Singapore 52

by Bailey, Murray

  It was a beautiful display of light patches in the darkness. The city centre was bright with activity. From this radiated the spokes, roads that stretched away, each with their ribbon developments and night-time activity. The lights sparkled like diamonds and reminded me of a butterfly brooch my mother had worn on special occasions. I could picture her, in happy times, standing resplendent in a ball gown the colour of dark red wine.

  “There,” Su Ling said, pointing at the body of the spider. “You can make out the Colonial Centre and there is Boat Quay, Clarke Quay to one side and Robertson Quay to the other. The dark area behind the quays is the hill where Fort Canning is. And the Cathay Building is behind that to the left.”

  We absorbed the view for a few moments in silence. Then she said, “So what was so important this evening that you had to stand me up?”

  “Madam Butterfly.”

  “The opera?” she asked, just like Rahman had.

  I explained what was going on and why she’d been nicknamed Madam Butterfly. I also told her about the transvestite we’d captured.

  She laughed lightly.

  “I suppose it is funny,” I said.

  “Why haven’t I read about the incidents? They sound like front page news.”

  “The army is embarrassed about it,” I said.

  She lay back and looked at the stars.

  “Could I ask a favour?” I said.

  “To see if anyone has information? Because I’m one of them—because I’m Eurasian?”

  For a moment I thought she was annoyed. It wasn’t what I meant, so I quickly added: “Because you have a lot of contacts.”

  “All right, I’ll see what I can do.” Then she patted the ground and I lay next to her.

  A dog barked somewhere in the dark.

  When she spoke again her voice had a dreamy quality. “Did you know the stars are very important to the Chinese people? Here, without the trees and lights, the night sky is so clear.”

  She told me the Chinese names of constellations. She moved her hands across the sky in a delicate, sensual way.

  “There are four quadrants to the heavens,” she said. She pointed them out: White Tiger, Red Bird, Green Dragon and Black Tortoise. He’s in control of the monsters.”

  “It’s a nice idea.” I had too much of a science education to believe in astrology.”

  “What? You don’t believe that the stars were placed there by the gods? Surely you can see the deliberate patterns? There, you must be able to see the tortoises’ beak.” She pointed, outlining the image.

  “It’s a two dimensional illusion, I’m afraid,” I said. “Some of those stars are thousands of light years apart and some points in the figures aren’t stars at all, but galaxies even further away.”

  Su Ling looked horrified. And then her face transformed and she laughed. “You are very easy to wind up.”

  I put my head in my hands with mock distress. When I looked up she looked more serious again.

  “So are you a scientist, Ash?”

  “I suppose I was at university. It seems such a long time ago now—a different world.”

  “There are many things that I don’t understand, but one that makes no sense to me is how light comes from the stars. I have heard that light is a wave. A wave moves through the sea, sound moves through the air. Surely light moves through the air as well, or is it something called ether?”

  “Goodness! You don’t pick easy questions, do you?”

  She cocked her head to one side and looked into my eyes. “What is the point of easy questions?”

  I told her how tests for the ether had failed. Then I tried to explain photons.

  She said, “You get very serious when you explain things.”

  “I’m struggling.”

  Su Ling turned her face and our noses were just a hand’s width apart. She had a mischievous look in her eyes when she said, “Can you explain Einstein’s theory of relativity to me, Mr Scientist?”

  I had a go but after a minute she stretched and I guessed my explanation wasn’t riveting.

  When I paused, wondering what else to add, she said, “I know what the problem is, Ash. You should give your explanations with a romantic twist. Tell them as a story.”

  She turned her attention back to the stars. “For example you could explain relativity by saying there are two lovers. One of them, the beautiful girl, has a terrible illness. Her lover, a brilliant chemist, is working on a cure. However the cure will take too long to find. So the girl gets on the fastest aeroplane in the world and travels. Time goes slower for her…” She checked and I nodded. “The boy finds the cure so that when the beautiful girl returns she has not aged as much and is saved.”

  “That’s excellent,” I said.

  A fine streak of light briefly stretched across the heavens. Su Ling pointed. “Now tell me about shooting stars.”

  “Well, they aren’t stars at all, but—”

  “Oh, you’re going to tell me they are just rocks falling through the atmosphere, aren’t you!”

  “Yes. I’m afraid I’m not very romantic.”

  “You see,” she said, sitting up with a petulant look on her face, “science is no good. I think I prefer the Chinese approach—myths and legends. They are always romantic. Look!” She pointed out two stars that spanned the Milky Way and told me a story about how the Sun Emperor allowed a herdsman to marry his daughter. Later he banished the herdsman to the other side of the Silver River. All the magpies in China were summoned to link their wings so that once a year a bridge could link the two lovers.

  I had to admit it was a good story. Not very scientific, but did that matter? Sitting on a hill, under the stars with a beautiful woman, it didn’t seem to matter at all.

  She told me more stories, getting softer and quieter with increasing pauses, comfortable silences, until it was just her voice rather than the tale that I listened to.

  A cool breeze blew off the sea and Su Ling shivered. I took off my jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders. She snuggled close and I knew it wasn’t just for warmth.

  As she moved to get comfortable, her shape against mine, I felt an electric tingle of desire. I breathed in her exotic scent and closed my eyes.

  I thought about the stars and started to see the Chinese gods and spirits moving through the night skies. I opened my eyes. My head was in her lap.

  “You’ve been asleep,” she said softly.

  “It’s been a long day.”

  “I need to get back. Thank you for spending this time with me.”

  I stretched and followed her down the hill to the car. She drove me back to the barracks and stopped at the barrier. I climbed out and walked around to her side of the car. She took off my jacket, all the time looking into my eyes. Even though the camp spots cast a harsh light, I thought her eyes were definitely more brown than green tonight.

  I leaned forwards and found her leaning towards me. The kiss was tender. It seemed the most natural thing, her lips soft and welcoming.

  “Will I see you tomorrow?” she asked.

  “Count on it,” I said.

  As I watched her drive away I wondered about the effect she was having on me. I heard my father’s voice telling me that it was all happening too fast, that I didn’t really know the girl.

  I forced the thoughts out of my mind. I was looking forward to what tomorrow would bring.

  However, I was in for a big surprise.

  TWENTY-NINE

  “Morning, gents,” I called as I arrived late at the office.

  The desk clerk handed me a message at the same time as I heard Hegarty shout something from the common room.

  “Tell me over breakfast,” I said leaning into the room.

  “At Tanglin again,” he said, “because of Sergeant Cooke?”

  “What about Sergeant Cooke?”

  “Like I said: AWOL. Staff Sergeant Cooke has been reported AWOL this morning.”

  I asked the desk clerk to call the police station and
ask if Inspector Rahman could meet us at Tanglin Barracks.

  Ten minutes later we were in Sinclair’s office.

  “The day before yesterday, I was pissed off with you,” he said. “I took it personally but you were just doing your job.”

  I said, “You’ve reported Cooke as AWOL. Tell us what happened. How long has he been gone?”

  “Over twenty-four hours. They’re the regs.”

  “So missing since the night before last?” I said, disappointed that he’d not reported it sooner.

  “Yes. At fifteen-hundred hours Sergeant Cooke asked if he could have a couple of days’ pass. He wasn’t due any leave and I refused. He should have reported for duty at nineteen-hundred hours but didn’t. The gate logged him out fifteen minutes earlier, wearing civvies and carrying a kitbag.”

  “Do you think we spooked him by rechecking the ledgers?”

  “He was twitchy all day,” Sinclair said, with a thoughtful nod. “You were irritating, yes, but it didn’t warrant his agitation.”

  “So, what is he hiding? Have some guns gone missing?”

  Sinclair briefly looked annoyed but brought it under control.

  “As I said, I run a tight ship. There has been no fiddling the books, by Cooke or anyone else. It just couldn’t happen.”

  I thought for a moment then said, “You arrived eight months ago. What were the books like then?”

  “A bloody mess.”

  “And you cleaned it all up.”

  “Yes. We did a full inventory and brought everything up to date. Even got rid of obsolete stock. It was why Colonel Atkinson wanted me here—to clean it up.”

  “How long had Cooke been working in the stores?”

  “Twenty months.”

  “So where do you think he would go?”

  “I have no idea. We weren’t friends.”

  We sat in silence for a few heart beats then I said, “Anything else?”

  Sinclair told us he would think about it, but there was nothing at the moment.

  We went to the communications office and I asked for the time Cooke was reported AWOL. They confirmed that Sinclair had been prompt—exactly twenty-four hours after Cooke was seen at the gate. All checkpoints and bases had been notified.

  We headed over to the Officers’ Mess for breakfast. I said, “Why wasn’t I told last night, Hedge?”

  “The report came in but the night clerk didn’t realize the importance. There was more focus on Madam Butterfly as you’ll recall.”

  I expected him to laugh but he didn’t.

  “Why the long face?”

  “Vernon is on the warpath. I was up late writing up the incident report. Vernon isn’t happy we let the police have her… or him.”

  “But it wasn’t the girl.”

  The waiter took our order of English breakfasts and lashings of tea.

  When he’d left, Hegarty said, “Vernon says it could have been.”

  “Then let him pick her up from the police.”

  “They’ve already let Angel go with a warning.”

  “Angel?”

  “The name he gave.”

  Our food arrived and we ate. Hegarty asked about my date with Su Ling and I told him we’d just gone for a drive along the coast.

  I could see he expected more but didn’t push it.

  After helping himself to my black pudding he said, “So what’s next.”

  “You interview anyone who bunked with Cooke or he was friendly with. Let’s find out where he might have gone.”

  “And you?”

  At that point I remembered the note the clerk at Gillman had given me. I pulled it out of my pocket and read:

  Meet me at Goodwood Park for lunch? Kisses SL

  I put the note in my pocket. Hegarty was watching me.

  “You’re smiling,” he said.

  “Am I?”

  “So?”

  “I was hoping the inspector would meet us here,” I said, switching back to our morning. “I’ll take the jeep and go over to the police station. I’d like them to look for our missing sergeant too.” I also wanted to know whether there had been an update on the customers’ names and Tai Tai’s condition.

  Inspector Rahman said, “When you were at Tanglin, you were trying to unsettle Sinclair, right? But could it be that Sergeant Cooke is missing for a different reason?”

  He was sitting at his desk looking hassled, his in-tray pile was higher than I’d seen it before.

  I leaned on his wall so he knew I wasn’t going to disturb him for long.

  I said, “Hell of a coincidence.”

  “You said that Cooke asked for a pass just before he left. Perhaps he had a personal matter he needed to attend to. Perhaps he thought it would be all right to take time off.” Rahman shrugged. “Perhaps he will just walk back into the barracks today and there’s been a misunderstanding. I’m just saying this because sometimes we like to think something is more than it really is.”

  I had to agree the majority of AWOL soldiers reappeared before they were classed as deserters. However it usually occurred when someone was already on leave and returned late. It was rare for an innocent man to just walk out of the barracks.

  Despite this, I asked the inspector to put out an all points for Cooke. I provided him with details and Rahman disappeared to issue instructions.

  When he came back he said, “I’ve only just been given your message about meeting at Tanglin Barracks. I’ve let you down again. I’m sorry.”

  “It’s fine. I’d just like us to work closer together. For example, I’d like to go with you to see Tai Tai.”

  He shook his head. “I was at the hospital again this morning, I’m afraid she is still in a coma. As soon as she comes round, I will have you notified.”

  “And what news about the mah-jong tiles?”

  For a second I thought he didn’t know what I was referring to. Then he said, “Ah, yes the members list from House of Tokyo! It was delivered yesterday and there are sixty names. However we have reduced that to twenty-four. These are members who were there within three days of her attack.”

  “How are you approaching it?”

  “We have four teams of two men. They are visiting each of the addresses and interviewing them. Again as soon as I hear something interesting, I will let you know.”

  I thanked him and we shook. Again I was reminded of how skinny the inspector was, his bones feeling fragile in my hand.

  I had taken Hegarty’s Land Rover jeep and so was surprised to see him on the steps of the police station. He looked serious.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked.

  “Vernon ordered me back to base—and to bring you with me.”

  THIRTY

  Eventually, after a long glare, Vernon said, “Last night was a bloody disgrace.”

  I smiled. “Which one?” I said.

  “This is no laughing matter, Carter.”

  I said nothing.

  He then went on a rant about how foolish it was for me to inform the police about Madam Butterfly.

  “But they can help us catch her,” I said.

  “Did it help last night? No it didn’t. All it did was embarrass us. The least you could have done was process the woman at our HQ.”

  “It was a man,” I said.

  He reddened. “I know it was a man. That just adds insult to injury.”

  He was silent for a moment and a knock on the door broke the tension. The desk clerk appeared when Vernon eventually answered.

  “Sir,” the man said nervously, “I have something for Captain Carter.”

  Vernon said, “It can wait,” and waved the man away.

  He immediately turned his attention back to me and seemed to have calmed down. He smiled.

  “I’m sure it isn’t really urgent. Please give me a quick update on your progress with the security issue that Coates is worried about.”

  “None,” I said.

  “None? But you’ve been doing a lot of running around. And
what’s this I hear about you upsetting our friends at Keppel Harbour?”

  “I just wanted to find out who was driving a car on a certain night.”

  Vernon shook his head. “I can’t have you investigating personal matters, Carter. Understand? I especially can’t have you upsetting Commander Alldritt. The Navy at Keppel are the funnel—an important part of our operation—the shipped and stored goods, the men troops to and from warzones.”

  I shrugged and could see Vernon didn’t like it.

  He said, “You won’t upset them again.”

  I said nothing.

  “Commander Alldritt doesn’t want you setting foot in the controlled area. And, quite frankly, I’m forbidding you as well.”

  He studied me as though trying to read my thoughts. Then he added: “Whilst you are acting like an MP, you are going to behave like an MP. And number one that means you’ll not upset the Navy at Keppel. Got it?”

  I said, “Yes,” but didn’t mean it. I’d get what I wanted and didn’t care how.

  He nodded, satisfied.

  “So tell me about the symbol: the lion’s paw in the circle.”

  “It’s possibly a Chinese Secret Society or Triad mark. Yipp denies it’s anything to do with him or any knowledge of it.”

  “What about the guns?”

  I had no doubt that Vernon knew about my prodding about at Tanglin Barracks. “No sign of any missing from us.”

  “Have you thought about the merchant quays? Guns could be smuggled in as some other goods. Maybe the Chinese are getting them through there.”

  “It’s possible,” I said.

  “And what’s this I hear about you going over and over the documentation at Tanglin?”

  “I wanted to make a hundred per cent sure—and see what would happen. The junior quartermaster has gone AWOL.”

  “And you think it’s linked?”

  I could sense he was dubious but trying to hide it.

  “It could be a coincidence,” I said.

  “All right,” he said in a friendly tone, “carry on. Keep following leads on Secretary Coates’s security issue and solve the bloody Butterfly case. But—” he switched to his usual voice “—no more personal investigations and no more upsetting the navy.”