Chapter Thirty-six
On my previous visit to No Jung-jong's office I'd noticed a tea and snack bar a few yards from his building. It was frequented by the porters from the market when the bars were closed. Relying on my guess that No Jung-jong would come out at some time to fill his flask and purchase lunch, I stepped into the doorway of a warehouse facing his office block. I had half an hour's wait; then he came out with his flask tucked under one arm.
I watched him go into the tea shop, then I hurried across the street, into his office building, and swiftly along the dingy passage to his office. If he had locked his door my visit would lose an important asset - the element of surprise. But my luck held. I slid inside the room, and closed the door behind me.
I went over to No Jung-jong's chair, unwrapped the chronometer and placed it in the centre of the desk. Then I reversed the chair, straddled it, took out the pistol and laid it beside the chronometer, ready to hand.
Presently I heard heavy footsteps coming along the passage. Grunting to himself, No Jung-jong entered the room and closed the door, apparently preoccupied with the newspaper he was reading.
As he turned it was the chronometer which first caught his eye. He froze, staring at it for a moment, then his eyes slowly travelled to the gun I was pointing at him. With a crash the flask slipped from his arm to the floor.
'Good morning, Mr No Jung-jong', I said cheerfully. 'Picking a winner for the four-nineteen?'
The newspaper slid from his grasp. 'Moon!' He ran his tongue across his lips.
'What are you doing here?' His voice was hoarse, almost choked.
'Returning your chronometer', I said.
Without taking his eyes from my face he pushed the flask aside with one foot.
'Why?'
'Our last little talk ended rather abruptly; before we got around to discussing the chronometer'. I smiled. 'I thought it might be a good idea if we had a more friendly chat about it'.
'I see', he said, glaring at the gun.
'Don't get any wild ideas, No Jung-jong', I warned him, making a show of tightening my finger on the trigger. 'Not that I'd shoot to kill - but I can pick my spot at this distance'.
He winced. 'What is it you want?' he gulped at last.
'That's more like it!' I said affably, waving the gun towards the chair in front of the desk. 'Sit down'.
He slumped into the chair and put a packet of rice cakes on the desk. 'Do you mind if I eat a cake?' he asked, beginning to tear off the paper.
'Go ahead', I nodded. 'We'll skip the tea this morning'.
He looked at me sourly for a moment, obviously recalling the use to which I'd put the scalding tea at our last meeting; then he pushed the cakes across to me with a sudden gesture. 'Very nice - freshly cut'.
I shook my head. 'Now, No Jung-jong, about this chronometer. You were waiting for me to say something the other day when you produced it, weren't you?'
He picked up a cake. 'Was I?' he said eagerly. 'Then why didn't you?'
'You didn't give me much time, did you, before pulling a gun on me?'
'You never know who anyone is these days. It might have been a hold-up'. He took a large bite. 'How did I know you weren't going to stick me up then - like you're doing now, Moon?'
'Oh, it wasn't my day for carrying a gun. I hadn't any diamonds to protect then'.
He considered this for a few moments as he chewed noisily. 'You have now?' he asked tentatively.
I drew the jeweller's case from my pocket, pressed the catch, and displayed the two stones. No Jung-jong's eyes bulged.
He wiped the back of his hand across his mouth. 'May I examine them, Mr Moon?' He half rose and reached across the desk.
I kept my hand on the case and smacked his arm down with the gun. 'Keep your hands to your side of the desk, No Jung-jong!''Could you pass me my jeweller's eye-glass?' he begged. 'Second drawer down'. I found it and slid it over to him.
He screwed it in his eye and examined the two diamonds expertly. 'What do you want for them?' he asked eventually, taking the glass from his eye.
'Not a middle-man's price. But I'll do a deal with your boss'.
His expression changed. 'Who said I had a boss?'
'Doyle'.
He brought the half-eaten cake to his mouth, then slowly lowered it and replaced it in the packet. 'Are you a friend of Doyle's?'
'I knew him in America', I said glibly. 'We were once in business together'.
'What sort of business?'
'We won't go into details', I replied crisply. 'I lost tough with him for several years. Then I bumped into him a week ago in Shanghai. We had a night out'. I shook my head. 'Doyle never could hold his liquor. He got a bit talkative'.
No Jung-jong smoothed the sandy hair across his bald head. 'Talkative about what?'
'His present line of business. Of course, we'd been very closely associated in America, so he didn't hold much back'.
'I always said that bloody big mouth of his meant trouble!' No Jung-jong scowled down at the diamonds. 'Well, let's have it!'
'He started off by telling me he was smuggling stuff over here from the North', I said, surprised to find how easily the lies rolled out once I'd warmed up.
'After a couple more drinks he really spilled the beans. He said he had a very nice little diamond smuggling racket, and he went on to boast about the size of the organisation he was working for; and the foolproof code system they used'.
'So that's where you picked it all up', No Jung-jong muttered, obviously impressed by my carefully devised story. 'We wondered how you got on to the auction catalogue and the code words'.
'So you had a Board meeting about me, did you?' I suggested with a laugh.
'Which of the directors were present, besides you and the Chairman?'
'You're not in a bar with a drunk now, Mr Moon', No Jung-jong said. 'I'm not Doyle. So don't think you can kid me into dropping names'.
'Well, I'll drop just one name', I said. 'Bae Yeon-seok. He's the boss of your organisation'.
'Doyle!' No Jung-jong spat out the name with contempt. 'The loose– tongued bastard!' He prodded the diamonds with a fleshy finger. 'So now you're onto the set-up and you want us to buy these? We'll have to know where you got them, first'.
'I got them from Doyle'.
His jaw dropped. 'He sold them to you?'
'No'. I paused, then adopted a confidential tone. 'I'm going to be frank with you, No Jung-jong. I've an idea that Bae isn't playing quite square with you'.
'He'd better not try any tricks', he began angrily; then, more guardedly:
'What do you mean?''Have you ever heard of a girl called Kim Su-mi?' I asked, watching him closely. His stare, as he shook his head, was too mystified not to be genuine, so I continued. 'I met her in Shanghai. She was on friendly terms with Doyle. When I returned to Seoul she invited me to her apartment for a drink. I went to her apartment but no one answered the doorbell. Just as I was about to leave .' I frowned at him. 'You won't believe this, No Jung-jong .'
'Well, give me the chance', he said irritably. 'Go on .'
'As I was turning away from the door someone slipped a key under it. I picked it up and let myself into the apartment. It was empty, except for a body lying on the floor of the living room'.
He moistened his lips. 'Doyle's?'
I nodded. 'His head was battered in. He'd been murdered. Remembering what he'd told me about being mixed up with the North Korean blood diamonds I knew his killing must be connected with it. Then I remembered that back in the States he used to smuggle heroin across the Mexican border in a cigar holder. I thought he might be using the same method to smuggle diamonds. His cigar- holder wasn't on him, but just as I was leaving the apartment I spotted it lying in the fireplace'. I pointed the gun at the diamonds on No Jung-jong's desk. 'Those were in the cigar-holder'.
No Jung-jong breathed heavily, his face flabby and moist with fear. 'You think Bae .?'
'That's anybody's guess', I said. 'But if he did, he didn't get the diamonds'.
No Jung-jong pressed a hand to his stomach. Through an obvious spasm of pain he muttered: 'What's the next move, Moon?'
'You'll get in touch with Bae. Tell him I have the diamonds and I'm prepared to do a deal - and no questions asked. I'll be in my apartment from seven o'clock tonight'. I reached over, closed the jewel case, picked it up, and put it in my pocket. 'And you might mention also that I haven't as trusting a disposition as Doyle had'.
I rose and backed to the door. 'I'm sorry to have interrupted your tea break, No Jung-jong'.
In the passage, with the door closed behind me, I dropped the gun into my pocket and hurried down to the street.
As I was looking for a taxi, a horn honked imperatively and I glanced back to see I'm leaning out of the open door of his car. I went back and opened the far side door.
'The get-away car', I'm explained, grinning. 'Just in case you had to take a pot at No Jung-jong and make a dash for it. I expect you need a drink now. We'll go round to the Crescent Moon; they should be open by this time'.