Gelignite (21 page)

'You can't jump me, Harry. Not before I press the button.'

Feiffer said, 'I see.' He walked towards the curtained bell tower and stopped. He glanced back at Mendoza's face. Mendoza had stood up to keep him in view, but there was no alarm on his face. Feiffer said, 'Why political?'

'I was wondering when you were going to get to that.'

'Oh, I know why you did it. I was just hoping to hear your rationalisation—' He stopped. 'What "rationalisation" means is—'

'I know what it means! Don't you think I'm stupid!' He put a hand on the dog's neck to keep him under control. 'Don't you start trying to be clever with me! I'm a European, not one of your stupid little Chinks!' He ordered Feiffer, 'Just you remember that!'

Feiffer said, 'If the Chinese knew what you were up to here, bombs or no bombs, they'd tear you to ribbons—'

'But they're not going to know, are they?'

'Hence "political".'

'Hence "political".' Mendoza said, 'It's a matter between European gentlemen.' He said suddenly candidly, 'I'm not even so certain the Chinks would care about the graves anyway. Europeans might think they would, but I'm not so sure they would at all.'

'So I've been told just a few minutes ago by someone else.'

Mendoza said, 'They're stupid, you see. The Chinks.' Feiffer moved towards the altar and touched the surface of the stone stump. Mendoza said, 'Stop walking!' (Feiffer stopped and turned to look at him.) Mendoza moved a little into the light of one of the empty windows. In his civilian clothes, he looked like a tall, well-dressed, smooth-faced lizard. He had no lines on his face at all. He said, 'Do you want me to tell you about the Chinks, Harry? I'd be delighted.' He said, 'I know all about them and their superstitions—'

'From your friend Mr Tam?'

'That leper!' Mendoza said, 'Come over here! Stand by the window!' He said, 'I'll tell you all about them.' His voice changed. It dropped, became intimate. He said, 'Listen, Harry, you don't have to pretend you think they're as good as us with me.' He said, 'I'm a fellow European, I know the truth.' He said coaxingly, 'You don't have to pretend with me.'

Feiffer glanced up at the roof. It was crossbeamed with old, black timber gone rotten. He glanced at his watch.

Mendoza said, 'Listen!'

Feiffer gazed at him. He knew the gun was there somewhere. He kept trying to find the place it might be hidden.

*

O'Yee glanced down the street. It was cordoned off at both ends. He thought, "They won't come." He looked over at Auden and Spencer and the ineffectual rifles. He thought, "It's Feiffer thinking he knows all about the Chinese. About graves and burials and the importance of superstition." He thought, "But he's wrong. It's all right for Conway Kan to say I was right about the bodies in the water, but the ordinary people don't care." He thought, "They were just there for the morbid pleasure of it." He thought, "No one really believes in those things any more." He thought, "Oh they all buy lottery tickets and talk about luck and good numbers, but when it comes to the big things they just don't care." He thought, "They won't come." He thought, "If they do and there's a riot, it'll be the end of Feiffer."

He thought, "No one'll come."

He thought, "No." He glanced back down the street.

Apart from the police, it was deserted.

*

Mendoza put the battery toothbrush in the pocket of his shirt. He looked hopefully at Feiffer. Feiffer couldn't think what purpose it could possibly serve. Mendoza said, 'No?' He patted the pocket and glanced down at the tone-send button on the transmitter in his hand. 'Where's Conway Kan now?'

Feiffer said, 'He's getting the money.'

'Hmm.' Mendoza said donnishly, 'What you don't seem to understand, Harry—or what you make out for the sake of appearances that you don't understand, is that the Chinese are garbage.' He nodded to himself in absolute seriousness. 'People like the Chinese are only there to be made use of.' He said, 'As a European you appreciate that.' He said, 'Of course, you do. That's why the European police here take bribes—' He added, 'I happen to know it doesn't happen at your station for some reason, but it happens everywhere else. The reason it happens is that Europeans, once they get here, realise that as far as civilised societies are concerned, anything that happens in Hong Kong or Macao or places like that—where there are Chinks—just isn't on the same wavelength. It just doesn't matter. It's a sign of strength, understanding the niggers—it just doesn't matter—'

'Oh, yes?'

'Yes.'

'It's not because the people who are as corrupt as hell are usually people who have always been corrupt as hell anywhere? He said, 'I can think of one or two notable examples off hand.' He said more for his own benefit, 'If you consider the Welsh to be Europeans.' He glanced at Mendoza, saw he didn't know what he meant and that he didn't like not knowing, and said, 'Go on with your theory.'

Mendoza said, 'I'm going to blow up their cemetery and there's nothing you can do about it!'

'I don't suppose there is.' Mendoza hadn't liked not knowing. Feiffer said ingratiatingly, 'I just wanted to meet you. You out-manoeuvred me all down the line and I wanted to meet you before you left.' He said, 'I assume you are leaving the Colony?'

'No.'

'Oh?'

Mendoza said, 'Why should I?' He said, 'I understand them: the Chinks. I'm staying. I'm going to buy a house on the Peak and live in full view.'

'Are you serious?',

Mendoza said, 'They like being tricked, the Chinks. They spend their lives trying to trick people and trying to lord it over them—' He said, 'The way they do at the quarry. Thirty years ago I would have been in charge of that place! But I have to say this for them: once they know you know you're better than they are, that you're cleverer, that you've out-tricked them better than they ever could have done, then they respect you.' He said to Feiffer, 'I'll be all right. I'll live in luxury and respect for the rest of my life.' He said quietly, 'You have to admit the whole thing's absolutely brilliant—the immunity and everything.' He said, 'It's really absolutely brilliant.' He said realistically, 'I suppose I'll have to have a few personal bodyguards, but then everyone does.'

Feiffer paused. He said, 'Let me understand this—you intend to extort almost a million American dollars from someone on the threat that you destroy this cemetery. Right?'

Mendoza said happily, 'Yes.'

'On the assumption that, in reality, he, like the rest of the Chinese, really don't give a stuff about it—'

'Good, yes! Good!'

'And because he doesn't give a stuff about it, he isn't going to tell anyone that he paid the money and you'll be able to live on here safely? Is that the theory?'

Mendoza nodded. Really, a man like Feiffer would be an ideal—Mendoza said, 'Yes, yes!'

'Hence
political
, to enable Conway Kan to keep it quiet'

'Correct.'

Feiffer paused. He said, 'You're right, it is bloody brilliant' He asked, 'But why should Conway Kan bother to pay the money if what you say about the Chinese is true? Why not just let you blow it to hell?'

Mendoza said, 'Because he wants to keep in with the Europeans who do believe that the Chinese care about superstition!' He said, 'Do you see? It's perfect!'

Feiffer said quietly, 'Why not just hold a person to ransom?' He said evenly, 'This all seems a bit complicated when you could have achieved the same ends—even immunity—by something a lot simpler?' He said piercingly, 'Or is there one little variable in this equation that you'd rather have left out?' He said, 'Something that has some sort of bearing on that thing in your shirt pocket' He said, 'And on the gun you claim you don't have?' He put it to Mendoza, 'If you're so bloody brilliant, why didn't you leave the keys to the security safe at the quarry so we could make sure the gun was there?'

Mendoza said irritably, 'What's the gun got to do with it? Forget about the gun! It's the rest of it—it's genius! Isn't it? I really used them, didn't I? The Chinks! I've really ground them into the dirt!'

Feiffer sniffed. He kept wondering about the electric toothbrush. It seemed totally incongruous, out of place. He glanced at Mendoza's hand around the walkie-talkie. The knuckles gripping it were white with strain. Feiffer said, 'What are you frightened of?'

'I'm not afraid of anything!'

'Then why have you got the gun hidden here somewhere? And why won't you tell me the purpose of that thing in your pocket?' Feiffer said, 'And why go for a complicated plan when you could have achieved the same ends by a simple one?' He asked, 'Is it because if you threatened the life of a human being the police would have the right to shoot you?'

Mendoza's face knotted. There was a tiny nerve under his eye. He swallowed.

Feiffer said, 'People who kill by stealth are always cowards.' He said quietly, 'That's been my experience.' He asked Mendoza softly, 'So what are you frightened of?'

*

O'Yee rubbed his cheek with his hand. He looked along the road. He thought they wouldn't come. He thought, "I don't know. I'm not sure." He thought, "Why do it? It's crazy!" He thought, "He must have been insane getting Ho to organise a riot." He thought, "Even a crowd!" He thought, "They won't come!" He thought, "Fucking Chinese! They don't even care!" He thought, "Maybe they'll come." He thought, "I don't know!" He went to the Emergency Unit van and ordered the ammunition issued for the Armalite rifles. He glanced at the Chinese Constables. They did nothing.

He thought, "They won't come." He looked across at the church. It was silent and dark. God only knew what was happening in there. He thought, "Well that's appropriate anyway."

Auden and Spencer had full magazines of cartridges in their hands. They hesitated before snapping them into the Armalites. Spencer put his on the ground.

O'Yee thought, "I've got to do something." He glanced at the Chinese Constables. He had no idea what they were thinking. One of them undid the flap button on his holster and ran his hand over the butt of his Police Positive. O'Yee thought, "Maybe they're on my side." He glanced at Yan. Yan nodded. He had been the one with the flap.

O'Yee threw a quick look in the direction of the church. He thought suddenly, "I've got to do something—"

He shouted out in a stentorian voice, '
Load your weapons
!'

*

Mendoza screamed at Feiffer, 'What are they doing?' There was a terrible fear in his eyes. His hand shook on the plastic body of the walkie-talkie. He touched at the toothbrush in his pocket. He shouted at Feiffer, 'I'm not threatening anybody!'

Feiffer said quickly, 'They're getting ready.' He thought, "O'Yee's jumped the gun!" He tried to make the right move. He said clearly and loudly, 'I've laid on a riot. I've had the word passed that you're going to destroy this place and there are three thousand people coming with the sole intention of tearing your heart out. The police are getting ready to protect you if you give yourself up.' He said, 'You've got about fifteen minutes to decide. After that you'll be on your own and there'll be no one. The police are going to leave.' He said to Mendoza, 'If you're so afraid of dying then you're in big trouble.' He said, 'It isn't going to be done quietly between gentlemen— people are going to come here and kill you.'

'Nonsense!'

Feiffer said, 'They're coming. I spoke to someone on the radio before I came here and they're coming. You've got about fifteen minutes to make up your mind to surrender.'

Mendoza paused. Feiffer could hear his breath coming in short spasms. The dog looked from one of them to the other in confusion. He didn't know what to do either. Mendoza said, They won't come!'

'They're coming now!'

Then you have to protect me! The police have to protect me!' He shouted at Feiffer, 'I've thought of everything! You have to protect me!'

'No.'

'The police can't let people be murdered. Not even criminals. They have to protect criminals from their victims.' He moved quickly away from the window and grabbed the dog by the collar to pull him next to him for protection, 'It's your
duty
to protect me!'

Feiffer drew a breath. He thought, "Well, here it comes—" He said quietly, 'We can't'

Mendoza said, 'Ha!'

'We can't because you've got immunity. Or you will have. You're immune from prosecution.'

'So what?'

' "So what" is that
we're
not. If we helped you against a crowd of honest, law-abiding citizens, we'd be acting as accomplices to your crime. Extortion. We'd be assisting you.' He said quietly, 'Since you can't be arrested, there's no way we could justify our behaviour by saying that we were acting in the expectation of an arrest because, well, you can't be arrested.' He said, 'What we'd be doing, according to any sort of logic or legal argument, is assisting in the execution of a crime—and of course, we can't do that.' He said to Mendoza in a reasonable voice, 'All I can suggest to you is that you'd be well-advised to give up the idea of immunity completely before the crowd of honest, law-abiding, murderous Chinese gets here.' He asked, 'Don't you agree?' He said pleasantly, 'I'll take the transmitter if you want somewhere to put it...'

Mendoza looked at him.

Feiffer said, 'I estimate, fifteen minutes.'

Mendoza stared at him.

Feiffer smiled encouragingly, 'Or less—' He waited.

It was irresistible. It might blow it, but it was irresistible. Feiffer said very softly, 'It's bloody brilliant, you have to admit. . .'

*

O'Yee moved forward towards the entrance to the cemetery. He thought bitterly, "It's all just a goddamned mockery. No one's coming because no one cares." He thought, "They don't care: the Chinese. The Europeans are the only ones who think this sort of thing is important to the Chinese. The Chinese don't. It's just a mockery." He thought with hatred, "Or half-caste mongrels like me. People like me who don't know what side of the fence they're supposed to perch on." He thought, "People like me who don't know whether they should have been white, yellow, or pink with green spots." He thought, "The crowd won't come." He thought, "They wouldn't come on the beach. If I'd called to them on the beach they wouldn't have come. I'm running around in circles trying to suck up to a real Chinese—find his fucking toucan—because all I really want is for someone to say to me, 'They care. You're a real Chinese and you were right, they really do care about things like that'." He thought, "And it's all balls! If I really was a Chinese then I wouldn't care and that's what being Chinese means." He thought, almost in tears, "Lousy Chinks. It'll be the end of Feiffer for suggesting it and they won't come. They never do anything for anyone." He stood at the cemetery entrance and found he had his hand around the butt of his holstered gun. He thought, "I BLOODYWELL CARE!"