Contents
1 – Don’t Trust Anyone
2 – Strangers Allowed Secrets
3 – The Press
4 – Men In Power
5 – Force Of Loyalty
6 – Night In Hong Kong
7 – The Traitorous Type
8 – A Stab In The Dark
9 – A Trigger Of Suspicion
10 – The Trouble With Journalism
11 – Another Enemy
12 – Thanks For Lying
13 – No Rules Tonight
14 – Fight Of Rivals
15 – Truth And Betrayal
16 – A Forgettable Man
17 – No Questions Asked
18 – A Shadow Spy
19 – Inventor Creates A Monster
20 – Enemies Can Wait
21 – The Echelons of Secrecy
22 – Don’t Tell Anyone
23 – Too Many Secrets
24 – An Ordinary Liar
25 – Danger And Deceit
26 – The Perfect Spy
27 – Intelligence And Guile
28 – No Mean Feat
29 – The Hidden Agents
30 – Espionage And Lies
Chapter One
Don’t Trust Anyone
Kowloon, Hong Kong. Mid 1990s
⠀⠀⠀⠀Jay took the monster out of the bag.
⠀⠀⠀⠀‘It looks just like an ordinary video camera to me,’ Mondon said.
⠀⠀⠀⠀Jay glanced around the lively Friday night bar. Everyone was too busy drinking, dancing and enjoying themselves to bother with Jay’s secrets. They weren’t interested in the two Americans. Jay spoke in a confiding tone anyway.
⠀⠀⠀⠀Mondon couldn’t hear him clearly. The music drowned out his voice in its blaring waves.
⠀⠀⠀⠀‘I said,’ Jay whispered louder, ‘this camera is the only one of its kind in existence.’
⠀⠀⠀⠀‘If it can do what you claim it can do —’
⠀⠀⠀⠀‘It can,’ Jay insisted.
⠀⠀⠀⠀‘Then you really have created one hell of a monster.’
⠀⠀⠀⠀Jay nodded. This was the third time Mondon had said this.
⠀⠀⠀⠀They lifted their drinks from the bar and went to sit in a quieter corner.
⠀⠀⠀⠀‘I was hoping you’d know how best to deal with it,’ Jay said.
⠀⠀⠀⠀Mondon examined the camera closely. ‘It doesn’t look like anything special.’
⠀⠀⠀⠀‘Neither do I but look what I’ve invented.’
⠀⠀⠀⠀Mondon’s sharp gaze raked over his brother–in–law. Jay was ordinary in the extreme. Medium height, medium build, late twenties, brown hair, bluish eyes, plain features, bland personality. Nothing special. He never could understand what Lily saw in him. Intelligent, bordering on genius, void of streetwise common sense, Jay was one of those studious inventors — the type who gets excited by a new triple–convex camera lens. His sister had really picked a dud. He gave the marriage three years tops. Eighteen months left. Fingers crossed.
⠀⠀⠀⠀Jay looked at Evan Mondon, surmising what was going through his mind. Not that he was a mind reader. He didn’t need to be. Mondon had often spoken his mind, loud and clear. He knew what his brother–in–law thought of him, and it wasn’t much.
⠀⠀⠀⠀Jay’s opinion of Mondon was equally sour. The only thing Jay envied about Mondon was his tailor–made suits. At thirty–six, Mondon’s ginger hair was already thinning and fading to grey. Everything about him was gradually diluting. His green eyes were a pale version of their former vividness, his once sturdy frame, somewhat shallow.
⠀⠀⠀⠀This was an indication of how tight a corner Jay had painted himself into. Asking Mondon for help was beyond the last resort.
⠀⠀⠀⠀Mondon worked for the Hong Kong Government in some sort of secret capacity. Too secret for Mondon to reveal his true position, or so he said. Jay believed him. Why would he lie? Why would anybody lie?
⠀⠀⠀⠀Mondon’s eyes skewered him to the wall. ‘How did you come to invent the camera?’
⠀⠀⠀⠀Jay swallowed a mouthful of beer. ‘I was working on a new technical design for the company. There have been some advances lately in molecular electronics, especially the pro–active —’
⠀⠀⠀⠀‘Skip the jargon, Jay. Just tell it straight.’
⠀⠀⠀⠀Jay rewound, and started again. ‘The company wanted me to create a new function for their latest video camera. While I was working on this, I came across an idea, a possibility. I thought it might be feasible to design a retro–active video camera. A camera that’s able to capture living memory and transform it into film.’
⠀⠀⠀⠀Mondon looked slightly vague.
⠀⠀⠀⠀Jay had another stab at simplifying his new creation. ‘In other words, it achieves the same results as an ordinary video camera which records events as they happen. The only difference is, the retro–active camera can video events after they have happened. Up to twenty–four hours afterwards. For example, if you take the camera into an empty room where, let’s say, a private meeting took place earlier, it’s able to pick up and transmit that meeting into film, complete with sound.’
⠀⠀⠀⠀‘What did the company have to say about your idea?’
⠀⠀⠀⠀‘They said it was impossible. They refused to let me proceed with its development. They thought it would be a waste of money and resources.’
⠀⠀⠀⠀‘But you went ahead anyway?’
⠀⠀⠀⠀Jay nodded. ‘I didn’t lie. I just didn’t tell them I was using their technical facilities to work on the project in my spare time.’
⠀⠀⠀⠀‘That’s the same as lying.’
⠀⠀⠀⠀‘Not quite.’
⠀⠀⠀⠀Mondon let the point drop. ‘Does the company know you’ve fully developed the camera?’
⠀⠀⠀⠀‘No. I can’t tell them. I don’t think they’d be happy that I’d —’
⠀⠀⠀⠀‘Gone behind their back?’
⠀⠀⠀⠀Jay didn’t retaliate. Mondon liked to jab his verbal knife in from time to time. Jay needed his advice. What were a few stab wounds between brothers–in–law?
⠀⠀⠀⠀The company was based in Hong Kong and San Francisco. Jay had secured a position with the San Francisco division straight from college. Four years ago, he accepted their offer to work in Hong Kong. The money was better, and so were the technical design facilities. It was during his first year in Hong Kong that he’d met Lily. She was over on a visit from San Francisco to see her brother, Mondon. Jay believed he was fated to meet Lily, especially as they both came from San Francisco, yet met by chance in Hong Kong. What were the odds on that?
⠀⠀⠀⠀‘What do you want me to do?’ Mondon said.
⠀⠀⠀⠀Jay wasn’t sure. The uncertainty showed on his face.
⠀⠀⠀⠀‘I suppose I could talk to a couple of people,’ Mondon muttered grudgingly. ‘Test the water, see what they make of it.’
⠀⠀⠀⠀‘I don’t want to get into any trouble.’
⠀⠀⠀⠀Mondon laughed. ‘You’re the one who invented the damn thing.’
⠀⠀⠀⠀‘I didn’t realise how easily it could be misused.’
⠀⠀⠀⠀Mondon sank him with a look.
⠀⠀⠀⠀‘Now I realise how big a security risk it could be in the wrong hands,’ Jay said.
⠀⠀⠀⠀‘You could trash it. Forget you ever made it.’ Mondon was toying with him. He knew Jay wouldn’t destroy something which had taken him two years to invent, especially as it proved he could create the impossible.
⠀⠀⠀⠀Jay replied with silence.
⠀⠀⠀⠀‘Finish your drink,’ Mondon said. ‘I want to see this camera in action.’
⠀⠀⠀⠀They took a taxi to Mondon’s apartment near Kowloon Park. Mondon lived alone, preferring the single life. He’d spent the last six years working in Hong Kong. Sometimes he missed San Francisco. Sometimes he didn’t.
⠀⠀⠀⠀Standing in a corner of the living room, Mondon folded his arms across his chest. ‘Let’s see if it can pick up what I did here this morning.’
⠀⠀⠀⠀Jay prepared the video camera, flicking the necessary switches and aligning the focus. He began filming.
⠀⠀⠀⠀Mondon watched in silence. It seemed an impossible task, yet he knew Jay wasn’t the type to lie about anything, least of all his inventions.
⠀⠀⠀⠀Several minutes later, Jay finished filming.
⠀⠀⠀⠀‘Is that it?’ Mondon said.
⠀⠀⠀⠀‘Yes. I’ll run the playback for you in a second.’
⠀⠀⠀⠀Jay held up the camera’s small playback screen so they could both view the recording.
⠀⠀⠀⠀Mondon was speechless as he watched and listened to himself sitting on the couch, hurriedly eating a bowl of breakfast cereal, washing it down with coffee, making a quick phone call, then putting on his jacket and leaving for work.
⠀⠀⠀⠀‘What do you think?’ said Jay, eager for Mondon’s opinion. No one, apart from Lily, had seen what the camera was capable of. It was Lily who had pointed out the security risk and suggested he speak to her brother for advice.
⠀⠀⠀⠀‘I’m really impressed.’ This was probably the first genuine compliment he’d given Jay.
⠀⠀⠀⠀Despite their differences, Jay was glad to receive Mondon’s approval. It gave a sense of credibility to something incredible.
⠀⠀⠀⠀‘Are you sure nobody else knows about this except us?’ Mondon asked cautiously.
⠀⠀⠀⠀‘Just the three of us, unless someone at the company suspects.’
⠀⠀⠀⠀‘You think someone suspects?’
⠀⠀⠀⠀Jay shrugged. ‘I’m not sure, but I don’t think so.’ He put the camera back in its black leather bag.
⠀⠀⠀⠀‘I’ll talk to some people about it, and then contact you tomorrow,’ Mondon said. ‘We’ll decide where to go from there.’
⠀⠀⠀⠀Jay nodded.
⠀⠀⠀⠀‘In the meantime, don’t tell anyone anything. Don’t trust anyone. And don’t let the camera out of your sight.’
⠀⠀⠀⠀Jay nodded again, and went to leave.
⠀⠀⠀⠀‘Oh, and one more thing.’
⠀⠀⠀⠀‘What?’
⠀⠀⠀⠀‘Take Lily home to San Francisco, soon.’
⠀⠀⠀⠀‘We’re going there for Christmas.’
⠀⠀⠀⠀‘Not for a vacation. Buy a house, raise some kids, invent a mechanical dog.’ Lily loved dogs. Jay was allergic to dogs.
⠀⠀⠀⠀‘My contract with the company has another two years to run.’
⠀⠀⠀⠀‘Ask for a transfer back to the San Francisco division.’
⠀⠀⠀⠀‘I’ll think about it.’
⠀⠀⠀⠀‘Seriously think about it. Lily misses San Francisco.’
⠀⠀⠀⠀Jay nodded, slung the camera bag over his shoulder, and left.
⠀⠀⠀⠀
Jay took the ferry from Kowloon side, across Victoria Harbour to Hong Kong island. A small apartment, amid the Central District’s gleaming steel and glass structures, was a bonus provided by the company.
⠀⠀⠀⠀The night was overcast, with clouds obscuring the moon. The air was cool, the bitter salty scent of the water blending with the earthy aromas of November. It had been raining. A cold, damp aftermath lingered in the air.
⠀⠀⠀⠀Standing on the deck of the ferry, Jay looked back at the blazing neon lights outlining Kowloon’s mass of tall buildings. The dazzling colours reflected in the rippling black water.
⠀⠀⠀⠀Mondon was right, he thought. Lily missed the States. He should make an effort to take her back to San Francisco. Nothing was more important to him than Lily. Maybe the company would give him a transfer? Maybe if Mondon came up with an idea of how to deal with the retro–active camera, he’d make enough money to buy her the house he’d always promised her? Maybe he could even get treatment for his allergy to dogs?
⠀⠀⠀⠀Stepping off the ferry, Jay hailed a taxi to his apartment.
⠀⠀⠀⠀Lily wasn’t home, but she should have been.
⠀⠀⠀⠀A note was taped to the television screen. She explained she had to spend the night with a girlfriend who needed her. Lily was too kind for her own good. His own good.
⠀⠀⠀⠀Pulling the note from the screen, he realised the set was still warm. He must have just missed her.
⠀⠀⠀⠀He went to the bathroom, and then through to the kitchen, where he switched on the coffee pot. It still retained the heat from its recent boiling. He must have missed Lily by a few minutes. He wished he could have spoken to her, if only for a moment, to tell her about his evening with Mondon.
⠀⠀⠀⠀He sighed wearily. He could always tell her tomorrow when she came home.
⠀⠀⠀⠀Pouring a cup of coffee, he carried it through to the lounge, his mind rewinding his conversation with Mondon. He got to the part where Mondon mentioned about him having created a monster, for the third time, when the apartment door burst open and four heavily–armed riot police rushed towards him. Helmets with visors obscured their identity, but he assumed they were police.
⠀⠀⠀⠀Two of them pinned him to the couch, pointing their guns in his face. The other duo began searching the apartment. Everything happened at high speed. Jay barely had a chance to think.
⠀⠀⠀⠀‘Where’s the video camera?’ one of them demanded.
⠀⠀⠀⠀Jay hesitated.
⠀⠀⠀⠀‘Where is it?’ This time the demand was louder, and the gun’s cold metal touched his face.
⠀⠀⠀⠀‘It’s in the night safe,’ he said.
⠀⠀⠀⠀The foursome exchanged glances.
⠀⠀⠀⠀One of them spoke up, seeming to know about the residents safe. ‘The apartment block has a night safe downstairs in reception.’
⠀⠀⠀⠀Without hesitation, three of them rushed out of the apartment. Jay presumed they were on their way to force the night porter to open the safe.
⠀⠀⠀⠀The fourth man was left to guard Jay.
⠀⠀⠀⠀‘I have to go to the bathroom,’ Jay said, indicating that the shock of their break–in had caused him to need it urgently.
⠀⠀⠀⠀‘Make it quick, and don’t lock the door.’
⠀⠀⠀⠀The moment Jay was inside the bathroom, he shut the door, locking himself secure from the police officer. The bathroom was one of his special projects. He’d turned it into a safe room, more for Lily’s sake than his own, in the event that someone broke into their apartment. Lily laughingly referred to it as the shelter.
⠀⠀⠀⠀Tonight, the shelter was his only form of defence — and escape. Oh yes, he’d thought of that too. No point locking yourself into a room with no escape route.
⠀⠀⠀⠀The police officer banged on the door, screaming at Jay to open it. Was he joking? He then attempted to blast it open with his gun. The metal plating inside the door panel made entry almost impossible. It gave Jay more than enough time to slip down the escape hatch, a laundry chute that led directly to the basement.
Chapter Two
Strangers Allowed Secrets
Jay had the video camera with him. He hadn’t lied to the police when he said it was in the night safe. They presumed he meant the residents night safe. That was their mistake. Jay’s night safe was behind the mirror on the bathroom wall. He always kept anything of special value there, and had put the camera in the safe before making his coffee. On the back of the bathroom door was his coat, a black business–style coat that he’d shrugged on over his dark grey suit.
⠀⠀⠀⠀Jay landed with a thud in the basement, cushioning the camera, letting his body take the brunt of the landing.
⠀⠀⠀⠀A taxi took him to the ferry. The ferry took him back to Kowloon.
⠀⠀⠀⠀He thought about going straight to Mondon, but something made him change his mind and opt for a hotel room instead.
⠀⠀⠀⠀Mondon had warned him not to trust anyone.
⠀⠀⠀⠀Jay heeded the warning, including Mondon in his mistrust.
⠀⠀⠀⠀
Jay booked into a hotel in Kowloon’s Yau Ma Tei district, paying for the one night accommodation by credit card. He thought the receptionist might be wary that he had no luggage, just the clothes on his back, but no questions were asked. In Hong Kong, strangers were allowed to have secrets.
⠀⠀⠀⠀His room was clean and comfortable, offering a view of Nathan Road. It reminded him of Broadway. He stood at the window, gazing out at the blaze of neon, gathering his thoughts. He kept the room light switched off, feeling safer in the semi–darkness.
⠀⠀⠀⠀His first concern was Lily. What if the note she’d left was a fake? What if she’d been forced to write it? Was she safe in her friend May’s house? Hopefully it was one of those lucky coincidences that Lily had been out when the riot police broke in.
⠀⠀⠀⠀He couldn’t phone Lily because he didn’t know May’s number, and he couldn’t remember her surname to check with directory enquiries. He’d have to wait until morning and phone Lily when she returned home. Then it dawned on him that Lily would panic when she saw the front door had been kicked in and the apartment ransacked.
⠀⠀⠀⠀Think. Think.
⠀⠀⠀⠀It wasn’t safe for him to go back home yet, so equally, it wasn’t safe for Lily either. Somehow he had to warn her.
⠀⠀⠀⠀He considered the options. Obviously the police weren’t an option. They’d threatened to kill him. That’s if they really were the police, but he couldn’t take that risk. The company wouldn’t help him because he’d used their facilities without permission, and he wasn’t going to own up to that. Not yet anyway. And he didn’t have any real friends. Lily did, but he’d been too busy working. Then there was Mondon. Mondon was a last resort.
⠀⠀⠀⠀He recapped. If he couldn’t go to the police, or the company or friends he didn’t even have, what options did that leave him with?
⠀⠀⠀⠀Picking up the camera, he headed downstairs to the public telephone booth in reception to phone the last resort. Mondon was out, either that, or he was sound asleep. Jay doubted the latter. Day or night, Mondon always picked up on his calls, which meant he was out. So where was he at this time of night?
⠀⠀⠀⠀The phone booth, tucked in a corner of reception, was a traditional heavy wood and glass contraption. The light bulb was broken, and he had to fumble about inside, searching his pockets for loose change.
⠀⠀⠀⠀He phoned home on the off–chance Lily was there. No reply. Listening to the sound of his own voice on the answer phone apologising for being unavailable gave him an idea. Ringing off, he used his dial code which let him listen to any messages that had been left for him at home.
⠀⠀⠀⠀There was only one message. Short and sinister. ‘We want the camera, Jay,’ an unfamiliar American male voice said. ‘Leave it in your personal locker at work.’
⠀⠀⠀⠀The message contained no verbal threat, yet Jay felt threatened. He got the impression he was supposed to.
⠀⠀⠀⠀A wave of anxiety grabbed him by the throat.
⠀⠀⠀⠀If only he could contact Lily.
⠀⠀⠀⠀The sheer panic jogged his memory. He remembered May’s surname, Yung, and that she lived in Causeway Bay, near Victoria Park on Hong Kong Island. The company was situated in a business area near Central and Causeway. He remembered May telling him to drop in on his way home from work once to pick up Lily.
⠀⠀⠀⠀He dialled enquiries, scribbled down May’s number, fumbled for more change, and called her.
⠀⠀⠀⠀A sleepy voice answered. ‘Hello?’
⠀⠀⠀⠀‘May? This is Jay. Is Lily there?’
⠀⠀⠀⠀‘No. She left a while ago, after her brother phoned.’
⠀⠀⠀⠀‘What did Mondon want?’ he said, desperation etched in his tone.
⠀⠀⠀⠀‘Lily didn’t have time to explain. She said it was something urgent. She left in a hurry.’
⠀⠀⠀⠀‘If she contacts you, tell her I’m all right. The apartment’s a mess, but I’m okay. Tell her not to go home. Tell her —’
⠀⠀⠀⠀‘What’s happened?’ May interrupted.
⠀⠀⠀⠀Before he could draw breath to explain, he heard voices, American male voices, asking questions at reception.
⠀⠀⠀⠀Three men in suits, one of them Mondon, were asking questions about him.
⠀⠀⠀⠀Jay clicked the receiver down quietly and huddled into the darkest corner of the phone booth hardly daring to breathe.
⠀⠀⠀⠀He saw Mondon and the other two men hurry into the lift. The indicator showed they got off on the third floor. His floor.
⠀⠀⠀⠀Should he run, or should he wait?
⠀⠀⠀⠀A fourth American male entering reception narrowed his two choices to one. He waited.
⠀⠀⠀⠀Several minutes later, the lift descended back to the ground floor. Mondon and his two associates stepped out, their faces stone hard.
⠀⠀⠀⠀Jay watched them walk past. One of them cast a glance at the unlit booth, but hurried on.
⠀⠀⠀⠀Jay had never been forced to hide from anyone before, at least not for real. It was a strange feeling. Cold sweat, acid burning his guts, and pressure crushing his skull.
⠀⠀⠀⠀The threesome muttered something inaudible to the fourth man, and then they all left together.
⠀⠀⠀⠀Jay waited about five minutes before emerging from the booth when the receptionist’s back was turned. He slipped into the lift and went back to his room with one thought in mind — to video Mondon’s conversation with his associates.
⠀⠀⠀⠀After filming, Jay sat on the edge of the bed and watched the replay. There was a brief glimpse of him leaving the room earlier, then his shadowy image merged with that of Mondon and his men, and the picture became clear.
⠀⠀⠀⠀‘Where the hell is he?’ one of the men said, glaring around the bedroom and glancing in the en suite bathroom.
⠀⠀⠀⠀‘Maybe someone warned him we were coming,’ the other man said, staring accusingly at Mondon.
⠀⠀⠀⠀‘I was the one who traced him here through his credit card transaction,’ Mondon said. ‘And the hotel reception confirmed he booked a room for the night.’
⠀⠀⠀⠀Mondon’s accuser backed down.
⠀⠀⠀⠀‘He obviously wasn’t here for long, if at all,’ the first man observed. ‘The bed’s undisturbed. Doesn’t even look as if he sat on it.’
⠀⠀⠀⠀Mondon nodded. ‘Perhaps he got nervous. Jay’s not used to dealing with violent situations. He scares easily, and he’s stupid.’
⠀⠀⠀⠀‘So where would someone stupid go this time of night?’ the second man said.
⠀⠀⠀⠀Mondon considered for a moment. ‘Back home to Central. Jay will go looking for Lily to try and warn her, and he’ll use his credit card again. When he does, we’ll pick him up.’
⠀⠀⠀⠀The second man sought assurance. ‘You’re sure your sister will tell us if he contacts her?’
⠀⠀⠀⠀‘Yes. Lily knows exactly what to do,’ Mondon confirmed.
⠀⠀⠀⠀‘Let’s go,’ the second man said. ‘Jay might have used his credit card by now. We’ll locate him on the computer, just in case he’s thinking of leaving Hong Kong.’
⠀⠀⠀⠀‘Jay won’t leave without Lily,’ Mondon said. ‘And she isn’t going anywhere.’
⠀⠀⠀⠀Then they left.
⠀⠀⠀⠀The video recording faded to black.
⠀⠀⠀⠀Jay felt sick. He was right to include Mondon in his mistrust, but at least if Mondon was behind it all, Lily was safe. Mondon wouldn’t put her at risk. Jay sighed. There was also a chance that Lily was on Mondon’s side, but this was a thought he didn’t want to dwell on.
⠀⠀⠀⠀He looked at the camera in his hands. If he could turn the clock back, he’d never have invented it. His retro–active camera might be able to capture the past, but it couldn’t change it. Mondon was right. He had created a monster. So where would someone stupid, lumbered with a monster in a bag, go now?
⠀⠀⠀⠀The bank.
⠀⠀⠀⠀He needed cash. One credit card transaction from an ATM would alert Mondon to his location, but by the time they got to the bank, he’d be long gone.
⠀⠀⠀⠀Four years in Hong Kong had given Jay a basic knowledge of the territory. Very basic. Four years had slipped past without him hardly noticing the time. Rather like reading the first chapter of a book after dinner, becoming engrossed in the story, ending up finishing it, then realising it’s 4 a.m. Where did the time go? Jay had been so engrossed in his design work, it had taken something like this to make him look up and take notice of what was going on around him.
⠀⠀⠀⠀How did Lily put up with him? When things were back on track, he’d try to spend more time with her than with his nose stuck in a technical design. Promise.
⠀⠀⠀⠀His basic knowledge of Hong Kong extended to navigating his way around most of the main sections. He knew that Hong Kong wasn’t a single entity. Instead, it had four distinct sections: Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, the New Territories and the Outlying Islands. Hong Kong Island sat comfortably below the Kowloon peninsula which itself encompassed several districts, including Yau Ma Tei where he was right now.
⠀⠀⠀⠀Once he’d figured this out, the rest was relatively easy. Wasn’t it? His knowledge was about to be put to the test.
⠀⠀⠀⠀Downstairs, Jay skulked past reception, unseen, into the luminous glow of night. The streets were vibrant with nightlife, a city that never seemed to pause. Its electric energy made Jay feel like a shadow, an indistinct figure, flickering through the city of lights. His dark coat in sequence became red, yellow and blue shades of neon. He hurried along, merging with the night, illuminated anonymity.
⠀⠀⠀⠀He walked along Nathan Road, turned on to Waterloo Road, then headed north up Shanghai Street into the Mong Kok district where he withdrew cash from the first convenient ATM. Then he hailed a taxi to take him south, back to the ferry concourse in Tsim Sha Tsui. The ferries didn’t sail again until early morning. He considered waiting, then changed his mind, and booked into another hotel under the pseudonym, Mr Davis. It wasn’t really a lie. Davis was his middle name, one he’d discarded since high school, but legally his nonetheless.
⠀⠀⠀⠀From the top floor, his room had a view of the Nine Dragon Ridge on the far side of Kowloon. He’d never ventured beyond the city’s urban border, even though he’d promised Lily they would spend a day away there. Another broken promise needing mended.
⠀⠀⠀⠀Ensuring the door was securely locked, he flicked off the light, lay down on the bed and reflected on the events of the past few hours.
⠀⠀⠀⠀Personally, he couldn’t imagine a worse enemy than Mondon. Mondon’s hatred ran deep and bitter, and he had the power of the government behind him. Or did he? He sometimes wondered if Mondon was a law unto himself. What was an American like Mondon doing working here? Maybe he’d never know. Perhaps Mondon was just adept at his job.
⠀⠀⠀⠀Lily knew Mondon didn’t approve of Jay, but she didn’t understand the extent of her brother’s disapproval. Mondon only showed that side when Lily’s back was turned. Jay had tried to explain this to his wife, but she told him he was exaggerating. In her eyes, Mondon was a successful, street–smart, tough government official. He acknowledged Mondon bore all these attributes, but he was also a sneaky, twisted, two–faced bastard.
⠀⠀⠀⠀Mondon could manipulate Lily into believing his lies. So it was feasible he’d spun her a yarn about Jay, advising her to hand him over to the authorities for his own good. Tomorrow, he’d try to locate her and show her the video recording of Mondon in his true light. Then she’d believe him.
⠀⠀⠀⠀In the darkness, numerous other questions invaded his thoughts. If the Hong Kong authorities wanted his camera, why didn’t they approach him with a deal? From what he’d learned working at the company, the Hong Kong way of doing things was first by reasonable negotiation. Although it was a modern centre of finance and commerce, Hong Kong still retained its cultural traditions. Brute force, without any other introduction, wasn’t their style.
⠀⠀⠀⠀And who were the Americans with Mondon? Three US agents who just happened to be in the area?
⠀⠀⠀⠀So many questions filtered through his mind.
⠀⠀⠀⠀Sleep stole away the chance to figure out the answers.
