by Ian Hamilton
“God . . .”
“It was a traffic accident,” Chow said, putting the best spin on it he could. “He was struck by a hit-and-run driver. He died a short while ago at Our Lady of Maryknoll Hospital in Sha Tin.”
There was another long pause and then Chi asked, “Does my mother know?”
“Not yet. We thought it might be best if you were the one to tell her.”
“I understand.”
“But if you don’t —”
“No,” Chi said quickly. “I’ll tell her.”
“Good.”
“When was the accident?”
“A few hours ago,” Chow said.
“What was he doing in Sha Tin?”
“He was leaving his girlfriend’s apartment. He was crossing the road when he was struck.”
“That’s the new girlfriend. My mother knew about her, so that won’t come as a shock, but his death is really going to rattle her. The girlfriends made her angry but she kept quiet, figuring they didn’t matter as long as he always came home. She loved him that much.”
“I’m sorry.”
“How did it happen? Was it really a hit-and-run?”
“Yes.”
“So the driver took off?”
“He did. The police are looking into it.”
“A lot of good that will do.”
“I have no opinion about that.”
“Oh fuck,” Chi said. “What am I supposed to do now?”
“I think you should call your mother, and then I suggest you call the hospital to make arrangements to get his body transferred to a funeral home.”
“Will the police release the body?”
“I don’t see why not. There’s no indication it was anything but an accident.”
“Except for the fact that my father had a job that often ends with someone getting killed.”
“Even so, running over someone with a van isn’t triad style,” Chow said.
“I guess not. In a way that’s comforting,” Chi said. “I would hate to think this was deliberate.”
“I can understand that.”
Chi sighed. “Look, thanks for calling, Uncle. I need to get out of here and head for Fanling. I can’t tell my mother about this over the phone.”
“If there is anything I can do to help, please let me know.”
“I will.”
“Will there be a public funeral?”
“I expect so. And at least a day or two of official mourning. My mother will respect the usual traditions.”
“Could you call me as soon as you have arranged something? Your father was highly respected. You should expect a large turnout.”
Chow put down the phone, glanced at Wang, and saw that he was still talking to someone. He put another coin in the slot and dialled a number he knew by heart and had never written down anywhere.
“Hello,” Zhang answered.
“It’s me,” Chow said. “I’m in Sha Tin at Our Lady of Maryknoll Hospital. Have you heard about Gao?”
“No.”
“He was run down by a van earlier this morning in Sha Tin. He’s dead.”
“Are the local police involved?”
“Yes, they’re on it, but they may not know exactly who Gao is.”
“They’ll find out soon enough.”
“I assume they will. But the thing is, I don’t think they should read too much into it. It looks like it was an accident, and we haven’t been told anything that suggests otherwise.”
“If you did know something, would you tell me?”
“Maybe.”
“I always appreciate your honesty, Uncle.” Zhang laughed. “What is it you want me to do?”
“Have the case classified as an accident, a hit-and-run. Limit the investigation to the van and the driver. I’m sure you’ll find him fast enough.”
“Are you sure that none of your brothers was involved in this?”
“As sure as we can be.”
“If that changes, I want you to promise to tell me, because it could have an impact on us all.”
“I’ll tell you.”
“Okay,” Zhang said. “I’ll talk to my people, and if they’re leaning towards a hit-and-run, I’ll tell them to go with it. There’s nothing to be gained by creating a lot of publicity around Gao’s death.”
“Thank you.”
“Keep me posted,” Zhang said.
Chow ended the conversation just as Wang was ending his. “Let’s talk for a minute,” Chow said. “I spoke to Chi. He’s heading for Fanling to tell his mother in person. He expects there will be a public funeral, and he’ll call me once he has the details.”
“I’m glad he’s telling her and not us,” Wang said.
“Who did you speak to?”
“Ma.”
“No one else?”
“He’s Mountain Master now, or at least Acting Mountain Master. He’s going to tell Ren, Yu, and the others. And he’ll contact as many Mountain Masters in Hong Kong, Kowloon, and the Territories as he can,” Wang said. “At four this afternoon he wants the executive committee to meet at the Golden Pagoda restaurant. He says he’ll book a private room.”
“Why so fast?”
“He probably wants us to confirm him as Mountain Master.”
“Shit,” Chow said.
“Yeah, I know. This may not work out too well for you and your night-market plans.”
“You don’t sound so enthusiastic either.”
Wang shook his head. “The only reason he is Deputy Mountain Master is because he was Gao’s best friend and Gao always looked after him. He isn’t even close to being as smart or tough as Gao. I can picture the other Mountain Masters running right over him.”
“Then why does he automatically get the job? Gao has been Mountain Master since I joined the gang. I don’t know how he got the position, but as I remember our rules, Mountain Masters are elected.”
“The rules say Mountain Masters should be elected, not that they must be elected. It has become more common — almost standard — simply to confirm the deputy. That’s how Gao got the position, and Tong before him.”
“Is there anything to prevent an election?”
“No. All the executive would have to do is agree to hold one.”
“And how hard would it be to organize?”
“It would be easy enough. Each gang member has one vote by secret ballot. There are only about 150 of us, so we wouldn’t need more than a day,” Wang said.
“Then why don’t we ask them to do that?”
“This is really quick thinking on your part. Our boss is dead. We need to take some time to mourn him before we start talking about replacing him,” Wang said.
“I’m as upset about this as you are, but like it or not, he is gone, and replacing him is what every member of the executive committee is going to be thinking about. All I want is for them to consider an election.”
“What makes you think they’d ever go along with that idea?”
“Maybe some of them have the same doubts about Ma’s ability, and maybe one or two think they might make a better Mountain Master than him.”
“I imagine a couple of them think that way,” Wang admitted.
“Who?”
“Pang probably, and Ren for sure.”
“I don’t know if Pang would be any better than Ma,” Chow said. “I’ve never found him to be very thoughtful, and he’s certainly not progressive.”
“By that you mean that neither of them tends to agree with you?”
“You could put it that way if you chose.”
“I do choose, but I can’t deny that Ren is a notch or two above them in terms of being progressive,” Wang said.
“So what do you think?”
“About what?”<
br />
“Electing Ren as Mountain Master.”
“Uncle, don’t try to drag me into this. I’ve spent my life avoiding gang politics.”
“I’m asking for your opinion, that’s all. If Ma isn’t qualified for the job and if an election is an option, then why not have one?”
“Deciding to have an election is one thing, but having one with more candidates than just Ma is another. What if no one else chooses to stand?”
“Do people have to declare? Why couldn’t we have a blank ballot and let the brothers write in any name they choose?”
Wang nodded. “Actually, now I think about it, a blank ballot is the way it would be done. But you can’t expect the guys to vote for someone they aren’t sure wants the job. Some kind of commitment would have to be made.”
“I’ll talk to Ren.”
“Be careful,” Wang said quickly. “You don’t want Ma to think you are being disloyal.”
“How can following our rules and regulations be considered disloyal?”
“Let me at least tell you how it could be counterproductive where you are concerned,” Wang said. “Suppose you talk to Ren and he declines to run, then reports your conversation to Ma. Ma is grateful to Ren and becomes pissed off at you. He also probably appoints Ren as his deputy, and in that position Ren will have to be pissed off with you as well.”
“I guess there is that risk,” Chow said.
“You guess? If you go to Ren and he decides not to take up your suggestion, I guarantee that you’ll end up alienating both him and Ma.”
“I see that danger, but if I don’t do anything, it seems that Ma will become Mountain Master and everything I’ve been working on will go up in flames.”
“You are so fucking stubborn,” Wang said.
“No, I just don’t think I should avoid doing the right thing because it is difficult or will piss someone off.”
“What is it with you? Why do you always act like that?”
Chow turned and looked at him. “Of all people, I thought you’d understand how I feel.”
“Why would I?”
“You are originally from Guangzhou, right? As I remember, you escaped across the border twenty years ago.”
“Twenty-two years ago.”
“And you’re not married, you have no family, and as far as I know, you don’t have any interests outside of being Red Pole.”
“What’s your point?”
“I’m in exactly the same situation. We’re the only two members of the executive and two of the very few people in the gang who aren’t from Hong Kong or the Territories. When I left China, I left behind a dead family and everyone I loved. This gang took me in, and when I took the Thirty-Six Oaths, it became my family. It is all I have left in this world that I care about. It is only natural that I want to protect it.”
“After having entered the Hung gates, I must treat my sworn brothers, their parents, and relatives as my own kin. I shall suffer death by five thunderbolts if I do not keep this oath,” Wang said. “It’s the first oath that all of us took, but not everyone takes it so literally.”
“I do.”
( 6 )
Chow and Wang remained at the hospital for another hour. They met with the doctor again, and then with a hospital administrator. Chow told them about Chi and said they could expect to hear from him sometime soon.
Two policemen arrived. Chow went over to them the moment they entered the building. He said he was a friend of the family and had informed them about the death. He added that the family was anxious to claim Gao’s body and have it moved to a funeral home.
“I don’t know if they can do that,” one of the policemen said. “I’ll have to make a call.”
While he did so, Chow chatted with his partner and learned that they didn’t know about Gao’s triad association. If Gao had died in Fanling the connection would have been immediate, but the distance and the localized nature of gangs and police divisions had kept Gao’s name secured to his turf.
After making his call, the other policeman returned. “I spoke to Headquarters; they’ve just classified it as an accident,” he said. “The family can claim the body after the hospital has finished the paperwork. That may take a few hours, but I’ll let the hospital know it’s okay to release the body after everything is done.”
“Thanks,” Chow said, and then cast a glance towards Wang, who had gone back to the bank of telephones. He waved at him, motioning that maybe it was time for them to leave. Wang ended his call and joined Chow.
“The cops have classified it as an accident. The family can claim the body,” Chow said. “We can go.”
They left the hospital. Wu was standing by the car about fifty metres down the road. He looked questioningly at them as they approached.
“The boss is dead,” Wang said. “Drive us back to Fanling.”
Wu’s face collapsed. For a second Chow thought he was going to show even more emotion, but he gathered himself together and reached for the back door.
“Who were you talking to on the phone?” Chow asked as the car pulled away from the curb.
“Fan, and then the Red Poles in Sha Tin and Tai Wai.”
Fan was Wang’s deputy, so it made sense for Wang to brief him, but Chow was puzzled that Wang had spoken to the other Red Poles.
“We still can’t assume this actually was an accident. I told Fan to get as many of our men on the street as possible, and for everyone to be on high alert,” Wang said. “The guys in Sha Tin and Tai Wai are old friends. We’ve shared many confidences over the years. I wanted to know what they’d heard about Gao.”
“And?”
“They’ve heard nothing, not a word. They didn’t know he was dead until I told them. They were surprised, maybe even a bit shocked. Then I asked them point-blank if there had been any rumours about someone gunning for Gao. They both said they hadn’t heard his name mentioned in any way, good or bad, in months.”
“Which leads you to conclude . . .”
“That I should still keep Fan and my men on high alert.”
“In case . . .”
“Killing Gao is the first step for another gang trying to take over.”
“When I asked you about the likelihood of that earlier, you dismissed the idea.”
“Not entirely. Being paranoid comes naturally to a Red Pole.”
“Fair enough,” Chow said.
Wang looked out of the car window. “Where do you want Wu to drop you off in Fanling?”
“I’ll go to the office and talk to Ren if he’s there. If he isn’t, I’ll try to get hold of him before four.”
“You’re not giving up on the idea of an election?”
“No.”
Wang sighed. “I admire your persistence. And when I made that remark about how seriously you take the Thirty-Six Oaths, I didn’t mean any disrespect.”
“I didn’t think you did.”
“In fact, I remember your initiation. Ren was already Vanguard then.”
“Yes, and Pang was Incense Master. The two of them presided over the ceremony.”
“That was a long day.”
“A long ritual anyway — it took four hours. Tian Longwei had briefed me on some of our history and the ceremony, but there were still things that surprised and awed me.”
“Tian was your mentor?”
“Yes, he was the older cousin of one of the men, Tam, who I escaped with from China. The plan had been for Tam and me to work with Tian. We didn’t know he was triad until we started. He ran some gambling operations and did some loan-sharking. Tam had trouble fitting in, so he left for Hong Kong and a regular job doing construction or something. I stayed.”
“And flourished.”
“I was good with numbers.”
“There is no reason to be modest around me,” Wang said. “Yo
u are the best White Paper Fan I have ever known.”
Chow started to reply but saw Wu glance at him in the rear-view mirror. He decided that silence was the best policy.
Several minutes later the car entered Tai Po, a town that stood almost halfway between Sha Tin and Fanling and butted up against the southern boundary of Fanling. One of the biggest and most aggressive gangs in the Territories called Tai Po home. Gao had negotiated several agreements with them over the years that had kept them at bay. Is Ma capable of maintaining that kind of relationship? Chow wondered as they drove past the town sign.
The car slowed as it left the main road and began to crawl through narrower streets towards Fanling and their offices on Luen Wo Road. Chow checked the time and saw that it was almost one o’clock. Ren normally got to the office around noon, so he expected to find him there.
Wu dropped him off near the office door. As Chow climbed out, Wang said, “Be careful, huh?”
“As careful as I can be under the circumstances,” Chow said. “See you at four.”
He started to climb the stairs and was halfway up when he heard a buzz of conversation. When he opened the door, he saw that all the office staff and several other people were gathered around Xu’s desk.
“Pang just told us about Gao,” Xu said, making it clear to Chow that he hadn’t relayed their own conversation. “We’re in shock. Pang said you were at the hospital with Wang. Is there anything else we should know?”
“It is a terrible thing,” Chow said, “but if there is any comfort in this, it is that the police have classified Gao’s death as an accident. The driver fled the scene, but I’m sure they’ll catch him, and when they do, he will turn out to be a drunk civilian.”
“Does the boss’s family know?” one of the clerks asked.
“Yes, I spoke with his son, Chi, and he’s with his mother now. They will be able to claim the body sometime today and start to make funeral arrangements. We will pass along all the details as soon as we have them.”
“What happens now?” the clerk said.
“It’s business as usual. Gao wouldn’t want it any other way, so why don’t we all get back to work,” Chow said, and then looked around the office. Most of the private office doors were closed, but lights were on in Pang’s and Ren’s. He walked over to Ren’s and knocked.
