“Why does that make you so happy, Li?” snapped Bond. “Do you realize what my government will do to me when they learn I was responsible? It would be nice if we could discredit General Wong somehow.”
“You are right,” Li said. “After you left this morning, I received something that will help your case. It is the result of a plan I set in operation months ago. The god Kwan Ti has been good to us. It is no coincidence that this came into my hands today of all days.”
Li opened a desk drawer and pulled out a brown envelope. Bond opened it and found several photographs and a cassette audio tape inside.
“Those were taken by some of my men at General Wong’s facilities in the Golden Triangle. For insurance … in case I ever needed it. It is unfortunate that two brothers died getting me that material.”
There were several black and white photos taken with a hidden camera of Wong inspecting poppies in a field, looking in a microscope in a lab, and holding bags of heroin. There was also a series of photos of Wong speaking with another Chinese man. They were standing inside the lab, near the desk of a chemist.
“Look at the photo. There is Wong, speaking to one of his lieutenants. Do you see the man sitting next to him, with the microscope? He is a brother. The conversation was recorded. It is all in Cantonese. They speak about the entire operation. Wong names not only EurAsia Enterprises as the carrier, but proudly states that he was the mastermind of the scheme. Egotistical bastard! Another brother had a camera in a packet of cigarettes and got this picture. An old trick, but it worked.”
“My God, Li,” Bond said. “This could save Hong Kong! We must get this to your friends in the press tonight!”
“It shall be done. In twenty-four hours, China will be eating her words and apologizing. Imagine … one of their top generals involved in drug-smuggling! They will need to save much face! Now, what can I do for you, Mr. Bond? What can I do to dispel this notion you have that I am some kind of evil person?”
“I’ll think about it,” he said. “First I need to ring London and face my boss’s wrath. Then I’d like to see Sunni.”
Bond was shown into a private office with a phone. He dialled the access number, and was connected to a secure line. After a moment, he heard the familiar voice of Bill Tanner.
“James! Where the hell have you been? M is about to have a stroke!”
“It’s a long story, Bill.”
“You’re going to have to tell it to her. Hold on. She wanted to speak to you as soon as we heard from you.”
“Great. All right, put her on.”
There were a few pips, and then he heard the voice of the woman who would not be happy to hear what he had to say.
“Bond?” she asked.
“Yes, ma’am. I’m here.”
“Where are you?”
“I’m in Kowloon.”
“What the hell is going on, 007? Do you know anything about this general who was killed in Guangzhou?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
There was a pause at the other end of the line. “And what do you know about it?”
“The general was involved with Guy Thackeray and the Dragon Wing Society in a drug-smuggling scheme. It was as we suspected, ma’am. EurAsia Enterprises was connected with the Triad, but it looks as though this Chinese general was as much a part of it as anyone. A story is going to break in the next couple of days, complete with photos. The man was as corrupt as they come. I have good reason to believe he was behind the terrorist acts and might have been the instigator of Guy Thackeray’s murder.”
“007, were you in Guangzhou today?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“I see.” Bond could imagine her eyes narrowing as she sat in her office in London.
She continued, “The PM has been all over my back today. I will cover for you the best I can, 007. I hope you can tell me you were not caught on surveillance cameras?”
“I don’t think so, ma’am. If it’s any consolation, Wong was responsible for the death of T.Y. Woo and he damn near killed me. I couldn’t have completed the mission without going to Guangzhou, ma’am.”
“I don’t doubt your motives, Bond. I have a problem with your temerity. You’ve always had a reputation of being a loose cannon, 007, and now I have the privilege of experiencing your foolhardiness first hand. I want you to stay put, Bond. Don’t leave the colony. Captain Charles Plante of the Royal Navy will contact you at the safe house on June the 30th. He will get you out and back home. The front door of the safe house has been repaired and the place cleaned up. The key will be taped inside the mouth of one of the Chinese lions in front of the shop. We’ve got Woo’s son out of the colony already. He’s on his way to England where he’ll live with a foster family.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He was under virtual house arrest! What the hell was he going to do for three days?
“Oh, and 007?”
“Yes?”
“You had requested a British passport for some tart, a Chinese girl?”
Bond tensed at the word “tart.” “That’s right, ma’am. She helped me. Saved my life, actually.”
“Well, forget her.” With that, M rang off.
Bond walked out of the room and back into Li’s office. He sat down on a large leather armchair. It still hurt to sit, but he was beginning to get used to it.
“You need some medical attention, Mr. Bond,” Li said. “I will have my doctor take a look at you.”
“Thanks,” Bond said, lost in thought. He was forgetting something and he was struggling to remember what it was.
“Where are the clothes I was wearing when I first came here?” he asked.
“They are here in the cupboard. Why?”
Bond got up and looked through them. He found what he was looking for in a trouser pocket. It was the map of EurAsia Enterprises’ Kalgoorlie gold mine. “Here it is,” he said. “I found this at the warehouse. Before spending the last two glorious days in your employ, Li, I had planned on leaving Hong Kong to take a look at this.”
Li took a look at it. “Australia?”
“I’ve got a nagging feeling that there’s something there that I need to see. That facility is part of this whole thing. The only problem now is how I’m going to get there.”
“I can get you to Perth,” Li said.
“You can?”
“I have two restaurants there. I have my own ’plane. I travel to Singapore, Tokyo, Australia, Thailand … wherever my businesses take me. No problem with Immigration.”
“How long is the flight?”
“A good ten hours to Perth.”
“Then we’ve got to get going. I want Sunni to come with me.”
“I shall be happy to provide this service for you, Mr. Bond. What you have done and endured for my sake has gone beyond the call of duty. You have acted most honourably. For this, I am in your debt. You and the girl are free to go, of course, and I shall cancel the death warrant. We can provide you with false passports, as before.”
“What are you going to do with that document? EurAsia Enterprises is finished anyway.”
“I will probably go public and tell the true story of the company’s history. It will further discredit General Wong. He was attempting to acquire the company on his own, you know. Beijing was unaware of what he was doing. It will appear to them that he was straying even further towards capitalism. I will take over EurAsia Enterprises. There is still a powerful shipping organization in place there. I will rebuild it and make sure it stays legitimate. The important thing is that I have restored face with my ancestors. I have got back what belongs to my family. If nothing else comes of it, that alone is enough. Now, let us hurry if we are going to get you to Australia. I am anxious to repay you for your honourable act of courage today,”
“Let’s get one thing straight, Mr. Li,” Bond said. “You don’t owe me a bloody thing. You can talk all you like about honour, but let’s call a spade a spade. You’re nothing but a gangster, and I despise you and everything you stand for.”
