Free Inspector Zhang Gets His Wish by Stephen Leather Page B

man and a small Asian woman came out.
    "That’s him," said Mercier. He pressed a button and the video slowed to its proper speed.
    Wilkinson was wearing a dark suit with a Mao collar. His companion was a pretty Asian girl in her twenties with waist-length black hair wearing a tight white mini dress cut low to reveal large breasts. She was holding Wilkinson’s hand and laughing at something he had said.
    "Freeze that please," said Inspector Zhang as Wilkinson and the girl reached the door to the suite.
    Mercier did as he was told and Inspector Zhang peered at the screen. He recognised the woman.   "Ah, the lovely Ms. Lulu," said Inspector Zhang.
    "You know her?"
    "She is an escort for one of the city’s more expensive agencies and when she isn’t escorting she can be found in one of the bars in Orchard Towers looking for customers." The woman was wearing impossibly high heels but she barely reached Wilkinson’s shoulder.
    "The Four Floors of Whores?" said Mercier. "She’s a prostitute?"
    "Come now, Mr. Mercier, as head of security in a five-star hotel you must surely have your share of nocturnal visitors," said Inspector Zhang.
    "We have a policy of not allowing visitors in guests' rooms after midnight," said Mercier primly.
    "And I’m sure that your guests adhere to that policy," said Inspector Zhang. He looked at the time code on the video. "Ms. Lulu is from Thailand, though she travels to Singapore using a variety of names.   Now, from the time code we can see that Mr. Wilkinson and Ms. Lulu arrived at eight thirty. Can you now please advance the video until the time she left the room?"
    Mercier tapped a key and the video began to fast-forward. Guests moved back and forth up and down the corridor, hotel staff whizzed by, but the door stayed resolutely closed. Then at nine thirty on the dot the door opened and Ms. Lulu slipped out. Mercier slowed the video to real time and they watched as she tottered down the corridor in her stiletto heels.
    "So we can assume that Mr. Wilkinson paid her for one hour," said Inspector Zhang. "Now, when did Mr. Wilkinson order room service?"
    "I’m not sure," said Mercier. "We will have to talk to the waiter."
    "Then please fast-forward until the waiter arrives with the trolley."
    Mercier did as he was told. At five minutes before ten the waiter appeared in the corridor, pushing a trolley. He knocked on the door, then knocked again.
    "What is the hotel policy if the guest does not open his door?" asked Inspector Zhang.
    "If the 'Do Not Disturb' sign is on then the member of staff will phone through to the room. If it isn’t then it’s acceptable to use their key."
    The waiter knocked again, then used his key card to open the door. Inspector Zhang made a note of the time. It was nine-fifty eight.
    "And at what time did the waiter call down to reception to say that he had found Mr. Wilkinson dead on the bed?"
    "Just before ten," said Mercier. "You’ll have to ask Miss Berghuis. She’ll know for sure."
    They watched the screen. After a minute or so the waiter appeared at the doorway. He stood there, shaking, his arms folded, then he paced back and forth across the corridor.   The time code showed 10.03 when Miss Berghuis appeared, followed by her staff. They hurried into the room.
    Mercier pressed a button to freeze the screen and pointed at the time code. "Three minutes past ten," he said.   "No one went in or out of the room except for Mr. Wilkinson and his guest. His guest left at nine-thirty and the next time he was seen, he was dead."
    Inspector Zhang nodded thoughtfully as he put away his notebook. "So, please, let us go back to the room. I have seen everything that I need to see."
    They went back to the sixth floor. Two uniformed police officers had arrived and were standing guard at the door to the suite. They nodded and moved aside to allow the inspector and Mercier inside.
    Sergeant Lee was scribbling in her notebook and she looked up as Inspector Zhang walked into the