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<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Picking Tang out was easy. He was the only customer in the teahouse with a contingent of heavily-muscled goons. They strolled in with the self-assurance of tigers, and the other customers either greeted them or looked down into their cups.<\/p>\n
Tang and three men entered the sole private room in the teahouse. The remaining four gangsters stood watch outside.
\nLee took a final sip of tea. He\u2019d been sitting here since the teahouse opened this morning. It had only been two days after the shooting, but if the gangsters had wanted him dead they\u2019d have done something about him. That meant they weren\u2019t opposed to talking.<\/p>\n
Probably.<\/p>\n
Slowly, he stood up and approached Tang\u2019s room. Five steps later the four bodyguards barred his way.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wish to see your Dragon Head,\u201d Lee said.<\/p>\n
The gangster sneered, exposing a mouthful of rotted teeth. \u201cHe\u2019s busy. Get lost.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI have business with him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t recognize you, and you\u2019re disturbing us. Get out. Now.\u201d The four gangsters crowded around Lee, placing hands on hips or hidden weapons.<\/p>\n
\u201cTell him I\u2019m\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to see him,\u201d Tang interrupted.<\/p>\n
The gangster looked into the room. \u201cBoss? I\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to see him.\u201d Tang\u2019s tone was cold and flat.<\/p>\n
The gangsters parted as quickly as they came. Tang, stroking his long thick beard, gestured at an empty chair on his left.<\/p>\n
\u201cDetective Lee,\u201d Tang said. \u201cIt\u2019s been too long. Come, sit. Would you like some tea?\u201d<\/p>\n
Lee obeyed. They must have been expecting him. The three other senior triad members around the table fixed burning gazes on him.<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you for seeing me. I\u2019m not a detective any more, and I won\u2019t take up much of your time,\u201d Lee said.<\/p>\n
Tang poured Lee a glass of steaming amber tea. \u201cYou never came to me without good reason. Why are you here?\u201d<\/p>\n
Lee accepted the tea. \u201cI want to apologize. What happened to your man, to Lin Da Hai, was an accident. I\u2019m sorry for killing him.\u201d<\/p>\n
A sigh poured from Tang\u2019s heart. \u201cAh, Lin Da Hai. He was always\u2026brash. Overly eager.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI understand his funeral will be held soon.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes. Next Tuesday, in fact.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI have prepared\u00a0baijin<\/em>\u00a0for him. It\u2019s in my left pants pocket.\u201d<\/p>\n Baijin<\/em>\u00a0was a cash contribution meant to help the family of the bereaved. Lee had filled his envelope with more than enough money to communicate his real intent.<\/p>\n \u201cI will pass it to his family,\u201d Tang said.<\/p>\n \u201cYou are truly a generous man,\u201d Lee replied.<\/p>\n Lee slowly and carefully reached into his pants pocket, removing a white envelope, letting the triad men know he wasn\u2019t pulling a weapon. He handed the envelope to Tang with two hands, who in turn handed it to another gangster. The blood money disappeared under a jacket.<\/p>\n \u201cMr. Tang, I have a question for you,\u201d Lee said.<\/p>\n \u201cSpeak.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWas Mr. Lin working for you at the time of his death?\u201d<\/p>\n Tang laughed, and the other gangsters joined in. Lee said nothing.<\/p>\n Finally, the Dragon Head said, \u201cI heard the Shanghai Songbird hired you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI was hired to find the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMr. Lee, this is Shanghai.\u00a0Everybody<\/em>\u00a0lies.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes. And what you don\u2019t know will kill you.\u201d<\/p>\n Tang nodded slowly. He stared into space for a moment, as though in deep contemplation. Eventually, he said, \u201cA man like you would have heard the rumors about Ms. Ouyang.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI heard she\u2019s working for the Japanese.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s correct.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow do you know?\u201d<\/p>\n Tang laughed.<\/p>\n \u201cNever mind,\u201d Lee said.<\/p>\n \u201cMy friend, let me ask you something. Why do the foreigners want to hold on to the Shanghai International Settlement?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMoney. National prestige. Because the Chinese can\u2019t take it back.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cExactly. But are they willing to go to war over it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOnly with the Chinese.\u201d<\/p>\n A waitress arrived, setting plates of\u00a0dim sum<\/em>\u00a0around the table. Tang deftly snatched up a small\u00a0xiaolongbao<\/em>\u00a0with his chopsticks, brought it to his mouth and bit it in half. Tilting his head back, he gulped down the broth within the bun, and took his time masticating the rest of the\u00a0bao<\/em>.<\/p>\n Finally, Tang looked back at Lee and spoke.<\/p>\n \u201cEverybody knows that China is the sick man of Asia, and recognizes Japan as an equal of the European powers. Everybody wants to bully China, but nobody dares to provoke the Japanese.\u201d<\/p>\n Lee sipped his tea. He knew how the old man\u2019s mind worked. He\u2019d get to the point. Eventually.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Japanese dogs conquered Manchuria, and after the January 28 Incident, they forced our Army out of Shanghai. They want to be the lord of all China, and the Westerners don\u2019t want to fight a war with an equal power. But some of them are wary of Japanese ambitions. Including Special Branch.\u201d<\/p>\n Lee set his tea down. \u201cSpecial Branch approached you for assistance?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSpecial Branch is busy chasing communist spies. Communists are an easy target; only the Russians complain when their spies are arrested. But Japanese? The British don\u2019t want to make noise, not yet, and it\u2019s becoming dangerous for Westerners to wander outside the International Settlement. But if a high-profile nightclub singer were shot by an obsessed fan\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEverybody knows Shanghai is the whore of the Orient. People expect the police to close both eyes when the triads are involved.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou said it. Not me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI need proof that she\u2019s working for the Japanese.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMr Lee, we can resolve the matter ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMr. Tang, when I quit the Municipal Police, I only gave up my badge.\u201d<\/p>\n Both men exchanged a long moment of silence.<\/p>\n Finally, Tang said, \u201cGo to the Night Orchard at four a.m. See who shows up.\u201d<\/p>\n Finishing his tea, Lee bowed and stood. \u201cThank you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re welcome. If you find yourself in a situation to handle this incident\u2026we will be thankful.\u201d<\/p>\n There it was, the payment the triads demanded for this information.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll keep that in mind,\u201d Lee said.<\/p>\n
\n![\"Cheah](\"https:\/\/steemitimages.com\/DQmNPjQAkaGvtrys87bjqAghP62AqHAB7edWEt44bH8yfwD\/Cheah%20Git%20San%20Red.jpg\")
<\/p>\n