The Money Is Green (27 page)

“Yes it is,” she answered firmly. “My solar panel operation at Copper Mountain is making too much money and I don’t want this little side business to mess anything up. There may be nothing going on and my people might have gotten to Jason before he saw anything. But somebody tipped him off, otherwise why would he be there in the middle of the night on a weeknight?”

Waters nodded as he thought about that. She’s got a point there. It’s better to be safe than sorry. “Okay, Mei, I’ll make the call. Wo will need some information on the daughter and girlfriend. You know, pictures, addresses, the usual stuff. What would you like our professional to do with them?”

“I’ll get that info for you in a day or so.” She paused a second, then asked, “I want the daughter and girlfriend picked up and held at a safe house until I find out what Jason knows and what he plans to do next. If he doesn’t cooperate with me, I’ll want all of them eliminated.” She let her words hang in the air, then asked calmly, “When is the next shipment scheduled to go out?”

“A week from tomorrow,” he answered. “This one is going to be the biggest one so far. The payoff is going to be huge.”

“Should we put it on hold until we’re sure we’re clear?” she asked, a note of concern in her voice.

Waters did some mental calculations. Thirteen million dollars each if this next one was successful. He smacked his lips and smiled. “No, let’s continue with the plan, Mei, but let’s be vigilant. If anything at all surfaces, we shut it down, no matter how small. Otherwise, we continue on.”

“Okay, Congressman,” she said. “I’ll get the information you requested to you right away.”

“That will work, Mei. I’ll talk to you later.” He stared at his phone for a second then looked over at the entrance to the restaurant. I guess I shouldn’t be rude and keep a beautiful woman waiting. He chuckled to himself and headed toward the restaurant.

T
HIRTY
-F
OUR

T
he pounding on the door of Mei Chen’s suite didn’t stop until Jason, trying to be calm, walked over and opened it. Three armed men in uniforms of the Chinese army stood outside the entry, their fingers on their triggers. “Can I help you?” Jason asked, trying to sound casual.

The first two men brushed by him and rushed into the suite. The third stayed back, keeping an eye on Jason. They rushed from room to room, throwing back sheets and pulling out drawers. The first man made it to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. Bending over, he looked around before focusing on the door. He pulled out the glass jar with the clear liquid and stuffed it into a pocket in his pants. He said something gruffly in Chinese, and the other two men moved quickly to the entrance of the suite, where they came to attention.

Jason had stood at the entry watching everything but not moving. The first man into the room finally came up to him and stood before him. “I think there might have been a mistake, sir,” he said curtly. “We were told there might be a fugitive hiding here and were told to search the place. Obviously there isn’t anyone else here.”

Bowing slightly, Jason said to the man, “There are no worries, sir. I am glad you found everything in order. Madam Chen allows me
to stay here when I’m in Hong Kong and I would not want her to think I have abused that privilege.”

“It appears all is in order here. Again, we apologize for your inconvenience. We will be on our way. I hope you have a good day.” He gave a quick salute and turned on his heel, the other two men following close behind. As Jason closed the door, he put his back to it, leaning on it for support. He looked up at the ceiling and took a big sigh. What was that all about? he wondered. Has Brian gotten out of the hospital already? I wonder if Agent Namath was going to use this place as a safe house.

Looking around the suite, he spotted his cellphone on an end table by the couch. He moved over to it and quickly dialed a number. The agent answered it after two rings. “Hello? Mark Namath here.”

“Agent Namath, it’s Jason Ballard.” He stopped to catch his breath. “A group of Chinese military just left Mei Chen’s suite at the Hyatt. They say they were looking for a fugitive and they damn near tore the place apart. Do you know what might be going on?”

After a pause, Mark answered. “Yeah, I’m sure they’re looking for Brian Thompson. After we talked, I got a couple of colleagues in Hong Kong to help me get him out of that hospital. It went really smoothly until they were almost out of the place. A curious doctor confronted them. My friends had to make a noisy and hasty exit, and that might have alerted the authorities. Did they find anything during their search over there?”

“The only thing I saw them take was a jar of clear liquid out of the refrigerator.” He ran his hand through his hair as he walked to the window looking out over the street below him. “I’ve got a sample of whatever was in that jar in my bag.”

“I need to get that from you right away. I’ll arrange for someone to meet you to do an exchange. Whatever’s in there might give us an idea what’s in Brian’s system. He’s in really bad shape.”

“Where did you take him?” Jason asked. He pulled the curtain back from the window and peeked out. The same Chinese man who’d
been watching him at the hospital was down on the street about half a block away, looking up at his window. Jason let go of the curtain and quickly stepped away.

“I can’t tell you over the phone, but he’s still in the country at a safe place,” Namath answered. “We’ll keep him there for a day to try to stabilize him before we fly him out. That is, if he survives. He’s got a ways to go before he’ll recover.”

Why would Mei want Brian poisoned? Jason thought. There’s only one reason and that is he must have turned down the bid for Copper Mountain and was going to give it to another company. I should leave Hong Kong before she gets suspicious of me. If she finds out I was behind Brian’s being moved, she won’t be very happy. “Well,” he said to Agent Namath, “I’m going to fly out to Shanghai and do what I was supposed to be doing on this trip. I’ll be in touch with you once I get on the ground there.”

“That sounds good. I’ll keep you posted on Brian’s condition. We still haven’t identified who the supplier of the guns stowed on Mei’s planes is or where the guns are ending up. Keep vigilant and let me know if you find anything out. These people aren’t stupid, and sooner or later they’re going to figure out we’re watching them.”

Jason nodded. “Okay, I’ll be careful and see what I can find out. The more I’m around this stuff, the scarier it gets.” He hung up the phone and quickly gathered up his things. “I’d better help Mark put an end to Mei’s charade before anyone else gets killed. I’ve got to play the part until Brian’s out of this country and we figure out who’s behind all this,” he muttered to himself. “I hope this doesn’t end up badly, but I can feel it going that way.”

T
HIRTY
-F
IVE

A
musical sound came from somewhere in the night. Groggily, Janine reached out with her left hand and felt around for her clock radio to turn it off. When she found it and the music continued, she leaned up on an elbow and reached for the light on the nightstand, turning it on. Her cellphone was ringing. As she reached for the phone to answer it, she noticed the time flashing on the clock: 2:30! Who would be calling me at 2:30 on a Wednesday morning? She shook her head to try to clear her thoughts. “Hello?” she asked sleepily.

A male voice came over the phone, “This is Officer Brannon of the Auburn Police Department.” He cleared his throat and continued. “We have a female in her teens who was involved in a car accident on I-80 and when looking through her phone, your number came up with a 911 behind it. I thought I’d call you to possibly help identify her and get word to her parents.”

Janine threw her legs over the bed and sat up, her nightie bunched up around her. Oh my god, who could this officer be talking about? Where is Auburn? “I’m sorry, officer,” she stammered. “I’m confused. Where did the accident take place and who are you looking for?”

“The accident was just south of the city of Auburn, which is northeast of Sacramento. I’m trying to identify the girl so I can contact her family. She’s been hurt badly.”

Janine put her hand to her mouth, her mind in a whirl. “Oh no, what does she look like? What color is her hair? What was she wearing?”

“Hold on, ma’am, one question at a time. She’s got long brown hair, she’s white, and about five foot eight in height. She was wearing a pair of jeans and a light-colored blouse. We found an algebra textbook from Millennium High School in the back seat of the car. She was traveling with two other young males”

“Oh no, not Crystal!” Janine screamed. “Oh my god, that’s my boyfriend’s daughter.” She tossed the covers off her and headed for her closet to get dressed. “How bad is she, officer? Is she going to survive? Oh my god, how am I going to get ahold of Jason?”

“Like I said, ma’am, she’s in bad shape. When she was put in the ambulance, she wasn’t conscious. I don’t know how she’s currently doing, but she’s in good hands. Do you know how to contact her family and let them know what has happened?”

Janine cradled the phone between her neck and shoulder, pulled clothes off their hangers, and hastily dressed. “Yes, I can contact her family. What hospital did they take her to? I’m going to jump in my car and head there as soon as I can.”

The officer answered in an even tone. “She’s been taken to Kaiser Permanente Hospital in Roseville. It’s not too far off the freeway. How long do you think it will take you to get there?”

“It’ll take me a little over two and a half hours,” she answered as she pulled her purse off a chair in her dining room. “I’m heading out my door right now.”

“Okay, ma’am. Again, my name is Officer Brannon. I’ll be at the hospital when you get there and I’ll be able to fill you in on the details better by the time you arrive.”

Janine was out of breath by the time she reached her car and opened it. “Thank you, officer, for all your help. I’ll see you soon.” She hung up and flung her phone on the passenger seat. What is Crystal doing in Auburn? She’s supposed to be staying at her friend’s house. I shouldn’t have told Jason I wouldn’t watch her. She pounded the steering wheel in frustration. Why didn’t I let her stay with me? Tears stung her eyes as she steered her car through the quiet city streets until she made the onramp of the freeway. Oh, Crystal, what were you thinking? Where were you going? Why didn’t you call me?

Her mind was spinning and she could barely concentrate on driving. How do I get ahold of Jason? It’s difficult to communicate with him when he’s in China. He told me if there was ever an emergency, if I couldn’t get him directly, to call his office staff and get them to track him down, but they’re not going to arrive at work for another few hours. I hope she can hold on and pull out of this. I couldn’t bear having to tell Jason his only daughter has died.

She pounded the steering wheel as she blinked back tears. Please, please hang in there, Crystal. You’re a fighter; hang in there!

♦

Two and a half hours later, she pulled up to the emergency entrance of the massive Kaiser Hospital facility in Roseville. She drove into the immense parking lot, found an open spot near the entrance, and then hurried inside. She sprinted to the elevator to get to the third floor, slowing down to walk once she spotted an officer standing outside a room about halfway down the corridor. He was tall, in his late thirties, and had a short military haircut. His cap was under his arm and he was in conversation with an orderly when Janine came up to him. “Officer Brannon?” she asked timidly. “I’m Janine Tully. We spoke over the phone about the girl in the accident, Crystal Ballard. Her father is my boyfriend and he’s currently in China on business. I’m trying to track him down as we speak.”

He shook her hand. “I’m sorry to meet you under these circumstances.” He turned to the orderly. “Would you excuse me for a moment?”

“Of course,” he answered. “We can go over this at a later time.”

“Would you like to check in on Crystal?” the officer asked. “Not much has changed with her condition since we spoke.”

“Yes,” Janine said somberly. “I’d like to see her.”

The officer pointed at the room one door down from where they stood. “She’s in room 326. Go ahead. I’ll wait here for you.”

“Thanks.” She softly opened the door and slid inside. As her eyes adjusted to the dimly lit room, she could see the outline of Crystal lying quietly on the bed. Her head was covered in a large white bandage and one of her eyes was blackened. Two different sets of tubes were coming out of her arms, with IVs hanging above her bed, methodically dripping medicine into her body. Janine moved over to the side of the bed and took Crystal’s hand.

Crystal’s breathing was shallow but steady. Janine ran her hand softly across her face, being careful not to touch the bruised cheekbone and her blackened left eye.

“You poor thing,” she said to her softly. “I’m so sorry. Please get stronger. We need your smiling face.” Janine looked down the bed at Crystal’s legs. It doesn’t look like there’s anything broken or she would be in some kind of splint or something. I guess that’s something. She sat down in the chair, put her head in her hands, and said a silent prayer. After a minute, she got up and left the room.

Officer Brannon was standing down the corridor talking to one of the nurses at the night watch station. When he saw her come out of the room, he came down to her.

“Why don’t you take a seat and I’ll tell you what I know. The doctor should be here in a few minutes and he can update you on Crystal’s condition.”

Janine nodded numbly and sat down where he indicated. “Okay, officer, I’m ready. Tell me what you know.”

“Well, there were three kids in the car at the time of the accident. A male driver and another male who was in the back seat.” He paused for a minute and took a deep breath. “Witnesses to the crash said the car veered into oncoming traffic then swerved hard to the right and smashed into the side of the hill alongside the highway. The kid in the backseat was thrown clear of the car.” Officer Brannon cast his eyes downward and stared at the floor. “He didn’t survive and was declared dead at the scene.”