The Trafficked

78

Mercy called Mann over to the Jeepney. It was his turn to see the doctor. Mercy accepted a push-up into the back of the makeshift ambulance.

Father Finn got in as well, just as the doctor was sewing Mann up. ‘He needs to go to hospital, no?’

The doctor stopped his stitching, looked Mann over and shrugged as if he already knew it wasn’t worth suggesting. ‘He needs to rest and get his strength up. If he can do that somewhere here then he will be okay.’

‘Do you hear that, Johnny? We will have your company for a few days here. You should have brought two bottles of scotch instead of one, no?’

‘You’re so ungrateful.’ Mann grimaced and started to fidget. ‘We’ll see, Father. I have work to do. Anyway, the scotch would have gone up in the fire.’

‘I didn’t trust you with it. I hid it in the car. Now let the doctor finish stitching you up, for goodness’ sake, and stop moving about.’

‘It hurts.’

‘Huh!’ Mercy gave him an incredulous look and then let her eyes slip to her swollen abdomen. ‘Hurts? Ha! Don’t talk to me about pain. You don’t have any…’ She was about to add something else when she stopped to listen. Someone was singing ‘My Way’ very loudly.

‘Remy!’ Father Finn grinned.

‘Am I in time for lunch?’ Remy poked his head through the flap that acted as sunshield and window at the side of the Jeepney. ‘Looks like the BBQ got a bit out of hand, huh? Someone gunna be in big trouble for that, no?’ Mercy giggled.

‘Remy, you are just in time for lunch and an apéritif on the lawn.’ The father got out of the Jeepney and shook Remy’s hand as he passed him. ‘I will go and fetch a drop of the single malt and we’ll have a medicinal.’

‘You never offered me that when I was in pain…’ Mann called after him.

‘I thought about it…’ the Father shouted back over his shoulder as he marched off to his car to retrieve the scotch.

‘Hey, Inspector, this a normal day for you Hong Kong police, huh? You spend your whole life escaping dangerous criminals and jumpin’ from fires?’

‘Yes, but what I always do first is make sure I have a reliable sidekick. Thank you, Remy, much appreciated.’

Remy shrugged, as if it was all in a day’s work for him, but it was plain to see he was walking with a spring in his step and a definite swagger.

‘No problem. Just target practice for me, no?’

Mann finished getting bandaged and went to see Becky. En route he had a quiet word with Father Finn and arrangements were made to get Alex Stamp’s body out of the heat and into an ice-cool morgue drawer. Becky was sitting beside Eduardo on the grass under the shade of a tree. She looked up and gave him a watery smile that barely tugged at the corners of her mouth. Her eyes said it all. She was scanning his face to see what answers she could find there. She wanted to know if Mann had found Alex. She had watched him go, even though he hadn’t seen her, and she knew how his brain worked.

‘Hello stranger,’ she said as he got within range. Her voice sounded as if someone had filed away the inside of her throat.

Mann stood looking them over. They were sitting side by side, still covered in soot. Her blonde hair was now mainly black and her eyes were red-rimmed. Eduardo looked even worse than he had before. His thin little body was now soaked as well as soiled.

‘You look like the two extras from Les Miserables’

‘Don’t make me laugh…it hurts.’ She began coughing violently. ‘Anyway, you can talk-you are less than your usual immaculate self.’ She patted the grass next to her.

‘You all right?’ He sat down beside her.

She nodded.

‘Next time you rescue me, can you get here sooner…it was a very close call there.’

‘You know me, I hate being late for anything, but sometimes you just have to make an entrance.’

She turned and her eyes locked on to his. He knew there were a whole lot of things that she wanted to ask, but she just sighed and rolled her eyes.

‘Thank you, Mann,’ she mouthed. She looked like she was going to cry.

He peeked around her to look at Eduardo, who was still sitting as close to Becky as he could physically get.

‘If I give you a hug, will he attack me?’

‘You’re okay; he’s not the jealous type.’

He pulled her close. She rested heavily on him and he stroked her arm. They sat for a few moments and watched the children making a happy event out of a near catastrophe.

‘You’re okay, it’s all over now. Things will all work out. Do you want to hear some good news?’

She looked at him expectantly.

‘Amy Tang is back safe and sound.’

‘That’s really fantastic…but Mann…what about Alex?’ she said, almost in a whisper as if she were afraid of the answer.

‘He’s dead, Becky. I found his body.’ Mann felt her shoulders stiffen as he said it. ‘They are taking him to the morgue at the hospital.’

She gave a stifled cry as she buried her face in his chest. When she looked up at him, her eyes were full of tears.

She shook her head as the tears spilt over and rolled down her soot-smeared cheeks. ‘I had to make a choice.’

He kissed her head. ‘I know.’