“Feel free to take a nap. I’m just sitting here, working.”
“I might get a cup of coffee. Do you want something?”
“No, thanks.”
Bai stepped out of the door just as Jack stepped in.
“I’m heading over to the warehouse now. You want to tag along?”
“I’ve got plenty to do here, but thanks.”
“I’ll call you if I find anything.”
“Be careful, Jack.”
“Careful? Why? We’re talking about a case of bad bookkeeping, not an Al-Qaeda bomb-making factory.”
“Just watch your back.”
“You, too.”
Lian was still talking to her brother when Jack walked past her door. They locked eyes for a moment, but she didn’t stop speaking to Yong as Jack marched away. She did, however, pick up a phone.
Jack approached the security desk. Park was on the phone and standing at the security desk, towering over the young woman who manned the station. He glanced up just as Jack was passing through.
“Do you need anything, Mr. Ryan?” Park asked.
“Nah, I’m good. Thanks.”
“Going somewhere?”
Jack flashed a smile. “Aren’t we all?” He pushed against the security door to leave, but it was locked.
Jack turned around. Park was smiling at him, the phone still in his hand.
“Tell your boss I don’t need a babysitter. I’m just taking a drive.”
“I’m happy to drive you to wherever you want to go.”
“I’ve got my own car.”
“It’s not an easy city to navigate.”
Jack’s foul mood suddenly boiled over. He stormed over to Park and got in his face. The ex — ROK marine didn’t flinch. They stared daggers at each other. The young woman they were standing over was afraid they were going to throw punches. “Eh, guys?”
Jack took a deep breath, realizing he’d lost control. He took a step back. He pointed at the phone still in Park’s hand. “Let me talk to your boss.”
Park bounced the phone in his hand like he was weighing it before finally handing it to Jack.
“Listen, Ms. Fairchild. Me being followed around isn’t part of the deal. I’m heading out and I don’t want or need anyone to tag along. Is that clear?”
“Perfectly,” Lian said on the other end of the line. “May I ask where you are going?”
“Sure, you can ask.”
Lian waited for him to tell her, but soon realized he had just made a joke at her expense. “Fine. But be sure to obey all traffic laws. Our police force is very efficient.”
Jack was going to say something else smart-ass, but he thought better of it. “Thanks for the warning.” He slapped the phone receiver into Park’s wide hand.
“Someday I think you and I are going to have a little talk,” Park said.
Jack grinned. “I’ll use small words.”
Jack pushed on the exit door again just as the electronic lock clicked open, and headed for the elevator that would take him to the underground parking facility.
Park waited for the elevator door to close before he punched a speed-dial number and issued instructions to one of his team waiting in the garage.
34
Jack stared at the security camera in the elevator. It was like every other security camera hanging in almost every corner of every room in the Dalfan building — all four stories of it.
The elevator dinged and the door opened and Jack saw the security camera attached to the support pillar directly in front of him. He winked at it. Dalfan took its security seriously, and no doubt whoever was monitoring the cameras today was watching Jack head for his company car.
He chided himself for losing his temper upstairs. He knew that lack of sleep was partly to blame, but mostly it was poor judgment on his part. It was also the disrespect that Lian and now Park were showing him that was grating on his nerves. If he was being honest, his pranking Park the other day was also disrespectful, and Lian’s feelings about what happened the other night were about her pride. What he really needed to do was to pull his head out of his ass and apologize to both of them. After all, they were just doing their jobs. It was about time he started doing his like a professional.
He unlocked the silver Dalfan Audi TT and climbed in. He pushed the starter button and the 220-horsepower engine roared to life. He then selected the navigation module on the virtual cockpit and entered his destination — the live Google map displayed between the virtual tachometer and virtual speedometer while he drove. He shifted into gear and carefully pulled out of his parking spot and, opting for the fastest possible route, which would take about forty minutes to drive, headed for the exit.
Jack pulled up and out of the garage and onto Changi North Crescent, then over to Upper Changi Road North, where he picked up the Pan Island Expressway (PIE), a three-lane freeway running the length of the island, closer to the center of it and away from the busy congestion of the southern downtown core abutting the Singapore Strait.
Jack’s affection for the city was growing day by day. Even Singapore’s freeways were beautiful. The well-maintained asphalt cut through the middle of a rainforest, with palm trees and colorful tropical flowers flourishing in the median strip. The light traffic on the PIE flowed smoothly.
In fact, traffic was so light and smooth that morning, it was easy for Jack to keep an eye on the black Land Rover following him several vehicles back. There were two occupants, a male passenger and a female driver, but he didn’t recognize either. He’d picked up the tail just as he got onto the PIE, and he hadn’t done anything to let them know he was aware of their presence. He did tap the brakes a few times to slow down to see if they would keep their distance — which they did — and when he accelerated they matched his speed, keeping the same traffic interval at all times.
The good news was that they were driving strictly by the book. The better news was that as far as Jack could tell, there was only one vehicle tailing him.
Jack wouldn’t allow himself to get angry again; the people back there were just doing their jobs, too. But now it was time for Jack to do his.
Jack took the Clementi Avenue 6 exit heading south, then took the Commonwealth Avenue West heading east, until he passed the Darussalam Mosque, and then turned a sharp left again onto one of the smaller streets, then left again onto a red-bricked road that ran between rows of tall apartment buildings. He watched them match him turn for turn, but they were falling farther and farther behind.
Jack kept making left turns, then right, driving around as if he were a tourist just taking in the sights, finding narrower roads with heavier traffic, until he came back out on a series of numbered Clementi streets—2, then 5, then 4, then 3, and back around again. Jack wondered why this Clementi fellow was so important that he had several tree-lined streets named after him, even if they all ended in numbers.
In the many twists and turns and congested traffic, there was no way for a single vehicle to follow him successfully without being noticed, and clearly they’d been given the orders to do both. Not willing to expose themselves, they apparently opted to drop out. Now Jack could proceed to his destination.
Paul checked his watch. He’d been working for exactly one hour. Gavin should be free right about now.
“I need to go stretch my legs,” Paul told Bai, standing up.
“It just started raining outside,” Bai said.
Paul reached for his raincoat. “I like the rain.”
“I wouldn’t mind a walk myself.” Bai also rose.
“By all means, do so. But wherever you go, I’ll meet you back here in thirty minutes.”