Peter May - The Firemaker

She paused for effect. ‘In my view these were execution-style killings, Detective, carried out by a very experienced professional.’ Her words had a sobering effect on everyone in the room.

Li stood very still. You’re saying the killer was a professional? he had said to Old Yifu. Some Triad hit-man , his uncle had responded. These were no casual killings, Li Yan .

‘Can I ask a question?’ Margaret said.

‘Go ahead.’

‘What makes you think the burn victim from yesterday and the two we’ve looked at today are linked?’

‘Why do you think I do?’

‘Because you wouldn’t have asked me to perform these autopsies today if you hadn’t thought they were connected.’

Li nodded. There was logic in that. The students waited with bated breath. He said, ‘I don’t think these are matters we should be discussing in front of your students.’ And there was a collective groan.

‘Perhaps not,’ Margaret conceded. She turned to the disappointed students, who were just beginning to get involved. ‘Leave your gowns and your masks with Professor Xie’s assistants, and I’ll see you in class in the morning.’

As the students filed out, Li and Margaret and Professor Xie moved away from the autopsy table. Li said, ‘There was a single cigarette end found at each crime scene. The same brand.’

‘One I might know?’

‘Marlboro.’

‘Oh, yes,’ she said. ‘Marlboro Country. Where the cowboys ride around with oxygen tanks on their backs to help them breathe.’ She paused. ‘You know, there seem to be a hell of a lot of people who smoke in this country. Don’t you know it’s bad for you?’

‘The American tobacco companies must have forgotten to tell us that,’ Li said.

‘Well, they would, wouldn’t they?’ she said. ‘I mean, it’s a big market. If they flood China with cigarettes they’ll put big bucks in the pockets of the shareholders back home. You know, the ones who gave up smoking years ago because it was damaging their health.’

Professor Xie asked, ‘There was only a single cigarette end at each scene?’ Li nodded.

Margaret snorted. ‘And you think that it might be the same killer, smoking the same brand of cigarette, who smoked one at each crime scene and left the butt there for us to find?’ She clearly thought this stretched the bounds of credibility. ‘The same man who was so professionally meticulous in the execution of these crimes? You think he’d be careless enough to leave a cigarette end behind?’ She shook her head. ‘It seems pretty unlikely to me.’

Li shrugged. ‘Perhaps so. But it does not change the fact that the cigarette ends were there.’

Margaret turned to Professor Xie. ‘Do you have facilities for DNA testing here?’

‘Of course.’

She looked at Li. ‘Then, if there’s any trace saliva on the cigarette butts, you can match the DNA, and tell immediately if they were smoked by the same man.’

Li said, ‘I sent the cigarette ends for testing yesterday. We should have the results this afternoon.’

Margaret looked at him for a moment, then smiled wryly. ‘Okay, so I think we’re into grandmother and eggs territory here.’ And she laughed at his look of complete incomprehension and shook her head. ‘I’m sorry, forget it. I was being a smartass and you caught me.’ An awkward silence descended on them. Margaret’s smile faded. ‘So… these cigarette butts are the only connection?’

‘No,’ Li said. ‘There’s the style of the murders. All professional — execution-style killings, as you call them. This is very unusual in China. There is also a drugs connection. As you know, Chao Heng was a heroin addict. The first of your autopsies today, the man known as Mao Mao, dealt drugs on the street.’

‘He was also a user,’ Professor Xie interrupted.

‘Needle tracks on the left arm,’ Margaret said.

‘Anything else I should know?’ Li asked.

Margaret shrugged. ‘Nothing that’ll make a difference. You’ll get the report tomorrow when we’ve done the sections.’ She looked to Professor Xie for confirmation. He nodded.

She started untying her gown. ‘I’d better get washed and changed.’

‘Excuse me,’ Professor Xie said, and moved off to talk to his assistants.

Li said, ‘I’m heading across town, following up on the drugs connection.’ He hesitated, slight colour rising on his cheeks again. ‘Perhaps you would like to come with me.’

Margaret was taken aback, and slightly suspicious. ‘Why?’

‘The man I am going to see is known to control the drugs traffic in Beijing. His nickname is The Needle.’

Margaret looked at him in astonishment. ‘Well, if you know who he is, why’s he not behind bars, or six foot under with a bullet in his head? That’s how you do it here, isn’t it?’

‘If we have the evidence,’ Li said, controlling his annoyance. ‘Contrary to popular belief we don’t shoot people just because we suspect they are guilty. But at least when they are convicted, a bullet in the head is better than ten years on Death Row, destroying their hope and their health before frying them in an electric chair anyway. That sounds like an Amnesty International definition of torture to me.’

‘Lethal injection seems to be the current vogue,’ Margaret said, neatly sidestepping a fight. She did not want to get involved in an argument about capital punishment. ‘So I guess that means you don’t have anything on this guy — The Needle.’

‘No, we don’t,’ Li acknowledged.

‘So what do you want me along for?’ Margaret was desperate to go, but she wasn’t going to let Li know that.

‘I don’t… particularly,’ Li said casually. He didn’t want to seem over-anxious to have her join him. But at the same time, he didn’t want to put her off. ‘I thought you might learn something.’

‘Oh, did you?’ She snapped off her outer gloves. ‘Like how it can take two years to solve a murder?’

Wednesday Afternoon

Lily’s anger at being told again that she was not required was palpable, and she watched with grim dislike as Li and Margaret pulled out of the university compound in Li’s Jeep. She strutted off towards the administration block plotting her revenge.

Following their exchange in the autopsy room, Li had been cold and distant. Margaret wondered if this was a response to her jibe about taking two years to solve a murder, or whether it was a repeat performance of his mood swing of yesterday. Despite the fact that he had asked her along, she had the strong feeling that he resented her presence. They drove east in uncomfortable silence through the late morning traffic along West Xuanwumen Avenue, a huge loop of six-lane freeway that marked the outer boundary of the inner city. Bamboo scaffolding scaled concrete towers. High among the structures, tiny figures in blue, with yellow hard hats, moved easily around the skeleton blocks. Giant cranes swung back and forth overhead, like prehistoric monsters stalking a concrete landscape. Margaret’s growing resentment at Li’s silence finally found voice. ‘Look, if you don’t want me around, just say so. Stop the car now and I’ll get a taxi back to the university.’

‘What are you talking about?’ He seemed perplexed, but made no move to pull over.

‘I’m talking about you resenting every minute you have to spend in my company. This may be news to you, but it wasn’t my idea to get involved in any of this. I didn’t offer my help. You asked for it.’

‘No.’ He shook his head. ‘My chief asked for it.’

‘And don’t you just hate the fact that your chief thought you could use the help of some foreigner.’