Kiss and Die

Chapter 78

Shrimp set his bag down at the reception desk in Vacation Villas. ‘My name is Ian Townsend. I have a reservation for three nights.’

The receptionist scanned down her computer screen. ‘Yes, Mr Townsend, we have you here. You’re in room sixty-one on the sixteenth floor.’

Shrimp knew he would be-they had requested it. It was the same floor they had found Max Kosmos’s body on. This was the floor for businessmen on large company expense accounts.

‘It’s our executive suite. Morning paper, wake-up call?’ She passed over a form for Shrimp to fill in. He gave it back along with a credit card, false documentation that had been rushed through.

‘Neither, thanks.’

‘Do you need help with your luggage?’

‘No. I’m good, thanks.’

Shrimp took the lift up to his floor. The piped music was playing a mix of classical and what sounded like Bavarian folk music. He came out of the lift and followed the room number signs, took a right at the end and found his room. He put his card key in the slot, opened the door and stepped into the suite. It was the opposite layout to Max Kosmos’s room, this room had the bathroom to his left and the wardrobe to his right, the lounge area was straight ahead, and the bed to his right. Shrimp laid his case on the space provided. He walked around, inspecting every part of the room, behind the curtains and under the bed. He checked the minibar. What was it about minibars and the fascination for stale Mars Bars and expensive packets of nuts? When he was satisfied he knew every inch of the suite he knocked on the adjoining door. After a delay of three seconds there came a knock back. It was faint, but it was there. The two undercover operatives were in place.

He phoned Mia. ‘I’m in, Boss.’

‘Okay. You know the brief. We don’t think she will operate in the day so your work starts from five. The rest of the time you can carry on as usual but we’ll keep you off the streets in the day. You can help Ng in the incident room; he’s inundated with dealing with the crossover between the crimes. Did you get anywhere with Mahmud?’

‘No, but he’s very fragile. He’s been beaten badly. I don’t think he is guilty of Tammy’s murder. Someone handed him the knife. I don’t know why he went there to the market that night. Now with Hafiz dead I was hoping he might not feel the need to cover for him any more, but he still refuses to say any more about what happened. I am hoping Daniel Lu might come up with something that might help us. Unless he talks no one else will.’

‘Yeah, the facts are pretty plain. Tammy was stabbed with the bundi knife Mahmud was carrying. Chase it up tomorrow with Ng. Don’t forget the wedding ring. Keep safe, Shrimp.’

‘Okay, Boss. If nothing happens I’ll see you back at the office in the morning. Has Mann checked in today?’

‘No, not yet.’

Shrimp unpacked. He’d brought with him the usual striped blue and green shirt that the businessmen seemed to favour, even with jeans. He laid out his toiletries in the bathroom. He lined his hair products up. He had studied the businessmen abroad. A lot of them liked their hair. It seemed to be the one thing they spent money on-that and their glasses. They liked expensive specs. He checked his mike and got an affirmative from the men who were waiting for him downstairs and the ones in the room next door. Shrimp checked himself once more in the mirror and then prepared to leave.

At the same time, Ruby slipped into Vacation Villas with a group of tourists.