Chapter Thirty-nine
It was ten past eleven when I arrived at the rendezvous. I was deliberately late because I wanted No Jung-jong to be first on the scene. If he were alone I'd decided that I would drive straight past him. He might well be the decoy to get me out of my car, leaving me wide open to attack; and I thought it unlikely that Bae, as head of an international organisation, would move around without a substantial bodyguard. I had my pistol with me, of course, but had no intention of using it except as a last resort. Attracting half a dozen police cars was definitely not on my agenda.
As it turned out, all my plans were wasted. No reception committee waited to greet me; the decoy was nowhere to be seen. Parking my car as close as possible to the street lights, I switched off the car lights, made sure the car doors were locked, and waited for events to catch up with me.
It was a moonless night, with a trace of mist. Ideal, in fact, for any unpleasantness. I lit a cigarette and sat back, regretting that I hadn't filled a flask with whisky. Not that I was bored; I was constantly on the alert, and each time the headlamps of a car loomed up I kept carefully out of sight. I remembered the technique they'd used on Zhong and was taking no chances.
While I was waiting I contemplated my talk with Yun. Even making allowances for his jealous imaginings, it seemed fairly likely that the name Kong So-ra had mentioned on the telephone was Bae's. What was less certain was that she'd been talking to Su-mi.
I stubbed out my third cigarette. It seemed I'd been too clever in my calculations. It looked as though No Jung-jong and his associates had decided I didn't intend tokeep the appointment and had taken themselves off before I arrived. Vaguely disappointed at having been denied any excitement I switched on the headlights and started the car.
I hadn't driven more than a few hundred yards before I saw the light of a torch being waved in the car park ahead. I slowed down, anticipating a trick. Then my headlamps caught the figure of a man leaning on a moped. He was wearing the squat hat, green jacket, and breeches of a Park Warden. I pulled up beside him, lowering the car window just sufficiently to ask what the trouble was.
'It's a man lying back there in the bushes', the Warden told me. 'He's in a bad way - otherwise I wouldn't have stopped you'.
'What is it - a hit and run case?' I said. 'He looked more like he's been beaten up, sir', the Warden said grimly. 'He needs hospital attention right away'.
I considered this for a moment, then said: 'I'll pull in to the side of the road, Warden. Then we'll go and look at him. If he's not too badly hurt perhaps I could drive him down to Seoul National University Hospital'.
When I'd moved my car I followed the Warden into the bushes, where a heavy figure lay on the turf, groaning, his head partly concealed by his arm. I stooped over him.
The dark hair that usually spanned the bald dome was hanging over his left ear. The full-moon face, with the broad nose swollen and discoloured, and the wary eyes no longer capable of using a jeweller's eye-glass, stared up at me.
'Moon . Is that you, Moon?' His voice was little more than a whisper.
'Now don't worry, No Jung-jong - everything's going to be all right'. I tried to sound reassuring. 'We'll get you over to my car .'
'You know him, sir?' the Warden asked incredulously. 'Funny, isn't it - you just happening to come along like that and .'
'A lucky coincidence', I said brusquely. 'Give me a hand to lift him over to my car, will you?'
No Jung-jong was a dead weight; it was like lifting a sack of flour. But we eventually had him propped up in the back seat of my car.
'Now, sir', the Warden began in an official tone, dragging a notebook from his tunic pocket. 'It's my duty to report this to the police, so I'll have both your names and addresses, if you don't mind'.
I didn't need the groan of protest from the rear seat to tell me that I should make a quick get-away. 'My friend's an ulcer case. It may be critical. I must get him to the hospital right away', I called urgently, engaging the gears. 'The hospital will give you our names. Give them a ring later. Good night, Warden. Thanks for all your help'.
'Good man, Moon', No Jung-jong muttered as we gathered speed.
'Good for you, you mean', I called back. 'He'll have the number of my car! And save whatever breath you have left till we get back to my place'.