Jade started crying again and buried her face in Jack's chest. “I like to do that, Jack,” she sobbed. “I work hard with kids. No more pretend smile and happy so men fuck me.”
Jack left the Orient Pleasure and walked a block away before Laura picked him up. He told her what he had learned as they drove back to the I-HIT office.
“So the Russians are directly involved with the victim!” said Laura, making no effort to hide her anger.
“The victim has a name now,” said Jack. “It is Hang.”
Laura knew what Jack was getting at. They were no longer dealing with just another unknown or a statistic. Putting a name to the victim made it personal. A lot more personal.
“The Russians brought her here,” continued Jack. “But who she was passed on to is anybody's guess.”
“Probably Dúc or one of his brothers ...”
“Possibly. One of them could have sold her to someone else or maybe it's someone else the Russians know.”
“She was supposed to go to the States.”
“I know.”
“So how did she end up in a Dumpster in Surrey?”
“We know she has a father. Maybe living in Hanoi. Speaking of which, the Russians are arriving there next Wednesday.”
“We've got to go, too.”
“Definitely. With Randy, I bet that won't be a problem.”
“So in the meantime, we pass this on to the Vietnamese police. Maybe get Connie to dig up phone tolls from all the businesses and see if she can match them to any perverts.”
“I don't even want to think how many that will be ... or how long it will take,” replied Jack.
“Not much else for us to do until then, other than get permission to go to Hanoi,” said Laura.
“There is another thing that needs to be looked after.”
Laura waited for a moment before asking, “What?”
“In regard to the young woman I just talked with. I promised her I would get her out by tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow!”
“She's really upset. I wish I could do it today.”
“How? Without endangering her family ... or her? Can't it wait?”
“No. It has to be tomorrow. The Russians arrive in Hanoi on Wednesday. We should be in Hanoi a day ahead to make sure everything is arranged. With the time difference, we have to leave here on Monday.”
“What's your plan?”
“It's sort of ... a delicate matter. Just between the two of us.”
Oh, man ...
It was late that same afternoon when Laura and Connie sat together in a car parked near Lucky Lucy's. A team from Drug Section was also on surveillance on nearby streets and confirmed Jack's movements up until he opened the door and
stepped inside the bar. After that he was on his own.
“You're lucky you and Jack gaffed a trip to Vietnam,” said Connie. “I've always wanted to go there.”
“Why doesn't Randy send you, too?” asked Laura.
“It's not him. Court. I'm starting a three-month murder trial on Monday.”
“I've done a bit of foreign travel,” said Laura. “Not always as glamorous as it seems.”
“Yeah, I heard you were in Colombia last year.”
Laura smiled and said, “Believe me, that was no picnic, either. Foreign travel isn't as much fun as everyone thinks. Between time zones, work, and jet lag, you don't usually get to see much. The taxpayer's dollar doesn't allow for much sightseeing.”
“Speaking of dollars,” said Connie. “I'm still a little confused. How does Jack scoring a kilo of cocaine from this Giang character really help our investigation?”
“It might get him an introduction to Dúc,” replied Laura. “Jack thinks he might be dealing heroin as well as being a pimp.”
“Even if he does, that is a far leap to having Dúc tell him if he knows anything about Hang.”
Laura eyed Connie casually.
She's right ... but how do I get her off this topic and to quit thinking about it? I can't tell her what Jack is really up to with Giang ...
“Jack is pretty persuasive,” added Laura. “You'd be surprised how convincing he can be.”
“He must be, to convince Randy.”
“I suspect Isaac approved it personally,” continued Laura. “He must have, I've never seen approval granted this fast before.”
“So what are you worrying about? We've got nothing to lose.”
“Nothing to lose! How about our budget? We'll be down by thousands of dollars to buy the dope, which in all likelihood, will only end up with a low-life like Giang on the hook. You were on Drugs, you know how it works. Giang will spend so little time in jail that it will be worth it for him, especially if he gets to keep the money.”
“It's not your money,” said Laura, pretending to sound irritated.
“Comes out of our budget and that affects other investigations.”
“Ten to one says you're craving lots of chocolate right now.”
“Laura! For your information, I am not having my period.”
“Sorry. Actually it's me who wouldn't mind a chocolate bar right now.”
“Yeah? Come to think of it, that would be good. I deserve one. I've been working out lately, have I told you that?”
Laura smiled.
Jack sat at a corner table with Giang and negotiated the purchase.
“Tonight,” said Giang. “You come back here at nine o'clock.”
“Tonight? Here? Not likely!”
“Why? I show you the stuff and you can go get the money.”
Jack shook his head and said, “Someone already tried to rip me here. This is your turf and I've never done business with you before.”
“How do you want to do it?”
Jack chuckled and said, “Well, I live out in Surrey, but
you probably don't want to go out there either. Maybe some other ...”
“No, you want Surrey,” said Giang quickly. “That's fine with me.”
Jack feigned surprise and said, “Okay, good. Except not tonight. I want it light out, so I can see. I'm willing to meet you in an alley somewhere. You come alone in a car and I'll walk up and meet you. I don't care if you have a piece. You can point it right at me. Once I see the dope, give me a minute to grab the cash from where I'll have stashed it and then we're done.”
“That's okay with me,” replied Giang. “I was in Surrey a long time ago. Played pool someplace. I think the name of the place was Billiard Bill's.”
“I've seen that place,” replied Jack. “It's on the second floor of some building.”
Giang nodded.
“How about the alley behind it at noon?” suggested Jack.
Giang forced himself not to smile. He nodded and shook hands with Jack.
“One more thing,” said Jack. “Because I don't really know you yet, I want it done in two trips.”
“Two trips?”
“Yeah, just to be on the safe side. I want to buy half a kilo from you and make sure everything is okay. If it is, in ten minutes or so, I return with the rest of the money for the other half.”
Giang smiled and said, “That's okay. It is good to be careful.”
“He's out,” crackled the radio as Jack left Lucky Lucy's.
Laura grabbed the microphone and replied, “Copy that.”
“Just getting in his wheels,” the voice continued. “Gave
me the thumbs up.”
“Good,” replied Laura. “See you back at I-HIT.”
An hour later, Jack met with all the investigators and gave a debriefing.
“It went well,” he said. “Giang wants to do it at noon tomorrow. He picked a place out in Surrey. It's ...”
“The Orient Pleasure?” said Connie.
“Close,” replied Jack. “A block away in an alley behind a pool hall. He will come alone in his car and I'll approach on foot. He is willing to let me examine the kilo before seeing the money. I think I'll just take the money with me. He won't be expecting me to have it. We'll do the deal on the spot and it's finished.”
“Would be nice to follow him and see what he does with the money,” said one of the narcs.
“No,” said Jack. “He is really paranoid. This isn't just a dope deal. It's a murder investigation. I don't want to take any chances on blowing this. If Giang gets wise, I'll never meet Dúc.”
“You're the guy sticking your neck out,” said Randy. “It's your call on that.”
“If it goes as planned,” said Jack, “You'll see me stash the dope in the trunk of my car. Then we all meet back here.”
“How long before you make contact again?” asked the narc.
“Give him a week to cool down let him think I'm putting the stuff out. I don't want to do anything that would make him suspicious.”
“That will work out,” said Connie. “You're taking off to 'Nam on Monday. By the time you come back, it will be just right.”
“I want the Russians,” said Jack. “They're the ones ultimately behind all this. With any luck, you'll identify the
pervert before we even come back. With evidence on the Russians, we'll be able to take down the whole damned lot!” At twelve-thirty Sunday afternoon, Jack walked toward the red GTO as it pulled up and parked in the alley behind Billiard Bill's. He approached the driver's side and Giang wound down the window.
“Half an hour late,” commented Jack.
Giang shrugged, his right hand holding a pistol that rested on his lap. “Accident on the Port Mann Bridge. Down to one lane,” he said.
Giang reached under his seat with his other hand and passed Jack a white plastic bag. “Take a look,” he said. “Two baggies. Each half a key, just like you wanted.”
Jack peered in the plastic bag and saw two clear bags of sparkling white powder. “This better not be baking soda,” he said.
Giang grinned and said, “No, go ahead. Test it if you want.”
Jack shook his head and said, “It looks good.”
“Then go get the bread,” said Giang.
Jack smiled and opened his jacket to reveal a paper bag shoved in the inside pocket of his coat. “Got half of it right here,” he said, passing the bag to Giang.
Giang smiled as he looked inside at the money. “Thought you were going to stash it until you saw the coke?”
“If you were setting me up for a rip, you would think I didn't have it on me. You'd also bullshit and say you wanted me to go get the money before showing me any coke.”
Giang nodded and said, “You know this business.”
“I like staying above ground,” replied Jack, as he removed one of the clear plastic bags and put it inside his jacket pocket. He gave the rest of the cocaine back to Giang and said, “Now, give me about ten minutes or so, and I'll
come back with the rest.”
A minute later, Jack put the half kilo of cocaine in the trunk of his car before giving the thumbs-up sign for the surveillance team to meet him back at the I-HIT office.
It was a quarter to one when Jack walked inside the Orient Pleasure and approached Dúc, who was behind the counter.
“Hey, you!” said Jack. “Where is Giang?”
“He's not here. Who are you?” asked Dúc.
“You obviously work for him,” said Jack. “Tell him I've changed my mind. I want to purchase two girls for my parlour in Alberta now. Not just one.”
“What are you talking about?” demanded Dúc.
“I bought the one from him ... what's her name? Jade? Now I want ... oh, never mind,” he said, glancing at his watch. “He told me to meet him in the alley behind Billiard Bill's. I was just hoping to catch him before he left. I'll tell him myself.”
Jack left the premises as Dúc hurried to the rooms at the rear.
“Where is Jade?” screamed Dúc, at the young woman in the room next to where Jade worked.
“She left an hour ago. She said Giang was going to buy her lunch.”
Jack stood in the alley and paid Giang for the second half of the cocaine. He was about to make some idle conversation, but the sound of voices and running feet coming down a stairwell told him it was time to leave.
Jack walked into the I-HIT office and placed the two bags of cocaine on top of a desk.
“Mind if I sit here to write my notes?” he asked Connie.
“No, go ahead,” she replied, glancing at her watch. “What took you so long? Stop for gas on the way back? We were getting worried.”
“No, sorry,” replied Jack. “I just took the long way. Wanted to make sure I wasn't being followed.”
“Everything go okay?” asked Laura.
Jack gestured to the kilo on the desk and said, “Smooth as silk. Giang trusts me now. I don't think it will be a problem to get him to introduce me to Dúc.”
“Yeah,” replied Connie. “Then figure out how the hell you bring up the subject of Hang without making him suspicious.”
“I'll think of something,” replied Jack. “Now, please give me an hour or two of peace while I make my notes.”
An hour later, Jack was still writing when Randy Otto
came out of his office and said he received a message from some uniform members that they wanted Homicide to attend a car fire in an industrial area.
“An off-duty fireman was driving past and saw the smoke,” said Randy. “He had an extinguisher in his car and put the flames out before things got too badly burned. Partial crispy critter slumped over in the passenger side. Looks like knife wounds to his throat and face. The fire was started less than fifteen minutes ago, so let's get on it.”
Connie started to get up but Randy said, “Connie, you've got too much to do and still have a trial to prepare for. Wells, you take the lead on this.”
“What kind of car was it?” asked Jack, glancing up from the notes he was writing.
Randy picked up a portable radio off a desk and said, “I'll find out.” He radioed and asked the officers at the scene.
“Red Pontiac GTO,” came the reply.
“Giang's car!” said Connie, looking at Jack for a response.