James shifted into drive and pulled around front, parking next to the door with the rusty padlock.
“Number one thing is to get her back. That’s all. That thing on the roof, it’s not the most important thing here, James.”
“Settle down, pard. Courage.”
“I don’t feel so courageous. I just want her back.”
“We’re the only ones who can do it. Cops aren’t any help.” The bitterness was in his voice. “You know, whatever we say down here, right now, will be on the recording up there.”
“Yeah.”
So we both shut up for five minutes. The occasional car drove by, a couple of box trucks similar to ours. Even a police car cruised by. Nobody gave us a glance. The workingman’s vehicle, a used Chevy box truck. It was like walking into a business with a tie on and a clipboard in your hand. I’d heard that you could go just about anywhere with a clipboard. You looked official and nobody would question you. And I agreed with James that you could drive a box truck just about anywhere as well. It just seemed to fit.
Three blocks away a gray Honda turned the corner. “Heads up, amigo.”
“We’ve got to get her back, James.”
“It’s the Lord’s will. I mean it.”
The car pulled up and the driver’s door opened. An Asian man stepped out. Dark hair, good build, square jaw, and a sharp crease in his trousers. Professionally ironed, I would guess.
“Mr. Moore, I don’t believe we’ve met.” He didn’t offer his hand. “Do you have the card?”
I looked down at his feet. The black shoes were scuffed. “I have the card, Mr. Chen. Where’s Emily?”
“Safe.”
“Where?”
“I’m going to take you to her. Let me see the card.” The Sound Max was up there picking it all up. I needed to make sure there was no mistake as to what was going on. “Once I give you this card, you’ll release Emily?”
He glanced around the parking lot. Walking to the truck, he unlatched the rear door and looked inside. Finally he walked back to me. “Yeah. I’ll release the girl.”
That was what I needed to hear.
“Lean against the car, hands on the door.”
I did as he ran his hands over my sides and front. I would have been hard-pressed to conceal a recorder in my jeans and T-shirt. He had James do the same thing.
“I assume this is the card,” he said as he pulled an envelope from my rear pocket.
I hesitated. This was the moment I’d dreaded. If he didn’t believe it was the real thing, I could probably say good-bye to Em.
“Get in the car.”
James took a step back.
“You. You drive the truck and follow us.”
Chen opened the passenger door, and I glanced at the hood before sliding in. A dent on the left side looked like a body might have done the damage. Shuddering, I closed the door. James got in the truck.
Chen was quiet as he started the car.
There were so many things I wanted to say. So many questions I wanted to ask, but if this guy knew what I thought we knew, he’d never let any of us go. I’d pretty much figured out he was behind Ralph Walters’s death and possibly those of Tony Quatman and his wife. I knew he’d killed Carol Conroy. This guy had nothing left to lose, except the rumored $75,000,000 from the Chinese. I think LeBron James got a contract with Nike Shoes for $99,000,000 and he never had to kill anyone. Just rough them up on the basketball court.
We drove a familiar path. I’d been heading that way for several days now, and I was pretty certain that Synco Systems was our final destination. This was the time where Chen should admit what had been going on. Telling me that he had a private plane taking him to an unknown location, and we’d never hear from him again. But he didn’t. This was the place in a good movie where I would say, “You know, you’ll never get away with this. The Department of Defense has all the information on you, and they’re freezing all their codes.” But I didn’t.
I was pretty certain that the DOD had blown me off. And this was the time I should have leaned over, looked him in the eyes as he drove, and said, “If anything has happened to her, I’ll hunt you down and kill you.” But I didn’t. Nothing was said as we pulled into the parking lot, James driving in behind us.
Chen got out of the vehicle and looked back at the truck. “I didn’t think that thing could make it this far.”
He opened his trunk, and motioned to James and me. We gathered around and he pointed to a large package in the well. “It’s heavy. Pick it up and take it inside.”
We looked at each other, an uneasy frown on James’s face. Together we picked up the box, about the size and weight of a case of beer. It was wrapped in several layers of plain brown paper. I wondered how much $75,000,000 in cash would weigh. Probably more than this, but I certainly had no frame of reference.
“Go.” A man of few words.
Three cars were in the lot. Em’s new blue BMW wasn’t one of them. Neither was Sandy’s yellow sports car. There was Carol Conroy’s Lexus, a new Cadillac, and another gray Honda Accord. I could only guess who was left in the building.
“Work room. Set it on a table.” We put it on a worktable next to a computer station and stepped back.
“Office one.” Chen pointed. No gun, no force, just the fact that he had Em and we didn’t.
I opened the office door and there they were. On the floor, side by side, tied with white plastic rope. Sandy Conroy, Feng, and Emily. And sitting on the desk, pistol in hand was Sarah Crumbly.
“Skip. I’m really sorry you had to get involved.” She nodded at me, a grim smile on her face.
“Gotta go where the money is, right, Sarah?”
“It’s just too sweet a deal to pass up, Skip. Just too sweet.”
CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO
I ’d never seen it coming. But then, I’m not sure she did either. Sarah Crumbly was a hooker. For sale to the highest bidder. When someone made her a better offer, she took it. It was as simple as that. It made sense.
“Can we untie Emily now. You’ve got your card.” James froze his stare.
“It’s not quite that easy.” Chen glanced around the room. “We’re taking the girl with us.”
“Hold on, you promised me that-” I glanced at Em. A rag was stuffed in her mouth, and her eyes were full of fire.
“We’re leaving her at the abandoned building. If you leave this building, or this office, within the next half hour, we’ll kill her.”
I turned my attention to Sarah. Hooking was one thing. Killing was something else. She never met my gaze, just held onto the pistol, waving it back and forth at the trio on the floor.
“Are we understood?”
I wanted to jump this guy. He was about five eleven, in good shape, but I knew James and I could have taken him. And why we didn’t, I don’t know. I don’t think that Sarah had the courage or desire to fire the pistol, but I couldn’t take the chance.
Chen leaned down and picked up Em, dragging her toward the door. “I’m closing this office door. And then I’m going to stand here and wait. I can’t tell you how long. If you open that door, I’ll shoot the girl, and I’ll shoot you. Do you understand?”
I nodded.
“You can pick the girl up at the building in an hour.” Cold, menacing.
Sarah jumped off the desk and followed Chen out the door. I didn’t hold out much hope that she’d survive this ordeal either, but you could never tell. She pushed the door shut and James and I stood there, not knowing what to say. Em was still in a lot of trouble.
There was a gurgle from the floor and Sandy Conroy scooted on his back and gave me a pleading look. Feng stared up as well.
“I don’t see any reason to help these two, do you?” James nodded to the two men.
