James Chase - A Lotus for Miss Quon

But she couldn’t hide the sudden tensing of her muscles and Jaffe, puzzled, scooped up the diamonds and put them back into the tin.

“I wonder if I’ll ever learn to understand you, Nhan,” he said. “One second you’re happy and relaxed, the next you’re scared out of your wits. I’d like to know what goes on in that funny mind of yours.”

She rubbed her hand between her breasts as if trying to get rid of the feel of the diamonds.

“I wonder sometimes what goes on in your mind too, Steve.”

“I guess.” He looked at the diamonds before putting the lid on the tin. “These stones give me more pleasure than anything else in the world - except you.”

“I’m glad.”

She slid off the bed. She couldn’t bear to talk about the diamonds a moment longer. If it hadn’t been for those hard sparkling stones, Haum would still be alive and this nightmare that was happening to them both wouldn’t be happening.

“I must get dressed. I don’t want to miss the bus.”

“There’s time.” He stretched out on the bed and lit a cigarette while he watched her slip into her clothes. As she went over to the mirror to tidy her hair, he said, “You understand what to do, Nhan? There must be no mistake. Blackie will call for you at ten o’clock tomorrow night. He will bring you to the old temple. I’ll be there at eleven. Don’t bring too many things… just a small suitcase. I’ll buy everything you want when we get to Hong Kong.”

“I understand.”

She put her comb back into her bag, then from the bag, she took out a small object and came over to him. She sat on the edge of the bed, looking seriously at him.

“I want you to keep this until we meet again.”

“What is it?”

She took his hand and put the object into it. Frowning, he held it up to examine it. It was a tiny Buddha carved in ivory.

“It belonged to my father,” she said. “It will protect you from harm. It is very powerful, Steve. Keep it with you. So long as you have it, no harm will come to you.”

He was touched by her simple faith.

“I’ll keep it,” he said. It didn’t occur to him the sacrifice she was making by giving the Buddha to him. All her life she had kept this little ivory carving. She relied on it for comfort: parting with it was giving away her most important and valuable possession. He put the Buddha on the table by his watch. “Well, kid, it won’t be long now.” He sat up, putting his arm around her. “I’ll be waiting for you. Don’t look so serious. It’s going to be all right.”

“Yes. I must go.” She touched his face with her fingers, then leaning forward she kissed his mouth. “Good-bye, Steve.”

He went with her to the door.

“In another thirty and a quarter hours,” he said and smiled down at her. “So long till then.” He gave her a little hug, then stood back and watched her go swiftly down the stairs.

She didn’t look back.

He went over to the window and watched her walk down the dusty road. He admired her neat, upright carriage and the way she held her head.

During the drive back to Saigon, Nhan’s mind became a torment of fear, apprehension and indecision. Without Steve’s strength and confidence to support her, she felt lost and frighteningly alone.

After she had prepared supper for her three brothers, she told herself, she would go to the pagoda of Dakao and spend the night in prayer. She would light four candles. She wished now she hadn’t given Steve her Buddha. She didn’t think he would value it, and she felt lost without it.

She was glad when the bus finally pulled up at the Central Market. She walked quickly along the pavement crowded with food vendors selling Chinese soup, the juice of sugar cane and dried meats. One vendor held out a stuffed snake towards her, grinning as she shied away, turning her head and quickening her steps.

The evening sun was hot. The road crowded with hooting motorcars, pousse-pousse and bicycles created a strident violent movement that beat on her nerves.

As she approached her apartment block, she didn’t notice the black Citroen parked a few yards from the entrance to the block. Inspector Ngoc-Linh sat in the car, a plainclothes detective at his side. Both men were smoking. The Inspector kept looking at his watch uneasily. The time was one minute past six.

The two men watched Nhan enter the apartment block and they exchanged glances.

“It could be her,” the Inspector said and he got out of the car. “Wait here.”

Nhan ran up the stairs to the second floor. She paused outside the front door of her apartment to calm herself. She must not frighten her brothers. It was going to be difficult to explain to them that she was going away. She must make them believe she was very happy. They were fond of her. If they believed she was really happy, they might not mind so much that she was leaving them.

She practised a smile tentatively. The muscles of her face were so stiff the smile was painful. She turned the handle, pushed open the door and walked into the living-room.

The sight of a strange man standing in the middle of the room brought her to an abrupt halt. There was no one else in the room. She didn’t have to be told that this man was from Security Police. The shabby European suit, the expressionless face, the glittering alert eyes could belong to no one else except a member of Security Police.

She stood motionless, feeling the blood draining out of her heart and a sensation of cold passing over her body.

“You are Nhan Lee Quon?” the man asked in a hard, impersonal voice.

She tried to say something but no sound came. She became aware of quick footsteps coming down the passage, then Inspector Ngoc-Linh came into the room.

She recognized him. The Inspector was well known in Saigon. She remembered what the fortune-teller had told her. The next two days will be the most critical in your life.

“You are Nhan Lee Quon?” the Inspector said, staring at her. “You are a taxi-dancer at the Paradise Club?”

“Yes.”

She forced the word past her stiff lips.

“You are to come with me,” the Inspector said. He signalled to the detective who moved past her and opened the door. He went into the passage and stood waiting.

“Where is my mother?” Nhan asked.

The Inspector motioned to the bedroom door.

“Come with me.”

“Could I not see her and my brothers?” Nhan asked.

“Not now - later.” He took hold of her arm and moved her out of the room.

The detective went on ahead, Nhan followed him, the Inspector brought up the rear.

Nhan had difficulty in going down the stairs. She was trembling violently. Once she stumbled, and the Inspector caught hold of her arm. He continued to hold her arm until they reached the lobby, then he released her.

The detective led the way to the car and opened the rear door. Nhan got into the car and the Inspector slid in beside her.

Several people paused to stare. They knew this was a car belonging to Security Police. They wondered what the detectives were going to do with Nhan.

The car pulled away and drove fast towards Headquarters. The time was a minute to ten past six.

Nhan sat huddled up in the corner. Her mind was paralysed with terror. What was going to happen to her? Would she ever see Steve again?

It only took two minutes for the car to reach Headquarters. As soon as the car pulled up in the yard, the Inspector got out.

“Come,” he said.

Nhan got out. Her legs were so unsteady she would have fallen if he hadn’t caught her arm. He bustled her through a doorway, along a passage, pushing her roughly ahead of him.

There was a door at the end of the passage. The Inspector knocked on the door, opened it and pushed Nhan into Colonel On-dinh-Khuc’s office.