individual is of supernatural origins.â
âYes. Indian supernatural origins. And very, very angry.â
âDoes he know youâve come here?â
âShe, and I certainly didnât tell her. But she might be able to find me. Iâve no idea, to be honest. I donât know what her capabilities might be.â
âI can put out a call on her. Do you have a name?â
Thank God she was taking him seriously, at least. Somehow, heâd expected ridicule, disbelief. âYes.â He paused. An ensuing conversation unrolled, movielike, in front of his inner eye. There were some advantages to being a scriptwriter, it seemed:
âHer nameâs Lara Chowdijharee .â
âYour pursuer has the same name as a film star?â
âNo, my pursuer is a film star.â
âI thought you said she was a demon.â
âShe is. We summoned her up from Hell and turned her into a star.â
The clerkâs eyebrows rose so far that they nearly floated off the top of her head. âLara Chowdijhareeâthe movie starâis a demon. And sheâs after you, you say? Was instrumental in burning down your house? Tore her agentâs throat out with her teeth?â Stealthily, under the desk from a different camera angle, Go watched the desk clerkâs hand move toward a panic button, the one reserved for visiting lunatics.
Back in the real world, Go said, âUh. I mean, no. She said her name was Cherry. But I donât think it was her real one.â
The desk clerk nodded. âAll right. I understand what youâre telling me and we do take this kind of threat very seriously, you know. I wonât put you in a cell, because we might need it later on, but what I will do is put you in the interrogation room. It has no windows and the door can be locked from the inside. Would you like some tea?â
With heartfelt gratitude, Go replied that he would.
16
W hen Chen went back outside to await the arrival of the forensic team, he found Inari sitting on a low wall near the car in the company of No Ro Shi.
âWhat happened?â
No Ro Shi looked at him. âCould I have a word with you in private, Comrade?â
With a sinking heart, Chen told him that he could.
âYour wifeâs a demon.â
âIâd noticed.â
âDoes Captain Sung know?â
That was a rather more conciliatory statement than he might have expected from the demon-hunter. Perhaps No Ro Shi had mellowed.
âIf he does, I havenât told him. Lookââ
No Ro Shi sighed. âThis makes things very awkward. I respect you, Chen. Your wife, despite her origins, seems to be a decent woman.â
He had mellowed.
âIâll tell him, unless you plan to. Now, can you tell me why she isnât in the car where I left her? What are you doing here?â
âA while ago, this would have been unthinkable,â No Ro Shi said, as if no question had been asked of him. âBut now, things have changed, in this city, in China. Your partner isnât human. Where is Zhu Irzh, by the way?â
âThatâs the problem.â Chen explained. No Ro Shi stared at him. âWe have two officersâeffectivelyâmissing. And both are demonic.â
âBoth of them can be trusted,â Chen added, rather more sharply than he intended. âAnd both were investigating the same case.â He told the demon-hunter what he and Ma had discovered in the basement of the warehouse. âThe forensic team is on their way. Meanwhile, Iâve ordered a search of the area. Now, about Inari.â
It was his turn to listen to an explanation.
âThere was aâhere. A demon shaman, with a luring rattle. He was trying to snare her. From the look of things, he was succeeding.â
âEven though Inari is, as you helpfully point out, herself demonic?â
âShamans from Hell wield a great deal of power,â No Ro Shi said. âIt does not