cleared us all out, even the two enforcers in the black suits made themselves scarce around these guys. Someone important was about to arrive and they didn’t want any of the riff-raff to see.”
“Someone more important than Wu Ming?”
“Yeah, and when she arrived everything changed.”
“She?”
“She,” Mei-Zhen confirmed. “And she
is
the main show.”
“Can you ID her?”
“Not yet. Like I said, they cleared us all out, but I heard the commotion and her voice for just a few seconds. She was issuing orders to someone as they walked in and she definitely sounded Russian.”
“If you didn’t see her, how can you be sure she’s the one in charge?” Lam asked.
“Because when she spoke, everyone else was instantly silent. She didn’t have to raise her voice and, even though I only heard her for a few seconds, she had authority over all of them. She sounded almost sultry. Eastern European. Have you ever heard of someone like that operating here in Hong Kong?”
Lam shook his head. Even the thought of an Eastern European woman operating on Triad turf was almost impossible to comprehend. “So we still don’t know what she looks like?” he said.
“That’s the whole reason I have to go back in. She’s due in this morning. Last night was just a recce. Today they have a meeting upstairs. There could even be others coming.”
“Mei-Zhen, at this point in my life, and after so many years committed to bringing these people down, I’m prepared to do just about anything. You and your people obviously know more than I do, and it’s paying off. But do you really think you should go back in?”
“I can take care of myself.”
Lam believed her.
“Anyway, if what you say about this Chan person is correct, he hasn’t dropped the hammer on us – yet. He’s giving you the chance to shut it down before he rats on you. That means we should have at least until lunchtime to ID this woman. Remember, as far as they’re concerned, I’m just an out-of-town half-blood who needs the money and speaks the language. Besides, now that the queen bee has arrived, they want me around as errand girl. This meeting is happening soon and I have to get back for it. We can’t afford to miss the opportunity.” She glanced at her watch. “I gotta go.”
“OK.” He still had doubts, but he knew that she was right. “I’ll settle up and leave in two minutes, and Mei-Zhen …” He looked at her earnestly. “Please be careful.”
She stood up, smiled and walked away, disappearing into the throng of locals and tourists. Lam watched her for as long as he could, keeping an eye out for any untoward interest. Satisfied, he rummaged through his trouser pocket, extracted some change and dropped it on the table. Then he lit a fresh cigarette and strolled casually away.
Victor Lam took the opposite direction from Mei-Zhen, heading north along Tung Choi Street toward Mong Kok railway station. He wanted to buy her some time before reporting back to the Interpol contact. He kept his wits about him, constantly checking to see if he was being followed, but once he was about quarter of a mile away he felt confident he was clear. He immersed himself in the crowded streets, his thoughts awash with images of Wu Ming and what Mei-Zhen may be heading into. He still couldn’t get his mind off the face that he’d seen through the crowds at the market and was frustrated that he couldn’t recall where he’d seen the man before. And had it been just one man, or could it have been two?
Something wasn’t right. Now that he was away from the meeting and thinking more clearly, Lam realized that sending Mei-Zhen back in had been a mistake. He was regretting not calling the man from Interpol first before agreeing that she would go back in. His gut was telling him the time had come to summon backup, and if he needed things to happen quickly then he had to call on the support of the only man he trusted. He extracted his cell phone from a pocket.
“Someone more important than Wu Ming?”
“Yeah, and when she arrived everything changed.”
“She?”
“She,” Mei-Zhen confirmed. “And she
is
the main show.”
“Can you ID her?”
“Not yet. Like I said, they cleared us all out, but I heard the commotion and her voice for just a few seconds. She was issuing orders to someone as they walked in and she definitely sounded Russian.”
“If you didn’t see her, how can you be sure she’s the one in charge?” Lam asked.
“Because when she spoke, everyone else was instantly silent. She didn’t have to raise her voice and, even though I only heard her for a few seconds, she had authority over all of them. She sounded almost sultry. Eastern European. Have you ever heard of someone like that operating here in Hong Kong?”
Lam shook his head. Even the thought of an Eastern European woman operating on Triad turf was almost impossible to comprehend. “So we still don’t know what she looks like?” he said.
“That’s the whole reason I have to go back in. She’s due in this morning. Last night was just a recce. Today they have a meeting upstairs. There could even be others coming.”
“Mei-Zhen, at this point in my life, and after so many years committed to bringing these people down, I’m prepared to do just about anything. You and your people obviously know more than I do, and it’s paying off. But do you really think you should go back in?”
“I can take care of myself.”
Lam believed her.
“Anyway, if what you say about this Chan person is correct, he hasn’t dropped the hammer on us – yet. He’s giving you the chance to shut it down before he rats on you. That means we should have at least until lunchtime to ID this woman. Remember, as far as they’re concerned, I’m just an out-of-town half-blood who needs the money and speaks the language. Besides, now that the queen bee has arrived, they want me around as errand girl. This meeting is happening soon and I have to get back for it. We can’t afford to miss the opportunity.” She glanced at her watch. “I gotta go.”
“OK.” He still had doubts, but he knew that she was right. “I’ll settle up and leave in two minutes, and Mei-Zhen …” He looked at her earnestly. “Please be careful.”
She stood up, smiled and walked away, disappearing into the throng of locals and tourists. Lam watched her for as long as he could, keeping an eye out for any untoward interest. Satisfied, he rummaged through his trouser pocket, extracted some change and dropped it on the table. Then he lit a fresh cigarette and strolled casually away.
Victor Lam took the opposite direction from Mei-Zhen, heading north along Tung Choi Street toward Mong Kok railway station. He wanted to buy her some time before reporting back to the Interpol contact. He kept his wits about him, constantly checking to see if he was being followed, but once he was about quarter of a mile away he felt confident he was clear. He immersed himself in the crowded streets, his thoughts awash with images of Wu Ming and what Mei-Zhen may be heading into. He still couldn’t get his mind off the face that he’d seen through the crowds at the market and was frustrated that he couldn’t recall where he’d seen the man before. And had it been just one man, or could it have been two?
Something wasn’t right. Now that he was away from the meeting and thinking more clearly, Lam realized that sending Mei-Zhen back in had been a mistake. He was regretting not calling the man from Interpol first before agreeing that she would go back in. His gut was telling him the time had come to summon backup, and if he needed things to happen quickly then he had to call on the support of the only man he trusted. He extracted his cell phone from a pocket.
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