Death in Hong Kong

by Martha Fischer

  She must call Susan or Geoffrey urgently – but easier said than done. She didn’t dare to return to her hotel room – nothing seemed safe any more after her experiences of the last few days. Mobile phones might be a blessing for mankind but the downside was that she was totally helpless without hers. The only phone number she could remember by heart was her mother’s – no real asset when it came to getting in touch with her friends on the other side of the world.

  ‘Maybe I should walk straight into the nearest police station,’ she thought, but decided against it. The people chasing her must be well connected – maybe even the police were on their payroll.

  Amanda entered one of the luxurious shopping malls that lined the city’s waterfront. All the shops were open and brimming with customers who seemed to be spending as if there were no tomorrow. Not really knowing what to do, she followed the crowd until she reached a sign reading ‘Hotel entrance’.

  ‘Why not?’ she thought, and opened the door.

  A cool marble lobby greeted her. The subdued sound of piano music entertaining the guests in the lounge made a stark contrast to the buzz outside. She had landed on a different planet, a haven of peace – hopefully.

  Assuming a brisk step Amanda walked to the hotel reception counter. ‘Would you have a free room for me, for one night?’

  The clerk looked at her in surprise. ‘Do you have a booking, madam?’

  ‘No, I’m sorry. I was planning to stay with a friend tonight but she missed her flight.’

  The clerk swallowed her white lie and looked satisfied. ‘How inconvenient for you, madam, I’m sorry to hear that. Luckily we have some rooms available as we have some guests coming late. Maybe your friend was on the same flight?’

  He looked at his screen and named a price for a room that would have sent her screaming straight out of the hotel only hours ago, but Amanda was beyond caring. She just smiled and handed him her credit card, declining politely the offer to book the royal suite, although it was offered to her at a bargain price of a few thousand dollars per night only.

  ‘Shall we bring your luggage upstairs, madam?’

  ‘It’ll arrive later, the airline informed me it’s arriving with the next flight.’

  The clerk accepted this accumulation of unfortunate circumstances without further comment and Amanda was brought upstairs to her room by a young bellboy.

  He made the usual show of explaining the room facilities until she dropped a tip into his willing hand and closed the door behind him. Amanda fastened the security chain before she kicked off her shoes. Her feet were hurting like hell; she now knew that all those cinema heroines who fled from evil forces on high heels and were still able to walk elegantly hours later and sink with style into the arms of their hero must be the purest piece of fiction.

  Suddenly the buzzer went, followed by tap at the door. Amanda’s heart almost stopped. She didn’t dare move. The buzzer went off again, more insistent this time.

  ‘Room service, may I enter?’

  Was this genuine? Anybody could pretend to be the room service.

  ‘Come in!’ she called, but she didn’t dare to move; she watched the door like a rabbit watching a snake.

  She heard the key card sliding into the slot and a second later the door was pushed open energetically. But this momentum was stopped immediately by the security chain she had fastened earlier. Disaster now took its toll and the clattering of dishes and a metal tray falling on the floor confirmed that it had indeed been room service wanting to offer her fresh tea.

  ‘Oh, I’m so sorry!’ Amanda cried out and rushed barefoot to the door. She unlocked the chain and saw a miserable-looking young waiter who was dripping with tea. Dark stains were spreading on his white uniform and on the floor.

  He apologized profusely for this mishap but they parted as best friends as Amanda slid a fat tip into his wet fingers. He promised to come back and bring her fresh tea immediately.

  ‘If it wouldn’t be asking too much – could you bring me some coffee instead?’

  The waiter nodded eagerly and closed the door. Amanda sank into a chair, laughing; she’d never forget the waiter’s sheepish face as he looked down at his stained uniform.

  This incident helped her to regain her morale and shed the cloud of anxiety that had followed her since she had escaped the Italian restaurant. Suddenly the solution seemed so easy. She pressed the dial for the operator.

  ‘Can you find the phone number of Geoffrey McPherson for me, please?’

  ‘Let me try, madam. Would you have his precise address?’

  ‘I’m sorry, I forgot. But it’s on Hong Kong side. I guess there shouldn’t be too many men listed under that name?’

  The operator went silent but only seconds later she replied, ‘Indeed, there’s only one number listed. Should I put you through?’

  Amanda heard the buzzing tone. ‘Let him be there,’ she prayed. ‘I need to talk to him, please…’

  ‘Hello?’ She heard Susan’s voice at the other end.

  ‘Susan, I’m so glad to hear your voice.’ Amanda tried hard not to burst into tears. ‘I need you, Susan. I’ve been through a terrible nightmare, can you come quickly and fetch me?’

  ‘Of course, darling,’ came the wonderfully reassuring voice. ‘And I don’t hesitate for a second to believe that you’ve ended up in another terrible adventure. If it’s going to happen, it always happens to you. Should I bring Neil along? Geoffrey’s out, no idea where he is right now. He left a message but it’s not very clear, he must have been in a terrible hurry.’

  ‘Yes, please do bring Neil along and this is the address where you’ll find me.’

  Amanda named the hotel and room number where she was staying and as the line went dead, the buzzer at her door went off again.

  Would this be the waiter with her coffee already? It seemed very quick…

  A riddle needs to be solved

  ‘That was Amanda on the phone,’ Susan told Neil as she put down the receiver.

  ‘Hmm,’ Neil grunted.

  ‘She’s in trouble… again.’ Susan frowned. ‘I promised that we’ll leave immediately and pick her up in a hotel over in Kowloon, are you ready?’

  Neil uttered another grunt that could have meant either acceptance or a mild form of protest.

  ‘I wonder,’ he said.

  ‘What do you wonder about, darling?’

  ‘There was this professor from Iran I met last week, I mean one of those guys with a name nobody can ever remember, let alone pronounce correctly.’

  Susan was irritated. ‘How does he come into the picture now?’

  ‘He had a very interesting approach how to monitor neurone transmitters after a toxic shock. One supposes that in such countries – almost cut off from the internet and the blessings of modern civilisation – they would be far behind. But he’s truly a bright chap and I think I should really have a deeper look into his thesis, I mean…’

  ‘Neil!’ Susan cried out, exasperated. ‘Darling, you didn’t listen. You never do!’

  Neil looked at her, emanating the aura of the innocent who has been – once again – unjustly accused. ‘Of course I listen, darling. I’m listening now, I always do.’

  ‘What did I say about Amanda then?’ Susan challenged him.

  ‘Hmm…’ He looked lost, but suddenly remembered. ‘She was on the phone. That’s what you told me.’

  ‘She’s in trouble, Neil, and we need to leave immediately to pick her up.’

  Neil only shrugged his shoulders. ‘Since I met Amanda she’s always been in some kind of trouble. As a scientist I shouldn’t believe in things like having bad karma or similar stuff, but this girl is prone to getting into trouble like nobody else I’ve ever met – luckily, I must say.’

  ‘Don’t be so unfeeling, darling. Amanda does have a certain gift of ending up in a predicament, I agree. But she needs our help. Forget your Iranian professor for a moment and let’s rush down to the concierge and call a taxi. I really hope
she’ll be all right.’

  ‘May I join you?’ Daniel appeared in the kitchen. ‘I apologize, but I overheard that Amanda is in trouble, so maybe I’d better give you a hand as well?’

  Daniel had slept in Geoffrey’s room and looked as gorgeous as usual, even though he was wearing the same clothes as yesterday. He probably couldn’t help it. He emanated a strong scent of expensive eau de toilette.

  ‘I know that smell – you nicked Neil’s eau de toilette,’ Susan exclaimed.

  ‘There was no choice,’ Daniel grinned, ‘it was simply a question of either nicking Neil’s stuff or yours. Would you rather have me smelling like a basket of roses with a tinge of vanilla?’

  ‘Why not, they always talk about unisex scents nowadays. But you’re right, I prefer Neil’s scent. But let’s go!’

  Not waiting for any further sign of consent from Neil or Daniel, Susan grabbed her handbag, a scarf, sunglasses and prepared to leave the flat dragging the men behind her.

  ‘Just a second.’ She stopped all of a sudden. ‘I’d better leave a message for Geoffrey.’ Susan went back to the kitchen table and scribbled some hasty words on the scrap of paper Geoffrey had left behind. Then they were gone.

  As the holiday traffic had reverted to its usual level of choking congestion it took much more than the thirty minutes Susan had hoped for to reach Amanda’s hotel. During the last mile the taxi could only crawl.

  ‘I’m two seconds away from getting mad,’ Susan moaned as the taxi stopped again.

  ‘Let’s get out and walk,’ Neil suggested.

  ‘That’s why they call you brilliant!’ Susan flashed him a loving smile.

  They paid the taxi and rushed towards the hotel – trying hard not to collide with the hundreds of shoppers that were idling on the pavement. A Hong Kong holiday invariably meant free time to go shopping.

  ‘That must be the entrance over there,’ Susan shouted as soon as she spotted the brass letters above the huge glass doors.

  Immediately the men followed her lead and entered the elegant lobby, heading directly towards the guestroom lift – just to be stuck again as the lift stubbornly refused to move.

  ‘Bloody hell,’ Susan exclaimed, ‘why do these things never work when you need them most? She said the ninth floor, didn’t she? Just imagine, we may have to climb all those stairs.’

  Daniel coughed discreetly. ‘I guess all you need is a key card to make it work. Security. Most hotels have that feature now.’

  ‘But I don’t have a key card!’ Susan almost yelled back.

  Before she could vent her frustration further she was distracted as a hotel guest entered the lift, bowing deeply, Japanese style. Daniel bowed back politely and quickly used the opportunity to push a button as soon the guest had swiped his card in the slot. The trick worked and they zoomed upwards to the ninth floor before the confused Japanese guest had been able to locate his own floor.

  The doors slid open and they stepped out of the lift to be greeted by the discreet lighting and silence that is a hallmark of luxury hotels. Thick carpets swallowed the noise of their steps; their breathing was the only audible noise.

  Susan panted. ‘That’s her room. Open quickly, Amanda, we’re here, you’re safe now, pet.’ She banged at the door.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ she whispered to Neil, ‘I know I’m sounding melodramatic. But she really sounded very scared. Poor thing. I wonder what happened to her? I don’t like it.’

  They hammered at the door but only silence answered. ‘Something has happened, I’m sure.’ Susan was almost in tears. Daniel took over and banged at the door, looking worried. It was some minutes before the door opened and Amanda appeared.

  ‘Both of you, my God! I’m so glad you’ve come. You’re my saviours – come in, please. Oh, my God, you even brought Daniel along. I’m so sorry for causing all this trouble.’

  The three of them marched into Amanda’s perfectly normal-looking room, with no signs of calamity or chaos. A mug of coffee and the remains of a lavish cookie platter stood on a small table next to an armchair.

  ‘This doesn’t look like an emergency at all to me, Amanda,’ Susan exclaimed. ‘Why on earth did you have us chase all across Hong Kong if you’re just indulging in a coffee break? Have you gone mad?’ Susan was visibly upset.

  ‘I’m sorry – don’t be angry. Let me explain. I’ve really been through a nightmare.’

  Susan plunged into the armchair, grabbed a cookie and answered, ‘A nightmare? Well, you sounded terrified enough on the phone. Tell us then, what was going on? You scared me to death.’

  Amanda sat down on the bed, uncomfortably aware that Daniel had chosen to sit close to her. Very close indeed. Trying hard not to become distracted – had he changed his eau de toilette? – Amanda gave a quick summary of her adventures.

  She tried to remain calm and composed but everybody clearly understood immediately that it had been a tight escape. There was a long spell of silence after she had finished her story.

  ‘They could have killed you,’ Susan finally whispered. ‘What the f…, I mean, what the hell is going on here? There must be a whole gang of killers on the loose.’

  ‘Those bastards! They almost got you,’ Daniel exclaimed. ‘Any idea what all this is about? It must be linked to the guys who shot David – this can’t be a mere coincidence.’

  ‘They may have realized that Amanda was a witness, that she had seen and maybe even could identify the assassin,’ Neil suggested after a short hesitation. ‘That seems to me the only logical explanation. A witness they need to get rid of.’

  ‘I’m afraid that would make sense,’ Amanda said meekly. ‘But so far I have no idea how they came to know this. I mean, I didn’t run around the streets shouting that I saw the killer yesterday.’

  ‘Well, I still think that this guy Jacky is behind all this. But that’s a matter for the police to deal with now. Promise me, no more meddling, Amanda! This is dead serious.’

  ‘I didn’t meddle. They were meddling with me!’ Amanda protested.

  Susan didn’t reply but sent a stern look to her friend as she opened her handbag. ‘By the way, I brought this along – I thought that a bit of disguise might come handy. Enough talking, let’s leave the hotel and go back to Geoffrey’s flat. I hope he’ll be in by the time we arrive. He’s apparently searching for you all over Hong Kong.’

  Daniel gave her a long and thoughtful look and Amanda – to her greatest annoyance – felt herself blushing.

  Susan handed her a printed silk scarf and sunglasses and said with satisfaction, ‘Nobody will ever recognize you now.’

  Thankful for the distraction Amanda grabbed the accessories and tried them on in front of a mirror. ‘Nobody will recognize me, that’s true enough. Not even my own mother. Look at me, I look like an ageing Greta Garbo, terrible! Those glasses cover half my face.’

  ‘She was a true Hollywood star in her time,’ Daniel said, ‘but in fact you always reminded me of Audrey Hepburn. You remember the famous scene in Roman Holiday when she was driving incognito through Rome on the back seat of a Vespa holding on to Gregory Peck?’

  ‘Of course, Daniel, I think I’ve seen that movie three times at least. I can live with that.’ Amanda flashed a smile at Daniel, her good mood restored. ‘Audrey Hepburn has always been one of my favourite actresses.’

  Their journey back to the island was only slightly faster but this time they didn’t really mind; everybody felt so relieved to have Amanda back in their midst, unscathed.

  They reached Geoffrey’s flat but found it empty.

  ‘I hope Geoff gets back soon. I sent him a message that we’ve found you. He texted back that he could hug me for it…’ Susan said, sending a long and disapproving look at Daniel who had somehow managed to stay close to Amanda the whole time.

  ‘In the meantime I think we should celebrate Amanda’s escape. It calls for a special toast,’ Neil exclaimed and looked in Geoffrey’s bar. ‘Wow, that’s what I would call a decent whisky,�
�� he cried, ‘a Scottish single malt from the 1950s. That’s quite something!’

  He poured a generous portion for all of them and raised his glass. ‘To Amanda and to her lucky escape!’

  Amanda raised her glass in reply. ‘Thanks to all of you – it’s a true blessing to have such good friends.’

  ‘I can only agree,’ replied Daniel and leaned forward to kiss her. Entirely taken by surprise Amanda kissed back.

  Amanda quickly realized that this was not the best timing; she saw the door open behind Daniel just that second and Geoffrey entered.

  The wisdom of the Bible

  ‘You let her escape?’ the man in the yellow polo shirt drawled. His eyes were forming narrow slits, like the eyes of a deadly cobra ready to strike. ‘Did I understand you correctly? It’s a bit hard to believe.’

  ‘Not really, boss. She vanished. She was sitting there at her table, drinking coffee, waiting. But all of a sudden she was gone, like a phantom. We have no clue how. There was no way she could have left through the front exit as we were watching it all the time and the people in the kitchen swear that she didn’t pass them either.’

  ‘Yes, boss, we were watching her the whole time. I swear. Suddenly she was gone, like a ghost,’ the second man added, eager to support his colleague.

  The two men stood to attention, sweating profusely, even though the air conditioning was on in the small room. They knew what was at stake; they had failed miserably.

  A shadow of a smile was playing on the lips of the man in the yellow polo shirt but his smile was not a gentle one. He didn’t take bother to reply, he just frowned while silence weighed on the small room like a millstone. He studied at length the curved nail of his left little finger. It looked bizarre, much longer than his other nails. Carefully manicured and polished it looked like a claw.