“Horace is my good friend,” Tanaka said. “He’s Isadore’s cousin.”

“Isadore Davis Wong is now living in a small village known for its lychees,” Ting-Yan said, “but he grows a lot of things—bok choy, gai lan, sweet potatoes, a bit of rice. He’s famous for his green thumb. He helps the East River Column move goods and people sometimes.”

“You’ve seen him? He’s alive? Praise heaven!” said Horace. “I have some letters. I think they’re from Iz, but they’re coded.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out three envelopes. From each he pulled out a letter in funny writing—all Ps, Us, Vs, and Qs right side up, upside down, and sideways. “I can’t make head or tail of these, but they can’t be from anyone but Izzy. The kid who gave them to me told me to find someone called ‘Ga-Chan.’ Have you ever heard of such a person?”

I’d seen this script before. Courchene. Ga-Chan. I went to his room to get him.

“I can translate,” Courchene said, once he’d come and looked over the letters. “If you’ll help us first. You’ll probably want to anyway. It’s about Emily.”

“I haven’t seen her since before the war,” Tanaka said. “Is she okay?”

“Not really. Not at all, actually.”

“Of course we’ll help,” Tanaka said. “Won’t we, Morgan?”

The rum seller nodded his head. “Of course we will. And afterwards, you’ll translate these?”

“Once Emily is safe with us again.”

Ting-Yan had a brilliant plan for the men to pose as Kempeitai in order to rescue Emily and Raymond from Tak-Wing. Tanaka would be able to help with his fluent Japanese. Afterwards we could all go to Chek Keng, safe from the monster Tak-Wing had become.

“Won’t Tak-Wing recognize Tanaka?” I asked.

“I’ve grown a moustache since the last time I saw him,” said Tanaka. “And lost a bit of weight. I could grow a beard as well.”

“It doesn’t matter,” said Ting-Yan. “He’ll recognize all of us. But any element of surprise and authority we can bring to the raid will give us an advantage.”

“I would like to come to Chek Keng too,” said Professor Duffy. “I’ve heard there’s a route to Free China, and that the East River Column is escorting people there. Is that true?”

Ting-Yan sighed. “Try not to spread that information too freely. It’s getting our people killed.” She didn’t say anything about Tak-Tam, but she didn’t have to.