a secluded area of the large Gardens by the Bay park, where giant super trees that resembled mushrooms on steroids rose up anywhere from 80 to 160 feet, and were lit by various colored lights.
Jake gave the boat pilot a wet hundred dollar bill. The guy tried not to look at Jake with too much scrutiny. He simply nodded and turned the boat around before maxing out the motor and powering back toward the river.
The night air was still hot and muggy, like Miami on its hottest summer night.
“What’s going on, Jake?” Alexandra asked.
“More than we know,” he said. “Remington obviously has more friends than we first thought. He had the banker killed in Taipei. Had the man follow me in Hong Kong. And now has infiltrated the local Agency, killing or at least badly injuring our contact.”
“I don’t even know why we’re here in Singapore,” she said, obviously exasperated.
“The Agency froze one of Remington’s bank accounts here. Since the man had an account here, I thought he could be hanging out here also.”
The two of them wandered down the dimly-lit walkway in the direction of their hotel in the distance.
“And now?” she asked.
“I don’t know. For some reason he’s concerned about me on his trail.”
She stopped him by grasping his arm. “No kidding. You have a reputation of being a relentless bastard. But more than that, Remington knows he can’t just buy you off. He has to kill you.”
Jake smiled. “Well, I guess I have him right where I want him. I’m going to use his knowledge of me to get him to come to me.”
“How do you do that without getting yourself killed?” she wanted to know. “Or me killed.”
“Listen, I’m willing to work with you as a partner,” he said, “but maybe not on this case. I think you need to just hang out at the hotel for a few days, maybe go down to the casino, and then fly back to Germany.”
She punched him in the shoulder. “If you think you can get rid of me that easy.” Alexandra then went into a long rant in German, which sounded like she was either scolding a child or declaring her intention to conquer the world.
Luckily Jake understood every word. When she finally calmed down somewhat, Jake broke in. “Hey, it was just a suggestion. Don’t go all commissar on my ass.”
She punched him again, and this time he really deserved it.
They started wandering toward their hotel again.
“So,” Jake started, “let me get this straight. You want to help me find this rogue bastard.”
The two of them stopped again. This time she looked more serious. “Jake. Something more is going on here. It’s not just about Bill Remington. After you read the information I got from that Munich company, you know that China is making a major move. They just attacked a Taiwanese navy ship. If that ship had not defended itself properly, over a hundred crew would have died.”
Jake had already thought about this as well. “I know, Alexandra. I think the Chinese wanted to start a war with Taiwan. But they also need the oil and gas from the South China Sea. So this could just be about economics.”
“What’s the word for that in English? Hegem. . .”
“Hegemony?” Jake provided.
“Yes. They’re already a huge economic power. But they want to dominate the world. They want superpower status.”
“I agree,” Jake said. “But all I can do is find Bill Remington. That’s my current job. Do you still want to help me?”
She laughed. “I’ve been shot at before. And it’s usually when I’m in your general vicinity.”
“What can I say. I’m a lead magnet.”
“More like a Scheiße magnet.” Then she moved closer to him and kissed him on the lips. She sniffed Jake and added, “And I think you need to throw out those clothes and take a shower.”
They wandered back to their hotel.
●
Early the next morning Jake and Alexandra both woke refreshed. They had taken a late-night shower and stuffed their dirty clothes in a plastic bag. On their
Jake gave the boat pilot a wet hundred dollar bill. The guy tried not to look at Jake with too much scrutiny. He simply nodded and turned the boat around before maxing out the motor and powering back toward the river.
The night air was still hot and muggy, like Miami on its hottest summer night.
“What’s going on, Jake?” Alexandra asked.
“More than we know,” he said. “Remington obviously has more friends than we first thought. He had the banker killed in Taipei. Had the man follow me in Hong Kong. And now has infiltrated the local Agency, killing or at least badly injuring our contact.”
“I don’t even know why we’re here in Singapore,” she said, obviously exasperated.
“The Agency froze one of Remington’s bank accounts here. Since the man had an account here, I thought he could be hanging out here also.”
The two of them wandered down the dimly-lit walkway in the direction of their hotel in the distance.
“And now?” she asked.
“I don’t know. For some reason he’s concerned about me on his trail.”
She stopped him by grasping his arm. “No kidding. You have a reputation of being a relentless bastard. But more than that, Remington knows he can’t just buy you off. He has to kill you.”
Jake smiled. “Well, I guess I have him right where I want him. I’m going to use his knowledge of me to get him to come to me.”
“How do you do that without getting yourself killed?” she wanted to know. “Or me killed.”
“Listen, I’m willing to work with you as a partner,” he said, “but maybe not on this case. I think you need to just hang out at the hotel for a few days, maybe go down to the casino, and then fly back to Germany.”
She punched him in the shoulder. “If you think you can get rid of me that easy.” Alexandra then went into a long rant in German, which sounded like she was either scolding a child or declaring her intention to conquer the world.
Luckily Jake understood every word. When she finally calmed down somewhat, Jake broke in. “Hey, it was just a suggestion. Don’t go all commissar on my ass.”
She punched him again, and this time he really deserved it.
They started wandering toward their hotel again.
“So,” Jake started, “let me get this straight. You want to help me find this rogue bastard.”
The two of them stopped again. This time she looked more serious. “Jake. Something more is going on here. It’s not just about Bill Remington. After you read the information I got from that Munich company, you know that China is making a major move. They just attacked a Taiwanese navy ship. If that ship had not defended itself properly, over a hundred crew would have died.”
Jake had already thought about this as well. “I know, Alexandra. I think the Chinese wanted to start a war with Taiwan. But they also need the oil and gas from the South China Sea. So this could just be about economics.”
“What’s the word for that in English? Hegem. . .”
“Hegemony?” Jake provided.
“Yes. They’re already a huge economic power. But they want to dominate the world. They want superpower status.”
“I agree,” Jake said. “But all I can do is find Bill Remington. That’s my current job. Do you still want to help me?”
She laughed. “I’ve been shot at before. And it’s usually when I’m in your general vicinity.”
“What can I say. I’m a lead magnet.”
“More like a Scheiße magnet.” Then she moved closer to him and kissed him on the lips. She sniffed Jake and added, “And I think you need to throw out those clothes and take a shower.”
They wandered back to their hotel.
●
Early the next morning Jake and Alexandra both woke refreshed. They had taken a late-night shower and stuffed their dirty clothes in a plastic bag. On their
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