Chapter 9 jet lag

With the roar of the engine, a huge jet landed at Heathrow Airport. Through the porthole of the plane, David stared out the window.This is his first time in the UK, and he is excited to see what the country is like.But the thicker and thicker morning fog outside the window made him disappointed. This morning fog delayed their plane for an hour and did not land until now. He smiled and took back the documents from the customs officer, and passed the customs inspection smoothly.His papers said he was a businessman with a 24-hour transit stop in the UK.So customs officials let him through after a cursory check, without even asking him to open his only suitcase.Even if they wanted to check, though, David wasn't worried because he hid the pistol and suppressor very well hidden in the case.Of course, if it was JFK, it would be possible to find out, because there is X-ray inspection there, but usually they only scan the bag.

David walked out of the airport and raised his hand to hail a taxi - because he wanted to be at the hotel early.The taxi drove David through the dense fog in the suburbs and into London.Along the way, David looked at the street scene in London and thought to himself: If it weren't for the special mission of this trip, he might spend a few days in London to visit this ancient city carefully.Unfortunately, time is very limited this time, and David has already booked a return ticket to New York the next afternoon, because he does not want New York to know that he has been to London. The taxi stopped in front of a hotel on Park Road, and David checked in.Walking into the hotel room, he threw the luggage on the floor.It's not even ten o'clock in the morning, so he's not in a hurry to take out the clothes in the suitcase.However, he took out the pistol, silencer and magazines from the compartment of the suitcase and quickly assembled them.David wasn't worried about being checked by customs when he returned, because he planned to throw the pistol away when he was done using it.

It's mid-June, and the weather in London is sunny, with temperatures usually in the low seventies.Residents don’t need to carry umbrellas when they go out for a walk, and girls take off their jackets one after another, revealing their slender legs, playing in nature; the most romantic is the couple, they walk in Hyde Park hand in hand. David felt very moved when he saw this scene. At the hotel, David had a quick bite of breakfast, took a bath, and then he headed for the Spinning Wheel Club. The "Spinning Wheel Club" is just a few streets away from the hotel.He is used to picking those narrow, secluded streets and walking, occasionally stopping to study the travel guidebook bought at the airport.

David was at the Spinning Wheel Club just before noon.The club was built in a basement, and David walked in through the club's gate.As he passed a cleaning lady looked at him inquiringly. Walking into the "Spinning Wheel Club", facing a spacious casino, its scale is very large, there are twenty tables in it, which are used to play roulette, dice and cards.Now, because there are no guests, the tables are empty.As David walked through the green-topped tables and into the far end of the hall, he saw a poker table with a lamp still burning.In front of that gaming table is a traditional screen - that separates the gamblers from the private area.David pushed back the screen to see a large man sitting alone, counting piles of pounds.

"Are you Mr. Charles?" David asked calmly. The big man raised his head abruptly, with a look of panic in his eyes, his hand was almost about to press the button under the table. "How did you get in? Who are you?" "I walked in through the gate. My name is David. You asked me to come." "Oh, it's you," the man stood up from behind the desk, "I'm sorry, I'm paying last night's bill. I'm Charles, nice to meet you, sir!" He frowned slightly, "I didn't expect You are so young!" "There is no one who is old in our business. Anyone who is old will either leave this business or die." David said, pulling out a chair and sitting down. "I only stay in London for one day, so I must hurry up. What exactly do you want me to do?"

Charles didn't speak. He first put the wads of banknotes on the table into a large safe, locked them carefully, and then walked back to the table where David was sitting, sat down, and said, "There is an Irishman, I want you to kill him." he!" "Irishman?" "His name is Auburn. He has a little investment in London. As for the rest, you don't have to worry about it." "Do it tonight?" Charles nodded and said, "I can tell you where he is." Charles lit a cigarette and gestured to David if he smoked.David waved his hand and refused.In his line of work, cigarette butts can be fatal. "Why did you come all the way to hire me here?" David asked.

"You're more reliable than the natives," Charles told him. "Also, I find it ironic. Back in 1920, the Irish were hiring gunmen all the way from Chicago, USA, to kill British officials and policemen. , Those killers come by boat, and the commission ranges from 400 to 1,000 yuan; now, you come by plane, and you can make 5,000 yuan for killing an Irishman." "Don't compare me to the Chicago Gunners," David said grimly, not finding British humor funny at all. "Will this Auburn be there tonight?" "Let's think about it, by the way, today is Tuesday, and he will be in Battersea to collect the money."

"Battersea?" "On the other side of the river, there's a Battersea Park fun place over there. He's got a lot of slot machines there, the kind for little kids." "Then he must be profitable!" "I'm telling you that maybe you can't believe it. Sometimes, children play for an hour." Charles paused for a moment and said, "These children are also my future customers." "So, what does Auburn look like?" Charles patted his head and said, "By the way, I almost forgot. I have a photo of him here, but it's not very clear." He handed over a photo that was not very clear. Blonde girls in miniskirts stand together.David looked at the man's appearance carefully, and saw that he was ordinary and nothing special.

"Can you identify him from the photograph?" David thought about it for a while: "I'm afraid I'll have trouble if I'm in the dark; but I'm better at acting in the dark." After finishing speaking, David took out a long and thin tube from his pocket and said to Charles: "Today you Can I see him?" "The Irishman? I can try." David held up the tube and said, "There's a special kind of paint inside—it doesn't leave any traces during the day, but it glows at night. Use this thing to paint on his skin and mark it for me."

"Well, then I'll put it on his coat, it's easier to do." "No, if he changes his coat, we're wasting our efforts," David said. "Try to put it on his skin, it doesn't wash off easily." Charles sighed: "Well, if you insist on this, I will try my best." "Also, I have to go to Battersea to familiarize myself with the environment first, so you don't have to accompany me, because it is inappropriate for you to appear there. If you have an assistant, you can send one to me as a helper." "No problem!" Charles pressed the button under the table, and immediately a burly man walked in.Charles said to him, "Call Jenny!"

The big man left silently. After a while, a woman with blond hair and shawl pushed open the screen and walked in.Before Charles opened his mouth to introduce, David recognized at a glance that the blonde girl in front of him was the person who took the photo with Auburn.She was naturally beautiful, with high cheekbones and a mocking smile on her lips. She was used to being called around, David concluded. "You looking for me?" she asked. "Yes, Jenny. Let me introduce you, Mr. David. This is Jenny, one of my employees." David didn't stand up, but just nodded.Although he wasn't hired to speculate about their relationship, he couldn't help but speculate in his mind. "Nice to meet you." Jenny said, probably from the bottom of her heart. "Jenny will take you to Battersea Park and she'll tell you where the Auburn car is parked." "You know where he parked?" David asked. "Yes, I followed the Irishman." Charles picked up the tube of glow-in-the-dark paint, looked at it, and asked David, "Can she put this on her lips?" "I think it's okay, unless she accidentally eats the paint in her mouth. Before applying it, you might as well rub some cold cream or something on her lips, which will protect it and wipe it off easily afterwards." Charles didn't ask what he meant, "It's just that it reminds me of Judas who betrayed Jesus in the Bible." Charles snorted contemptuously through his nose: "Believe me, how can that Irishman be compared with Jesus? You should know this better than us." After finishing speaking, he took out a pack of crumpled cigarettes from his pocket , took out a cigarette and handed it to David.David waved his hand and declined. "Well, Jenny, drive this gentleman to the fun playground in Battersea Park, show him around, and make sure nothing goes wrong!" "Don't worry, I'll take care of him." David blinked and stood up: "All you have to do is send the money to the hotel tomorrow morning, and I have to catch the noon flight back to New York." They shook hands farewell, Charles's hand cold and unfriendly. "Sir, is this your first time in England?" Jenny asked as she turned the corner in the car. "Yes, for the first time." "Do you do this kind of thing often?" "what?" "I mean, are you doing this for a living in America?" He smiled slightly: "Not exactly, because occasionally I also rob banks." "But to be honest, this is the first time I've seen anyone in your line of work today." David felt that this sentence was familiar-the first woman he knew said it too.It was a tired brunette who lived on the fifth floor of an apartment building in Brooklyn. "Charles, or Auburn, didn't they kill anyone?" David asked. "Unlike you," Jenny said, driving across the Albert Bridge and turning left into Battersea Park, "people only kill during war." Then, she kissed him quickly on the cheek. "The war is long over." He stared out the window. "Reached?" "It's here," she stopped the car, "now we'll walk there." "Is this the closest parking lot to Happy Playground?" "yes." "In other words, this is where the Irishman must pass?" "right!" David and Jenny got out of the car like a couple, and walked into the park arm in arm.They passed a fountain, followed a path lined with flowers, and came to a turnstile—the entrance to the playground. "It looks more deserted." David said. "It gets crowded at night, and you'll find out after a while. There's a carousel, bumper cars, and slot machines that eat coins out of tourists' bags, just like any other amusement park." David nodded, and turned his head to look with interest at a complicated dog racing device next to him.It costs sixpence to play a game, but there are also considerable rewards for winning. "Gambling is banned in the United States. The government believes that gambling can induce young people to be bad. However, if you in the UK recognize gambling as legal, then why do you want to extort money?" "You misunderstood, Auburn is not here to blackmail, he has investment here." "How much do you estimate he can charge a night?" Jenny shrugged and said, "Ten to twenty pounds, not a lot." "But if someone kills him and takes the money, it's considered a robbery, right?" David said. "Wow, you're so smart, why didn't Charles think of that." "Because he pays for it, and I handle it. By the way, about the phosphorescence, can you kiss him without making him suspicious?" "no problem!" "You want to kiss him while it's still light so he doesn't notice the phosphorescence on his face." "Don't worry!" said Jenny.Then she led David into the playground and told him where the Irish would take their money. "He still rides the merry-go-round sometimes," she said. "He's just a big kid." "And he took this path back to where he parked?" "He always does." Standing on the path, David caught a glimpse of a street lamp not far away through the dense branches.He hurriedly looked around and saw that no one was passing by, so he quickly took out the silent pistol from his jacket, raised his hand and shot it, and the bulb of the street lamp immediately shattered into pieces. "Are you getting ready for tonight?" Jenny said. "Yes," David was satisfied now, "at night, when Oban passes by here, it will be dark, and the phosphorescence on his face will be my target, understand?" "Is that all right?" she asked. "Yes, after you kissed him, leave here quickly, I don't want to hurt you." "don’t worry." It was just after noon, and it was still early, so Jenny sent David back to the hotel first.David had plenty of time to prepare, so he wandered around the hotel, looking in the shop windows.David regarded this operation as an ordinary operation, but it was done abroad. David began to picture this scene in his mind - at about ten o'clock in the evening, Auburn collected the money and walked out of the fun playground office.He walked up the dark path to his car.David was lying in ambush near the path. When Auburn approached, David identified his position through the phosphorescence on his face and shot him with a gun equipped with a silencer. Auburn was killed on the spot.David then retrieved the wallet from his body, removed the banknotes, and quickly left the scene.Although armed robberies are rare in London, police will still consider it a robbery.Even if the police found out the truth of the incident, he would have already flown back to the United States on the noon plane. But David is also considering several other possibilities: What if Auburn is armed?David changed his mind and thought again: But that's okay, I'm in the dark, and Auburn has a phosphorescence on his face, so he must be a living target; well, Jenny might kiss the wrong person, but David doesn't worry about that, it's Her business has nothing to do with her; as for the street lights, maybe someone will report to the park that the lights are broken, but the park will send someone to fix it tomorrow at the earliest. Every step of the way was impeccable! In a relaxed mood, David strolled to Tefalaga Square.He stood in the June sun, gazing at the free doves in the square.He stood there for a long time, even when the sun hid behind the clouds, he still lingered there. David was always cautious.He wasn't entirely reassured about Jenny either, so at dusk he set off.He came to the Spinning Wheel Club first, and saw Jenny coming out from a distance.David quietly followed Jenny and followed her to the happy playground.From a distance, David saw Jenny talking to a dark-haired man, and then she quickly kissed him on the cheek before returning to her car.Although David couldn't see the man's face clearly, he believed that the man must be Auburn. After the black-haired man separated from Jenny, they walked towards the path leading to the happy playground.David looked at his watch. It was just after eight o'clock in the evening, and it was still dark.There were too many people walking in the park, and David felt that it was not the time to do anything, so he quietly followed the man.He has to wait for the best time. He walked behind Oban.He walked past many young couples and boys and girls, he passed by many girls with fluttering long hair, and occasionally, he would run into some older people.As time went by, the street lights came on, and the colorful lights shone on the young man's red cheeks. David watched as Auburn entered the office.Auburn lingered in the office for a long time, and David waited anxiously nearby, pacing up and down, feeling the warm, heavy weight of the pistol in his coat pocket against his ribs. After an unknown amount of time, Auburn came out of the office.He walked slowly past a row of entertainment booths, touching his breast pocket as he walked—obviously, it contained cash.He went to a stall, played ball a few times, and won a coconut, but he gave it back to the stall owner.Finally, he walked into a dark wooden building and started playing with bumper cars.David also followed and joined the bumper car team.In the dark, he saw the phosphorescent green glow of Oban's face, and David was relieved that Jenny had accomplished her mission. David really wanted to do something in this dark room, he had already secretly clutched the gun in his coat pocket, as long as he pulled the trigger against the phosphorescent spot, the mission would be completed. If you do, it turns into a premeditated murder.The experienced David would not do this!He'd have to do it on that dark alley so it could be disguised as a robbery.So he put away the pistol again. After a while, Auburn walked out of the bumper car playground, and David quickly followed.Auburn walked through an indoor arcade past rows of slot machines.Head towards a place ahead called the "Wind Tunnel". The "wind tunnel" is made of rock and concrete, and it is a favorite place for young couples and children to play. The "wind tunnel" has an exit, which leads directly to the parking path, and Auburn is to take a shortcut back. David hurriedly looked at his watch, and the hands pointed to five minutes to ten.David thought: He'll wait until Auburn is out of this place and on the path.So David pulled out his pistol again.At the beginning, there were some other tourists in the "wind tunnel", and when they were about to reach the exit, there were only the two of them left in the cave.Auburn felt himself being followed now, too, because in the dark the little phosphorescence was bouncing back and forth as he turned his head.But either way, when they're outside, David will be safe into the night outside, and the phosphorescent glow on Auburn's face will kill him... At the exit of the "wind tunnel" is a thick curtain.In an instant, Oban was out through the curtain.David knew that it was time to do something now, so he ran a few steps quickly, lifted the curtain, and rushed out. What surprised him was that the sky outside was not dark! The Irishman strikes first and shoots him, and David feels a sharp pain in his chest... At three in the morning, the Spinning Wheel Club was about to close. Charles and Jenny, who were sitting in the club office, suddenly saw a person walking in—it was Auburn! Auburn held his own pistol in one hand, and a silenced pistol in the other—an American one, apparently. "How is this..." "Didn't you think of it? You two probably didn't think of it, did you? Didn't think I was still alive." Jenny took two steps toward him, but Auburn held her back with a pistol pointed at her. "You smart guys! Ask Yankee to kill me, you should do it yourself. Jenny kissed me and left a little phosphorescence on my face, but the Yankee forgot one thing - the latitude of London is 11 degrees north of New York Where, in mid-June, it's still light after ten o'clock in the evening in London!" "What do you want?" Charles felt his throat dry. The Irishman smiled without answering, as if he had been waiting for this moment for a long time.Auburn pulled the trigger when Charles' hand reached for the button under the table...