She stood motionless, feeling the blood draining out of her heart and a sensation of cold passing over her body.
“You are Nhan Lee Quon?” the man asked in a hard, impersonal voice.
She tried to say something but no sound came. She became aware of quick footsteps coming down the passage, then Inspector Ngoc-Linh came into the room.
She recognized him. The Inspector was well known in Saigon. She remembered what the fortune-teller had told her.
“You are Nhan Lee Quon?” the Inspector said, staring at her. “You are a taxi-dancer at the Paradise Club?”
“Yes.”
She forced the word past her stiff lips.
“You are to come with me,” the Inspector said. He signalled to the detective who moved past her and opened the door. He went into the passage and stood waiting.
“Where is my mother?” Nhan asked.
The Inspector motioned to the bedroom door.
“Come with me.”
“Could I not see her and my brothers?” Nhan asked.
“Not now - later.” He took hold of her arm and moved her out of the room.
The detective went on ahead, Nhan followed him, the Inspector brought up the rear.
Nhan had difficulty in going down the stairs. She was trembling violently. Once she stumbled, and the Inspector caught hold of her arm. He continued to hold her arm until they reached the lobby, then he released her.
The detective led the way to the car and opened the rear door. Nhan got into the car and the Inspector slid in beside her.
Several people paused to stare. They knew this was a car belonging to Security Police. They wondered what the detectives were going to do with Nhan.
The car pulled away and drove fast towards Headquarters. The time was a minute to ten past six.
Nhan sat huddled up in the corner. Her mind was paralysed with terror. What was going to happen to her? Would she ever see Steve again?
It only took two minutes for the car to reach Headquarters. As soon as the car pulled up in the yard, the Inspector got out.
“Come,” he said.
Nhan got out. Her legs were so unsteady she would have fallen if he hadn’t caught her arm. He bustled her through a doorway, along a passage, pushing her roughly ahead of him.
There was a door at the end of the passage. The Inspector knocked on the door, opened it and pushed Nhan into Colonel On-dinh-Khuc’s office.
The Colonel sat at his desk, waiting. At another desk by the window Lam-Than was busy with a bulky file. He didn’t bother to look up when Nhan came in.
She stared at the Colonel, feeling a prickle of horror over her skin.
The Inspector pushed her in front of the desk.
“Nhan Lee Quon, sir,” he said.
The Colonel looked at his wrist watch. The time was fourteen minutes past six.
“You are late,” he said.
The Inspector didn’t say anything. There was a pause, then the Colonel waved him away. The Inspector went out of the room, gently closing the door behind him.
The Colonel stared for a long moment at Nhan, then he leaned forward, resting his fat hands on the blotter.
“You are Nhan Lee Quon?”
Nhan nodded.
“You are a taxi-dancer at the Paradise Club?”
Again she nodded.
“You have associated with an American, Steve Jaffe?”
Her heart contracted. The sound of Steve’s name stiffened her courage. For the first time since she had entered her apartment and had been confronted by the detective, her mind began to work. This man, sitting at the desk, wanted to know where Steve was. She would have to be very careful what she said. Whatever happened to her, this man mustn’t find Steve.
“Yes.”
“When did you last see him?”
She hesitated, then said, “Sunday evening.”
“You haven’t seen him since?”
“No.”
“Where is he?”
“I don’t know.”
The Colonel made an impatient movement.
“I asked you where he is.”
“I don’t know.” This time there was no hesitation. “Where were you this afternoon?”
Be careful, Nhan told herself. Be very, very careful.
“I went for a walk.”
“Where?”
“I just walked.”
The Colonel reached out for a cigarette. He lit it while he stared at the girl.
“Listen to me,” he said. “I know you are lying. I intend to find the American. You know where he is. If you tell me and when I have found him, you will be released and you can return to your family. If you don’t tell me, I will force you to speak. It is important to the State that the American should be found. It is of no importance to the State what happens to you. There are many ways of making the most obstinate person tell us what we want to know. You will save yourself a great deal of suffering, if you tell the truth now and at once. If you are obstinate, I will hand you over to men who are experts at making people talk. Do you understand?”
In twenty-nine hours, Nhan thought, Steve will be safe. If I can only keep silent until then, he will be out of their reach. Twenty-nine hours! The thought of those long hours stretching ahead of her like eternity filled her with cold despair.
“Do you understand?” the Colonel asked.
“Yes.”
“Very well.” He leaned further forward. “Where is the American, Jaffe?”
She raised her head and looked directly into the black eyes staring at her.
“I don’t know.”
The Colonel stubbed out his cigarette, then pressed a button on the side of his desk.
There was a long pause while he began to examine some papers lying before him. Lam-Than got up and brought the file over. He put it down close to the Colonel’s hand.
“You need only sign this, sir,” he said. “It is of no importance.”
Nhan felt tears running down her face. She brushed them away with the back of her hand. The sound of a door opening made her stiffen. The two little men who had drowned Dong Ham in a bucket of water came in. They paused just inside the room, waiting.
The Colonel signed the paper and handed the file to Lam-Than who returned to his desk, then he looked at the two little men.
“This woman has information I want quickly,” he said. “Take her away and break her obstinacy. Work quickly, but whatever you have to do to her to make her talk, be very sure she does not die.”
As the two little men moved towards her, Nhan began to scream.
