“You’ve lost weight,” he said.
“Morning runs to stay in shape and light rations while dining alone.”
Jin had a slim, slightly muscular figure. Her straight black hair was worn short, highlighting her lean face and dark, probing eyes.
After she gave Polk a long kiss, she said, “I can’t believe they let you out.”
“Free at last, thanks to my new favorite words—‘early release.’ Apparently all that good behavior inside paid off.” They put their arms around each other and walked toward the car. “Thanks for coming to meet me,” he said. “I’ll be glad to get home . . . wherever that is.”
“You may not like our flat much better than your cell. It’s the size of a birdhouse.”
“As long as you are there, it will feel like a palace.” They stopped as they approached the car. “Have you been managing all right?”
“The money’s been tough, I won’t lie. No one wants to hire an ex-con who’s sold out their government. I’ve found some freelance translation work, but it barely covers the bills.”
“No support from our old patron?”
She shook her head. “Not a word.”
“Some thanks. Well, I’ve got an old mate who left the service and started a small business. Maybe he’ll give me some work until we sort things out.” He patted the hood of the car. “Mind if I drive? I kind of missed it.”
Before she could pass over the car keys, a limousine pulled into the lot and slowly cruised toward them.
“Now, that’s how to depart the joint in style,” Polk said.
To Jin’s surprise, it stopped right in front of them. The chauffeur got out and opened the rear door for a man in a tailored pin-striped suit. An attorney for sure. Jin had seen enough in her life to spot one instantly.
He held out a card. “Mr. Polk and Ms. Jin, I’m William Campbell.”
He didn’t ask if that was who they were. He knew.
“What’s this about?” Polk asked as he took the card.
“I represent the estate of Lu Yang. Would you please join me?” He gestured for them to get in the limo.
“Did you say ‘the estate’ of Lu Yang?” Jin asked.
“Yes. I’m afraid he recently passed.”
Jin and Polk looked at each other in surprise.
“I’m afraid I can’t discuss any details here,” Campbell said. “But I can assure you that this does not concern any of your criminal matters. In fact, I believe you will find the reason for our meeting most beneficial.”
Jin looked at her battered truck, and Campbell said, “If you like, we can have your vehicle towed to a car lot for sale. When our business is concluded, you will no longer need it. Alternatively, you may drive to our offices on your own, but I think you will find the limousine more comfortable.”
Jin and Polk looked around. Their past dealings with Lu Yang had always been highly secretive, and always through a third party. Sending a limo to pick them up, in front of a prison no less, was highly out of character. But then again, the man was now dead.
Jin and Polk climbed into the limo, settling into the luxurious leather seats across from Campbell.
As it drove off, Polk leaned over and asked his wife, “Did you know Lu Yang was ill?”
She shook her head. For ten years, her mother had been married to the Chinese tech mogul, though he didn’t come into his extreme wealth until after they’d divorced. Jin’s ex-stepfather had taken care of her mother, though, and supported Jin from afar, grooming her skills until he could put them to use for his benefit.
“When did he die?” Jin asked Campbell.
“He tragically passed away just a few days ago. More will be explained to you both when we reach Melbourne.”
Jin glanced at Polk and saw a hopeful gaze in his eyes. He knew just as well as she did what that meant.
They were going to a reading of her stepfather’s will.
It took thirty minutes to reach downtown Melbourne, where they stopped in front of one of its glistening towers. An elevator whisked them to the fiftieth floor. Campbell ushered them into a posh conference room, where they had an expansive view of the city skyline. He pushed a button, and wall panels folded back to reveal a huge TV.
“Please,” Campbell said, indicating chairs along the mahogany conference table. A silver pitcher of ice water and some glasses had been set out for them. He handed Jin a remote and a sealed envelope with her name on it. “Once I leave the room, just press play. You’ll be asked for a code, which is contained in that envelope.”
“You’re not reading his will?” Polk asked.
“I’m afraid not. The video will explain everything.”
He nodded and closed the door behind him as he left.
Polk turned to his wife and said, “What’s going on here?”
“Let’s find out.” Jin opened the envelope and found a note card with nothing on it but a sixteen-digit number written by hand. She pressed PLAY on the remote and was prompted to enter the code.
When she did, an image of an elegant office came on the screen. At the center of the screen, seated at a desk, was Lu Yang. Jin felt her breath catch at seeing him, but she quickly saw that he was no longer the stern and strong disciplinarian she remembered.
Instead, his eyes were sunken, his hair was stringy, and the hands tented on the desk were skeletal.
“Hello, April,” Lu said in English with a soft Shanghai accent, sending a jolt down her spine. “Mr. Polk, you must be there, too, as I’d required. We never met in person, but my name is Lu Yang. As you know by now, I am dead.”
Jin reached for Polk’s hand to steady herself.
“I realize the past few years have been difficult for you both, on account of a breach in security that was not of your doing. As you know, one of our operatives turned informant to the Australian Federal Police. He was eliminated before revealing the full extent of my operations in the country, but regrettably disclosed your respective data-gathering activities in the military’s defense technology and intelligence arenas. Up till now, it has forced me to sever communications between us, for everyone’s security. While you may have felt abandoned, that was not actually the case. Your defense attorneys were the best in the land, paid at my expense. And your respective early releases were no fluke. Let’s just say that several members of the parole review board are sitting on thicker wallets today. But that is all in the past. Today, I need you, April. You and your husband are the only ones I can count on to carry out my last wishes.”
“You’re asking a lot, after what we’ve been through,” Jin muttered.