23

Ahn Yong Kyu was sitting in the Dragon Palace Restaurant waiting for the captain and the sergeant. Three civilian technicians were at another table eating Korean-style bulgogi and drinking beer. The air was stale. As soon as he walked in Yong Kyu identified what the customers were eating. That particular aroma of garlic-marinated roast beef was to be found only one place in the whole city of Da Nang.

He had left Toi behind at Thach’s office in the old market and come alone. They were having an operations conference. Tomorrow was the weekend, so they had to move this very day. Unless they could get the Hong Kong Group safely in their grip, relations with the US forces would deteriorate from bad to worse. The Americans had demanded that the dealings of the Hong Kong Group be cut down to a minimum and that all ties with third countries be severed. But Lukas had tipped off Yong Kyu that in actuality the biggest source of annoyance to the Americans was the growing quantities of Korean beer that had been leaking into the market. In any event, to tighten the screws on the Hong Kong Group was no less urgent for Yong Kyu’s own group. A rundown Jeep with Philco markings pulled up outside and the captain and the sergeant got out and went inside.

The captain was in a casual suit and the sergeant was wearing a short-sleeved shirt and sunglasses. They looked like tourists.

“Waiting long?”

“No, just got here, sir.”

The captain scanned the room and then peered over at the inside rooms.

“Let’s go on in and have a talk.”

“It’s hot in there,” grumbled the head sergeant, who had already sat down and was getting comfortable.

“You, take off those glasses,” the captain barked in a taut voice. “It’s all thanks to you that we’re in this mess.”

The sergeant was noticeably gloomy and immediately removed his sunglasses. They went into one of the back rooms. The fat proprietress came back and fussily greeted the captain. She and her drowsy-looking sister ran the restaurant with the help of two Vietnamese women.

“What’ll it be, Captain? Try the beef ribs, excellent quality, you can be sure.”

“Hey, you buy lunch,” the captain ordered the sergeant.

“Yes, sir. Bring us ribs for three, ma’am,” the latter replied in a dispirited voice.

“Will that be enough for you? I don’t think so. You should order six portions at least to feel like you’ve eaten something.”

“Right, since you’ll be out on a stakeout all day with the boys, better fill up now. Bring us five, ma’am, and another order of five to take out when we go.”

As if disgusted at the mere sight of the sergeant, the captain turned aside and just stared at the wall calendar’s picture of a smiling Korean movie actress.

“Did you see the lieutenant colonel this morning?” Yong Kyu asked.

The sergeant nodded and then the captain said, “I hear we have two operations today—one at the PX and the other down at the pier.”

“Then we need to be fully mobilized?”

“Looks that way. That’s why I’m asking for plenty of beef. Hey, Sarge, I’m not going to come down on you so hard for the fix you’ve got us into. Still, if this is how we act within the family, how the hell are we going to get on with our duties? You’ve gone too far, so far you’ve got the big noses dropping hints to us. Dumb bastard, it would serve you right if I sent you straight to the stockade.”

The sergeant kept puffing on his cigarette, his head hanging. Yong Kyu asked him, “The ship hasn’t docked at the pier yet . . . as for the PX, there’ll be a pickup right after lunch. What’s your plan?”

“After finishing their work, they’ll take the goods home.”

“Instead of to the supply corps detachment for warehousing?”

“They’ll probably cut through downtown with the ID I loaned them.”

“Hear that? He loaned his ID? You idiot! If they do anything more with that, we’re finished in Da Nang.”

“All right, is it that same house?”

“Yeah, you know, don’t you?”

Yong Kyu was familiar with the house on Puohung Street rented by the Hong Kong Group as well as with the checkpoint on the corner nearby.

“We can send Toi to retrieve the ID, and we’ll have the police let the truck pass on through.”

Before they got down to business, the captain and Yong Kyu had to calm the sergeant down. With only a little over two months left before shipping home, they said, why should he waste time helping them out with his ID? Why not get a grip on the PX himself, and then he could sock away something for after he got home and help the boys make some money besides. Those civilians came here empty-handed and now, thanks to us they were getting fat at the cost of others’ blood. Worse, by disrupting the market circulation networks in Da Nang, they were muddying up the black market channels—it’s our job to keep a watch on those channels.

The sergeant owned up to what he’d been doing. The Hong Kong Group had turned cigarettes and beer into major lines of dealing. They’d secured regular customers in the entertainment business. Colonel Cao, the police superintendent, and Colonel Thanbat, the military mayor of Da Nang, must be extremely upset. As far as the investigation headquarters was concerned, fancy foods and big-ticket luxury items from the PX were another source of profit. As for Colonel Cao, headquarters had some information indicating he was trading with American soldiers.

“The problem is the pier,” Yong Kyu said to the captain. “It falls outside military jurisdiction. For practical purposes it’s off-limits. Even we are using their conex box, aren’t we? They nominally demarcate the civilian from the military area, but there are rows and rows of container storehouses and only one exit through which both civilians and soldiers come and go as they please. If those guys dump goods from containers into their conex and take out a little at a time in that station wagon, there’s no way to catch them. Who knows, this deal may be done already. If they pay the price, they can use any conex they choose—they just move the pallets from the ship and hide them there and then swap the money for the key.”

“Well, then what choice do we have but to catch them in the act?”

“That means we’ll step on the toes of the supply corps detachment . . . no good will come of it for either side.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll wait until the moment their wagon shows up for loading to nail them.”

“It’ll be trouble for us.”

“Come on, let’s deploy the men now.”

“The PX is no problem. We’ll post one of our men there and have him notify us when the car leaves. Toi will go to the last checkpoint on Puohung Street. He’ll be able to get some cooperation from his former QC comrades.”

“Good. We’ll also have another man out front of the house used by Lieutenant Colonel Pak and his gang.”

“I’ve got a man on duty at the Marine PX in Dong Dao who I can pull out and send over there.”

“We’ll need two more men: one for the supply corps detachment and one for the pier. The pier is the key spot . . .”

“Once I dispatch the boys, I’ll head down to the pier myself for tonight’s ambush.”

“Then there’s nothing for me to worry about.”

“We’ll need a couple of cameras, too. You can lend me yours . . . Toi should have it. He needs to snap a picture of them as they pass the checkpoint. The other I’ll use down at the pier.”

“Smaller is better, and you’ll need a flash for the pier. Have you got one?”

“I bought a shaver, but since I came to Da Nang all I’ve bought is cigarettes.”

“Sarge, you should follow Yong Kyu’s example.”

At this, Yong Kyu laughed and said, “No point in following each other’s example, sir. You should also make a living within the bounds of duty, you know. I’m hoping to have a few opportunities of my own by the time I’m ready to ship home.”

“I like your honesty. We’ve got to be responsible for our men who come out to Da Nang after risking their lives in the combat zones. For the two months you have left, Sarge, you should look after that task.”

Utterly deflated, the sergeant just cast quick sidelong glances whenever the captain said something to him. When the burning charcoal and the beef ribs were brought in, Yong Kyu stood up.

“I’ll give you a call, sir. I should dispatch the boys now.”

“Why not eat first, then you can make the rounds by car.”

“In that case, I should let the boys know they should stay put till I come by. Toi has no idea about the timing, so I better have him head for the checkpoint as soon as he can. Is your camera at the office?”

“Yes, tell Miss Hoa to give it to Toi.”

Yong Kyu had the operator connect him with the US forces headquarters and sent orders separately to each of the men on the team. Then he contacted Toi at Thach’s office in Le Loi market. By the time he returned to the room, the ribs were cooked just right.

As he went to work on the ribs, the sergeant asked, “What are you going to do with the Hong Kong Group when you get hold of them?”

“Even after he just spelled it all out for you,” the captain said, “you still don’t get it, do you? We’ll minimize their dealing as much as possible.”

“Lieutenant Colonel Pak, he’s not a nobody, sir.”

“Lieutenant Colonel, my ass. What does somebody from the reserves like him think he’s doing in a war zone? Besides, I haven’t seen his record. The bastard seems to know a few faces of senior staff at brigade, but that’s nothing.”

“We can treat him decently and at the same time give him as much trouble as we want. I want to teach that bastard Oh, the one they call ‘Pig,’ a lesson. I hear he’s a veteran who used to go to Tsushima when he was in Pusan . . . that bastard takes us for idiots.”

“But it’ll be a headache, I’m telling you. We can’t drag them into the investigation headquarters in front of the Americans. After all, this is an internal matter among us, you know.”

“That’s precisely what makes it more convenient for us. You see, we’ll haul them down to the Da Nang police station. Sir, you can personally ask for a little favor from Colonel Cao or one of his subordinates.”

“I’ll call Colonel Cao. He’s invited me to his house a few times.”

“Now, let’s stop the shop talk and have a few beers,” the sergeant said.

“You’re lucky, anyhow,” the captain said with a laugh, “you’re the only one getting something for nothing out of this case.”

“I’ll be sure to play by the rules, sir.”

The captain ceased with the stern stares he’d been aiming at the sergeant. Yong Kyu felt full and got up from the table to leave.

“I’ll get the boys in place and come back here. This’ll be a good place for a command post, eh?”

“Right. The Grand Hotel has phone service through an operator, not so good. I’ll go inside and stay there in the main room, maybe play some cards with the owner. If you have some money for stakes, Sarge, the three of us can play.”

“Sure, why not?” the sergeant said.

Yong Kyu took the separately wrapped order of food outside and got into the Jeep. When he reached the main gate of the air force PX, the man on duty bounded out of the checkpoint office to report.

“Here yet?” Yong Kyu asked.

“Came in, sir,” the private replied, pointing in the direction of the parking lot. “But it’s not the station wagon, sir.”

“Army truck, then?”

“A vehicle from brigade, sir.”

Down on the right side of the road Yong Kyu could see the dust-covered truck. He had been in it on a few past runs to see it past checkpoints.

“It’s at a supply pickup dock, isn’t it?”

“That’s what I thought, it’s been standing there a while. The wagon was here but left after dropping off the Hong Kong Pig. He went inside the office with a master sergeant from the headquarters PX. That bastard Pig was dressed up in US jungle fatigues and a combat helmet to boot.”

Yong Kyu reckoned Pig was posing as the soldier in charge of the truck using the sergeant’s CID identification.

“All right. As soon as that trucks moves out of here, call the Dragon Palace Restaurant using the switchboard downtown.”

Yong Kyu drove the Jeep back through the air base and came out at the Dong Dao junction. The man who was supposed to be on duty there was nowhere to be seen. After parking, Yong Kyu walked around for some time before he spotted the private, wearing a green T-shirt, near the back gate of the marine PX. He was drinking a soda and chatting with an American guard. Judging from this loitering out back, where most PX goods were taken out to the units, he must have been looking for a chance to make some money.

By now this private had probably made friends with the guards and the Vietnamese office girls. With their help he was probably able to get his hands on a few cartons of cigarettes and maybe some appliances without a ration card. As Yong Kyu observed from a distance the soldier noticed who was watching, tossed away his coke can and hurried over with a startled expression. Yong Kyu had already decided to chew him out and as he approached he fixed a reproachful look on him.

“You bastard!” he yelled. “You sure as hell got your orders, didn’t you?”

“Yes, sir, but it’s not time yet.”

“Follow me.”

Yong Kyu marched over to the rear of the Quonset huts occupied by the PX staff with the private in tow. He looked around and then turned back.

“At-ten-tion!”

The private snapped to attention. Yong Kyu gave him a kick on the shin with the toe of his boot. “Look, bastard, you think you’re a tourist here?”

Frowning, the private rubbed his shin. “Hey, I know all about it, too. Making a hole is something you can figure out how to do within your duty area.”

As the private stood back up, Yong Kyu kicked him again.

“Stand up. A short walk from here you’ll find corpses strewn all over. But you and I will just serve our time and get the hell out of this country, that’s all. Today’s mission is important. Why don’t you do as you’re told? When I go home, I’ll be rid of this uniform and that’ll be the end of it, but meantime I don’t want to get kicked back down to platoon. You don’t want that either, do you? Make sure those American bastards don’t crush us flat, you hear?”

“I understand, sir.”

“Hurry up, follow me.”

Yong Kyu looked around again and then hurried over to the old Jeep. The private ran behind. They drove back to Dong Dao junction. On the way Yong Kyu asked, “Hurt much?”

“Skin’s broken.”

“Can’t be helped. I’ve had it done to me, too. It’s a soldier’s life. Were you in combat?”

“I got out after five months, sir.”

“If you drop dead over here, you’ve got nobody but yourself to blame. Don’t ever forget that. You and I, we both signed up as volunteers. And to make some money.”

“Like I said, that wasn’t—”

“I know all about it. You see, here we are smack in the middle of an international marketplace. Are you armed?”

“Empty-handed, sir.”

Yong Kyu took a revolver out of his belt. “Take this. Loaded with six cartridges. You may end up on watch all night.”

“All night? Where?”

“Puohung Street. You’ll see when we get there.”

“Spend the whole night on the street?”

“We’ll find you some cover for a stakeout.”

“It’s like going out on a one-man ambush! For that I need an automatic weapon.”

“It’s the safest residential district in Da Nang.”

They passed the air force PX once more and turned left on Doc Lap Boulevard, crossed Le Loi Boulevard and came onto Puohung Street. From a distance they could see a wire barricade blocking half the street at a checkpoint. Yong Kyu pulled to a stop. Wearing his mercury-mirrored sunglasses, Toi came out of the sentry post with a Vietnamese QC officer.

“When did you get here?” Yong Kyu asked.

“About twenty minutes ago,” said Toi, glancing at his watch. “No sign of them yet.”

“I know. They haven’t left the air force PX yet. Camera?”

“Here it is,” Toi said, pulling a long thin instamatic from his top pocket. “I got it from Hoa.”

“Let’s go together.”

“Where to?”

“We need to find a hiding place near their house. I need your help.”

Toi got in the back of the Jeep. They drove up the street and stopped when they were within sight of the white cast-iron gate on the house occupied by Lieutenant Colonel Pak and his men. The sidewalk was lined with palm trees and Vietnamese were riding by on bicycles. Yong Kyu pointed to the white gate.

“That’s the house. Keep an eye on that house and the moment you spot them taking the goods in there, notify us. The command post is the Dragon Palace Restaurant. Now, where’ll be a good place for you?”

Yong Kyu looked around but there was not a single store or bar nearby, only residences with hedge fences or cinder-block walls. They walked down the street, looking for a suitable spot. They came upon a house with a low fence fashioned from reeds bound to wooden slats. Behind the fence on the porch there was a cot and a few chairs in one of which an old grandmother was cradling a baby in her arms. Toi told them to wait and went inside. After talking for some time with the old lady, he came out.

“Done. I promised to give them a few boxes of C-rations.”

“What did you tell her is going on?”

“The whole neighborhood knows about the Koreans living in that house. They told me two others live in another rented house on the next block. I told her that the Korean and Vietnamese QC units are checking on a minor offense. Until tomorrow morning we can use the chair in her yard as a lookout, that’s the deal.”

“Follow him.”

The private went with Toi inside the house. A minute later, Toi, the private, and the old woman all came out. The grandmother stared suspiciously at the three men.

“Am I to stand duty with no dinner?” the private asked.

“Ah, I forgot. There are some beef ribs.”

Yong Kyu went back to the Jeep and brought a grease-stained brown bag.

“There’s plenty, share it with the granny. As for the report, go to the checkpoint back there and make your call.”

“I understand.”

Toi said something else to the old woman and then made a polite bow. Yong Kyu and Toi went back to the checkpoint on Puohung Street.

“Why this sudden check on them?” Toi asked.

“When the yarn is tangled, you can’t pull out a strand. This is to straighten the channels.”

“I don’t get it.”

“The US side is hot and bothered. The Hong Kong Group’s been meddling all around and so the channels are messed up, that’s the story.”

“What are they dealing?”

“Cigarettes and beer.”

“If that’s all, isn’t it pretty easy?”

“Korean beer is moving in volume.”

“Ah, so it’s swapping favors.”

“Get it now?”

“Cao must be pissed off, it’s like snatching his customers.”

“We’re trying to make the Hong Kong Group keep their hands off the beer.”

“Are you going to dry up the supply of Korean beer to the market?”

“Not exactly. We like having more of our beer out on the streets here. It’s not military policy, though. Just a bright idea of some of the individuals among us who want a better cut.”

“What’s that like for us, though? Get killed, maimed, and buy other people’s beer?”

“It’s the same money, after all. The money used to buy our beer comes from the US forces anyway.”

“Then who’s going to handle marketing of Korean beer?”

“Well, it’s not decided yet. I’d like the chief sergeant and Colonel Cao to be in charge, though.”

“Cao has his own channels.”

“He can always change.”

Toi chuckled. “This is not something I should meddle with, but don’t you think the Americans will be upset?”

“To even things up, we’ll be upset, too. Toi, do you think we’re out in the Le Loi market only to spring a leak from the Turen supply warehouse? That’s just a side job. First, we have to have inside details on the US activities, and then get information on the suppliers of the NLF as well as your own government forces.”

“A large quantity of weapons is being traded.”

“I know. But that’s for later. First, we must find out who’s dealing in A-rations.”

“How come?”

“Those who eat that stuff are the same ones who sell arms.”

Chuckling again, Toi said, “Hey, wake up, you passed the checkpoint, this is Doc Lap.”

“Right, let’s turn around.” Yong Kyu made a U-turn at the intersection.

Toi said, “The economic section on the US side is moving their fresh fruits and vegetables out into the market before they go bad. With traffic out of the city cut off, the people of Da Nang have no choice but to buy California onions for twice or three times the price of those grown nearby. Same with potatoes and cabbage. The money is then used to pay wages for Vietnamese laborers or for military services. And here you are, selling beer . . .”

“There’s not a single Japanese soldier here, but the PX warehouses are bursting with their appliances. And what we’re trying to sell is some beer our privates are too poor to buy.”

“Very well. I’m your assistant, after all. When you arrest the Hong Kong Group, are you planning to chase them out of the country?”

“No. We’re just going to limit their dealing to PX luxury goods. They can buy refrigerators, TVs, electric fans, cameras, and the like and resell them in the black market.”

“I see your plan is to dump them on us.”

“Right. Whether I get lost from here or just forgotten, in the end that’s a problem for you to solve.”

“Here we are.”

“Listen, they’ll present the ID of the chief sergeant. Don’t give it back, just hang on to it.”

“Won’t they be suspicious,” Toi asked as he got down from the Jeep.

“Tell them it’ll take time to check it out and they can pick it up next time they go out.”

“I photograph them, confiscate their ID, let them pass through, and then I head back to the main office?”

“No, drop by the Dragon Palace and see Pointer before you return. If you’ve got nothing better to do, come down to the pier. I’ll be on stakeout there tonight.”

Toi waved to Yong Kyu with a knowing gesture, and the latter drove on back to the Dragon Palace Restaurant.

At 17:10 a phone call came from the air force PX with the message that the vehicle had left. The man on duty asked what he should do next and the captain ordered him to return to the Grand Hotel. In the truck were the man called Pig and a driver, and the cargo was Salem cigarettes. At 17:25, they got a call from Toi. The captain handed the receiver to Yong Kyu.

“Sergeant Ahn speaking.”

“The vehicle’s just come through. I took the picture. The ID is in my possession.”

“Well done. You’re done for the day.”

“When does your duty on the pier start?”

Fifteen minutes later there was a third call. It was from the private.

“They’ve gone into the house. The number of the brigade vehicle was confirmed, too.”

“Good work, keep it up. When the truck leaves the house, call me again from the checkpoint and then go back to your lookout post. Everything going all right there?”

“Yes, sir. The family offered me dinner. The man of the house came home, and it looks like he’s a schoolteacher. They gave me a poncho to use. Am I to stay there all night and keep reporting to the Dragon Palace?”

“Yes. The sergeant will be there until morning.”

“The phone calls make it inconvenient.”

“Don’t worry. Once the truck’s gone, we know the destination, a bit of a delay won’t matter. Tomorrow morning we’ll all be coming to that house.”

“I understand, sir.”

Yong Kyu reported to the captain.

“Now, we’ve got that operation under control,” the captain said to the sergeant. “I’m heading out, so call me at the hotel when the job’s done. Give Sergeant Ahn a lift to the pier and then take the guy from the marine PX over to the supply warehouse.”

“If the evidence is solid down at the pier I’ll make an immediate arrest, sir,” said Yong Kyu. The captain nodded.

“Right. A Vietnamese worker, if not the Pig himself, will show up. Take them straight to the police station and lock them up. Tomorrow morning at six, we’ll go and wake up the so-called chairman, Pak.”