Up Country Part 90

Again, she nodded.

I asked her, "Who's your your contact in the emba.s.sy?" contact in the emba.s.sy?"

She didn't reply for a second, then said, "Also Eagan."

I didn't pursue that.

I said, "As for tonight, we should try to find an American who will let us share his or her hotel room. But not this group."

She replied, "I'll have no problem finding someone who will share his hotel room with me. Where are you you sleeping?" sleeping?"

"Brothel."

"Not in this city."

Susan seemed to be thinking, then said to me, "Actually, there is a place we can go tonight..."

By the expression on her face, I thought she meant an old lover, which would not have been my first choice of overnight accommodations. But then she said, "I was invited to a reception tonight... at the American amba.s.sador's residence."

"Really? Am I invited?"

"That depended."

"On what?"

"On whether or not we got to Hanoi tonight."

I think it mostly depended on whether I was alive or dead. I said, "I thought you told me everything."

She didn't make eye contact and replied, "My presence at this reception was tentative, and not important."

"I see. So, let me guess who's at this reception. Well, since the Vice President is in town, I'll take a wild guess that Edward Blake is the guest of honor." I looked at her.

She nodded.

"And you are supposed to brief him about some subjects that he may have some interest in."

"Not him directly."

The lady beside Susan was leaning so far left, I thought the bus might flip over.

I said to Susan, "Am I dressed for a diplomatic reception?"

She smiled and replied, "You're so s.e.xy, Paul, you could show up in dirty jeans, running shoes, and a muddy leather jacket."

"Good. What time is this soiree?"

"Starts at eight."

I looked at my watch, which was still on Mr. Vinh's wrist. I said, "What time is it?"

She looked at her watch. "It's 7:15."

"Can I buy a watch in this town?"

"I'll buy you one."

The bus pulled over on a narrow street and stopped. The guide said, "We here at hotel. Good hotel."

I looked out the window and saw an old stucco hotel that the Michelin Guide Michelin Guide may have overlooked. may have overlooked.

Our tour guide said, "We register in hotel, then meet in lobby, and go to good dinner at Italian restaurant."

This got a round of applause from the group, which had probably been eating rice and weasel up country for the last week. I applauded, too.

Everyone began filing out of the bus, and I found myself behind Susan's chatty friend. She turned her head toward me and gave me a look like I was an unshaven, mud-splattered, smelly pervert. She asked, "Are you with our group?"

"No, ma'am. I'm Canadian."

We stepped off the bus and encountered our guide. He looked away from Susan and me, but I took a twenty and pressed it in his hand as we pa.s.sed by him.

So, there we were, in Hanoi, on a narrow street crowded with pedestrians, cyclos, and a few motor vehicles. It was dark now, and the streetlights were on, but the trees blocked most of the light, so the street was in shadow.

We walked away from the hotel, and I asked Susan, "Do you know where we are?"

She said, "Not far from the amba.s.sador's residence." She suggested, "Let's find a place to have a drink, use the facilities, and wash up. Also, I want to make a call to the emba.s.sy duty officer."

"Good idea." I looked across the street for a cafe or bar, then something made me turn back toward the hotel about fifty meters away. Parked in front of the bus was an olive drab car, a sedan, which you don't see many of in this country. I had the impression it was some sort of official vehicle. There was a uniformed man standing on the sidewalk with his back to us, and in the light from the hotel marquee, I could see he was speaking to our guide and to the bus driver. I didn't like the looks of this; I liked it even less when the bus driver pointed toward Susan and me. The uniformed guy turned around and looked toward us. It was, in fact, Colonel Mang.

CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN.

Colonel Mang walked toward us and called out, "Mr. Brenner! Miss Weber!"

I said to Susan, "Did he say something?"

"Oh, s.h.i.t... Paul... should we make a run for it?"

Before I could decide, the sedan moved up and stopped beside us. The uniformed guy in the pa.s.senger seat pulled a pistol and pointed it at me.

Colonel Mang came strolling down the sidewalk, wearing his green dress uniform, but no gun holster. He motioned for his goon in the car to put away his gun, then stopped a few feet from us and said, "I was afraid I had missed you at Long Bien Station."

I replied, "In fact, you did."

"Yes. But now I have found you. May I offer you both a ride?"

He may have been feeling bad about leaving us stranded in Quang Tri, and now he wanted to make it up to us. I said, however, "That's okay. I need the exercise."

"Where are you going?"

"To the Metropole."

"Yes? The Metropole is the other way. Why did you ride on that tour bus?"

I replied, "I thought it was a city bus."

"You know it is not that. In fact, you are acting as if you are running from something."

"No, we're going to the Metropole. That way, correct?"

He looked at Susan and inquired, "Did you get my message at the Century Hotel?"

She didn't reply.

Colonel Mang said, "Mr. Tin told me he delivered it to you via telex to the post office of the city of Vinh. What were you doing in Vinh?"

Susan replied, "Visiting Ho Chi Minh's birthplace."

"Ah, yes. You are both Canadian historians, as I recently discovered."

Neither of us replied. And neither of us were happy with that statement.

Colonel Mang lit a cigarette. Maybe he'd drop dead of a heart attack.

I noticed over Mang's shoulder some Americans from the tour bus looking at us as two uniformed men in front of the hotel motioned them inside. Also, I saw that the bus driver and the guide had disappeared; they were probably on their way to where we were going, and it wasn't the Metropole Hotel.

I noticed, too, that pedestrians were crossing to the other side of the street to avoid whatever police state activity was happening on this side.

Colonel Mang said to me, "You both left very early from the Century Hotel in Hue."

"So what?"

He ignored my snotty reply, but he had to get even with me so he said to Susan, "Unfortunately, there are no naked beaches for you here on the Red River."

Susan snapped, "Go to h.e.l.l."

He smiled unexpectedly and said to her, "You have become very popular with the men of my department who have closely studied the photographs of you on Pyramide Island."

"Go to h.e.l.l."

Colonel Mang remained composed, and I figured he didn't want to start a screaming match in front of his men, who probably didn't understand that Susan was telling him to go to h.e.l.l.

Mang looked us over and said, "You appear to have spent some time in the countryside."

Neither of us replied.

He asked me, "Where is your luggage?"

"Stolen."

"Yes? And where did you both get those coats which were not in your luggage?"

"Bought them."

"Why?"

"Why not?"

"And I see blue dye on your face and hands from Montagnard scarves. It appears to me that you are both trying to disguise yourselves."

"As what?"

"I do not like your replies, Mr. Brenner."

"I don't like your questions."

"You never do." He switched subjects and said, "Your reservation at the Metropole, Mr. Brenner, is for tomorrow. Why did you arrive a day early?"

Susan replied, "Colonel, we have an invitation-"

"Later," I interrupted. The reception at the amba.s.sador's residence was an ace, which could only be played once, and this might not be the right time.

Susan understood and said to Mang, "I have an early appointment tomorrow at the emba.s.sy."

"With whom?"

"To speak to the commercial attache."

"About what?"

"About commerce, obviously."

He gave Susan a hard stare, then said to her, "I made some inquiries and discovered that you are also booked at the Metropole, but for today."

Colonel Mang had more information than I did about Ms. Weber's travel itinerary. But to be fair, she had mentioned to me in Nha Trang something about business in Hanoi, although by now I didn't think it had anything to do with the commercial attache.

Colonel Mang, who enjoyed his own sarcasm, said to Susan, "Since Mr. Brenner has no room tonight, I could suggest that you share your room with him, but that would give the appearance of impropriety."

Susan suggested, "Go to h.e.l.l."

It was time to see if this guy was fishing, hunting, or setting traps. I said to him, "Colonel, I appreciate your going out of your way to welcome us to Hanoi, and if there's nothing further, we'll be on our way."

He didn't reply.