Kiss & Die - Lee Weeks [101]
He took the photo of David’s brother, Ishmael, and enlarged it. He studied it closely: Ishmael had only one significant scar on his face, the one extending from his mouth to his ear on the right side. The skull was missing on the side.
He enlarged and cropped the photo till he was left with an A4 photo of his face. He scanned it into the computer and superimposed it over the skull found by the fishermen. He took it straight to Daniel Lu’s department.
‘I’m impressed. It’s a good match. Can you get his brother in here for a DNA match?’
‘Possibly,’ said Shrimp. ‘They’re a bit wary of police stations.’
‘Okay, I’ll give you a swab kit. Have you time to go back in there? You’re undercover from tonight.’
‘Yes. I’ll ring him. Get him to meet me. I’m not worried about being recognized undercover. I’m not moving from the bar. It’s all travelling businessmen in there. Plus, I have a great disguise.’
Shrimp phoned David. ‘Can you meet me at the park at the back of the mosque?’
Shrimp could see by David’s face that he was expecting bad news. They walked away from the park aviary and past the old men playing chess. They found a shaded bench and Shrimp told him what he believed. David listened, his head down.
‘The scar on Ishmael’s face, how did he get it?’
‘He was hit with a metal bar. It cut all the way from here to here.’ David ran his finger down the side of his face. ‘It knocked out four of his back teeth.’
‘He was doing the same sort of business as you here, wasn’t he?’
David nodded and then shook his head perplexed. ‘I don’t understand. He was doing well here in Hong Kong, he even had a girlfriend.’
‘Did you meet her?’
‘She was someone from the Mansions. He said it had to be kept secret. He said her name was Pearl, or Rose, I can’t remember. He liked her a lot.’
‘Did he tell you anything about her, age, height, second name, anything you can think of?’
‘He said she wasn’t Chinese. He didn’t say if she was tall or not. He said she had a nice figure. She was young.’ He shook his head. ‘My mother will cry forever when she hears this news.’
‘I am sorry, David. I need to ask you something else. Was he married?’
David shook his head. ‘No.’
‘You sure?’
‘Yes.’ David looked across at Shrimp. ‘So, she has killed others?’
Shrimp nodded. ‘We think so.’
‘Why did she kill my brother?’
Shrimp shook his head. The words in his head: there always has to be a first.
Chapter 77
Ruby had seen Hafiz’s burnt body on the stairs but it meant little to her now. They would all die at some time. The difference is that Ruby would choose when and how.
Humming to herself, she picked Peter Thorne’s head out of the sink. She held it tightly to stop it slipping and slid it into a plastic bag, then another and two more. Then she tied them tightly and placed the head in her handbag, ready. She had a lot of things to do today. She went around the room and gave each of her dolls a kiss.
‘Mummy has to go out now so be good, babies. If anybody knocks on the door, don’t answer it. Mummy is taking Daddy somewhere special today.’
She stopped by a doll with a shock of curly blond hair. ‘This was your daddy.’ She placed the photo she had taken from Peter Thorne’s wallet into the doll’s lap, resting it on the stiff edge of her frilly skirt. ‘I know, I know.’ She looked around at her dolls. ‘Everyone needs a daddy.’ She scanned the room and her eyes stopped on a baby doll sucking its thumb, it had a blue cap on its head. On its tummy was a photo of a man, his family had been cut out, only his head remained. ‘Do you love your daddy, Steven Littlewood? Or you, little Louis?’ She picked up a ruddy-faced chuckling doll with painted plastic hair coming down its forehead in a kiss curl. ‘Of course you do.’
Ruby began dancing. She twirled around the room spinning and laughing. She clapped her hands in the air. From the cupboard came the noise of a baby crying. Ruby stopped, walked slowly to the cupboard and opened the doors. She stood at eye level with the baby on the shelf. Its mummified remains