No doubt Jerry would be quite happy also, Burke thought. But he would have to await the private investigator's report before offering her a job. "Thanks much, Captain," Burke said. "I have something here I think you'll find quite interesting. It's a full rundown on your man, plus some recent photos."
"Excellent!" said Yun. "Shall I come by your office?"
Chapter 31
Captain Yun arrived within fifteen minutes. Although Burke wanted Jerry Chan to meet him, this was clearly not the time. The Captain would no doubt be quite unhappy to learn that Burke had shared his confidence with someone he would take for nothing more than a public relations agency manager. Jerry had conveniently stepped out to a nearby tabang for coffee.
"Let's go into the manager's office," Burke said. "He'll be gone for awhile."
Yun looked around as he took his seat across the desk from Burke. The slight change in his expression was enough to suggest the Captain thought this a luxurious layout compared to his modest cubicle at the police station. He confirmed it with the brief comment, "Nice office."
"Jerry thinks so. Our manager I told you about. Sometime before I leave, I want to introduce you two. I think you'll like him."
"I would be pleased to meet him," Yun said.
Burke spread out the photographs of Hwang Sang-sol on the edge of the desk beside the Captain. "Here's your man. I understand these were taken recently by an intelligence service in Japan. They thought they had him trapped, but he got away."
Yun bent over the pictures. One showed the slippery assassin sporting thick hair and a mustache. In others, he appeared with short hair, wearing glasses. From the expressions on his face, it was obvious he had been completely unaware of the photographer. Since the photos had been blown up to capture the essence of that face, little of the background showed. There were hints of a Japanese setting around the edges, however.
"Could I get copies of these?" Yun asked.
"Those are yours."
"Well, thank you. Thank you very much." Yun appeared elated.
"Here's the report on him," Burke said, handing over the sheet Nate had sent.
Captain Yun sat back and read down the page slowly.
Personal Background of SUH TAE-HUNG
Suh Tae-hung, age thirty-five, is a native of Cholla Province in the Republic of Korea. University educated, he speaks English, Chinese and Japanese fluently, in addition to his native tongue. He was trained as a member of the ROK Special Forces and is highly skilled in the martial arts, the use of all types of weapons and explosives, close combat tactics, use of stealth and concealment, methods of evasion and escape.
After discharge from the military in 1981, Suh was involved with two former Special Forces comrades in the robbery of a courier in Pusan which netted $50,000 in cash. One of the robbers was captured and led police to the planned rendezvous, where Suh and the other subject were trapped and arrested. Suh escaped the following day. The first robber testified in court against his accomplice, who received a lengthy prison sentence. The informer received a light sentence but was found murdered shortly after his release. Though no evidence exists to tie the murder to Suh, it can safely be assumed that he was responsible. For reasons unexplained, no current warrant exists for his arrest, leaving him unlisted by Interpol as a fugitive.
Suh is believed to live in Hong Kong, although British authorities have been unable to pinpoint his hideaway. He is known to have carried out criminal and espionage assignments for a number of countries as well as illegal organizations in South East Asia. He can only be contacted through a series of cutouts, which are changed frequently. A master of disguise, he has used numerous aliases and precisely forged documents. He is well financed. A ruthless assassin, he kills easily and without remorse. Some authorities consider him the most dangerous terrorist since Carlos the Jakal.
(NOTE: The foregoing information is considered highly sensitive and should not be disseminated outside of official law enforcement channels. Although believed to be completely reliable, it cannot be attributed to particular sources.)
Yun looked up from the sheet, his face like chiseled stone. "From this, I would say Mr. Hwang, or Suh, definitely does not know I am the man looking for him. Or else I would be dead."
"He's a lethal bastard, no question," Burke said. "I would suggest you be very careful about how you follow up on that information."
"You can be sure I will."
"What do you make of the part about no existing warrants?"
"That's the first thing I intend to look into. I don't like the implication."
Burke leaned forward, his elbows on the desk. "I was told one other little tidbit, which, for obvious reasons, was left out of the report. It seems that Mr. Hwang or Suh, whatever you choose to call him, has been retained in the past by the NSP."
"I had suspected as much. Mr. Chon, the informer he murdered, suggested it. Frankly, Mr. Hill, I approve of little if anything the NSP is involved in. They are ruthless, high-handed and utterly lacking in sensitivity to the rights of our citizens."
Burke raised a wary eyebrow. "I understand that kind of talk could land you in jail in the past."
"Not our kind of jail," he said. "One with special facilities for interrogation. Our constitution officially forbids such things now, but I wouldn't advise anyone to make statements like that in public."
As soon as he returned to the Namdaemun Station, Yun sat down at a computer terminal and requested the criminal record of Suh Tae-hung. A window appeared in the center of the screen with the green-lettered advisory: "Please wait. Your request is being processed." After a few moments, a stark message flashed in front of the Captain's eyes: "No such record exists. To choose a new name, press Return."
Yun stared in disbelief. The message ended with a blinking cursor, a small, solid rectangle that seemed to wink at him mockingly. No record? No wonder there was no arrest warrant in existence. According to the computer, the Korean National Police had never heard of Suh Tae-hung. Just as there was no record of Hwang Sang-sol. But he was definitely not the figment of someone's imagination. Figments didn't commit multiple murders.
Yun hurried back to his desk and called Captain Han, the officer in charge of the National Police computer system.
"This is Captain Yun Yu-sop, Detective Division, Namdaemun Police Station. I believe we met last year when we were both testifying in the Hyun trial."
"Yes, I remember you, Captain. What can I do for you?" Han asked.
"If someone wanted to erase an individual's police record from the computer, how difficult a task would it be?"
Han grunted. "You mean break into the system? It's foolproof. It wouldn't just be difficult, it would be impossible."
"Come now, Captain Han," Yun said. "I've been doing police work for twenty-one years. I have seen un-pickable locks picked, un-crackable safes cracked, theft-proof vehicles stolen. Just name any kind of security device known to man, and I'll guarantee you some other man has figured out a way to break it."
Han become defensive. "What do you want me to do, get fired? If I were to tell you how—"
"No, no," said Captain Yun, "I don't want to know how it would be done. I only want to know who might do it, what sort of person, what he'd have to know about computers."
"Well, he would need to be a skilled programmer, for one thing. Knowledgeable about our operating system, familiar with our codes."
"So you're saying it's possible to erase somebody's police record?"
"Sure. A person's file can be erased. We do it ourselves. Not very often. To expunge a person's record requires approval at the ministry level."