The King passed over the watch. Peter Marlowe noticed with surprise that it was like new, freshly burnished, a new plastic watch face, and in a neat little chamois leather case.
'Tell him this — a guy I know wants to sell it. But it's expensive, and maybe not what he wants.'
Even Peter Marlowe saw the glint of avarice in the Korean's eyes as he took the watch out of the case and held it to his ear, grunted casually and put it back on the table.
Peter Marlowe translated the Korean's reply. 'Hast thou something else?
I regret that Omegas are not bringing much in Singapore these days.'
'Thy Malay is exceptionally good, sir,' Torusumi added to Peter Marlowe, politely sucking the air past his teeth.
'I thank thee,' Peter Marlowe said grudgingly.
'What'd he say, Peter?'.
'Just that I spoke Malay well, that's all.'
'Oh! Well, tell him I'm sorry, but that's all I've got.'
The King waited until this had been translated, then smiled and shrugged and picked up the watch and put it into its case and back in his pocket, and got up. 'Salamat!' he said.
Torusumi showed his teeth once more, then indicated that the King should sit. 'It is not that I want the watch,' he said to the King. 'But because thou art my friend and thou hast taken much trouble, I should inquire what does the man who owns this insignificant watch want for it?'
'Three thousand dollars,' the King replied. 'I'm sorry it's overpriced.'
'Truly it is overpriced. The owner has sickness in his head. I am a poor man, only a guard, yet because we have done business in the past and to do thee a favor I will offer three hundred dollars.'
'I regret. I dare not. I have heard that there are other buyers who would pay a more reasonable price through other intermediaries. I agree that thou art a poor man and should not offer money for so insignificant a watch. Of course, Omegas are not worth much money, but in deference to the owner thou wouldst understand it would be an insult to offer him anything less than a second-class watch is worth.'
'That is true. Perhaps I should increase the price, for even a poor man has honor, and it would be honorable to try to alleviate any man's suffering in these trying times. Four hundred.'
'I thank your concern for my acquaintance. But this watch - being an Omega - and being that the price of Omegas has fallen from their accepted high place previously, obviously there is a more definite reason for thou not wanting to do business with me. A man of honor is always honorable —'
'I, too, am a man of honor. I had no wish to impugn thy reputation and the reputation of your acquaintance who owns the watch. Perhaps I should risk my reputation and try to see if I could persuade those miserable Chinese merchants with whom I have to deal to give a fair price once in their miserable existences. I'm sure that thou wilt agree, five hundred would be the maximum a fair and honorable man could go for an Omega, even before their price dropped.'
'True, my friend. But I have a thought for thee. Perhaps the prices of Omegas have not dropped from their ichi-bon position. Perhaps the miserly Chinese are mistakenly taking advantage of a man of honor. Why, only last week another of thy Korean friends came to me and bought such a watch and paid three thousand dollars for it. I only offered it to thee because of my long friendship and trust that pertains as between associates of long standing.'
'Dost thou tell me truly?' Torusumi spat vehemently on the floor, and Peter Marlowe readied himself for the blow which had followed such outbursts before.
The King sat unperturbed. God, thought Peter Marlowe, he's got nerves of steel. The King pulled out some shreds of tobacco and began to roll himself a cigarette. When Torusumi saw this, he stopped raving and offered the pack of Kooas and cooled.
'I am astonished that the miserable Chinese merchants for whom I risk my life are so corrupt. I am horrified to hear what thou, my friend, hast told me. Worse, I am appalled. To think that they have abused my trust. For a year I have been dealing with the same man. And to think that he has cheated me for so long. I think I will kill him.'
'Better,' said the King, 'to outsmart him.'
'How? I would dearly like my friend to tell me.'
'Curse him with thy tongue. Tell him that information has been given thee to prove that he is a cheat. Tell him if he does not give thee a fair price in future - a fair price plus twenty percent to pay thee back for all his past errors - then thou mayest whisper in the ear of the authorities. Then they will take him and take his women and take his children and abuse them to thy satisfaction.'
'It is superb advice. I am happy with the thought of my friend. Because of his thought and the friendship I hold for him, let me offer fifteen hundred dollars. It is all the money I have in the world, plus some money entrusted to me by my friend who is with the sickness of women in the stink-house called a hospital and who cannot work for himself.'
The King bent down and slapped at the clouds of mosquitoes on his ankles. That's more like it, boy, he thought. Let's see. Twenty would be high. Eighteen okay. Fifteen not bad.
'The King begs thee to wait,' Peter Marlowe translated. 'He must consult with the miserable man who wishes to sell thee an overpriced commodity.'
The King climbed through the window and walked down the length of the hut, checking. Max was in place. Dino down the path to one side. Byron Jones III to the other.
He found Major Prouty, sweating with anxiety in the shadow of the hut next to the American hut.
'Gee, I'm sorry, sir,' the King whispered unhappily. 'The guy's not anxious at all.'
Prouty's anxiety intensified. He had to sell. Oh God, he thought, just my luck. Got to get some money
