The Two Chinatowns by Dan Mahoney

Author:Dan Mahoney
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: St. Martin's Publishing Group

Chapter 25

Goldsmith’s people took longer than Cisco and Bara would have liked, but they realized that it was another tedious affair that had to be accomplished slowly and carefully. After lunch at the PX, they were in Cisco’s room trying to decide how to amuse themselves for the rest of the afternoon. Maybe a movie at the base theater, they thought, but then Goldsmith came by with a progress report.

“Is it a murder investigation?” Bara asked.

“Looks like it.”

“How many?”

“One victim, a man named Qun Cheung. According to a friend from his village making the trip with him, Qun got on board with him off the Fukien coast, but he’s not among the passengers we have now.”

“Can this friend say with certainty what happened to Qun?” Cisco asked.

“Not with absolute certainty, but enough to give us a good circumstantial case for murder. He was staying in the same container with Qun and, apparently, Qun didn’t like getting pushed around. The crew must’ve considered him to be a complainer and a discipline problem. Beat him twice, the last time about two weeks ago.”

“Witnesses?”

“Nine, but only five of them are talking right now. That’ll change with a little more pressure, but it’ll take a little more time.”

“Nine? Was that everybody living in Qun’s container with him?”

“Yeah, and they all saw the beatings. After they had been let out for their evening session on deck, two of the crew thought Qun was a little slow getting back in. Beat him unconscious, then left him in the container for a day with the rest. Never regained consciousness, so they came and got him the next day. That was the last any of the others saw of Qun.”

“All nine of them are gonna have to corroborate that story to make a murder charge stick,” Bara said. “Can’t be giving a jury two versions of events.”

“I know, and my people are still working on them. There’re problems, but they’ll get it done.”

“Is one of the problems that the captain promised them all a free crossing next time—if they keep their mouths shut?” Cisco asked.

“First thing he did when the coast guard chopper showed up. They all know they’re going back to China, so it’s a pretty attractive offer. U.S.A. on the next boat outta China, free and clear with no snakeheads to pay.”

“Do they know the fate Fourteen K had in store for them?”

“They’ve been told they were scheduled to go overboard, and they believe.”

“So what’s our offer to get the rest of them to talk?”

“Can’t really make a concrete offer without risking prejudicing a jury, but they understand they’ll get ninety-day visas and work permits while they’re waiting to testify at the trials.”

Cisco knew that Goldsmith was right, of course. Offer people green cards to testify against the crew, and any defense attorney would present it to a jury as paid testimony and therefore very suspect. “There won’t be any trials. You’ve already given us enough to work the crew. We’ll show the captain and his boys how bad it is for them, offer them a deal, and they’ll be singing about Johnny Eng.

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