Vessler rose. “Wait a minute—”
Casey’s tone was soft as he addressed her. “Agent Vessler, this case has been taken as far as you can take it, and at a heavy price in lives. It’s up to someone else now to take the burden of bringing these bastards to justice.”
“But these people are—”
“Shut the hell up, Vess!”
Vessler stopped and turned to look at her partner, Daniel Choi. In the five years she had known him, the last three as her partner, she had never seen him anything but calm and composed.
He returned her stare, anger etched in his face. “I’m sorry, Vess, but Casey’s right. We can’t deal with these bastards like these…” His head swiveled around as he looked at Tanner and the other OUTCASTs. “…like these ghosts can.”
“But the law—”
“Screw the law.”
Vessler stared at him, stunned. “Dan—”
“No, hear me out. I grew up listening to my grandparents who told me about the North Koreans and what they did to entire villages during the Korean War. I have cousins serving in the ROK army who’ve told me about hunting down North Korean infiltrators and rescuing people kidnapped by the North Koreans. You may think of the Kim family as nothing more than the comically insane leaders of a fourth-rate country, but to my family it’s no laughing matter. If the North Koreans are behind that attack on our people, then as far as I’m concerned, the gloves are off.”
He motioned to the OUTCAST group. “If they can do the job, let them do it. I’ll gladly hold their coats.”
“Danny!” Vessler pressed. “What if innocents get in the way?”
Choi scowled. “Do you think Rhee cares about innocents? My grandfather still carries the scars from the beating a North Korean officer gave him when he was eight, during the war. You don’t understand the hate North Koreans have for Americans. They see us the same way the fanatical Islamics do — as a great evil. They’ve been drilling that lie into their population’s heads every day for decades.”
“What does—”
“We are well aware of innocents,” Tanner said. “I suggest the DEA lends us a couple of agents who know the streets. There are going be pieces left over, and it would be a good idea if the law was able to pick up those pieces.”
Glimsdale looked over at Vessler. “You want in, Sarah?”
“You want me to be part of this?”
“You know the case better than most.”
“I’m in,” Choi said.
Vessler slumped into her chair. “You’re going to do this no matter what I decide?”
Tanner nodded. “That’s right.”
She scowled. “Then I’m in. What’s our first move?”
CHAPTER SIX
San Francisco is unique in California because it is the only city that is also a county. The mayor acts as the county executive, and the city’s Board of Supervisors acts as the county council.
Norman Kwan, President of the Board of Supervisors for the City and County of San Francisco, wasn’t an imposing man. In fact, the slightly-built, fifty-seven year old looked like a storekeeper. As he entered City Hall, he greeted the security guards with a smile and a wave. On the way to his office, he was stopped by more than one person with routine matters related to running the thirteenth most populated city in the country. He handled each with grace and kind words.
When he reached his office, his secretary, a matronly redhead, smiled at him. “Good morning, sir.”
“Good morning, Georgina. Anything I need to know?”
“You heard about the extreme violence down at Pier 80 last night, right?”
Kwan sighed. “Yes, I’ve already been on the phone with Chief Lee. Inform the Board that there will be a moment of silence at today’s meeting, and that we need to make sure there’s a supervisor at each funeral.”
“Yes sir. Mr. Tanada is asking for a meeting over the street repaving problems in his district.”
“When’s the earliest can I see him?”
“An hour and a half from now.”
“All right. I’ll see him then.”
“Also, there’s a man waiting for you in your office.”
Kwan frowned. “Who?”
“A Mr. Lee from the Red Phoenix Society.”
He felt a chill of fear go through him, but kept his smile. “I’ll talk with him. Hold all calls until we’re done.”
“Yes sir.”
Kwan entered his office. The guest standing at the window turned slowly to look at him. He was shorter than Kwan, and lean, with cold dark eyes and closely-cropped hair. He was dressed in a mid-priced suit, yet Kwan knew he wasn’t a businessman. “Mr. Kwan,” he began in accented English.
“Mr. Lee,” Kwan returned, closing the door behind him.
Lee smiled and said in Korean, “My God is none other than the people. Only the popular masses are omniscient and omnipotent and almighty on Earth. Therefore, my lifetime motto is: “The people are my God.”
The words of Kim Il-Sung hit Kwan like a physical blow, and it took him several seconds to remember the other half of the code phase. “Th — The basis of the Juche Idea is that man is the master of all things and the decisive factor in everything.”
“You remembered.”
Kwan held up a hand, then walked over to his desk and opened a drawer. Once the white noise generator was on the desk and activated, he scowled. “I received no warning of your arrival.”
“You weren’t supposed to know.” Kwan’s visitor sat in one of the chairs in front of the desk. “I am Major Rhee Kyu-chul.” He looked around. “You seem to have done well, Byung.”
Kwan fought the fear as Rhee spoke a name Kwan hadn’t used in nearly forty years. “What are you doing here?”
“I need your help.”
“With what?”
Rhee traced a circle on the chair’s armrest with his finger, his eyes never leaving Kwan. “You are no doubt aware of the incident at the pier last night?”
Anger replaced Kwan’s fear. “You did that?”
Rhee shrugged. “They were nothing more than lapdogs for their corrupt masters.”
Pot, kettle, black, Kwan thought. “Do you think we…the Americans…will back off? No, they will want blood, and they will come after you hard!”
The major shrugged again. “That is not your concern. What I want from you is information.”
“On what?”
“Someone showed up last night at the pier. They broke the ambush and saved a few DEA agents.”
“So?”
“They used military weapons and didn’t act like policemen. I want you to find who they are.”
Kwan stared at Rhee. “How do you expect me to do that?”
“Someone must know who these people are.”
“There are no such groups in the city!”
“They obviously exist,” Rhee said, his tone dropping into annoyance. “You will use your resources to find out who they are.”
Kwan clamped down on his anger. “Look, whoever they are, they’re not part of the local or state government — none of the leaders here or in Sacramento would stand for it. It they do exist, it must be on the federal level.”
“There’s a special assistant to the president currently here. He will know.”
“He will not tell me anything. The federal government is not beholden to the local or state governments.”
Rhee scowled. “Do what you have to in order to find out.” He stood and handed Kwan a business card. “Call when you have something. You have twenty-four hours.”
“And if I don’t find anything?”