Yong Kyu got what he meant, but still could not figure Toi out.
“I understand that; it’s you I don’t understand.”
“I know. Probably half the population of South Vietnam is made up of people like me. It’s a condition of life we owe to the French colonial regime, to Ngo Dinh Diem, and to the United States.”
“Then how can you hold a gun?”
“I’m already discharged. I’m a disabled veteran missing one eye. I never got my disability compensation; it was gobbled up by corrupt bureaucrats. I live like this because Da Nang is my home. That’s why I was drafted. Now I’m living here, caring for my family. That’s all there is.”
“This is important. You’re a contract employee of our office.”
“Right. That’s my job. I’m paid thirty dollars a month for it. And they don’t send me on militia duty to guard the outskirts of the city. All I want is to survive this war with my family.”
The waiter approached and they stopped talking.
“What are you having?” Yong Kyu asked.
“Let’s see. . I haven’t eaten yet.”
“Me neither. Toast and coffee?”
Yong Kyu ordered. The waiter was about to turn and leave when Toi called him back and asked something in Vietnamese. The waiter responded in Vietnamese.
“What was that?”
“I told him I wanted to see the woman who owns this place. He said she should be here around noon. Madame Lin is Chinese. Her husband is a Brit born in Hong Kong. Madame Lin may know the Dai Han woman; I’ve heard she comes here often.”
They ate. When they finished breakfast it was still a half hour until twelve.
Toi cautioned Yong Kyu, “Pretend you don’t understand English. And don’t act like a soldier.”
“Can I ask you about something we discussed earlier?”
“What?”
“If the war goes on long after I’ve returned home, will you still keep this job to make a living?”
“I don’t know. There are millions of people in South Vietnam… ARVN soldiers, government officials, police, the militia. Anyway, when they reach a certain age, everybody gets enlistment orders. And anybody who pays a thousand dollars to the police can evade service, and for a lousy three hundred you can get assigned to the navy or air force or other less dangerous duty. That’s the way life is lived here. The only thing certain is that I won’t move a single step from here. I live in Vietnam. My children live here. When you go home, remember me as that kind of man.”
Yong Kyu did not want Toi to say any more. But as he sat there in silence, Toi spoke again.
“I voted in the last election. Because the military government had to end. But the cities, not to mention the hamlets, were in utter chaos. In Da Nang, the army soldiers openly snatched the ballot boxes and substituted others they’d stuffed. When the Buddhists rioted, people like me took their side. We’ve lost our chance. Time passes by faster and faster. This is Vietnam’s destiny.”
Yong Kyu cut in.
“Well, let’s get back to our duty.”
“Right. From Madame Lin we’ll find out where she lives, then we can bring her in.”
“Where to? To our office?”
“No. To Da Nang QC headquarters. I used to work there, so I’ll borrow a friend’s office for an hour.”
The glass door at the front of the club opened and a woman walked in. She was tall and slender, wearing a black Chinese dress. Her hair was up in braids and she wore no flashy trinkets on her arms, only a black coral bracelet. As the bartender said something to her, she glanced over at the two of them and then went into the back. The waiter came over and spoke to Toi in Vietnamese.
“She wants us to come to her office.”
Toi walked ahead with Yong Kyu following. Past the arched passageway, each room was screened with beads in designs of dragons, butterflies, or peonies. The lights inside the rooms were off. At the very end of the corridor there was a door. The waiter knocked and from inside a woman’s voice said, “Come in.” They entered. A woman was sitting with her back to a huge window at a table that had nothing on it but an ashtray and a telephone. There were chairs upholstered with leather and a wall hanging in a Middle Eastern style. Through the open curtains they could see the spacious back lawn of the club, with white benches and a cast iron barbecue grill. The woman wore a look of disdain as she spoke to them.
“What can I do for you, gentlemen?”
She seemed to be in her early forties. Her eye makeup was heavy and a pearl necklace hung around the collar of her Chinese dress. She appeared long accustomed to living a European lifestyle. There was something about her attitude that resembled that of Krapensky when he addressed Yong Kyu or Toi. She had an overbearing air, as if dealing with small children, yet there was a hint of authentic curiosity in her eyes. Toi opened his mouth, speaking Vietnamese, and Madame Lin frowned a little.
“Speak in English, if you please. Who are you?”
Toi glanced back at Yong Kyu, then said, “We’re intelligence officers with the Vietnamese army.”
“So?”
Only then did the woman gesture to offer them seats. They sat down.
“Do you know a woman by the name of Mimi?”
“She’s a customer here. She comes here every now and then. Why, has she caused any trouble?”
“Madame,” Toi calmly said, “I’d like to remind you that you’re running a business subject to the national laws of Vietnam.”
Madame Lin grinned brightly. She had cultivated a particular genius at flashing such smiles, it seemed.
“Oh, I’m well aware of that. But you said you’re with the military, not the national police, did you not? What do you soldiers have to do with our club?”
“We have reliable reports that the Sports Club is running prostitution and gambling rackets on the side. . but we’re not here about that. We just want some information about this Mimi character.”
“I’ll disregard the first part of what you said, for that’s not in your jurisdiction. If you don’t agree, feel free to contact Colonel Cao, the chief of police. The colonel is my husband’s closest friend, and General Liam is his golf partner.”
“Madame, where does Mimi live? That’s all we’re interested in.” Toi went straight to the point.
In a low voice, the Chinese woman asked back, “What’s this all about?”
“Black market.”
“But she quit the PX.”
“It doesn’t concern the PX.”
For the first time, Madame Lin cast a sharp look at Yong Kyu.
“I don’t know, but I can find out. If I ask the bartender, we’ll find out right away. You both have been in our club before, haven’t you?”
“Yes, a few times with friends.”
“Vietnamese aren’t allowed here.”
Yong Kyu was about to pipe up, but Toi stopped him with a poke. “This friend of mine is Korean. He doesn’t understand what we’re saying.”
“So, you’re turning Mimi over to him,” Madame Lin said, clicking her tongue.
Toi laughed. “Since you failed as a matchmaker, I had to step in. My friend here has fallen head over heels in love with her. Can’t sleep at night, you know.”
The woman cackled loudly. Then she picked up the telephone on the table and punched a few buttons. “Bring me Mimi’s address.”
A few minutes later the waiter brought in a piece of paper. As Toi reached for it, the woman raised her fingers and waved them back and forth.
“Not yet. First, I want you to write down your duty station, your ranks, and your names.”
“To report us to the general?”
“No, but if anything happens to Mimi, I’ll be losing a good customer.”