He said something in Chinese. The boy stood and walked to the door. He stopped for a moment and stared back at me without expression. I aimed a forefinger at him, cocked my thumb, and dropped it like the hammer on a pistol. Yan turned and left with the cop. I looked at Herman.
'Lucky I was able to grab him,' I said.
'Yeah,' Herman said.
'Otherwise you'd never have been able to question him.'
'And I wouldn't have known his name was Yan.'
'I forgot that,' Herman said.
'You did learn something.'
'Unless he was lying,' I said.
'You going to be fucking around with the Kwan Chang long,' Herman said.
'You are doing some industrial-strength fucking around, you know? They got a hundred kids like Yan, be happy to kill you, and don't care if you kill them too. You got any backup?'
'I got some.'
'Anybody I know?'
'Hawk's with me,' I said.
Herman nodded.
'Figures,' he said.
'And Vinnie Morris.'
'Vinnie? I thought he was with Joe Broz,' 'They split, couple years ago.'
'Well, he's good. Who else you got?'
'That's it.'
'You, Hawk, and Vinnie Morris?'
'All three,' I said.
'Doesn't seem fair to the long, does it?'
CHAPTER 24
We were on lunch break in Concord. Pearl had located a crow at the very top of a large white pine, and was pointing it with quivering immobility. Paw up, nose extended, tail straight out, every part of her shouting soundlessly, 'There's a bird.'
'Want me to shoot it for her?' Vinnie said. A.12-gauge pump gun was leaning on the picnic table.
'No,' Susan said.
'She's gun-shy.'
'What you got for load in there?' Hawk said.
'Fours.'
'Won't leave much bird,' Hawk said.
'I didn't load it for birds,' Vinnie said.
Hawk grinned and pointed at him.
'Please don't misunderstand,' Susan said.
'I think you're lovely company. But why are you here? With shotguns?'
Hawk and Vinnie looked at me.
'That's a rifle,' Hawk said, nodding at the Marlin.30/30 leaning on the table.
'Need some range out here in the damn forest.'
'Some Chinese people in Port City are mad at me,' I said.
'Chinese people?'
'Specifically Rikki Wu's husband,' I said.
'Lonnie?'
'Un huh.'
'And you need Hawk and Vinnie for protection from Lonnie Wu?'
'Lonnie Wu is a mobster,' I said.
'He's connected to the Kwan Chang long, which runs all things Chinese north of New Haven.'
Susan stared at me.
