”

“I’m afraid so,”
Chris agreed, sensing he was winning the young man over. “When did you start
dealing with Scorpion?”

“We mostly dealt
with Thao who Scorpion sent from America last year,” Tuan replied. “Thao
started coming here to the club shortly after arriving in Vietnam. We became
friends and he eventually told us what he was here to do and offered to pay us
in exchange for information about Mr. Minh’s organization. The money was ten
times what Mr. Minh was paying us and Thao promised we would be more than
bodyguards once they took over so we accepted.”

“How much do you
know about Scorpion’s organization here now?” Chris asked.

“I am familiar
with everything which existed under Mr. Minh because we went everywhere with
him,” Tuan replied. “I do not know anything specific about the new farms or
labs which Scorpion’s team has added. What kind of information are you looking
for?”

“Earlier today,
Scorpion and his men kidnapped my wife and the wives of two of my associates,”
said Chris. “He also kidnapped General Quang’s family. We need to find them and
I’m sure any help you provide would benefit you and your brother in the
future.”

“I know nothing of
this kidnapping,” Tuan replied worriedly. “If there –”

“Hang on,” Chris
interrupted as he reached for his trilling mobile.

He glanced at the
call display – Sandy – and answered. “Hello… I know you have my wife and
believe me when I tell you that was a bad move on your part… Yeah, she knows me
pretty well, asshole. Here’s what I suggest you do. Get as far away as you can
from our wives and the general’s family and hope to hell we never catch up with
you – Hello? HELLO?”

He lowered the
phone and announced, “The bastard hung up on me.”

Jerry Washington
suddenly reached for his phone, receiving a call of his own. He answered and
paced about during the brief call, his face breaking into a smile as he cut the
connection.

“The bastard
didn’t hang up fast enough,” he said. “Anyone know where Vũng Tàu is?
That’s where your wife’s phone is, Chris.”

“It is a city by
the sea,” volunteered Tuan, “Less than two hours from here.”

“You know this
place?” asked Chris. “How big is it?”

“It is big enough,
perhaps more than three hundred thousand people,” Tuan replied. “Many go there
for vacation on the beach. I know it well because Mr. Minh has a vacation home
there. Perhaps that is where you will find Scorpion.”

“At Cao’s vacation
home?” Chris asked in surprise. “Why would Scorpion be there? Did he buy out
Cao’s family too?”

Tuan shook his
head. “Mr. Minh had no family. His parents have been dead for a number of
years. He was an only child, never married and never had any children. It’s the
same for all his properties including this one. Mr. Minh has been dead for over
two weeks but we keep on running the club and looking after business which is
what Thao has told us to do.”

“Would Scorpion
know about the beach house?” Chris asked.

“Scorpion knows
about everything which concerned Mr. Minh,” Tuan replied, staring at the table
in shame. “My brother and I were well paid to supply all the information
requested.”

Chris looked
around at the others. “What do you all think of Vũng Tàu?”

“We can’t afford
not to look into it,” said Dave. “I’m just wondering if it can be this easy or
is it some kind of a trap.”

“I hear what
you’re saying,” said Washington, “But, on the other hand, Scorpion has no
reason to believe we could find out about this beach house this quickly. He
disconnected the call he made from Sandy’s phone after nineteen seconds so he
probably thinks we didn’t even have time to start tracking it. Poor boy isn’t
aware of some of the equipment we use now.”

“There was nothing
about the beach house in the information Quang gave us,” Leslie added. “We’ll
check with him but the police likely don’t know about it.”

Tuan stepped in.
“Mr. Minh kept the house in Vũng Tàu very private. He would go there once
in a while when he wanted to relax and take a break for a couple of days with a
few young ladies he hired. Besides my brother and me, I don’t think anyone else
knew about it. He had ordered us to keep it to ourselves and even called
himself Nguyen Minh to the people over there so they did not know who he truly
was.”

“There’s one thing
which is bugging me,” said Chuck Whittaker, who had remained silent throughout,
simply observing and listening. “How do we know we can trust you, Tuan? Like
Dave suggested, this could be a trap and you could be right in there all along
with Scorpion, giving us information and setting us up.”

“That is not the
case,” Tuan replied, his tone insistent. “I am done with Scorpion and his group
and regret ever having dealt with them. I should have warned Mr. Minh in the
beginning but instead, I became a traitor and now he is dead.”

“Those are nothing
but words,” Whittaker argued, “Which frankly don’t convince me of anything.
It’s certainly not like you’ve gone out on a limb with any sensitive
information we could use or which made me believe you actually intend to help.”

Tuan rose from his
seat and gazed about the group, making eye contact with each in turn and ending
with Whittaker. “If I confessed to a crime related to this matter and supplied
physical evidence, would that convince you?”

Whittaker
shrugged. “It might. Try me.”

“I killed Cao Van
Minh.” Tuan stated.

“
You
killed
him?” Chris asked, surprised.

Tuan nodded and
bowed his head as his eyes glistened with tears. “Scorpion had us organize a
meeting with Mr. Minh to propose he either start working for the Devil’s
Delight or get out of the opium and heroin business. As expected, Mr. Minh
refused and Scorpion suggested he think about it, giving him twenty-four hours
after which they would meet again.

“As soon as
Scorpion left, Mr. Minh told us to arrange to have him killed the next day.
What Mr. Minh did not know was, Scorpion had already ordered my brother and me
to kill him that day if he refused. Once we were riding in traffic on our
motorcycles, I shot Mr. Minh with a dart gun hidden under my windbreaker. I
still have the gun and an extra dart which Thao had given me hidden at home.”

He took a deep
breath and raised his head to finish his impromptu speech with dignity. “So I
hope these words have convinced you. I have confessed to murder which means I
could be executed. I only hope I can help to bring the innocent people Scorpion
has kidnapped back safely and then I will accept the punishment I deserve for
what I have done.”

“I’m convinced,”
said Chris.

“Same here,”
Whittaker added as the others murmured and nodded their agreement.

“You’re going to
have to come with us, Tuan” said Chris.

“Yes, I
understand,” Tuan replied then looked at his watch. “My brother will be here
soon. I will need to explain everything to him but he should come with us too.”

“No doubt about
that,” Chris agreed then gestured toward the waiter. “There’s also your friend
here.”

Tuan shrugged.
“Hien has nothing to do with Scorpion. He was never involved in anything
illegal with Mr. Minh either and has always worked for the club only. He can
manage this place and the other staff while my brother and I are gone but if
you want him to come with us, it is your decision.”

“Can I count on
you to keep your mouth shut, Hien?” Chris asked.

“I just want to
work and go home to family,” the man replied, his eyes pleading. “I say
nothing. I know nothing.”

 “Okay, business
as usual,” Chris agreed before turning to Washington. “Can you get us some
transportation? I’m not sure where we’ll be heading next but I don’t think we
should be strolling along to get there.”

“I always try to
plan ahead,” the big man replied with a grin. “We rode here in the bus we used
on Saturday when we first met our new friends. It’s parked a block away.”

“Excellent,” said
Chris as he pulled out his phone. “I’ll call Jonathan and we’ll see where we’re
going from here.”

Upon leaving
Cock-Tails
the previous day, the group had returned to the hotel where Jonathan and
General Quang awaited them in another hastily booked conference room. Upon
learning of a possible hostage holding location, a determined Quang had stated
he would immediately order an army of men to storm the house in Vũng Tàu
and settle the situation once and for all. In the ensuing discussion, Jonathan
had reasoned the general into admitting his proposed solution could easily
result in catastrophe and their meeting had turned into a late night of
questioning, discussion and planning.

The Pham brothers
had turned out to be a rather helpful source of information once Hung had
overcome his surprise and disgruntlement at finding himself in custody. Their
knowledge of the layout of Cao’s property had been extensive, resulting in the
production of detailed floor by floor plans. To ensure they provided accurate
information, they had been questioned about the property separately and the
results had matched.

A prime piece of
real estate located near the southern tip of a peninsula, Cao’s vacation home
sat between a large park to the south and a luxury resort to the north. The
street ran along the front of the property while the yard gave on the beach.
The net result was public access from all around, though somewhat impeded by
the ten foot brick walls enclosing three sides of the property and the equally
high wrought iron fence running along the beach.

The Pham brothers
had confirmed the house was equipped with a basic security system with
entry-point contacts and interior movement sensors but no cameras or exterior
detection devices. They had supplied the entry access code to Scorpion’s man,
Thao. Though the system was connected to a monitoring service, there was no
intervention on their part unless the alarm was set off. Wrought iron grills
had been installed over the basement windows as an additional precaution.

With no break-in
incidents in the home’s history, Cao had never felt the need for increased
security or any kind of patrolling. A local landscaping contractor maintained
the lawns and gardens and Cao had dealt with a home care service on an ad hoc
basis, having the house prepped and stocked prior to his arrivals and cleaned
following his departures. According to the Phams, the landscaping staff kept to
themselves when they showed up while the house was occupied so they doubted
anyone would raise an eyebrow if Scorpion and his entourage were present.

Though the
detailed information about the property was a definite plus, the complete lack
of knowledge of what to expect when they got there was a major problem.
Assuming the Vũng Tàu location was where the hostages were being held to
begin with, where exactly would they be within the home? How many of Scorpion’s
team would be present to guard the place? Five? Ten? Twenty? Would Scorpion
himself be on the premises or was he holed away elsewhere and directing his men
from a distance? How heavily armed might this crew of bandits be and to what
extent were they actually willing to harm or kill?

As the number of
unanswerable questions increased, the team had grudgingly accepted
comprehensive onsite surveillance would have to be performed before any
strategic or tactical plans could be made. Though Quang had steadfastly refused
to stay behind and let the foreign operatives handle the situation, he had
agreed stay clear of the initial information gathering activities, particularly
since he might be recognized. For similar reasons, Jonathan, Chris and Dave
would maintain reasonable distances, at least when on foot, in case photos of
them had been found on their wives’ mobiles or in their bags.

By eleven, they
had planned and arranged as much as they could for the next morning, including
accommodations and transportation needed for their trip and subsequent
activities. Expecting a long and demanding day ahead, the next item on their
agenda had been to get some sleep – the Pham brothers had been taken to the
U.S. consulate where they would be staying as ‘guests’ for an undetermined
period.

* * * *

Vũng Tàu,
Vietnam, mid-morning

The original owner
of Cao’s beach home had been a wealthy and generous man who loved to entertain
his vast circle of family and friends. For this reason, he’d had the house
designed and built with room to simultaneously host multiple guests in comfort,
even the basement housing four two room suites, each with its own full bath.
Though these suites had seldom been used once Cao had acquired the property,
Scorpion and his men were making good use of two of them now as holding cells,
albeit comfortable ones, for their hostages, sturdy hasps and padlocks having
been hastily installed to secure the doors. While Sandy, Cathy and Josée were
aware of the other prisoners, the reverse was not the case – but that was about
to change.

“That shower felt
great,” said Viet as she entered the suite’s sitting room. “You should take one
as well,
Bà
. It will do you some good.”

Bà
sighed. “I
suppose you’re right. The boys could probably use a bath as well.”

“I don’t need a
bath,” said Xuan from the couch, his eyes glued to something playing on
wall-mounted flat screen.

“Yes you do,” his
mother disagreed. “After
Bà
takes her shower, I’ll give Van a bath and
then you’ll take one.”

“Aww, man,” Xuan
muttered.

“Bathe the boys
first,” said
Bà
, stretching on the recliner. “I hardly slept so I may
nap a bit.”

“Okay,” Viet
replied, scanning the room. “Where’s Van?”

“He was here when
you went into the shower,” said
Bà
, sitting up. “He must be in the
bedroom.”

Viet hurried into
the bedroom and returned seconds later, looking concerned. “He’s not in there
or in the bathroom.”

“He can’t have
disappeared,” said
Bà
as she rose from her seat. “Van. Where are you?”

“Maybe he went in
the wall,” Xuan suggested.

“What do you mean,
in the wall?”
Bà
demanded. “It’s not time to play games, young man.”

“I’m not playing
games,” Xuan replied, jumping to his feet. “Come and I’ll show you.”

He trotted through
the bedroom with the two women following and into the bathroom where he pointed
to the wall between the shower stall and toilet. Set in the wall near the floor
was an air intake vent, some twelve inches wide by eight inches tall. Though
its hinged cover grill was opened, its view was mostly obstructed by a towel
rack standing before it.

“You see?” said
Xuan with a smug look. “In the wall, just like I said.”

“You’re telling us
Van went in there?” Viet asked, her tone worried.

Xuan shrugged. “I
guess so. He’s not out here.”

“How do you know
about this?”
Bà
sternly asked.

“Uh, we found it
yesterday after the men put us in here,” Xuan replied, sensing he should have
remained silent. “We were bored and, uh, playing, like exploring and stuff.”

“It’s okay, Xuan.
You’re not in trouble,” said his mother. “Did you go in there?”

“Uh, only once, I
think,” Xuan admitted. “Maybe twice. It was hard to get in there because I’m
bigger but Van has no problem.”

“Can you see if
he’s in there now?” asked
Bà
.

“I can try,” said
Xuan as he dropped to his hands and knees and scrambled to the vent, sticking
his head carefully into the duct through the opening. “Van, are you in here?”

“Sshhh,” came the
whispered reply from within the wall. “They’re gonna hear me.”

“Come back here,”
Xuan urged. “Hurry.”

“Okay,” Van
agreed, his response faint.

Several seconds
passed accompanied by barely audible rustling sounds then Van face appeared in the
opening, bearing a smile which quickly turned to a sheepish frown as he
realized his mother and grandmother were with Xuan.

“Uh, hi,” he
mumbled as he easily slipped out of the duct and rose to his feet.

“What were you
doing in there?”
Bà
demanded, never one to much tolerate the boys’
hijinks. “You might have hurt yourself.”

“I was only
playing,” Van replied as he held his hands out toward them, “And look, I didn’t
even hurt myself, not even once.”

“But you’re
certainly dusty, young man,” said Viet as she crouched down and pulled him into
a warm hug. “We just don’t want anything to happen to you. The men who brought
us here aren’t nice and they might hurt you if they catch you out there.”

“They can’t catch
me,” Van replied. “They’re too big to get inside there, even in the room with
the machines.”

“What room with
the machines?” his mother asked with concern.

“Over there,” Van
explained, pointing at the wall toward the opposite back corner of the house.
“I can go all the way to that room through here.”

“And you saw men
in that room?” asked
Bà
. “Did they see you?”

“I didn’t see any
men,” Van replied. “There was no men there.”

“Then who were you
talking about when you said they were going to hear you?”
Bà
insisted.

“The ladies,” said
Van as he looked at Xuan. “It’s the ladies from the zoo, right, Xuan?”

“The zoo?” Viet
questioned. “What’s going on here? What are you talking about?”

Xuan blushed as he
stammered, “Uh, what, uh, Van is saying is we saw some ladies at the zoo when
Ông
took us there. That’s all.”

“And in the
bathroom,” added Van with a giggle.

“You saw the
ladies in the bathroom at the zoo?” asked Viet.

Van laughed as he
pointed at the open vent, not noticing his brother’s look of panic. “No, not at
the zoo. In there in the other bathroom. Tell them, Xuan.”

“Yes, tell us,
Xuan,” Viet ordered. “Now.”

“We didn’t do
anything wrong,” Xuan muttered as he stared at the floor. “We went in there
yesterday and we saw another opening like this one and we could hear like a
shower so we looked. That’s all.”

“And what did you
see?” his mother demanded.

“A lady in the
shower,” Xuan mumbled.

“She was naked,”
Van piped in helpfully.

“Yes, she was in
the shower, Van,” Viet replied. “Go on, Xuan.”

“Well, she stopped
the water,” Xuan continued, “And when she got out, we saw her face better and I
know she was one of the ladies at the zoo with the one
Ông
asked to take
our picture.”

“Are you sure?”
asked
Bà
.

Xuan nodded. “Yes,
and we saw another one after who was at the zoo too.”

“But what does
this mean?” asked Viet, turning to
Bà
. “Who are these women? Were they
following dad and the boys?”

Bà
shook her head.
“There is much your father has not shared with you but has shared with me.
There are agents from North America here to help him stop and capture Scorpion.
The woman who took the photos at the zoo was one of them. Your father passed
her some information when he handed her his camera. The other agents are men
but three of them are here with their wives. That is likely who these women are
and they must have been kidnapped as well.”

Turning to her
grandsons, she asked, “You are sure these are the same ladies you saw at the
zoo?”

“Yes,” Xuan
replied. “Two of the ladies had light hair and one of them was curly. That’s
the one we saw in the bathroom after. The one in the shower has dark hair and
has a flower on her arm.”

Van jumped in.
“The lady who took our picture, her hair is orange.”

“Not orange,” Xuan
disagreed with an eye roll.

“Almost orange,”
Van argued back.

“Okay, that’s
enough, boys,” Viet interrupted then turned to her mother. “Should we try to
contact these women? We might have a better chance of doing something if we can
work together.”

“How do you plan
to contact them?” asked
Bà
. “The walls must be soundproofed because we
haven’t heard the slightest noise. We wouldn’t even know they are here if it
wasn’t for the boys.”

Viet smiled and
replied, “Maybe the boys can help us out.”

* * * *

“What was that?”
asked Cathy, sitting upright on the recliner.

“What was what?”
Sandy replied from the couch.

“It sounded like a
child calling,” said Cathy, getting to her feet.

“It might have
been one of Quang’s grandsons,” Josée suggested. “Unless the bastard lied to
us, they’re supposed to be here as well.”

“It could be,”
Cathy conceded. “But it’s strange how we haven’t heard anything since they
stuck us in here. We don’t even hear footsteps of anybody walking upstairs.”