A Corpse in the Koryo

5

"Trust," said Kang. "A wonderful thing, in short supply. You trust me.

I trust you."

"And then you put a knife in my ribs."

Kang stared at me. Amusement might have passed over his face, only it moved too fast for me to be sure. "Knives are not my style, Inspector.

In any case, at the moment we are in this lovely tearoom." He stood up and began examining the flowers at each table. There weren't many, but it was a nice touch. Kang did not seem moved by the artistry of the scene. Very deliberately, he lifted each vase, peered at its base, and then felt around the edges. When he put down a vase, he arranged the flowers again.

The girl came in with the tea and a cup of coffee. She glanced at me, then at Kang, then walked a few steps to the rear of the room where she had a book waiting on the counter. She pulled her hair back into a bun to keep it out of her eyes, took a sip of tea, and propped the book open, resting it against a bowl filled with polished stones. All of this was part of a routine; I could tell she did it every morning. I can't read a word of French, but I know it when I see it. The title along the book's spine was in French.

"Nice place," I said, and nodded toward the girl. "Very cultured."

Kang gave me a level gaze. "My daughter. My eldest daughter." The teacup was halfway to my mouth. I put it down slowly, but even so it rattled slightly when it reached the table.

Kang's face lit up. "Surprised?"

"That you should have such a nice-looking daughter?"

"Or that she is here and not in the capital?" Kang drank his coffee in three swallows and smacked his lips. "Strong, good and strong. Made the way it should be."

"Not a lot of coffee around," I said carefully.

"You'd be amazed, Inspector. This is a border town. Lots of things here will amaze you. Actually, this isn't really Manpo. That's down the road a bit. It's crooked in its own way, but nothing like this. This is a new town, Sinmanpo. Lots of activity."

"Never heard of it."

"It doesn't exist, officially. There's no such place in the administrative records. No official police presence. Everyone wants some of the action, especially the army. Every security agency is watching every other agency to make sure no one gets too far in front. As far as your ministry is concerned, this place might as well be on the moon. The regional police know better than to venture over here, even when they drive up for their regular patrols through Manpo. That's why the girls in the leather boots are so bold. They don't worry about police."

"And at the train station?"

"People don't look at each other. It's neutral ground."

"Nice place to live, I suppose, as long as you stay out of jeeps." I didn't know if Kang would tell me why his daughter was here. If it was a family matter, it was none of my business. If it was a political problem, then it was his business and I didn't want to know.

"She asked to come here."

"Here?" I felt a twinge in my back and thought of the old man at the train station.

Kang ran his finger around the rim of his coffee cup. "She said life in the capital was dull and too political. Three years ago, when they asked for volunteers to move out, she put in her name. She didn't ask my advice, but I told her not to do it. She said it was for her to decide, and anyway, she added dryly, it was the Fatherland's wish. You know the funny thing?"

"You're golden."

Kang folded his well-manicured hands. "I think I like you, Inspector.

Yes, it got into my file that even though I am a ranking cadre, I volunteered my daughter to leave the comforts of Pyongyang for the hardship of the border. Of course, my enemies say it was my way of insulting…"

"You mean Colonel Kim?"

"Among others. He has to stand in line, though he'd like to think he's at the front and gets the first shot at me."

"You see her often, your daughter?"

"No. Once, maybe twice a year. Actually, she seems to be doing well." He paused. "You don't know how to get your hands on some books in French, do you?"

"Pleasant place," I looked around the room. "The flowers are a nice touch."

Kang nodded. "Those are my idea. I told her flowers make it like a mountain cottage. Especially those tiny purple ones. People relax around purple, don't ask me why."

"What about the tables?"

"Figured you'd ask. They are made out of wood from old Chinese chests. Who knows how old. Someone said Ming," Kang shrugged, "but I doubt it."

"You said you needed my help. Alright, how?"

"I'm not sure." He said it simply, like it was a completely natural answer to my question.

"You drag me all the way up here, and you're not sure? Are you crazy? I was knocked out last night, my back is killing me, and I nearly got machine-gunned a few minutes ago. If I hadn't been limping along, I wouldn't be here now."

"I was going to apologize for last night. But if it saved your life today, I'll keep the sentiment for another time."

"You knocked me on the head? You are crazy."

"No, not me. You were arguing in front of the station, and it was attracting attention. Another minute or so, a security monkey would have come up and started asking questions. I had to get you to the Manpo Inn.

"The sign out front says it's the New Manpo Inn."

"That so? I'll make a note of it. The thing is, you weren't taking the old man's hint." Kang absently rearranged the flowers in the vase. "So one of my people had to improvise. We didn't exactly have time to plan this whole thing down to the rat's whiskers, you know. I told you in Kanggye, I've lost people up here. That means I'm shorthanded. I needed someone with no profile to fill in. You're smart. I've checked. In case you haven't realized by now, I've been watching you, Inspector.

For quite a while."

A jeep hurried past, and there was angry shouting outside. Kang leapt up from the table. "Time to go."

"My tea." I pointed to my cup, still full.

"Never mind, lots of it around." Kang grabbed my arm and pulled me toward the door with one hand, unbuttoning his shoulder holster with the other. As we stepped out into the street, there was a single pistol shot from the direction of the Manpo Inn. Kang paused a moment, then buttoned his holster again. "I've got an errand to run. You poke around, get the feel of the place, figure out an escape route if it comes to that."

"Comes to what?"

"You saw what happened to that jeep. We're okay for now, but they saw you with me, so they need to figure out who you might be. You didn't register at the hotel, did you?"

"I was carried in unconscious, if you'll recall."

"Alright, keep that profile. Low, not unconscious. Don't attract any extra attention. Tell people you're from Wonsan or some damned place on the east coast. If they ask, which they won't, say you're here to meet a shipment of seafood bound for Chinese stomachs. Happens all the time. Friday is fish day, when the trucks go across the border next, so that gives you some excuse for loitering."

It didn't sound very convincing to me. "Why would anyone ship fish from here, when there's a good road up the coast?"

Kang put his arm around my shoulder. "In the space of forty-five minutes, you've heard gunfire twice. That tell you anything? And just so you know, the road up the coast is bad in most places. Don't you people ever get out of the capital?"

"Okay, I deal in fish."

"Good." He stepped back and looked at my clothes. "Not flashy enough for Wonsan. You look like every hack from the capital, but it'll have to do." He frowned. "Improvisation."

"I'm smuggling fish, not starring in a movie."

"You're staying alive, if you can. This is Manpo, remember? What are you getting in return for the fish?"

My back whimpered. I didn't want to get knocked out anymore. I'd be laid up for a week, swallowing warm beer, eating black bread with blueberry jam, and looking at blue buttons on that white blouse.

Maybe I'd learn the words of a Finnish song or tap into a regular source of Finnish vodka, but it still didn't seem worth the trouble.

"I don't know, what do I get?" But I was talking to myself. Kang was gone. The door of the teahouse locked behind me with the grim heavy sound of steel wrapping itself in steel. All of a sudden, I couldn't think of the name of a single fish. Well, trout, maybe, but who knows if that really qualifies as seafood.