Kiss and Die

Chapter 70

It was late by the time Mann got dropped off back at Headquarters. Mia was waiting for him.

‘What is it?’ he asked.

‘A man’s head has been dredged up by some fishermen. It has been in the water a few months. They’ve pulled it up at Aberdeen. I need you back on the job now.’

‘Caucasian?’

‘We don’t know – there’s not much of it left.’

Mann was already out of the door.

‘Do the fishermen have the exact co-ordinates where they found it?’ Mann and Mia were speeding along the road on their way to the scene.

‘No, only a rough position.’

‘Are we positive it’s not Max Kosmos?’

‘Yes. It’s in an advanced state of decay. There’s very little of it left. We’ll get divers down at first light to see if we can find any more of it.’

‘I’m going with them.’

‘You’re no longer part of the police dive team, Mann.’

‘The more divers we have on this the better.’ He changed the subject. ‘Where did Ng get to with checking out missing businessmen?’

‘We have a long list. Ng decided on cross-referencing in two areas; reported missing by family or close friends, not just work, and last seen in Hong Kong, still missing.’

‘Is Sheng here?’ Mann asked. He looked across at Mia and realized it was the first time he’d seen Mia with make-up on in a long time. She couldn’t have been at the office either when the call came.

‘No, just Daniel Lu. Sheng’s unavailable, we couldn’t find him.’ Mia didn’t look at Mann.

‘How far did you get with Victoria Chan?’

‘She offered me my own private surfing beach.’

‘She certainly knows the way to a boy’s heart.’

‘To mine, anyway. I am waiting for the killer strike. She’s laying the world at my feet, all I have to do is kiss her hand and sign a pact with the devil.’

‘What did she say about the Outcasts?’

‘She says they have a life and a direction of their own. She says she is just the figurehead, her intentions are good, that they were bound to exist even without her help; all that bullshit. I don’t believe her but some things she says ring true. She is offering me a lot to come onto her side. She wants us to work together, find a balance between her way and mine.’

‘Ouch, that’s good. She’s clever. She has made a study of you, Mann. She knows all of your buttons and she’s going to keep pushing them until they add up to a jackpot.’ Mia looked across at him. He had a look on his face that seemed to be wondering if everyone knew him better than he knew himself. ‘Use it then, Mann. We need to reverse the fishing reel and hook her in with whatever it takes. You are our bait, I’m afraid.’

Mann looked out as they drove. He tried not to look at the road. He felt sick. ‘Make no mistake, CK feels nothing for anyone. CK is as cold-hearted as they come. Maybe he’s just setting his daughter up to fail. Victoria is a chip off the old block. But, you’re right, I do need to use it.’ He looked across at her and grinned. He was a little surprised. ‘Never had you for the mercenary type, Mia. You’re making me walk the plank with a tank full of piranhas beneath me.’

‘You don’t have to do it, Mann. It’s a big ask, I know. You can just say no, take some time off.’

‘The last thing I need is time off, Mia. I can’t bear my own company at the moment. I need to work. I need to be useful. I will take it all the way and hope I can deliver.’

‘Then stay focused. I don’t need one of my officers off his face 24/7.’ He glanced across at her. ‘Yeah, maybe that was a little harsh of me. But it’s tough love. I know you, Johnny. I want you to put it all behind you, move on.’

Mann looked out of the window, at the harbour just ahead he could see the flashing blue lights of several squad cars. ‘It’s easier said than done,’ he said.

Mia didn’t answer, she just drove.

They parked up by the cordon of flashing police cars around the water’s edge and walked over to join Shrimp and Ng.

They’d reached the water’s edge and Mann’s attention was diverted. ‘Jesus, is it in a lobster pot? Are these the fishermen who found it?’

‘Yes, Boss.’

Mann knelt down over the pot. A large lobster scuttled around the basket and settled on the skull. ‘There’s still a small amount of flesh, the pot must have protected it to a certain extent, apart from providing the lobster with a permanent meal.’

‘The lobster’s young,’ said Shrimp. ‘It’s probably not the first lobster to feed here.’

Mann took Delilah out of his pocket, poked her through the slats and dislodged the lobster. ‘Where did you find it?’

The fishermen pointed out to sea.

‘Can you be more specific?’

They looked at one another and then collectively shook their heads.

‘They say they were fishing in the permitted zone when they trawled it up in their net. It must have come loose with the bad weather.’ Ng leant down to whisper to Mann. ‘I think they’re bullshitting. They were somewhere they ought not to be or up to some kind of illegal bomb fishing. Whatever it was they caught themselves a net full of trouble.’

‘Were you out in the storm?’

The captain nodded.

‘Maybe this pot was dislodged from its home. Come to police headquarters in the morning. I want you to show me on a map exactly where you were fishing.’

The captain started to grumble.

‘You’re not going anywhere with this boat till we’ve had a chance to take a good look at it. Co-operate and we’ll speed things along. Piss me off and I’ll impound it for good.’

Daniel Lu came to join Mann and Shrimp and took a closer look at the head. ‘It’s not Max Kosmos then?’

Mann felt sick. He stood and took a few deep breaths. ‘Somebody get that fucking lobster out.’