Page 64 of The Killer’s Mark

‘I am Kai and—’

‘Draw me something,’ Poe said. He slid a paper napkin across the table. Took a pen from his pocket and uncapped it. ‘Draw me a circle. That’s supposed to be the test of a true artist, isn’t it? Whether you can draw the perfect circle.’

The man nodded at someone behind Poe. He heard them approach the table. He didn’t turn. He thought that might be a mistake. Someone took the seat next to him. He glanced to his left. The new man was as big as a bear.

‘Oh good,’ Poe said. ‘Oddjob’s arrived.’ He paused. ‘That doesn’t work, does it? Oddjob was Korean. Do me a favour and pretend I didn’t say that.’

‘You are to stop looking for Kai Jin,’ the hand-tattoo guy said.

‘Aww, but I’ve only just started.’

He used two fingers to mime a pair of scissors. ‘If you don’t, we’ll cut you and your padawan into little pieces.’

‘Thank you,’ Poe said.

The man frowned. ‘For what?’

‘For confirming the Forty-Fours are part of this. I did wonder. I thought triad involvement was a fanciful notion. But you two fools have moved my investigation along nicely.’

Hand-tattoo guy spat on the table. ‘I am not Forty-Fours. I’m much, much worse. If you value—’

Poe reached under the table. Grabbed him by his balls. Pulled and twisted. Hand-tattoo guy gasped. His eyes began streaming. Snot bubbled out of his nose and hung there like egg white.

‘And I’m much worse than anything you can imagine,’ Poe said. ‘If you ever threaten me again, I’ll turn you into a fucking eunuch.’

The bruiser at Poe’s side cocked his fist.

‘Rethink that move, dickhead,’ Poe said. ‘I repair dry-stone walls for a hobby; I have an exceptionally strong grip. If you don’t make like a Russian and Fuckoffski, I’ll tear this idiot’s balls clean off.’

Hand-tattoo guy snapped something in Chinese. Sounded like ‘bo’. Poe didn’t know what it meant, but the bruiser did. He got up and left the table. Stood out of reach but facing Poe and glared at him.

Poe eased his pressure on the man’s testicles. Didn’t let go, though. He wasn’t stupid. The triads preferred to keep a low profile, but public violence wasn’t unheard of.

‘How do you think this ends, Mr Washington Poe?’ the man said. ‘I’m a soldier. One of many.’

A movement in the window caught Poe’s eye. He said, ‘How many do you have?’

‘Excuse me?’

‘How many soldiers do you have?’

‘Hundreds.’

‘Jolly good. I on the other hand have tens of thousands. I think you’re about to meet some of them now.’

And then the restaurant filled up with police officers.

Chapter 54

After uniform had taken away the two triads, the restaurant cleared and Poe saw someone he recognised: Detective Chief Inspector Tai-young Lee. She was the cop who’d investigated Estelle for the murder of her father. Poe had cleared Estelle and DCI Lee had gone from adversary to ally. They had kept in touch. Email buddies. The twenty-first-century equivalent of pen pals.

‘Still up to your old shit, Poe?’ she said.

Poe could see Esmerée peering over Lee’s shoulder, hopping up and down. He winked at her. Let her know he was OK. He said, ‘Just having some lunch, ma’am.’

‘Quit the “ma’am” bullshit, Poe. I know you’re a civvy now. The kid told me.’

‘She called you?’