Probably true. Li supplemented his translating engagements with temp work as a low-level administrative assistant. He had access to a lot of random information—the kind that wouldn’t be valuable unless it was pieced together by someone with a broader perspective—but not a lot of power to do anything with it.
Gabe leaned harder on the back of Li’s seat. “Helped make a young woman disappear is what you did. What happened to her? Sold? You know what they do to pretty girls? You been making it into a new line of business? How many other people are you making disappear?”
“Nothing like that, no no no.” Li broke and started babbling. Being implicated in human slave trade was too big a deal for an information broker like him. The slave trade business sucked a man in and didn’t let him back out alive. “She’s some sort of genius. She won’t be hurt. Not at all. They took her to do science for some big company. Cutting-edge stuff.”
“Do science? That what they call it nowadays? And what if she won’t do the research they want? What if she doesn’t produce the results they’re looking for? You think about that? She’ll end up sold to make up the investment any way she can.” Because Gabe was thinking about it.
“No, no.” Li actually squirmed in his seat. “The company is legit into research. They take the latest and greatest and apply it to military tech.”
“You’re drinking the Kool-Aid, my friend.” Gabe figured he’d twisted the knife long enough. “Who arranged for this girl’s disappearance?”
“I got no names. You know how I work, mostly emails and avatars. No real identities. People can be anyone on the internet.” Li dragged in a ragged breath, struggling to keep his voice down. “Only a couple people come find me in person.”
A choice few.
“Porter van Lumanee.” Gabe let the name drop like a rock.
Li’s hands shook. “There’s a name. Dunno if it’s real. But he’s someone attached to your missing girl. He’s a chair on the programming committees for a few scientific conferences. He keeps an eye out for talent, scientists of interest to his sponsor. Other than that, he stays out of the messy activity. Probably doesn’t know more than me.”
Gabe would pay the man a visit just to be sure.
“Guy had some bad dumplings or something last trip,” Li continued. Best thing about informants, if you scared them enough they vomited their guts until you let them go. Kind of like sea cucumbers. “He’s back in the States but hospitalized for food poisoning. Could be a while before he’s up to returning to work.”
Maybe Gabe wouldn’t be following that lead after all. Sounded like van Lumanee had outlived his usefulness. Maybe became too visible since he’d turned up on the police report as last to see An-mei. He’d have Marc check into the hospital records before any of them made the trip.
“So. There’s a name you knew after all.” Gabe uttered a disappointed grunt. “I’m beginning to believe I can’t rely on your information anymore.”
“Look, Diaz. I don’t want to cross you. I don’t.” Li dropped his forehead to his hand and muttered a few curses in Chinese. Funny, Maylin sounded a lot cuter when she cursed.
“You might think whoever asked you to do these things is the scarier person,” Gabe crooned. “But you don’t want to be in a position to make either of us prove it.”
“Look at it this way, man, it’s like a goddamned high school reunion. I don’t want to be in the middle of a battle of the exes.”
Gabe sat back. Well, damn. “She’s nearby?”
“Pops up out of nowhere. As bad as you.” Li was almost crying.
“All right.” Gabe didn’t want the man dead, after all. “You keep on riding and you keep on doing what she tells you to do.”
Li nodded.
“But if you give me a heads-up on what you’ve been asked, I’d consider it a favor, between friends.” Gabe stood as the bus rolled to a stop. Didn’t matter where this was, so long as it wasn’t Li’s stop. And best if Gabe got off as soon as possible.
A favor was a lot to give the man, but he was the best lead they had to An-mei.
Gabe scanned the area as he left the bus. No watchers in the few shadows afforded by buildings and trees midafternoon.
Pulling out his smartphone, he dialed up Marc.
“Lykke,” Marc answered after three rings.
“Diaz.” Gabe didn’t waste time with pleasantries. “Porter van Lumanee is in the hospital. Check to see if it’s worth it to try to have a talk with him.”
“On it.” The sound of fingers tapping keys came across the phone. “Didn’t happen to get the name of the hospital, did you?”
“He’s stateside, if that helps.” Gabe wasn’t worried. Marc would find the man. Besides, Gabe’s gut told him Porter van Lumanee was a dead end, possibly literally. Still, best to follow every lead. “Pull up the latest we have on Jewel’s activity too.”
Silence. Then Marc cleared his voice. “She’s in this?”
“Looks like.” Gabe wasn’t thrilled.
“Van Lumanee’s a dead man, then.” Marc might grumble, but Jewel used to be one of their own. She wouldn’t leave loose strings. “I’ll see what I can get, stat.”
“Thanks.”