Tom Bradby - The Master Of Rain

Caprisi launched himself into Prokopieff’s stomach, so that the Russian was caught off guard and spun back over a desk, smashing into the officers who’d gathered behind him. Field took a step forward, saw Sorenson turn, and watched the punch coming. He ducked easily and struck him with a powerful left on the side of the jaw, so that he fell onto Prokopieff.

“Enough!” Granger shoved the men aside and yanked Sorenson roughly to his feet. “You should know fucking better. All of you. Get up, Prokopieff.” He waited as the Russian got up and dusted himself down, glowering at both of them. Field wondered if Granger would discipline them, but he said simply, “As if there isn’t enough trouble out there.” He turned and pushed Caprisi out of the door, glancing at Field and indicating that he should follow. The two of them walked past the desk sergeant and climbed the stairs beside the lift, not stopping until they had almost reached Crime on the third floor.

Caprisi bent over, as if trying to catch his breath. “Give me a minute, would you?” he asked. “In fact, make that an hour.”

“Sure.”

The American straightened and looked out of the small, slitted window at the smoke drifting across the rooftops. “I’ll be in here if you need me.”

Field took out his cigarettes and offered Caprisi one, but the American shook his head. “What did Prokopieff mean?” Field asked. “About Slugger.”

“Forget it, Field.”

“Sure.” He took a pace back. “I’ll… I’ll meet you in an hour.” Field turned away and began to climb the stairs.

“Dick.”

Field stopped.

“Where did you learn to punch like that?”

“My father taught me.”

“Thanks.”

“It’s hard,” Field said, “not knowing…”

“You don’t understand, do you?”

“Understand what?”

Caprisi shook his head, bemused. “You really don’t know?”

“Know what?”

“We’ll get there, Field.” Caprisi raised his hand and walked away. He was smiling.

Field didn’t want to go into the Special Branch offices to face Prokopieff’s hostility and Granger’s wrath, so he went on up to the sixth floor. It was dark up here. The door at the end of the corridor was blue, with paint peeling around a small pane of frosted glass. Field knocked once and then entered without bothering to wait for an answer. He dropped his cigarette and felt the heat as he stubbed it out under the sole of his shoe.

Maretsky was seated at his desk. He was reading the newspaper with his back to the door, his feet not touching the ground.

“I thought I might find you here,” Field said. Maretsky did not reply, turning back to his newspaper.

It was a tiny room, the desk occupying most of it. Field had to step to the left and shut the door before he had anywhere to stand. There was a bookcase behind him, full of newspapers, and the wall opposite was covered with yellowing clippings in fading newsprint pinned to a corkboard. Every one of them referred to Lu Huang.

“There was a fight after you left,” Field said.

“Sorenson is an animal.” Maretsky did not raise his eyes from the newspaper. Field leaned back, crossing his legs. The article in the center of the corkboard opposite had a picture of a smiling Lu underneath the headline “Another Generous Donation to Sisters of Mercy Orphanage.”

Maretsky swung around, looking at Field over the top of his glasses. He followed Field’s gaze to the clippings on the wall. “Sometimes he prefers them younger.”

Field stared at him.

“Eleven or twelve.”

“From that orphanage?”

Maretsky shrugged. “From wherever takes his fancy and whoever is willing to be bought, which means most people in this city.”

“The donations are for procuring…”

“Oh, I don’t know the specifics of individual donations, but it’s a nice irony, don’t you think?”

Field shook his head slowly. “No.”

“I usually deal with visitors in the registry.”

“I know.”

“Then do me the courtesy of calling when you wish to see me.”

“I need to keep out of the office until tempers cool.”

“Well, this is not a rest room.”

“Who was Slugger?”

Maretsky frowned. “Slugger?”

“Prokopieff taunted Caprisi by referring to a Slugger…”

“Slugger Davis. Alan Davis. A detective from London. Caprisi’s partner until the end of last year.”

“What happened to him?”

Maretsky turned back to the newspaper. “Ask Caprisi.”

“He won’t say.”

“Then I won’t, either.”

“I think I should know if I’m working with him.”

“You think you are.”

“What does that mean?”

Maretsky frowned. “What do you want, Field?”

“Can I smoke in here?”

“No you can’t.”

Field crossed his arms. “Why did you walk out of the briefing?”

“Don’t you have work to do?”

“You know I’m on the Orlov case.”

“The Orlove case,” Maretsky said, raising his eyebrows. “I see. When is it a case, not an incident, I wonder?”

“What do you mean?”

“A little Russian princess. A whore. Bit of a playful end. Why would anyone care about that?” He looked at Field, his piggy eyes burning with angry intensity. “You care about it, Field, why is that?”

“She was murdered.”

“She was a Russian prostitute.”

“So it doesn’t matter?”

Maretsky hesitated. “Is that a philosophical question or a practical one?”

“It’s just about doing a job…”

“Oh, is it? Of course. How foolish of me.” He turned back to his desk. “We work within our limitations here, Mr. Field, and if you haven’t learned that, you soon will.”

“You mean you do.”

“I mean I do, yes. I can see you’re not a member of the club, but a bright young man…” He smiled. “It won’t last, so I wouldn’t worry about it.”

Field tried not to betray his confusion. “Tell me about this case, Maretsky.”

“You’re the detective.”

“So Lu can do whatever he likes?”

Maretsky faced him again. “Please, I have work to do.”

“Tell me about him.”

“You really don’t understand, do you?”

“Don’t patronize me.”

“Don’t patronize you?” Maretsky sighed deeply. “All right, I’m sorry, I’m just not used to idealism.” He breathed out again. “Or perhaps I should say ignorance. You seem to be… energetic, but what will happen if you pursue this case with any vigor is that you will make a certain amount of headway and then you won’t get any further. If you get somewhere close to the truth, it will become very dangerous for you. As to evidence, forget it. Witnesses will be too frightened to speak, and will be eliminated if they are foolish enough to do so.” He rolled his eyes. “This is Lu’s girl. He killed her himself, or gave her to someone else for the purpose-it doesn’t much matter.”

“But we can still establish the truth, can’t we? Or do you consider that naive, too? We can still determine whether the murder was carried out by Lu himself, and if not, who it is he is protecting and why.”

Maretsky didn’t answer.

“Will he do it again?”

“Probably.”

“Has he done it before?”

Maretsky hesitated. “Possibly. I can’t be sure. We have no record of anything like… specifically like this, and the French say they have none… but…”

Field could tell that, despite himself, Maretsky was interested. “But what?”

He shrugged. “There is a confidence to it.”

“What do you mean?”

Maretsky was silent. “It’s a developed fantasy,” he said.