![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.de-annblack.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Electric-Shadows-Jun-2013-web-580x757.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
1 \u2013 Don\u2019t Trust Anyone
\n2 \u2013 Strangers Allowed Secrets
\n3 \u2013 The Press
\n4 \u2013 Men In Power
\n5 \u2013 Force Of Loyalty
\n6 \u2013 Night In Hong Kong
\n7 \u2013 The Traitorous Type
\n8 \u2013 A Stab In The Dark
\n9 \u2013 A Trigger Of Suspicion
\n10 \u2013 The Trouble With Journalism
\n11 \u2013 Another Enemy
\n12 \u2013 Thanks For Lying
\n13 \u2013 No Rules Tonight
\n14 \u2013 Fight Of Rivals
\n15 \u2013 Truth And Betrayal
\n16 \u2013 A Forgettable Man
\n17 \u2013 No Questions Asked
\n18 \u2013 A Shadow Spy
\n19 \u2013 Inventor Creates A Monster
\n20 \u2013 Enemies Can Wait
\n21 \u2013 The Echelons of Secrecy
\n22 \u2013 Don\u2019t Tell Anyone
\n23 \u2013 Too Many Secrets
\n24 \u2013 An Ordinary Liar
\n25 \u2013 Danger And Deceit
\n26 \u2013 The Perfect Spy
\n27 \u2013 Intelligence And Guile
\n28 \u2013 No Mean Feat
\n29 \u2013 The Hidden Agents
\n30 \u2013 Espionage And Lies<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Kowloon, Hong Kong. Mid 1990s
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800Jay took the monster out of the bag.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2018It looks just like an ordinary video camera to me,\u2019 Mondon said.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800Jay glanced around the lively Friday night bar. Everyone was too busy drinking, dancing and enjoying themselves to bother with Jay\u2019s secrets. They weren\u2019t interested in the two Americans. Jay spoke in a confiding tone anyway.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800Mondon couldn\u2019t hear him clearly. The music drowned out his voice in its blaring waves.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2018I said,\u2019 Jay whispered louder, \u2018this camera is the only one of its kind in existence.\u2019
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2018If it can do what you claim it can do \u2014\u2019
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2018It can,\u2019 Jay insisted.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2018Then you really have created one hell of a monster.\u2019
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800Jay nodded. This was the third time Mondon had said this.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800They lifted their drinks from the bar and went to sit in a quieter corner.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2018I was hoping you\u2019d know how best to deal with it,\u2019 Jay said.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800Mondon examined the camera closely. \u2018It doesn\u2019t look like anything special.\u2019
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2018Neither do I but look what I\u2019ve invented.\u2019
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800Mondon\u2019s sharp gaze raked over his brother\u2013in\u2013law. 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 \u2014 the type who gets excited by a new triple\u2013convex camera lens. His sister had really picked a dud. He gave the marriage three years tops. Eighteen months left. Fingers crossed.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800Jay looked at Evan Mondon, surmising what was going through his mind. Not that he was a mind reader. He didn\u2019t need to be. Mondon had often spoken his mind, loud and clear. He knew what his brother\u2013in\u2013law thought of him, and it wasn\u2019t much.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800Jay\u2019s opinion of Mondon was equally sour. The only thing Jay envied about Mondon was his tailor\u2013made suits. At thirty\u2013six, Mondon\u2019s 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.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800This was an indication of how tight a corner Jay had painted himself into. Asking Mondon for help was beyond the last resort.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800Mondon 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?
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800Mondon\u2019s eyes skewered him to the wall. \u2018How did you come to invent the camera?\u2019
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800Jay swallowed a mouthful of beer. \u2018I was working on a new technical design for the company. There have been some advances lately in molecular electronics, especially the pro\u2013active \u2014\u2019
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2018Skip the jargon, Jay. Just tell it straight.\u2019
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800Jay rewound, and started again. \u2018The 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\u2013active video camera. A camera that\u2019s able to capture living memory and transform it into film.\u2019
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800Mondon looked slightly vague.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800Jay had another stab at simplifying his new creation. \u2018In other words, it achieves the same results as an ordinary video camera which records events as they happen. The only difference is, the retro\u2013active camera can video events after they have happened. Up to twenty\u2013four hours afterwards. For example, if you take the camera into an empty room where, let\u2019s say, a private meeting took place earlier, it\u2019s able to pick up and transmit that meeting into film, complete with sound.\u2019
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2018What did the company have to say about your idea?\u2019
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2018They said it was impossible. They refused to let me proceed with its development. They thought it would be a waste of money and resources.\u2019
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2018But you went ahead anyway?\u2019
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800Jay nodded. \u2018I didn\u2019t lie. I just didn\u2019t tell them I was using their technical facilities to work on the project in my spare time.\u2019
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2018That\u2019s the same as lying.\u2019
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2018Not quite.\u2019
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800Mondon let the point drop. \u2018Does the company know you\u2019ve fully developed the camera?\u2019
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2018No. I can\u2019t tell them. I don\u2019t think they\u2019d be happy that I\u2019d \u2014\u2019
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2018Gone behind their back?\u2019
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800Jay didn\u2019t 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\u2013in\u2013law?
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800The 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\u2019d 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?
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2018What do you want me to do?\u2019 Mondon said.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800Jay wasn\u2019t sure. The uncertainty showed on his face.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2018I suppose I could talk to a couple of people,\u2019 Mondon muttered grudgingly. \u2018Test the water, see what they make of it.\u2019
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2018I don\u2019t want to get into any trouble.\u2019
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800Mondon laughed. \u2018You\u2019re the one who invented the damn thing.\u2019
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2018I didn\u2019t realise how easily it could be misused.\u2019
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800Mondon sank him with a look.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2018Now I realise how big a security risk it could be in the wrong hands,\u2019 Jay said.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2018You could trash it. Forget you ever made it.\u2019 Mondon was toying with him. He knew Jay wouldn\u2019t destroy something which had taken him two years to invent, especially as it proved he could create the impossible.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800Jay replied with silence.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2018Finish your drink,\u2019 Mondon said. \u2018I want to see this camera in action.\u2019
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800They took a taxi to Mondon\u2019s apartment near Kowloon Park. Mondon lived alone, preferring the single life. He\u2019d spent the last six years working in Hong Kong. Sometimes he missed San Francisco. Sometimes he didn\u2019t.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800Standing in a corner of the living room, Mondon folded his arms across his chest. \u2018Let\u2019s see if it can pick up what I did here this morning.\u2019
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800Jay prepared the video camera, flicking the necessary switches and aligning the focus. He began filming.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800Mondon watched in silence. It seemed an impossible task, yet he knew Jay wasn\u2019t the type to lie about anything, least of all his inventions.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800Several minutes later, Jay finished filming.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2018Is that it?\u2019 Mondon said.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2018Yes. I\u2019ll run the playback for you in a second.\u2019
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800Jay held up the camera\u2019s small playback screen so they could both view the recording.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800Mondon 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.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2018What do you think?\u2019 said Jay, eager for Mondon\u2019s 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.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2018I\u2019m really impressed.\u2019 This was probably the first genuine compliment he\u2019d given Jay.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800Despite their differences, Jay was glad to receive Mondon\u2019s approval. It gave a sense of credibility to something incredible.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2018Are you sure nobody else knows about this except us?\u2019 Mondon asked cautiously.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2018Just the three of us, unless someone at the company suspects.\u2019
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2018You think someone suspects?\u2019
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800Jay shrugged. \u2018I\u2019m not sure, but I don\u2019t think so.\u2019 He put the camera back in its black leather bag.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2018I\u2019ll talk to some people about it, and then contact you tomorrow,\u2019 Mondon said. \u2018We\u2019ll decide where to go from there.\u2019
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800Jay nodded.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2018In the meantime, don\u2019t tell anyone anything. Don\u2019t trust anyone. And don\u2019t let the camera out of your sight.\u2019
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800Jay nodded again, and went to leave.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2018Oh, and one more thing.\u2019
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2018What?\u2019
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2018Take Lily home to San Francisco, soon.\u2019
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2018We\u2019re going there for Christmas.\u2019
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2018Not for a vacation. Buy a house, raise some kids, invent a mechanical dog.\u2019 Lily loved dogs. Jay was allergic to dogs.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2018My contract with the company has another two years to run.\u2019
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2018Ask for a transfer back to the San Francisco division.\u2019
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2018I\u2019ll think about it.\u2019
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2018Seriously think about it. Lily misses San Francisco.\u2019
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800Jay nodded, slung the camera bag over his shoulder, and left.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800
\nJay took the ferry from Kowloon side, across Victoria Harbour to Hong Kong island. A small apartment, amid the Central District\u2019s gleaming steel and glass structures, was a bonus provided by the company.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800The 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.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800Standing on the deck of the ferry, Jay looked back at the blazing neon lights outlining Kowloon\u2019s mass of tall buildings. The dazzling colours reflected in the rippling black water.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800Mondon 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\u2013active camera, he\u2019d make enough money to buy her the house he\u2019d always promised her? Maybe he could even get treatment for his allergy to dogs?
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800Stepping off the ferry, Jay hailed a taxi to his apartment.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800Lily wasn\u2019t home, but she should have been.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800A 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.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800Pulling the note from the screen, he realised the set was still warm. He must have just missed her.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800He 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.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800He sighed wearily. He could always tell her tomorrow when she came home.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800Pouring 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\u2013armed riot police rushed towards him. Helmets with visors obscured their identity, but he assumed they were police.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800Two 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.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2018Where\u2019s the video camera?\u2019 one of them demanded.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800Jay hesitated.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2018Where is it?\u2019 This time the demand was louder, and the gun\u2019s cold metal touched his face.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2018It\u2019s in the night safe,\u2019 he said.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800The foursome exchanged glances.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800One of them spoke up, seeming to know about the residents safe. \u2018The apartment block has a night safe downstairs in reception.\u2019
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800Without 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.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800The fourth man was left to guard Jay.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2018I have to go to the bathroom,\u2019 Jay said, indicating that the shock of their break\u2013in had caused him to need it urgently.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2018Make it quick, and don\u2019t lock the door.\u2019
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800The 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\u2019d turned it into a safe room, more for Lily\u2019s sake than his own, in the event that someone broke into their apartment. Lily laughingly referred to it as the shelter.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800Tonight, the shelter was his only form of defence \u2014 and escape. Oh yes, he\u2019d thought of that too. No point locking yourself into a room with no escape route.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800The 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.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Jay had the video camera with him. He hadn\u2019t 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\u2019s 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\u2013style coat that he\u2019d shrugged on over his dark grey suit.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800Jay landed with a thud in the basement, cushioning the camera, letting his body take the brunt of the landing.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800A taxi took him to the ferry. The ferry took him back to Kowloon.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800He thought about going straight to Mondon, but something made him change his mind and opt for a hotel room instead.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800Mondon had warned him not to trust anyone.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800Jay heeded the warning, including Mondon in his mistrust.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800
\nJay booked into a hotel in Kowloon\u2019s 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.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800His 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\u2013darkness.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800His first concern was Lily. What if the note she\u2019d left was a fake? What if she\u2019d been forced to write it? Was she safe in her friend May\u2019s house? Hopefully it was one of those lucky coincidences that Lily had been out when the riot police broke in.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800He couldn\u2019t phone Lily because he didn\u2019t know May\u2019s number, and he couldn\u2019t remember her surname to check with directory enquiries. He\u2019d 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.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800Think. Think.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800It wasn\u2019t safe for him to go back home yet, so equally, it wasn\u2019t safe for Lily either. Somehow he had to warn her.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800He considered the options. Obviously the police weren\u2019t an option. They\u2019d threatened to kill him. That\u2019s if they really were the police, but he couldn\u2019t take that risk. The company wouldn\u2019t help him because he\u2019d used their facilities without permission, and he wasn\u2019t going to own up to that. Not yet anyway. And he didn\u2019t have any real friends. Lily did, but he\u2019d been too busy working. Then there was Mondon. Mondon was a last resort.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800He recapped. If he couldn\u2019t go to the police, or the company or friends he didn\u2019t even have, what options did that leave him with?
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800Picking 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?
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800The 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.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800He phoned home on the off\u2013chance 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.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800There was only one message. Short and sinister. \u2018We want the camera, Jay,\u2019 an unfamiliar American male voice said. \u2018Leave it in your personal locker at work.\u2019
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800The message contained no verbal threat, yet Jay felt threatened. He got the impression he was supposed to.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800A wave of anxiety grabbed him by the throat.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800If only he could contact Lily.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800The sheer panic jogged his memory. He remembered May\u2019s 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.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800He dialled enquiries, scribbled down May\u2019s number, fumbled for more change, and called her.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800A sleepy voice answered. \u2018Hello?\u2019
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2018May? This is Jay. Is Lily there?\u2019
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2018No. She left a while ago, after her brother phoned.\u2019
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2018What did Mondon want?\u2019 he said, desperation etched in his tone.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2018Lily didn\u2019t have time to explain. She said it was something urgent. She left in a hurry.\u2019
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2018If she contacts you, tell her I\u2019m all right. The apartment\u2019s a mess, but I\u2019m okay. Tell her not to go home. Tell her \u2014\u2019
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2018What\u2019s happened?\u2019 May interrupted.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800Before he could draw breath to explain, he heard voices, American male voices, asking questions at reception.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800Three men in suits, one of them Mondon, were asking questions about him.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800Jay clicked the receiver down quietly and huddled into the darkest corner of the phone booth hardly daring to breathe.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800He saw Mondon and the other two men hurry into the lift. The indicator showed they got off on the third floor. His floor.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800Should he run, or should he wait?
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800A fourth American male entering reception narrowed his two choices to one. He waited.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800Several minutes later, the lift descended back to the ground floor. Mondon and his two associates stepped out, their faces stone hard.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800Jay watched them walk past. One of them cast a glance at the unlit booth, but hurried on.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800Jay 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.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800The threesome muttered something inaudible to the fourth man, and then they all left together.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800Jay waited about five minutes before emerging from the booth when the receptionist\u2019s back was turned. He slipped into the lift and went back to his room with one thought in mind \u2014 to video Mondon\u2019s conversation with his associates.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800After 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.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2018Where the hell is he?\u2019 one of the men said, glaring around the bedroom and glancing in the en suite bathroom.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2018Maybe someone warned him we were coming,\u2019 the other man said, staring accusingly at Mondon.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2018I was the one who traced him here through his credit card transaction,\u2019 Mondon said. \u2018And the hotel reception confirmed he booked a room for the night.\u2019
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800Mondon\u2019s accuser backed down.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2018He obviously wasn\u2019t here for long, if at all,\u2019 the first man observed. \u2018The bed\u2019s undisturbed. Doesn\u2019t even look as if he sat on it.\u2019
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800Mondon nodded. \u2018Perhaps he got nervous. Jay\u2019s not used to dealing with violent situations. He scares easily, and he\u2019s stupid.\u2019
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2018So where would someone stupid go this time of night?\u2019 the second man said.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800Mondon considered for a moment. \u2018Back home to Central. Jay will go looking for Lily to try and warn her, and he\u2019ll use his credit card again. When he does, we\u2019ll pick him up.\u2019
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800The second man sought assurance. \u2018You\u2019re sure your sister will tell us if he contacts her?\u2019
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2018Yes. Lily knows exactly what to do,\u2019 Mondon confirmed.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2018Let\u2019s go,\u2019 the second man said. \u2018Jay might have used his credit card by now. We\u2019ll locate him on the computer, just in case he\u2019s thinking of leaving Hong Kong.\u2019
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2018Jay won\u2019t leave without Lily,\u2019 Mondon said. \u2018And she isn\u2019t going anywhere.\u2019
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800Then they left.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800The video recording faded to black.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800Jay 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\u2019t put her at risk. Jay sighed. There was also a chance that Lily was on Mondon\u2019s side, but this was a thought he didn\u2019t want to dwell on.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800He looked at the camera in his hands. If he could turn the clock back, he\u2019d never have invented it. His retro\u2013active camera might be able to capture the past, but it couldn\u2019t change it. Mondon was right. He had created a monster. So where would someone stupid, lumbered with a monster in a bag, go now?
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800The bank.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800He 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\u2019d be long gone.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800Four 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\u2019s 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.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800How did Lily put up with him? When things were back on track, he\u2019d try to spend more time with her than with his nose stuck in a technical design. Promise.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800His basic knowledge of Hong Kong extended to navigating his way around most of the main sections. He knew that Hong Kong wasn\u2019t 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.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800Once he\u2019d figured this out, the rest was relatively easy. Wasn\u2019t it? His knowledge was about to be put to the test.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800Downstairs, 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.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800He 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\u2019t sail again until early morning. He considered waiting, then changed his mind, and booked into another hotel under the pseudonym, Mr Davis. It wasn\u2019t really a lie. Davis was his middle name, one he\u2019d discarded since high school, but legally his nonetheless.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800From the top floor, his room had a view of the Nine Dragon Ridge on the far side of Kowloon. He\u2019d never ventured beyond the city\u2019s urban border, even though he\u2019d promised Lily they would spend a day away there. Another broken promise needing mended.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800Ensuring 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.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800Personally, he couldn\u2019t imagine a worse enemy than Mondon. Mondon\u2019s 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\u2019d never know. Perhaps Mondon was just adept at his job.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800Lily knew Mondon didn\u2019t approve of Jay, but she didn\u2019t understand the extent of her brother\u2019s disapproval. Mondon only showed that side when Lily\u2019s 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\u2013smart, tough government official. He acknowledged Mondon bore all these attributes, but he was also a sneaky, twisted, two\u2013faced bastard.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800Mondon could manipulate Lily into believing his lies. So it was feasible he\u2019d spun her a yarn about Jay, advising her to hand him over to the authorities for his own good. Tomorrow, he\u2019d try to locate her and show her the video recording of Mondon in his true light. Then she\u2019d believe him.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800In the darkness, numerous other questions invaded his thoughts. If the Hong Kong authorities wanted his camera, why didn\u2019t they approach him with a deal? From what he\u2019d 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\u2019t their style.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800And who were the Americans with Mondon? Three US agents who just happened to be in the area?
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800So many questions filtered through his mind.
\n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800Sleep stole away the chance to figure out the answers.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Contents 1 \u2013 Don\u2019t Trust Anyone 2 \u2013 Strangers Allowed Secrets 3 \u2013 The Press 4 \u2013 Men In Power 5 \u2013 Force Of Loyalty 6 \u2013 Night In Hong Kong 7 \u2013 The Traitorous Type 8 \u2013 A Stab In The Dark 9 \u2013 A Trigger Of Suspicion 10 \u2013 The Trouble With Journalism … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":69,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-329","page","type-page","status-publish"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.de-annblack.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/329","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.de-annblack.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.de-annblack.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.de-annblack.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.de-annblack.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=329"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.de-annblack.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/329\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2499,"href":"https:\/\/www.de-annblack.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/329\/revisions\/2499"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.de-annblack.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/69"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.de-annblack.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=329"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}