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<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cHello, Mr Lee,\u201d Tang said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHello, Mr Tang,\u201d Lee said. \u201cI see you\u2019ve made yourself comfortable.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI make my home everywhere I go.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course. I\u2019d offer you a drink, but I\u2019m fresh out.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s fine. I helped myself to your tea earlier.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lee closed and locked the door behind him, keeping his back to a wall and an eye on Tang.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s no need to be so cautious,\u201d Tang said. \u201cThere\u2019s no one else here with us.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sure you won\u2019t mind if I look around.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBe my guest.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tang ostentatiously removed a folding fan from a pocket, popped it open, and fanned himself. Lee slipped off his shoes and scoured his apartment, checking every closet, every room, every drawer, looking for signs of intrusion, theft, or explosives.<\/p>\n
There were none. It was just Lee and Tang in this dingy, sweltering apartment.<\/p>\n
Returning to the living room, Lee fished out a fresh pack of Double Happiness cigarettes, tapped out one out, calmly brought it to his lips, and lit it with a matchstick.<\/p>\n
\u201cMay I have one?\u201d Tang asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was my last one,\u201d Lee said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s all right. I have my own.\u201d<\/p>\n
With slow, deliberate movements, Tang put his fan away, produced a packet of Pall Malls and an engraved silver lighter.<\/p>\n
\u201cFancy,\u201d Lee remarked.<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you,\u201d Tang said. \u201cThese are imported from Britain.\u201d<\/p>\n
The men smoked in silence for a minute, Tang elegantly holding his coffin nail between the index and middle fingers of his left hand, Lee pinching his between his thumb and index finger.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been a while since we last met,\u201d Lee said, finally.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes,\u201d Tang replied. \u201cI must admit, I can\u2019t recall the last time someone visited me in the middle of a breakfast meeting.\u201d
\n\u201cNor can I recall the last time a visitor let himself in when I wasn\u2019t around.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tang smiled. \u201cThis is the one place I was sure to find you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt sounds like you have business with me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIndeed.\u201d Tang took a short puff. \u201cThis morning, your name came across my desk.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cReally?\u201d<\/p>\n
Tang nodded slowly. \u201cThere was a shooting in the Bund last night.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA completely unremarkable affair in Shanghai.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIndeed, but this one was different. Four criminals attempted to ambush a pair of police detectives, but the detectives killed them all. Of course, the policemen had assistance from a certain Tomas Lee Yong Ji.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lee shrugged. \u201cI was nearby.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tang smirked. \u201cI\u2019m sure you were. But what interests me most is what the police detectives were doing before the gunfight.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lee took a long drag on his cigarette, tilted his head back and extravagantly blew a thick stream of smoke.<\/p>\n
\u201cI heard the detectives were attempting to arrest someone named Mr Shen Jianhao,\u201d Tang continued. \u201cYour presence was not coincidental.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was enjoying a drink with a new friend,\u201d Lee said, grinning.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course you were,\u201d Tang said, matching Lee\u2019s smile. \u201cYour new friend just happened to be a police detective on a stakeout.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cStranger things have happened.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sure.\u201d<\/p>\n
Once more, the men smoked in silence. The summer heat stole the moisture from Lee\u2019s mouth, but he didn\u2019t dare get up and get a drink. All he could do was sit and smoke and stare down the triad boss. Tang savoured a puff in complete silence, a second puff, and spoke again.<\/p>\n
\u201cI heard the police have requested your assistance.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s what they always say during a criminal investigation,\u201d Lee replied.<\/p>\n
\u201cIndeed, but I don\u2019t mean the shooting. I mean the operation to arrest Mr Shen.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know anything about this Shen fellow.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo? Well, of course not, you\u2019re not a part of our world.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI take it this Shen person is important to you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLast week, the Japanese dogs began large-scale \u2018military exercises\u2019 in Manchuria. Rapid manoeuvres, urban warfare, things like that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey seem to be holding exercises often, don\u2019t they?\u201d Lee asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cIndeed. Coincidentally, a few \u2018wealthy businessmen\u2019 are quietly putting out requests for information on key officials. Officials like the mayor, the Commissioner of Police, the ones who run the Shanghai International Settlement.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThose businessmen happen to be Japanese.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot just Japanese. German and Russian too.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThese businessmen are willing to pay handsomely for this information, I presume?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCorrect.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMany nations are interested in Shanghai, aren\u2019t they?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot just Shanghai. The European powers are agitated. Two years ago the Italians invaded Ethiopia, and despite their claims they\u2019re still fighting there. Spain is in the grip of civil war, and the Soviets, Germans, Italians and Portuguese are getting involved. On this side of the world, the Japanese and the Soviets have clashed at least four times at the Soviet-Manchukuo border.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing to do with Shanghai.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tang shook his head. \u201cThe scent of blood is in the air, and the Japanese dogs have never disguised their designs on China. I have no doubt that the Japanese will invade China within our lifetimes. It may even come sooner than expected.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sure a businessman like you has made preparations for that possibility.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCorrect. As part of my preparations, I require many special materials. Mr Shen is one of my principal suppliers.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe increased police attention on Mr Shen must be troubling.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbsolutely. I don\u2019t care to have foreigners dictating our way of life and trampling all over our home, especially not the Japanese. Mr Shen is one of the few men willing to help me with this problem.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour patriotism is admirable.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI am, above all, a son of China.\u201d Tang tapped out his cigarette on Lee\u2019s overflowing ashtray. \u201cI am also in a position to assist other sons of China should they assist me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIs that so? What kind of assistance do you have in mind?\u201d<\/p>\n
Tang fixed Lee with a cold stare.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would be grateful if you could keep me abreast of Detective Wong\u2019s investigations, and ensure Mr Shen remains free to continue his work.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd what if I don\u2019t?\u201d<\/p>\n
Tang sucked in a deep hit of tobacco and slowly exhaled it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have known each other for years, haven\u2019t we?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIndeed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLife is fleeting and ever-changing, and in uncertain times like this a man needs many friends. Yet, as you can imagine, I have a thousand things to concern myself with every day, and I must prioritise my time and energies. Should Mr Shen find himself on the wrong side of the law, I fear I may no longer be in a position to assist you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tang was being unusually indirect today. Lee knew that if he were someone else, someone without connections to the last honest cops in Shanghai, this conversation would take on a completely different tone, and occur somewhere far less pleasant than a hot, stuffy apartment.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat would certainly be a pity,\u201d Lee said.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn that, we are in agreement.\u201d Tang stubbed out his cigarette. \u201cI\u2019m sure you\u2019ll see things our way.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou sound confident.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou remember, of course, that we covered your medical expenses when you were shot, kept your involvement with the Shanghai Songbird secret, and delivered payment for services rendered. Aid us in this affair, and we will be equally generous, now and in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t just a promise of reward. It was a reminder of unpaid debts. Without the triad\u2019s help, Lee was certain the Japanese would have retaliated against him for slaying one of their deep-cover spies.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll keep that in mind,\u201d Lee said.<\/p>\n
\u201cExcellent.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tang extracted a business card from his pocket. \u201cIf you have news for me, you can leave a message at this number.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lee accepted it. \u201cThank you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tang stood, making his way to the door. Lee opened it for him.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been a pleasure speaking with you,\u201d Tang said, slipping on his shoes.<\/p>\n
\u201cSame here,\u201d Lee replied.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would like to have tea with you again under more auspicious circumstances.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI look forward to that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tang left the apartment, his shoes silent against the old wood. Lee shut the door, locked it, threw on the deadbolt, returned to the sofa and examined the business card.<\/p>\n
It was a plain white card, bearing a Shanghai phone number written in black ink. That was all.<\/p>\n
He lit another cigarette, watching the smoke drift lazily to the ceiling, and stayed that way for a long time.<\/p>\n
—<\/p>\n
![\"Cheah](\"https:\/\/steemitimages.com\/0x0\/https:\/\/steemitimages.com\/DQmNMeGzgKqfQHP7ZbUMVhtZy2M9UpbsdJooKNFQtS11Pq5\/Cheah%20Git%20San%20Calligraphy.jpg\")
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Previous parts:\u00a01<\/a>,\u00a02<\/a>,\u00a03<\/a><\/p>\n