“Why?”

“He sometimes bring drugs for girls. I no take drugs. Other girls say it help you forget. I never forget. I say drugs ... it help you die.”

“Does Dúc sell drugs?”

“No. Giang do that with other men. Mister Dúc just sell girls.”

“Who is Dúc’s boss?”

“Mister Dúc no have boss. Mister Dúc is boss.”

Jack brought out a picture from his jacket pocket. It was of Moustache Pete and the Fat Man. “Do you know these guys?”

Jade looked at the picture, and asked, “How you know these two men? They in Hanoi!”

“They’re both from Russia, but now they live in Vancouver. How do you know them?”

“They come and look at me and girls before we leave Hanoi on boat. I not know their names. They just look and then we go to boat. I never see them again.”

Jack felt a rush of adrenalin. Solid lead ... but what good is it if Jade can’t testify? Even if we protect her, we still can’t protect her family .... “Was Dúc in Hanoi, too?” he asked.

“No. Many other men in Vietnam do work there. Mister Dúc stay in Canada.”

“Dúc lets you send money home?”

“Yes. It is good. Maybe good thing I make much money. My family very poor. Soon they buy house because of me.”

Jack sighed and looked directly into her eyes. “Does your family really believe you are a maid in a hotel?” he asked, skeptically.

Jade’s face darkened. She replied, “Other girls send money home. Some peoples talks. Maybe my family say they think I in hotel ...” She stopped talking and burst out crying. Between gasps of air she said, “They no believe that—but they still take money I send.”

The sound of her crying brought hurried footsteps down the hall. A fist pounded on the door and a Cuóng yelled in Vietnamese.

Jack put his hand behind his back and rested it on the 9mm tucked in his belt.

Jade yelled something in Vietnamese and Jack heard Cuóng laugh and walk away.

“What did you just say?” he asked.

“I tell Cuóng you want me pretend to cry because you are too big inside me. Okay?”

Jack took a moment to take a deep breath and said, “Okay.”

“My family ... know,” continued Jade. “They know I am whore. They never take me back—but they buy house ... so that is good for me to give to brothers and sisters.”

“I’ll figure out a way to get you out of here,” said Jack. “Just give me a little time.”

“No. I need send more money home,” said Jade.

“Jade, you are smart. Think about it. You need to get out of here.”

“No. Too late. I am already a whore. If I go now—I am still a whore. Only a whore with no money and my family die.”

“You’re not ...” Jack paused when he saw that Jade had made up her mind. “Damn it ... do you have access to a phone?”

Jade nodded and said, “Sometimes I pick up lunch for people and bring here. Sometimes I go get laundry for beds.”

“I’ll give you my cellphone and home phone numbers. If you need help, call me. There are other ways to make money.”

“Not so much as this,” said Jade.

“This is costing you too much,” said Jack.

“Fruit now rotten,” said Jade. “Can never fix now.”

“You’re wrong. Think about my offer. If you want out, I will do it in such a manner that nobody will know.”

“How?”

“Do you want out now?”

Jade paused, and shook her head.

“When you do, I’ll figure out a way. You work for me and soon Dúc and the two men in the picture will be arrested. Then for sure I will get you out of here safely. Is it a deal?”

Jade sighed and said, “Yes ... I deal.”

“In the meantime, if something happens, or if the Russians show up, let me know.”

“Okay.” Jade looked at the clock on the wall and said, “Only five minute more. You pay for me ... you want?” she asked hesitantly.

“No!” exclaimed Jack in frustration. “I’m here to help you, not to fuck you.”

Jade threw her arms around Jack’s neck and kissed him on the cheek. He was startled and grabbed her arms to fling her off.

Damn it! Doesn’t she understand why I’m here?

He heard her sob and knew that she did. He felt guilty that he had misinterpreted.

It was dark and Linh and her fellow passengers were allowed on deck for a chance to walk and breathe in some fresh air. Linh felt the ship shudder and a sense of dread overtook everyone as the ship’s engines slowed. The sound of worried voices arose from different clusters of women around the deck.

Dread was soon replaced by excitement as the message spread like the ripples from a rock being tossed in a pond.

We are slowing down on purpose so that tomorrow night it will be dark when we enter Canadian water!

chapter sixteen

“How did it go?” asked Laura as soon as Jack returned to the car.

“You were gone long enough,” said Pasquali. “Hope you didn’t get cold feet and stiffen up in there.”

Jack ignored the comment and said, “I met one of the working girls. She talked.”

Jack relayed everything Jade had told him, including the Russians being in Hanoi.

“Where to from here?” asked Laura, her mind still sickened by what she had just heard.

“I’m going after Giang,” said Jack, bitterly.

“How?” asked Pasquali.

“UC. First, I’ll gain his trust on a coke deal. Then play it up that Laura and I are opening a massage parlour. Not here, Dúc wouldn’t want the competition. I’ll tell him it’s in Edmonton and we’re looking for Asian girls because they’re popular. I’ll ask him if he knows anyone or someone who would want girls to work the circuit for a little variety.”

“Hoping he will lead you to Dúc,” said Pasquali.

“Who might introduce us to the Russians,” finished Laura. “It might work.”

Jack looked at Pasquali and asked, “You once told me that Giang hangs out at either Lucky Lucy’s Bar and Grill, Billiard Bill’s, or what was that restaurant?”

“The Mekong Palace,” said Pasquali, “But it’s closed now. I have to tell you ... Giang isn’t too susceptible to a UC. We just tried. Giang wouldn’t even talk to our operators.”

“A couple of weeks ago you told me Giang wasn’t all that important,” said Jack. “Not worth the price of a bottle of olives for my martinis. What’s changed?”

“The assholes, Giang’s boys, put the Mekong Palace out of business. The owner was a nice old guy. Worked hard all his life to get his own business, now it’s gone.”

“What happened?” asked Jack.

“Xuân, being the sweet fourteen-year-old kid that he is, went in there a couple of weeks ago with some of his buddies. He demanded two hundred and fifty dollars of protection money. The owner refused so the gang terrorized the place and threatened to kill everyone inside.”

“These are kids?” asked Laura.

Pasquali nodded and said, “Xuân, at fourteen, led the bunch. They held a filleting knife to an employee’s throat while they robbed the cash register. Xuân shouted, you play with God; from now on you have to pay five hundred! He made a waitress kneel on the floor and fired a round from a semi-auto handgun into the floor beside her. The floor was concrete so the bullet fragmented and went everywhere. When they left, they told the owner that if he called the police they would return and kill everyone.”

“What happened?” asked Laura.

“The owner called us. We scooped up Xuân and he’s being held. I searched his bedroom myself. The walls were covered with cut-out pictures of guns. Unfortunately for the Mekong Palace, most of the employees quit and customers are now afraid to go there. The owner is trying to sell, but the word is out and nobody is even looking at the place.”

“Was Giang involved?” asked Jack.

“The protection money thing would be right up his alley, but nothing we could prove.”

“I want Giang,” said Jack angrily.