See You in Saigon (7 page)

From a distance of
twenty-five feet or so, Chen called out in flawless Vietnamese, “Hello, can you
help us?”

Surprised, the
guard looked up and jumped to his feet but, upon seeing the couple, seemed to
relax and took a couple of steps toward them, leaving the shotgun in its place.

“Who are you?” he
enquired, peering at them in the darkness. “What are you doing out here at this
time?”

“We are tourists,”
Chen replied. “We took a walk after dinner and got lost.”

“Come closer so I
can see you,” the guard requested, taking another step in their direction.
“What country are you from?”

“Canada,” Chen
replied.

“She looks like
she’s from Canada,” said the guard, pointing his pipe at Leslie, “But you look
Chinese.”

Chen smiled and
said, “My father is Chinese and my mother, Vietnamese. She was born in Tây Ninh
which is why we came to visit.”

“Where are you
staying?” asked the guard, his already low level of suspicion rapidly
dissipating.

“At the Hoa Binh
Hotel,” Chen replied. “We have been trying to find our way back for an hour
without success.”

The guard chuckled
as he moved past them toward the road. “You are going in the wrong direction.
You must go back the way you came until—”

“Be quiet and turn
around,” Chen interrupted.

The guard turned
back to find Leslie aiming a handgun at him.

“What is going on
here?” he demanded, instinctively glancing at his shotgun now a dozen feet
away.

“Don’t even think
about it,” Chen warned. “She
will
shoot you if she has to. Is there
anyone else inside?”

“No,” the guard
replied sullenly, shaking his head. “I am alone here tonight.”

“Okay, guys,” Chen
said into his collar mike. “He tells me the place is clear.”

“We’re coming in,”
Jon replied from where he and Chris hid in the field behind the barn.

Dave and
Washington appeared from the cornfield across the road and hurried toward them.

As Chen zip tied
the guard’s wrists behind his back, he said, “My friends are about to go into
the barn. If anyone
is
in there, you are a dead man.”

“There is nobody
here but me,” the guard repeated.

“Are there any
traps?” asked Chen. “Any danger of my friends getting hurt in there.”

The young man
shook his head. “There is no danger.”

“Should all be
clean,” Chen announced to the others who now waited by the open barn door.

Only seconds were
required to confirm the open space was indeed unoccupied. Along the wall on one
end were stacks of burlap-wrapped bundles of varying sizes, clearly inventory
of raw opium as well as bricks of finished product. A dozen covered steel drums
sat in the middle of the floor and a large stone fireplace was set in the rear
wall, the day’s embers still red and smoking. An array of pots, tubs and other
equipment filled crude wooden shelves along the front wall to one side of the
door and a handful of portable propane stoves sat on tables on the opposite
side, each connected to its own fuel tank below. At the far end of the barn was
an assortment of boxes, sealed buckets, canisters and the like, the stock of
chemicals required for the refinement process.

 “All good in
here,” Jonathan said into his mike. “We’re going to see what we have to work
with.”

They moved to the
stock of chemicals where, as expected, they found several flammable products
including ethyl alcohol, ether and acetone.

“Get some wood in
the fireplace,” directed Washington. “This stuff will vaporize more quickly if
it’s warmer.”

While Chris and
Dave added firewood to the glowing embers, Washington, Jonathan and Leslie
started splashing the flammable liquids around the space.

“Leave a bit in
each container,” said Washington, “And set them down here and there with the
tops off.”

“That’s it with
the flammable stuff,” Leslie announced, setting down a quarter-full bottle of acetic
anhydride. “What else?”

“Crank open the
valves on those propane tanks,” Washington replied, “And turn on the burner
valves but make sure they don’t fire up or we’re toast, and I mean it. I’ll be
done in a second.”

From his pocket,
he pulled a six inch length of string to which a small device was attached on
one end. Inserting the device into the nearly empty canister of ethyl alcohol
at his feet, he secured the other end of the string to the canister’s spout
with a wad of chewing gum.

“We’re good to
go,” he announced.

“Our ride is
coming down the road,” Chen replied from outside.

They hurried out
of the barn, closing the door to contain the increasing vapors and propane.

Outside, the guard
was back on his bench, staring at the wrong end of his own gun which Chen had
appropriated. A grey Toyota Sienna, their ride for the evening, waited with
Chuck Whittaker at the wheel and Brian Kelly literally riding shotgun. As the
others began piling in, Leslie stopped by Chen, an open switchblade in hand.

“Get up and turn
around,” Chen said to the guard.

“What will you do
to me?” asked the guard, his voice shaky with fear.

“We’re setting you
free. Now get up,” Chen ordered. “We have no time to waste.”

The guard stood
and turned and Leslie sliced through the zip tie binding his wrists as Chen
continued. “Now, get on your motorbike and get as far as you can heading that
way. This place is about to explode.”

Needing no second
urging, the young man rushed to the side of the barn and was already racing
onto the dirt road as Leslie and Chen were climbing into the minivan.

“We’re in. Go,”
Leslie called out, sliding the door shut as the vehicle started to move in the
direction opposite that which the guard had gone.

“How long before
it blows?” asked Whittaker.

“That all depends
if something sparks it before I do,” Washington replied as he pulled out his
mobile. “I’d prefer to get a little farther if we can.”

They raced down
the road in silence for another moment before Washington said, “Let’s find out
if this thing works.”

“I want to see
this,” said Whittaker, bringing the vehicle to a stop.

As they all turned
to look behind them, Washington tapped on his phone, sending a signal to the
electronic sparking device dangling in the ethanol canister in the centre of
the barn. Instantly, a huge ball of fire lit up the night sky, followed by a
boom as the sound reached them. Mere seconds later, several other fireballs
appeared and multiple explosions were heard

“I believe we’ve
succeeded,” said Whittaker as he stomped down on the accelerator. “Let’s get
the hell out of here.”

“Great work,
everyone,” said Jonathan as he pulled out his mobile. “I’ll call it in.”

Hanoi, Vietnam,
early morning

“
Who
called
you?” Scorpion demanded, fighting the urge to heave his phone against the train
he had just climbed down from, “And how did he even get your number?”

“He didn’t give me
a name and I don’t know how he got my number,” Thao replied. “All he said was
the lab in Tây Ninh was gone and it was their way of showing you they were
serious. I drove over right after he called to see what was going on.”

“How bad is the
damage?” Scorpion asked.

“He wasn’t
kidding, boss,” said Thao. “The lab is gone. They blew up the barn and
everything inside it. It was still burning when I got there but the place was
levelled. Some locals where putting out a few small fires in the fields close
by and a tractor was plowing down the corn behind the barn to keep any flames
from spreading. I didn’t get too close because I didn’t know if there was
anything toxic in the air or anything else that could explode.”

“How much did we
lose with this?” asked Scorpion.

Thao hesitated
before responding. “I spoke to Ngai who was running the lab for us with his
wife. They had started a new batch today which was soaking overnight so only
Quy, their son, was there to keep an eye on things.”

“You didn’t answer
my question,” Scorpion snapped. “What did we lose?”

“About fifty kilos
of finished product,” Thao replied. “Close to two hundred of raw opium plus
what was being processed.”

“Do you know what
that would have been worth in the States?” Scorpion demanded. “Did you do the
math, Thao?”

“I did, boss,”
Thao replied, “And I gave hell to Luc Bao for letting the finished inventory pile
up. He’s in charge of the region. Not me.”

“And you’re
supposed to keep track of what’s going on,” Scorpion snapped, “But you’re
right. Luc screwed up big time. Make sure he’s available this afternoon. I’ll
want to have a chat with him.”

“I figured you
would and already told him,” Thao replied. “Look, boss, I’m sorry but we had no
way of knowing something like this could happen. These guys came out of
nowhere. No warning, no nothing.”

“In retrospect, I
guess the bastard
did
give me a warning when I spoke to him yesterday,”
Scorpion muttered. “Where’s this kid, Quy? Is he dead?”

“No,” Thao
replied. “Whoever did this let him go. He went home, told his parents what
happened, grabbed some stuff and disappeared. He’s scared.”

“Talk to his
parents and find out whatever he told them,” said Scorpion, “And find the kid
and talk to him. He’s got nothing to worry about. He’s not the one who screwed
up here. For now, we need information to figure out who’s behind this so get
busy and start digging. I don’t believe this crap about a deal with Cao for a
minute. We would definitely have heard something about that. I’m guessing Quang
is involved with this somehow so I’m going to have a chat with the General once
I get back.”

“What time are you
coming in?” asked Thao.

“I’ll be there at
eleven,” said Scorpion. “Pick me up at the airport and have something ready to
convince me you’ve been working for a change.”

* * * *

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon),
Vietnam, early afternoon

General Quang held
the mobile to his ear for several seconds after the call had ended then laid it
down on his desk as he made his decision.

Pulling another
phone, recently acquired, from his breast pocket, he turned it on and made a
call, firming up some tentative arrangements he had made in the last few days.
He then placed two more calls, one to his wife and the other to his daughter.
Both conversations were short as the two women had previously been made aware
of his intentions and agreed with him so little discussion was required.
Turning the mobile off and returning it to his breast pocket, he then reached
for the desk phone to summon Nguyen Chinh.

Nguyen, who had
been driving the motorbike when the photos of Scorpion had been taken on
Phoenix Island, had been one of Colonel Hoang’s top advisors and was currently
one of a select few whom Quang felt he could trust implicitly. Upon Hoang’s
death, Nguyen had informed the general he would give all he had, including his
life, to ensure the killer paid for his crime. As a result, Quang had
immediately transferred Nguyen to his personal security team, seeking all the
allies he could get.

A knock was heard,
followed by the door opening as Nguyen entered. Closing the door behind him, he
marched briskly across the expansive office, stopping at attention before Quang’s
desk.

“Good afternoon,
General,” he said, snapping a salute to his superior.

“I wish it was,
Chinh,” Quang replied, gesturing his subordinate to one of the visitors’
chairs, “But I believe this situation with Scorpion and his group will become
much more difficult before it is over.”

“Whatever you
might require, General,” said Nguyen, “I am at your command.”

“What I need for
now,” said Quang, “Is for you to drive my wife, my daughter and my two
grandsons to Mui Ne. I fear for their lives and wish to have them out of sight.
You are to mention nothing of this to anyone because only a few know where they
will be.”

“Of course,
General, I will do as you wish,” Nguyen replied, his expression showing his
concern. “If I may ask, has your family been threatened?”

Quang sighed and
nodded. “When I first spoke to Scorpion, he made references to my grandsons. A
short while ago, he called me and suggested I somehow was involved with a
couple of incidents over the weekend with which he is unhappy. He ended our
conversation by telling me it would be a shame if my family had to pay for my
mistakes.”

“That is terrible,
General,” Nguyen exclaimed, “But what incidents was he referring to?”

“On Saturday, a
group of foreigners kidnapped the Pham brothers, Cao’s ex-bodyguards, to have a
talk with them,” Quang explained. “They told the Phams they had lucrative
agreement with Cao and which they now expected Scorpion to honour. The brothers
were asked to transmit the message and a contact number to Scorpion and then
released. The second incident occurred last night when a heroin lab, previously
Cao’s but now Scorpion’s, was destroyed in Tây Ninh.”

Nguyen shook his
head in disbelief. “But, General, I cannot believe you had anything to do with
either of these incidents. Why would Scorpion think you did?”

“He does not
believe Cao had an agreement with any other party so he has decided this group
must somehow be connected to me,” Quang replied, “And you are correct, I had
nothing to do with either incident. However, Scorpion is correct in his
assumption that I am linked to the foreigners responsible for both incidents.”

Nguyen gazed at
the general expectantly. “May I ask who these people are?”

Quang hesitated
before responding. “Until I know my family is safe, I prefer to share only a
limited amount of information. You are the first of less than a handful of men
I will be confiding in and this is strictly confidential. Is that understood?”

“Of course,
General,” Nguyen agreed. “You have my word.”

Quang nodded.
“Very well. For now, I can tell you I am aware of a group of people who are
here to capture Scorpion. He has infiltrated both of our police forces and most
probably the government which makes our trying to stop him almost impossible.
Given these circumstances, these people have come to our country to help us
deal with him.”

“Have you met with
them?” asked Nguyen, his expressing showing both intrigue and concern. “If
Scorpion is keeping tabs on you, this could explain his suspicion of your
involvement.”

“For that exact
reason, I have not met with them formally to date,” Quang replied, “Though once
my family is safely away from here, I will wish to see how we can be of greater
assistance. I will be contacting them today to schedule a meeting as soon as
possible and will want you to be present.”

“I will be
honoured to work with you and this group,” said Nguyen. “We will make sure
Colonel Hoang did not die in vain.”

“Very well,” said
Quang as he rose to his feet, signalling the end of their discussion. “Now, you
must go as you have a four hour drive to Mui Ne. My wife has the address of the
villa I have rented for them.”

“I will get them
there safely,” Nguyen promised, standing as well. “Do you wish me to arrange
for any security for them?”

Quang shook his
head. “No. They will be safe in Mui Ne and the less people who know where they
are, the better. Even my son-in-law, who will be staying in the city to run his
business, does not know where his wife and children will be.”

“I will take good
care of your family, General,” said Nguyen, snapping another salute. “I will
see you in the morning but, of course, you can call me at any time as
required.”

* * * *

Tây Ninh, Vietnam,
late afternoon

“Well, you
certainly weren’t kidding when you said the lab was gone,” said Scorpion,
walking a few steps closer to the still smoldering pile of rubble with Thao and
Bao trailing a couple of steps behind him. “But at least, nobody was hurt.”

He turned back to
face the two other men and smiled then lashed his foot out, kicking Bao solidly
in the groin. As the younger man doubled over, Scorpion backhanded him to the
side of the head, knocking him to the ground. Immediately, Thao knelt by Bao
and yanked one of his arms back, then the other and handcuffed his subordinate.

“Sit up,” Scorpion
quietly ordered. “We need to talk.”

With Thao’s help,
Bao struggled to a sitting position and glared up at Scorpion, his expression a
mix of defiance, anger, pain and fear.

“What is going
on?” he wheezed. “Why are you doing this?”

“Look at the lab,
buddy,” said Scorpion. “It was your responsibility and now it’s gone.”

“I didn’t blow it
up,” Bao argued. “I wasn’t even here when it happened.”

“That’s not the
point,” Scorpion replied. “You’re a smart man, Bao. That’s why I selected you
and sent you here from the States in the first place. Why don’t you tell me
what the point is?”

“I-I don’t know
what you’re talking about,” Bao insisted. “I didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Okay, listen,”
said Scorpion. “I take back what I said because it seems I was mistaken. You’re
not
a smart man, Bao. You’re obviously an idiot so I’ll explain what the
problem is to you. At local prices, right here in Vietnam, the accumulated
inventory which we lost in there was worth close to a quarter of a million
dollars.”

“I know that and
I’m sorry,” said Bao, “But I had to keep what I was skimming from Cao somewhere
until we shipped it.”

Scorpion gazed
down at Bao and shook his head then glanced up at Thao and said, “Talk to the
man.”

“But you
have
been shipping what you were taking from Cao,” said Thao. “Just not all of it. I
spoke to Ngai and his wife. You told them to hold some back. When they asked
why, you told them we were looking at trying an export route through Cambodia.”

“Th-they’re
lying,” said Bao, his tone far from convincing.

“No, they’re not,”
said Scorpion. “It’s a small world, my friend. We made a few calls and it’s
pretty clear you were looking at swinging a private deal on the side. The only
problem is, you were looking to do it with my dope. Sorry, buddy, but that’s
just wrong and you know it. You also know that sitting there and trying to deny
everything is only going to make matters worse. You’re insulting my
intelligence and nothing good ever comes of that.”

Bao’s eyes welled
up with tears as he resigned to the fact that it was over. “I’m sorry, boss. I
don’t know what I was thinking. I was stupid and greedy.”

Scorpion crouched
down beside him and patted him on the shoulder. “Yes you were but it takes a
big man to acknowledge his mistakes, Bao. You’ll get a lot more of my respect
by admitting you screwed up instead of uselessly trying to bullshit me.”

Bao released a
heavy sigh and asked, “So, what happens now? Are you going to kill me?”

“Until a minute
ago, yes, I was going to kill you,” Scorpion admitted. “I was going to douse
you with a couple of gallons of gas, toss you on that pile of rubble and watch
you burn to death, but now I changed my mind.”

“Thank you, boss,”
Bao whimpered. “Thank you.”

“Here’s what I’m
going to do instead,” Scorpion continued. “Seeing as you wanted some of my
heroin, I’m going to give you some. Thao, give our friend here a good dose of
my heroin.”

“Please, no,” Bao
moaned, trying to move away as Thao approached, pulling out a preloaded syringe
from his shirt pocket.