“I’ve captured this escaped fugitive and risked my life to get her off the streets and I would like a reward for my effort,” Teddy said, to no one in particular.
The actress looked up at him and, probably for the first time, realized her situation wasn’t as rosy as she’d been led to believe. She tried to pull away and the realism was great enough that the skinny old clerk behind the glassed-in desk seemed to suddenly register what was going on.
“What did you say?” the woman asked Teddy.
“This is Dale Gai, a wanted murder suspect who escaped from your custody. I found her and have brought her back. I’d like to claim my reward.”
The actress was really putting up a fight by that point, yelling in Chinese, presumably protesting Teddy’s story.
The skinny old clerk was typing furiously into an old computer terminal and had a rotating look of confusion, horror, and irritation on her face. Teddy waited patiently and managed to keep his impostor under control.
“I don’t show anywhere that anyone by that name has escaped,” the clerk said.
“They’re not going to put that kind of stuff in the computer for just anybody to find,” Teddy said.
The actress continued yelling at an escalating pitch. Teddy sensed that causing a scene by getting the girl and the clerk riled up would help further his plan. It seemed to be working. The clerk looked increasingly desperate to find information to corroborate what Teddy was telling her.
She was on the phone for a few seconds screaming at someone on the other end, and then it seemed like she spent another few seconds being screamed at in turn.
“This office is supposed to be the law-and-order headquarters for this region and I spend a lot of money in Macau every year and that’s going to come to an abrupt end right now if I can’t be assured that murderers won’t be running the streets because the police can’t keep track of who’s in jail and who isn’t.”
“I’m really sorry, sir, but Dale Gai is still in our system. I can see that her status was last updated fifteen minutes ago. It shows her still in this building.”
Teddy pushed the actress forward toward the clerk.
“Tell her who you are,” Teddy said.
The actress looked back at Teddy and fell silent, fuming. The clerk seemed to be at a crossroads internally.
Teddy suspected he needed a bit more of a distraction to push her over the edge into the action he needed next for his plan. Turning away from the desk, Teddy instead addressed the pockets of bystanders in the station, ranting and raving about what a scam the police were and how poorly treated he was as a foreigner and a tourist with vital money to spend in the country.
His speech didn’t do much to rile up anyone looking on, and it wasn’t persuasive enough for the clerk to leave her post. Teddy was analyzing the situation and evaluating possible moves. The plan had always been a long shot, and it appeared he was back to square one. Then fate intervened when a cluster of uniformed officers walked by with the real Dale Gai in tow.
“See. Right there. That’s Dale Gai,” the clerk said.
Before she could say anything further, Teddy used a customized shooter in his belt buckle to deploy a burst of mild tear gas in the area around Dale. That gave Teddy a brief opening to grab her and the actress each by an arm, and push them outside the police station. They were finally able to flag down a taxi a few blocks later. Dale and the actress were still coughing at even the minor irritant in the spray he’d used, but they didn’t need to like him right then. They were all safe and he’d kept his word.
48
Teddy had the cab drop the film festival actress off at the casino, then he asked Dale where they should go to lay low. Before she could answer, Teddy got a call from a number he didn’t recognize.
“My name is Sheldon Jeffrey, and I’m the United States secretary of commerce.”
“How did you get this number?”
“I’m close to CIA Director Lance Cabot and he suggested we call you to alleviate our concerns about a problem with their representative in Macau.”
“I appreciate your service to the United States, Mr. Secretary, but Lance Cabot is mistaken. Don’t call this number again.”
Teddy hung up and called Millie Martindale.
“Why is Lance Cabot giving out my number to people who don’t trust you to do your job?”
“What are you talking about?”
Teddy told her about the call he’d just received and had to actually hold the phone away from his ear because Millie was yelling and cursing so loudly on the other end.
“I know who exactly is behind this,” Millie said. “And maybe I’m tipping my hand at how much I know about you, but it would be great if the guy you were before you were Billy Barnett were to take care of this problem.”
“That man is tired and wants to go back to L.A. and have pancakes for supper and sit on his deck facing the beach, listening to the ocean.”
“I don’t like the sound of that guy at all.”
“Well, the guy you’re talking to now needs a safe house in Macau.”
“You know, I think there might be a way for both of us to help each other out and get back at this jerk at the same time.”
“I’m listening,” Teddy said.
“I’m here with a delegation of representatives from the U.S. government to help facilitate the testimony of a key Chinese witness.”
“Li Feng,” Teddy said.
“Maybe we should all get together then, my delegation of government officials, you, and your team in Macau.”
“I don’t work with a team.”
“I also know you don’t need a safe house in Macau for yourself. So you’re obviously working with someone while you’re here.”
“I don’t think she would have any interest in sitting around a table with a bunch of old white men making casually racist Asian jokes at her expense.”
“Suit yourself. I’ll send you the address to a place I’ve been myself, so I know it’s in tip-top shape.”
“How do I know you haven’t set any traps there for me?” Teddy said.
“We’ll meet the rest of my gang at an American-themed diner near the airport.”
Rick’s Café couldn’t have been any more of a clichéd American tourist trap if it tried, and the delegation from the U.S. government was wallowing in it. Millie had sent Teddy the coordinates to a safe house where he left Dale Gai before heading to meet with Millie and her circus of politicians and career government cronies. They were all already seated in a booth at the back of the restaurant when Teddy arrived. Millie was sitting at the end of the booth closest to Teddy. She looked like a stranger who’d sat down with the group and didn’t belong at all.
“I don’t trust Arrow Donaldson and I think he’s trying to intentionally keep Li Feng away from me, away from us, and it’s not because he believes he can provide her better security.”
“Then why don’t we cut him out?” Secretary Jeffrey asked. “We have that power, right? We can get Li Feng ourselves and take her over to Hong Kong ourselves, right?”
“In theory, yes, Mr. Secretary,” Millie said. “But in reality, we still don’t know where Li Feng is and I think that’s Arrow’s goal. Keep playing hide-and-seek with her, sending us all over Macau looking for her or any other decoys he’s stashed around town, until it’s time for her testimony. Then he shows up before we can cut him out.”
“Why are we meeting with a movie producer about such a high-profile mission?” Secretary Jeffrey asked.