sleeper, both by nature and from training. How had she left the apartment without him knowing?
His cell phone buzzed, and he checked its display. The caller ID read PRIVATE. Manning was tempted to let the call roll into voice mail, but answered it anyway.
“Hello.”
“It is I,” Lin said in Mandarin. “Come to my home immediately.” The line went dead.
Manning stared at the phone for a long moment, then put it on the night stand and headed for the en suite bathroom.
Manning circled Baluyevsky’s body for a second time, moving slowly, trying not to disturb any elements surrounding the dead Russian. He was grateful for the tall hedges that surrounded the courtyard and the swimming pool area, for the day was off to a bright and sunny start. If this had happened in the hills of Los Angeles, say, then the body would be visible to dozens of people.
Lin stood nearby, along with Baluyevsky’s second-in-command, a man Manning had not been introduced to. The security man kept his hands in his pockets, but the hunch of his shoulders betrayed his tension. For the first time since they had met, Lin looked tense as well.
“What can you see?” he asked Manning in Mandarin.
“I’m not a medical examiner or a forensics expert. I think you should call the police, Lin Yubo. Waiting will make them suspicious.”
“So you see nothing?” Lin demanded.
Manning straightened and put his hands on his hips. “I see a dead man with what appears to be a knife wound beneath his chin. Looks like the blade transited through his sinus cavity and probably intersected with the brain stem. Alexsey might have drowned in his own blood, and his death wasn’t quick.”
“What else?”
“The killer’s address and phone number.”
Lin was deathly silent for a moment. Then: “This is not the time for humor.”
Manning looked at him squarely. “Whoever did this caught Baluyevsky by surprise. At the end of a very long day, when his responses would be degraded. From the position of his right hand, it appears he might have been in the process of drawing his weapon. What I’d really like to see though, is the video.”
“We have it,” said the second man.
“Who are you, and what do you do?”
“I’m Nyby, security staff. I reviewed the video myself. I saw the video this morning, right after we found Alexsey. It shows the…the engagement. It went down almost like you said. We didn’t catch the killer on any of the perimeter sensors…well, that’s not true. At about the same time, we had a family of deer enter the estate through a small gate that’s hidden by the brush over there.” Nyby pointed to the right side of the estate. “About a hundred meters that way, behind those shrubs. The gate’s been broken for some time, but no one has fixed it yet.”
Manning was gobsmacked. “You mean…you
Nyby became a bit indignant, forgetting the fact his boss was dead on the ground only a few feet from where he stood. The corpse’s pale eyes were now dry and stared up into the sky. “Alexsey knew all about it, but only deer came through there. They’ve been tripping off the motion detectors for days. He wanted it repaired as soon as it was discovered, but”-Nyby glanced at Lin quickly-“but Mr. Han wanted to find a vendor who would honor a specific price point.”
Lin sighed wearily and nodded. “It’s true, Manning. Han did mention this to me. He was known to be notoriously miserly all his life, even when the money was mine.”
Manning rubbed his face. “You allowed a break in your physical security.”
“We had electronic-”
“Mr. Nyby, electronic measures are meant to
“Yes,” Nyby said. “I have about a hundred photos of the entire area, taken by a Nikon D700 digital camera. Also HD video through the same system.”
“Has anyone disturbed Baluyevsky’s body?”
“No. The first person to find it didn’t touch it, and we have video to confirm that. It was one of the landscapers.”
Manning nodded and looked at Lin. “Lin Yubo, what do you want to do? If we call the police, then another department will take charge of this investigation. We’ll be shut out, but the chances of them catching Lin Dan’s killer go up…though only slightly.” He spoke to Lin in Mandarin, shutting Nyby out of the conversation.
“I know this. What do you suggest?”
“How much money do you have in the house? Right now?”
“Two hundred and sixty-seven thousand dollars in cash. Much more in gold, silver, platinum, and gems.” Lin didn’t bat an eye.
“Give the landscaper one hundred thousand dollars to forget about what he saw here today. Then get your people to dispose of the body. The guy’s stiffening up, so the sooner he gets hidden the better. Do you have next of kin contact information?”
“Baluyevsky had no one.”
“So much easier, then. Where is Ren?”
“Upstairs, still in his room. He had a great deal to drink last night, as always. Why do you ask?”
“Just trying to get a handle on who was where when this went down.” In English: “Nyby, you said you have video of the attack?”
“Yes.”
“And no one saw it go down in real time?”
“Manning,” Lin said tiredly, “I do not require constant manned surveillance of my own property.”
Manning snorted and pointed at Baluyevsky. “I very much disagree.” To Nyby: “Show me the video.” He looked at Lin. “Ryker would be extraordinarily interested in this, and in the disappearance of your manservant, Lin Yubo.”
“As…as am I, Manning. As am I.”
Ryker was still in Valerie Lin’s bed when his cell phone started vibrating in his jacket. His jacket was on the floor near the door, but the phone rattled against the hardwood floor, and Ryker slowly disengaged himself from Valerie and slid out of bed. He picked up the phone but didn’t recognize the number that showed on the display. He looked back at the bed and saw Valerie was still asleep. He contemplated returning to her side and nestling against her warmth-the master bedroom was a little chilly-but the phone continued to vibrate in his hand. Even on a Saturday morning, he was getting calls.
So he did exactly what he thought he’d never be able to do: he slipped on one of Danny Lin’s terry cloth bathrobes and slippers (both were too small for him). And then he stepped into the white marble bathroom and redialed the number that had called him.
“Good morning, Detective Sergeant Ryker.” It was Chee Wei.
“What’s up?”
“Got some info you might be interested in,” Chee Wei said breezily. “I’m in the city. Want to meet at the Starbucks near your place? Market Street and, what, Polk?”
“Market Street and Fell. We can’t do this over the phone?”
“Got stuff to show you,” Chee Wei said. He sounded like he was enjoying the whole cloak-and-dagger bit a little too much. “Believe me, we’ll all want to see it.”
“Who’s this ‘we’ you’re talking about?”
“You and me for now, then Spider and the rest of the crew. Maybe even Captain Jerkoff himself, if he can remember he’s a cop first and a politician second.”
Ryker sighed quietly. “When?”
“Jeez, what the hell’s wrong with you? I’ve got a treasure trove here, and you’re dragging your ass? Meet
