Tutoring a Recalcitrant Pupil
Chapter 17
It wasn’t only Albert Wu who was furious about the theft, but Kris Amar as well. He blamed Wu for sloppy tradecraft and the loss of thousands of dollars. How could have Wu been so damn careless and stupid with their money?
Things needed to quickly change and change for the better. The cops hadn’t discovered their mode of shipping the product south, but obviously someone had and that greatly bothered Kris. He thought it high time to call for help in the form of his powerful, knowledgeable informant and protector in Chiang Mai. Allah knew he’d been generously compensated for his work thus far.
And now it was time to call in his markers. Kris badly wanted several things from him. The first was to sort out the problem with the transportation of the product to Bangkok. He didn’t want a repeat performance of what had transpired at the bus terminal in Nakhon. He needed his friend’s expertise to set up a more secure method of shipping and to establish operational security measures to go along with it. The second thing was to teach Albert Wu a business lesson he’d never forget and, lastly and most importantly, to sort out the problem of Dick Avery—permanently.
Kris heard from him the following day and found out he was already in Nong Khai staying at a safe-house in the city. Kris felt better knowing the guy would do the right things concerning his twin problems. He was an avaricious son-of-a-bitch, but very good at what Kris paid him for, actionable intelligence and the occasional piece of wet-work. And the information and killings were both first-rate in his opinion!
***
He thought Albert Wu was a savvy, pragmatic businessman and he was in most respects. However, botching the shipment was unforgivable in his opinion, amateurish to say the least. Albert had become complacent, too damn smug for his own good. He needed to be taught a lesson in humility he’d always remember and that’s just what Amar had ordered. He was the instrument to administer the punishment for Wu’s screw-up the other night, but Albert would thank him later for his kindness. Not so the courier who’d died a gruesome death at his hands. Albert Wu would live to continue the trade, although with a better attitude and by paying more attention to his responsibilities. It was nothing personal, he thought, just business as usual.
Wu had just locked the front door to the mortuary when he heard the knock. He peered out the peephole, smiling as he let the man enter. He knew him well and implicitly trusted him.
“Ah, it’s good to see you my friend, but I wasn’t expecting you. Is there a problem?”
He immediately struck Albert in the face, causing him to fall to the floor and writhe in pain. The man then picked Albert up by his arms and dragged him to a metal chair, securing his hands and legs with flex cuffs.
“Why are you doing this,” Albert screamed through his pain. “Why? I thought we were on the same side or did you turn on us and go back to the self righteous, Boy Scout ways, G-Man?”
“Relax Wu, this shouldn’t take too long. This is an object lesson and not-so subtle message from Amar. It’s a simple one. You need to get your shit together in the future if you want to continue doing business with us. You were careless and lost money for all of us. If you don’t learn from this little exercise in pain, my next visit won’t be so pleasant. I hope you understand that this is merely a necessary reminder.”
The man removed a device from his sports coat pocket. It was a small Hotshot brand stun gun and he set the amperage to high, not enough to kill, but more than sufficient to deliver an excruciating jolt of electricity.
Wu started crying, knowing what it was and what was in store for him. He was frightened and his tears flowed freely down his cheeks.
“Please, please don’t,” he cried. “It’s not needed. I know I was lax in terms of security precautions and it won’t happen again. I’ve learned my lesson. This isn’t necessary.” His pleas fell on the unsympathetic ears of the man standing in front of him.
“Hold out both your wrists Wu and let’s get this over with. I haven’t had dinner yet and I’m hungry.”
Wu did as ordered, realizing he had no choice other than to comply. His high pitched screams filled the room and likely heard by the next door neighbors. But they wouldn’t pay any attention or call the police, believing a dutiful husband was beating his unfaithful or impudent wife. It really didn’t matter which or why.
For the next five minutes, the man applied the device’s two electrodes to Wu’s forearms, shocking them repeatedly until Albert fainted.
The man cut the flex cuffs and left Wu slumped in the chair. He turned off the lights and wished Albert a good night, smirking as he did. One down and one more chore to go, he thought while closing the door behind him. His bucket list was almost empty.
He needed to get home tomorrow because it was his Thai girlfriend’s birthday. If he missed it, he’d have holy hell to pay. If he missed it, there would be another sapphire bracelet on her lovely wrist too. Sometimes he thought she was getting to be too high maintenance, but the amazing things she did in bed more than compensated for the expensive baubles.
***
Amar felt a bit sorry for Wu when he got the report, but not too much. He thought the bastard got what he deserved. Human empathy was not one of his hallmarks. The small burn marks from the stun gun would fade with time and he’d be none the worse for wear. He’d never fully forget or forgive Amar for the lesson, but that was okay. He didn’t believe Wu would report the incident to the cops for two very obvious reasons: he was up to his neck in the trafficking operation and he’d be a dead man walking, if he did. Kris thought Wu was salvageable, still someone to be trusted and still an important link in the supply chain—at least for now. However, he had to plan for all exigencies so perhaps he might have to permanently retire Albert Wu at some point. After all, everyone understood it was a cutthroat business, Kris mused while laughing out loud at his sharp, cutting punning.