THE TWO CHINATOWNS

Chapter 4




Dinner had been delicious, although spicier than both Cisco and Sue would have preferred under normal circumstances. Then Uncle Benny had joined them for a drink before dessert, and he had proposed a toast to Sue and Cisco's first son, whenever he arrived. Cisco was in.
     By the time Uncle Benny returned to his basement office to call his sister and give her the good news, the number of patrons in the restaurant had diminished considerably. Uncle Benny had promised Cisco and Sue that he would send a large plate of his special sweet rice cakes dessert to their table, and they enjoyed another drink together while waiting for their treat.
     Sue excused herself for a visit to the ladies' room, and Cisco poured himself another cup of tea as the plate of rice cakes arrived. He was sampling the first one when the trouble arrived in the persons of two young Chinese men with slick-backed hair. If Cisco hadn't been seated facing the rear wall, he would have seen the problem. But he was unaware of their arrival as he sneaked a second bite from his rice cake.
     Johnny Chow and Nicky Chu stopped briefly at Linda's counter, and Johnny softly growled two brief commands to her. Linda recognized their uniform and quickly nodded her understanding as they brushed by her, cruised down the hall, and entered the kitchen.
     Linda could have alerted Cisco to their presence, but she didn't. Instead, frozen, she obeyed Johnny's orders and remained at the counter, absolutely quiet with her eyes on the kitchen doors.
     Inside the crowded kitchen, eight workers were busy cleaning up for the night. Johnny and Nicky pulled their pistols from their belts, and Johnny voiced a single command. They got the response they expected as all the workers stopped what they were doing and quickly raised their hands. Stark fear was apparent in all the workers' faces.
     "Yuan Chan the dishwasher, put your hands down," Nicky said in Cantonese, and Yuan Chan did.
     "Yuan Chan, you are a filthy dog who doesn't honor his obligations," Johnny announced as he approached the shaking dishwasher, a small, thin man in his thirties. Johnny raised his pistol and placed the barrel on Yuan's forehead while Nicky covered the other workers with his pistol.
     "What have you to say, you filthy dog, now that your dishonesty and ingratitude is exposed for everyone to see?" Johnny asked.
     "Please, I want to pay. I want to make up for my mistake," Yuan pleaded softly with his eyes squeezed shut.
     "Really, you say. Do you want to pay now?"
     "Yes, I do. I want to pay now, but I can't pay it all this minute."
     "How much do you have?"
     "One hundred and twenty dollars."
     "Where is it?"
     "In my sock, sir."
     Johnny backed up a step. "Give it to me."
     The dishwasher bent down, removed the folded bills from his sock, and handed them to Johnny with both hands, bowing as he did so.
     Johnny took the bills and hit Yuan on the back of the head with the gun barrel, knocking him to the ground. Then came a sharp kick to the side. "Get up, dog. Where's the rest?"
     "I have some more under my mattress," Yuan said as he pulled himself to his feet.
     "How much more?"
     "Ninety dollars, sir."
     "Then we'll get it after your punishment," Johnny said.
     "Punishment?" Yuan asked, eyes wide with fear.
     "You're old enough to know that lessons are never free," Johnny said. He lit the rear burner of the stove, grabbed the back of Yuan's shirt with his left hand, and placed the point of the pistol in Yuan's right ear.
     "Please don't," the dishwasher pleaded. "I've learned my lesson. I swear I have."
     "Shut up," Johnny growled. "If you resist in the slightest or make a sound, I pull the trigger and end your miserable existence right here and now. Understand?"
     Yuan indicated that he did by the barest nod of his head.
     Keeping his pistol firmly planted in the dishwasher's ear, Johnny pushed the top of the man's head to the fire. Despite the pain, Yuan Chan didn't make a sound as his hair burned and his flesh sizzled for a few seconds before Johnny yanked him upright. Most of the hair was gone from the top of Yuan's head, and his scalp was bright red.
     "This lesson is for every one of you," Nicky announced to Yuan Chan's coworkers. "Not a word to anyone about what you saw here. Don't force us to come back."
     The kitchen workers looked from Yuan Chan to Nicky. They understood.
     Nicky and Johnny were satisfied. They put their pistols back in their belts and covered them with their jackets.
     "Let's go get the rest of our money," Johnny said to Yuan. "There's a car waiting outside with the door open. Put a smile on your face, walk out slowly, and get in it."
     A smile was more than the dishwasher could manage under the circumstances, but Nicky and Johnny settled for the pained grimace he was able to muster.
     "Okay, go. But remember, we're right behind you," Johnny ordered.
     Sue was in the ladies' room putting the finishing strokes on her eye shadow touch-up when the disturbing odor drifted in. Burning hair, she knew, but she couldn't account for the source. The ladies' room was next to the kitchen and if there had been an accident there, she would have heard something—a shout, the sound of pans falling to the floor. Perplexed, she opened the ladies' room door as Yuan Chan passed, eyes straight ahead as if in a trance, without a glance in her direction.
     Sue saw Yuan's burned, bald scalp and immediately recognized that he was the source of the odor. Figuring that he was in shock, she took a step after him and grabbed his arm.
     Yuan took another feeble half-step forward, and Sue put her other hand on his shoulder, holding him. Yuan stopped, but kept his eyes on the front door.
     Looking past Yuan, Sue saw that Linda was at her desk, staring at her and shaking her head. Linda appeared to be terrified, giving Sue her first indication that something was wrong. Through the glass front door of the restaurant, Sue saw a car parked at the curb. The front and rear doors on the passenger's side were open and the driver was at the wheel, looking inside. He had a pistol in his hand, pointed at Linda, Yuan, and her. Then Sue heard the squeaking of the kitchen doors opening behind her, and turned her head to see the two young gangsters emerging.
     Nicky and Johnny stopped when they saw Sue holding Yuan, but only for a moment. Nicky pulled out his pistol and casually aimed it at Sue's head while Johnny put his fingers to his lips and smiled, giving Sue an unspoken command to remain silent.
     As Linda had before her, Sue immediately recognized the two for what they were and she complied, remaining still and silent as they approached her. Johnny grabbed her by the hair and pulled her back, forcing her to release her grip on Yuan. He let go of her hair, spun her by the shoulders to face him, and his smile broadened as he looked into her eyes. "Pretty girl, you're too nosy for your own good," he said in Cantonese.
     Sue was afraid, but thought she was in control of her emotions and thinking clearly. As Johnny stared into her eyes, she noticed that she was taller than the young gangster and, for some reason, that gave her some small comfort. Then Johnny grabbed her head with both hands, stood on his toes, and gave her a quick kiss on her lips. He let go of her and stepped back, looking smug for the brief moment it took Sue to slap him across the face.
     Sue was even more surprised at her action than Johnny was. His smile vanished, and he rubbed his reddened cheek as Sue stared down at her stinging hand in shock and uncomprehending fear.
     Johnny suddenly punched her in the chest, propelling her violently backward. Her back struck the men's room door, the latch gave, and she went through it, landing on her back on the tile floor in the empty, darkened room. She wanted to scream, but found she couldn't. Johnny's punch had knocked the wind out of her and had snapped something in her chest. Her vision was clouding as she struggled to breathe.
     Nicky looked to Johnny for guidance, and Johnny nodded. Sue's legs were protruding from the men's room, blocking Nicky's entrance, so he placed one foot between them, kicked forward, and leaned over Sue with his pistol raised.
     Sue kicked up into Nicky's crotch with her left leg as hard and fast as she could, but it wasn't enough. She caught him with her shin and saw the calm indifference on his face instantly change to anger. He deliberately fell on top of her, grabbed her right breast with his left hand, and shoved the barrel of his pistol into her mouth. Then he put his lips next to her ear and whispered, "Say you're sorry, pretty girl."
     In the dining room, Cisco had heard Sue crash into the bathroom door, and he turned in his seat to locate the cause of the disturbance. Linda was staring into the corridor and he recognized the terror on her face. He stood up, glanced out the front window, and saw what he expected. A late-model four-door sedan was parked outside with the front and rear doors open on the curb side. Cisco strained to see the front license plate, but he couldn't make it out. The car's brights were on and it was too dark on the street outside.
     David Phouc was at the wheel and he saw Cisco looking at him. Their eyes locked for a moment before Cisco sat back down.
     Isn't this just great! Cisco thought. My future uncle's place is being robbed and I'm sitting here unarmed and helpless in a foreign country. Worse, both car doors open means at least two robbers here inside. What to do?
     Cisco surveyed his table and decided that, while he might be unarmed in the conventional sense, he certainly wasn't going to be entirely helpless. He yanked the bandage from his left eye and found he could still see out of it. Next, he picked up the dull serving knife that had come with the rice cakes and stuck it handle forward in his left sleeve. Then he dumped the rice cakes on the table, placed the empty platter on his lap, and slowly turned his wooden chair in place so that he sat facing Linda.
     For the moment, Linda was his first concern. It was obvious to him that she was focused on something taking place out of his view in the corridor, and he didn't want to do anything that would cause her to look at him and suddenly remember that he was a cop. He knew that if he were to positively affect the situation in any way, he would need the element of surprise on his side.
     His second concern was the Chinese family of four eating at a table in the other corner. Cisco assumed that they were friends of Uncle Benny because he had spent a few minutes at their table earlier, joking with the father. The mother, the little boy, and the teenage girl seemed unaware that anything was amiss as they talked and ate, but the father was looking back and forth from Cisco to Linda with concern etched into his face.
     Cisco took out his shield and showed it to the man, hoping that the piece of foreign metal meant something to him.
     It did. The man nodded and Cisco silently mouthed the word "Robbery." Again the man nodded his understanding and Cisco indicated with a downward motion of his hands that everyone should take cover.
     The father was alert to Cisco's meaning. The man whispered a few commands to his family, and then they all slithered silently under their table.
     Sue had been gone for five minutes and, if she was still in the ladies' room, she was safe but still in the robbers' area of immediate control. Best circumstance, but unlikely, Cisco decided. Five minutes was just too long for a lady who was already gorgeous to spend in the ladies' room doing whatever facial repairs women usually did in there. It's more likely that she's in the corridor and under their guns, Cisco decided. Maybe safe, as long as there's no trouble and the robbers get what they came for.
     Then Cisco noticed two things that perplexed him. One was the odor of burnt hair coming from the corridor, and the other was the cash register on the counter on the wall behind Linda. Why not just take the cash and run? Cisco wondered. Maybe one of them went downstairs to get the real cash from Uncle Benny.
     Then a single, muffled gunshot reverberated through the restaurant, and despite the unformed fears tearing through his mind, Cisco willed himself to remain still.
     Linda's reaction didn't help his state of mind. She opened her mouth to scream, but didn't. Instead, she covered her mouth with her hands as the tears began to flow from her eyes.
     Yuan Chan appeared, propelled forward by an unseen hand in the corridor. Yuan regained his balance and stood facing the front door, apparently unsure what to do next. He was followed by Johnny. With his hands in his pockets and a slight smile on his face, Johnny appeared unconcerned as he looked around the dining room. He noticed Cisco, but disregarded him after a cursory glance. He turned to Linda and whispered something in her ear as Nicky came into view, tucking a pistol into his belt. Nicky passed Johnny, put his hand on the dishwasher's shoulder, and waved to the driver outside.
     In that instant Cisco assessed the situation, using all the information available to him.
     So now even a low-crime city like Toronto's suffering the plague of Chinese street gangs, he thought. The thugs didn't touch the register, so this is probably just a routine extortion mission. The one at the door's got an old nine-millimeter Smith and Wesson Model 39, capable of holding only eight rounds. Outdated armament for these types, so it's possible they're here just to make some noise and make a point. They seem calm enough, so maybe they just threw a round into the ceiling to show Uncle Benny that their old gun still works.
     Then Cisco noticed Yuan's burnt scalp, and realized the situation was much worse. If he was going to act, the moment had come. I'd be taking a big chance in a foreign city with no hope of backup, he thought. Must remember that I'm just a not-so-welcome visitor here and already unpopular with the local police, so should I? Yes or no?
     Yes. Cisco quickly stood and flung the dinner platter in one fluid motion. The plate zoomed across the dining room like a Frisbee, but it was no toy. By the time it struck Nicky below his right ear, Cisco was again in motion. He picked up his chair and rushed at Johnny's back with the legs pointed forward.
     The plate hit the floor and shattered an instant before Nicky fell back on the broken shards. Startled by the noise, Johnny turned from Linda just in time to receive the full force of Cisco's charge. The top chair rung caught his throat and the bottom rung struck his chest, hard. Johnny was forced backward, behind the reservation counter and into Linda, but she was able to maintain her balance and remained standing. Johnny didn't. He landed on his back and was reaching for the pistol in his waistband when Cisco placed the chair on him, with the rungs once again over his throat and his chest.
     Johnny tried to rise, but couldn't as Cisco leaned on the back of the chair, maintaining the pressure. Johnny was pinned, and he knew it. He relaxed and said, "You got me. Now what are you gonna do?"
     Cisco pondered the question for a moment, and then he heard two shots come through the front door, whiz past his side, and slam into and through the kitchen door. Cisco ducked, switched his grip on the back of the chair, sat on it, pulled Linda down, and peered over the top of the reservation counter.
     What he saw hardened and disgusted him. Because the kitchen worker was standing in the doorway, the gunman behind the wheel had been unable to get a clear shot off while Cisco was dealing with his two partners. Phouc had remedied the situation by firing at Cisco through the hapless kitchen worker. Yuan Chan lay dead on top of the other gangster with two holes in his chest. Phouc was still behind the wheel, waiting for a target to present itself.
     Cisco remained seated, but reached down and removed the pistol from Johnny's belt. Another 9 mm, he saw, but this one was a Ruger with a magazine capacity of seventeen rounds. It was Cisco's favorite pistol, and the one he normally carried in New York. Now we're ready, he thought. Let's see what the prick outside is made of now that we both have guns.
     Cisco remained on his chair and raised his head over the counter. Before he could aim, the man outside started shooting. He was shooting high, but getting closer to Cisco with each shot. Cisco lowered his head and reassessed the situation.
     Inexperienced shooter, Cisco thought. Jerking the trigger, so he's firing high and to the right. He knows where I am and he's not gonna give me time to aim, so let's see if I can make him go away for now.
     Without raising his head again, Cisco extended the Ruger around the side of the counter and pointed it at the spot he thought the car outside was located. He began slowly squeezing the trigger, moving the pistol slightly as he heard glass breaking after each shot. His fire wasn't returned, and after the fourth shot he heard the sound he had been expecting. Tires squealed as the car pulled from the curb. As the sound of the motor faded, Cisco peered over the counter.
     Gone. Cisco wasn't yet ready to get up and release his prisoner, so he turned his attention to Linda. "Where's Sue?" he asked.
     The question was Linda's signal to finally break down. She buried her face in her hands and sobbed uncontrollably.
     "Where's Sue?" Cisco repeated, but got only more sobs for an answer.
     "Linda, you have to tell me," Cisco said softly as he placed his hand on her head and stroked her hair. "Where's Sue? Where is she?"
     "In the men's room," Sue sobbed.
     "Fine," Cisco said, then yelled, "Sue! You can come out now. It's all over."
     No response, and Cisco felt a queasiness rising in his stomach. "Sue! It's safe now. C'mon out."
     Still no response and Cisco felt the panic rising in him.
     "I think she's dead," Linda said at last. "They shot her."
     "Who shot her?"
     "The other one, but I think this one's the boss. The other one shot her because she slapped this one."
     "Why did she slap him?" Cisco asked, surprised at how calm his voice sounded.
     "Because he kissed her, and then she slapped him."
     "Because he kissed her?" Cisco said softly, then got up and removed the chair from Johnny. "You kissed my girl, she slapped you, and then your partner shot her?" he asked, still softly as he leaned over and placed his face close to Johnny's.
     Johnny wasn't fooled by the soft tone. He recognized the menace in Cisco's voice. "I didn't tell him to do it, and I didn't see it. Just heard a shot, and then he came out and closed the door."
     "He's lying," Linda screamed. "He saw it all. Sue's legs were still outside after the other one shot her. This one pushed her inside and closed the door."
     Cisco had heard enough. He put the gun in his belt and briefly considered checking on the other thug first, but decided against it when he heard sirens in the distance, getting closer. He had to know before he could think about anything else. "C'mon, tough guy. Let's go see what you two did to my girl," he ordered.
     "I can't move," Johnny said, shaking his head. "I think you broke a few things inside me."
     "Nonsense. Sure you can. Get up, or I'll kill you right now," Cisco said, still softly, and Johnny believed him. Using his arms, Johnny pushed himself to his feet with some effort and a few groans. Cisco grabbed him by the back of his jacket and pulled him to the men's room door. "Open it," he ordered.
     Johnny hesitated a moment while supporting himself by leaning against the wall. Then he turned the knob and pushed the door open.
     The room was dark, but Cisco could see by the light flowing in from the corridor. He pushed Johnny aside and flicked the light switch on the wall next to the door. Prepared as he thought he was, the sight still caused him to gasp.
     Sue was dead, her head jammed against the base of the toilet bowl, and she was no longer gorgeous. Dark red blood mixed with white brain matter and skull fragments formed a puddle under her neck. Her unseeing eyes were wide open. So was her mouth, but her front teeth were missing.
     Cisco stared at Sue until he could no longer stand the sight, but by the time he returned his attention to Johnny he knew exactly what had happened to her. The sirens were getting very close, so he also knew he didn't have much time. He placed his hands on Johnny's shoulders, squeezing as he wailed, "Your partner jammed the gun into her mouth, broke her teeth, and pulled the trigger, didn't he?"
     Johnny didn't answer, so Cisco squeezed harder as he heard the sound of police radios behind him outside. Then Johnny made the move Cisco had been hoping for, at just the right time. He reached into Cisco's belt, pulled out the Ruger, pressed it into Cisco's abdomen, and tried pulling the trigger.
     No good. The safety had been off when Cisco had first taken the gun from Johnny, but he had put it on when he had placed it in his belt to give him the second he had hoped he would need. A kind of understanding dawned on Johnny as he desperately fumbled with the safety, but it was too late.
     Cisco removed his right hand from Johnny's shoulder, flicked his wrist, and the handle of the serving knife slid from his sleeve and into his hand. He plunged the point deep into Johnny's chest at the place where his heart should be, if he had one.
     "Now what are you gonna do?" Cisco asked as he watched the life fade from Johnny's eyes. When Johnny's head fell forward, Cisco let go of the knife and the dead man's shoulder at the same time. Johnny slumped to the floor, the gun still clutched tight in his hand.
     "Die, that's what you're gonna do," Cisco whispered. Then he heard the police radios again as the front door opened behind him. He slowly placed his hands on his head and waited for the command.
     "Police! Don't move," shouted a cop.
     "Not a muscle, not even a twitch," added another, loudly and with authority.
     Cisco knew that many guns were trained on his back and he complied with the orders, almost. He didn't move his body, but he couldn't control his eyes. Keeping his head facing the kitchen doors, he allowed himself a sideways glance at Sue lying on the men's room floor. It seemed to him that she was staring at him with a forlorn, sad, toothless smile.
     It was too much for Cisco, and his shoulders began to shake as the cops rushed him.

---