Critical Incidents: The ROK - Land of HAN (A Jack Gunn Mystery Thriller Book 1) (15 page)

“What else do you have?”

“I have a bug that recorded a meeting between Kim and Watanabe, and a briefcase with what looks like some plans and their cell phones.”

“Have you read the plans?”

“No, they’re in Japanese. I only took a quick glance at some drawings.”

“What are they about?”

“It looks like a NNEMP (Non-Nuclear Electro Magnetic Pulse) device.” I glanced at Mi-young being careful what to say.

“An e-bomb?” Han asked.

“Yes, that’s what it says on the drawing.” I didn’t want to repeat the word bomb with Mi-young around.

“I’ll be over there within the hour to collect the evidence. Sit tight until I arrive.”

Lee and I filled Mi-young in on the story. I had to tell her why I killed Kim. I just told her he was a North Korean spy. We didn’t tell her everything that was going on, because the less she knew, the better. She understood to keep her mouth shut about the killing. I advised her we had an important Army Colonel coming to our room soon, and that she should stay in the bedroom out of sight until he leaves.

After putting my guns on the table, I poured Lee and myself a triple shot of JD, and we toasted each other to a job well done. I needed that drink, and a few more.

While waiting for Han to arrive I advised my friend about my new job offer in Japan. He was happy for me, but surprised that I would take a job working for a Yakuza Boss. I explained to him that I am not getting any younger and I need to make a lot of money now, before the agency puts me out to pasture.

Within the hour there was a knock at the door. Lee and I grabbed our guns. I looked through the door peek-hole, confirming it was Han. After unlocking the door, I cautiously opened it. You can never be too careful.

Han walked in. “Annyonghaseyo (Hello).”

Lee replied back using the same word.

“Where is the evidence?” Han abruptly said.

“In that briefcase,” Lee said, pointing to it on the table.

Han opened the case and started to review the papers inside. I said, “The bug we used to record them is in there, along with their phones.”

Holding up a piece of paper, Han said, “Here’s a drawing of the Blue House. All these documents are in Japanese, except for the drawings of the e-bomb. I’ll have to get these translated ASAP.”

I commented, “Wright and Ellington are both engineers so they must have made the e-bomb drawings and manufacturing plans. They probably sold these to the terrorists for a pretty penny. I am not a Chemical Engineer or bomb expert but that e-bomb looks pretty simple to make. It can’t be very powerful and certainly wouldn’t knock out the whole city of Seoul.”

“It don’t have to,” Han replied. “You only need to blow up one, in three or four strategic places, to have a devastating effect.”

Lee said, “That makes sense.”

“Colonel, what are we gonna do about Wright and Ellington?” I asked.

“If they’re in Hong Kong we can’t do anything, since it’s part of Red China.”

“Well, actually, Ellington is leaving this morning. His plane doesn’t depart until 8:50. We could nab him before it leaves.”

Han thought for a minute. “No … let him go. If we arrest him and the media gets involved, then we might tip our hand to Kwon, Suk, and the NIS.”

“I know Hong Kong pretty well. I’ve stayed at the Royal Garden many times and have friends there. I could still terminate these guys.”

“If you get caught … then you’re in deep shit,” Lee said.

Han advised, “I hear Chinese prisons are worse than North Korean prisons. So forget about them for now. It’s too risky.”

I replied, “Yeah, maybe I’ll run into them again sometime.” I thought,
one day I will kill those bastards.

“Well, gentlemen, I have to get going. We have to figure out exactly what these guys are up to. Thank you for your service to the Republic of Korea. Now we can raid the NIS as planned on Wednesday. We have to find out who else is involved with Kwon and Suk. The evidence you found should be very helpful. Kwon and Suk will tell us everything by the time we’re done with them.”

“So, once you raid the NIS and arrest Kwon and Suk, then what?” Lee asked.

“Martial law will be put into effect until this is under control,” Han replied. “I have to leave now. If you need anything, let me know. By the way, this incident never happened.”

Lee and I replied, “What incident?”

Han laughed at the comment, looked at me, and said, “Most likely we will never see each other again. But if you need anything, you do have my number. Just say, ‘I need some Kimchi.’

We shook hands and the Colonel quickly left.  

After the Colonel was gone, I poured myself another drink. Killing people is very stressful work. It wears on your mind, if you let it.

I asked Lee, “What do you think these terrorists were planning?

Lee replied, “Based on what I’ve seen, they were going to try and overthrow the government.”

“I agree with you. They had drawings of the Blue House and EMP devices. I think Wright and Ellington were just hired technical people to help with the EMP device. Kim and Watanabe were the hands on guys. They would place the devices and blow them up when the time came.”

Lee said, “Yeah, I think your theory is correct. That’s why Wright and his brother left before the action started. Well, it’s out of our hands now. We did our job. I have to get going, Jack.”

“Alright, I’ll talk to you later.”

We shook hands and Lee patted me on the shoulder. “Thanks for your help, Jack. You probably saved Korea from a terrible incident and no one will ever know what you did.”

“Thanks, my friend. We just did our jobs. That’s what we get paid the big bucks for.”

Lee smiled as he left, and said, “I’ll talk to you later, after the NIS is raided.”

I knew that I wouldn’t receive any credit for stopping the coup or saving Korea and the United States from a potential war. It’s a Korean thing, and the Koreans like Han, Yoon, and Lee deserve all the credit and glory. What I have done is create goodwill, and new contacts within the NIS and the AIG. Who knows, maybe they’ll come in handy sometime in the future.

If the truth were known, that I killed two terrorists in Korea, my government would probably hang me out to dry. Some bigwig would be after my head for murdering two innocent tourists who were on vacation in Korea. We can’t kill them, but they can kill us.     

Mi-young came out of the bedroom as soon as Lee walked out the door. She said, “Me hear everything. So, you taking job in Japan.”

Looking at her I could tell Mi-young was pissed. “Yes, I have to take the job. It’s my chance to make some big money.”

“When you go Japan?”

“I’ll leave by the end of September. Look at it this way, Japan is only two hours away, so I can visit you a couple times a month.”

She stormed back into the bedroom and slammed the door. I poured another drink. I was bushed and laid down on the couch for some much needed rest.

All she was concerned about was me going to Japan and leaving her. Women, you can’t figure them out. If she heard the whole conversation, you’d think she would ask me what was going on. Maybe she didn’t hear everything. Maybe she didn’t care. Maybe she was upset that I didn’t tell her sooner about Japan, but I didn’t even know until last night. 

I couldn’t sleep. My mind was racing because Wright and Ellington got away. Then I thought about my new job and the big payoff I would receive.

It bothered me to leave Mi-young, but she would be fine without me around. She needed to find a real boyfriend, someone who would marry her. I was concerned about her future. The life of a single woman in Korea is not an easy one. That’s one thing I don’t like about Korea, there is very little empathy for those in need.   

Then I thought about the pending Army raid on the NIS. That move would put the whole country under martial law until all the culprits were identified. Later today I’d have to phone Ambassador Stevens and tip him off on what’s going on. Finally, the booze kicked in and I dozed off.

When I woke-up, later in the day, Mi-young was gone, and so were all her clothes and makeup. Was she telling me goodbye forever?

I lit a smoke, got a coke from the minibar to wake up, and popped two aspirins. Coke has a lot of caffeine and helps settle my stomach. Picking up my cell phone, I called Ted. I noted it was 2 pm.

He answered, “Hello, Ted speaking.”

“Ted, it’s Jack. I’d like to fill you in on what’s going on.”

“Ok shoot, these are secure lines.”

“Maybe they are and maybe they’re not. I need to tell you this in person.”

“Ok, come over right now.”

“I’ll be there in an hour.”

“Right, see you soon.”

An hour later, Ted buzzed me into his apartment. We shook hands as I entered. Ted said, “Come on in, Jack. How about a drink?”

“That sounds great. A double JD on the rocks, please.”

I glanced around the room and saw Midori. Smiling at me, she approached and said, “Jack-san. You come to see me?” She took hold of both my hands, and gently squeezed them.

“Ah … yeah, and to meet with Ted.” It seems that Midori is a clinger. Once she gets her hooks into you, she’ll cling on forever.

“He’s here for a meeting with me,” Ted said, as he handed me my drink. “Let’s go into my office.” Ted shouted, “Keiko, don’t disturb us! That goes for you too Midori.”

His apartment was really a kick-ass place. Ted had his own office in this huge apartment along with three bedrooms and four baths. I glanced around the plush office with teakwood covered walls, a large walnut desk with a marble top, and a shiny semi-white granite floor.

As I closed the door to his office, I asked, “Did Kamata leave?”

“Yeah, he went back to Japan. We can discuss that later.” He sat behind his desk and took a sip of his drink. “Ok, what’s going on?”

“ROK Army Intelligence is translating evidence that I found. It was written in Japanese.”

“ROK Army Intelligence is involved in this?”

“Yes. This is a big deal. Let me explain what has happened. There were four men involved in this: Wright, Ellington, Watanabe, and Kim. We’ve linked these guys together, and found a briefcase full of evidence. It was full of documents and drawings on how to make an e-bomb.”

“What’s an e-bomb?”

“It’s a non-nuclear EMP bomb.”

“Did you or the Army catch these guys?”

“Ellington and Wright, the two Americans, imported from Russia, got away. They went to Hong Kong. The other two, Kim and Watanabe, were terminated.”

“Terminated by who?”

“Ted, you don’t wanna know that.”

Ted looked at me and took a sip of his drink. I think he got the hint who killed them.     

I continued, “As I already told you, Suk and Kwon took control of the NIS, maybe with the President’s approval, but we don’t know that for sure … yet. The briefcase may contain the necessary evidence that links Suk and Kwon to the terrorists and the President.”

“If there isn’t any evidence that connects them, then what?”

“Evidence may show up in the documents. But this is also why the Army is going to raid the NIS HQ and take control. They’re going to arrest Kwon and Suk because they were put into power without approval of the National Assembly and the Army Chief of Staff. They’ll interrogate Kwon and Suk and get to the bottom of this. Army Intel has been watching the NIS very closely because they also suspect a coup is in progress.”

“How do you know that?”

“I had a meeting with a high ranking Colonel in the AIG who is a friend of Lee’s. The Army is going to make their move this Wednesday, on the third. When they do, martial law will be put into effect.”

“So, do we need added protection at the embassy?”

“I don’t think we need to do anything. First of all we, the United States don’t know anything about this, so don’t report any of this to Washington yet.”

“Why not? It makes me look stupid if I don’t know what’s going on here.”

“This is an internal Korean problem. You should report exactly what the news media or the Army tells you. But that’s all.”

We both took a sip of our drinks and sat there. Ted’s brain was thinking. That was not good. Ted tends to over-think everything and always wants to tell his superiors what he knows to score points. That’s not good either. What they don’t know can’t hurt you, is what I always say. It could come back to bite you in the ass.

Being new to the position of Ambassador, Ted needed some guidance. Now I’m no ambassador, but I do know something about reporting because I’ve done it my whole life.

Ted replied, “I don’t know about that, Jack. It’s like I’m lying.”

“Ted, you’re not lying. You’re just not telling them everything you know. If they don’t ask, don’t tell. Are you going tell them that you indirectly approved me getting involved in this incident? Of course, not. The more you tell them, the more the questions they’ll ask you.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

“Trust me, Ted, silence is golden. Do you remember when I killed that guy at the Golden Dragon?”

“I’ll never forget that. I never saw anyone get killed before.”

“You wanted to call the police, until I talked you out of it. If you would have called the cops, we might still be in jail. We definitely would have lost our jobs. Now look, your married to Keiko and have a great job. You’re the King here! You’re the United States Ambassador to South Korea. Ted, you have it made, so don’t ruin it.”

“Yeah, I see your point. I agree with your thinking.”

“That’s good, so when the news reports the raid on the NIS, you email Washington the same details you hear on the news. Assuming that President Roh isn’t arrested for treason, you could give him a call a few days after the raid to see if he needs any help from the United States. Then you can report that to Washington, also.”

“Thanks, Jack. I really appreciate your input. I just landed this job and I don’t want to put it on the line. I could milk this position for another three years and make a lot of money.”

I don’t know what he meant by that statement. It made me wonder if he was taking pay offs? But that’s none of my business. I raised my glass. “Here’s to your job, Mr. Ambassador.”

Ted added, “Here’s to your new job,” we touched glasses.

“What happens in Korea now is out of our control.”

“Jack, I have to hand it to you. You sure know how to sniff out the bad guys. It’s amazing what you did. You deserve a medal. I thought this whole thing was a figment of your imagination.”

I didn’t reply to his comments and took a sip of my drink.

We sat silent for a few minutes. I could tell Ted was still thinking. “Well there’s nothing we can do now but wait.”

“Yeah wait and keep our mouths shut.”

Ted nodded and said, “Now tell me, how did you land the bodyguard job with Kamata?”

“What did he tell you after I left?”

“Nothing really. He only said you were going to be his bodyguard and he seemed happy about that. Kamata did say he offered you two million dollars to move to Japan.”

I said, “It’s funny, but he seemed impressed with what happened at the Golden Dragon. I think it was Keiko and Midori that told him about me. He also probably did some research on his own. It’s not normal for a man like him to hire a gaijin to be his bodyguard. There has to be some really good Japanese who could do the job.”

“Jack, none of them know security like you do. He must have serious problems to offer you two million bucks.”

“Yes, I think he does. Actually, I’ll receive two million up front and two million at the end of the first year, if he’s still alive. Plus all my expenses are paid while I work for him.”

“Damn, you hit the jackpot. What do you mean, if he’s still alive?”

“Those were the words he used. He told me he has a lot of enemies who want him dead. So, this isn’t going to be a cake walk. Ted, if you don’t mind, let’s get Keiko and Midori in here and ask them about this.”

Ted yelled, “Keiko, Midori, can you come here, please!”

They must have been standing at the door listening to us, because a couple of seconds later they opened the door and came in.

“What do you need, Teddy bear?” Keiko asked.

I couldn’t help but chuckle, and said, “Teddy bear?” We all laughed as the girls sat down.

Midori in her high pitched voice, said, “Jack-san, my nickname for you is, Samurai. You like?”

“Oh, yeah. That’s great, Midori.”

“Do you have a nickname for me Jack-san?”

“No. I’ll have to think of one.” I didn’t have the heart to tell her my nickname for her is Bimbo-san. But she’s a cute Bimbo-san. I couldn’t help but think, Bimbo-san fit her well.

Ted said, “Ask them, Jack.”

Both girls stared at me, wondering what I was going to ask. I thought for a minute how to word what I wanted to say. “Keiko, why did your father ask me to be his bodyguard, and take care of his security?”

I knew she wouldn’t lie about something this important. Her father’s life and my life were on the line.

“Well, it’s a long story. It goes back to the time we were at the Golden Dragon and you protected us. My father watched a video tape of that whole event.”

“He has a tape of me killing that guy?”

“Yes. That guy was Masumoto. He was Nakanishi’s best friend. If you remember, Nakanishi is the guy you knocked out and broke his thumb. The other man who threw the Ninja star at you is named, Yonazawa.

“Anyway, these three men were my father’s bodyguards. They are the best fighters in the Inazawa Clan. So when my father saw you take on all three and kill one of them he was shocked. The big Sumo man, Fujimoto, told father that you could have killed all three men, but didn’t. That impressed father, so he asked me about you. He wanted to know, who is this man that fights like Samurai? So I told him you were a secret agent and a good friend of Ted’s.”

“What I don’t understand is why Nakanishi broke your finger knowing you are the Boss’s daughter. Did he think he could get away with that?” I sensed there was more to the story than I was being told.

Keiko looked down at the floor and was quiet for a minute. She said, “Nakanishi wanted me to be his girlfriend. He wanted to marry me. He was very jealous and many times beat-up men and me, for even looking at someone else.”

“Why didn’t your father do something?”

“Father knew Nakanishi wanted to marry me, but he refused his offer. He knew Nakanishi wanted to take over the Clan and be the Boss. You have to remember in Japan, as in Korea, women usually do as they are told. We have very little say so about our lives.”

“So, your father was afraid of Nakanishi.”

“No! My father isn’t afraid of any man. Father was concerned for me and Midori. The only thing father could do was have Nakanishi killed. But he became a powerful figure in the Clan and many men followed him.”

I looked at Midori. “Why was he concerned about both of you?”

“Midori is my adopted sister. Father adopted her when her parents were killed by a Bosozoku gang. You don’t know Nakanishi. He has a bad temper and doesn’t care who he hurts.”

Midori said, “Yonazawa wanted me to be his girlfriend. He is the same as Nakanishi. They try to own us. They are pigs.”

Ok, that explains part of the puzzle, I thought. “Ted, didn’t you say that this Nakanishi disappeared?”