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O'Yee nodded. There was nothing worse for business than a millionaire without all his marbles. He asked, 'How can I help you?' He thought, "This is getting a little too Chinese for me." He said, 'Sometimes I don't feel very Chinese.'

Conway Kan looked at him.

'I don't know why I said that.'

Conway Kan said, 'I do.' O'Yee wanted to ask him whether it was true about dismembered bodies and crowds and mythologies. Conway Kan said, 'It is how other people think of you that is important.' He glanced at the series of pictures on the wall, 'There is a sale of pictures quite soon in the Connaught Room of the Mandarin Hotel.' He asked, 'Were you aware of the sale?'

'I read about it somewhere.'

'Do you intend to bid on any of the pictures?'

O'Yee thought, "You must be joking!" He said, 'No.'

Conway Kan said urbanely, 'Lot number twenty-six will be extremely reasonable in price. It is generally thought to be a later copy of a work by a famous eighteenth century artist.' He said, 'My experts tell me that it is, on the contrary, genuine.' He said, 'A thrifty man would be well-advised to invest in such a work.' He said, 'I mention it in passing because I, alas, will be indisposed by illness at the time of the sale and will not therefore be able to bid on the work.' He said, 'I believe the sale will be held sometime in the next three or four weeks.'

O'Yee paused. He tried being Chinese. 'I'm sorry to hear about your future illness.'

It worked. Conway Kan said, 'I appreciate your solicitude.'

O'Yee said, 'I'm glad we met. It is a good thing for a police officer to be well acquainted with the people his duty it is to assist.' He said, 'Small matters he might be in a position to deal with might otherwise not come to his attention.' He said, 'The concerns of the law-abiding are as much his task as the calumnies of criminals.' He thought, "That was a good one." He thought, "I wish I had the nerve to try a few proverbs."

Conway Kan said, 'Men are good or bad according to their conduct; and their misery or happiness depends on themselves.' He repeated in Mandarin, '
Shan o sui jen tso 'huo fu tzu chi chao.
' He smiled.

O'Yee said, 'Good men get cheated as good horses get ridden.' He changed from Cantonese to Mandarin and said, '
Jen chung yu chih shu, shih shang wu
—um—'

'
—chih jen
,' Conway Kan said helpfully.

'
Chih jen.
'

Conway Kan said, 'Quite true.' He said, 'I am very glad we met' He said, 'May I ask you, dear friend—' (O'Yee thought, "I'm going to be rich! I'm going to be filthy rich!") '—to assist me in a small matter?'

'Ask.'

Conway Kan said, 'I have lost something.' He said, 'It is a thing of small value to anyone but myself and it is a matter I should like to keep between men of discretion like ourselves—' (O'Yee thought, "Rolling in it! Lighting cigars with thousand dollar notes! Mysterious phone calls in the night saying 'Buy Hong Kong Codpieces Limited'—millions on the Stock Exchange!") Conway Kan said, 'It is an object that belonged to my father and has been lost.'

O'Yee asked, 'Stolen?'

Conway Kan opened bis hands.

'I see.'

Conway Kan said sadly, 'It is not a matter for jocularity.' He glanced skywards to show that the world was full of men who, unlike themselves, had no respect for The Way. He said, 'It is a Ramphastes Toco in a state of perfect antique preservation.'

O'Yee paused.

'It has been lost.' Conway Kan said, To make this fact known would give rise to certain attempts at crude humour that men like ourselves would find distressing and base.'

O'Yee nodded. He thought, "What the hell is a Ramphastes Toco?"

Conway Kan leaned forward a little in his seat. He dropped his voice. He said conspiratorially, 'You are aware what a—'

'I'm afraid I—'

Conway Kan lowered his voice even lower. He smiled one of his smiles. He said, 'Ah, my dear friend—'

O'Yee waited. He tried to look inscrutable.

Conway Kan said, 'Dear friend, I have lost my stuffed toucan.' He said quickly to explain all the machinations for evil and loss of face and malicious double-dealing in the world, 'You see? "Conway Kan's toucan." "I can, Conway Kan too," "Toucan if one can—"' He said sadly, 'You see?' He asked, 'Are such things amusing? Do you find such things humorous?'

O'Yee's face started moving of its own accord. He gritted his teeth.

'Well?' Conway Kan asked. He suddenly seemed like a very small old man.

'No.'

Conway Kan nodded. He said pleasantly, 'You will allow me the honour of inviting you to refreshments in the Members' Rooms?' He stood up to show O'Yee the way.

Thank you.' O'Yee stood up. He had never heard of the Members' Rooms. No one had. He followed Conway Kan through a lacquered door.

Conway Kan said, 'There are some interesting antiques for the enjoyment of Members that you may find interesting to examine.' He stood aside and let O'Yee enter first. He said. I appreciate your sparing the time.'

O'Yee nodded. He felt more Chinese than Confucius.

They went into the Hong Kong holy of holies to discuss, as equals, one of life's little vicissitudes.

*

Spencer's phone rang. It was Nicola Feiffer. She asked pleasantly, 'Is Harry there, Bill?'

'No, I'm sorry, he's out.' Spencer said, 'There's a job on. I don't know when he'll be back.' He offered, 'I can probably get in touch with him if you'd like.'

'No. It isn't important' (Spencer thought he heard her change positions in a chair with an effort.) 'I just wanted to talk to him, that's all. It doesn't matter if he's too busy.'

Spencer said quickly, 'It isn't that. He really has got a job on.' He said earnestly, 'He'd never pretend to be out when you rang. I've seen him almost leap at the phone when you call.' He waited.

There was a pause. Spencer said, 'Honestly.'

'Hmm.'

'Really—honest.' He asked, 'Are you still there?'

Nicola said, 'You haven't had too much experience catering to the neurotic whims of pregnant females, have you?'

There was a silence. Nicola said, 'Bill?'

Spencer said, 'I don't know what to say.' He glanced hopefully at the door of the Detectives' Room, but anybody who had had experience with the neurotic whims of pregnant females was distinctly reticent about using the door to come in. He said, 'I don't think you're neurotic'

There was a long neurotic pause.

Nicola said, 'How are you getting along? It must be a change from Police Administration.' She asked, 'How long is it now you've been a detective?'

'Eighteen months.' Spencer said, 'Did you hear Christopher O'Yee got his promotion to Senior Inspector?'

'Yes.'

Spencer said, 'He deserves it, don't you think?'

There was another pause. Spencer tried to think of something to say. He wondered what she was doing at the other end of the line. He thought, "It must be lonely for her by herself." He said, 'Um—'

There was a sudden sound. It sounded like she sniffed, cleared her throat, and then sniffed again. Nicola said, 'Harry tells me you keep getting mysterious phone calls from someone named Frank.' She said, 'Is there any chance that Frank is short for Frances, with an e?'

'Frankie.' Spencer glanced at the door to check that no one was there. He lowered his voice. He said, 'Yes.'

'A girl?'

'Well—yes.'

'Personal?'

Spencer cleared his throat. 'Yes.'

Nicola Feiffer said, 'I'm delighted.' She said, 'I always thought you were the nicest one of the lot down there.' She said, 'It's about time you met a girl who appreciated you.' Nicola asked, 'She does appreciate you, doesn't she?'

Spencer thought of Frank. He said, 'Well, um—'

'Is she pretty?'

Spencer said, 'Beautiful!' He went red. He said quickly, 'Well, I mean—' He said, 'Well, I think so—um—' He asked to change the subject, 'It can't be too long now before the baby's due. Is it two weeks or three?'

Nicola Feiffer made a disgusted, due in two weeks or was it three noise in the back of her throat, 'Who cares?' There was another of those frightening pauses. 'Who bloodywell cares?'

Spencer wished that someone would come through the door. He had a brainwave, 'Well, Harry does anyway.' He said, 'He talks about nothing else. He seems absolutely delighted about it'

There was just another pause. Spencer thought, "Now I've done it!"

Nicola Feiffer said, 'Does he? Is Harry pleased?'

'Yes, of course.'

'Really?'

'Yes,' Spencer said, 'Of course he is. Wouldn't anybody be?'

'Is
he
?'

'Of course.'

Nicola Feiffer said irritably, 'You keep saying "of course" as if it should be part of the human condition to be pleased. Maybe it is. But is
he
?'

'Hasn't he said so?'

'Has he said so to
you
?'

Spencer was about to say, "Of course." He thought that mightn't be such a good idea. He said, 'He's said so to everyone.'

'How would you know?'

'What?'

'How would you know about everyone? I don't think he's said so to anyone. He obviously hasn't said so to you.' She demanded miserably, 'Has he?'

'Of course he has!' He said, 'He's pleased!'

"Would you tell me if he wasn't?'

'No!' He said quickly, 'Yes!' He said, on a third thought, 'He's pleased.'

There was a long silence.

He said, 'Nicola, are you there? Is that all right?'

There was another pause. Then it ended. Nicola Feiffer said, 'Do you know what I dislike most about you?'

There was nothing to say to that.

Nicola Feiffer said, 'Your trouble, Spencer, is that you're just too bloody
nice
!' She hung up ferociously.

Spencer looked at the phone, then put it gently back on its cradle. It rang again and he said wearily, 'Spencer—'

There was a pause.

Spencer said, 'Answer, blast it!'

It was Frank. She said in a very hurt voice, 'I thought you'd be glad to hear from me...'

Spencer said—

He sighed.

*

Conway Kan considered his bowl of jasmine tea. He looked worried. He said to O'Yee and the jasmine flower floating on the surface of the tea, 'May I ask if you have any thoughts on your method of procedure?' He looked very worried indeed.

O'Yee said, 'The—' He paused, 'The Ramphastes Toco is over a hundred years old?'

Conway Kan nodded. 'It was my father's. He was briefly in the Caribbean and preserved it as a reminder of those days.' He said, 'He and my mother were married there.' He looked into the tea.

O'Yee said, 'I would assume that whoever took it would attempt to sell it. He said, 'The usual place for it to end up in that case would be an antique dealer's.' He said, 'If, as you say, there were no signs of forcible entry in your house, we can assume it was taken by someone who knew you.' He asked, 'No one would take it simply to hurt you?'

Conway Kan said, 'You are the first person to whom I have confessed its attachment for me.'

Then I propose to get in touch with the dealers and see if it's been offered via a market stall or whatever.'

Conway Kan said, 'And the question of criminal charges?'

O'Yee said, 'It can remain a private matter. If you like, you can simply have someone walk in and purchase the bird.'

Conway Kan nodded. He said, 'I fear you will lay yourself open to some ridicule asking people if they have bought a stuffed toucan.' He considered the meniscus in his cup.

O'Yee said, '
Te jen ch'ieh jen, te nai ch'ieh nai
.'

'When it is proper to forbear, forbear.'

There was a silence.

O'Yee looked at Conway Kan. He looked like a very old man. Conway Kan looked down at the floor. There seemed to be tears in his eyes. He seemed to be a very long way away.

O'Yee said suddenly in English, 'For Christ's sake, don't worry! I'll fix it!' He thought, "God, there goes a million dollars..."

Conway Kan nodded. He seemed very embarrassed.

Conway Kan said, 'About this morning—' He said, 'I heard about—what happened with the men you found in the water and about—'

O'Yee nodded.

Conway Kan said, 'I know why you wanted to wait.' He said, 'I hear most things that happen in Hong Bay.' He said, 'I know what you were wondering about and whether or not you did the right thing about—about, you know—'

O'Yee nodded.

Conway Kan said, 'You were right to insist on recovering everything.' He said, 'The family of the man would be grateful if they knew.' He said, 'They will know.' He said, 'I shall see to it.'

O'Yee nodded and looked at the floor.

They sat in silence.

*

Feiffer and Auden watched Macarthur and the two ambulancemen put Mr Leung's body into an ambulance and take it away, then they went back into what was left of the ivory shop.

The ivory shop was a mess of ivory. It looked as though someone had taken a hammer to the two thousand small pieces of ivory Mr Leung had kept on his shelves and pounded each one of them to bits, then moved on with a larger hammer to the larger pieces and pounded them as well. Feiffer went to the remains of Mr Leung's desk, blew a cloud of ivory dust from the surface, and bent down to sniff the black scorch mark in the centre of the wood. The wood smelled burnt. He glanced at the rear wall where Auden was bending down looking at something on the floor.

Auden said, 'Skin tissue.' He straightened up and looked at the third person in the room. The third person in the room, a man smoking a small black cigar, continued gathering up scraps of half incinerated paper and slipping them into plastic bags with tweezers. He took his black cigar from his mouth, considered the length of its ash, opened a brown Gladstone bag near his feet, extracted a tiny silver ashtray, and ashed the ash in it. Auden said to him, 'Are you Forensic?'

The third person in the room shook his head. He smiled. He closed the Gladstone bag and locked it. He found another scrap of paper and slipped it into a plastic bag.

The tearing down of Yellowthread Street had halted briefly as a mark of respect. The third person in the room said 'Hmm . . .' to himself and picked up something metallic with his tweezers. He looked at it. It was part of a triggering device. The third person in the room looked at Feiffer.