Chapter 25 chapter Ten

Rebus was due at ten o'clock for further questioning at St. Leonard's Police Station as agreed, so when his pager rang at eight-fifteen he thought it was just a reminder of the incident.But the call back number shown above is a morgue in Niumen.He called back on the hospital pay phone and was transferred to Dr. Cotter. "Looks like I got the short pick," Kurt told him. "Are you going to do an autopsy on Matsumoto?" "I'm unlucky. Well, I've heard something about it...isn't it true?" "I didn't kill him." "I'm glad to hear you say that, John." Kurt seemed embarrassed to say the following words, "Of course there are issues of professional ethics involved here, so I can't suggest you to come here..."

"Is there anything you think I should look at?" "I can't say that." Kurt cleared his throat, "but if you happen to be here...early in the morning, this place is usually very quiet..." "I'll be right there." It only takes ten minutes to walk from the hospital to the morgue.Kurt waited for Rebus himself and took him to the morgue. The morgue is covered with pure white tiles, brightly lit, and various stainless steel utensils are displayed.Two dissecting tables were vacant, and Matsumoto's naked body was placed on the third dissecting table.Rebus walked to the table, overwhelmed by what he saw.

tattoo. It wasn't a bagpiper kind of thing that a sailor would just scribble on his arm.It's real art, and it's very large.A scaled blue dragon with pink and red flames from its mouth stretched from one shoulder down his arm to his wrist.The dragon's hind legs are coiled on either side of his neck, and the front legs are perched on his chest.There are also several smaller dragons, and a whole background scenery with Mount Fuji reflected in the water.There are several Japanese characters, and the face of a kendo champion wearing a mask.Kurt put on rubber gloves and asked Rebus to do the same.The two turned the body over to reveal more of Matsumoto's backside: an actor wearing a mask, like a character from a Noh play.A warrior in full armor.Some very delicate flowers.The overall effect is breathtaking.

"It's amazing, isn't it?" Kurt said. "It's spectacular." "I've been to Japan a few times, for conferences." "Do you recognize these patterns?" "Know a few. The thing is, a tattoo — especially one of this size — usually means you're a gang member." "Like a triad?" "The Japanese call it 'violent group'. Look here." Kurt picked up Matsumoto's left hand, the first part of the little finger was amputated at the joint, and the skin at the wound healed into a hard shell. "That's what happens when they screw up, doesn't it?" Rebus said, the word "gangster" bouncing back and forth in his head. "Every time they screw up, someone cuts off a finger."

"I suppose so," Kurt said. "I just thought you might be interested in this case." Rebus nodded, still unable to take his eyes off the corpse. "Anything else?" "I haven't actually started the autopsy yet. Everything looks standard so far: evidence of being hit by an ongoing vehicle; ruptured rib cage, fractured arm and leg bones." Rebus noticed a stab wound in one calf. A severed bone appeared, which looked extremely pale against the background of his skin color. "I believe there will be a lot of internal injuries. The cause of death is likely to be the impact of the car." Kurt pondered, "I have to tell Professor Gates. I suspect he has never seen anything like this."

"Can I borrow your phone?" Rebus asked. He knew someone who might know about gangs—she seemed to know something about gangs in every country in the world.So he made a call to Marianne Camworthy of Newcastle. "Tattoos and severed fingers?" she asked. "That's right." "That's the gang." "Only the first part of a little finger, to be exact. It's their punishment for doing something wrong, isn't it?" "Not exactly. They apologize by cutting off their fingers themselves. But I'm afraid that's all I know." There was a sound of flipping papers on the phone. "I'm flipping through my notes."

"What notes?" "I did some research when I was trying to connect different gangs with different cultural backgrounds. Maybe there will be information about gangs... Shall I call you back later?" "how long?" "Five minutes." Rebus gave her Kurt's number and sat down to wait.Kurt's room was more of a larger closet than an office.On his desk was a tall stack of file folders, on top of which lay a dictating recorder and an entire pack of unopened tapes.The room was filled with an unpleasant smell of smoke and a stuffy smell caused by long-term lack of ventilation.On the walls are the meeting schedule, postcards and two framed photographs.This place is just a sanctuary, a necessity; Kurt doesn't spend most of his time here.

Rebus took out Colhoun's business card and made home and office calls.According to the secretary, Dr. Corhoun is still on medical leave. Maybe so, but he's healthy enough to go to the casino.One of the casinos in Telford.This is no coincidence... Camworthy's words are as good as gold. "The violence group," she said flatly, as if answering a test paper, "is about 90,000 people in total, divided into about 2,500 gangs. They act extremely cruelly, but at the same time are highly intelligent, well-organized, and have a strict internal hierarchy. It's almost impossible for outsiders to break into. It's kind of like an underground society. They have a sort of middle management called 'the head house.'"

Rebus listened and recorded. "How do you spell that word?" She told him. "In Japan, they run a sort of 'pachinko' parlor - which is a gambling game - and they have a hand in most of the illegal business." "Until it's chopped off. How about outside of Japan?" "The only information I have here is that they smuggle back expensive luxury goods and sell them on the black market. There are also stolen works of art that are shipped back to rich buyers..." "Wait a minute. You told me that Jank Taravitz started out by smuggling designer goods out of Russia, right?"

"You mean Mr. Red Eye might be connected to the gang?" "Tommy Telford is welcoming them. There's a warehouse that everyone seems to be interested in, and there's a country club." "What's in the warehouse?" "I do not know yet." "Maybe you should go find it." "This matter is in my plan. Another thing, that pachinko game hall... is it similar to our game hall?" "almost." "Here's another connection to Telford: He sells consoles to half the bars and nightclubs on the East Coast." "You mean the gang found him a man they could do business with?"

"I don't know." He tried to suppress a yawn. "It's too early to study such big questions?" He smiled. "Almost. Thank you very much for your help, Marianne." "No problem. Remember to let me know if there is any progress." "Of course. What's the news from Taravitz?" "I haven't heard anything and haven't found Candice, sorry." "Thank you very much." "goodbye." Kurt was standing by the door.He had taken off his white robe and gloves, and his hands smelled of soap. "There's not much I can do until my assistant arrives." He glanced at his watch. "Do you want to have breakfast?" "You've got to be sympathetic to our difficulties, John. The media will be watching us. I can imagine two or three journalists who would do anything to make you miserable." Chief Superintendent Watson sat behind his desk, hands clasped, as comfortable as a stone Buddha.John Rebus's occasional troubles had given Farmer a habit of being calm and accepting. "Are you going to suspend me?" Rebus said quite confidently—this was not the first time—he had finished the coffee his boss poured him, but still held the coffee cup with both hands, "and you We are ready to investigate this.” "Not in that hurry." Watson's words startled him. "First I want your own statement—I mean, your recent behavior and your interest in Mr. Matsumoto and Thomas Telford. A full, frank explanation, including any thoughts, any doubts you may have about your daughter's accident - and most importantly, the validity of those doubts. Telford has sent a lawyer to ask us about the The thorny issue of the untimely death of a Japanese friend. The lawyer..." Watson looked at Jill Templer, who was sitting by the door, biting her lip, showing disapproval. "Charles Glore," she said flatly. "Glore, that's right. He's in the casino asking. He's got a physical description of a person who followed Matsumoto to the casino and then left. He seems to think that's you." "Did you tell him it wasn't me?" Rebus asked. "We haven't said anything to him, not until our interrogation is over. But I can't put it off indefinitely, John." "Have you ever asked Matsumoto what Motoichi does?" "He worked for a management consulting firm. He came here at the request of a client to complete the acquisition of a country club." "With Tommy Telford." "John, let's not rashly..." "Matsumoto is a member of a violent group, sir. I've only seen this kind of people on TV before, but now, they suddenly appeared in Edinburgh." Rebus paused, "You don't think this is a little bit Weird? I mean, doesn't that bother you in the slightest? I don't know, maybe I got the point completely wrong, but it seems to me that we're still messing with the little mud puddles, and we don't care that the tide is coming !" He put more and more force on the coffee cup with both hands, and finally crushed the cup.While dodging, a fragment fell to the ground.Rebus took out a piece of broken ceramics from his palm, and the blood dripped onto the carpet.Jill Templer leaned forward to take his hand. "Don't move, I'll come." He jerked away from her. "No!" The voice was too loud.He took a handkerchief from his pocket. "I have tissues in my bag." "It's okay." Blood dripped onto his shoe.Watson seemed to be whispering that there had been a crack in the cup, and Templer looked at him intently.He wrapped the wound with a white cotton handkerchief. "I'll wash...," he said, "with your permission, sir?" "Go ahead, John. Are you sure you're all right?" "I'll be fine." The wound is not deep, and it will be much better if you rinse it with cold water.He dried his hands with a tissue, threw the tissue down the toilet, watched it flush, then found an emergency first aid kit and sealed the wound securely with six Band-Aids.He squeezed his fist and tried it, but there was no trace of bleeding.good enough. Back at his desk, he began working on his memoir—at Watson's request.Jill Templer walked by him, thinking she needed a few words of reassurance. "None of us thought you did it, John. But when it comes to this kind of thing...the Japanese consul also came to ask...we must strictly follow the procedure." "It's all politics after all, isn't it?" He thought of Joseph Linz. When lunchtime came he called on Ned Farlow and asked if he needed anything.Farlow wanted sandwiches, books, newspapers, company.He looked haggard, worn out from prison time.Maybe soon he'll ask for a lawyer.Any lawyer can get him out. Rebus gave his report to Watson's secretary and left the station.He had just gone fifty yards when a car pulled over to the side of the road.land rover.Pretty Boy let him into the car, and Rebus looked in the back of the car. Telford.The bruised face was covered with ointment, and it looked like a small Taravitz... Rebus hesitated for a moment, the police station was not far away. "Get in the car." Liangzi repeated.Rebus couldn't refuse a free offer, so he got into the car. Pretty boy turned the car around.There was a huge yellow teddy bear strapped to the passenger seat. "I reckon," said Rebus, "it's no use telling you not to trouble Ned Farrow." Telford's mind was on other things. "He wants to go to war, and we'll do what he wants." "Who?" "Your boss." "I don't work for Cafferty." "Stop it." "I locked him in." "Since then, you haven't hugged his thigh less." "I didn't kill Matsumoto." The first time Telford looked up at him, Rebus could sense that the man was stirring with violent thoughts. "You know very well that I didn't do it," Rebus continued. "What do you mean?" "Because you did it, and you wanted me to..." Telford reached out and grabbed Rebus by the neck.Rebus broke free and tried to push Telford under him, but the car was still moving and there was no way he could do that, with both of them stuck in the backseat.Pretty Boy parked the car, got out, opened the door on Rebus's side, and dragged him out onto the sidewalk.Telford followed, his face flushed, his eyes bulging out of their sockets. "Don't you try to blame me for this!" he yelled.The surrounding cars all slowed down to watch.Pedestrians took refuge across the road. "Who else?" Rebus' voice was unsteady. "Cafferty!" growled Telford. "It's you and Cafferty trying to break my way!" "I told you, I didn't do it." "Boss," Pretty said, "let's get out of here first, shall we?" He looked around, nervous at the attention they'd drawn.Telford understood what he meant, and his tensed shoulders relaxed a little. "Get in," he said to Rebus, who just stared at him. "It's all right, let's get in the car. I want you to see a few things." Rebus, the craziest cop in the world, got in the car. There was silence in the car for two to three minutes.With his fingers, Telford adjusted the gauze that had been loosened by the jostling. "I don't think Cafferty wants to go to war," Rebus said. "Why are you so sure?" Because I have an agreement with him - I am the one responsible for breaking your way.They went all the way west.Rebus tried not to think about possible destinations. "You've been in the army before, haven't you?" Telford asked. Rebus nodded. "First the paratroopers, then the Royal Special Air Service." "I didn't finish training." Reb thought: He was very well informed. "So you decided to become a policeman." Telford had completely calmed down.He dusted off his suit and straightened his tie knot. "The thing is, working in a system like this—the army, the police—you have to obey orders. I hear you're not very good at it. If it was me, You won't be long." He looked out the window, "What's Cafferty's plan?" "I have no idea." "Why are you following Matsumoto?" "Because he is related to you." "The Serious Crime Squad has withdrawn the surveillance." Rebus did not respond. "But you still refuse to give up." Telford turned to look at him, "Why?" "Because you tried to kill my daughter." Telford looked at him without blinking. "For this matter?" "That's why Ned Farrow tried to blind you. He's her boyfriend." Telford coughed out a laugh of disbelief and shook his head. "I had nothing to do with your daughter. Why would I?" "To get back at me. For helping me with Candace." Telford made a thoughtful look. "So that's the case." He nodded and said, "I can understand your thoughts. You may not believe what I said, but I still have to say that I really don't know anything about your daughter." He paused.Rebus could hear police cars passing nearby with their sirens on. "That's why you went to Cafferty?" Rebus didn't answer, which seemed to Telford to be an admission.He smiled again. "Stop," Telford said.Liangzai pulled the car over to the side of the road.The road ahead was blocked and police were moving vehicles onto side roads.Only then did Rebus realize that he had been smelling smoke for a while.It was blocked by buildings before, so now he can see the flames.The fire broke out in the same block as Cafferty's taxi shop, and the simple house that was originally used as an office has been completely reduced to ashes.At the back is a garage for repairing and washing taxis, with a corrugated roof that is almost burnt out.A row of cars burns unhurriedly. "We can actually sell tickets." Liangzi said.Telford turned his gaze to Rebus. "The fire brigade is going to be overwhelmed. There are two other Cafferty's offices burning right now..." He checked his watch. "It's now, and his beautiful villa. Don't worry, we'll wait He did it after his wife went shopping. An ultimatum has been sent to his men—they can choose to get out of here, or die." He shrugged. "It doesn't make a difference to me. Go tell Cafferty: He's finished in Edinburgh." Rebus licked his lips: "You just said that I misread you, that you have nothing to do with my daughter. What if you also misread Cafferty?" "Wake up, okay? The attack outside Megan's bar, followed by Danny Simpson...Cafferty can't even talk about concealment." "Danny said Cafferty's men did it?" "He knows it himself, and I know it." Telford patted the handsome boy on the shoulder, "Go back to the headquarters." He said to Rebus, "There is another small message for you to take to Ballini. Cafferty and I This is what the subordinates said: Those who did not leave the local area before midnight today are all our targets... and I will not keep any prisoners." He sniffed and sat back comfortably in his seat, looking very satisfied, "You don't mind if I drop you off on Flynn Street? I have a meeting in fifteen minutes, sorry." "A meeting with Matsumoto's boss?" "If they want Bodingham, they'll still trade with me." He looked at Rebus. "You should trade with me too. Think about it: who would want you to turn against me? After all, only Carver Dee; the attack on your daughter, the ambush of Matsumoto . After two or three minutes of silence, Rebus spoke. "Do you know a man named Joseph Linz?" "Bobby Hogan mentioned him." "He called your office on Flynn Street." Telford shrugged. "I'll tell you what I told Hogan. He may have dialed the wrong number. Whatever the case, I haven't spoken to any old Nazi." "Of course, you're not the only one who can use that office." Rebus saw Pretty Boy sizing him up in the rearview mirror, "What about you?" "Never heard of the old thing." A car was parked on Flynn Street—a long, white limousine with opaque windows, a satellite TV antenna in the trunk, and pink fenders. "My God." Telford couldn't help laughing. "Look at his new toy." He seemed to have completely forgotten the existence of Rubus.He got out of the car and strode up to the man who was getting out of the back of the limo.White suits, Panama hats, fat cigars, bright red spiral pattern shirts.But none of that stops your gaze from condensing on that scarred face in blue sunglasses.Telford commented loudly on the outfit, the car, and the bravado, and Mr. Redeye enjoyed his comments.He put a hand on Telford's shoulder and led him to the arcade, but stopped suddenly, walked back to the car, and held out a hand. A young woman got out of the car.She was wearing a black skirt, black tights, and a fur jacket to keep out the cold.Taravitz stroked her back, and Telford kissed the side of her neck lightly.She smiled, eyes slightly glazed.Then both Taravitz and Telford turned to the Rover, watching Rebus together. "The trip's over, Inspector," said Pretty Boy, suggesting that it was time for Rebus to get out of the car.He got out of the car, keeping his eyes on Candace, but she wasn't looking at him.She nestled into Mr. Red-Eyed's arms, her head resting on his chest.He was still stroking her back, and her skirt rose and fell with the movement of his hands.He looked at Rebus, his eyes bright, and a stiff smile pulled across his face.Rebus walked up to them, and Candace finally looked at him, terrified. "Inspector," Taravitz said, "good to see you again. Take Button to safety?" Rebus ignored him. "Follow me, Candace." His hands were trembling slightly, but he reached out to her anyway. She looked at him and shook her head. "Why would I do that?" she said, and Taravitz rewarded her with a kiss. "You've been kidnapped. You can file a complaint." Taravitz laughed out loud and led her to the café. "Candice." Rebus reached for her arm, but she waved his hand away and followed her Master inside. Two of Telford's men blocked the door, and Pretty stood behind Rebus. "It's not easy for a hero to save the beauty." He said, brushing past Rebus. Back at St. Leonard's Police Station, Rebus delivered Fallow his food and newspaper, and then took the patrol car to Toficon.The man he was looking for was Inspector Davidson, nicknamed "Shag."He was sitting in the office of the criminal investigation team with a tired look on his face. "Someone set fire to a taxi shop," he told Rebus. "Do you know who it is?" Davidson narrowed his eyes. "The owner of the garage is Jock Scalo. Are you trying to hint at me?" "Who the hell is behind that place, Shug?" "You know it very well." "So, who's harassing Cafferty's business?" "I've heard some rumors." Rebus sat back on Davidson's desk. "Tommy Telford is ready for war unless we can stop him." "'us'?" "I want you to take me somewhere," Rebus said. "Shug" Davidson was happily married to a caring wife, though the children didn't see him very often.A year ago, he won £40,000 on a Lotto ticket.He bought everyone in the bureau a drink, and saved the rest of the money. Rebus had worked with him before.He's not a bad cop, maybe a little imaginative.They had to take a detour to get closer to the scene of the fire.He had barely driven a mile and a half before Rebus stopped him. "What's the matter?" Davidson asked. "That's what I want to tell you." Rebus looked at the brick house in front of him, the one that interested Tommy Telford very much. "This is McKinlin." "What does Mackenlin do?" Davidson laughed. "You really don't know?" He opened the car door, "Come on, I'll show you." When entering the main gate they have to show their ID for inspection.Rebus noticed that there were many security measures here. Although it was very hidden, cameras were installed in every corner of the building, capturing people approaching the building from every angle.There was a phone call from the security guard at the door, and a man in a white coat came downstairs, signed and led them in.They pinned the visitor's badge on their jackets, and the tour officially began. “I’ve been here before,” Davidson confided. “If I had to say, I think this place is best kept a secret in this city.” They climbed the stairs and walked down the corridor.Security was in place everywhere: badge-checking guards, locked doors, cameras recording their every move, etc.This made Rebus very puzzled. The place looked so ordinary, and it didn't feel like anything exciting was happening. "What's this place? Fort Knox?" he asked.But then Rebus understood when the guide made them put on white robes and pushed open a door leading to the laboratory. People in the laboratory are working with various chemicals, testing test tubes, and taking notes.The room is filled with all sorts of weird and advanced machines, but it's essentially an updated school chemistry lab. "Welcome to the largest drug factory in the world," Davidson said. That's not entirely true, because McKinlin is only the world's largest legal producer of heroin and cocaine—at least that's what the tour guide said. "We are authorized by the government. An international treaty signed in 1961 stipulates that each country is allowed to have one drug manufacturer, and the British manufacturer is us." "What do you produce here?" Rebus asked, looking at the rows of locked refrigerators. “There’s everything. Methadone for heroin addiction, pethidine for pain relief when women have babies, diacetylmorphine for pain relief for terminally ill patients, and cocaine for medical procedures. Our company dates back to the Victorian era began to produce laudanum." "What now?" "Now we produce about seventy tons of opiates a year," said the guide, "and about twenty million pounds worth of pure cocaine." Rebus rubbed his forehead. "I'm starting to understand now the need for security measures." The tour guide smiled: "The Ministry of Defense will always ask us for advice—our security measures are just that good." "There was no burglary?" "There were two or three attempted break-ins, but nothing happened that we couldn't fix." Not really, Reb thought, but that's because you haven't run into Tommy Telford and the Jap gang...not yet. Rebus looked around the laboratory, nodded and smiled at a lady who stood there seemingly doing nothing. "Who is she?" he asked the guide. "Our nurse. She's on duty." "for what?" The guide nodded to a man who was operating a machine. "Etorphine," he said, "forty thousand pounds a kilo, very strong. The nurse has an antidote just in case." "What's the use of this etorphine?" "It can make the rhino fall asleep." The tour guide said, with an air of "you don't know this". Cocaine is distilled from the leaves of the cacao tree, which is native to Peru, and opium comes from Tasmania and the Great Plains of Australia.Pure heroin and cocaine are stored in vaults, with locked safes installed in each laboratory, and infrared detectors and motion sensors installed in storage warehouses.Five minutes into McKinlin and it became clear to Rebus why Tommy Telford was interested in the place.And he had brought the gang in either because he needed their help - which was unlikely - or because he wanted to show off his greatness in front of them. Back in the car, Davidson asked the obvious question. "What the hell is going on, John?" Rebus pinched the bridge of his nose. "I think Telford is planning to sack the place." Davidson snorted. "He's not going to get it. You just said it yourself. This is fucking Fort Knox." "This is a chance to make a name for yourself, Shug. If he can clear this place, he'll make a name for himself. He can beat Cafferty for good." The same goes for the arson attacks: not just to Cafferty delivered a message and was more of a red carpet for Mr Red Eye - welcome to Edinburgh and see what I can do. "I told you," Davidson said, "it's impossible to get in. God, it's cheap!" Davidson's attention was already attracted by the posters in the roadside shops.Rebus also looked over.Cigarette deals, discounted sandwiches and warm rolls.Plus, any breakfast is fivepence cheaper than outside. "There must be a lot of competition in this place," Davidson said. "Would you like some rolls?" Rebus watched the workers come out of McKinlin's gates - presumably during the afternoon break - as they crossed the road, dodged traffic, pulled change from their pockets, and pushed open the store door. "Okay," said Rebus quietly, "why not?" The shop is full of people.Davidson joined the line, while Rebus flipped through newspapers and magazines.The workers were gagging and chatting casually.There are two people working behind the cash register, both young men, joking with the workers, and their work efficiency is fairly average. "What would you like, John? Bacon?" "Okay." Rebus said, remembering that he hadn't had lunch yet, "Two." Two bacon rolls were exactly a pound.They sat in the car and ate. "You know, Shug, the general trick of this kind of small store is to reduce the price of one or two important items to attract customers." Davidson nodded as he ate. "But this store looks like an outlet." Rebus suddenly stopped chewing, "Why don't we do ourselves a favor: check the history of this store, who is the owner, and who are the two people behind the counter." Davidson's chewing speed also slowed down. "Are you thinking..." "Go check it out first, okay?"