![](\"https:\/\/steemitimages.com\/DQmZs4LUDLaUbAhbX2QEDfphyQ4mUZ4yAkAX3wdwAW1uR93\/image.png\")
<\/center>There was just enough light inside the nightclub to see the stage and nowhere enough to peer into the hearts of men. Lee placed a tiny mirror on the table, no larger than a compact makeup case, trying to make the best of the dim candlelight behind him.<\/p>\nWong didn\u2019t mind. But in their corner booth, the policeman had a good view of the door. Lee was facing the wrong way, by choice. Shanghai might be an international city but mixed bloods always drew attention. Better if people didn\u2019t see his face.<\/p>\n
At exactly nine in the evening Ouyang Li Yan took to the stage. Her sheer golden cheongsam glittered under the spotlights, its long slits showing off longer legs. She held her head high, regally poised on delicate high heels. Her eyes swept the crowd and landed on Lee\u2019s. She smiled, a blazing sun just for him, and caressed her microphone with a gloved hand.<\/p>\n
On an unseen signal, the band played. Matching her voice with the deep saxophone, she sang in English.<\/p>\n
I knew a boy who loved to play hero \/ Of his flaws I knew exactly zero \/ But there\u2019s one thing about him I know \/ To a beautiful face he\u2019d never say no<\/em><\/p>\n Wong nudged Lee\u2019s foot under the table. \u201cI think I see the stalker.\u201d<\/p>\n Lee looked at the mirror. \u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAt the door. Huge Chinese guy in the cheap brown suit and tattoo on his neck.\u201d<\/p>\n Lee adjusted his mirror just so, tracking the suspect. The guy was alone, staring on the singer. He loomed tall over the other patrons, taller than even the Westerners. His eyebrows were a thick dark line of hair. There was a black splotch covering his neck\u2014it was too dark to make out what it was. He plopped down in a corner and ordered a bottle of baijiu, potent grain liquor.<\/p>\n Just before Ouyang had left his office, she had told him what the stalker looked like. This man seemed to fit the bill. Lee kept an eye on the mirror and an ear on the singer. She switched to Japanese for her next song, then Shanghainese. The suspect poured a cup of\u00a0baijiu<\/em>\u00a0and carefully sipped at it. That or he was just pretending to drink it.<\/p>\n Ouyang worked the stage, fluidly switching languages and pitches. The man stayed rock-still, drinking mechanically. Lee cast his eye over the audience every now and then, but he didn\u2019t see anyone else who matched the description she gave him.<\/p>\n When Ouyang finished her last song and went backstage, the man in the cheap suit sprang to life. He downed what was left in his cup and paid the bill. He tapped his foot repeatedly.<\/p>\n Ouyang reappeared, dressed in a green shawl and matching cheongsam. Audience members surged forward to greet her. The man in the suit got up, digging his hands into his pockets. Lee got up and followed.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s trying something,\u201d Lee said. \u201cLet\u2019s go.\u201d<\/p>\n The man in the suit made his way through the crowd, shoving people out of the way. Lee worked a different tack, slipping through holes that formed in front of him, firmly pushing only when he had to, while keeping an eye on the back of the man\u2019s head. The man jostled his way to the front, ignoring Lee as he slid in just behind him, stopping right in front of Ouyang.<\/p>\n The man whispered something. A woman shouted at Lee, drowning out what he said.<\/p>\n Ouyang\u2019s face paled, her mouth opening ever so slightly.<\/p>\n The man\u2019s right hand rose from his pocket, revealing a handgun.<\/p>\n Lee slipped in, seized the weapon in both hands, and wrested it up. The man pulled the trigger, and the pistol discharged harmlessly into the ceiling.<\/p>\n Lee startled. The crowd dissolved into shrieks and screams. The man resisted, trying to force his arm back down. Lee wrestled with him, keeping the gun pointed high, and the stalker fired once more. Out the corner of his eye, Lee saw the civilians ducking and running. Lee lashed out with his knee, connecting with the man’s thigh. The gunman’s stance crumbled. Grabbing the shooter’s wrist with his right hand, Lee twisted into him, taking him off balance\u2014<\/p>\n BANG<\/em><\/p>\n \u2014the body slammed to the ground. Lee pried the pistol out of unresisting hands and pointed it at the man\u2019s chest.<\/p>\n Blood oozed out of the entry wound. Claret mixed with gray and white matter on the floor. The man’s eyes bulged out of his head. The world smelled of death and gunpowder and fresh soap. The body twitched and jerked erratically. Lee scanned the crowd and saw them retreat before him.<\/p>\n Wong caught up, badge in one hand and handgun in the other.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s dead,\u201d Lee pronounced.<\/p>\n The detective leaned over and felt for a pulse.<\/p>\n “He’s dead,” Wong confirmed.<\/p>\n Ouyang tottered over to Lee, clinging to his left arm.<\/p>\n \u201cOh my God,\u201d she said. \u201cHe was\u2026I was\u2026are you\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m okay. Are you hurt?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, no.\u201d She sniffled. \u201cI\u2019m okay. I\u2019m\u2026I thought, I thought you were\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Lowering the pistol, Lee held her close. \u201cI\u2019m fine.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThank you. I\u2019m so\u2026 thankful.\u201d<\/p>\n She sobbed softly into his neck. Her breath warmed his neck, his ear, his cheek.<\/p>\n \u201cAhem,\u201d Wong said.<\/p>\n Lee let her go.<\/p>\n Wong held out his hand. \u201cI need the weapon.\u201d<\/p>\n Lee inspected the gun. A Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammerless. Pointing it to at the ground, he ejected the magazine with and racked the slide. A shiny bullet spun out of the ejection port, bouncing off against the floor. Lee reversed his grip and handed the pistol to the cop butt-first.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m going to call for backup,\u201d Wong said. \u201cDo you need a doctor?\u201d<\/p>\n Ouyang shook her head. \u201cI\u2019m fine. We\u2019re fine.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLee, I\u2019m going to need your statement.\u201d<\/p>\n Lee sighed. \u201cLet\u2019s wait until we get to the station.\u201d<\/p>\n Wong nodded. \u201cYou two stay here and don\u2019t touch anything.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUnderstood,\u201d Lee said.<\/p>\n She held him again. They stayed that way until uniformed patrolmen flooded the club.<\/p>\n Lee rapped his fingers against the heavy wooden table. In the interview room, it was just him and Wong and four silent walls.<\/p>\n \u201cThat means there\u2019s bad news.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe dead man is Lin Da Hai. Triad. Hatchet man for Tang Zhong Sheng. You remember him, he’s the Dragon Head who owns a fifth of the city.”<\/p>\n Lee remembered. During his time in the Reserve Unit he’d clashed with Tang’s triad more than a few times.<\/p>\n \u201cDid Tang send Lin after the girl?\u201d<\/p>\n Another, more pronounced shrug.<\/p>\n \u201cYou don’t know, or you don’t want to know?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt doesn’t matter. Your work is done. The stalker is dead. Case closed.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cReally? Work with me here. That guy looked like a crazy fan to you? What kind of obsessed idiot follows a woman around, does his damnedest to avoid being noticed, doesn\u2019t even try to contact her, just tries to shoot her?\u201d He leaned forward. \u201cThat\u2019s not a stalker. That\u2019s a killer.\u201d<\/p>\n Wong\u2019s face hardened to stone. \u201cLeave this alone. This is police business now.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI never thought you\u2019d leave a case alone.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou were a great detective, Lee. One of the best. But you\u2019re out now. And we\u2019re dealing with triads. Tang may hesitate to send a hatchet man after me. But you don\u2019t have a badge or uniform anymore. It\u2019s done. Get on with your life.\u201d<\/p>\n The man exchanged icy glares over a rocky abyss. A lifetime later, Lee slapped his palms on the table and stood.<\/p>\n \u201cI’m leaving,\u201d Lee said.<\/p>\n \u201cAn excellent decision,\u201d Wong replied.<\/p>\n Wong escorted Lee out. The detective saw the civilian all the way to the evidence room, lingering long enough for Lee to gather his things, and disappeared, leaving Lee to head out by his lonesome.<\/p>\n She was waiting in the lobby, a hat pulled low over her head. Looking up, she smiled at his arrival.<\/p>\n \u201cHey,\u201d she said. \u201cAre you okay?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBeen better. You were waiting for me?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t have anywhere else to go.\u201d<\/p>\n They left the polite fiction at that. Walking her to the door, the wet heat of a Shanghai summer slammed into his face. He exhaled sharply, briefly forgetting he wasn\u2019t expelling a lungful of hot smoke. And abruptly grinned at her. \u201cWhere should I send the invoice to?\u201d<\/p>\n She laughed. \u201cYou\u2019ve prepared one?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s at my office.\u201d<\/p>\n She brushed her arm lightly against his side. \u201cLet\u2019s go. You can hand it to me there.\u201d<\/p>\n Neither of them owned a car. They settled for walking to the nearest tram station. With the hat she wore, no makeup, flat shoes, she was no longer the Shanghai Songbird, just another pretty face in the crowd. People paid more attention to Lee, if only to decide where he fit on the East-West spectrum. He kept his head down, watching for passers-by and stray garbage, until a thought hammered his brain.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat did he say?\u201d Lee asked.<\/p>\n \u201cWho?\u201d Ouyang answered.<\/p>\n \u201cThe shooter. He said something to you. What was it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2026the police didn\u2019t tell you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey said it was none of my business. What did he say to you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe said\u2026he said, \u2018Mr. Tang sends his regards.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou know this Tang guy?\u201d<\/p>\n She bit her lip. \u201cTang Zhong Sheng.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe triad Dragon Head.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes. The Commissioner was\u2026very interested in going after him.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd now Tang is very interested in going after you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d She shuddered. \u201cI don\u2019t\u2026I don\u2019t think this is over. I don\u2019t feel safe. The Commissioner doesn\u2019t want to protect me, but Tang\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDo you know where I can find him?\u201d<\/p>\n It was meant to be a rhetorical question, but Lee caught Ouyang\u2019s eyes narrow ever so slightly.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat are you going to do?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTalk to him.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTalk to him? Really, Mr. Lee? That\u2019s all you\u2019re going to do?\u201d<\/p>\n He laughed. \u201cI don\u2019t know what you\u2019ve been told, but many problems can be solved simply by talking to the right people the right way.\u201d<\/p>\n She looked skeptically at him. \u201cWell, the Commissioner used to talk a lot about Tang. He told me once Tang liked to have breakfast at the teahouse on Fangbang Road.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThanks.\u201d He chuckled. \u201cGuess I have to hold on to that invoice.\u201d<\/p>\n She pouted. \u201cGoing to charge me extra, huh?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJust seeing this case through to the end.\u201d<\/p>\n —<\/p>\n
\n\u201cWhat are you going to do now?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n![\"Cheah](\"https:\/\/steemitimages.com\/0x0\/https:\/\/steemitimages.com\/DQmNPjQAkaGvtrys87bjqAghP62AqHAB7edWEt44bH8yfwD\/Cheah%20Git%20San%20Red.jpg\")
<\/p>\n