Death in Hong Kong

by Martha Fischer

  The nurse glided in front of them, hips swaying, along seemingly endless paved paths that led through gardens that still gave the illusion of being part of a wild jungle. But orchids in all shapes and colours had been skilfully placed by invisible gardeners, setting off little fireworks of colour amidst the lush greenery.

  The nurse was followed by the officer from Beijing and two of his guards. The officer’s face was set into a mask, impossible to read his thoughts – or even to know if he appreciated Nurse Mary’s swaying hips in front of him.

  Finally they reached a pavilion built in the traditional Chinese style with a gently curved roof complete with typical glazed tiles. Inside it resembled a starred resort, the patients’ rooms matching suites in any given luxury hotel. Amanda didn’t even want to imagine what kind of prices would be asked for a stay here. One day would easily swallow her monthly salary – or more.

  David’s room was guarded by a policeman but he bowed reverently as soon as the Beijing officer showed his credentials. They exchanged some rapid words in Chinese.

  ‘As far as I can understand our officer is taking over,’ Geoffrey whispered.

  The policeman answered in Chinese and stepped back. They opened the door and entered.

  David was sitting on a sofa, his left arm in a sling. He looked a bit paler than Amanda remembered him but his face broke into a welcoming smile as soon as he recognized Geoffrey and Amanda.

  ‘You’re my saviours!’ he cried out. ‘I’m dying from boredom. These idiots don’t even allow me to communicate with my PA – can you imagine? They say it’s too dangerous. No internet either – all I can do it watch TV or read a book. I had forgotten how stupid TV has become lately. Nice for a day or two, but it’s really getting tedious.’

  He noticed the solemn face of the officer. ‘Is there anything amiss? Don’t tell me someone else had been murdered?’

  Before Geoffrey could answer, the officer started speaking.

  ‘Mr Li, I have to inform you that this discussion will stay strictly confidential but you’re suspected to be involved in the spate of recent murders and Central Government has taken over. Your interrogation will no longer be subject to the laws of Hong Kong. The laws of the People’s Republic will apply.’

  David’s face grew a shade paler; he swallowed. ‘What do you mean, sir?’

  ‘I mean that you’re now under the jurisdiction of Central Government as your actions are destabilizing the safety, law and order of the People’s Republic of China.’

  ‘I don’t understand,’ David answered, looking at Geoffrey for help.

  ‘We have reason – and proof – to believe that you are involved in the murder of your sister Cynthia, arranged the yachting accident to kill your competitor Mr Wu, and lately arranging the murder of your sister’s fiancé Jacky. You also provided a constant supply of drugs to your brother Lewis. All these crimes are subject to capital punishment in the People’s Republic.’

  ‘That’s ridiculous, I demand to speak with my lawyer.’

  ‘Mr Li, either you cooperate and tell us the truth or you’ll be tried tomorrow in Beijing. It’s a case of destabilizing the People’s Republic. The laws of Hong Kong therefore cease to be applicable. A lawyer will be present at your trial in China, but he’ll be nominated by the military prosecutor according to the rules.’

  David slackened, his face drained of blood. There was a leaden silence in the room whilst Amanda fought tears. ‘What have I done?’ she thought. And yet – had she really had any choice but to find out the truth?

  ‘All right, I’ll cooperate,’ David finally replied. ‘I didn’t know about Jacky, actually. Another victim.’ He sighed. ‘It’s time to end this mess. You decide then what will happen with me. It’s almost a relief to come clean, to be honest. I’ve spent the last year in hell. I knew I’d end in disaster – if not now, it would have been later. Better get it over quickly.’

  ‘What happened, David? I’ve known you for years. What changed? I still can’t believe this.’

  David shrugged. ‘Two things happened, actually. For as long as I can remember I was the eldest and the heir to the Li fortune…’

  ‘But Lewis was senior to you, in fact.’ Amanda finished his sentence.

  ‘How did you guess?’ David looked surprised.

  ‘Lewis talked about Chinese astrology and when I looked up the signs, he must either be much younger – or a bit older than you. I therefore came to the conclusion that he was a year older.’

  ‘That’s clever. Yes, it’s the truth. My father had two wives. He was a bigamist. In Hong Kong it wouldn’t be possible, but in China it was so chaotic at that time, nobody ever realized or cared. When Lewis found out his true date of birth, he started blackmailing me. Either I’d supply him with money and cocaine – or he’d take possession of the Buddha and auction him off. I simply couldn’t let that happen, so I started paying him and buying drugs.’

  ‘That’s how you came into contact with the Chinese mafia?’ Geoffrey asked.

  ‘Yes. I wish it had never happened. Then came the crash of real estate in China and I lost billions – not really, but on paper. But the banks panicked and called for fresh money, which I didn’t have. I pumped Cynthia and she helped a bit until she got suspicious – she must have sensed that I supplied the drugs to Lewis. That’s why she hated me so much in the end. Lewis had always been her favourite brother and she saw him going down the drain in front of her eyes.’

  ‘You confess then that you committed the crimes I mentioned before?’ asked the officer.

  ‘Yes – and no. I confess that I’m the originator. The Hong Kong mafia asked for ten per cent interest per month, and my debt was soon spiralling out of control. You know their methods – either you pay up, or you don’t survive. The head of the dragon visited me and proposed a deal: they’d take matters into their hands. They didn’t even tell me that Cynthia would be their first target. Apparently they knew she was planning to marry Jacky and her money would be lost to me – or them, to be more precise. Then they instructed me to meet Wu Senior and Junior and make sure that I separated them. I was given instructions to push Wu Senior overboard as soon as the other boat approached. I jumped as well, hoping to drown – but I’m too good a swimmer. I simply couldn’t. The mafia knew that the moment Wu Senior died the value of his holding would crash and they made a fortune. Then they wanted to repeat the same scheme – I was to be assaulted and reported dead. These guys are gangsters but you have to hand it to them – they’re first-rate financial wizards. They know how to play the stock market.’

  ‘Did you know that they almost killed me as well?’ Amanda asked.

  ‘You? For goodness sake, why?’

  ‘I was a witness and they didn’t like that. They almost succeeded in abducting me yesterday.’

  David shook his head. ‘What have I done? How can I possibly apologize?’ He swallowed hard. ‘Can I have a glass of water? I feel unwell.’

  The Chinese officer nodded and turned around to give an order to his fellow officers. David turned to his bed where a crystal glass was standing on a small table. He took the bottle of Evian and filled his glass to the brim. Amanda noticed that he moved his hand to his mouth and swallowed deeply, before he downed the glass in one go.

  She wanted to cry out but she saw Geoffrey’s face. He shook his head ever so slightly and made a sign to keep silent.

  David returned to the sofa as if nothing had happened but suddenly convulsed and crumpled. A minute later red lights were flashing, bells were ringing and doctors and nurses were filling the room – but it was too late.

  David was dead.

  Goodbye

  ‘I hate to leave Hong Kong, I hate to leave you,’ Amanda said, holding back her tears, trying hard not to become too emotional.

  ‘As a teacher, you have your obligations,’ Geoffrey answered, surprisingly brightly. Amanda couldn’t help but feel a bit annoyed that Geoffrey apparently didn’t care that she had to leave. He smiled at he
r, kissed her and embraced her.

  ‘I hope to see you soon again, my love. But I’d better go quickly now. I hate emotional farewells.’ Another quick kiss – not too passionate – and Geoffrey was gone, lost in the crowded departure hall.

  ‘That was quick,’ Susan stated, not sounding pleased either.

  ‘Men hate this, but he’s a good chap. He’ll suffer when nobody’s watching.’ Neil came immediately to Geoffrey’s defence.

  Amanda swallowed and tried to put on a brave face. ‘Anyhow, we knew it wouldn’t work. We’re living on the opposite sides of the planet. I can understand that Geoff doesn’t want this kind of relationship.’

  ‘That’s all very well, but leaving you standing here like this…’ Susan fumed. ‘Next time, pick someone with a bit more style and empathy.’

  They said goodbye and, in a haze, Amanda went through the maze of security and immigration, then followed steep staircases up and down and took a little train, until she found the gate where the huge airliner was already waiting.

  ‘You always pick the wrong guys,’ her inner voice chided her, ‘you really have a knack for that.’

  ‘I can’t help it,’ Amanda answered loudly.

  ‘What about some duty free shopping? A bit of shopping always helps,’ her inner voice proposed.

  ‘Let’s shop!’ she replied to her inner voice, feeling better already.

  As there were so many shops to be explored Amanda almost missed the boarding call and arrived fairly late at the gate. She duly lined up in the economy queue, armed with a patented cushion that was supposed to do wonders for sleep on the plane. She had discovered this wonderful invention just in time.

  She showed her passport and her boarding pass. The clerk at the gate smiled automatically and scanned her boarding pass. Instead of the familiar beep, the light went red and a buzzer was activated. The clerk, woken from her routine, frowned and checked the screen.

  ‘You’ve been upgraded, Miss Lipton. This is your new boarding pass.’ The clerk made a sign and a stewardess dressed in a smart uniform came forward.

  ‘Please follow me, Miss Lipton.’

  She guided Amanda to a different entrance and Amanda discovered a new world of comfortable and spacious seats – no need for her patented cushion here.

  ‘This is your new seat, Miss Lipton. Can I serve you a glass of champagne before take-off, or some water or juice?’

  ‘Make it two glasses of champagne, please,’ a voice behind her answered.

  Amanda turned as if she had been stung by a wasp. ‘Geoffrey, what are you doing here?’

  ‘Flying with you to Europe, stupid. Did you really think I’d let you go like that?’

  Amanda didn’t think Geoffrey heard her answer – it’s difficult to speak and kiss at the same time.

  Other books by Martha Fischer

  Death on the Ocean

  The story of Amanda who leads a fairly uneventful life as a teacher. The most she has to worry about is staff room politics and petty quarrels among pupils and colleagues. But everything changes as she wins a million in a TV show!

  Amanda decides to change her life and take a luxury cruise, no expense spared. Expecting a carefree life of luxury aboard the Belgravia she's surprised to find that events are rapidly spiralling out of control. Her fellow passengers are not as they seem and all of a sudden a passenger goes missing - was it murder?

  To make things worse, Amanda is drawn to two men - but whom can she trust and... whom to choose? Any error of judgement could be fatal as Amanda realizes that her own life could be in danger.

  Death on Turtle Island

  In this book, amateur sleuth Amanda, curious as ever, is boarding the luxurious cruise ship Belgravia. But her holiday reality turns out to be somewhat different from her expectations…. as murder is never far away.

  Suddenly she finds herself invited to spend a romantic holiday on the stunningly beautiful Turtle Island just off the Bahamas, including the visit to a Hollywood film set – mingling with stars guaranteed.

  Paradise it may be, but behind ready smiles, fame and beauty there lurk repressed secrets and resentments, which can only result in tragedy…Amanda has to use all of her wits as the police can only find one culprit - Amanda herself!