Trafford Publishing: Illicit Affair: The Asian Connection

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Illicit Affair: The Asian Connection

by Mike Jay

180 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); catalogue #03-1890; ISBN 1-4120-1512-X; US$18.50, C$21.10, EUR15.50, £11.00

Intriguing Asian thriller featuring the intertwined lives of characters caught up in the cunning thrills of deceipt and kidnapping amongst Triad and ex-Triad members.

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about the book about the author excerpts catalogue info

About the Book

Intriguing Asian thriller with close interaction between principle characters, Jason and Phoebe. Being caught up in a cunning extradition of deceipt and kidnap amongst Triad and ex-Triad members.

About the Author

The author is new to the market with this, his first novel, and he has a potential to unleash a complex, but evolving manuscript of perpetual motion.

Excerpts

Chapter One
The phone rang it was Nine on a Wednesday night, I was sitting watching some football on T.V. I wasn't too enthusiastic about answering the phone, as I was on call out from the plant. It was a cold and dark rainy night and the game was living up to its pre hype publicity. I picked up the receiver "Jason its that you"? For a moment I hesitated, as I didn't recognise the voice. "Yes". I said in a soft voice. "Its Jeffrey Ó'Donnell here". He was the Solicitor handling my late Fathers estate. "How are you, I do hope I am not phoning at an inconvenient time". Well I didn't wish to take away from the importance or the seriousness of the phone call. "No, not at all. What can I do for you? There is nothing wrong I hope". "No, its just that your late Father left a letter with me about three weeks before he died". My mind drifted back to the weeks before. "Yes, how does this concern me"? "The letter is addressed to you and only to be opened by you after his death". Strange I thought. "I am to be in your presence when you open the letter" Jeffrey replied. This was getting stranger and stranger and I passed on my thoughts to the solicitor. "By the sound of what you are saying, it seems that my Father may have known something was going to happen to him"? Jeffrey responded "This is pure speculation and I am not in the business of feeding such thoughts. But, what I did phone you for was to make an appointment with you. I thought maybe under the circumstances, a private get together, at Dun Laoghaire Shopping Centre, in the new coffee shop at twelve, tomorrow if that would suit"? Obviously my mind was now working overtime and I wanted to find out, what was in the letter, so I agreed to the meeting. "By the way, your Mother is meeting me in the afternoon tomorrow in my office, so you probably want to keep this to yourself". His suggestion made sense, as she had been through enough over the past few weeks. I decided to accept his invitation. "That's fine until tomorrow at twelve then Jeffrey". My mind was now accessing the inner sensory department and working out what moves to make. I would have to phone work, to say that I would be late or maybe take the day off. As I didn't know the contents of the letter yet, I didn't know what to do. It was strange that the letter was addressed to me not to his wife Sasha? This did puzzle me.
My Father had died just about a month ago in a boating accident. It happened in the Aberdeen Floating Harbour area in Hong Kong Island. This was a bit strange, because he was a Sea Faring Captain in the Merchant Navy. He would be wary of the dangers of water and its safety, especially at night. As it happened, he had phoned me from the Planet Hollywood restaurant on Kowloon that very night. He said he was taking the Ferry, to the Central District on Hong Kong Island. My Father was travelling with work colleagues and this was when the accident happened. It played on my mind, as I was the last of our family to hear from him. I was getting tired now, so I decided to go to bed. The meeting was making me agitated and I knew from this, that I would not get a good nights rest. I retired to bed only to toss and turn all night and when I awoke my head felt light. I wasn't in the best of shape, or form. I took a shower and made some tea and toast. I then phoned work and told them that I wouldn't be in for the rest of the day. I wasn't going to say anything, to my Mother and younger brother Jean-Pierre. They lived next door to me in the main family residence. About two years ago, I had a two-bedroom apartment built onto the existing building. From here I was able to commute to and from work.
Sasha and my Father David met while he was on holiday in Zagreb, within six months they were married. As a result, over the next couple of years my brother and I were born. They bought a house in Dublin and settled. My Dad was away six weeks at a time and home for two weeks. He worked for Multinational Trading Company sailing out of The Harbour of Victoria from Hong Kong Island. He sailed in the Indian Ocean, North Pacific Ocean. Calling on such ports as Shanghai, Taiwan and Macao. My memory had lapsed back to those childhood day's for a few moments. I had to leave shortly for the meeting with Jeffrey. It would take me ten minutes to walk to the train station. I didn't want to use my car. I caught the train at eleven thirty a.m. It took about twenty minutes to get to Dun Laoghaire. I was early as I headed up to the coffee shop. In the distance I could see that Jeffrey was already sitting at a table and deep in meditation, or so it would seem. I approached with an air of curiosity. His outstretched hand greeted me. "Hello Jason, how are you keeping? I do hope everything is alright". I could catch a glimpse of a letter under his paper, I wondered if this was it. He ordered a tea for me and as he sat down he picked up the letter. He handed it to me saying. "This is the letter your Father gave to me only last month". I was curious to find out more and why my Father had left such a letter with Jeffrey. "Do you know what it contains Jeffrey"? His straightforward answer was nothing short of what I would expect. "No, but it had to be given to you, within four to five weeks of his Death". Alarm bells were ringing in my ears. "How odd, it must contain some sort of time table, would you agree"? "That would be pure speculation, I don't wish to fantasise on such delicate matters". I took the letter in my hand; I knew it was my Fathers hand writing straight away. I remembered the letters and post cards that he would send me from far-flung places. I opened the letter in front of Jeffrey, as was requested. "I have to leave your presence now Jason and I am sure you would like to read it in private". Thank you for your co-operation in this matter Jeffrey" I replied. His parting words were a small comfort that I knew I could rely upon. "If there is anything that I can do, don't hesitate to call upon me at any time in the future". I bade him goodbye and sat back down at the table. I opened the letter and began to read it. As I did my eyes began to light up. It felt like my eyes were coming from their sockets. The letter had writing on three pages back and front. I was barely through the first chapter and I knew that it would pose more questions than it would answer. I was trying to take in the contents that were being disclosed to me. I thought, no wonder he didn't want my Mother to read the letter. Some of the facts that were appearing on the pages in front of me were astonishing to say the least. It looked like a torrent of liberating facts, from my Fathers past and present life were unfolding before my very eyes. I thought at this stage, it would be prudent to stop reading at this present time. I took the letter and put it into my pocket. Checking to make sure it was well confined inside my jacket. I decided to get the train back to Bray and read the rest of the letter there in more peaceful surrounds.
I boarded the train and sat by the window looking out at the Sea. Thinking it ironic, that the Sea could bring so much happiness and yet so much devastation in more ways than one, as I was learning now by the contents of this letter. The news that had already been bestowed upon me was the fact that my Father had another wife and child in the far east, in Hong Kong to be precise and in the area of Kowloon. This of course sent a shiver through my whole body. What were the implications of this for Sasha, with regard to the will here in Ireland? My Mother had not known of this other woman in my Fathers life and that of another child. I couldn't think straight and I found it hard to grasp the reality of the situation. I didn't want to tell them at home. My blood was boiling now; I was trembling on the train. Within myself I was trying to remain calm, trying to sort this immense burden that my Father had bestowed upon me. At this point I did not know if the letter was genuine or not. Had my Father been made to write a letter that did not contain the truth? These things played heavy on my mind. We had to contend with the notion, that my brother and I had a half sister. That my mother had to contend with another woman for my father's love and affection. This would be like a knife in her back, a removal of her immense respect for my Father, that she had. Not alone was my Father bearing his inner self to me, but to contend the will, to be read in Hong Kong within six weeks of his death. These facts were swilling around in my mind, when the train came to a halt in Bray. I got out of my seat in a daze like state and walked down towards the Sea front. I came to an empty seat and sat down. I reached into my pocket, took out the letter. I began to read from where I had stopped. It seemed that by Hong Kong law all the Estate would go to the partner or sibling of the deceased. By what he was saying, the Estate was worth a tidy sum. It did comprise of more than one property, which were of immense value in Hong Kong. I knew then that the only way to sort this mess out was to fly to Hong Kong. I did not wish to tell them at home of the circumstance of which I was going, as my brother was on the road to recovery from a two year booze induced slumber. His battle with the bottle had taken its toll on my mother. She would crack up altogether after helping him over his addiction and then finding this out about her husband. Was my father the victim of a murderer or was it an accident. These things I had to find out. Respect for my father, was dwindling from my veins.
At this stage I tried to formalise a plan of action. I would phone Marjorie on my mobile, to ask her to book a flight for me to Hong Kong. Luckily enough she worked for Lufthansa, so I could also arrange to have the tickets picked up at the Airport. I could get her to arrange a hotel also. I didn't say for how long that I would be staying there. I would have asked Bill to bring me to the Airport, but he was too busy sorting out some building plans for me, so a taxi was the preferred option. My eyes turned back to the pages, a glance to the next line, what would it hold? I knew as bad as this information that had been revealed to me was, that there was even worse to come, I could feel it in my bones. My inner senses were releasing the tension from my body, I felt pins and needles all over. I thought, how could he do such a thing, to a family that loved him dearly and cared for him so much? It was crisp Autumn day the wind biting into my face as I looked at the pages. Was the letter was genuine? I didn't know what to think at this stage. But if it was genuine, I had a right as a sibling to claim half of all his estate. My mother had struggled for a long time, trying to bring up two children virtually on her own. Now I think it's time for her and us as his children, to gain from what was another life altogether. These rewards that he never bestowed upon us, as a family growing up. As I began to read on the contents even shocked me further. The revelations deepened with every word that had been written. Especially with the business practices or lack of them, that he indulged in every time he got a chance to. It seemed he got involved while at sea, in what can only be described as a joint venture with a Chinese smuggling ring. He had been in partnership with his other wife, in the jewellery gold buying and selling business. They owned three shops. They got into debt, as the price of gold fell after they had taken delivery of a large consignment. It was for a figure of HK$500,000 a lot of money to come up with, in a short period of time. It seemed that the banking house that advanced them the money desired it back rather rapidly. But the banking house, unknown to my father, was owned legally by this smuggling ring. They offered my father a monetary inducement. Obviously my father took the bait and while sailing between Tolo harbour to the port of Macao. The ship was boarded by a member of this Chinese family. He was offered money to take on board extra cargo. As he says in his letter, how do you think he came to clear his debt so quickly? The sound of a passing train jolted me back to reality. The Chai Trading Company didn't know that my Father had come to an agreement with these Triads. So this was the start of their partnership, my father carrying some extra cargo that the Trading Company did not know about. My father didn't divulge the cargo or its contents, nor did he divulge it to me in the letter. Of course my mind toyed with the notion, that it could be drugs or people. I now had to get back to my place, as I was flying out to Manchester later that evening. Then the trip would lead me onto Hong Kong the following morning. I would phone Steve on the train to see if I could stay with him and Pauline overnight in Manchester. I phoned work and took initially a week off. I approached home, rang the bell and Sasha answered the door. I told her that I had to go away for a week, to work at our plant in Singapore. She took the news without rancour, she seemed low and wished me a safe trip. I went into my apartment and phoned a Taxi. I didn't have much time to pack. I needed my credit card and my mobile phone. I gave Steve a quick ring, to tell him what time I would arrive at. He was going to pick me up at the airport, as he was on the late shift. Luckily enough he worked at Manchester Airport. The Taxi arrived and I departed. When I arrived at Dublin Airport, I went straight to the Bank to obtain some American dollars. These were the best form of exchange in Hong Kong, one received a good rate. I then set about collecting my tickets, from the Aer Lingus ticket desk at the entrance lobby. So I just had to check that my Passport was in order. I was now about to set out on a journey that may well change the rest of my life. Whether it be for the good, only time will tell. Was I doing the right thing or not?
I arrived in Manchester at eight thirty p.m. and Steve was there. It wasn't long before we got to the house. The kids were asleep and Pauline had made a cup of tea. We sat and chatted. I told them of the circumstances that had me going to the far East. They couldn't believe what had transpired over the years with my Father. But that if I had to go and find out what was happening, then I should go with care. One of the things that they said, I took up on was to get a dictaphone while at the Airport. As they pointed out if I came upon anything I could record it there and then. Later I could go back over the situation. Also that I should get a diary to write down any such incidents. We went to bed at about midnight. I got up about seven thirty a.m. and left the house at eight fifteen with Steve to avoid the traffic. He dropped me at number two terminal as he worked at number one. I said I would keep in contact with him over the period of time that I would be there. I went straight to check-in and left my luggage. I then proceeded to the departure lounge, once inside I remembered what they had said about a diary. I proceeded to one of the paper shops, to see if they sold diaries. I could see that they had some in stock, so I put my hand down to take one. I felt the tingling sensation of another hand on mine. I quickly released the diary and stood up. A soft gentle voice carried in my direction. "Oh I am sorry, I didn't see you there". My attention was drawn to the beauty of the woman in front of my eyes. "That's all right, you can take that one there, as you can see there is plenty more". She stood back for a moment and looked directly into my eyes. "How kind of you, are you sure you don't mind". I could feel my heart pound a bit faster, "No, not in the least, go ahead". I followed this up with an old saying. "Great minds think alike". Her response was a delight to hear. "Yes but do you know the follow up to that". I immediately retorted. "I am afraid I do". We both laughed and looked at each other. I went back to obtaining a diary and a paper. Suddenly the silence was broken by the sound of breaking glass. Pieces of glass were being scattered over the floor. This elegant and smart looking woman that I had bumped into a short while earlier had let fall an ashtray. " I didn't mean to drop it", she explained. What else could I say, only agree with her? "I didn't think you did mean to. These things happen. At least it wasn't too high a price". Her calm demeanour had caught my attention. "No, I suppose you are right, it could have been a lot worse and a lot more expensive on me". I went back to pay for the items I had in my possession. The mess made by the broken glass, was already being cleaned up, as I paid for my paltry lot. I walked towards the departure gate for my flight. It was gate 132, flight CX 270; it would be another hour before take off. I saw a coffee shop on the way down, so I decided to have a cup. I sat down at one of the tables on the periphery of the coffee shop. I could see this very smart and attractive looking woman again coming in my direction. I thought to myself, is there a sign over my head saying here I am? She ventured forward and asked if I would mind if she sat beside me. " No, certainly not, in fact it would be my pleasure". I had told myself that she was a welcome intrusion into my circumstances. "Allow me, to get you a cup of coffee or tea" I said. "Its all right really". "No, I insist what shall it be?" "If you must then, tea would do nicely". I got up to head for the counter. Her voice followed in my direction. "By the way my name is Phoebe". Nice name I said to myself. "May I say that's a gorgeous name, where is it from"? "You know I really don't know". Her soft voice had a calming and appealing effect. I wondered if she was a psychologist, or something on that line. "Well that doesn't change the fact that it is a gorgeous name. I thought, I should introduce myself. "My name is Jason, how do you do Phoebe". I stepped up to the counter and acquired her a pot of tea. "Where is your destination Phoebe"? She seemed to hesitate for a moment. "I am going to visit my sister in Hong Kong. Where are you off to Jason"? My heart nearly leaped into my mouth, with excitement. I had to sound cool and calm, so I said in my deep voice. "I am also off to the far east to Hong Kong to see some people". "That's nice, it's a warm part of the world to be in at this time of the year". "Have you been out before, to visit your sister, Phoebe"? She smiled with those lovely white teeth. "Yes, a year ago, she has been working out there for the past three years". "It must be nice for you ". "I suppose so, I never thought of it like that". I decided to massage the moment as best I could. "I think having to wait for the plane to take off is the worst time". Her response was something I could latch on to. "I agree with you". "She will be glad to see you then". "I hope so". The tea was now making inroads into my bladder. "I have to go to the toilet, excuse me for a few moments". I got up and headed for the toilets. On my return, I saw Phoebe with a pen in her hand and writing in her diary. I had to take advantage of the situation. "I hope you are only writing the juicy bits and you aren't leaving anything out". She smiled and gave me a glance. One of those glances like a naughty schoolgirl, for me to know and you to find out? It was time to go to the departure gate. As we neared a Cathay Pacific representative announced the departure of flight CX 270. "That us Phoebe, maybe we will get to talk to each other on the flight". We entered the plane and headed for our seats. Not wanting to seem unduly interested in the whereabouts of Phoebes' seat, I tried not to glance in her direction. But we were both heading in the same direction, so I couldn't but see her in my vision. She turned and waved to me. I nodded my head. I was drawing nearer and nearer, as she looked at her seat number, then I checked mine. I was virtually beside her now. I looked at my seat number. It turned out that we would be sitting next to each other on the flight. "That's a nice coincidence, maybe its faith Phoebe." I remarked. She laughed as she followed up with her answer. "Who knows, it may just be"? We both sat back in our seats, waiting for the jet to take off. "Would you like to sit near the window". I said in my gentlemanly manner. "No, its quite all right Jason, I prefer not to watch the ground move from under my feet". Within several minutes, we were up in the air. Floating across the skies, towards Amsterdam for a fuel and cabin change. We had a half hour stop over, without getting off the plane. It was nice to have someone to talk to on the flight. Phoebe was now being the inquisitive one. "Who are you going to visit in Hong Kong" she enquires. I was relaxing in my seat, when this straight to the point question, was thrown at me in an unintrusive way. "It's rather awkward and complicated at the moment". Was the best I could come up with. "Well, you know things are not always as bad as they seem at first". Her mature statement was a gratifying remark. "You seem to be speaking from experience". I looked into her eyes. "Lets just say I have thought things were worse than they were and not given any desire to any other way to approach matters". Phoebe was a young woman in my eyes at any rate. I would say in her late twenties, or early thirties. She seemed to be older and more mature than her appearance would have you believe. She had a young face, blond hair, grey eyes, small nose, light complexion and a bright energetic smile. Underneath her calm exterior, may lie a heart of beating passion, a woman scorned maybe. I began to drift back to my own troubled life. What was I going to do when I got to the Hotel, in Hong Kong. Whom would I see? Would I go straight to this woman and her daughter, confront them. These things were revolving around in my mind. I must have looked agitated, because at that moment Phoebes voice displaced my thoughts. "Is there something wrong Jason? If there is you can tell me, I won't breath a word to another soul". I thought for a few moments, I don't know this person. If I tell her, she won't know who I am talking about and I may never see her again. I need to get this off my chest. The words just came pouring out, the letter I had received. I told her the contents of it, the predicament my father had put me in. This was not normally my style, but then again I had never been put out on such a limb. I was expunging the fear, that I may be divulging some dark secret that may revisit me with a vengeance? What had come over me anyway, had this good-looking woman seen inside my very soul. Phoebe listened to my story without interruption. She then gathered her thoughts, for a few moments.
When she spoke, it was with a quiet calm relaxing and gentle twinge in her voice. "I think you should first go to the most obvious place and that is the Public Register. Register as a family sibling documenting your legal status, to claim for your late fathers share of the estate". I thought this indeed did make good sense. It also allowed for the possibility, in the event of something happening to me, that another member of my immediate family could follow on the claim in my place. This idea does allow me to plan a course of action and it did have its merits. I also want to get a copy of the report of my father's death. Hopefully it could give me some leads, to the people who were with him on that night. I smiled to myself inwardly; another outlook gave me a better perspective on my situation. Not only did this intervention lift my emotions, but it also made me feel better in myself.

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