Kiss & Die - Lee Weeks [58]
‘He was a forty-five-year-old American from Chicago. He’s middle management in an engineering projects firm. He is a frequent visitor to Hong Kong and does the Asia circuit every few months. Always stays at the Vacation Villas. This time he checked into the hotel four days ago. He was due to stay another day and then fly on to Australia.’
‘What was he working on here?’
‘Checking equipment supplied for container cranes down at the docks.’
‘Any Triad links?’
‘From him or his company, no. From the companies at the docks? Plenty.’
‘Mann, you were the first on the scene?’ Sheng had the look of one who was a chronic over-indulger: red faced, puffy eyes. He carried a little too much weight around his middle. It had aged him.
‘Yes. I went to Vacation Villas to speak to Michelle Mendoza after I saw her daughter Lilly near the scene of Rajini’s murder. Lilly’s been identified by our agent in Operation Schoolyard as a recruiter for the Outcasts at school. I wanted to find out what her mother knew. I’ve kept an eye on Michelle over the years. She is a heavy drug user, mostly ice. She has an abusive partner, Rizal, and a couple of small kids as well as Lilly. When she gets desperate she has a habit of fleecing the customers. She looked nervous when she saw me so I followed her to the cloakroom and got her to empty her bag; that’s where I found Max Kosmos’s wallet.’
Sheng interrupted. ‘I will interview Michelle myself as soon as we’re done here.’
‘I’ve just done it,’ said Mann. He looked across at Mia. She wasn’t looking at Sheng. He was glaring at her. He knew she must have given permission. ‘She told me she knew Max Kosmos. She had had sex with him before on a few occasions. The last time was three nights ago. She said she saw him leave with a woman at about eleven on the evening he was murdered.’
Sheng folded his arms over his chest. He was furious with Mia and Mann but trying to hide it. He listened to Mann’s account whilst looking at the floor, perched on the side of the table, tapping his foot, agitated. He looked up. ‘Is she lying?’
‘She’s certainly not telling the whole truth. The barman confirmed that he saw Max Kosmos leave with a woman but also added that Michelle left just before.’
‘Maybe she is part of a double act or maybe she got a call later and then went to his room.’
‘Did Michelle say he was into anything weird?’ asked Mia.
‘He was into threesomes – boys and girls. They were sometimes joined by a young Indian lad from the Mansions. I’ll press her on that. Get a name. We’ll search her apartment and get a print from Rizal. I don’t put anything past Rizal.’
‘Had to be someone he accepted easily into the room,’ said Mia.
‘Not necessarily,’ said Mann. ‘People let their guard down in hotels. You never think twice about answering the door. You expect it to be a safe environment but the truth is anyone can get in a lift and come up to the floor and knock on the door.’
‘If it was the woman he was seen leaving the bar with then she must be attractive – twenty to forty?
‘Maybe even younger,’ said Mann. ‘Lots of girls can make themselves up to look eighteen these days. That’s all she needs to be to pass unhindered into clubs, bars, hotel lounges. It’s not as if anyone ever checks ID.’
‘A schoolgirl murderer – that would be the first in Hong Kong,’ said Shrimp.
‘What about the wallet?’ said Sheng. ‘How did she say she got that?’
‘She told me about a system she has for giving dope in exchange for wallets, money, whatever the girls manage to get. She’s dealt with this person before on a few occasions. This time the drop was much larger than usual.’
‘So, the perp’s planned this and it might not be a one-off. Fuck, that’s all we need. Daniel…injuries?’
Daniel pinned up photos. ‘Apart from sexual mutilation and decapitation, he was tortured. If you have a look