by Ciaran Nagle
Not that Frenchy was on her mind in that respect. The dinner with the dapper, elderly triad leader was purely business. It was about building relationships, discussing strategies and forging plans. Nancy already had lots of ideas for which she wanted Frenchy's support. It was important that she felt good as well as looked good.
Last to go on was a handsome black pilot-style jacket with a winged breast insignia and firm gold-striped shoulder boards to lend the whole outfit some authority. As she picked up her Dior clutch bag and carefully checked its contents, Dan's face swam into her mind. He seemed at home in this part of Kowloon. Maybe he wasn't a tourist. Maybe he lived here. She had liked his cheerfulness and his obvious vulnerability. Why was she thinking of him now? She realised that despite the awful events in San Po Kong and her desire to stay away from men for a while, she secretly wished that she was going out to meet Dan, not Frenchy.
The door burst open and Jenny Ling came in, her face a squall, a worried frown banishing her prettiness.
'Nancy, I'm so glad I caught you before you left.'
'Jenny, what is it? You look really worried.'
'Oh Nancy, I've just heard something terrible. I have to tell you.'
'Come and sit down on the bed, tell me.'
Jenny slumped on the bed, brushing her hair back. Her cheong sam tightened around her waist and her chest pumped in and out as she breathed deeply after her run up the stairs.
'I just heard from Chopper's driver - he's a very close friend of mine…' Nancy nodded. She had guessed there was something more than friendliness between Jenny and Bobby Cheung, Chopper's handsome foot-soldier.
'…He told me that Chopper has kidnapped a policeman today. A detective, an inspector…I think a European. They've taken him to the Blue Diamond.'
'What are they planning to do?'
'That's just the point. I don't think they mean to let him go. Nancy, I'm so worried. Bobby told me that Chopper has been training Wolf Smoke in the Blue Diamond cock pit all day. He's been training him to kill on command. Nancy, why would he do that?'
'Oh flip.'
'What?'
Nancy thought for a moment, reviewing and dismissing several options. Call Fatty? Not enough time. Call Frenchy? He won't be at home. Send Jenny to the Blue Diamond? No. Chopper won't pay her any attention. Call the police? Obviously not.
There was only one option.
'Jenny, you go back to work, to the casino. No sense in you getting involved. There's nothing you can do anyway. The Blue Diamond is only five minutes' walk away. I'll go there and pretend I was just dropping by. I'm sure Chopper is not being stupid. He couldn't be that stupid, could he? Anyway, I'll see what he's doing and put a stop to anything bad.'
'Oh Nancy, I'm worried about you. Chopper hates policemen. He always talks about them. But if you get in the way, I don't know what he might do to you.'
'Me neither. But if we don't do anything and Chopper kills a cop, every one of us could be arrested. It would be damaging for all of Brother.'
Nancy patted Jenny's shoulders.
'Go on now, do what I say. It will be all right. And we're wasting time sitting here talking.'
Nancy stood and held Jenny's hand up, lifting her from the bed. Tears were pouring down Jenny's face turning her mascara into wiggly lines.
'Go to the bathroom first, Jenny, and get yourself settled. I have to go and meet Frenchy after I've sorted out the Blue Diamond situation. But I will phone the Golden Luck from the hotel and speak to you, OK?'
Jenny nodded, still tearful. Nancy picked up her clutch bag.
'See you later,' she said and headed for the stairs.
Halfway Island
To each side, the rock pillars held Jabez fast. The chains burned his wrists and their weight sapped his strength. His broken wing ached and its feathers hung down like parched white rose petals.
Behind him was nothingness. And behind that was Hell with its heat, its hate and its one amazing singularity of kindness.
In front of him, only feet away, was Lucifer. Jabez could scarce look at Inferno's Leader, so intense was the loathing that poured from those red eyes. But despite his discomfort, he kept his feet together, his legs straight and his back erect. He would look back on these moments for ever, no matter what took place here, and he wanted to look back on them with pride in his bearing. The enemy wanted him to look desperate in front of all the eyes of Hades and he did not want to give his enemy their wish.
Bezejel fixed her eyes on Jabez and would fain have lit him like a torch with the intensity of her will. For her anger was personal, unlike that of her master. She would intervene between one instant and the next, if the moment presented itself, to revenge herself on him for her imagined hurts.
But Jabez ignored them all and stared out straight in front of him. He saw the cushion, intended for the Lamb's royal knees and though his heart slowed he kept his gaze steady. Jabez asked, What can I do? And the answer came back from the Spirit, You are doing it.
He heard Lucifer call out 'It's time. If you want Jabez, come and get him.'
Jabez saw the light start around the door, the stairway to Heaven stencil out from the void and the white-robed figure appear on the landing. Like a thousand million faces from across the dimensions he gaped in awe.
The Blue Diamond Warehouse and Godown, Yaumati
Heaven wept and its tears poured down on Hong Kong, filling the gutters with detritus from the roads, turning cigarette vendors into umbrella sellers and filling the cinemas and bars with solitary strollers and coat-sharing couples refuging from the rain.
On one side of the Blue Diamond, Yaumati Harbour lay sullen in the downpour, its village of boat people cooking, eating, laughing and loving as if water was all the same to them, whether above their fragile craft or beneath it.
On the other side of the Blue Diamond, Ling Yee spat at a cockroach, aiming for at least one direct hit before he give himself up to his usual dark thoughts. He continued to curse his seeming perma-misfortune. Late-autumn mosquitoes rose in search of a delicious blood supper, sniffed the airs for scent of a healthy victim and, not finding one, settled for Ling instead. The out of favour door-warden slapped his ear and peered down at his bloodless hand. Another miss.
Irregular steps on the gravel from the direction of Nathan road. Someone avoiding puddles. Ling turned to see Nancy carefully picking her way through the sudden mire of the lane from the side street. Her elegant shoes, made for romancing and dancing surely, were already mud-spattered. The heels, shapely stilettos that they were, sliced into the murk beneath forcing Nancy to tip toe. She held her pilot jacket over her head, the bars on the shoulders spelling out her superior rank.
'Miss, I wasn't expecting you, I'll tell Mr Kwok.'
'No, Ah Ling. Don't do that.' That sounded panicky. Calm down. 'Chopper invited me but I told him I couldn't come. Now I want to surprise him.'
Ling was unsure. He didn't know Chopper's detailed plans for the evening. But whatever his boss was doing, he was sure that Miss Smarty Shoulder Stripes wouldn't like it, no matter how much Fatty Lo thought of her.
'Take my hand, would you and help me over this puddle?' She had to keep him from going inside.
'There. That's wonderful, Ah Ling. Thank you. Chopper will be so pleased to see me.' Nancy had used her purchase on Ling's arm to hold him in place and sling-shot herself around him, edging her body between him and the door. She pulled the handle open. 'You're doing a great job.' She beamed up at him like a lover while her perfume and red lips assaulted his senses. 'There was a police patrol just around the corner. Make sure you come in instantly if they approach.' With that she was through the door and pulled it closed behind her. Ling knew he'd been charmed but he didn't mind. She had praised him and smiled at him - no-one else had done that for a long time.
Once inside, Nancy paused and listened. A brieze block wall partially separated the entrance area from the rest of the warehouse. She could hear everything without being seen. Chopper wa
s holding court. Admirers were praising him like pilgrims at a shrine. Bottles were being clinked, stories were being told and jokes were being laughed at. A regular party.
To Nancy's left a corridor led all the way around the inside of the warehouse to the back, the side near the harbour. This was where the raw cotton was landed and brought inside.
She followed it in near-darkness all the way to its end. A three-flight metal staircase that led up to the gantry and its moving platform faced her. She removed her shoes and hid them behind the first step. Slowly, in case of creaking, she made her way up the first flight of steps, turned up the second flight and turned again up the third flight. The platform was in position against the landing. Another brieze block wall separated the platform from the view of those in the warehouse. There was a human shape on it, lying still. Nancy approached carefully and stooped low.
'Hello,' she whispered. 'Are you awake?' Stupid question.
The figure moved sharply and sat up. Nancy already had her finger to her lips. 'Shhhhh.'
The face looked at her. It was the man from the restaurant. Dan. The one with the 1.11 necklace. He was a police inspector?
Dan was as surprised as Nancy. 'What are you doing here? Are you one of…?' The light dawned as he remembered the rumour of a western woman in Brother.
'You're in danger,' said the ever practical Nancy. 'We have to get you out of here.'
'I'm tied up. A rope around my wrists.'
'OK. Keep quiet and don't move.'
Nancy moved forward on her knees and edged onto the platform. It swung outward a little with her weight and she knew it would clang when it swung back against the landing. She placed her left foot into the gap to hold the two apart. That could be dangerous if the platform swung back hard. Leaning over Dan she looked behind him at the ropes that bonded him to the central column. The chain that lowered and raised the platform went through this tall aluminium cylinder. Luckily the knots were clumsily tied. They couldn't be undone by Dan but she was confident she could pull their loops apart.
'Now, you all know that I am a fair man.' Chopper.
Nancy rested her weight on Dan and started working on the knots.
'Things are building up down there. Dan, was it?'
'Yes, Dan. Kelly. At your service.'
'I'm glad you're here to save me, Dan.'
The last knot came free and she pulled the loose ends of the rope away. She clambered off Dan who sat up rubbing his wrists. The change in weight distribution caused the platform to swing back towards the landing. It closed on her foot. Nancy found herself squealing, 'Jesus…Mary and Joseph.'
'I told you, they're the Holy Family, not the Holy Trinity.'
As she looked down at him, Nancy suddenly realised without any shadow of a doubt that this ordinary, working man with his weak jokes and his fascination for her hemline was the one.
In that moment her heart went out to him. She would save him no matter what.
They inched off the platform, she on her knees and he on his seat until they sat together on the landing. They were both breathing deeply as if they'd just made love. Which, in a sense, they had.
'It's not right, brothers, it's not fair, and I won't just roll over, like others in our profession and let it happen.' Chopper's voice was echoey, but the malice was undimmed.
'I have to get rid of the door guard. Wait here.' Nancy pulled herself to her feet and tip toed to the stairs. As quietly and as speedily as possible she made her way down the three flights of steps. Grasping her shoes from behind the first step and slipping them on she made her way in the dark around the three walls of the corridor's edge and stealthily approached the door.
Ling heard the handle turn and was waiting attentively as the door swung out.
'Yes, miss?'
Nancy noticed the hunted look in Ling's face, the look of a dog that expects to be beaten. She took pity. Her smile at him was unhurried and unforced. Even in her desperate plight she recognised his need for a kind word. But the tempo behind her was building. She had to move him quickly.
'Ling. I've left a present for Chopper at the Golden Luck. You'll find it at the fourth floor casino. Would you be a dear and get it for me? I'll be so grateful.' Nancy was stretching her Cantonese to the limit but there was no puzzlement in Ling's face. He understood what she was asking.
He also wasn't stupid. He knew that he could get into serious trouble with Chopper for leaving his post. But Miss Nancy was the future of Brother. Everyone was saying it. And anyway, how do you refuse a pretty woman who smiles at you like she means it? Like that?
He drew in a deep breath. 'Yes Miss. I'll be right back.'
As Ling's back disappeared into the rain, Nancy figured she needed one minute to get herself and Dan safely away.
Halfway Island
The scarred feet continued their journey down the stairway from Heaven. Slowly, patiently, certainly.
Above them the white-robed figure of the Lamb took shape and even those who had not beheld his likeness before knew it was he. But if any watching from the smoking plains of Hades below were hoping for a sign of panic or fear in those messianic brows, they hoped in vain.
Closer now he came and those who were vigilant could make out the scar tissue on both wrists. Some pointed them out to their friends amid swallowed breaths and much wiping of eyes.
Though almost all the audience were, even in the dimensions of the majestic vault, great distances away, yet were they able to view the events on Halfway across the chasms in between as if they were seated in a close ring around its edge.
Jabez, chained, looked on his lord and his eyes were sick with anguish. He tried to remain stalwart yet the imminent proceedings in which the Lamb would kneel to Satan and plead for his freedom were overwhelming his courage. I'm sorry, he prayed. Be strong, said the Spirit.
The Lamb stepped off the last stair and strode forward, stopping just in front of the cushion. He and his tormentor beheld each other while their muted followers in both kingdoms looked on. Lucifer smiled at his prey.
It was the Leader versus the Lamb.
The Prince of Liars versus the Prince of Heaven.
Despair versus Hope. And to all it seemed that despair held the day.
But the Lamb bore a calmness and a humour that belonged to another age.
'Lucifer, it's been a long time. You should come back to Heaven.'
The Leader gawped, affronted by the dignity.
'What? And have to worship you and sing your praises all the time like all the others you've crushed beneath your feet? I think not. I like being my own boss. I do what I want, when I want.'
'You weren't always this way. We enjoyed each other's company long ago. It was good. We used to sing and be glad.'
'Oh, but you were ever the special one. The spoilt child. I was always in your shadow. It made me sick.'
To watchers in both places it seemed that the Lamb alone stood tall and spoke fair. Lucifer betrayed himself with his accusations and his mean talk. But this was not a debate where protagonists won points on the power of their arguments or the loftiness of their rhetoric. This was a battle for power and there could be only one winner. Lucifer, sensing he was losing the upper hand in the exchange of words, foreclosed the debate and invoked his angelic cudgel.
'Enough of this wasteful talk. You always did twist my words to get your way. I have Jabez. And if you want him back, ask me properly. Ask me with respect. Look, I've even provided you with a silk cushion to protect your sacred knee. We wouldn't want you to get any more scars now, would we?' He cast a sniggering look to Bezejel who smirked, sensing blood.
Lucifer looked back at the Lamb. 'Let's get on with it. Your angel is looking poorly. If you want him, flex your knee and ask me nicely.' Lucifer had spoken harshly, flinging his words as though they were edged with blades. So it was to his great surprise that the Lamb did not respond with anger, despair or even submission. Instead he opened out his arms, smiled at Lucifer with great warmth and
then looked up directly above him as if he had heard something.
The Blue Diamond Warehouse
Nancy walked the warehouse perimeter through the narrow corridor for the third time. She removed her shoes again and trotted up the stairs.
'Yes. We do. Hurt the police.' the gang around Chopper bellowed.
She reached the landing where Dan waited on one knee, looking up anxiously.
'Right then, let's get started. Wolf Smoke, into the pit.'
Nancy looked at the mobile platform. She had thought she had a minute. She didn't. Any second now it would start to move on its deadly journey and pull out beyond the brieze block wall that concealed it. The crowd of gangsters below, some of them armed, would see that it held no human cargo. They would swarm to the door and any escape attempt would be forlorn. There would be no time for Nancy and Dan to get down the stairs and around the corridor to the door before they were intercepted. Chopper and his gang were already hyped up to kill a policeman. They would kill Dan immediately. In the mood they were in, they would kill Nancy too if she was caught with him. They would believe she was really a police spy.
Have to hold them off.
'I think they mean business.' There was urgency now in Dan's voice. Nancy watched his mouth move but barely heard the words. She saw the lips she would never taste. The cheeks she would never see jowls. She forced her eyes bright as her hope dimmed.
'Give me your coat.'
'Why?'
'Just do what I say.'
Dan took off his coat and handed it to her. Nancy put it on. She stepped onto the platform and lay down.
'No.' Dan tried to pull her back.
'Everybody, stand around the edge of the pit. You're going to see a police inspector die.'
Nancy held up her hand, palm out, stopping him. 'They won't kill me,' she lied. 'I'm one of them. Now go and get help.'