Ne Win leaned back in his chair. “Something happened and they caught Markoff. My man trail them, trying to see where they take him. He call me on the phone and tell me what was happening. I say to him to call me back when he knows where they go. While I wait, I get my other men together. But no call back.”
Quinn looked at the old man, letting Ne Win go at his own pace.
“For four days, nothing. I know they dead, but I keep looking, asking people who might have seen something. Most give me nothing. Finally one woman tell me about activity down at a storage facility for shipping containers. We go have a look.”
“That’s where you found Markoff,” Quinn said.
“Yes,” Ne Win said. “He already dead, two, three days.”
“What about your man?”
“He not there. One day later, his body wash up on beach.”
Silence.
“The message in the container,” Quinn said. “Was that there when you found Markoff, or did you write it?”
“Message already there.”
“Did you know what it meant?”
“No. But I figure it important.”
“That’s why you sent me the whole crate,” Quinn said.
A slight smile touched Ne Win’s lips. “Many times Markoff say how much he trust you. You his good friend.”
“Yes, he was.”
“When you and I work together, I see what he mean. You good at
what you do. You reliable, and you trust but with eyes open.” “I try,” Quinn said. “Whatever Markoff was doing he didn’t tell me, okay? I know
nothing about the Quayside. I know nothing about anything. I could
do only what he ask me to do. So I send him to you.” “Great. Thanks,” Quinn said. “It worked, yes?” Ne Win said. “You find Jenny. You save her.
Now you get her out.”
Quinn smiled weakly. Jenny’s words came back to him.
“I may need your help,” he said. “Sure. I can get you out of country.” Quinn shook his head. “No. That’s not what I mean.” The look in Ne Win’s eyes became guarded. “I give lot of help al
ready.” “You have,” Quinn agreed. “But I may need more.” He told the old man about what he’d found in the fourth-floor
apartment at the Quayside Villas. “Not possible,” Ne Win said. “Anyone running weapons here I know about. No one in Quayside. You’re wrong. It’s something else.”
“I agree. It is something else. It’s only supposed to look like it belongs to an arms dealer. What will the Singapore police think when they go in there? Or even the FBI or CIA?”
Ne Win tilted his head back as he sucked in a breath through his
nose. “They will believe what they want to believe.” “Right,” Quinn said. “Depending on how and why they find it.” The old man seemed to think about Quinn’s words for a moment.
“Yes. Depending on how and why. So you think it’s fake.”
“You said it yourself. Anyone running weapons in Singapore you’d know about, and you didn’t know about this. So, yes. I think someone has set it up to be found. Under the right conditions.”
“And what are those conditions?” Ne Win asked. “That’s where I might need your help.” “You want me to find out?” Ne Win asked, his tone doubtful.
“I want you to keep your ears open, sure,” Quinn said. “But no. I’ll try to find out what’s up. It’s what we do about it after where you might come in.”
Ne Win looked at Quinn for several seconds, neither of them
moving nor saying a word. Finally the old man nodded once. “Okay.” Dr. Han and Orlando appeared at the end of the hallway a few
minutes later.
“I think it was a temporary dislocation when she fell. Without an X-ray, I can’t tell for sure. It hasn’t really swollen up yet, but it should soon.”
“Thanks, Doctor,” Quinn said. He stood up and started walking
toward the hallway. “Hold on,” the doctor said. “You can’t talk to her right now.” “Why not?” Quinn asked. “I gave her something for the pain. Knocked her out a few min
utes ago. Sleep is what she really needs anyway.”
“Wonderful,” Quinn said. He was anxious to talk to her, but he also knew the doctor was right. Sleep was what she needed. Sleep was what they all needed.
