Robert Tanenbaum - Act of Revenge

“That requires very little imagination, Monsieur.”

“How very droll, Madame. Suppose, as I say, I am such a one. I go to my triad and they put me in touch with someone I can trust to perform the extermination, to supply the young girls. I do business with this person or gang, and the triad vouches for both parties. In return, the triad receives a grateful gift. Now, suppose I betray one of my partners, to the police, or an enemy. In that case, the triad has lost face, and it must make the betrayed party whole again, either by payment or by exacting revenge upon the traitor. Naturally, triads may take a direct hand in criminal activity, but what I have described is the more usual case. Is this clear?”

“Perfectly. And with respect to the present shootings?”

“The Sings are adherents of the Wo Hop To triad, originally from Hong Kong but now well established in other nations, although not, as far as I know, in New York. The elder Sing held the rank of White Paper Fan, which is a kind of very senior adviser. It is quite unusual for such a person to leave Hong Kong. There are a number of business connections. . do you know what is meant by guanxi, or guanhaih , as the Cantonese say?”

“Yes, Lucy has explained it to me in painful detail.”

“Of course. Well, there is considerable guanxi between the Wo Hop To and the Hap Tai tong here in New York. The Chens are members of the Hap Tai. Thus, it becomes somewhat more clear, doesn’t it? The triad people wish to have a meeting of some importance in New York. They wish it to be entirely cryptic and anonymous, hence the selection of a storeroom as a venue. As I have pointed out, the Chens oblige their tong with the offer of the Asia Mall’s back room. Then, for whatever reason, disaster; also, clearly, some betrayal by the other party to the meeting.”

Marlene thought for a moment before voicing the significant word. “Betrayal. You said. . do you think the triad will take revenge on the Chens?”

Tran shrugged. “It is possible, if they think the Chens colluded in the trap. The most immediate danger to the Chens, however, would seem to come from whoever planned the assassination, to prevent them from saying what they know, if anything. Here the only thread we possess is this Leung person.”

“We should interview him at the first opportunity, don’t you think?”

“We? Perhaps I have not made myself entirely clear, Marie-Helene. With the exception of those who are insane, or are fatigued with life, no one strikes at a senior triad official unless with the support of another triad. We , unless I am mistaken, are not a triad, but a one-eyed woman, an old tired man, and a dog. In the normal course of events, the two contending triads will ask a third triad, from another triad group, to mediate. Harmony is an important Chinese value, as you know, and conflict is bad for business. Until then, whoever inserts himself into this affair will be like a beetle playing between two millstones. I believe the Chens have demonstrated that they do not want your help.”

Marlene stopped walking and rounded on him. “So, Monsieur, you recommend that we stand by with our hands in our pockets while thugs terrorize my daughter and her best friend?”

“You have grasped my point exactly, Madame,” Tran replied stiffly, “although allow me to point out that, whereas Janice may have been terrorized, Lucy considered the affair, what is your expression? A day at the beach. ” They stared at one another for some time, like duelists. Marlene controlled her temper first, and asked in a softer tone, “Truly, can nothing useful be done here?”

He dropped his eyes, nodded, and took her arm; the pair continued walking. They were almost back at the loft.

“Well, in point of fact,” he said, “I have already done something, this afternoon, with those two bad boys. I have attracted the interest of M. Leung, at any rate. The next move is his, and we will respond within the scope of our resources. Speaking of these, I must report an unauthorized expenditure from the cash drawer: six hundred and twenty-six dollars, seventy-two cents. I also made long-distance calls totaling thirty-seven dollars, eighty cents.”

“Not an inconsiderable sum. What, pray, did we buy with it?”

“The services of three young people of my acquaintance, countrymen of mine, with their van, and the purchase of two canvas mailbags, used, suitable for confining unwilling guests, and one U.S. Army field telephone, TA 312/PT, also used. I have the receipts.”

“Thank you, but one doubts that a street abduction is a tax-deductible business expense. To whom were you sending telephone messages?”

Tran smiled. “No one at all. The useful part of the apparatus is the crank generator, which is quite powerful. I would have sent a message of a different sort to certain sensitive regions, but it was not necessary. As with the great Galileo, a mere exhibition of the instruments was sufficient. Do you wish to know the details of how this machinery is used?”

“No, not in the least,” said Marlene quickly, trying to keep the distaste from her voice. “I assume the calls were to your contacts in the triads? To find out about the Sings.”

“That is correct. Two calls to Hong Kong, one to Manila, one to Texas-an old comrade.”

“And these three young people, how ever were you able to arrange it so quickly? Not an hour could have passed between the time Lucy called you and the kidnap.”

“Oh, you know, one has contacts, here and there. These boys are from the Hoi-Do gang, as they call themselves. Viet-Kieu like myself. Their usual business is home invasions and armed robbery, but they are also willing to take on such engagements, especially against the Chinese. They were quite put out that I did not have to use wet techniques.”

“How sad for them,” said Marlene. They were at her doorstep. She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek; they were almost the same height.

“Thank you for this, my friend. You know, as the world judges men, you are very nearly the worst man I know, yet there is hardly a person of my acquaintance whom I like better. Why do you suppose that is?”

“It is because you are perverse, Marie-Helene,” Tran responded immediately. “You are the most perverse woman I have ever known. Whatever one expects of you, as soon as you are aware of it, you do the opposite. You act the thug among lawyers, among thugs, the lawyer. Among the liberal intelligentsia you are a Catholic mother, conservative as the pope. Should you ever be called to meet the pope, however, you would appear nude and twirling a gun. It is a peculiar way of life, and disconcerting to all around you. I wonder that you remain married or have any friends at all.”

“What a condemnation! Have I no good points?”

“Several. Shall I enumerate them?”

“Do. ‘To refuse to accept praise is to want to be praised twice over.’ ”

Tran chuckled, a rare noise. “La Rochefoucauld, maxim number 149. Very good. One of the little annoyances of fighting a war for the peasants and workers is that one must associate with so many illiterate people. Dying with you will at least be amusing. So that is the first point. One can converse with you without boredom, in French. This alone would make me your slave. Second, the esthetic appeal. A beauty, but maimed, scarred, like something out of Baudelaire. Irresistible. Were I twenty years younger and still an actual human being, I could not answer for your virtue. Third, your courage. Although unlike most heroes you have a full appreciation of the reality of death, still you behave as if you feel no fear. This is the most admirable form of courage. Finally, despite what you do, you have not amputated your moral sensibility. Therefore you suffer agonies in your deepest soul, which is above all what makes you admirable, at least to me. We Vietnamese are connoisseurs of suffering, you understand. It is our national sport and the basis of our most refined culture.”