“A watcher?” asked Connie.

“That happens regularly,” explained Laura. “Someone who is on the plane with the mule to make sure they’re not arrested and turned into informants before completing the delivery. The mules often don’t know who is watching them, although the list of possibilities narrows once they leave the airport. Same goes for the police, if they are watching.”

“With Dúc’s background, he’ll know all this,” said Jack. “It will make sense to him. Usually there isn’t enough evidence to charge the watcher ... but making them sit in cells to sweat for a while wouldn’t be unusual. With Dúc having his girls taken away, it will really help.”

“Help? How? He’ll be pissed off!”

“That’s just half the story I’ll get Bien to say,” said Jack.

“Then he will say that a lot of nice young women smuggle drugs into Vancouver. That will really bait the hook. Especially when he implies that the same girl never gets used twice.”

“Perfect!” said Laura.

“It’ll work,” added Jack. “Trust me.”

“Bait the hook?” asked Connie. “Explain this, will ya? I work homicide cases, not dope.”

Laura smiled and said, “Dúc is bound to ask what happens to the women after they make the delivery. When Bien shrugs and says, who cares? Dúc will jump on the opportunity to try and get them for the parlours!”

“Exactly,” said Jack. “They’ll treat Bien like gold—at least they won’t hurt him.”

Connie didn’t reply as she silently ran the scenario through her brain.

“It might be a new angle to try and get to Dúc if everything else fails,” said Laura. “We could later get Bien to introduce a real UC operator to Dúc at a later date.”

“We all know what happened to Hang,” said Jack. “Let’s hope that it is not a later date.”

“Think Bien could keep his cool if they talk about Hang or Linh?” asked Connie.

Jack stared at Connie and said, “If he ever wants to see Linh alive, he’ll have to keep his cool.”

“Hell of a thing to ask a father to do.”

“I know ... but it’s him or nobody.”

Pops’s mouth flopped open and he quickly turned up the dial on his car radio as he drove home from work. The news about the police raids on the massage parlours was brief, but it was enough to tell him that the Trans had been arrested.

He gripped the steering wheel with both hands and looked in the rearview mirror. He found he was holding his breath and exhaled, before subconsciously taking short, shallow breaths.

He took an extra few minutes to drive around his neighbourhood, looking for any sign of the police before slowly heading up his driveway. He watched his rearview mirror closely as he followed the driveway past the side of his house and to the garage attached to the rear. He pushed the automatic garage door release on his sun visor and pulled inside.

He sat in his car for a moment, conscious of his hands still grasping the slippery steering wheel. His armpits felt sticky and damp. He hated being afraid.

The idea that anyone could arrest me for doing what I do in my own house is unbelievable! This is my house! I have the right to do what I want!

Linh heard the passage door open and the sound of Pops grunting with something. His head came into view and he stood up. She saw that he had reeled in a garden hose. He looked at her without speaking and departed, only to reappear a moment later.

This time he had something different in his hand.

Linh shrunk back on her mattress as Pops slowly walked toward her, slapping a baseball bat in his hand with each step.

chapter thirty-two

Bien followed Jack’s instructions carefully. Once he was placed in the holding cell, he went and stood by himself. It didn’t take long for Thao and Húu to approach him and ask what he was in jail for.

Bien carefully gave the story that Jack told him to give. Stopping, as Jack suggested, at the point where he was arrested when he arrived at the hotel. The rest of the story was to be saved for when Dúc arrived.

Thao and Húu were amiable, but eventually started talking about their own problems and explained to Bien that they were businessmen who owned massage parlours. They said they were somehow swept up in a police raid. Evidently, it would appear that some of the girls who worked for them may have been doing something illegal behind their backs.

The sound of the cell door opening caught everyone’s attention.

“Our brother!” exclaimed Thao. “And Cuóng!”

Thao and Húu rushed to meet Dúc and Cuóng as they were placed in the holding cell. Bien quietly walked up behind them.

“They found my money,” said Dúc, angrily in Vietnamese. “Years of work. Now half of it gone!”

Half of it? thought Bien. Important to tell Jack. Important to remember exactly who said what ...

“And the girls ... gone!” yelled Dúc, flicking his fingers for emphasis. He saw Bien and lowered his voice and said, “Who is this?”

Thao took him aside and whispered in his ear while Bien watched nervously. Dúc nodded before approaching Bien and introducing himself.

In the next few minutes, Bien found himself answering a barrage of questions from Dúc about his flight over. Hanoi ... the old quarter. Shops and stores.

Dúc was polite and explained that his curiosity was because he was originally from Hanoi. It would be natural that they would know many of the same places. His memory was also bad, and Bien had to remind him of the names of several streets.

Bien was not fooled. Jack had warned him to expect questions. For Bien, it was easier than he imagined. All he had to do was tell the truth about the city he lived in.

“About your problems now?” asked Dúc.“Do you have a lawyer?”

Bien shook his head. Time now for the second part of Jack’s story. “I don’t need one. I will not be here long. The young woman who was arrested ... she does not know me. I know many young women,” he smiled, “but they do not know me.”

Dúc nodded, but his brain was active. “On a plane ... if you travel often ... perhaps in time they might think they know you?”

Bien forced another smile and said, “It is my understanding that such women are only used once. The police might become suspicious if they fly too often.”

“What do you think would happen to such women after they arrive in Canada?” asked Dúc.

Bien shrugged his shoulders and said, “It is my understanding that they are paid to come here. Once that is finished, who cares?”

Bien saw the gleam come to Dúc’s eyes. “My fellow countryman, we should get to know each other better. My lawyer has told me that my brothers and I will no doubt be released on these nuisance charges tomorrow morning. If you do not have any plans, we could all meet for lunch and celebrate with a more appeasing type of food than is served in here.”

“Perhaps,” said Bien, not knowing if Jack would allow this.

“May I suggest a restaurant called the Sacred Phoenix? It has both Asian and Western food. Say, around one o’clock?”

“I will try to make it. I have many important calls to make, but I will try.”

Thao, Húu, and Cuóng listened patiently to Dúc and Bien as they spoke, but finally Thao could wait no longer. He grabbed Dúc by the arm.

“This situation that we are in ... could it be because of Petya and Styp’?” Thao asked.

“Why would you think that?” asked Dúc.

“Because of the two girls,” replied Thao.

Bien stared intently with his mouth hanging open, afraid his heartbeat would drown out the words he was hearing. Petya ... Styp’ ... it is the names we seek!

“It has nothing to do with them,” said Dúc.“This is just a matter of prostitution. It is the Vancouver police who are behind this. Surrey is only a coincidence. The RCMP is only helping the Vancouver police.”