The Adventures of Lazarus Flynn

By D.A. Dalessandro

Screenwriter D.A. Dalessandro (Snakes On A Plane) turns his attention to fiction with a collection of stories set during the Depression. Lazarus Flynn, a hard-bitten veteran with a sense of justice, takes on a series of cases with two things in common: a beautiful woman and an unusual problem to solve. Flynn's first four adventures lead him from Pittsburgh to Hong Kong and places in between as he takes on Jim Crow racism, sexual exploitation, a treasure with a curious history and a stolen dinosaur skull.

• Language: English
• Publisher: D.A. Dalessandro
• Release date: Apr 26, 2022
• ISBN: 9781005769154

Book preview

1

Hong Kong, 1930

The name is Flynn.

Lazarus Flynn.

I’ve been shot, stabbed, poisoned, bull-gored, snake-bit and have the scars to prove it. Worn the uniform of the US of A and helped Pershing kick the Hun’s ass at Belleau Wood.

Name a job, I've probably earned a buck doing it: stevedore, molasses smuggler, lobsterman, buckaroo, rounder, and private dick. I've been down on my luck and on the top of the world. I give as good as I take in any ruckus and if you want to know the difference between an American and Shanghai jail, I'm your man.

But I had no idea what fate had in store for me on the Hong Kong night I laid eyes on Sonia Ang.

I had spent the day in the sack, recovering from finalizing a business venture previous day. I stumbled out of bed around three, made myself presentable and met an old friend, Jack Ma.

Over a dinner of char slu pork and dim sum at a tony restaurant in the Central District, Jack provided details of his new venture in moving picture production. He then suggested we stop by a private gambling club located in Victoria Peak to cap off the evening.

The club, set at the end of a governor’s drive, was fancy enough to offer valet parking. The stakes were too rich for my blood, even though my wallet was flush with Hong Kong dollars. Stud poker is my game anyway.

I watched Jack play baccarat and was bored silly until a tall, striking woman in a red cheongsam took a seat at the table. Now, speaking for myself, I always found the high-necked, form-fitting traditional Mandarin dress a damn nice way to sheath a woman's body.

My attention turned from the game to the new arrival. Funny the things you remember. A long gold pin was visible within the obsidian hair piled atop her head, though no other jewelry adorned her body. Her fingernails were cut short and unpainted. Her complexion appeared unblemished by any imperfection. Her nationality was impossible to determine, because her face appeared to mix the best attributes of both the Occidental and Oriental: high cheekbones, almond eyes, full lips and a shapely, elegant nose. Even her color, resembling a peach a few weeks from being ripe, offered no clue. I made her for a year or two north or south of thirty-years old.

She gambled large sums and lost every hand. Whether she won or lost, her face remained impassive, and her dark eyes were cryptic pools. She was the type that always turned heads when she entered a room, but I could feel her chill from across the table. I wondered what she would be like in the sack and what sort of man could melt her frigid crust.

Two husky men hovered a few feet from the Ice Lady. I assumed they were her bodyguards, an assumption that was validated a few moments later when one bent over and whispered in her ear. She stood, grabbed her simple black purse and departed.

I'm out, Jack said, rising from the table. Broke even.

Ice Lady and her bodyguards were ten feet in front of us and I watched her long, elegant leg peek out of the slit up the side of her dress.

Who’s the kitten? I asked.

Don’t know her. Bodyguards, though. Out of your league, my friend.

We reached the entrance and waited for Jack's car to be brought around. The Ice Lady stood a few feet away.

Back to the hotel? Jack asked.

Yeah.

Suddenly, a pair of headlights sprang to life in the shadows to my right and a car accelerated with screeching wheels. Three thugs hopped out of the car before it stopped. The Ice Lady's bodyguards reacted, pulling out their gats. Gunshots punctured the still evening air. Parking attendants dove for cover as Jack pulled me back toward the safety of the entrance.

Ice Lady's two bodyguards went down. Two of who I assumed were kidnappers grabbed their prize and pulled her toward their car.

Call me a sucker for a damsel in distress. I left the safety of the entrance, grabbed a pistol lying on the ground, knelt on one knee and fired a single shot into the leg of each thug. They crumpled as I raced to Ice Lady's side and pulled her to safety.

You okay? I asked.

I am fine, she replied in English, cool as a cucumber. An American, are you not?

Yeah. Name's Flynn.

The tips of her lips curled and she almost smiled.

Sirens split the night. The kidnappers limped into their waiting vehicle and the car tore off into the darkness.

A silver Rolls Royce skidded to a stop and the horn sounded.

Goodbye, Mr. Flynn, she said. Another bodyguard stepped out and held the door of her ride open.

And then she was gone.

A second silver Rolls appeared and yet two more bodyguards exited and pulled their injured compatriots into the car.

We better hit the road, my friend, Jack said.

Unfortunately, that was not to be. A police car skidded to a stop and a thin man with a narrow moustache exited. He spoke to the shaken parking attendants and they pointed at me.

He crossed to me and flashed an ID. I am Senior Inspector Chin. Passport, if you please.

I complied. He studied the document for a long moment. You will come with me.

Jack leaned close. Go. Call me it you need me.

No one said a word during the ride to the police station, where I was ushered into a room with a table, an ashtray and two chairs. The door shut.

While I cooled my heels, the incident at the entrance played over and over in my mind. Obviously, I had interrupted a kidnapping. The twin Rolls were a dead giveaway that the Ice Lady came from serious money.

I paced back and forth like a trapped rat until, an hour later, Chin entered.

Please accept my apologies for making you wait so long.

He fished a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and offered me one. I declined. He lit one and his dark eyes studied me through the smoke for a long moment. Too long, to my liking. He set the cigarette in the ashtray.

You are acquainted with Sonia Ang?

Who is she?

The woman you rescued.

Never saw her before tonight.

Then why did you risk your life on her behalf?

I shrugged. Don't know exactly, truth be told.

He smiled and a gold tooth flashed. You wish to be a hero, yes? Save the girl like in American movies?

Mind telling me why I'm sitting here? I have a flight leaving in the morning.

I'm afraid you will miss that flight, Mr. Flynn.

He said those words with such certainty that I realized he had not spent an hour on the foiled kidnapping but another matter entirely.

Chin walked slowly around the table. A shipment of illicit weapons was delivered yesterday to those who do not sympathize with the Authority. Fortunately, the fools were apprehended shortly thereafter. Later, we discovered a boat abandoned upon the shore.

Interesting story. Why tell me?

He was in front of me again. His genial tone sharpened. What is the purpose of your visit?

I kept my cool and stared back at him. I'm here on personal business, visiting an old friend.

How did you arrive in Hong Kong? Your passport contains a forged entry stamp. Your name does not appear on any airline or ship passenger manifest for the past week. A most curious matter.

I figured my hash was cooked and kept my trap shut.

In the morning, we will meet those fools and I will discover the true nature of your business here, Mr. Lazarus Flynn.

A knock interrupted the interrogation and the door opened. An officer motioned for Chin to step outside. He did. The door shut. I watched the smoke from Chin’s cigarette curl upward as muffled, yet clearly sharp words were exchanged in Chinese.

Chin entered the room again and bowed.

You are free to go. My apologies, he said softly. I could tell from his body language someone higher up had stepped on his toes. Hard. He handed me my passport.

No harm done.

I stepped out of the room and walked out to the lobby, where two burly, sullen men waited. I wondered if the kidnappers or Sonia Ang had arranged my release.

The silver Rolls idling at the curb answered the question.

2

An hour later I was on a powerful speedboat racing toward to a yacht anchored far from the sparkling lights of Hong Kong.

Once aboard, I was shown into an office dominated by a large elaborately carved teak desk. Several oil paintings adorned the walls. Dragon heads decorated the chair behind the desk.

A man entered, as wide as he was tall. His swept back pomaded silver hair sat atop yellow-tinged face. Like Chin, he sported a narrow moustache, accented by a small 'v' shaped beard on his chin. He wore a bespoke suit, a gold watch and a large ring on his finger. He motioned to a chair across from the desk. I sat, then he sat and steepled his thick fingers.

Let me first thank you for rescuing my niece, he said, with a hint of a Brit accent.

One mystery solved. Ang had me released in return for saving his niece.

Not a problem. I figured she was being kidnapped.

I believe you are correct. My men will get to the bottom of that activity.

When a rich man talks about his ‘men’ and not the police, it means he’s powerful enough to handle his own problems.

Thanks for pulling me out of a tight spot.

He smiled. Might I offer you a libation? I have fine Scotch, or perhaps an excellent Bordeaux?

Scotch. Neat.

He walked to the bar. You are in serious trouble, Mr. Flynn. I do not judge the business of others and whatever you did to interest Senior Inspector Chin is not my concern.

He returned and handed me the glass. I sipped. It was good scotch indeed.

My name is Sing Ang. I am the owner of the Orange Blossom Trading Company, a concern that has brought me a good deal of wealth and influence in the corridors of power.

I figured as much, given the Rolls your people drive.

Yes, they are beautiful and quite temperamental, like my niece.

What is your business? Import-export?

He grinned like the Cheshire cat. Yes. Among other endeavors. He twisted the large ring back and forth. If you wish to stay a free man, you must do a favor for me.

I'm not going to marry your niece, I deadpanned.

He raised his glass. You have a sense of humor.

I take it that if I don't agree to perform this favor, in the morning you ship me back to Chin to face the music?

Precisely.

I'm all ears.

Have you ever heard of the Gold Scarab?

No.

It is an ancient piece of great importance to me, with much sentimental value. I want you to help return it.

You lost it?

He frowned. It was stolen. His tone suggested he took the theft as a personal insult. You will be my guest tonight. In the morning, over breakfast, we will talk at greater length. Please consider my offer. Good night.

He departed. A moment later, a man in a starched white tunic appeared. This way, Mr. Flynn.

I followed him out of the office and down a level. He opened a door and stepped aside. We will wake you at seven. Breakfast is at eight in the grand salon. I believe you will find the accommodations most comfortable. He bowed and shut the door after I entered.

The stateroom was as fancy as digs at the Ritz-Carlton. A fully furnished bar. A bathroom. A leather couch and armchair. A carpet so thick it swallowed my feet. Drapes covered one wall.

I took a long, hot shower. Sing Ang had me by the shorthairs. I had no desire to get lost in the Chinese justice system, which I knew was complicated as a maze. I could hire a barrister and eat up my profit from the delivery of the guns and still end up in prison for who knew how long?

I stepped out of the shower and pulled on a thick terry robe. When I exited the steaming bathroom, Sonia was waiting. She had loosed her obsidian hair and it fell in waves onto the shoulders of her white silk robe. The scent of jasmine floated in the air.

Hello again, I said.

Is running guns your occupation?

I do a little of this and that, now and then.

And we are the ones who are supposed to be inscrutable. She laughed sharply.

What's on your mind?

She stood and pulled the curtain aside. Moonlight silhouetted the long-legged, shapely body beneath her gown.

My uncle is a very dangerous man.

I sat on the bed. I judge a man by the way he treats me.

She turned to face me. What did he ask you to do?

How do you know he asked me to do anything?

Because saving me is not reason enough to pull you from the clutches of Inspector Chin.

I figured we were even-steven.

You were wrong, weren't you? My uncle understands leverage very well. It is a game he loves to play. What does he want?

Something about a gold scarab.

What about it?

He wants me to help find it.

She pivoted away from the window. I have the name of a very good barrister, Mr. Flynn. I will pay for your defense. It is the least I can do.

Not an option. Sorry.

You don't know what you are dealing with, Mr. Flynn.

Call me Lazarus. All my friends do.

Her lovely eyes flashed. I am not your friend. She shot me a chilly glare and swept out of the room, leaving a trail of jasmine behind.

I had no idea what she intended to accomplish during her short visit. She and her uncle were obviously at odds. Did she really expect me to turn down her uncle's offer? I figured the web of intrigue was thick between the two of them.

I hoped to avoid being tangled in the strands.

I was wrong.

3

The breakfast spread included pancakes, bacon, scrambled eggs and thick toast, not exactly what I would consider standard Chinese cuisine. A carafe of coffee was also available, and I chose that over tea.

I thought you would appreciate an American breakfast.

You've been to the states, then?

Many times. Let me speak of myself. I was born in China. My parents were of the upper class and sent me to England for boarding school. I then attended Oxford, where I became fascinated with economics. Supply and demand. Currency trading. I married an English girl, a bad choice as it turned out, but during the marriage, I learned a great deal about import and export working in her father's business before the marriage ended. I returned home and applied what I had learned to my business here. Fortune smiled upon me.

Experience has taught me to never accept a man's explanation of his past unless vouched for by someone I trusted. Maybe Jack Ma was familiar with Mr. Ang.

Sonia is my younger brother's daughter. He and his wife were killed in a plane crash and Sonia, aged ten, became my responsibility. I sent her off to England and then Switzerland for proper schooling. At both stops she specialized in creating scandals. She is here with me now, obviously.

As he spoke, I finished my meal. He sipped some tea and set down the cup.

Have you thought about my offer?

I pulled a cigarette from a silver case on the table and lit it with a silver lighter.

I’m curious. Why do you believe I am the man for the job?

I know that you are handy with a gun if the situation warrants. You have a reckless streak, else you would not have become involved with my niece’s incident. You also know how to obtain a forged passport and entry stamp. Such knowledge is of little use to those who walk the, how do you say, straight and narrow. His reasons made as much sense as mine regarding stepping into the kidnapping attempt.

The scarab is found on many sarcophagi and generally a symbol of nobility in the old Egyptian kingdoms. Odd, because the scarab is nothing more than a dung beetle.

He wiped his hands on a linen napkin and sipped more tea. The Gold Scarab is made of solid twenty-four carat gold and encrusted with rubies and diamonds.

Sounds valuable.

Ah, he said, laughing softly, the value of the gold and gems is no more than any such material. Expensive, yes, but not exorbitantly so. No, Mr. Flynn, the value is in its provenance, for it once belonged to a Pharaoh.

I don't suppose you want to tell me how you acquired the item.

How I obtained it is irrelevant to your task. Tell me of your past.

I left home at sixteen and set out to make my fortune, simple as that.

Did you succeed?

Once or twice. I shrugged.

Have you thought about my offer?

You said you want me to help find this thing. Who am I helping?

Sonia.

That was an unexpected haymaker. When we discovered it had been stolen and the investigation in Hong Kong turned up nothing, she insisted that she conduct a search. Many imitations exist and she can identify the genuine article. Her education, such as it is, centered on Egyptian history. She spent two years working at the British Museum, in the Egyptian Room.

Where do I fit in?

Sonia has certain arcane knowledge but will benefit from someone with your, how shall I say, experience. Contrary forces working in harmony. Ying and Yang.

In other words, I'm her bodyguard.

Not to put too fine a point on it, yes.

Does she know I'm coming with her?

I will tell her after we have agreed on our arrangement.

What is our arrangement?

Sonia will handle all the financial and travel details. Your only expense will be your time. Protect her and insure she returns safely.

Do you have any idea who might have stolen the scarab?

No, but it can only be sold through channels that deal with antiquities of dubious ownership. Sonia has a list of possible individuals who would be contacted with an item of such value.

How do you know I won't ditch your niece and disappear?

Trust me, there is no place in the world that you cannot be found. Do not try my patience on that matter.

What if I don't find it?

I expect the search will continue until it is recovered.

I figured those two or three months talking to dealers in antiquities was a fair trade for escaping a Chinese prison. Something as valuable as the Gold Scarab would not stay hidden for long among collectors. Very well, I replied. I'm in.

Excellent. Now, I shall inform Sonia.

One more thing. I have Hong Kong currency in my wallet. Can you exchange them for American dollars?

He snapped his fingers and I handed the notes over. This is not a problem. He took the money and departed.

Back in my suite, I sat on the sofa and waited for Sonia to appear. Based on our conversation the previous night, I had no idea what to expect.

An hour later, Sonia entered without bothering to knock. She wore jodhpur pants, a long-sleeved khaki blouse with chest pockets and riding boots. Her hair was pulled back and tied off with a barrette. She looked ready for a safari.

She handed me a thick envelope. My uncle said you will understand a transaction fee was required for the exchange of your money.

Of course.

I offered to pay for a barrister to help you out of your legal quandary and you refused, so I consider that matter, as you say, 'even-steven'. Be that as it may, you and I shall travel together. Please be warned I am not in the least amused by your roguish charm. This trip is strictly business, so you and I will not be involved beyond the completion of our appointed task. Have I made myself clear?

Crystal.

Good. Our first destination is Cairo, Egypt, after a refueling stop in New Delhi.

You have the tickets, I assume.

We will be flying on one of my uncle's cargo planes, an uncomfortable ride that allows us to bypass the folderol at the airport.

Fine. My gear is back at my hotel.

We will pick up what you need along the way for we are leaving immediately. You have much to learn. I hope you are quick study. Chop-chop.

I followed her out of my suite.

Despite her uncle's characterization, Sonia had clearly done more than simply cause scandals during her time in school. She was smart and articulate. Well-read too, considering her choice of words. A real take-charge gal and what me and the boys called a 'spitfire,' to boot.

She had effectively tamped down whatever designs I had on her beyond the business end of the trip.

All I knew was that I would soon be far away from Inspector Chin.

4

Sonia carried a worn, battered briefcase, in addition to a suitcase she handed to me. I had the clothes on my back and a wallet full of American dollars.

We settled into the rear seats of the Douglas DC-1. The remainder had been removed and crates stamped with orange blossoms filled the plane.

What are we carrying?

Silk.

Who are we meeting in Cairo?

Dr. Hamal Rizk of the Egyptian University. He is most knowledgeable about the antiquities market.

I settled back as the engines fired to life and the plane accelerated down the runway. I figured to catch a few winks. Before I closed my eyes, Sonia slapped a clutch of papers against my chest.

Read.

I glanced over at her and she arched her eyebrows.

I thought you were the expert. Why do I have to know anything about the damned gold bug?

A little education never hurt anyone.

Egypt meant pyramids, the Sphinx and the Nile. It wasn't on my list of places I wanted to visit before I died.

By the way, what does this thing look like?

A drawing is included in your reading material.

I began reading.

As I did, Sonia made notations in a leather journal. I finished reading the papers and handed them back.

Ready for my quiz, teach.

She shook her head and slid the papers into her leather briefcase.

Lulled by the thrum of the plane's engines, I slept despite the narrow seat and chilly air. When I woke, a blanket covered me. Yawning, I glanced over at Sonia, who was staring intently