The Last Assassin

be.
    I thought about what I knew. Chan was the gang’s captain. Wong reported to Chan. It was a conservative assumption that Chan reported, directly or indirectly, to Yamaoto. That meant Chan was the link between Wong’s disappearance and Yamaoto’s more active involvement.
    Meaning, if something were to happen to Chan, too, no one would know where or when Wong had gone missing. Hell, if I handled things right, no one would even know what had happened to Wong. In fact, they might just think…
    “You know what?” I said, a plan starting to take shape. “I’m going to need that Balisong after all.”
    “Why?”
    I wanted to tell him, but I knew if I did he’d want to help. And I’d put him at enough risk already.
    “I’ll fill you in later,” I said. “But we don’t have much time now. How soon can you get your car?”
    He shrugged. “I valet parked it at the hotel, and they put it in some local garage somewhere. So probably a half hour, forty-five minutes.”
    “Good. Go get it, and stay mobile around East Houston. I’ll call you shortly.”
    He looked at me. “What are you planning on doing, man?”
    “Don’t worry about it. I’ll tell you after.”
    “You’re fixing to take out Mr. Chan, aren’t you?”
    I sighed. “Maybe.”
    “Yeah, devious minds think alike. But that’s not going to make things worse?”
    “It could. But we know from having seen them together that there’s some kind of bad blood between Wong and Chan. Other people must know about it, too—it wasn’t as though they were doing a lot to hide it. And Wong’s got a reputation for being quick to use that Balisong.”
    Dox grinned. “This one, you mean,” he said, taking it out of his pocket.
    “Exactly. There’s an opportunity for some strategic deception here, and I want to take advantage of it.”
    “So the plan is to do Chan with Wong’s knife, make it look like they had a fight. Then Wong’s missing, people figure he’s in hiding after what he did.”
    “Exactly.”
    “Crude, but effective. Are you sure you want to do this all by yourself, though? That’d be the second time tonight, and the first one didn’t go all that well, if you don’t mind my pointing it out.”
    “Yeah, you’ve mentioned it. I appreciate your honesty.”
    “It’s one of my charm points, it’s true.”
    “I’m just going to take a look at that noodle place. At this hour, I don’t even know if Chan will still be there. Depending on what I find, we’ll figure out what to do next.”
    “Yeah, but…”
    “Look, I need your car to move Wong’s body regardless. So you get the car and while you’re doing that, I’ll just check out the restaurant.”
    “You’re not going to do anything without me?”
    “Have I ever?”
    He laughed. “I lost sight of old Wong tonight for all of ten seconds. When I turned the corner, there he was, already dead. So no, you’ve never done anything without me.”
    “The knife,” I reminded him.
    He wrapped it in a napkin and slid it across the table.
    “All right,” I said. “Let’s do it.”

9
    D OX WENT TO GET his car and I caught a cab to the northern edge of Chinatown. The streets were quiet. I walked to Columbus Park and looked in the restaurant. What I saw there was classic good news/bad news. The good news was, Chan was there. The bad news was, he was playing cards with two other hard-looking Chinese men. Probably mid-level gang members.
    I watched and waited, shivering in the cold. At a little before four o’clock, the men got up. Okay.
    My phone buzzed. I took it out and opened it. “Yeah.”
    “Got the car and I’m in the neighborhood. What’s your status?”
    “Watching and waiting.”
    “He in there?”
    “Yeah, with two other guys. But I think they’re getting ready to leave.”
    “Why don’t I swing by? I’ve got my rifle right here with me. From the park, I can reach out and touch all three.”
    “No, I told you, a shooting’s no good.”
    “Look, man, you’ve got three guys to deal with there. You need some kind of backup, a plan B. You’re parachuting without a reserve, partner.”
    The men walked toward the door.
    “They’re coming out,” I said. “So it’s too late to stage something from the park, anyway. I’m going to stick with Chan. Just stay in the car, stay mobile.”
    “But…”
    I closed the phone and took out the knife. The three men reached the door.
    There’s a horrible intimacy to all forms of face-to-face killing. Firearms,