Chapter 82 jet lag

Jumbo jet lands at Heathrow Airport. David stared out the window, seeing the English homeland for the first time, but all he could see was the growing morning mist which had delayed them for an hour and was only now settling. He passed the customs inspection without any problems. The papers stated that he was a businessman with a 24-hour transit stop. No one asked him to open the only suitcase. Very secretive, hard to find out.Of course, if it was an X-ray at JFK, it would have picked it up, but they only looked at handbags. Eager to get to his hotel, he hailed a taxi and drove through the foggy countryside into London.If it weren't for the special mission of this trip, he might have stopped to take a closer look at this ancient city.But time was tight this time, and he had to fly back to New York the next afternoon, and with any luck, people didn't even know he had left.

It was still very early when David checked into the hotel on Park Road, before ten o'clock in the morning.He was only staying for one night, so there was no need to unpack, but it took him a few minutes to quickly install the pistol and silencer.He doesn't worry about customs inspection when he goes back, he just throws it away before he goes back. In London in mid-June, it is sunny and cloudy, and the temperature is usually below 70 degrees. Residents do not need to carry umbrellas when they go out. Girls take off their coats, revealing their slender legs. Couples of lovers are strolling in Hyde Park hand in hand.

David liked this scene very much. After a hasty breakfast and a shower, he walked towards the "Spinning Wheel Club" a few streets away from the hotel. He habitually walked those narrow and quiet streets, and occasionally stopped to study the travel guidebook bought at the airport. Before noon, he came to the "Spinning Wheel Club", which was set up in the basement.He passed a cleaning lady who looked at him questioningly.The lobby of a casino can be compared to a casino, with twenty tables for gambling on roulette, dice and cards.The tables were all empty now, but as he passed among the green-topped tables he saw a lamp still burning on a card table at the back of the hall.Pushing back the traditional screen that separates the gamblers from the private area, he saw a large man sitting alone, counting piles of pounds.

"Mr. Charles?" he asked, his voice calm. The big man raised his head nervously, his fingers almost going to press the button under the table. "How did you get in? Who are you?" "I walked in. I'm David. You asked for me." "Oh," the man stood up from behind the desk, "I'm sorry, I'm paying last night's bill. This is Charles, nice to meet you, sir," he frowned slightly. "I thought it was an older one." "There's no old age in this business," David said, pulling out a chair and sitting down. "I'm only here for one day, and the matter must be settled tonight. Can you tell me the details?"

Charles moved slowly and locked the stacks of banknotes into a large safe, then walked back to the table where David was sitting, sat down, and said, "I want you to kill the Irishman." "Irishman?" "A guy named Auburn, he's got a little investment here, you don't have to know the rest." "Is it convenient tonight?" Charles nodded and said, "I can tell you where to find him." David watched Charles light his cigarette. He didn't smoke himself, and in his line of work, cigarette butts could be dangerous. "Why did you hire me so far away?" he asked.

"Safer than the natives," Charles told him. "Besides, I find it ironic. Back in 1920, the Irish used to import Chicago gunmen to assassinate British officials and policemen. They came by boat. They cost from four hundred to a thousand. Now, you Come by plane and kill an Irishman for five thousand." "I'm not the Chicago Gunner," David said quietly, not admiring the British sense of humor. "Will this Auburn be there tonight?" "Let's see, it's Tuesday, and he'll be in Battersea to collect the money." "Battersea?"

"Across the river, at the Pleasure Ground in Battersea Park, where he has all sorts of gaming machines, with profits to draw, for children." "That must add up." "You'll be surprised how little kids play for an hour sometimes," he paused to think. "To me, they're tomorrow's customers." "How can I recognize him?" Charles sighed. "That's the problem, here's a photo, but it's not very good." He handed over a blurry photo of a man standing next to a blonde in a miniskirt, a normal-looking man, nothing special place. "Can you recognize him from the picture?"

David thought about it. "You might not recognize it in the dark, and I'm best at it," he said, taking a long, thin tube from his pocket. "Can you see him today?" "The Irishman? I can figure it out." David held up the tube and said, "Give this to his skin. It's invisible during the day, but glows at night." "How about putting it on his coat? It's easier that way." "He might change his coat at night, David said, and he doesn't like to take risks." It's better on the skin, the stuff doesn't wash off right away. "

Charles sighed: "Well, if you insist on this, I can do it." "Also, I want to see around Battersea first. I think you may not want to be found there, but you may have an assistant." "Yes, there is," he reached for the button, and immediately a burly man appeared.Charles told him, "Call Jenny!" The big man exited silently. A woman with blond hair and shawl pushed open the screen and walked in.David didn't need to be introduced to recognize the woman in front of him as the person who took the photo with Auburn.She was young and 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. Mr. David, this is Jenny, one of my employees." David nodded, too lazy to stand up.He wasn't hired to speculate about their relationship, but he couldn't help but speculate in his mind. "Nice to meet you," the girl said.She said this, probably from the heart. "Jenny will drive you to Battersea Park and tell you where he parks and where he collects his money." "You know his route?" David asked. "Yes, I ran the same route as the Irishman."

Charles picked up the phosphorescent tube and asked David, "Can she put this on her lips?" "If she's careful not to get it in her mouth, I think it's ok. Put something like cold cream on it before you put it on, so it's easy to wipe off afterwards." He didn't ask Charles what he meant. "I'd feel like the Biblical Judah who betrayed Christ." Charles snorted disdainfully. "Trust me, that Irishman is not Christ! You should know this better than us." As he spoke, he took cigarettes from a crumpled pack of cigarettes and handed them to David, who declined. "Okay, drive this gentleman to the happy playground, show him around, you can't go wrong." David blinked and stood up. "I'll make no mistake. Send the money to the hotel tomorrow morning, and I'll take the noon flight back to New York." They shook hands, Charles's hand was cold and unfriendly. "Your first time in England?" Jenny asked as she turned the corner in the car. "the first time." "Do you do this kind of thing often?" "what?" "I mean, is this how you make a living in America?" He smiled slightly: "Sometimes I rob banks." "No, seriously, I've never met anyone in your line of business." The first woman he ever knew said as much, a tired brunette who lived on the fifth floor of an apartment building in Brooklyn. "Charles, or Auburn, didn't they kill anyone?" "It's not like this," she said, crossing the Albert Bridge and turning left into the vast green fields of Battersea Park. "People only kill during war." Then, she kissed him quickly on the cheek. "The war was a long time ago," he stared out the window. "Is it here?" "Yes," she pulls into a parking lot. "From here we walk." "Is this the closest parking lot to Happy Playground?" "yes." "Then the Irishman must come here with the money." "right." Like a couple, they wandered past the fountain, up a flower-lined path, and up to the turnstiles, which were the entrance to the play area. "There aren't many tourists," David said. "There are more people in the evening, and you will see it tonight-carousel horses, bumper cars, etc., and those slot-eating tigers, eating the copper coins in the tourists' bags, just like ordinary amusement parks." He nodded, inspecting a complex greyhound racing contraption that cost sixpence a game but paid handsomely for the win. "In America, we don't allow gambling on the grounds that it corrupts the minds and bodies of young people. Still, if it's legal, why would Auburn have the money to collect it? " "God, it's not a crime, he just has a stake." "How much will he receive tonight?" She shrugged. "Ten or twenty pounds, not much." "However, if the money is robbed, it can be considered robbery," David said. "You're very clever. Charles didn't think of that." "He paid me to think about him. About the phosphorescence, can you kiss him without making him suspicious?" "of course can." "He wouldn't have noticed the phosphorescence if it was still light." "Yes," she said, leading him through the office and telling him where the Irish would take their money. "Sometimes, he would ride the carousel," she said. "He's just a big kid." "And he just took this path back to his car?" "He's always been that way." David looked for street lights through the thick branches.He looked up and down the path to make sure no one was around.Then he took out a suppressed pistol from his jacket and shot it casually, and the overhead lamp made the sound of glass shattering. "You're getting ready for tonight," Jenny said. "Yes," he said now, satisfied.It would be dark here, only the phosphorescence on Auburn's face could be discerned, a target. "That's it?" she asked. "Yes, after you kissed him, get out of here, I don't want to hurt you by mistake." "don’t worry." She sent him back to the hotel, it was still early, it was just past noon, and he had plenty of time.He went shopping, looked in the windows, and considered his evening activities.It was just an ordinary operation, the only difference was that the location was abroad. Auburn left the Funfair office at about ten o'clock at night, walked down the dark lane to the car park, and found David waiting.The phosphorescent glow of his face would prove it was him, and the sound of the suppressed gun would have killed him.Then he took out the banknotes from his wallet and walked away quickly.Robbery at gunpoint was rare in London, but he knew the police would accept it.He took the noon plane and flew away. He considered the possibility that Auburn might be armed.But that's all right, he'll be in the dark, and Auburn is a bright target, no mistake.Well, she might have kissed the wrong guy, but he wasn't worried about that, it was the girl's business.As for the street lamps, there will be reports that they are broken, but they will not come to fix them until tomorrow. David strolled to Tefalaga Square and stood in the June sun, watching the pigeons in the square.He stood there for a long time, even when the sun hid behind the clouds, he still lingered there. Because he is a cautious person, that evening, he followed Jenny from the spinning wheel club to the happy amusement park. He parked under a tree and saw her talking with a black-haired man from a distance.Then, she quickly kissed him on the cheek and headed back to her car.David couldn't see very well, but he believed it was Auburn. After watching Jenny drive away, the man locked his car and walked towards the path leading to the happy playground.It was just after eight o'clock in the evening, it was still dark, and there were too many people walking around, David didn't dare to take the risk of shooting, he had to wait until dark as planned. He followed along, passing more and more young couples and boys and girls, brushing past girls with long hair fluttering, and occasionally bumping into some elderly people.Now the street lights are all on, and the dazzling and colorful lights shine on the red cheeks of the young people. Oban went into the office and stayed in it for a long time.While he waited, David felt the pistol warm and heavy against his ribs. Auburn reappeared, walking slowly among the stalls, patted his breast pocket, he had money.He stopped in front of a stall, played ball a few times, and won a coconut, but he didn't take it and asked the stall owner to keep it for himself.Finally, he entered a dark wooden building and played with the car for a while.David followed suit and drove for a while.When he saw the phosphorescent glow on the man's dark face, he was relieved that Jenny had completed her task. They turned a corner in the dark and glided past a lighted area, and David drew the pistol from under his coat.Now, shoot that glowing point right here, and mission accomplished. However, this became a premeditated murder. After a while, doing it in a dark alley would look like robbery, so he put away the pistol again. Auburn exits the car and walks through an indoor arcade past rows of slot machines.There is another entrance in front, called "wind tunnel". Auburn walked in, followed by David. He remembered the place "Wind Tunnel" because he had been there in the afternoon. The "wind tunnel" has an exit that leads to a parking path.Auburn is taking a shortcut back.The cave itself is made of rock and papier mache and is a favorite place for couples and children. David looked at his watch. It was five minutes to ten, and he fired when Oban was out of this place and on the path.He pulled out his pistol again and held it close to his waist. There were some people in the hole, and by the time they reached the exit, there were only the two of them left.Auburn must have realized now that someone was being followed, because the phosphorescence on his cheek bobbed back and forth as he turned his head.But anyway, when they went outside, David would be in the dark, and Oban would never be able to hide. At the end of the "wind tunnel", there was a thick curtain through which Oban disappeared.Ohira knew it was time, because Oban might be waiting for him, and he ran stooping across the curtain, feeling the cool air outside on his face. It was still bright outside. The Irishman fired first, and David felt a searing pain in his chest. The Spinning Wheel Club closes at three o'clock in the morning. When Auburn walked into the club office, only Charles and Jenny were inside.Auburn held a pistol in one hand and an American suppressed pistol in the other. "How-" "Didn't you think of it? You two probably didn't think of it, did you? Didn't think I was alive." Jenny moved towards him, but he pointed a pistol at her and told her to stay away. "What a fool! Ask the American shooter to kill me, you should do it yourself. Jenny kisses me and puts a little light on my face, but your shooter still doesn't know that the latitude of London is eleven degrees north of New York Here, in mid-June, the sky here, after ten o'clock in the evening, the sky is still bright." "What do you want?" Charles asked hoarsely. The Irishman just smiled, as if he'd been waiting a long time for this moment.When Charles reached for the table, Auburn immediately pulled the trigger.