Private Beijing

Chapter 45

I made the call from the cab, and the Secretary of Defense phoned me back just as we arrived at the workers’ hostel on Changcui Road. I first encountered Eli Carver during the Moscow investigation in which I had saved his life, and then again after rescuing Joshua Floyd from Afghanistan, events which had given me special access to one of the most powerful men on earth.

“Secretary Carver,” I said as I followed Zhang Daiyu through the lobby. “Thanks for calling back so quickly.”

“One of these days I’ll persuade you to call me Eli.”

“One day...”

“I can tell today isn’t going to be that day, Jack. What can I do for you? It’s late here, so I’m guessing it’s urgent.”

“It is,” I replied. “My tech specialist says the NSA maintains back doors into all the major messaging platforms.”

“I can neither confirm nor deny that, Jack.”

“I don’t need to know, sir, but what I do need is the location of a device used to coerce one of my employees.”

“Everything okay?” he asked. “I’m told you’re in China.”

It didn’t surprise me that he knew exactly where he was calling me.

“I’m taking care of some business, sir.”

“Like Moscow?”

“It’s shaping up that way, sir.”

“Sorry to hear that.”

“So am I,” I agreed.

“Try not to raise too much hell.”

“That I can’t promise, sir.”

“Send me the number of the person being coerced and I’ll see what I can do,” Carver said.

“Thank you, sir.”

Zhang Daiyu and I had reached our room by the time I hung up.

“He’s going to do what he can,” I told her.

She unlocked the door and I followed her inside, conscious once again of just how small the place was. Zhang Daiyu was attractive and, as far as I was aware, single. And we were living in each other’s pockets. I didn’t need to continue to stay with her to make sure she was okay, as I had when we first arrived at the hostel.

“I think I’m going to see if they have another room,” I said.

“I’ll do it, Mr. Morgan,” she replied.

“It’s Jack. We’ve faced too many bullets together for ‘Mr. Morgan.’”

She smiled. “It will be easier if I try for another room, Jack.”

She left and I went into the bathroom, got undressed, and stepped into the tiny shower. The tiles were cracked and broken, and the water was on the chilly side of tepid, but it felt good. I emerged revitalized. I dried myself and got dressed, making a mental note to buy new clothes at the first opportunity.

“You don’t hum,” Zhang Daiyu said when I stepped into the room. “I was told Americans always sing or hum in the shower.”

“I have a special exemption,” I replied, toweling my hair dry.

“They don’t have any rooms available,” she revealed. “Looks like you’re stuck with me for a while.”

“We could go somewhere else,” I replied.

“The manager and I have reached an arrangement. Our stay will be handled with complete discretion. I’m paying him double the room rate and have promised a bonus if we make it out of here in one piece.”

I wasn’t thrilled with the prospect of more nights on the floor, but she was right to suggest we stay. Anywhere that could be trusted to keep our presence secret was worth an uncomfortable sleep.

I sat on the bed and put on my shoes. She leant against a rustic dresser. The shower had revived me, but I was still starving.

“What makes you do this?” she asked. “I know your background. You don’t have to work like this, exposing yourself to danger.”

“My father gave me this agency. It was nothing but a name. He wasn’t like me. He was a gambler. Destructive. He was in it to make money, but never did. Not really. I prefer to try and help people. Private is a force for good. I do this because I can.”

It was hard to tell whether she thought me brave or foolish, and I’ve often wondered about the distinction myself.

“What about you?” I asked. She’d proved herself to be brave and loyal, so I wasn’t suspicious of her anymore. I genuinely wanted to know more about her. “Why did you leave the police?”

“Politics,” she replied, and I thought for a moment she wasn’t going to go any further, but she kept talking. “I came from a small village near Dazhou in Sichuan. My father was a chicken farmer. One day some money went missing from the local market and he was accused of taking it. His life was ruined and he faced jail, but the local police inspector proved it was another man, saving my father and bringing the true criminal to justice. I wanted to be like that, but when I got to the city, I discovered it is all about politics and ambition and sometimes even corruption. I thought about returning home, but I saw Private was recruiting and your ethos and mission appealed to me.”

“I’m glad you joined,” I said.

“So am I.”

“Shall we get something to eat while we wait?” I asked, but before she could answer, my phone rang. There was no caller ID. The screen was blank.

“Hello.”

“The information you want is at one-six-seven-three-four dot com,” a man said. “It will be there for three minutes. One-six-seven-three-four.”

The line went dead and Zhang Daiyu looked at me in puzzlement.

I said, “I think Carver just gave us our suspect.”