the Mayor is on Biggs’ payroll too—or at least too afraid of Biggs to cross him. Take for example what happened earlier this week a few blocks from Miss Cassidy’s saloon. A building owned by a local Chinese businessman caught on fire. Nothing suspicious there, fires are commonplace enough, but I heard Biggs and his men beat to death several Chinese that same night. No bodies have turned up, though, and unfortunately, my sources aren’t of a reliable nature. The Mayor won’t let me spend any man-hours investigating the fire or those missing Chinese. I don’t know if the two incidents are related, but something feels kind of funny in my gut.” The chief paused to light a cigar and offered one to Jake.
“And you say this happened near Cera’s?” he asked as he lit his cigar. “That might explain it.”
“What? You think she knows something?”
“Maybe…” He thought back to his first day in the saloon and the fear in Ginger’s eyes. “It’s definitely something I’m going to look into.”
“Be careful, Jake. I would hate to find you at the bottom of the harbor. Biggs is as bad as this city gets. Rumor is he’s working with Choy Poy and Hip Yee. Those two characters are the leaders of a Chinese Tong that runs Chinatown—all the gambling, prostitution, drugs—everything.”
He nodded in understanding. “When I worked the mines in Nevada, there was a Chinese Tong that ruled with an iron hand. The Tong terrified the Chinese workers.”
“So you know what I’m up against.” The chief took a long pull of his beer and replaced the cigar in the corner of his mouth. “Then let me tell you a story about what happened several months ago. I received a letter from three Chinese women begging me to help them escape from their owners, an old Chinese couple named Ah Can and Ah Die. The girls said they were forced to sell their bodies each night or suffer whippings, or worse, as punishment.”
“Their ‘owners’?” Jake pointed his cigar at the chief. “You all have heard slavery is outlawed, right? Or didn’t the news make it this far?”
“Well, unfortunately, in some places slavery is alive and well. Before I could track down these girls, one of them, Ah Sing, escaped and went to Reverend Gibson’s Mission School. To protect her from this Chinese couple, the Reverend asked a young man, Yat Sang, to marry her.
“But then her owners complained to Hip Yee that Ah Sing was stolen from them. Yat Sang was brought before the Tong and told he must pay the old Chinese couple $350 for Ah Sing—or die. Well, of course, Yat Sang didn’t have that kind of money, so he went back to the mission to hide.
“I arrested Ah Can and Ah Die for imprisoning the girls, but the prosecuting attorney wouldn’t try the case. He had an explanation for everything I brought up. Finally, the mission took up a collection and sent Yat Sang and Ah Sing back to China. About a month later, I heard the Hip Yee had paid the prosecuting attorney $10,000 to look the other way. Course I can’t prove any of that.”
The chief signaled the server for two more beers. “I don’t suppose you want to press charges against these thugs who beat you up? I’d love to take another crack at Biggs.”
Jake gave a derisive snort. “I have my own brand of justice. Don’t worry, though, they’ll get what’s coming to them. Besides, from what you have already said, I don’t think it would do any good.”
“Yes, you’re probably right. I’m sure somebody would give them an alibi for that night.” The chief sucked on his cigar and blew out a large smoke ring. “You know, Jake, I could use a good man like you on the police force, someone with a taste for justice who I could trust. Are you looking for a job?”
He took his own cigar from his mouth and stared at the glowing embers, trying to decide the best words to use. “I’m honored you would ask me, but the timing isn’t right. I have a few more things to resolve before I take
“And you say this happened near Cera’s?” he asked as he lit his cigar. “That might explain it.”
“What? You think she knows something?”
“Maybe…” He thought back to his first day in the saloon and the fear in Ginger’s eyes. “It’s definitely something I’m going to look into.”
“Be careful, Jake. I would hate to find you at the bottom of the harbor. Biggs is as bad as this city gets. Rumor is he’s working with Choy Poy and Hip Yee. Those two characters are the leaders of a Chinese Tong that runs Chinatown—all the gambling, prostitution, drugs—everything.”
He nodded in understanding. “When I worked the mines in Nevada, there was a Chinese Tong that ruled with an iron hand. The Tong terrified the Chinese workers.”
“So you know what I’m up against.” The chief took a long pull of his beer and replaced the cigar in the corner of his mouth. “Then let me tell you a story about what happened several months ago. I received a letter from three Chinese women begging me to help them escape from their owners, an old Chinese couple named Ah Can and Ah Die. The girls said they were forced to sell their bodies each night or suffer whippings, or worse, as punishment.”
“Their ‘owners’?” Jake pointed his cigar at the chief. “You all have heard slavery is outlawed, right? Or didn’t the news make it this far?”
“Well, unfortunately, in some places slavery is alive and well. Before I could track down these girls, one of them, Ah Sing, escaped and went to Reverend Gibson’s Mission School. To protect her from this Chinese couple, the Reverend asked a young man, Yat Sang, to marry her.
“But then her owners complained to Hip Yee that Ah Sing was stolen from them. Yat Sang was brought before the Tong and told he must pay the old Chinese couple $350 for Ah Sing—or die. Well, of course, Yat Sang didn’t have that kind of money, so he went back to the mission to hide.
“I arrested Ah Can and Ah Die for imprisoning the girls, but the prosecuting attorney wouldn’t try the case. He had an explanation for everything I brought up. Finally, the mission took up a collection and sent Yat Sang and Ah Sing back to China. About a month later, I heard the Hip Yee had paid the prosecuting attorney $10,000 to look the other way. Course I can’t prove any of that.”
The chief signaled the server for two more beers. “I don’t suppose you want to press charges against these thugs who beat you up? I’d love to take another crack at Biggs.”
Jake gave a derisive snort. “I have my own brand of justice. Don’t worry, though, they’ll get what’s coming to them. Besides, from what you have already said, I don’t think it would do any good.”
“Yes, you’re probably right. I’m sure somebody would give them an alibi for that night.” The chief sucked on his cigar and blew out a large smoke ring. “You know, Jake, I could use a good man like you on the police force, someone with a taste for justice who I could trust. Are you looking for a job?”
He took his own cigar from his mouth and stared at the glowing embers, trying to decide the best words to use. “I’m honored you would ask me, but the timing isn’t right. I have a few more things to resolve before I take
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