Page 32 of The Girl with a Thousand Faces
Nothing. No sound from within. Not even breathing, or the rustle of a sleeping body stirring. Mercy was still wondering whether to wait or go in or come back, when she caught the slap of footsteps as someone approached from the other end of the curved hallway. Any second and they’d come round, see her there; it would be difficult to explain why she was here, or who she was.
Damn.She mouthed it under her breath, not daring to say it aloud.
Before she could second-guess herself, Mercy swiftly opened the empty liquor cabinet and folded her frame inside, pulling it shut with her nails just as Cobra Lily came striding down the corridor.
11BASIN SISTER
August 21, 1975
Later on, Mercy could not say for sure why she remained hidden.
Her boss was unarmed and alone; this could have been the perfect time to confront the other woman and explain what she was doing. They had years of rapport, and were ultimately seeking the same goal—the salvation of Kowloon’s community. In all likelihood, Cobra Lily was here for the same reasons as Mercy: to snoop around, and find something they could use against the councilwoman.
At the very least, it would have been far more sensible than stuffing herself into a liquor cabinet and not coming out. Only extremely suspect people hid themselves in furniture without a good explanation, and she had none. If Cobra Lily caught her, the whole conversation would get off to a very wrong start.
Even so, some primitive instinct kept Mercy frozen inside the cabinet. She peered through the wooden latticework which covered the doors, holding her breath and taking care not to move.
Cobra Lily drew closer. She was dressed in a black formfitting suit cut in the modern style, with a red collar and red trim on the sleeves. It was elegant, but in that dilapidated flat, she looked startlingly out of place.
For a split second, Mercy thought the triad queen had seen her and was going to fling open the cabinet, because her gaze appeared to be stabbing straight through the latticework. Mercy’s throat grew tight, fist closing around her knife preemptively. Then Cobra Lily, with casual absent-mindedness, turned toward the mysterious room instead.
She took out a key, twisted it twice in the lock, and stepped inside. Mercy caught a brief glimpse of a lush interior, draped in finery and exotic furniture from other countries, and then the door fell shut behind her.
Moments later, a soft clunking noise echoed from within, as if a heavy drawer had been closed with too much force.
A slow flush crept into Mercy’s face.
She was an idiot, three times over. Cobra Lily was likely here to visit a phoenix sister, for the same usual reasons most people visited such establishments.The triad queen had cash, and was known to prefer women. The Birdcage was discreet and had warm beds. Who was Mercy to judge.
Except… that still didn’t answer the question of why Cobra Lily had turned on Mercy so suddenly, sending men to attack her in the night. Also, it was a deeply strange coincidence that Cobra Lily should turn up in a property owned by her supposed nemesis.
Mercy was still conflicted on what to do about it when the door to Red Bird’s room opened again. Inside the cabinet, knees burning from strain, she stiffened to statue-quiet, once more holding her breath.
And almost choked when a completely different person stepped out.
A young woman strode past in flashy clothes, high heels, and fake jewelry. Very little skin was hidden in that outfit. Mercy didn’t judge any woman’s occupation, but she simply hadn’t expected this stranger to come sauntering out of the same room Cobra Lily had entered.
The mysterious girl clacked down the hallway in her heels and left through the front door, shutting it firmly behind her. The key turned, and silence followed.
Mercy waited, dumbfounded, until the echoing footsteps were gone.
The woman who’d left was Red Bird, presumably. Cobra Lily had gone in to see her, so she must still be in there. But what was she doing on her own, in a phoenix sister’s room?
Curiosity and lingering anger made Mercy reckless. She pushed open the cabinet with the heel of her hand, crept out, and listened at Red Bird’s door. Nothing; still and silent as before. She put her eye to the keyhole.
Empty. There was nobody in there, unless for some insane reason Cobra Lily had chosen to hide under the bed. Where the fuck had the triad queen gone?
Mercy sat back on her heels, frowning. One person had entered. One person had left. The only problem was they were different people.
Suddenly, getting inside felt like the most important thing in the world.
Quiet as a mouse, she took her knife and slid it through the gap to lift the latch.
Red Bird’s room was much the same as when Mercy had briefly glimpsed it through the keyhole: lushly appointed, all corners and hard surfaces softened with swathes of different fabric, drapes, and little touches. The bed took up most of the space, elaborate and carved. There was no space underneath; it was solid all the way to the floor. An open wardrobe rested against one wall, expensive clothes hanging in a neat row. A dresser table was nestled on the far wall, a basin of water resting atop its surface.
The decor was extravagant, especially compared to the rest of the flat. Some of the things in here could not easily have been bought on a phoenix sister’s salary.
It was also empty of people. No question. If anyone had been hiding in here… well, there was no place to hide. She turned in a circle, frowning at the dresser, the wardrobe, the solid bed. A small stack of books, slowly gathering dust: Chinese philosophy from various historical periods, and a well-thumbed copy of collected Song dynasty poetry.
