‘It’s easy to see why: burnout. They’ve had enough of being mortgage slaves and opt out,’ said Sheng. ‘They get so used to being on the road. Their wives don’t even care whether they come home or not in the end as long as the bills get paid. You go and set up home in the Philippines or Thailand, it costs pence to live there. Find a few girls to double as bed mates and cleaners, no one need ever be found again.’

‘Seems like you’ve thought this through…’ smiled Mann.

‘I’ve been working, if that’s what you mean. Doing my job. We can’t all be lying on a fucking beach getting a sun tan.’ Sheng was tapping his foot, fiddling with his coffee cup.

Mann was beginning to get the gist of what must have been said between Sheng and Mia. He knew he would be hearing all of it by the end of the meeting. Sheng had a lot of pent-up aggression that wouldn’t stay behind bars.

‘Okay, we get two hundred plain clothes officers out there sitting in bars, listening to talk,’ said Sheng. ‘I want every sex worker who is seen working the plush hotels pulled over and discreetly interviewed. At the risk of pissing the guests off we have to step up security. Anyone not seen by hotel staff when they are expected? Anyone not answering their door for cleaning for more than twelve hours, security in that hotel go in. Shrimp, we have your ID ready. Your team is ready to go. You are the Manhattan VD in a book distribution company. You will be staying at Vacation Villas. We need to move this along now. You ready?’

Shrimp nodded but he thought of Nina. He would not be able to see her. For the first time he felt a conflict in his heart. He had never believed in love at first sight until now. Now he couldn’t imagine loving anyone else.

‘I don’t see that working. She’s smart and cocky. She’s not going to get caught in a bar by us. I think we should wait to go in heavy.’ Mia stood, arms crossed. ‘She’s on a roll now. She’s speeding up. The first head was a year ago, the rest have all been in the last six months. Three of the heads are within the last month. She’s bound to trip up sooner or later. If she gets freaked now and goes underground she might just emerge worse in six months’ time.’

‘I agree,’ said Mann. ‘Get Shrimp in Vacation Villas undercover. Let’s try and coax her out of her web.’

Sheng stopped fidgeting and eyeballed Mann.‘Your role in this investigation is being reconsidered, Mann. Until that time you won’t be required to attend meetings. If we want to find you we’ll contact the Leung Corporation. You concentrate on what you’re good at, sucking up to Triad bosses.’

There was a stunned silence around the room.

Mann looked across at Sheng and smiled as he shook his head. ‘It’ll take a lot more than you to get rid of me, Sheng. You’ve tried so many times over the years and yet I’m still here.’

‘Yeah, well I’ve suspected there’s been a mole in the OCTB for some time. Busts that don’t come off, tip-offs that look set up. Now Tammy’s dead. My money’s on you, banana boy.’

Mann shook his head and almost smiled ruefully. It had been a long time since anyone called him that to his face. The room went silent. They waited for Mann’s retaliation. Sheng’s racist views were well known. It amused Mann more than made him mad. He kept his cool.

‘I have access to CK’s world and I intend to use it. But I’m not the only one. CK has prior knowledge about a lot of things. Things that only someone in this department could know. You were undercover, Sheng, you reaped the rewards. Maybe you kept in contact with your old buddies? Tammy died because someone countermanded my order. It had to be someone high ranking: that’s you or Mia. You know what I think?’ Mann’s eyes turned black as he glared at Sheng. ‘I think it’s you who can’t be fucking trusted.’

‘That’s not the way it looks on paper, son of a Triad. Who are people going to trust – you or me?’ Sheng rocked on his feet as he grinned at Mann. His eyes lit with triumph. ‘Fuck off, Mann. You don’t belong here any more.’

Chapter 74

Shrimp came to find Mann on the roof. ‘What would we do if we couldn’t stand on top of the world like this?’ he said, looking out over the evening sky. The eight o’clock night-time display was starting.

The bowlights of giant tankers were blinking on the horizon.

‘Thought you might like to let off steam.’ He handed Mann the urumi. ‘I caught the boss practising with it.’

Mann smiled. ‘Knowing how competitive she is she’s bound to have mastered it by now.’ Mann took it from Shrimp. It was light. Its handle was the same as a sword. ‘Yeah, it’s a beautiful weapon, hard to defend against.’ Its three blades uncurled, shimmering in the laser lights that lit the sky around them, vibrating like a metal snake as it clacked against the roof tiles. Mann lifted it, felt its weight and balance in his hand. He whirled it overhead and brought it down, wrapped around the dummy. Bits of Hawaiian shirt and stuffing flew out.

‘It’s a hell of a weapon.’ Shrimp looked at him. He waited. Mann knew he had come to the roof to say something. He was rubbish at hiding anything. ‘What is it, Shrimp?’

‘You all right, Boss?’

He turned to look at Shrimp and smiled. ‘Sure. I will be okay. Just do your job and do it well, Shrimp, I’m counting on you. We’re still the same team we always were. Isn’t that right, Mia?’

Mann knew she was standing watching. She came towards them,

‘Yes. It’s true. We’ve always been a unit.’ Shrimp left. ‘You can take a lot worse than that, hey, banana boy?’ When he looked up Mia was smiling and frowning at the same time. ‘I used to call you that – for slightly different reasons. Do you remember?’

Mann smiled. ‘I remember. Shall I tell Sheng or will you?’

‘Yeah. I’ll save it for the right moment, I think.’ They stood in silence for a moment.

‘You’re my boss, Mia. What do you want me to do?’

‘I want you to do what you’re good at. Use your instincts and keep pushing, Mann. Nothing else matters at the moment but getting to this killer. I can’t force Sheng to do anything. He’s the SIO in this. But we have our own investigations and I need you on that. But…’ She smiled, concerned. ‘Do one thing for me first; go home, get some rest for a few hours. Take a day looking over your father’s affairs, make a start on it. This might be the calm between the storm.’

‘Before.’

‘Before what?’

Mann smiled across at Mia. ‘If you’re going to talk to me in your perfect schoolgirl English get the idiom right – it’s before the storm.’

‘All right, smart arse.’ She smiled back but her eyes still penetrated, searched for the answer inside him. ‘You afraid to go home, Johnny? I’ve seen you sleeping in the office a few times recently.’

He screwed up his face, shook his head, but hesitated too long.

‘Bullshit. Yes you are. You prefer to sleep here. You prefer to sleep sat up in your chair, don’t you? What is it? Ready to run at a second’s notice?’

He shrugged.

‘Where you going to run to, Johnny?’

‘Shit…’ Mann smiled ruefully as he shook his head exasperated. ‘I hate it when that happens. Why are women always right?’

‘It’s just a con.’ She smiled back at him. ‘Fortunately for us women it usually works.’ She held his gaze and her eyes were full of sympathy.

‘Okay, you’re right, Mia. I feel like shit. I haven’t slept properly for weeks and I don’t want to go home. I really am thinking of taking some time off. In fact I might take the rest of my life off. I’m thinking of handing in my badge. Sheng is only saying what others are thinking.’

‘That’s crap. I trust you more than any officer in this department. You will always be the best man for the job, Johnny.’

‘Why? Because it takes one to know one? Haven’t you heard all the shit going round this building? The whole station is talking about it.’

‘Since when did you care what people say? I have known you all my police career. I have never wanted anyone else on my team. You’re the best the OCTB has to offer, Mann. Don’t fall apart over this; you’ve weathered bigger storms. You know what you have to do, don’t you? You have to prove them wrong.’ Mia shook her head as she gave an exasperated sigh. ‘Anyway, this is your life.’ Her eyes searched his; they were full of sympathy. ‘What else would you do?’