“No.”
“Master Yeung told me how the two of you worked your way up the ranks together. So the logical step is to try again with Marty helping, I’m right, aren’t I? And I don't need to remind you that as senior members who’ve earned your Black Sash, you're both ethically bound to avoid harming other people. Am I making myself clear?”
“I know and Marty does too, of course we do. I need more information, I need anything that can help. Can you understand that?”
“Of course I can, what do you take me for?”
His green eyes were clear and calm. She could see him turning it over in his mind.
“You're not against it then?”
“I'm not against it and I’m certainly not for it,” LeeMing said, “although I don’t think my opinion matters, does it? I can see you've already made up your mind.”
A bunch of students exited the changing rooms and called out a friendly 'goodnight'. LeeMing gave a nod in their direction and waited for the dragon doors to clack shut.
“I’d like you to know it’s not because I don't trust you. I've the reputation of the club to consider – therefore I'll be coming along to make sure things don't go way off track.”
“What the-” Kal choked it off.
LeeMing’s face left no doubt it wasn’t a request.
“When the others have left we'll sit down and discuss it,” he said.
***
Back in the changing rooms, Marty rolled her eyes. “Why on earth did you tell him?”
“I owed LeeMing an explanation. You saw what I did.”
“Listen, we all make mis-”
“No, don’t, I don’t deserve it. I felt like ripping my own guts out. I could’ve severely injured that boy. LeeMing’d be within his rights to boot me out in disgrace. I’d never be welcome in a kung fu club again. I don’t care if he wants to come along as a monitor, or minder, or whatever and look on the positive side, he might be useful.”
“LeeMing’s got a girlfriend you know.”
Marty knew her too well. Marty was good at relationships, it was one of her strong points. Whereas Kal considered herself terrible at them, and only good at the sex side, after which, everything went downhill. As soon as anyone got close it made her edgy. Made her close herself off before they found out about the bad part. The part that was like her father. Maybe that’s why she’d chosen a profession which made any meaningful relationship pretty much impossible. Of course, that never stopped her wanting it.
“I’m not telling you because I’m jealous,” Marty said, “it’s to stop you getting hurt.”
“Shit, Marty, relationships aren’t exactly my strong point and I know that.”
“We all know that.”
“I’m better off on my own, I prefer it that way.”
On that one Marty made no comment. Not even on how good a liar Kal was.
When they walked out to the training area, LeeMing sat waiting.
She'd already planned an idea to share with Marty. Now, they sat cross-legged in a threesome and Kal went through it step-by-step. Marty agreed with most of it - the two of them knew the neighbourhood equally well. LeeMing remained neutral, listening to the details, asking the occasional question. By the end, they were in agreement.
As they left, LeeMing wished her good luck and somehow Kal couldn't quite kick the idea he'd been involved in similar interceptions. Outside the training centre, they split up and she headed for the nursing home alone.
Chapter Eighteen
The plate smashed to the floor, sending bits of food in all directions.
“Get out!”
Retreating backwards, the servant kept his eyes downcast.
“We should be careful,” Selena continued, “cocky little bitch. She’s either got a few brain cells missing or she’s on to something. Turning up like that – it’s too much of a coincidence.”
The Controller agreed. First the interfering fucking teenage fucking bastards and now this. It was giving him indigestion and that brought out his worst side. The Controller swept another platter of delicacies to the floor. A timely broken nose and a few stiches would’ve been enough to put a girl like that off the trail. Land her in bed licking her wounds and feeling sorry for herself. Someone must be taught a lesson and the photographer was as good a target as any. They’d wait for their moment and send in Klaus with his bag of tricks.
The Controller speed dialled Klaus. His third man and his loyal employee. Klaus always delivered. Klaus would find out if any evidence existed. Better than that, he was a master at making the Syndicate’s interventions look like an accident.
Chapter Nineteen
Not many people were on the streets tonight, probably preferring to stay in the warm. Kal smartened her pace to the bus stop. Had her pursuer picked up the trail? She concentrated. Yes, she could feel them - moving from shadow to shadow behind her. Good.
Nobody followed her onto the bus. It told Kal the stalker had a stakeout car or motorbike or perhaps worked with a partner. That made sense, and one or two people, it wouldn’t make a difference. Kal stared out the window at the lights of the high street - takeaway outlets, bars, shop fronts, yellow lights, red, pinks, bright green, they flashed by, blurring together in a rainbow stream. Teaming up with Marty felt good. Adding LeeMing was a stretch. Across the aisle, Kal noticed a couple holding hands and she turned away. Like she always told herself, she was better off on her own.
Kal was the only one to get off at the nursing home and without turning around, she focused her attention behind her. The stalker was right there and it gave her a jolt. She’d expected a time delay before he reappeared. Maybe he anticipated her movements and came ahead. If it were someone with extensive experience, that would make sense. Or maybe there’d already been someone permanently posted, waiting at the nursing home?
The thought made her pulse quicken and Kal turned to scan the street behind. Pools of yellow light fell on the deserted pavement. Everything was still. Buzzing at the nursing home intercom, she waited for an answer. Nearby, a sudden volley of barks rang out from a neighbourhood dog and Kal pressed her back against the hard railings, keeping alert, vigilant, scanning the street. Her breath misted in the damp air and Kal imagined her tracker hiding close by, observing her. Yes, bring it on. Her moment would come soon.
By her ear, she heard static and then the night nurse's voice.
“Yes?”
“It's Kal Medi, I'm here to see my grandmother.”
Both Nannie and the nursing home were accustomed to her and her mother calling at odd times to fit in with their erratic schedules, so the nurse let her in with no problem. Without a glance back, Kal slammed the gate shut and strode up the drive, the gravel crunching under each step.
***
Her grandmother was in the residents’ lounge, watching television.
“Kal, my darling, are you flying off on assignment?” Nannie asked.
“No, not tonight. I've something more interesting planned.”
“Ooh, you must tell me all about it,” Nannie said, levering herself off the settee. “Has your mother turned up yet?”
Kal smiled. Today was a good day for Nannie. “No, I've heard nothing. I’m hoping tonight will net me information.”
“You sound mysterious - how wonderful to have adventures - I led such a boring life. Come on, let’s have a good talk.”
Nannie held her arm as they walked down the corridor and Kal remembered all the times Nannie stood in for her mother. At the end of term school concerts, at parent’s evenings, at sports days – when Alesha was away, Nannie was there, and it’d never mattered her grandmother felt awkward about not understanding the British schooling system, nor that she tried to hide how overawed she was by the teachers, with their bright language and even brighter smiles. Kal hadn’t cared about any of that. She only cared for Nannie.
The two of them arrived at Nannie's room and after helping her grandmother into her chair by the window, Kal pulled the cord to d
raw the curtains. She sat on the bed.
Nannie sighed. “You mustn't worry about Alesha, she'll be all right. Your mother's resourceful.” Nannie leant forward conspiratorially. “Now tell me everything.”
So Kal explained her plan.
“Goodness how exciting. How I wish I could come with you. “
“I wish you could too.”
“All Alesha’s travels and your adventures make my life seem so low-key. Indian women didn't have those opportunities in my time.”
“It was adventurous leaving your home to come to England, I've always admired you for that. It must’ve been an exciting journey dealing with life in a strange place, with a strange culture, not knowing anyone, making your own way just you and Granddad Sunni.”
“Those were different times. It was hard and we had fun too. Did I tell you about the time I rode to Southall market on the back of your grandfather's bicycle? It caused a scandal in the immigrant community.”
“I can see where Mum and I get our wild side from.”
Nannie laughed. “It must be in our genes.”
Kal checked the time. She should leave soon to keep to the schedule. Curling her legs up under her, she turned to face her grandmother. “The other piece of the puzzle is the letters.”
Nannie gave her a hard look. “You know about those already.”
“I know the minimum and I’ve never forgotten you once told me they were connected to Granddad.”
“Gosh, dear, I don't remember saying that.”
Now her grandmother started fidgeting with the edge of her shawl. A tell-tale sign. Nannie wasn't telling the truth.
“I need to know. I've always realised there's more to them than you and Mum wanted to let on and I've never pressed. Now it's important, come on Nannie, it might help Mum.”
Closing her eyes, Nannie ignored Kal, resting her head on the back of the chair, chin raised.
“Nannie?”
“I'm tired, Kal, and it's late.”
“Nannie, please.”
Her grandmother used the call button so that very soon the door opened with a swish.
“Is everything all right?” enquired a nurse.
“I'm tired,” said Nannie, “and I'd like to go to bed.”
Her grandmother still clutched the shawl and now pressed her lips together into a thin line. Nannie’s fear was obvious and Kal knew it demanded a light touch if she were to find out the reason for Nannie’s silence all these years.
She bent to kiss her grandmother. “Goodnight. You don't need to protect me any more you know, I'm big enough to look out for myself.”
Nannie kept her eyes closed. “Goodnight, my dear. Come back soon and tell me if you caught the bastard.”
Chapter Twenty
The public swimming pool closed by nine o'clock. The building cast a shadow and as she entered the gloom, Kal felt a sudden anticipation - a biochemical kick like a sugar high but so much more intoxicating. Just like she felt on assignment.
At the back of the car park, she walked along the fence until she came to a wooden gate. The gate signalled the beginning of a footpath which led across the Common. At weekends, scores of dog walkers and nature-lovers came here to walk to Wimbledon windmill, with the more energetic continuing for miles, taking advantage of the vast expanse of heath. Hardly anyone took this route at night. Though it wasn't a high-crime neighbourhood, residents were too sensible to tempt fate.
Kal climbed over. A quarter moon glanced through the clouds and she imagined her pursuer becoming bolder as they left behind the bright lights. Underfoot, the footpath quickly turned to mud and a layer of it started clinging to her shoes. Up ahead, deep in the Common, came the haunting call of an owl.
The chase - one mind against another. Your skill and nerves against theirs.
Around ten minutes was enough to feel she'd entered a world far away from the city. Behind her came the sharp snap of a twig. Kal stopped and crouched low, breathing in the smell of damp vegetation and imagining her pursuer pressing themselves into the undergrowth to avoid detection. She waited, her hand resting on a tree.
Her father set her the challenge of tracking him at Victoria station. She followed him from the overground rail lines into the underground system. In the thrill of the pursuit, she believed she was on his trail. People pressed close together on the platform, clad in their office clothes and smelling of after-work sweat and faded perfumes. Tobacco fumes clung to jackets. She picked her way, weaving behind people's backs, ducking down whenever she thought her father spotted her. After a few minutes, she lost sight of him. She started sweating and that point when she began to fear failure was probably when she got confused. The mind works like that. A while later her father crept right up behind her, unseen and unsuspected. When he put his hand on her shoulder she suppressed a scream. She’d been ten at the time and a woman nearby had given her father a piercing look and he’d disarmed the woman with one charming smile.
When the moon came back into view, Kal continued down the path.
The windmill was in the middle of the Common. Originally for grinding corn, it now served as a meeting place and coffee shop. The dark, stubby body of the mill loomed in a clearing, while against the night sky, the four sails marked a giant, black 'x'. To the side of the mill, a one storey barn housed the cafe. Kal ran beyond the buildings and continued a short distance down the path back into the undergrowth.
Now the thrill escalated to excitement. Soon she’d have her answers. She chose a spot to wait, crouching low. Though her breathing came lightly, she covered her mouth with her hand to block every tiny sign of her presence.
Patchy cloud cover had moved in and whenever the moon slipped from view, the Common was plunged into blackness. She’d have to rely on her hearing to detect her pursuer's approach and, since no wind rustled the trees, any sound would carry a long way.
As cloud passed over the moon, Kal heard a light rustle of leaves ahead of her. Perhaps a deer. There were plenty on the Common. Though on a still night like this, it would surely’ve been aware of her and kept away. As she strained in that direction, a small suspicion began to form. At Victoria station, the hunter had become the hunted. It was a lesson never to be forgotten. Why had that lesson in stealth come to mind? Her excitement died. And in the hollow it left behind, apprehension started to creep in. Wait. What if there were someone sneaking up from the other side? The hairs on Kal’s forearms stood on end. No way could those following her have circled the windmill so quickly without giving themselves away.
Your skill against theirs. Your strategy against theirs.
Her apprehension grew. Some who hunted preferred to do so alone. Others worked in packs.
Kal gave a dry swallow. Call it off, said the voice inside her head, something’s wrong. For a moment she hesitated and shrank lower into the undergrowth. Her friends were close, hiding in the outhouse behind the windmill, waiting for her signal. A lone stalker or two working in a team surely they could easily...
Crrassshhh. Something came smashing out of the undergrowth. It charged with force and speed straight at her. Get out of the way! Her muscles reacted before her mind, her pulse rocketing. Too late. A crushing head-butt impacted her diaphragm. Connecting with her nerve centre. Threatening her internal organs. Shit. The air fled her lungs. She was jettisoned to the ground and landed with force onto her back. In the darkness, she didn’t struggle. Keep your centre. You know how to fight with your eyes closed. It was true, they’d practised with Master Yeung in the dark. He’d taught them how to sense the enemy’s intention from the shifts of their body mass, from their changing grip. A heavy body landed on top of her, pinning her down. Strong hands grasped her head. Bashed it viciously against the ground. Once. Then drew her head back for a second smash. An instant before the impact, Kal threw her weight to the side and, in the black, she struck up with her palm to where she knew the face would be, catching the septum of the nose and powering her palm upwards. Warm blood gushed down. Strike to his g
roin. He anticipated. Caught her leg, grasping it and twisting her knee. He’s got combat skills. But he’s too rigid. He doesn’t absorb. Her joints, pelvis, torso, spiralled into the twist. Now her face grazed the dirt and jagged edges of stones or roots dug into her face and eye socket. Her opponent lost his hold. Get to your feet. Kal heard a shout and the sounds of fighting. She rolled to crouching in a bed of leaves. The moon slipped into view and her opponent threw a punch. She snaked her upper body out of range. Fluid - arcs, circles, spirals. Draw him in. Block, strike, block. As she danced out of reach, Kal could feel an edge of frustration invade his moves. It would push him to make errors.
“Kal!”
Marty's shout came from close by. It was followed by a guttural smack as someone took a blow. Then came the splintering of branches. Or bone.
Kal maintained a disciplined stance as she moved back, keeping her body weight close to the ground. His stiffness will be his downfall. Then, at a ninety-degree angle, she felt a second assailant closing in. Two against one. But the ultra-low stances of the Hung Gar style had always been a favourite of hers. She waited, judging her moment, then with explosive force attacked her second assailant. She felt his instant of surprise. Which gave her the advantage. Something flashed in his hand. A weapon. She somersaulted to the side, aikido style, escaping the arc of his arm. Surely the moon would disappear soon and she anticipated the blackness, crouching like a tigress. Ready to spring.
Then, from nowhere, she sensed a lull, as if the attackers passed a silent message between them, as if they were a highly trained force used to working together. Someone, somewhere, had called off the attack. Her assailants melted into the trees.
“They're getting away!” The warning came from LeeMing.
Kal recognised LeeMing’s silhouette as he took off in pursuit. Taking a burning gasp, she followed. One eye didn’t work. She ignored it, pushing through branches to reach the path. Ahead, LeeMing took a running dive and brought someone down and the two of them thrashed on the forest floor. She was five seconds behind, four, three and closing. LeeMing was poised above his opponent, his hand grasping the side of his opponent's neck. With a jolt, she recognised the type of hold LeeMing had on the man’s neck, and it wasn’t something she knew from her work with Master Yeung. LeeMing’s lock was Dim mak style. Her father’s style. Then a deafening noise rang out. Gunshot. The sound ricocheted through the woods.
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