James Chase - 12 Chinks and a Woman

Reiger stood up and looked up into the blackness overhead. Then he hurriedly put out the running lights. The boat went on through the curtain of blackness.

Miller said savagely, “These goddam coast guards give me a pain.”

The aeroplane droned on, then, after a few minutes, faded away. Reiger flashed on the searchlight again, let the beam cut the darkness and then turned it off. The other light kept on flickering. It was drawing nearer and nearer.

Miller handed Fenner a torch. “Go forward,” he said; “we’re nearly there.”

Fenner took the torch and climbed out of the cockpit. He felt the boat roll as Miller cut speed.

Reiger, who was standing well forward, shouted, “Kill it,” and with a flurry the engines stopped. Reiger came over to Fenner, walking carefully as the boat rolled and heaved. “Get your rod out,” he snapped, “and watch these guys.” He was holding the sub-machine-gun. “I’ll pass them to you. Make sure they ain’t got guns, then pass them to Miller.’

They both stared into the inky blackness. Reiger flashed on a small torch suddenly. He had heard the creak of oarlocks.

A small rowboat came bobbing towards them. Fenner could see four men huddled in it and two men at the oars, then Reiger put his lamp out.

“Keep your ears back for that aeroplane,” Reiger muttered to Fenner.. Then, as the rowboat bumped gently alongside, he put his lamp on again.

A thin scraggy Chinaman came aboard. “I got four here,” he said to Reiger. “I’ll bring the others in four lots.”

“What about the special?”

“Sure, sure, I’ll bring the special last.”

Reiger said to Fenner. “Okay, let’s start.”

Fenner stepped back and waited. The Chinamen came on board one by one. Reiger counted them, letting only one come at a time, waiting for Fenner to pass them to Miller, who directed them to the forward cabin. Each Chinaman wore the same clothes, tight shirts and knee-length trousers. They stood sheeplike before Fenner, who patted them down and shoved them over to Miller.

Two more boatloads came out and it all took some time. The scraggy Chinaman, who had stood on the right-hand side of Reiger while this was going on, said, “Okay, that’s the lot. I’ll go back for the special now.”

Reiger said to Miller, “You locked those Chinks in?” His voice sounded uneasy to Fenner.

“Bolts on,” Miller assured him.

Fenner wondered what the ‘special’ was. He sensed a sudden tension between Miller and Reiger. They all waited in the darkness, their ears straining for the long-boat to return. At last they heard the faint splash of oars. Reiger snapped on his torch and, reaching out with a boat-hook, held the long-boat steady.

The scraggy Chinaman climbed on board. He reached down and the oarsman handed a small figure over to him. A quick pull, and the special was aboard.

“Don’t you worry about this,” Reiger said to Fenner.

Fenner flashed his torch on the special. He gave a soft grunt. It was a girl. He’d guessed as much. She was about thirteen or fourteen years old, Chinese, and pretty. She looked very scared and cold. She wore the same tight shirt and knee-length trousers.

With an oath, Reiger struck the torch from his hand. “Keep out of this,” he said between his teeth. “Miller, get her under cover.”

Reiger turned to the Chinaman, who gave him a package wrapped in oilskin, and then climbed into the long-boat, which disappeared into the night.

Fenner said between his teeth: “There’s a nice rap hanging to this sort of racket.”

Reiger said, “Yeah? You gettin’ milky?”

“I guess I was entitled to know you were runnin’ women. That ain’t a thing that gets passed over easily.”

“What do you think? A twist is worth ten Chinks, if you can get them. So shut up, will you?”

Fenner didn’t say anything, he let Reiger go to the cockpit. He stood there brooding. Was this the answer to the riddle? They’d picked up twelve Chinks and a woman. Was that what this sister of Marian’s was trying to hint at? Or was it just a coincidence? He didn’t know.

Miller shouted. “Take her back, Reiger, I’ve had enough of it.”

Reiger said, “Sure, tell the Nigger to start her up.”

The boat quivered as the engines sprang into life. Fenner sat down with his back to the cockpit roof and searched the darkness. His ears strained, hoping to pick up the sound of a patrol boat. He neither heard nor saw anything.

Reiger shouted suddenly. “Ross—where the hell are you? Hi, Ross!”

Fenner dropped into the cockpit. “What’s the matter?” he said. “Scared of the dark?”

“Listen, bright boy, suppose you lay oft the funny angle? I want you to go into the Chinks’ cabin and chain them together. There are the chains over there.”

Fenner looked at the heap of handcuffs linked together with rusty chains that lay in the corner. “What for?” he said.

“What you think? We gotta be careful, ain’t we? If a patrol boat gets on our tail, we shove the rats over. Chained like that they go down quick.”

Fenner said, “The things you think of!” He took the wheel out of Reiger’s hand. “Do it yourself. That ain’t up my street.”

Reiger looked at him in the dim light of the navigation lamp. “Somehow I don’t think you’re goin’ to be a lotta use with our mob,” he said, and picking up the chains, he climbed out of the cockpit and disappeared.

Fenner made a little face. He couldn’t see how much longer he was going to keep this up. He was nearly satisfied that he’d got as much information as he wanted. It depended on what this Glorie Leadler would have to say. If he got what he hoped from her, then he could strike and wash the whole business up.

A muffled sound of a gun going off jerked his attention to the boat again. He listened, peering ahead but seeing nothing. There was silence, and after a little while Reiger came back into the cockpit again.

Fenner glanced at him as Reiger took the wheel from him. Reiger’s face was hard and cold. “Trouble?” Fenner said.

Reiger grinned. “They don’t like the chains. I had to, shoot one of the bastards in the leg before they’d quiet down.”

Fenner ran his hand through his hair. It had stopped raining, but he felt cold and damp.

“Go along an’ tell Miller to watch that broad,” Reiger said suddenly. “She looked quiet, but if she starts a squeal, there’ll be hell on this ship.”

“I don’t get it,” Fenner said.

Reiger grinned. “Those twelve Chinks down there ain’t touched a woman for six weeks. If they knew one was on board they’d run wild. Jeeze! I’ve seen it happen. Once I took a boat out with a crazy loon to help me handle the cargo. We got a load of Chinks on and a little mulatto girl. This guy let the Chinks see her, and that started something. I had to shoot two of them and club another two cold. I’ve never seen anythin’ like it. The frill got so scared she tossed herself overboard.”

Fenner grunted and climbed out of the cockpit. He went aft to the small cabin behind the galley.

He walked into the cabin and stopped. Miller was holding the Chinese girl down on the floor and beating her about her face with his open hands. Her shirt was ripped to pieces and she was partly naked below the waist.

She fought him silently, blood running from her nose and from her lips.

Fenner took a step forward and grabbed Miller by his collar. He heaved, dragging Miller away from the girl. When he got him clear, he booted him hard, sending him sprawling to the other side of the small cabin.

The girl lay on her side with her knees drawn up and her arms held over her head.

Miller sat up slowly. His great white face glistened in the lamplight. He focused on Fenner by screwing up his eyes. “Get out of here, an’ leave me alone,” he said thickly.