The Blasphemer: The Complete Novel by John Ling

Author:John Ling
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Spy Novels, CIA novels, Terrorism Novels, Political Thrillers Series, Vigilante Series, Best Psychological Thrillers, Mystery Series, Crime Thrillers, Private Investigator Series, Private Detective Novels, Thrillers and Mysteries Best Sellers, Thrillers 100 Must Reads, Thriller Detective Series, Terrorism Novels, Technothriller Novels, International Mystery Thriller and Suspense Series, technothrillers, espionage and spy thrillers, pulp thrillers, political thrillers
Publisher: Kia Kaha Press
Published: 2013-06-27T04:00:00+00:00

29

Adam’s informant was a beady-eyed man named Tong Kok Tai. A drug pusher looking to score and make his way up in the methamphetamine trade.

They met in a Chinese restaurant where the crowd was thick and noisy. The clamour suited Adam just fine – covert microphones would have a hell of a time picking up on their conversation.

‘Khat,’ Tong said, gripping his tiny cup with two fingers as he sipped his green tea. ‘The khat business is proving problematic.’

Adam nodded and sipped his tea as well. He knew exactly what Tong was getting at. Khat was a psychotropic drug native to the Horn of Africa. Slowly but surely, it was spreading its tendrils in New Zealand, particularly down south in Hamilton.

‘Are the Somalis rocking your boat?’ Adam asked. ‘Is that it?’

Tong snorted. ‘They are very clannish. Very insular. They prefer to buy from their own, and they only insist on khat. Never anything else. Despite that, I have made some inroads with them. I have had some success. But...’

Tong stopped himself as a waitress approached their table, wheeling a dim sum cart stacked with steaming bamboo baskets. It smelled real good. Tong smiled and selected the prawn dumplings. Adam smiled and selected the pork. The waitress served them and moved on.

Adam’s smile tightened and fell. ‘You were saying...?’

Tong tilted his head to one side. ‘Yes, well, my success has been cut short. There’s a new mover and shaker on the scene. An outsider just like me. Only he peddles khat that’s purer and stronger than mine. My guess? It’s not natural.’

‘Pharmaceutically enhanced, you mean.’

‘Yes, I’ve been trying to source it, but I get nowhere. Bah, that’s not the least of it. What really puzzles me is the strange way this new player goes about things.’

‘Strange? How?’

‘He doesn’t just ask for money in return for supplying khat to Somalis. He also asks for favours.’

‘What kind of favours?’

‘I don’t know. As I said, the Somalis are insular.’

‘Would these favours happen to involve their unique skill sets?’

‘Eh?’

‘They’re refugees, and they’ve seen hell in Somalia. So they’re self-taught survivors. They know their way around guns, around knives.’

‘Well, it’s possible. Entirely possible.’

‘I need a name, Tong.’

‘I don’t know that either.’ Tong popped a dumpling into his mouth and chewed hard. ‘But this I do know. If you could locate this player and, well, convince him to leave the business, I would be most grateful. In future, I might even consider extending our relationship. Do you understand what I mean?’

Adam mirrored Tong, popping a dumpling into his mouth, chewing. Yes, of course he understood. This was guanxi – the Chinese custom of maintaining and strengthening connections. Maya had given him a crash course on it not too long ago.

I scratch your back, and you scratch mine.

A part of him wasn’t particularly hot on the idea of associating with drug pushers, but he had long ago learned that drug pushers were the best informants. Simply put, they made it their business to sink their claws into everyone else’s business.

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