A Lotus For Miss Quon Part 13

aWhere is my mother?a Nhan asked.

The Inspector motioned to the bedroom door. aCome with me.a aCould I not see her and my brothers?a Nhan asked.

aNot now a" later.a He took hold of her arm and moved her out of the room.

The detective went on ahead, Nhan followed him, the Inspector brought up the rear.

Nhan had difficulty in going down the stairs. She was trembling violently. Once she stumbled, and the Inspector caught hold of her arm. He continued to hold her arm until they reached the lobby, then he released her.

The detective led the way to the car and opened the rear door. Nhan got into the car and the Inspector slid in beside her. Several people paused to stare. They knew this was a car belonging to Security Police. They wondered what the detectives were going to do with Nhan. The car pulled away and drove fast towards Headquarters. The time was a minute to ten past six.

Nhan sat huddled up in the corner. Her mind was paralysed with terror. What was going to happen to her? Would she ever see Steve again?

It only took two minutes for the car to reach Headquarters. As soon as the car pulled up in the yard, the Inspector got out.

aCome,a he said.

Nhan got out. Her legs were so unsteady she would have fallen if he hadnat caught her arm. He bustled her through a doorway, along a pa.s.sage, pus.h.i.+ng her roughly ahead of him.

There was a door at the end of the pa.s.sage. The Inspector knocked on the door, opened it and pushed Nhan into Colonel On-dinh-Khucas office.

The Colonel sat at his desk, waiting. At another desk by the window Lam-Than was busy with a bulky file. He didnat bother to look up when Nhan came in.

She stared at the Colonel, feeling a p.r.i.c.kle of horror over her skin.

The Inspector pushed her in front of the desk.

aNhan Lee Quon, sir,a he said.

The Colonel looked at his wrist watch. The time was fourteen minutes past six. aYou are late,a he said.

The Inspector didnat say anything. There was a pause, then the Colonel waved him away. The Inspector went out of the room, gently closing the door behind him.

The Colonel stared for a long moment at Nhan, then he leaned forward, resting his fat hands on the blotter.

aYou are Nhan Lee Quon?a Nhan nodded.

aYou are a taxi-dancer at the Paradise Club?a Again she nodded.

aYou have a.s.sociated with an American, Steve Jaffe?a Her heart contracted. The sound of Steveas name stiffened her courage. For the first time since she had entered her apartment and had been confronted by the detective, her mind began to work. This man, sitting at the desk, wanted to know where Steve was. She would have to be very careful what she said. Whatever happened to her, this man mustnat find Steve.

aYes.a aWhen did you last see him?a She hesitated, then said, aSunday evening.a aYou havenat seen him since?a aNo.a aWhere is he?a aI donat know.a The Colonel made an impatient movement. aI asked you where he is.a aI donat know.a This time there was no hesitation. aWhere were you this afternoon?a Be careful, Nhan told herself. Be very, very careful.

aI went for a walk.a aWhere?a aI just walked.a The Colonel reached out for a cigarette. He lit it while he stared at the girl.

aListen to me,a he said. aI know you are lying. I intend to find the American. You know where he is. If you tell me and when I have found him, you will be released and you can return to your family. If you donat tell me, I will force you to speak. It is important to the State that the American should be found. It is of no importance to the State what happens to you. There are many ways of making the most obstinate person tell us what we want to know. You will save yourself a great deal of suffering, if you tell the truth now and at once. If you are obstinate, I will hand you over to men who are experts at making people talk. Do you understand?a In twenty-nine hours, Nhan thought, Steve will be safe. If I can only keep silent until then, he will be out of their reach. Twenty-nine hours! The thought of those long hours stretching ahead of her like eternity filled her with cold despair.

aDo you understand?a the Colonel asked.

aYes.a aVery well.a He leaned further forward. aWhere is the American, Jaffe?a She raised her head and looked directly into the black eyes staring at her. aI donat know.a The Colonel stubbed out his cigarette, then pressed a b.u.t.ton on the side of his desk.

There was a long pause while he began to examine some papers lying before him. Lam-Than got up and brought the file over. He put it down close to the Colonelas hand.

aYou need only sign this, sir,a he said. aIt is of no importance.a Nhan felt tears running down her face. She brushed them away with the back of her hand. The sound of a door opening made her stiffen. The two little men who had drowned Dong Ham in a bucket of water came in. They paused just inside the room, waiting.

The Colonel signed the paper and handed the file to Lam-Than who returned to his desk, then he looked at the two little men.

aThis woman has information I want quickly,a he said. aTake her away and break her obstinacy. Work quickly, but whatever you have to do to her to make her talk, be very sure she does not die.a As the two little men moved towards her, Nhan began to scream.

II.

Colonel On-dinh-Khuc was finis.h.i.+ng a meal of Cha Gio and crabmeat which he washed down with warm Chinese wine. From time to time he glanced at the gold clock on his desk. The time was twenty minutes to nine.

The woman had been in the hands of his men now for three hours. The fact that the information he was waiting for hadnat already been conveyed to him surprised him. Up to now his men had been able to obtain information from their victims very speedily. This delay irritated him, but he had considerable confidence in his men. It was this woman and her ridiculous obstinacy that irritated him. He made a snarling grimace. Well, she was paying dearly for her obstinacy. His men were without pity. He wouldnat wish to be a woman in their hands.

He pushed aside his bowl and reached for an apple. This he polished on his sleeve before sinking his teeth into it. He was chewing slowly, relis.h.i.+ng the taste of the apple when there came a tap on the door and Lam-Than came in.

aThe woman is now ready to talk,a he said. aDo you wish to question her yourself?a The Colonel took another bite from the apple.

aShe has taken her time. What degree of severity was used?a aThe maximum,a Lam-Than said. aKnowing you wanted the information quickly, she was subjected to continuous pressure. She has only given in a few moments ago.a The Colonel finished his apple, then pushed back his chair and got to his feet.

aI will question her myself,a he said. aCome with me.a They left the office and walked down a pa.s.sage, down a flight of stairs to the room where prisoners were questioned.

It was a small room: its floor and walls tiled in white. A steel table, its feet clamped to the floor, stood under a powerful ceiling lamp.

Nhan lay on the table, her wrists and ankles held by straps. Her eyes were closed. Her face drawn and lined was greenish yellow. She breathed unevenly in short shuddering gasps.

The two little men squatted side by side away from her.

Both of them looked sweaty and bored. They stood up when the Colonel came in.

He went over to Nhan and stood looking down at her. aWell? Where is the American, Jaffe?a Nhanas eyes opened slowly: they were misty as if she were only half conscious. She mumbled something the Colonel couldnat hear.

One of the little men came over to her and slapped her face. Her eyes opened wider and she cringed. Tears began to run down her face.

aWhere is the American, Jaffe?a The continuous torture she had been subjected to and the resulting agony had warned Nhan that further resistance was out of the question. She might, she told herself, be able to remain silent for perhaps another hour, but sooner or later, unless she gained a respite, she would break down and betray Steve. Already by suffering and resisting she had gained three hours for him, but the twenty-six remaining hours that stretched ahead of her before he would be safe was, she knew, an impossible test of endurance: she had to gain time. She had to convince this man bending over her that Steve was somewhere far from Thudaumot. While they were looking for him in this place, she would be able to gain strength to resist the next a.s.sault on her shuddering body.

aIn Dalat,a she whispered and closed her eyes.

A few months ago Steve had taken her for a weekend to Dalat; a summer resort in the mountains where people went to escape the heat of the City. She remembered it well enough to lie about it.

aWhere in Dalat?a the Colonel asked, scowling.

aIn a house.a aWho owns the house?a aAn American.a aWhere is the house?a aIt is the third house by the railway station: a house with a red roof and a yellow gate,a Nhan said, keeping her eyes closed, terrified he would know she was lying.

The Colonel drew in a deep breath.

aHe is there now?a aYes.a The Colonel leaned closer, his little eyes gleaming. He whispered so no one but Nhan could hear him. aHe has the diamonds with him?a aYes.a The Colonel straightened.

aCome,a he said to Lam-Than. aIave wasted enough time already. Iam going to Dalat immediately.a Lam-Than was looking at Nhan.

aShe may be lying to gain time,a he said.

The Colonelas face darkened.

aShe wouldnat dare! If she lied to me I would cut her to pieces!a He caught hold of Nhanas arm and shook her.

aListen to me!a the Colonel snarled. aAre you lying? Youad better tell the truth. If I find you are lying, you will regret it.a Nhan shook her head weakly.

She forced herself to say in a quavering voice, aIt is the truth. He is in Dalat.a The Colonel pushed the little man away.

aShe isnat lying,a he said. aShe has had enough. She has been a fool to have resisted so long.a He started towards the door, then paused to look at the two little men. aGive her water and let her rest. Turn off the light. I will return in about ten hours. Iall decide then what is to be done with her.a Nhan began to sob convulsively. Ten hours! With ten hours rest and only another sixteen hours to endure: surely she could hang on?

Back in his office, the Colonel told Lam-Than to call Inspector NgocLinh. He and I will go to Dalat,a the Colonel said. aWhen we have killed the American and I have the diamonds, I will get rid of the Inspector. The American will have shot him, and in trying to protect the Inspector, I will have been forced to kill the American.a aYou may not find the American there,a Lam-Than said. aI still think she could be lying.a aHe will be there,a the Colonel snarled. aYour pessimism bores me. She was not lying.a Lam-Than bowed. He wasnat convinced. He went away to fetch the Inspector.

chapter fourteen.

I.

It took five hours of difficult driving to reach Dalat. The road wasnat good, and although the Colonel kept urging the Inspector to drive faster, the Inspector was handicapped by the darkness, and the surface of the road.

They arrived at the Dalat railway station at two oaclock a.m. It took the Colonel a little over half an hour to convince himself there was no house near the station with a red roof and a yellow gate.

The violence of his fury when he realized that Nhan had lied to him made the Inspector recoil from him. It was fortunate for Nhan that his maniacal rage made rational thought impossible. His only desire was to get back to Saigon as fast as he could and get his hands on this woman who had dared to have sent him on a wild goose chase. If he had paused to think, he would have gone to the police post and telephoned Lam-Than telling him to recommence torturing Nhan immediately, but he was past thinking.

He got back into the car and screamed at the Inspector to return to Saigon. The Inspector drove as fast as he dared, but it wasnat fast enough. The Colonel suddenly yelled at him to stop and get out of the driving seat. He got under the wheel himself, and for the next twenty miles the Inspector sat stiff with fear as the car roared madly down the winding road at a speed that invited disaster.

It wasnat long before the accident happened. Coming out of a sharp bend at an impossible speed, the car suddenly skidded, the off-side tyre burst and the car slammed into the face of the mountain.

Although both men were severely shaken, neither of them were injured. It took them some minutes to recover. On inspection, the car was found to be wrecked beyond repair.

The accident had happened on a lonely stretch of the road. The Inspector knew there was no chance of any car pa.s.sing at this time in the morning. The nearest police post was thirty miles away. There was nothing to do but to sit by the side of the road and wait for the first car to come from Dalat.

The two men waited seven hours before an old, dilapidated Citroen, driven by a Chinese peasant, came panting up the mountain road. The time now was ten oaclock and the heat of the sun had made the long wait unpleasant.

The Colonel hadnat spoken a word to the Inspector during the wait. He had sat on a rock, smoking cigarette after cigarette, his cruel yellow face set in an expression that chilled the Inspectoras blood.

It took them another two hours to crawl to the police post in the panting Citroen. The Inspector telephoned for a fast car to be sent immediately.

The Colonel sent no message to Lam-Than. He wished now to deal with Nhan personally. Nothing else could satisfy the vicious fury that boiled inside him.

He arrived at Security Police Headquarters at half past one. He dismissed the Inspector, and then went to his private quarters where he took a shower, and changed his uniform. He had lunch. The atmosphere from his pent-up rage and the expression on his face terrified his servants.

Lam-Than, hearing that his master had returned, came into his room while the Colonel was eating his lunch.

The Colonel looked up. With his mouth crammed with food, he snarled, aGet out!a Startled by the mad gleam in the small bloodshot eyes, Lam-Than hurriedly backed out of the room.

At twenty minutes past two, the Colonel finished his meal. He got to his feet. With thick, unsteady fingers, he undid the glittering b.u.t.tons of his tunic which he took off and tossed on a chair. Then he went to the door, opened it and walked with a heavy measured tread down the pa.s.sage, down the stairs to the room where Nhan still lay strapped to the steel table.

The two executioners were squatting patiently either side of the door. They stood up when they saw the Colonel. aYou will wait here,a he said, auntil I call you.a He opened the door and went into the room, closing the door behind him. His hand groped for the lightswitch and turned it on.

Nhan was blinded for some seconds when the violent cruel light beat down on her. Then she saw the Colonel standing looking down at her. The expression on his face turned her sick.

Steve! Steve! she thought wildly. Come and save me! Please; come and save me!

But she knew Steve wasnat coming. This was the moment she had waited for when she had lain in the dark, knowing it would come. This was the moment she had gained time for, to gain strength to keep silent.

She stiffened her will.

He wonat make me talk, she said to herself. Whatever he does to me, I will keep silent. I want Steve to get away. I want him to be happy with his money. Oh, Steve, Steve, Steve, donat forget me. Think of me sometimes. Please, please donat forget me.

Then as the Colonel bent over her and put his hands on her, she began to scream.

Outside the room, the two executioners had squatted down again. It was cool and restful in the pa.s.sage. There was nothing to disturb them for the room into which the Colonel had entered was soundproof.

At half past two, the Dakota from Phnom-Penh arrived at the Saigon airport.

Blackie Lee sat in his car waiting for his brother to pa.s.s the Customs and Immigration barriers. He had to make a conscious effort not to look across the car park where the black Citroen was parked. The car had followed him from the club. He had now identified the two detectives in the car. He knew they were from Security Police Headquarters.

He wasnat unduly alarmed although he found it a little unnerving to be followed wherever he went. If they had a case against him, he argued to himself, they wouldnat be wasting time following him. They would arrest him. Since he had survived so far, he didnat intend to be stampeded into flight. He had, at first, thought that he would go with Charlie and Jaffe in the helicopter, but it would mean not only leaving his club, but also Yu-lan. There was too much money tied up in the dub to run away at the first sign of danger.

Charlie Lee came out of the airport. He walked with a springy step of a successful man as he crossed over to Blackieas car.

aAll right?a Blackie asked as he opened the off-side door.

aVery satisfactory,a Charlie said. aNothing to worry about at all.a Blackie drove the car out onto the main road. He glanced into the driving mirror. The black Citroen was moving slowly behind him.

He drove carefully back to Saigon. He didnat tell Charlie about the following car. There would be time for that when they got back to the club. He listened to Charlieas recital of his arrangement with Lee Watkins.