‘An excuse?’
‘Yes, just that and no more. It was an excuse for a weakness. Michael’s weakness.’
The woman was looking at him without comprehension. Creasy explained, ‘Mrs Manners, I adopted Michael from an orphanage not more than a kilometre from here when he was seventeen years old. I trained and moulded him to be a man like me, for a special purpose. He was strong and skilled and I loved him very much. As much as a father could love a natural son. But I also moulded him into my own lifestyle, and that was the only lifestyle that he understood. When Michael was paralysed from the waist down, he knew that he could never live that lifestyle. He also knew that he had full use of his arms and upper body. Certainly, he could have lived a fruitful life. There’s a man on this island who was paralysed in the same way after a car crash. He was a young man. He built a new life. Last year he took part in the Paraplegic Olympics and won a bronze medal. Michael knew that man well — and admired him. But because of the lifestyle that I had created for him, he couldn’t see himself in that role. He couldn’t see himself in any role. In that hospital in Bulawayo he asked me to kill him. I told him to wait three months — if he still felt the same way them; I would do it. The problem was that he didn’t believe me.’
The old woman had been looking out to sea while she listened. Now she turned her face back to look at Creasy. She asked, ‘Would you have done it?’ ‘Yes.’
‘You could have done that?’
‘Yes.’
A ferry was coming into the harbour, loaded with day-trippers. She watched it silently and then, just as she was about to speak a waiter appeared at the balcony door. He held a tray on which was a single glass containing a purple liquid. He gave the glass to Creasy, touched him on the shoulder and left. Creasy lifted the glass to his lips and drained it in one go.
He said to Gloria, ‘About ten years ago I went to a wedding at another hotel and drank too much champagne. Champagne doesn’t agree with me. In the morning the maître d’ mixed me a drink which cured my hangover in about half an hour. That maître d’ is now the manager of this hotel.’ He lifted the glass. ‘That was the same concoction. I hope it works as well as the last time.’
‘Would you really haved killed Michael after three months, if he had asked you to?’
‘Yes. But he wouldn’t have asked. The mistake was mine. I should have stayed with him that night in Bulawayo, and the following nights. I thought he was stronger.’
‘But that note!’
Creasy sighed. ‘That note was an excuse.’ He stood up. ‘Mrs Manners. What was written in that note contributed probably less than one per cent to Michael’s decision. He never expected you to read it . . . I regret that you did. Now, go back to Denver with peace of mind. Your daughter’s killers are dead — thanks, in part, to Michael. Let him be a good memory, not a bad one.’ He put the empty glass on the table.
She said, ‘Creasy, please give me ten more minutes of your time. Then you can leave and so will I’.
He saw the pleading in the woman’s eyes, paused, and slowly sat down again.
She said, ‘Was what you said just balm for my conscience?’
‘No. It was the truth. Maybe you have to live with your conscience in other areas, but not about Michael’s suicide. Last night we held a wake. Some old friends of mine — and Michael’s — arrived unexpectedly. Last night we buried Michael’s soul. That is now in the past.’
‘So easy?’
‘Not easy. In the next few days I’ll travel to Hong Kong and some more bodies will be buried. Then I’ll sleep easier.’
She was watching him closely and, in spite of his cold and calm exterior, she could see the pain deep in his eyes. She said, ‘Hong Kong is why I wanted to talk to you.’
‘Hong Kong?’
‘Yes. During the last two days that we were in Bulawayo you were obviously preoccupied and busy. Did you have a chance to study Commander Ndlovu’s report on the Beckers?’
‘No, but I have a copy. I’ll be reading it over the next few days.’
‘Well, I read it very carefully and then discussed it with Commander Ndlovu. Much of it was compiled from the files you found in the safe at Becker’s house. Three things came out of it: first of all, Becker got his orders from someone in Hong Kong, who the police assume is the 14K Triad — but they cannot prove that. Second, it was a chance remark made by my daughter, Carole, at a cocktail party in Harare that caused her death and that of Cliff Coppen, Lucy Kwok’s family in Hong Kong and, ultimately, Michael’s.’
‘A chance remark?’
‘Yes. Perhaps she was boasting a little. The conversation had been about the black rhino. She said that her boyfriend was working with an eminent Chinese medical researcher who had proved that powdered rhino horn does not improve male potency, but actually contains a cancer-causing agent. It turns out that the man she was boasting to was an associate of Rolph Becker’s who, naturally, immediately alerted him. Third, Commander Ndlovu spoke to a senior policeman in Hong Kong in the Anti-Triad Department. Although they know that 14K was behind the murder of Lucy’s family, they do not have enough evidence to proceed against the leaders.’
‘That’s always the case,’ Creasy said. ‘It’s why I’m going to Hong Kong.’
‘You will go alone?’
‘Yes.’
The old woman noticed that his face was slightly wet with perspiration. She watched as he took out a handkerchief and wiped his forehead. He looked down at the empty glass in front of him and said, ‘It seems that the hangover cure is not working so well this time. If anything, I feel worse.’
‘I won’t keep you too much longer, Creasy. It’s just that I want to ask you something. And before you say no, I want you to think about it for a day or so.’
‘Ask.’
‘I want to continue with the whole operation . . . all the way to Hong Kong. I won’t get in your way, and I won’t be issuing orders or waving my so-called magic wand. I just want to be there at the end. I don’t want to return to Denver without knowing what’s happening.’
Creasy started to say something.
She said, ‘Please, Creasy — two more minutes. Please understand — it was my daughter who set this whole thing off. She could not have known it, of course, but it was her fault. She paid with her life and so have others. I want you to let me keep funding the operation and base myself in Hong Kong. I’ve had some research done and faxed to me. The Triads are very powerful, especially the 14K. You will need people to help you — and not just Maxie. You will need much more than Maxie.’
Creasy wiped his forehead again and stood up. He said, ‘Mrs Manners, I don’t have to think about it. The answer is no. If I need to hire a couple of guys, I can do it myself. You paid promptly and I thank you for that.’ He turned to go.
She said, ‘The research on the Triads is in the green folder on the table. Take it with you. Meanwhile, I’ll stay here for at least seventy-two hours in the hope that you’ll change your mind.’
‘You can stay as long as you like, Mrs Manners. It’s a free country.’ He went into the sitting-room. The green folder was very bulky. He paused and then picked it up. He would look through it and send it back tomorrow.
As he drove back towards Victoria the sweating stopped and he felt his body going cold in the warm air. On impulse, he turned left and into the village of Xewkija, where his doctor lived.
As he was shown into his doctor’s study, he said, ‘Sorry to bother you, Stephen, but I’ve got a fever, and I think it might be malaria.’
The doctor gestured to a chair in front of his desk and asked, ‘Where have you been lately?’
‘I just got back from Zimbabwe. I spent some days in the Zambezi Valley.’
‘You surprise me, Creasy. Surely a man of your experience would have taken prophylactic pills at least three weeks before your departure?’
‘Naturally,’ Creasy replied. ‘But I only knew I was going a couple of days beforehand.’
‘Okay
, so we take a blood sample and I’ll let you know tomorrow. In the meantime, I’ll give you some medication . . . I suppose it would be a waste of time asking you to spend the next twenty-four hours in hospital?’
‘Yes, it would. I’ll be fine at home.’
Chapter 35
The fever broke on the second night. Creasy was fortunate; the infection had not been very bad. But, still, Maxie and Guido had to change the sheets on his bed half a dozen times, when they became soaked with his sweat.
His recovery was swift. When the doctor came in the morning, he was sitting up in bed, leafing through the pages in the folder that Gloria had given him.
The doctor checked him over and then said sternly, ‘It wasn’t so bad. But you’re weaker than you think. I would normally ask my patients to spend at least five or six days in bed after such a bout of malaria. But, knowing you, I’ll be happy to extract a promise of forty-eight hours. Then don’t overdo anything for a few more days.’
After he had left, Maxie came in.
‘How do you feel?’
‘Fine.’
‘The doctor said forty-eight hours. Just make sure you follow instructions for a change.’
Creasy closed the folder and asked, ‘What are your plans?’
‘I’m heading home tomorrow. I’m going to close the bistro for a couple of weeks and use some of Gloria Manners’ money to take Nicole and Lucette on a luxury holiday. I spoke to Nicole on the phone last night. She said Lucette’s really cut up about Michael.’
Guido came in, and after more inquiries about Creasy’s well-being, he turned to Maxie and said, ‘Laura phoned and invited us for lunch. She’s making rabbit stew and, believe me, you don’t want to miss that.’
‘Bring some back for me,’ Creasy said, ‘She always makes too much, anyway.’ He lifted the green folder and gave it to Maxie. ‘On your way, please drop that off to Gloria Manners at the hotel and tell her that I won’t be changing my mind.’
‘What is it?’
‘Oh, just some general information on the Hong Kong Triads, just say goodbye for me.’
When Juliet came into the bedroom half an hour later with a cup of hot soup, Creasy was fast asleep. She stood for several minutes, looking down at his face. Then she turned around and went out, taking the soup with her.
When he awoke, it was mid-afternoon. He drank some water from the flask by the bed and pulled himself out of the bed to go to the bathroom. It was then that he realised how weak he was. He moved carefully across the flagstoned floor. As he came out, Guido was entering the bedroom, followed by Maxie. Creasy tried to walk normally and almost tripped. Guido hurried forward and put an arm under his elbow and helped him to the bed.
‘How was lunch?’ Creasy asked.
‘In fact, it was so good there was nothing left for you.’
They both sat down at the foot of the bed, and Guido said, ‘We’ve come to talk to you.’
‘About what?’
‘About Hong Kong.’
‘What about it?’
‘We didn’t take that folder back immediately. We took it back after lunch. Meanwhile, we read the contents. We already know that the Triads are formidable. We also know that once you’re over this malaria you’re heading to Hong Kong to take out the head guy of the 14K. When Maxie gave Mrs Manners the folder and your message, she told him that she had offered to fund a major operation to take out that guy.’
Maxie interjected, ‘She also told us that it was her daughter’s indiscretion that caused her own death and those of Lucy’s family. We think you should take up her offer.’
‘Is it any of your business?’
Guido provided the answer. ‘Yes, it is. We liked Michael very much. For me, he was as a nephew. Apart from that, you already have the nucleus of a good team.’
‘And the money’s good,’ Maxie said.
Creasy gave them both a hard look and then said; ‘If I decide to take a couple of guys with me, I’ll pay them from my own pocket.’
‘Like who?’ Guido asked.
‘Well, like Frank and Rene. They’re staying on a few more days. I’ll make my decision before they leave.’
Guido sighed. ‘Creasy, you’re an intelligent man. But sometimes you can be very stupid. Of course, Frank and Rene will go with you. But there’s no way they’ll accept any money from you, apart from basic expenses. They too were very fond of Michael. And of course that goes for me.’
‘And me,’ Maxie chimed in.
‘I thought you were going off on holiday,’ Creasy said.
‘That’s no problem,’ Maxie answered. ‘I’ll cut it down to seven or eight days. You won’t be ready to move for at least a week.’
In a determined tone of voice, Creasy said, ‘There’s no way that I’m going to be working for that woman any more. This time it’s personal.’
‘She’s changed,’ Maxie said. ‘That’s very obvious from just a brief conversation. She just wants to be in Hong Kong. She just wants to stay in her hotel and only asks that she be kept informed.’
‘There’s another aspect,’ Guido said, ‘I was talking to Frank and Rene last night. The market for mercenaries is pretty bad, these days. Frank’s working as a security consultant with an air-freight company, and Rene’s resting.’
‘And another thing,’ Maxie said. ‘Jens and The Owl haven’t had a good paying job since the end of last year.’
Creasy’s eyes felt heavy, and he knew that within a few minutes he’d fall asleep. He looked at Guido and said, ‘All this sounds suspiciously like a subtle form of blackmail.’
Guido shook his head.
‘It sounds like good common sense. You’d be in total control of your own team. The fact that an old woman is sitting in a wheelchair in a hotel seems immaterial. You won’t even have to see her or talk to her. Maxie can do that.’
Creasy’s eyes were closed, and his voice slightly slurred. ‘I’ll think about it.’
Rene Callard and Frank Miller were sitting by the pool with Lucy Kwok. The two men had just come back from fishing and their catch was proudly laid out on the patio floor. Three baby tuna and two small lampuki.
Maxie looked down at the fish and remarked, ‘That’s all you got after four hours? They won’t even cover the cost of the diesel. You’d have been better off buying them in the market.’
‘They probably did,’ Guido said with a grin, ‘and spent the rest of the day chasing tourist girls on the beach . . . When are you guys heading out?’
‘We’re booked on the morning flight to Frankfurt.’
‘I should postpone it,’ Maxie said.
Guido said, ‘There will be a job and it will pay very well. Also for Jens and The Owl.’
Maxie was looking at him. He asked, ‘Are you so sure?’
Guido nodded.
‘Yes. I know his mind like it was my own. When he wakes up he’ll call a meeting in his bedroom. By the way, where are Jens and The Owl?’
‘They went for a drink in a bar called Gleneagles,’ Lucy said, ‘about two hours ago.’
Guido turned to Maxie. ‘You’d better phone them there. Tell them to get back here reasonably sober. After that, I suggest you call Mrs Manners and tell her not to leave Gozo until she hears from you or Creasy. It will probably be later this evening.’
Chapter 36
‘I find it hard to take this whole culture.’
Creasy looked up from his bowl of soup. Juliet was sitting at the end of his bed.
‘What culture?’ he asked.
‘Well, it seems to be a constant cycle of death. And you’re right at the centre. It’s a culture of constant vengeance. Gloria Manners’ vengeance for her daughter’s death, Lucy’s vengeance for her family’s death, and now your vengeance for Michael’s death.’
He gave her a long look and said, ‘For God’s sake, don’t come on with the Mother Theresa bit! If it wasn’t for this culture you talk about, you’d either be dead or trapped as a heroin addict in some whorehouse in the Mid
dle East or North Africa!’
‘I know that, Creasy. You and Michael saved my life and gave me a home. Don’t waste one second thinking that I don’t thank God for that every day of my life . . . It’s just that now you’re planning to go off to Hong Kong . . . and there will be more killings. When will it all end?’
‘It will end when a certain Tommy Mo Lau Wong is dead and buried.’
‘Do you have to go?’
She saw the brief flash of irritation in his eyes as he answered.
‘Yes. That man was ultimately responsible for Michael’s death. The slate will be wiped clean and then maybe the circle of death, as you call it, can end.’
‘You don’t understand, Creasy! I want that man dead as much as you do. It’s just that I don’t want you dead as well. Lucy has told me something about the Triads and their power . . . Try to understand. First, I lost one family, and then I got another. Now I’ve lost half of that new family. I can’t bear the thought of losing the other half.’
His voice softened very slightly. ‘You have to bear it, Juliet. It’s part of life and, if you like, the culture that you found yourself in. Maybe after this, that kind of life will change, but there can be no promises. I am what I am. But I do understand you. I remember, a few years back, you asked me to train you as I trained Michael. You were very young. The best age to be trained. I started to do that, but then it became obvious to me that, although you were enthusiastic, your heart was not really in it. I was glad when you began to take an interest in medicine.’
She was nodding thoughtfully. She said, ‘I know, I’m very pleased to be at college in the States and staying with Jim . . . It’s just that I worry about you.’
He gave her one of his rare smiles.
‘I worry about you too, what with all those over-sexed young Americans running around the campus. However, in spite of that, I want you to fly back tomorrow. You’ve already missed almost a week of the semester.’
She gave him a dutiful nod and stood up, saying, ‘Finish all your soup. There’s plenty more, if you want it.’
Black Horn (A Creasy novel Book 4) Page 17
