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A car pulled up out in front of the house. The driver opened the back door of the large saloon out stepped Mr.Yin. He was dressed in a very expensive white silk suit with matching shoes. Sue Lee was sure he had a Panama hat to go with it.
“He’s good when it comes to a grand entrance,” David said with one of his mischievous grins.
“True son, but he’s also one hell of a businessman. Your uncle Yoshi was the only one who could equal him.” Bartholomew nodded to Sue Lee before going to the door to greet Mr. Yin.
“Sue Lee, I’m so sorry. Your uncle’s accident was a shock to all. If it were not for the problems in China, I would have been with you during your time of grief, forgive me,” Mr. Yin took Sue Lee’s hand with both of his.
“I understand; please sit and tell us how you escaped recently from Singapore. Did you come out the same time General MacArthur did?”
“That wonderful man saved me. The imperial army was so concentrated on catching him. We slipped through. Unfortunately, not all of us made it; sadly, we lost Mr. Han’s partner, Robert Merman, during our escape. I sent him a radiogram. It was not a suitable wedding present for Jimmy. If you’re on your way to Hawaii, please give him my condolences.” He nervously ran his hand over his bald head.
Sue Lee noticed how skillfully Mr.Yin avoided talking about Singapore cleverly; he was trying to discover her next destination.
“Okay, boys, you had Sue Lee long enough, now it’s our turn,” Alice said, coming through the door with drinks, followed by the rest of the family carrying dessert.
Sue Lee and Alice sat in comfy chairs out on the porch, away from the others eating their desserts. Sue Lee appreciated the time to chat with Alice before she left.
“I wish you had been here in April, Sue Lee. The Queen Mary arrived in Sydney, her captain was our guest for dinner. He told us he was considering moving to Sydney with his wife when he retires. She loves Australia. He liked our home with the view of the bay. You can’t take a seaman too far from the sea.”
“Your home sounds like ours. Yoshi always had visitors,” Sue Lee set her plate on the table in front of them.
“Was Mr.Yin among those guests,” Alice asked with a slight frown?
Sue Lee was surprised by the question, the body language indicating dislike.
“Yes, but only once; is there something about Mr. Yin that bothers you, Alice?” She glanced at the porch window, looking into the living room where the others sat.
“Perhaps it’s a silly woman’s intuition, but I don’t trust him,” Alice answered when footsteps were heard approaching the porch.
It was Mr.Yin. Sue Lee wondered if he heard them talking.
“I’m sorry to say my visit was too short, but I must leave. Thank you for letting me borrow your husband for a few business moments, my dear Alice. Sue Lee, do you need a lift back to the base? If so, my driver is at your disposal?” Sue Lee noticed another nervous habit of how he stroked his long black mustache.
She thanked him nicely, telling him she wanted to stay with the family a little longer. Mr. Yin bowed again, offered his gratitude, then returned through the door to continue his good-byes.
David joined them on the porch after Mr. Yin left; Sue Lee asked,” Is he one of our customers? Are we shippers for him?”
”No, he was trying to trace a shipment for the Raffles Museum in Singapore before the takeover. He wanted to know if our shipping line was involved or if we knew of any other merchants shipping for Raffles. We could not help; everything was in chaos. Ships were scrambling to get out of the port before the Japanese arrived,” David leaned backward on the lounge chair. He could have just called, but I’m sure he just wanted to meet Sue Lee, he winked.
“Who was his client,” His mother asked?
“It wasn’t his client. He was following up for the man killed, Robert Merman,” David closed his eyes, taking advantage of the quiet evening.
Sue Lee looked over at Alice; she was sure they were both thinking the same thing. Alice whispered,
“If he finds it, the museum will never see it again!”
Sue Lee didn’t know Mr.Lin, but she also felt Alice’s mistrust after this last brief meeting. Sue Lee knew the Japanese captured 130,000 men; during the fall of Singapore, they killed thousands of Chinese. How did he alone get out when all of those captured men did not?
She also knew the Japanese had a screening system. Those who survived would receive a piece of paper bearing the word examined with a square ink mark stamped on their arms. Some survived by informing on those who were loyal to the British. The faithful ones to British would then be packed into trucks shipped to the killing areas and shot.
She wondered where Mr.Yin stood.
Sue Lee knew from her uncle Yoshi that Mr.Yin had become extremely wealthy in questionable dealings in the last few years.
The family get together was coming to a close. The men were nodding off; they had to wake David. He was chosen to drive her back to the base. The Army scheduled her to leave in the morning. Everyone gathered on the porch to say good-bye, asking when she would return. Sue Lee drove away with David, with tears in her eyes. She felt she was leaving her family.
“Remember, you are always welcome,” David said after noticing the tears.
“Thank you, David,” She said, rolling her window down to enjoy the night air and dry her tears.
“You and mom have a distrust for Mr. Yin, but I want you to know the feeling is mutual. Sam and I have doubted him from the start. Dad, however, has a different opinion. He seems to think the man is brilliant. We circumvent any business dealings with him; so far, it’s been working without Dad’s knowledge.” David slowed to turn the corner.
His low-beam blackout headlights reflected off a sign that read, This Is A War Saving Street; everyone was doing their part. The Australian Government introduced a National Savings Campaign to raise money to fund the war.
“Do you know where he lives? Is he here in Melbourne?”
“No, Sam said it was Sydney; he tried asking a few questions about him in Chinatown while in Sydney, but no one volunteered any information. Sam thought it scared them.”
They arrived at the base gate. No civilian personal were allowed to proceed any further.
“Are you going to be all right walking alone to your quarter’s captain, “David teased? “
“Not unless there is a different army behind these gates, but thank you for being so concerned. Please thank everyone again for the wonderful day. My doors in San Francisco are always open to your family. Maybe when this damn war is over, you can arrange a trip. It’s been years, your mother told me since she was there.”
Good-byes were made; Sue Lee waved as he drove away. It was a short walk in the moonlight to the barracks. “It’s late, or early maybe I can catch more sleep on the plane.”