White Tiger

said. I wondered if it was a speech that he’d worked out over time. ‘The truth is, a much higher government than either.’
    ‘Oh my,’ she said. She flipped through the pages of Simone’s file. ‘No wonder security is such an issue for you.’ She grinned at me. ‘Universal Exports, eh, Emma?’
    I grinned back. ‘Precisely.’
    ‘Chen Enterprises,’ Mr Chen said, missing the point entirely.
    ‘Would you like to see around the school?’ the headmistress said, rising.
    ‘What was all that about in the office?’ he said as we returned to the car.
    ‘She thinks you’re a spy,’ I said.
    ‘What?’
    ‘“Government work”. She thinks you’re a spy. Let her—it means they won’t give us as much hassle about the security.’
    He closed the car door. ‘I hadn’t thought of that.’
    ‘Oh, come on, it’s obvious,’ I said. ‘That’s what I thought when you gave me that line.’
    ‘Did you?’ he said, bemused.
    ‘That’s why she said “Universal Exports”. That’s James Bond’s cover company. Used all the time in the films.’
    ‘Who?’ he said.
    I sighed and closed the car door. ‘I’ll rent some videos,’ I said. ‘I can’t believe you’ve never heard of James Bond.’
    When we returned to the Peak, Mr Chen, Leo and I sat together and discussed the logistics. I had the school timetable and a rough plan of the area from the handbook. We examined the alternatives.
    ‘It is extremely likely that the demons will try something the minute Simone starts school,’ Mr Chen said, very calmly. ‘We will need to be ready right away.’
    ‘What sort of attack should we prepare for, sir?’ Leo said.
    ‘Probably through the front door to start off with,’ Mr Chen said. ‘We’ll be looking for someone walkingin off the street, wandering through and then grabbing her. They’ll try the direct approach first.’
    I was horrified and made a small choking sound. They both ignored me.
    ‘Any suggestions on how to handle this securely, Leo?’ Mr Chen said.
    ‘I think I should be stationed outside the classroom, sir,’ Leo said, studying the plans carefully. ‘And follow her when she’s not in class.’
    I exploded. ‘No way ! You will wait outside that school and watch for suspicious people going in. You will not go inside while she’s there unless she’s attacked!’
    ‘If she’s attacked it may be too late,’ Leo said.
    Mr Chen cut through us. ‘Both of you, listen. I will teach Simone some skills that will make this point irrelevant. She will be able to tell if a demon is nearby and contact you to come and defend her. You won’t need to be inside the school grounds.’
    He glanced sharply at me. ‘I just had an idea. The school is quite new. Emma, I would like you to ask the headmistress if she wants a free fung shui consultation, as a donation from me. Push it hard, tell her it is very important for Chinese. If she’s already had one done, tell her I said it wasn’t very good.’ He paused, concentrating. ‘She has, and it wasn’t. You must get her to agree. The fung shui master will be one of mine. He won’t just do an assessment; he’ll set seals on the school building, to stop demons from materialising there and to keep large numbers from entering at once. Similar to what we have in this apartment.’
    I listened carefully and nodded. I knew there were seals on the Peak apartment, but I wasn’t sure exactly what was involved. Putting seals on the school was a brilliant idea. ‘You can count on me, Mr Chen.’
    ‘Once the seals are set, Leo, you won’t need to be inside the school building. You can stay outside and watch for demons entering the grounds. Simone will be able to tell you if they are approaching her.’
    ‘How about on the street outside then?’ Leo said, studying the plans.
    ‘That would probably be close enough,’ Mr Chen said.
    ‘I’ll stake out the school in the car,’ Leo said. ‘And if you’re right about this skill of Simone’s, then I’ll be nearby if she senses anything and I can be there right away.’
    ‘Is there a place on the street outside where you can do that?’ Mr Chen said. ‘There were only parking meters nearby, with a two-hour limit.’
    ‘How about we wave the chequebook at the headmistress and ask for a space to be allocated in the car park?’ I said.
    ‘Good idea, Emma,’ Leo said. ‘And if that doesn’t work, there are places on the street where I can wait. But the car park would be better.’
    ‘Is