The Color of Greed (Raja Williams 1) (10 page)

Raja closed the door behind him.

Vinny was outraged. “This can’t happen,
Raj. Get out of my way. I will hurt you.” Vinny took a martial
arts fighting stance.

Raja stood his ground. “You’re right as
usual, Vinny, but so was he. Trust me. It’s how the Triad
operates. They offer a family passage into the United States for a
price. When the family arrives here, they take the children and slave
them out into the sex trade, while forcing the parents to work in a
sweat shop or they’ll never see their children again. Then they
tell the child he must do what they want or they will kill his
parents. As illegals, they have no safe options. If either the child
or the parents run, they kill whoever stays behind. And, if they
think the authorities are on to them, a lot more will die. Scorched
earth policy all the way.”

“I won’t leave him.”

“Neither will I. We need to go up the food
chain. Did I mention I dropped one of your trackers into the boy’s
pocket?”

Vinny dropped her fists and pulled out her iPad.

“You should find him on that. Then we can
track him to the rattlesnake’s den.”

“Yes, there it is,” said Vinny. “I
have the signal. Let’s go.”

“Not so fast, Vinny. We have to play this
smart, or we get more people killed. We need the sweat shop location,
as well. And we need to cut off the snake’s head.”

“I traced your credit card purchase to Woo
Fong’s Mandarin,” offered Vinny, still unconvinced.

“Isn’t that—”

“Yes, it is. Judge Griggsby has shopped
there.”

“That’s where we go next. But we are
going to need help.” Raja dialed a number. It was Detective
Rafferty in Los Angeles.

“Tommy. Raja Williams. We’re in San
Francisco. I stumbled onto a human trafficking ring and I need your
help getting backup from the SFPD. It involves the Triad in
Chinatown.”

“Jesus, Raja, when you step in it, you step in
it,” said Rafferty.

“I’m going to need help finding a
sweatshop and arranging a raid.”

“I’ll call Matt Sampson. He runs the
organized crime unit up there. If you have something solid, he’ll
want to help.”

“Thanks, Tommy. Have him call this number.
ASAP.”

“Always at your beck and call,” said
Rafferty. Despite the sarcasm, he knew Raja was one of the good guys
who produced results. “You find out anything on the judge?”

“We should have more soon,” said Raja.
“I’ll tell you all about it on the other side of this
mess.”

“Yeah, okay. I’ll call Matt right now.
Just wait for help. The San Francisco Triad is not to be messed with,
you hear me?”

“I didn’t know you cared.”

“I’m just looking out for that pretty
partner of yours.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll wait for the call.
Thanks, Tommy.”

Chapter Thirteen: Doin’ the Triad Two-step

The Chinese Triad was possibly the world’s
oldest organized crime syndicate. They operated primarily out of Hong
Kong, after the Communist takeover of mainland China in 1949. Being
older made them neither better nor worse than other crime
organizations, and they trafficked in the usual drugs, weapons,
prostitution and gambling like all the rest. The Triad had nearly two
million members worldwide including San Francisco.

Matt Sampson had been working to bust the San
Francisco Triad on human trafficking for years. They could sometimes
find the sweat shops by tracking electric usage in the warehouses the
Triad was known to use. However, when they busted a warehouse that
usually only resulted in the deportation of the illegal adults, and a
small fine on the company for hiring illegals. The victims would
never talk. And the Triad would simply open another sweat shop
somewhere else.

The SFPD had made even less progress on the sex
trade with kids. The one time they had gotten close, they found a
half dozen young bodies in a dumpster, and all their leads
evaporated.

Therefore, when Lieutenant Sampson called Raja at
the insistence of Detective Rafferty, he was frothing at the chance
to get at the Triad, despite the distrust he had for private eyes.

“Raja Williams?”

“Yes.”

“I’m Lieutenant Sampson, from the
organized crime unit, SFPD. Tom Rafferty says you think you have a
way to go after the Triad on human trafficking.” He paused, a
bit conflicted.

“I do.”

“Well, I’m all ears. But, I have to tell
you, it’s not going to be easy.” Sampson ran through the
problems he had faced while trying to bust the Triad. He didn’t
mention how little he liked or trusted private detectives, but Raja
could feel the disdain.

“I can give a statement on the boy’s
location that should get you a warrant,” said Raja. “But,
I need to locate the sweat shop where his parents work. Based on what
you have experienced, we better squeeze them from both ends.
Otherwise someone will end up dead.”

The lieutenant began to warm up. Most PIs he knew
were bulldog tenacious in pursuing leads, but cared little about the
collateral damage they left in their wake. “I can locate the
shop, but without probable cause, I doubt I can get a warrant.”

“How about exigent circumstances. If you bust
the sex trade location, everyone in that factory will be in immediate
danger.”

“That’s a stretch, but I know a judge
who might buy it. Where is the boy?”

“I’ll give you the location, with your
promise you won’t go in until you can hit both sites
simultaneously. I don’t want to get any of these people
killed.”

“I hear you. You have my word.”

Raja gave him the address from the tracker he put on
the boy.

“Okay. Give me an hour.” Sampson ended
the call.

Vinny looked embarrassed. “Thanks, Raja,”
she said. “I shouldn’t have doubted you. And I almost hit
you.”

“Hey, you do what you feel you have to. That’s
why I love you. But, if you want to make amends, we still don’t
know where the judge is. While we wait to hear from Lieutenant
Sampson, maybe you could figure out how we can find him.”

“As you wish,” said Vinny, back in good
spirits.

Raja looked around the drab room. “Meanwhile,
let’s get out of this hellhole. It may take a while to get this
operation organized. Let’s find a better place to stay.”

Vinny located an upscale Ramada and they checked
into a suite.

More work on her iPad confirmed the judge had been
in Chinatown recently. “I can’t say where the judge is
now, but there is an eighty-six percent probability someone at Woo
Fong’s will know where to find him.”

“Vinny, I’ve been meaning to ask. How do
you do that?”

“What?”

“The exact percentages and all.”

“It’s quantum mechanics. It’s
based on the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle. Pretty simple,
really.”

“So you say. I’ll take your word for
it.”

“It predicts the probability of a particle, or
in this case a person’s location.”

“That’s not much better.”

“We need to find out who knows what at Woo
Fong’s.”

“That I can understand,” said Raja.

Raja’s cell phone rang. “Raja Williams,”
he said.

“It’s Lieutenant Sampson from the SFPD.”

“Yes. How are we doing?”

“Good news. We have the probable sweat shop
location. I’ve got a surveillance team in place to confirm that
now. The warrants are on the line as we speak. If all goes as planned
we make simultaneous strikes tomorrow morning at ten.”

“One more thing,” said Raja. “I
think the money for the sex ring is being laundered through the Woo
Fong Mandarin Restaurant. I expect you will find the Triad involved
there, as well. Any chance you can have a team in place to raid the
restaurant?”

“I won’t have time for a warrant.”

“That’s okay, you won’t need one.
There will be plenty of exigent circumstances.”

“I probably shouldn’t ask how you know
that ahead of time. But, I can be there with a half-dozen men and a
couple of squad cars at ten.”

“If you don’t mind, Lieutenant, let’s
meet a block north of Woo Fong’s at nine thirty. I’ll
tell you what’s going to happen then.”

“One block north of Woo Fong’s at nine
thirty. Will that do?”

“Absolutely.”

“I’ll call you first thing when I get
the green light.” The call ended.

“What are you up to, Raj?” asked Vinny.

“We are going to need some leverage to find
out more on the judge. The SFPD will make a good crowbar. Right now,
I’m going to need some sleep. You do whatever you do, and wake
me by eight.”

“I’ve got some leads to work on. See you
in the morning, boss.”

“Do you have to call me boss?”

“Don’t get your panties in a twist,
bro.”

Raja gave up. He went to bed and slept without
dreaming. Making progress on a case was always a good sleeping
potion, and helping innocent people was an even better one. He woke
up fresh at eight on the nose.

Vinny was already up and had breakfast from room
service waiting for him. “You sure you want to do this?”
she asked, as she watched Raja wolf down eggs and bacon.

“If you’re asking am I sure what I am
going to do, yes I am. If you’re asking am I sure I’ll
get the outcome I want, the answer is no. But, that’s what
makes life interesting, right?”

“True dat, boss.”

Raja and Vinny climbed out of the Ferrari on Jackson
Street, one block north of Woo Fong’s. Lieutenant Sampson was
already there.

“We have SWAT ready for simultaneous assaults
on both the sweat shop and the prostitution house. They move at ten
sharp. Whatever you do here must not alert the Triad to that fact.”

“No problem. We are going in first as
civilians just before ten. Station your men near both ends of this
alley. Keep them out of sight, but be close and be ready.”

“For what?”

“Chinese fireworks.”

“What? I’m not sure this is a good
idea.”

“Just be ready.”

“It’s your funeral.”

“I’m hoping not.”

Raja and Vinny walked up the alley that came out
just beyond the entrance to Woo Fong’s. Raja checked his watch.
It was exactly nine fifty. “Stay close,” he said, and the
two walked into the restaurant.

“Hello,” announced Raja, loudly. “My
name is Raja Williams. This is my friend Vinny.”

Vinny smiled and nodded.

“We are trying to locate a judge named
Griggsby. He comes here, so I know someone will recognize him. Here’s
his picture.” Raja walked toward a group of staff gathering at
the counter, watching them carefully. He held out the picture, noting
their reactions. A man in a coat and tie hurried out from somewhere
in the back.

“What do you want?” he asked. There was
panic in his voice.

“I’m looking for Judge Griggsby,”
said Raja loudly. “Vinny, show the manager a picture. You are
the manager, right?”

Vinny handed him a snapshot. Raja saw the flash of
recognition on the manager’s face.

“I’m afraid there is no one here by that
name,” said the man curtly.

“Surely someone here has seen him. He is a
regular customer, I’m told.” Raja continued to observe
each of them carefully. He had already noticed someone covertly
making a call behind the counter.

Raja checked his watch—two minutes after ten.
He decided to escalate things. “You might as well tell me what
you know. The police are on to this whole operation.”

One of the workers rushed into the back.

Raja called after him. “Hey, where are you
going—too late to warn anyone. In fact, I wouldn’t be
surprised—” Raja stopped in mid-sentence.

The restaurant staffers were all staring past Raja,
faces gripped with fear.

Raja turned and saw three men had entered the
restaurant and were reaching under their jackets.

“They’re not here for the lunch special.
Let’s go, Vinny.” Raja grabbed her hand and dragged her
through the door to the kitchen. “We’ve got to get out of
this place.” They hurried past one cook frying a rice dish and
another stirring a large pot toward the back.

“Over there,” said Vinny, pointing to a
green door on their left. It was the door Raja knew led to the alley,
and he ran to it, Vinny in tow. The three men crashed into the
kitchen, guns in hand. One of the cooks was so startled he dropped a
pot of soup, and then slipped on the wet floor.

Raja rattled the door knob but it was locked. Vinny
pushed him aside and slammed open the green door with a well placed
front kick, and the two of them staggered into the alley. As they ran
for Washington Street, a second door opened ahead of them and two
armed men stepped out. Raja and Vinny spun around to run back the
other way. Both stopped when the three men came out of the green
kitchen door, trapping them in the small alley.

Raja pulled a small package from his pocket. Using a
Bic lighter, he lit it on fire and tossed it across the alley next to
the red brick wall. When it hit the ground, the pack of Black Cat
fire crackers began to explode, echoing loudly in the alley and
momentarily freezing the men who were closing in on them.

Seconds later the whooping sirens of two squad cars
blared from both ends of the alley. Police SWAT with rifles moved in
quickly. The armed Triad men took one look and put down their
weapons.

The timing had been perfect. The police collected
everyone into custody, including the restaurant manager and his
entire staff.

Once things on the street were under control,
Lieutenant Sampson walked up to Raja smiling like the Cheshire cat.
He said, “You call those fireworks? I’ve seen a lot
better. But none I’ll remember like yours. I just got the call
from the other SWAT teams. They took both sites cleanly. No
casualties. They recovered over a dozen kids and about twenty
parents.”

Vinny perked up.

“Including the boy Li and his mom and dad,”
added Sampson.