Red Phoenix

with you and is programmed to turn later. There was some argument that those two were the samething, but the odds are the same anyway, so it doesn’t make a difference.’
    ‘Shit,’ I said quietly.
    ‘Also two to one on, she’s an alien.’
    ‘That is totally ridiculous,’ John said.
    ‘We will have our fun, my Lord,’ Ralph said. ‘There has also been a great deal of money put on the possibility that she’s a perfectly normal human, strong snake alignment, activated by your presence. That’s where my money is, but at this stage it’s ten to one on and really not worth bothering with.’
    We all stayed silent for a while.
    ‘You wouldn’t care to enlighten me, my Lord? I know where my money is, and it’s past the stage of collecting now. But I would like to know, purely out of interest’s sake.’
    Neither of us spoke.
    ‘Good Lord,’ Ralph said incredulously, ‘you mean you don’t know either?’ He stared at me with disbelief. ‘You were genuinely asking me the questions, not testing how much I knew? I find that difficult to believe.’
    Again neither of us replied.
    I had a sudden inspiration. ‘April Ho.’
    Ralph didn’t say anything and the smile didn’t shift.
    ‘Do you know what happened to her?’
    ‘Who is April Ho?’ Ralph said.
    ‘She’s a friend of mine. She married Andy Ho, a relative of Kitty Kwok’s. He was probably in league with One Two Two. She was pregnant to him; the child may be half demon. Kitty arranged for the delivery of the baby in China…’ I pulled myself together. ‘And now she appears to be missing.’
    ‘I don’t know about that particular case, my Lady,’ Ralph said, ‘but I doubt very much that you’ll ever see your friend again. It’s obvious they wanted her for thechild. With the child in their possession she becomes expendable.’
    I knew it anyway but it hurt to hear it out loud. ‘Oh God. ’
    We were all silent again for quite some time. ‘Anything else for us?’ John finally said.
    The demon shook his head. He put the piece of paper back in his pocket, then took off his glasses and wiped them on the corner of his jacket. ‘That’s all I have for you. I’m not holding anything back. I hope I’ll be rewarded appropriately, my Lord.’
    ‘What do you want?’ I said. ‘Do you want to stay with us?’
    ‘I can take you up and do it now,’ John said. ‘Or later, if you prefer. Either way.’
    ‘Probably the sooner the better, my Lord,’ the demon said, still smiling. ‘Every minute is a minute spent with them seeking me. Can we do it now?’
    ‘Just be sure that you don’t have anything else for us first,’ John said. ‘If you like you can take some time, make sure you haven’t missed anything vital.’ He studied the demon intensely. ‘You are safe here.’
    ‘You know as much as I do, my Lord,’ the demon said. ‘Please. Now.’ He shrugged. ‘Nothing else I need to do, and I’m living in constant fear.’
    ‘I do not believe this,’ I said. ‘Why don’t you try for perfection instead? Come on. You have a chance.’
    ‘You are most gracious, my Lady,’ the demon said, ‘but I don’t have any chance whatsoever. I am too big. Once I walk out your door I am theirs, and it will be slow.’ He gestured towards John with his glasses. ‘With him it will be quick.’
    ‘Then why did you go through all of this to come to me?’ I said.
    ‘For it to be quick.’

CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
    S imone was full of bounce as we left the cinema at Pacific Place; she’d enjoyed the movie tremendously. I quietly wondered if I’d ever see a film aimed at adults. I’d seen every children’s film released in the past year. John couldn’t go with me to the cinema because we’d be too close. We’d even given up on the charity functions.
    Simone jiggled happily beside me as we walked through the shopping centre to the food court for some afternoon tea. We bought the food, and then stood and waited for a table to clear. The food court was always full, with standing room only; the only way to get a table was to wait for one.
    Simone chatted merrily about the Christmas decorations as we waited. It was only the first week of December but the Christmas hysteria was in full swing, even though most residents of Hong Kong didn’t celebrate the holiday. Chinese New Year would be even worse for advertising and decoration, but the coloured lights strung on the outside of the buildings were always entertaining. I particularly enjoyed