“Now, if there is nothing else, I have work to do”, The Chief stood up leaving Lam’s chair gently rocking backwards and forwards, and without another word he left her sitting at the desk.
Lam remained sitting, silently fuming. I don’t need anyone else on this. Damn it! She grabbed her bag and headed out of the office, she couldn’t face looking at the pin board, not now. Any chance of her focusing had long since gone. Now she had a new partner to worry about.
Lam climbed into her Porsche and sat quietly for a moment. Then she turned the ignition and allowed the car to growl under her seat. The sound of the car calmed her and she positioned the vents to blow cool air onto her face, the colour slowly disappeared from her cheeks.
She smiled to herself then. There was always one thing that helped when her head was too busy to work.
Lam pushed the car into gear, and sped out of the parking lot. Sasha would get his run after all.
Chapter 22
Lam stood staring at the pin board in front of her with her arms crossed. Refreshed from her run, she had spent the last three hours arranging and re-arranging the sequence of the last few weeks events, following up leads and chasing up reports. Her initial enthusiasm was waning as her leads began to dry up. Her theory regarding the triads were now leading her down dead end pathways and she’d hit a wall.
She had several photographs on the board, which she had separated by case. The face of the dead Chinese man was staring back at her with his black eyes. Chow had been the one to photograph his body.
So Ironic, Sarah sighed, and wondered who had photographed Chow’s dead body.
She had photographs of Harper and Black, pinned up high on the board next to the old man along with Harpers finger and palm prints, the only thing that so far linked Harper to the robbery. Black, it seemed, had simply disappeared off the planet.
She was no further with the gun at this stage and there were no other fingerprints that forensics had been able to pull except from the dead man.
She looked again at the unknowing smiling face of Chow to the right of her board, and then to the picture of his body as he had been discovered. She was no closer to finding Chow’s murderer. No weapon found, no traces of DNA, nothing left behind at the scene to help her.
“What had he found out that I didn’t know?” Sarah questioned out loud.
“Idiot”, she said under her breath looking at his picture.
“You were so keen to do well and to prove yourself that you just decided to go off on your own, now look at you.”
When Lam first looked at Chow’s photographs, she didn’t feel shocked or repulsed. His body was positioned in such a way that he could have been asleep. His head was gently resting against his knees. It was only the awkward position of his feet tucked under his legs that gave it away.
When they had tried to move Chow his head slipped to the side revealing a grotesque and deep wound. He had been cut so deeply that he had almost been decapitated. Whatever knife the killer had chosen to use, it had been razor sharp. It would have been a forceful and swift movement, and almost certainly Chow would have died instantly.
That’s the only saving grace, Lam thought to herself sadly. Death came quickly for him.
Lam was so absorbed in her own thoughts that she didn’t hear her office door open.
Only when she heard a deep cough behind her, did she realize that there was someone in the room.
Lam spun around quickly to be faced with an outstretched hand and a beaming smiling face.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you, I’m D.I Luk, your newly assigned partner”. The man behind the smile remained with his arm outstretched waiting for Lam to take his hand.
Lam didn’t offer her hand immediately. He had caught her off-guard. Lam wasn’t ready for D.I. Luk. She hadn’t prepared herself for an introduction so soon. Luk was younger than Lam had assumed, with so much experience she thought she’d be getting a forty-something know it all. She wouldn’t put him quite at forty, thirty-five perhaps. He didn’t look like a typical D.I either. Casual to the point of scruffy, she thought, observing his slogan t-shirt, worn jeans and converse shoes. Lam thought it made him look more like a student than that of a Detective Inspector. She disliked him immediately.
“Hi” Lam said reaching forward with her hand. She shook his hand quickly and dropped it almost immediately.
“I need a coffee”. Was all that Lam could think to say.
“I’ve been looking at this board now for three hours. I’ll show you where the coffee machine is.” Lam said as she walked straight past an amused Luk and towards the canteen. Luk followed her, the faintest pull of a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
This is just how the Chief said she would be, he thought to himself as he followed his new partner down the corridor.
Chapter 23
Ryan lay on the Hotel bed and tried to get comfortable. He had tossed and turned all night, and now his back ached. He pulled the thin grey sheet across his body and tried to will himself back to sleep, pulling his knees up to his chest. But it was too late. His mind was already busy. Sleep would have to wait until later. Ryan climbed out of bed and pulled back the curtain from the small window and was greeted with darkness. He checked his watch and he groaned aloud. It was just before six am.
He had a waiting day today. He couldn’t make any plans or really do anything until he had spoken to Lily, and since he had no idea when she would call, he knew that he was in for a slow day.
Ryan looked at his cell phone. He could see that he only had two bars left before his battery would run out and he had no way of charging his phone.
He certainly didn’t think that it would even be worth asking at the Hotel reception, so he would need to try and buy a charger from a stall vendor or a phone shop. Today of all days he couldn’t risk being without his phone.
Ryan dragged himself into the tiny shower. The water pressure was so low that he only managed to get a slight trickle of warm water out of the shower, but it was enough for him to soap himself down and get clean. Feeling a little better, he quickly dried himself down on the almost threadbare rough towel. Shaving would have to wait, he thought as he brushed his chin with his hand feeling the stubble growing through quickly. He dressed himself in the same clothes as the day before. His growling stomach reminded him that he needed to eat. He walked down to the reception and looked around. The desk was deserted. There was no sign of the old man from the night before. Rather than hand in his door key, Ryan stuffed it into his pocket and made his way outside. He walked the next few blocks to where he could see some local cafes dotted along the pavement. Even at this time of the morning with the sun just coming up, the streets felt busy. The café owners were noisily pulling up the metal shutters. Vans were busy unloading and delivering fresh supplies and newspaper kiosks were beginning to open along the road. Stacks of newspapers sat in tall pies on the pavement, tied with old bits of nylon string.
Ryan scanned the kiosk closet to his Hotel as he walked past, hoping to find an English newspaper, but there was nothing for him to read. This was too much of a local Chinese area. Ryan suddenly felt quite conspicuous. There wouldn’t be too many other white men wandering around the streets at this time of the morning. Knowing that he wouldn’t blend in, he tried to keep himself to himself and not draw any further attention. He walked up and down the road once, and decided upon a relatively busy looking café. It was small, but looked clean and the smell that greeted him at the entrance was enough to entice him in.
The décor was straight out of the 1960’s with old wooden tables, each nestled within a private booth. The dark red plastic seats long since worn and torn along the seams looked comfortable to Ryan. The floors were covered in white tiles, and the walls had been papered so long ago that the once flowery pattern was now faded and peeling. In the top corner of the café, a small box TV had been mounted on the wall. The Chinese news channel was on, and the handful of customers that were already inside, were
all facing the TV. No one paid any attention to Ryan as he slipped into one of the booths by the window. He scanned the restaurant to see what everyone else was eating. It looked like steaming noodle soup was the popular choice, so when the waiter finally came over, Ryan simply pointed to the man in the next booth and silently mimed eating the imaginary food.
By the time the noodles arrived, Ryan was starving. He realized that he hadn’t eaten in over twenty-four hours, but sitting in this tiny, busy café, with all the smells and steam coming from the kitchen his appetite was well and truly awake.
The waiter placed the bowl in front of Ryan and he watched as the soup swished and slopped in front of him, a few drops landed on the table. Ryan peered into the bowl at the contents and stirred it with his spoon. The thick white noodles swam around in the steaming grey watery soup. A few pieces of chicken rose and fell in the liquid. He took the plastic chopsticks and worked his way through the noodles, scooping the soup with his spoon. Once the noodles and chicken were finished, then Ryan put down the spoon and lifted bowl to his lips and drained the contents into his mouth. He placed the bowl down on the table, and leaned back against the comfortable booth chair, satisfied and full.
Ryan thoughts moved swiftly to Rob. He imagined his friend bound and terrified. He’d been held now for three days. Not knowing where he was being held and who the people were that held him.
Ryan wondered for a moment whether Rob even knew that Lily was involved in his abduction, and the reason behind it.
He considered the chances of successfully getting Rob out without getting them both killed or caught. He just didn’t know what to expect. He had never used a gun or knife before; he’d never been in a life-threatening situation. And here he was, hiding out in a tiny café, on the run from the Triads and the Police.
He wouldn’t be much good in a fight. That much he knew, so Ryan concluded whilst he sat at the plastic covered table that at this stage, the best that he could hope for, was proof of life before turning himself in to the Police.
Ryan checked his watch. It was just before 7am, and still far too early for any of the shops to be open. Ryan raised his hand and caught the attention of the waiter. He pointed at his empty bowl and signaled for a second helping. The waiter smiled a toothless smile and nodded, quickly turning on his heel towards the kitchen to place Ryan’s order.
One hour, and a second bowl of noodles later Ryan stood at a small electrical kiosk and was trying to explain to the man that he needed a phone charger. He presented his phone and pointed at the final single bar.
This time the communication was easy and Ryan walked away with the correct charger and still had some change in his pocket. As Ryan walked back down the street toward his Hotel, he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He quickly pulled out the phone and was relieved to see Lily’s name appear on the small screen.
“Ryan, it’s me”. Lily said quietly as though trying not to let someone hear what she was saying.
“Hi, look we have to talk quickly, I have no battery left. Where can I meet you?” Ryan said, not wanting to waste any battery life on idle chatter.
“OK, there’s a Go-Down Warehouse in Chai Wan. It’s on Chai Hong Road, number 48, the Win Sun Industrial Building. Go into the building and take the lift up to the top floor. When you get out, walk up the last flight of stairs. Knock on the white door when you get there. I’ll be waiting there with Rob.”
“OK, I’ve got it. When” Ryan asked.
“Now”, Lily replied finishing the call with a click.
Shit, Ryan thought. His phone was about to shut down at any moment, and now there was no time to recharge it. Ryan estimated that it would take him at least forty minutes to get to Chai Wan from his current location. Lily and Rob were close to the last stop on the underground train on Hong Kong Island and he was way out in the far side of Kowloon.
Without delay, Ryan walked a couple of blocks until he could see the nearest red and white underground sign. He then quickly entered the station and waited impatiently for the next train.
Chapter 24
Lily sat in her car in the stuffy basement of the Chai Wan warehouse. She had the car running to allow for the cool air conditioning to circulate.
She was feeling very uncomfortable with the current situation. She had heard about some of the murders and missing people, but she had never directly been involved in a planned abduction. What unnerved her the most was Ghost Face and how unpredictable he could be. She feared for Rob’s life, and she was worried now that she would be putting Ryan’s life at risk too.
Her Grandmother had never discussed deaths that happened within the society and Lily never thought that it was appropriate to ask. Her Grandmother appeared on the outside to deal with it all effortlessly and without remorse. Maybe by now she had just seen too much, or maybe she just didn’t know.
Lily thought back to her time in Boston, the day that she received the fateful phone call. Her Grandmother was not able to make the call herself, she had been too upset, so she had one of her ‘Uncles’ call her. Lily had so many ‘Uncles’ she recalled wryly, knowing that her parents had no real siblings of their own.
She remembered being in her hall of residence. In her room, busy working on one of her papers and not wanting to be disturbed. She’d ignored the phone calls coming in on her mobile until eventually she had switched off her phone altogether. Less than ten minutes later there had been a short firm knock on her door.
With an irritated sigh, Lily had walked to the door expecting one of her fellow students, probably there to invite her to one of the student functions. Instead she opened the door to find the University Dean standing on her threshold, looking somber and oddly formal in his tweed jacket and tie. He shifted uncomfortably on each foot and asked Lily to accompany him immediately to the office. Lily new instinctively that something was horribly wrong. Why else would the Dean come and fetch someone in person, if it was not to deliver bad news.
She remembered the long walk down the narrow corridor, walking between the double doors every six rooms or so. She remembered walking down three flights of stairs and into the Hall of residence entrance. She remembered the short walk across the courtyard into the main building where the offices were situated, and she remembered being asked to sit down in the chair next to the Dean’s desk, whilst he maneuvered his phone across the dark wooden desk and held out the receiver to Lily.
The Dean nodded for Lily to take the phone, and he said very gently to her, “it’s your Uncle”.
Lily took the phone and placed it close to her ear. “Hello?” she asked quietly.
“Lily”, her Uncle Edward’s familiar voice sounded both strained and relieved at the same time.
“Lily” he said again, this time his voice tailed off. Lily could hear some shifting in the background and whispers. This time a different voice came on the line.
“Lily, it’s Aunt Julianna, I’m sorry, your Uncle is quite upset.” She spoke more matter of fact, with less emotion in her voice.
“Lily, there is no easy way to tell you this, but I have some bad news.”
Lily’s stomach was knotted tightly. She suddenly felt heavy and weighed her down in her chair.
“Your Mother and Father were killed last night. It was an accident. They were driving back home after supper in the City. They were driving along the Eastern Corridor, when one of their tyres blew out. It was sudden Lily, they lost control and their car went through the barrier and into the harbour. I’m so very sorry.” Her Aunt finished.
When there was no response she said; “Lily, honey are you there?”
Lily couldn’t listen any longer, she held the phone out to the Dean, who took it before she let it go and he politely continued a conversation with her Aunt that Lily didn’t hear.
In fact Lily didn’t hear much after that. She didn’t remember being escorted back to her room, or when the Doctor came into her dorm to give her a sedative.
When Lily awoke the next morning, everyth
ing had been arranged. Her Grandmother had paid for a plane ticket back to Hong Kong. The funeral would be in five days time and she would to go home to help the family prepare.
Lily went through the motions of packing her things. Everything was slow and sludgy to her, like walking through thick soup, she felt like her head was filled with it too.
She’d had been given extensions on all of her course work, and everything had been arranged by the Dean’s secretary, her tutors were notified and allowances had been put into place.
It was confirmed that she would be away for at least a month.
The drive to the airport and the flight to Hong Kong was all a blur. She wasn’t sure if she slept, and she couldn’t remember being awake either. Food had become a thing of the past as her appetite disappeared overnight.
The first thing that she remembered about the trip was the humidity. The air was so wet, that it almost took Lily’s breath away when she stepped off the plane. It was an effort for her to breathe. She waked through immigration effortlessly and swiftly to a waiting black Mercedes-Benz.
Lily was driven directly to her old family home. It was on the South side of the Island, a Mansion of a house that hugged the mountainside and was surrounded by a tropical jungle, with a direct view of the Ocean that seemed to just drop off in front of the house.
As the car drew close Lily watched through the drivers window as the familiar black security gates opened and the car swung easily into the sprawling drive way.
Lily climbed out of the car, whilst the driver collected her bags from the boot. She went straight into the house and yelled for her Grandmother.
“Granny, where are you?” Lily shouted as she started to walk toward the drawing room. At the sound of Lily’s voice, Mrs Lui, their old family housekeeper hurried through from the kitchen to greet her. She gave Lily a tight squeeze and gently stroked the back of her hair like she used to when Lily was a child.
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