The tram came to a halt and he walked around the corner and onto Lugard Road, which was more of a pathway than a road. Almost immediately he was met by the view that so many came to marvel at every day. Past the shimmering bamboo forests was a wall of skyscrapers, magnificent against the blues of sea and sky. He stood and waited and watched Hong Kong. He didn’t often get time to do that and he knew the man he’d come to meet would already be watching him. He knew he’d be walking over to him at that very second. He took a last look at the glittering harbour far below, before turning to the man who had come to stand beside him, and then he inclined his head towards him in a small bow of respect.

‘Good morning, CK.’

‘Walk with me, Stevie.’

The two men walked along the narrow road, which was cool and dark and had the smell of damp vegetation and the sound of noisy crickets. Around another corner and the islands appeared, sunbathing in a sea of glitter below them: Lantau, Macau, Green Island and Peng Chau. CK walked slowly with a measured pace; he would not be hurried.

‘Look down on these islands, Stevie. Was it on one of these islands that Chan was killed?’

‘I heard it was off Cheung Chau, sir.’

‘But we haven’t got a body to prove it, have we?’

‘No, we don’t, but if he drowned I think his body will have been eaten by the sea by now.’

‘Do you?’ He stopped and stared hard at Stevie. ‘I want to know how Chan died.’

‘I did not see it, CK.’

‘They say you were there. You did not protect him. You did not save him…They say you betrayed him.’

They walked on. Below them the junks and sampans of Aberdeen were bobbing in the water like blown-in litter collected at the coves. CK stopped and faced Stevie. Stevie was taller by a few inches and he was twice the breadth of the older man, but he had none of CK’s calm or coolness. Stevie’s bald head was getting hot; his forehead was shining with sweat. His small eyes looked puffy in his bloated face as they squinted in the glare. CK’s face was untouched, bone-dry, unmoved by earthly feelings.

‘Here is the solution I propose. I did not care for my son-in-law, he was not an asset to the Leung Corporation. He was a man with many vices and faults. But I cannot ignore your desertion of duty, your lack of loyalty. I cannot be seen to allow it—it would mean “loss of face”. We will make a deal, you and I, a private arrangement. It will be just for our ears. My daughter Amy is still missing.’

Stevie bowed again. He held up his hands in an apologetic gesture.

‘I delivered the ransom, CK. They want something more than money.’

‘Are we sure who has her?’

‘I believe she has been taken by a new society that call themselves the White Circle. I know little about them, but I do know they are making trouble for us across the globe. They are taking over some of our trafficking routes in the Philippines. They are disrupting many of our shipments.’

‘I need them stopped. The abduction of my daughter will give me this opportunity. I have involved Johnny Mann. He will soon realise that in order to get my daughter back he will need to destroy the White Circle. That will leave us free to snap up the routes that become vacant as Mann destroys them. That will be your job. Follow Mann, make your deals along the way, buy up everything you can and expose the White Circle for Mann to do his work. Make him think you have changed sides. Make him believe that you are working for the White Circle. After the job is complete, Mann will not live long. There are many people in Hong Kong, many amongst our brethren, who will pay well to see him dead. You will oversee it. That will be your first duty in your new command. You will be promoted to the rank of Paper Fan, the same rank Chan held, and you will have your own team to command. You will be in charge of the trafficking throughout the Philippines into the UK and Europe.’

‘What about your daughter?’ Stevie studied the old man. He had worked for him all his adult life, but still CK’s callous nature never ceased to amaze him. He knew what he would say.

‘If I were them I would have killed her by now. I don’t believe she is still alive.’

‘But if Mann manages to find her?’

‘We will not consider that option until we have to. Many doors will open to us by then. Many others will close to him.’

22

‘I could have come to your house; you didn’t need to meet me in town.’ Mann had been waiting for David White in Caffe Nero on Regent Street. He got up to shake his hand.

‘It’s okay—I don’t get out much. I welcome the chance to sample the delights of decent coffee.’

It was nine thirty in the morning. There were only a few others in the cafe. Mann sat back in the lounge seats in the window and watched as White queued for coffee. He still found it strange to see David White in civvies, but he thought his old friend looked better than he’d seen him for years. The tension had disappeared from his shoulders. He watched him banter happily with the Polish girl behind the counter. He heard him laugh; he hadn’t heard him do that for a long time. White came over to join Mann with his briefcase tucked under one arm, an Americano in one hand and a biscuit in the other. He set it down on the small circular glass-topped table before sitting down opposite Mann.

‘It’s good to see you, David. How’s it going?’

‘I stand by my decision to come back. I just couldn’t afford a decent standard of living in Hong Kong on my pension, but I am finding it hard to adjust, shall we say, but happy to be working again, albeit briefly. Where’s the investigation at right now?’

‘You heard about the fire in Hackney?’ Mann dropped two sugars into his double espresso.

‘Yes, I did.’ White shook his head sadly. ‘What a terrible waste of life. Do you know who the victims were?’

‘They were young Filipinas. It is looking likely that they were brought in by the new trafficking ring I told you about. If that is the case then it can’t be a coincidence. They must have died for a reason, and it must have something to do with why Amy Tang has not been released. The two things cannot be random acts. There seems to be a lot going on in the Philippines right now. I could do with an insider. Are you still in contact with that mayor, Fredrico something? He looked like Castro and was mad about rugby and tried to get us to tour?’

‘Sorry.’ White shook his head. ‘Lost contact years ago. Any news on the girl’s whereabouts?’

‘No. We’ve heard nothing. It’s two and half weeks now since the ransom was paid by CK.’

‘Do you have any more leads?’

‘The man slipped in an out without leaving a trace. The school is off the M25. She could have been driven anywhere from there. She could be out of the country. I feel like I’m trying to referee a game when I don’t even know the rules. I want to know who the players are and what they want and what’s the best way to stop them getting it, whilst getting this child back unharmed.’

‘Who’s your undercover guy here?’

‘He is in the Flying Dragons, name of Micky.’

‘Have you met him? Is he secure?’

‘I think so. How are you getting on posing as the new paedo on the block?’

‘I set myself up as a likely customer. I’ve had to submit pornographic pictures of kids being abused, supposedly by me and my friends, in order to join. They are checking them out right now. Once they trust me I should get somewhere.’

‘Jesus Christ! Where did you get the photos?’ Mann pulled his chair forward so that an elderly Italian could squeeze past with his coffee and paper. Outside Regent Street’s shops were opening. The shop assistants were filing in to get their skinny lattes to go.

White lowered his voice and leaned in closer as the Italian behind them shuffled his papers and grated his coffee cup on the edge of the saucer.