Half the World Away - страница 42

‘What about the English school?’ I say. ‘Five Star. Why didn’t they report her missing, if she suddenly wasn’t turning up for work?’

Peter Dunne relays the question. There’s a long reply from Superintendent Yin. Then Peter Dunne says something else, gesturing to Tom and me. The language is full of vowels, with sh-shing and ch-ching consonants, the pitch swooping up and down. The two men go back and forth and I try to work out the meaning from their body language. Superintendent Yin looks solemn, a little blank, even, as if he is the reluctant partner in the conversation. Peter Dunne is leaning forward, exerting pressure, perhaps. At last he sits back, places his palms together on the table. ‘So,’ he says, then turns to look our way, ‘here’s the thing…’ That phrase sounds odd coming from him, one of those picked up from American TV that has now gone global. We need to talk. Back in the day.

‘… Five Star English is not actually a registered school or an official agency.’

‘What?’ Tom says.

‘It’s a shell, a front for making money by getting visas for international workers in return for a fee,’ Peter Dunne says.

Tom groans. ‘So they don’t exist, Five Star?’

‘No.’

‘And Lori?’ I say. ‘Does that mean she was working illegally?’

He hesitates, rubs his head with one finger. ‘Freelance work is not permitted in China. International workers are expected to be employed – if they lose their job the right to remain, to temporary residency, also goes. The type of work Lori was doing, taking on clients herself, making arrangements directly with them, it’s all part of the black economy.’

I wonder how she paid for the visa – out of her first wages? Or did she use some of the money Tom sent? Did she understand it was illegal?

‘Have they spoken to whoever sold her this visa?’ Tom says.

There is more to-ing and fro-ing between Peter Dunne and the policeman. Superintendent Yin’s replies are getting terser. He must be pissed off at the situation.

‘It is in hand,’ Peter Dunne says eventually.

‘Which means nothing,’ Tom says.

‘Exactly,’ says Peter Dunne, ‘but I don’t think we’ll get very far pursuing this at present.’

‘Could her disappearance have something to do with this – this dodgy visa?’ Tom says.

Superintendent Yin thinks this is very unlikely.

The policeman speaks again. Peter Dunne nods in agreement. ‘Every year,’ he explains to us, ‘the police do a sweep of the bars and clubs that are popular with ex-pats, checking that people have the correct visa and are registered with the police. Some people just stay on after their tourist visa or their last work visa expires.’

The policeman speaks again.

‘Yes, it is a big problem,’ Peter Dunne says.

He says something else in Chinese and Superintendent Yin resumes his report. ‘Enquiries continue and the last communication from Miss Maddox was on Monday, the seventh of April…’

Monday. Not Friday when she went to the party. But two days later.

‘… at… twenty past ten in the morning. When she texted a message to…’

Superintendent Yin swings his report round and Peter Dunne examines the entry. They swap words for a bit and then Peter Dunne says, ‘Shona Munro.’

‘Shona, yes,’ I say. One of the friends, Lori mentioned her on the blog and in an email, Shona makes jewellery out of waste material.

‘An invitation from Lorelei to meet on the Tuesday or Wednesday.’

Superintendent Yin speaks. Peter Dunne listens, then says, ‘Shona replied on the Monday afternoon but heard nothing back from Lorelei.’

More from Superintendent Yin, and Peter Dunne says, ‘The text message cannot be verified.’

‘What does he mean?’ I say.

‘The message was sent from Lorelei’s phone but they cannot be sure that Lorelei sent it.’

My skin goes cold. I shiver in the stuffy room.

Peter Dunne nods to Superintendent Yin and listens to what he says, then tells us, ‘Lorelei was last seen in Chengdu on the Sunday evening, the sixth of April, when she taught one of her students at his home. The class finished at seven p.m.’

‘Who was the student?’ Tom says. ‘What did they say?’

We wait for the translation. ‘There was nothing unusual about the lesson and nothing out of the ordinary, as far as Lorelei’s demeanour or behaviour went. She said she would be there the following week. This is officially the last confirmed sighting of her – Sunday, the sixth of April.’