Chapter 57
The Chinese restaurant had its own car park.
It was empty. Poe didn’t bother with a bay; he parked in the middle.
Somewhere he couldn’t be rushed. The restaurant was a sandstone brick building, a far cry from the reds and golds of Newcastle’s Chinatown but it fitted in with Hexham’s old-fashioned market town vibe.
The interior was washed in darkness. Poe and Esmerée got out of the car.
Poe walked to the restaurant’s back door.
The service entrance. Tried the handle. It was locked.
He was about to knock when it opened. It was the old man from the Szechuan Palace.
He beckoned Poe and Esmerée inside. Shut the door behind them.
He gestured for them to follow him.
A table had been set up in the middle of the restaurant floor. Candles. A pot of tea. Four cups. The old man pulled out a seat for Esmerée. Did the same for Poe. He took a seat for himself then picked up the pot.
‘Green tea,’ he said. ‘Perfect for someone who has finished the Royal Banquet. Aids digestion.’
‘It was a lovely meal,’ Poe said. ‘Thank you.’
‘This is a bitter tea, young lady. Would you like me to add some honey?’
‘I hate the stuff,’ Esmerée said. ‘My mom sickened me to it. She loved that shit. Absolutely loved it. Put it on her toast and everything.’
‘I’ll cancel the beehive I’ve ordered for your birthday,’ Poe told her.
‘You understand why I couldn’t talk in the Szechuan Palace?’ the old man said.
Poe noticed his accent had completely disappeared. No more bloody this and bloody that.
‘I do,’ he said. ‘The triads might not be welcome in your restaurant, but they do exist. There’s no point antagonising them.’
‘And you understand why I bought you lunch?’
‘I do now. It was to give you time to arrange this meeting.’ Poe pointed at the fourth cup. ‘I assume someone is joining us? Perhaps someone who’s checking we weren’t followed?’
‘Your business card says “gumshoe”, Mr Poe,’ the old man said. ‘But you still act and talk like a police officer.’
‘You’ve researched me?’
He nodded.
‘Then you know.’
The old man offered Poe his hand. Poe took it. It was dry, leathery and strong. ‘My name is Xiang.’
‘And mine is Washington, but everyone calls me Poe.’
‘Tell me what you know about Kai.’
‘You know him?’ Poe asked.
‘His mother. She hasn’t seen Kai for many years, though. I’m not sure she knows how to reach him.’
Poe sipped his tea. Thought about what he could and couldn’t say. He decided he was able to tell Xiang everything apart from who’d hired him and who’d told him Kai’s family might still be in Newcastle. Everything else was fair game.
After he had laid out everything – from being asked to find the woman in the porn film to what had led them to the Szechuan Palace – Xiang said, ‘Where do the triads fit in?’
‘I didn’t have a sniff of their involvement until I spoke to my art contact,’ Poe said.
‘And that wasn’t confirmed until they turned up at your restaurant.
I knew some heavy hitters were mixed up in it all, obviously.
The people who tortured and murdered Mark Buckby were too skilled at violence.
Too organised. So to answer your question – other than Kai having gambling debts with the Forty-Fours, I have absolutely no idea how the triads fit into all this.
All I was doing was trying to find a woman who once starred in a porn film. It kind of escalated from there.’
Xiang nodded. He poured more tea. And this time he filled the fourth cup. ‘Does that happen a lot?’
‘What?’
‘Things escalating.’
Esmerée snorted. ‘You wouldn’t believe some of the shit he’s done,’ she said.
Poe looked at her.
‘I spent two days with your wife; who did you think we were gonna talk about?’
‘I thought this girl was your daughter?’ Xiang said, his eyes twinkling.
‘I think we both know she’s not.’
‘Goddam right,’ Esmerée said. ‘As if my dad would be this butt-ugly.’
‘Who’s the fourth cup for, Xiang?’ Poe said. ‘Who are we waiting for?’
The kitchen door opened. A man walked in. Looked like a younger version of Xiang. He took a seat. Picked up his tea and said, ‘Thank you, Bàba.’ He blew on it and took a sip.
‘This is Chao, my son,’ Xiang said. ‘Were they followed?’
‘No, Bàba,’ Chao said. He turned to Poe. ‘What do you know about the Red Chamber, Mr Poe?’