taste the faint copper tang of dried blood, or was it merely dirt mixed with his own anxious sweat that left such a bitter taste in his mouth? Reluctantly he admitted that he couldn’t be sure without getting the proper equipment, and then what? The skeptic in him said he was wasting his time, that events were moving outside his control, while the hypochondriac in him said he’d just swept some serious germs into his mouth. Either way, he was fucked.
He started walking, trying to visualize the scene on the ship that Beau had described. He wanted to call it coincidence, not related to Sally’s disappearance in any way. But Cape wasn’t in the habit of lying, even to himself. He realized his visit to the loft had unnerved him, even though the only thing he’d found was a closed door.
As he walked toward the traffic sounds coming from the end of the block, Cape glanced again at the signs overhead, trying to discern a pattern in the characters. Even common Chinese characters seemed radically different as the typography and design changed from sign to sign, making an already foreign language indecipherable. Cape imagined the signs spoke of impending danger, only he couldn’t understand the warnings. The silent faces of the closed storefronts mocked his ignorance as he passed.
At Broadway, Cape turned and looked back the way he had come. He had spent a lot of time in Chinatown over the years, and a few cases had taken him deep into the neighborhood. But he had never navigated the back streets and side alleys without Sally at his side. And he realized that without a guide, this world was as impenetrable as the names of the stores and restaurants he had just passed. Without Sally he was deaf, dumb, and blind. She might be missing, but he was lost.
Beau had been right. Sally was his partner in ways Cape never appreciated until now. Part of their relationship was taking each other for granted, trusting the other person would be there to watch your back. But now that Sally was gone, Cape found himself looking over his shoulder.
It was a feeling he didn’t like.
Cape turned up the collar of his coat as he walked south on Broadway toward home. The wind off the bay had picked up and the temperature had dropped at least ten degrees in the last hour, but he felt colder still. He could feel Death in the clutch of the wind, but he couldn’t tell if it was behind him or directly ahead.
He just knew it was close.
Chapter Ten
Hong Kong, 21 years ago
“Stay close, Sally,” cautioned Li Mei. “The snakes are poisonous.”
Sally wasn’t listening. As Li Mei tried to navigate a clear path through the foot traffic on Bonham Strand, Sally squatted in front of a wooden cage. Inside a black cobra rose on its coils, its hood expanding like an open hand, beckoning. Sally met its gaze, neither the snake nor the little girl blinking.
Li Mei was halfway down the block before she realized Sally wasn’t in tow. Scurrying back along the stalls and open-air restaurants, she passed cages and tanks holding cobras, lizards, turtles, and even a python. Though still early, Bonham Strand was crowded, the street slick with blood. People of all ages lined up to have their creature of choice slaughtered and freshly prepared. Snake’s gall bladder wine was in great demand—the more deadly the snake, the greater the medicinal value.
Flustered, Li Mei tugged insistently at Sally’s sleeve. The little girl grudgingly forfeited the staring contest with the snake. Blinking, she turned her green eyes on Li Mei and pointed at the cobra.
“I want one,” she said simply.
Li Mei sighed and shook her head. “Come, Sally.” She took the little girl’s hand and resumed walking. “We mustn’t be late, and we have two more stops to make.”
They cut across Wing Lok Street and headed down Bonham Strand West, where ginseng wholesalers shared the street with banks made of chrome and marble. The street was a microcosm of Hong Kong, an endless
He started walking, trying to visualize the scene on the ship that Beau had described. He wanted to call it coincidence, not related to Sally’s disappearance in any way. But Cape wasn’t in the habit of lying, even to himself. He realized his visit to the loft had unnerved him, even though the only thing he’d found was a closed door.
As he walked toward the traffic sounds coming from the end of the block, Cape glanced again at the signs overhead, trying to discern a pattern in the characters. Even common Chinese characters seemed radically different as the typography and design changed from sign to sign, making an already foreign language indecipherable. Cape imagined the signs spoke of impending danger, only he couldn’t understand the warnings. The silent faces of the closed storefronts mocked his ignorance as he passed.
At Broadway, Cape turned and looked back the way he had come. He had spent a lot of time in Chinatown over the years, and a few cases had taken him deep into the neighborhood. But he had never navigated the back streets and side alleys without Sally at his side. And he realized that without a guide, this world was as impenetrable as the names of the stores and restaurants he had just passed. Without Sally he was deaf, dumb, and blind. She might be missing, but he was lost.
Beau had been right. Sally was his partner in ways Cape never appreciated until now. Part of their relationship was taking each other for granted, trusting the other person would be there to watch your back. But now that Sally was gone, Cape found himself looking over his shoulder.
It was a feeling he didn’t like.
Cape turned up the collar of his coat as he walked south on Broadway toward home. The wind off the bay had picked up and the temperature had dropped at least ten degrees in the last hour, but he felt colder still. He could feel Death in the clutch of the wind, but he couldn’t tell if it was behind him or directly ahead.
He just knew it was close.
Chapter Ten
Hong Kong, 21 years ago
“Stay close, Sally,” cautioned Li Mei. “The snakes are poisonous.”
Sally wasn’t listening. As Li Mei tried to navigate a clear path through the foot traffic on Bonham Strand, Sally squatted in front of a wooden cage. Inside a black cobra rose on its coils, its hood expanding like an open hand, beckoning. Sally met its gaze, neither the snake nor the little girl blinking.
Li Mei was halfway down the block before she realized Sally wasn’t in tow. Scurrying back along the stalls and open-air restaurants, she passed cages and tanks holding cobras, lizards, turtles, and even a python. Though still early, Bonham Strand was crowded, the street slick with blood. People of all ages lined up to have their creature of choice slaughtered and freshly prepared. Snake’s gall bladder wine was in great demand—the more deadly the snake, the greater the medicinal value.
Flustered, Li Mei tugged insistently at Sally’s sleeve. The little girl grudgingly forfeited the staring contest with the snake. Blinking, she turned her green eyes on Li Mei and pointed at the cobra.
“I want one,” she said simply.
Li Mei sighed and shook her head. “Come, Sally.” She took the little girl’s hand and resumed walking. “We mustn’t be late, and we have two more stops to make.”
They cut across Wing Lok Street and headed down Bonham Strand West, where ginseng wholesalers shared the street with banks made of chrome and marble. The street was a microcosm of Hong Kong, an endless
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