Black Horn (27 page)

Yet
there was something even more worrying on Tommy Mo's mind. The 14K had managed
to infiltrate three of its members into the police force, and one of them was
already a sergeant. Although not in the Anti-Triad Department, he had developed
friends within it, and had been asked carefully to find out any information
that might come in from the Zimbabwe police. He had been informed that
afternoon that the deaths of Becker and his son were highly organised,
involving top mercenaries. A certain Mrs Manners had hired them. She was the
mother of the dead woman. He also knew that Lucy Kwok Ling Fong had flown to
Zimbabwe, so it was almost certain that a connection had been made between the
deaths of her family and the death of Carole Manners. If this American woman
was looking for ultimate vengeance, then she might finance an attack on the
head of the 14K.

At
first, the thought had caused Tommy Mo amusement. The very thought of a bunch
of gweilo mercenaries trying to attack him on his own territory was nothing
more than a joke. However, a strange lurking feeling would not go away. In his
position, he should be well above becoming a target for anybody. He inspired
fear and should never know that feeling himself. He brushed aside the thought.
Within twenty-four hours he would have a copy of the police dossier in front of
him.

He
decided to get his mind off the subject. He smiled at the new initiate at the
table and said, "Why don't you phone that agency you use and have them
send out half a dozen gweilo women. We'll have some fun."

One of
the diners who had drunk too much rice wine let out a high giggle and pointed
across the table saying, "You'd better get a gweilo boy for Hon
Pang."

There
was a sudden silence and all eyes turned to Tommy Mo. Slowly he stood up, his
face impassive. He walked around the table until he stood behind the man who
had made the remark. Then, in a soft whisper which was heard by everybody, he
said, "Your mistake was not to insult Hon Pang, but to drink too much wine
on such an occasion. You have made too many mistakes in the past days. I
entrusted you with the killing of the policeman Colin Chapman and the woman
Lucy Kwok Lin Fong. Your incompetence allowed her to escape and she remains a
threat to us. I will give you one last favour. You can choose which way to
die."

The new
initiate, the wealthy Hong Kong businessman, watched in silence.

The man
stared at the table in front of him and then said, "By the sword of
Loyalty and Righteousness."

Tommy
Mo nodded. "You have saved a small part of your face." He pointed
across the table at the man who had been insulted and said, "Hon Pang, you
have the honour."

They
went back to the meeting hall and the initiate watched the ritual. He had to
turn away as he saw the sword slash down on the prone man's neck and the blood
gush out.

Creasy
flew in from Bangkok. The others would be arriving during the next twenty-four
hours from various Asian destinations, and checking into different hotels. He
would base himself in the safehouse.

Before
taking off, he had spoken to Jens on the phone and had been informed that a
safehouse had been located and rented in Kowloon. Mrs Manners had arrived with
Lucy and Rene, and they were in the Peninsula Hotel. The news related from Rene
via Jens was that Mrs Manners was presenting no problems. Corkscrew Two had
been in touch, and the weapons were on their way. The Hong Kong police were
pretending not to cooperate, but had supplied vital information. Jens had faxed
Creasy his twenty-page analysis on the 14K, and Creasy had studied it
carefully, trying to get a feeling for his enemy.

Creasy
tried to look into the mind of Tommy Mo. Within a few minutes, one fact became
obvious. If Tommy Mo was deeply intelligent and knew that assassins were on
their way, he would simply melt into the background, move without an entourage
into his milieu. In the most densely populated area on earth, Creasy would
never be able to find him. Meanwhile, Tommy Mo could send his soldiers out
after Creasy and his team. But from all his experience of such people, Creasy
knew that Tommy Mo would and could not disappear. There were two reasons:
first, to disappear would cause a loss of face among his followers, and such a
loss of face to a Chinese could ultimately be fatal. Second, like most bullies,
Tommy Mo would be a coward. The thought of hiding out on his own would not be
an option. He would want his power around him, a kowtowing gun-toting
sychophantic entourage. He would retreat to his Sai Kung stronghold, not
realising that to barricade himself inside his villa with a small army was
total false security. It was a military tactic at least a century out of date.
It was vital that Tommy Mo ran to his villa.

Creasy's
thoughts turned to his team, and the thoughts gave him satisfaction. The team
was balanced between intellect and skills; above all, it was massively
experienced. They might not be the youngest bunch of guys engaged in warfare,
but they knew the difference between a pep talk and a bullet in the head. There
would not have to be any pep talks or orders -- just a request or a suggestion.
The best kind of team.

He felt
the aircraft tilt as they began the descent to Hong Kong. Assuming that Tommy
Mo retreated to his villa, Creasy would divided his forces. He would lead one
unit, and Guido the other. Guido -- literally a brother in arms. They shared an
almost telepathic understanding. He considered how he would dispose the rest of
the men between them. As the minutes passed, it all fell into place.

Next
Creasy's thoughts turned to Lucy, causing disquiet in his mind. She was his
kind of woman. She had a mystery and a sensuousness. She had a good mind. She
held a tragedy. It was a combination designed to reach out and grab him.

As the
plane lined up for its landing over the harbour, he thought of Michael. Creasy
looked out the window at the skyline of Hong Kong island. It was very different
from his last visit, fifteen years before. The buildings were taller and even
more clustered. Among the millions of people was a man who had caused his son's
death. A kind of pantomime villain who dressed in gaudy outfits for irrelevant
rituals, but who dealt out death be it to humans or the black rhino. A macabre
joker.

As the
plane's wheels screeched on to the runway, silent words went through Creasy's
mind.

"I've
arrived, Joker."

The
Commissioner of Police surveyed Inspector Lau Ming Lan through his thick spectacles
and commented, "You should have asked my permission."

Inspector
Lau looked back through his own thick spectacles and answered, "You would
not have given me permission."

The
Commissioner's voice remained stern. "I should bring you up before the
disciplinary board."

Inspector
Lau shrugged.

"Do
so. For the last ten years, I've worked in what we now call the Anti-Organised
Crime Department, but which we all know by its previous name, the Anti-Triad
Department. We all know what they are and who they are, but we can do nothing.
I have wasted ten years of my life. A few weeks ago, my boss was murdered by
the 14K. I know who was responsible... and so do you... but we are powerless to
do a thing about it. Tommy Mo walks around with impunity and laughs at us. We
pick up small fries from the 14K, but you and I both know we have no chance of
getting the top men. It's an insult to my work and to Colin Chapman's work and
to every single man who works in our department."

The
Commissioner looked down at the one-page report in front of him and said,
"So why did you give me this?"

Inspector
Lau carefully considered his answer and then replied, "I belong to a
disciplined force. By giving that Dane our computer disk on the 14K, I broke
the law. In a sense, that report is a confessional."

"You
broke the law and your discipline."

"Definitely.
It came from frustration. You've seen the report from Commander John Ndlovu in
Zimbabwe. He suspects that the woman Gloria Manners is financing a team of
mercenaries to come to Hong Kong, a team aimed at the 14K.

"By
law, we cannot co-operate with that team but instead, as my report suggests,
the Hong Kong Police Force suddenly becomes blind in certain directions over
the coming days. I suspect that Tommy Mo, through his infiltration of our
force, has also read that report from the Zimbabwe police. We know that
yesterday he moved into the Sai Kung villa, together with Hung Mun and between
forty and fifty of his top fighters. My guess is that he'll wait there and see
what happens."

Again,
the Commissioner looked down at the single sheet of paper. He remarked,
"You suggest that these men will arrive under false passports and that we
instruct the Immigration Department not to be too critical of passports over
the next few days." He looked up, his expression still severe. "You
have by your very clever investigation discovered that these men have a
safehouse in Braga Circuit, and that within days they'll launch an attack on
the villa in Sai Kung. A violent attack. You suspect that they will be buying
or importing illegal weapons. These are all illegal acts under our laws, and
yet you have the temerity to suggest that we turn a blind eye."

The two
Chinese men looked at each other through their thick spectacles for a long
silent moment, and then Inspector Lau said, "We must have laws. As a
policeman, I understand that. But even policemen have emotions. Colin Chapman
was not a gweilo. He was one of us. He was your friend and mine. He knew more
about our culture than you or I will ever know. But we do know that he was
murdered on the direct orders of Tommy Mo. Sometimes, justice comes in strange
forms. I have broken discipline and you have every right to apply sanctions on
me ... I accept your decision."

The
Commissioner looked down again at the single piece of paper, then, slowly and
very deliberately, he tore it up, dropped it into the waste-basket beside his
desk and said, "I never saw that piece of paper. But if the Governor sends
me to jail for a thousand years, you will share my cell."

Inspector
Lau stood up and said, "When this man, Creasy, reads the contents of that
disk, he might well decide that the risk is not worth the money -- no matter
how much he and the others are getting paid. One thing is for sure. The odds
are totally on Tommy Mo's side. He has ears and eyes everywhere. Even in our
own force -- maybe even in my own department. By giving that disk to the Dane
and by asking your permission to turn a blind eye, we may have eased the odds
very slightly... but only very slightly. I don't think those people have more
than a two per cent chance of getting anywhere near Tommy Mo. But even a two
per cent chance is better than nothing. It's certainly better than we've had
over the past ten years."

The
Commissioner also stood up and said, "I will issue the necessary
instructions. For the next few days, passports will not be overly scrutinised
at the airport. Concurrently, the police presence in the Sai Kung peninsula
will be very busy elsewhere."

Inspector
Lau moved to the door. As he reached out to open it, the Commissioner's voice
stopped him. "Have you considered what Tommy Mo's reaction might be?"

"Yes.
He will attack."

"How
and where?"

"At
the woman, Gloria Manners. She is funding the campaign against him."

"How
will he attack?"

"She
is staying in the Presidential Suite at the Peninsula Hotel, together with Lucy
Kwok Ling Fong. He will try to infiltrate. They have a double target. They
missed Lucy Kwok the first time and, for sure, they'll try again."

"Presumably,
this man Creasy will have them protected."

"Of
course."

"But
do you doubt that the 14K can penetrate that hotel?"

"If
they can, I'm sure this Creasy has made enough provision."

"She
has arrived."

"Who?"

"The
woman, Gloria Manners."

"Where
is she?"

"In
a suite in the Peninsula Hotel."

"She's
alone?"

Hung
Mun shook his head. "She came by private jet, together with Lucy
Kwok."

"She
came just with Lucy Kwok?"

"No.
There was a man with them. According to his passport, he's a Belgian called
Rene Callard. They cleared customs together and were met by the manager
personally. An hour later, the private jet took off. Its flight plan was to
Bangkok."

"Do
we have anybody at the Peninsula Hotel?"

Hung
Mun shook his head.

"We
have people in every hotel in Hong Kong except that one... The loyalties of the
staff there stay with the Kadoorie family."

"So
be it... but we have our men at immigration. Has Creasy arrived or this Maxie
MacDonald?"

"The
immigration computers show no such names."

"False
passports?"

"Maybe
... so, in the meantime, you stay here in Sai Kung."

Tommy
Mo looked down at the piece of paper and remarked, "If we kill this old
woman, everything ends."

Hung
Mun shook his head.

"I
think not. I think this man Creasy is coming, and her death will not stop him.
I think, also, she will be protected. She's in the fifth floor Presidential
Suite, and to get to her will be difficult."

"You
said we have to attack. So how do we do that?"

"We
have to get Lucy Kwok. She will be the hand in our negotiation."

"How
do we get Lucy Kwok? If she's with this old woman, she has the same
protection."

"We
have to get her out of the hotel."

"How
do we do that?"

"We
have to watch that hotel and all other hotels in the area. We have our people
in all the other hotels. We must mobilise the 14K."