friends. My friends from Hong Kong neither fear nor befriend these bastards. In fact, some of them would welcome the opportunity to confront them. Gill, I’m giving you and Trudy a path out. You let me broker the Britany-Swindol take to Hong Kong, and we’ll take care of these Kurac for you, too.”
“Sounds like your people want this as much to entrap the Serbs as anything else. I know the Hong Kong friends are probably still pissed about the smash-and-grab operation the Kurac pulled in Macau.”
“Yes, that was my friends’ store, the one they used to move their merchandise. You see? You have done to the Kurac what the Kurac did to my friends in Hong Kong, and so they want to complete that payback by taking possessions of the sparks. They will get you and Trudy out of the country, complete with paper. And pay you for the gems, less my fee, of course. Gill, look at me, what more could you ask for?”
I kept my eyes on the far wall, and finished my soda. “I won’t feel comfortable unless we do this in stages, Doc. I know you may mean well, but I don’t know your friends. Nobody in the business can really vouch for people like that. They’re takers, not givers. I’ll first need the paper, as a gesture that they mean what they say. With plane tickets to Iceland for tomorrow night in the names on the paper. And I’ll need that tonight.”
“Passports by tonight?” Doc leaned back again with a groan. “Iceland?”
“Well, Doc, just how long am I supposed to dance before I get tripped up? I have to sleep eventually, but with these Serbian dirtbags on my case I don’t see that happening. I don’t see me staying in one place more than an hour. Yes, I need to see those tonight, and we’ll do the exchange tomorrow afternoon.”
“What about photos?”
“There’s a passport-photo guy down the street—I’ll drop over and be right back.” I slid my saddle bag off my shoulder, and fished around inside. “Here’s Trudy’s passport photo.” I handed it over as Doc picked up the phone and dialed. “Make our names Mike and Marcia Thomas.”
“I will still have to check with Hong Kong.”
I pulled a wad of tissue from the knapsack and laid it on the desk in front of her.
“They’re going to make a good faith gesture, now I’m making a good faith gesture.”
Doc spoke rapidly into the phone and hung up. Leaning over the paper, she unfolded it with one hand while lowering the magnifying lamp with the other. Diamonds flashed as she flattened the paper—it was a pair of Britany-Swindol crossover drop pendants, fully encrusted in sparks. Retail? Probably mid-twenties.
“Doc, you check that against the hot sheets, you’ll see it was from the Macau operation pulled by the Kurac. This way your friends in Hong Kong will know I’ve got the assets, safe and sound. I’ll need the Mike and Marcia paper and Iceland tickets delivered. Call the number I called you from and leave a message when they’re ready. I’ll call back with the drop-off instructions.”
Doc finally lifted her eyes from the earrings to me, and smirked. “You know, Gill, I hope you pull this off, I really do. Have you ever heard of yuanfen ?”
I shook my head.
“ Yuanfen is the ancient Chinese idea that two people are destined to meet.”
“Like lovers?”
Doc pursed her lips. “Sort of. It includes repeated chance meetings of strangers and any big, life-altering joining of two people. I think you and I have yuanfen . This deal is huge, and because we met and are friends, you and Trudy will get safely out of the country and out of the business. This is no life for people in love.”
“So this mess is all the work of fate? I wish it were that easy, that there aren’t responsible parties. It would make it easier. So where’s this herbalist?”
“The herbalist is on Union Street, around the corner. Mr. Zim. Make Trudy well. We’ll make this work with the Hong Kong people, one way or the other.”
I attempted a
“Sounds like your people want this as much to entrap the Serbs as anything else. I know the Hong Kong friends are probably still pissed about the smash-and-grab operation the Kurac pulled in Macau.”
“Yes, that was my friends’ store, the one they used to move their merchandise. You see? You have done to the Kurac what the Kurac did to my friends in Hong Kong, and so they want to complete that payback by taking possessions of the sparks. They will get you and Trudy out of the country, complete with paper. And pay you for the gems, less my fee, of course. Gill, look at me, what more could you ask for?”
I kept my eyes on the far wall, and finished my soda. “I won’t feel comfortable unless we do this in stages, Doc. I know you may mean well, but I don’t know your friends. Nobody in the business can really vouch for people like that. They’re takers, not givers. I’ll first need the paper, as a gesture that they mean what they say. With plane tickets to Iceland for tomorrow night in the names on the paper. And I’ll need that tonight.”
“Passports by tonight?” Doc leaned back again with a groan. “Iceland?”
“Well, Doc, just how long am I supposed to dance before I get tripped up? I have to sleep eventually, but with these Serbian dirtbags on my case I don’t see that happening. I don’t see me staying in one place more than an hour. Yes, I need to see those tonight, and we’ll do the exchange tomorrow afternoon.”
“What about photos?”
“There’s a passport-photo guy down the street—I’ll drop over and be right back.” I slid my saddle bag off my shoulder, and fished around inside. “Here’s Trudy’s passport photo.” I handed it over as Doc picked up the phone and dialed. “Make our names Mike and Marcia Thomas.”
“I will still have to check with Hong Kong.”
I pulled a wad of tissue from the knapsack and laid it on the desk in front of her.
“They’re going to make a good faith gesture, now I’m making a good faith gesture.”
Doc spoke rapidly into the phone and hung up. Leaning over the paper, she unfolded it with one hand while lowering the magnifying lamp with the other. Diamonds flashed as she flattened the paper—it was a pair of Britany-Swindol crossover drop pendants, fully encrusted in sparks. Retail? Probably mid-twenties.
“Doc, you check that against the hot sheets, you’ll see it was from the Macau operation pulled by the Kurac. This way your friends in Hong Kong will know I’ve got the assets, safe and sound. I’ll need the Mike and Marcia paper and Iceland tickets delivered. Call the number I called you from and leave a message when they’re ready. I’ll call back with the drop-off instructions.”
Doc finally lifted her eyes from the earrings to me, and smirked. “You know, Gill, I hope you pull this off, I really do. Have you ever heard of yuanfen ?”
I shook my head.
“ Yuanfen is the ancient Chinese idea that two people are destined to meet.”
“Like lovers?”
Doc pursed her lips. “Sort of. It includes repeated chance meetings of strangers and any big, life-altering joining of two people. I think you and I have yuanfen . This deal is huge, and because we met and are friends, you and Trudy will get safely out of the country and out of the business. This is no life for people in love.”
“So this mess is all the work of fate? I wish it were that easy, that there aren’t responsible parties. It would make it easier. So where’s this herbalist?”
“The herbalist is on Union Street, around the corner. Mr. Zim. Make Trudy well. We’ll make this work with the Hong Kong people, one way or the other.”
I attempted a
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