afterward. He believes the pilot walked away from the crash.”
“And?”
“Extraordinary measures are called for to get him back,” McCoy said. “Or to determine beyond any doubt that he’s KIA.”
“Who is he, some congressman’s son?”
“General Pickering’s son,” McCoy said.
“Jesus Christ!” Dunston exclaimed, genuinely surprised. “And the Marine Corps let him fly combat sorties?”
“Why not?” McCoy said. “Joseph Stalin’s son was not only in the front lines as an infantry officer but was captured by the Germans.”
“I heard that,” Dunston said. “He committed suicide in a POW camp by walking past the Dead Line. I also heard the Germans shot the two Germans on the Dead Line machine gun for gross stupidity.” "It would be gross stupidity on our part if we let the NKs know who they may have taken prisoner.”
“Yeah.”
“You have some reliable agents the other side of the line?”
“Some. A lot of them were caught up in the NKs shoot-anybody -who-even-might-be-dangerous occupation policy. ”
“Gold talks,” McCoy said. “You believe that?”
“Absolutely. What are you going to try to buy?”
“What do you think of putting a price on Pickering?”
“For what?”
“So much for locating him, so much more for hiding him from the North Koreans, so much more—a lot more— for getting him back.“
“Let me think about that,” Dunston said.
“Sure. But we don’t have much time. In the meantime, I’m setting up a small unit to go after him, if he can be found. . . .”
“That’s the Marines on the pier?” Dunston asked.
“Right,” McCoy said. “And I’m going to need a junk, a junk with a good engine.”
“I have one,” Dunston said, and added, somewhat smugly, “with a two hundred-horse Caterpillar diesel.”
“No kidding?”
“It was used by smugglers,” Dunston said. “The national police caught them—before the war started—and confiscated it, and I swapped them a stock of Japanese small arms for it. Luckily, it was here when the war started—normally I kept it up north, on the East Coast.”
This guy seems like he’s pretty competent. Which makes him all the more dangerous. If he puts together what we’re really doing here, he’ll sure as hell tell the station agent in Tokyo, who’ll fall all over himself rushing to let Willoughby know.
“Two other things,” McCoy said.
“Name them.”
“I’m going to have to find someplace to keep my team. I don’t want to operate out of a warehouse on the pier.”
“And?”
“I need a senior national police officer, a senior one, major or lieutenant colonel, one who can be trusted.”
“Kim Pak Su,” Dunston said, immediately. “Major. Very bright.”
“Can he be trusted?”
“He got out of Seoul by the skin of his teeth. His wife and kids didn’t. They shot his wife, and he doesn’t know what happened to the kids.”
“The NKs might have gotten word to him that they have the kids, and will shoot them if he doesn’t turn. And by shooting his wife, they’ve made the point they mean it.”
“I considered that,” Dunston said. “And fed him some almost good intel to see if it turned up on the other side. It didn’t.”
Jesus, he is good!
“When can I see him?”
“Tonight, if you want. Tomorrow would be better.”
“I’ll also need a dozen national policemen for guards.”
“No problem.”
“And someplace to set up shop?”
“There’s a place in Tongnae you could use,” Dunston said.
“Where’s Tongnae?”
“About twenty miles out of town,” Dunston said. “On the water. It’s where the junk is tied up, as a matter of fact.”
“What’s there?”
“It used to be a Japanese officer’s brothel,” Dunston said. “When our wives were here, we didn’t tell them that. We said it used to be a Japanese officer’s leave hotel.”
“Are the NKs watching it?”
“I don’t think so. If they are, they haven’t seen anything. I haven’t had a hell of a lot of time free lately. I would guess, if they are watching it, they think we’re just sitting on it.”
“Sounds good.”
“If you use it, and like Major Kim, he could increase the security.”
“Who’s there now?”
“Kim and maybe three other national police officers.”
“I thought you said it would be better to see Kim tomorrow? ”
“That was before I thought about turning the place over to you. You want to go out there tonight?”
“Let’s see what’s going on at the pier,” McCoy said.
This guy is good. He knew about the Marines at the pier. So he probably has had this ex-officer’s whorehouse in mind all along. And Major Kim is his buddy, who therefore can be counted on to tell him what we’re doing.
“Okay,” Dunston said. “You married, McCoy?”
“Yeah.”
“Your wife know what you do for a living?”
“Yes, she does.”
“Don’t misunderstand me, I