The Project 01 - White Jade

walked onto the porch and over to the truck parked in front of the building. He opened the glove box and rummaged through it. He found an insurance slip with a name and a California address. Choy pocketed the paper.
    He walked back to the Mercedes and looked at Chung. What if he was stopped along the way? How would he explain the wounded man?
    " Water, " Chung said.
    " You will have as much water as you need, my friend, very soon, " Choy said, softly. He patted him on the arm. Then he took out his pistol and shot Chung in the head. He opened the trunk and lifted the body in with Li. There was just enough room for the two of them. He closed the trunk and got in the car, adjusted the seat and started the engine.
    He ' d be back at the Consulate in a few hours. That would give him time to compose his story for the Colonel . At least the American man and woman were finished. That thought brought a smile of satisfaction . Choy began humming tunelessly as he pulled onto the highway and headed back to San Francisco .
    It was dark by the time he reached the city. Another twenty minutes, he thought . Then the flashing lights of a patrol car lit up the night behind him.
    Choy signaled and pulled to the side of the road, leaving the engine running. The patrol car sat behind him as a few vehicles passed by. Choy was nervous. Why had he been pulled over? He wasn ' t speeding. He tried to think what it might be. Finally the patrolman emerged from his cruiser. He approached the car and tapped on the glass, hand resting on his holstered gun, signaling Choy to lower his window.
    " Yes, Officer. Is there a problem? "
    Choy spoke passable English. Colonel Wu had made sure of that.
    " Sir, did you know that one of your taillights is out? May I see your license, proof of insurance and registration please? "
    " Yes, sir. The papers are in the glove box. " Choy reached over and opened the compartment, fumbled with a map and took out the registration and insurance. It was g ood Chung wasn ' t lying on the back seat. The patrolman shone his flashlight on the papers.
    " License, please. "
    Choy handed it over.
    " Wait here, " the cop said, and went back to his cruiser.
    T he highway patrolman sat in his car and wrote something. Then he returned.
    He handed the papers and license to Choy.
    " I ' m giving you a safety warning, " he said. " You need to get that fixed and return this form to the address on the back. You have five days to get it done. "
    " Yes, officer. Thank you for your help. " Inside, Choy was seething. Would anything go right today? At least the cop was going to let him go.
    " Say, there ' s something leaking back here, under the trunk. "
    Choy watched the cop 's f ace harden and his hand move toward his gun as he realized the fluid leaking out was blood. Choy didn ' t hesitate. He fired three shots through the open window. The cop stumbled and fell sprawling on the pavement. Choy floored the gas and pulled out onto the freeway.
    Half an hour later he entered the consulate compound and pulled into the garage. He turned off the ignition. The engine rattled on for a moment and died with a n erratic cough.
    Choy sat in the silence of the parking garage, thinking about the way this day had gotten screwed up beyond anything he could imagine. It was too bad about Li and Chung, but that was the least of his worries. What was he going to tell Colonel Wu? The only person Choy feared in this world was Wu. Wu could make life miserable.
    Choy was sweating in the cool darkness, a cold, greasy sweat that formed dark circles under his armpits. He smelled his own body odor. He hated it when that happened. In basic training people had made fun of him, calling him a pig and worse when he smelled like this. That stopped after he had a chance to get them alone. Soon no one commented on how he smelled.
    Choy wiped his face with the sleeve of his jacket. If he told Wu what had really happened he ' d be lucky if he was guarding camels in the Gobi desert for his next assignment. At least he had the name of the man who ' d fouled everything up, but t he troublemaker was already out of the picture, dead in that mine cave-in.
    He got out of the car. A faint, sewer smell emanated from the trunk. It wasn ' t Choy ' s fault Li and Chung had gotten themselves killed. Who would have thought there ' d be someone at that house who could shoot like that while his men were firing at him? He must have been someone well-trained, a professional. Choy had to admit