CHAPTER FIVE

 

 

The next morning, Dan was woken by three sharp knocks on the door. He had never been one for lying in his bed, but lately, working shifts and drinking hard, he had taken to it readily.

Just when he thought he may have been mistaken, there were three more knocks; lighter this time, followed by the quiet voice of his neighbour.

"Hello, Dan. It is Rou. You told me to call this morning?"

His body protested as he swung his legs out of bed and checked his watch. It was nine thirty, a point in the day he had rarely witnessed these last few months. His head throbbed and his mouth felt dry and sticky. A wave of nausea swept over him and he quickly lay back down when his stomach lurched and vomit entered his mouth. He swallowed it down.

After his act of charity on the doorstep the night before, and obviously still tipsy from drinking hard for hours beforehand, Dan had been pleased with himself. So pleased in fact, that he finished the bottle of whiskey in his kitchen, just for completeness sake; drawing a line under his alcohol abuse once and for all. He struggled to remember what Rou had told him; something to do with powder and a wedding ring, but it didn't really matter.

No sooner had he agreed to help her, than Michael had texted back with details of his flight. He would be arriving in Belfast at mid-day. Dan had arranged to meet him at his favourite coffee shop, not far from the airport and, as if it was meant to be, just across the street from the place Rou needed to go to.

He heard faint footsteps walk away from his door and sighed to himself. Whatever it had been, Dan had made Rou a promise of help - he remembered that much. Why on earth she would want the help of a drunk, he didn't know, but he was glad that someone needed him and excited that he would see his best friend so soon.

Tenderly, Dan sat up, gathered his clothes from the floor where he had thrown them the night before and headed for the bathroom. He splashed water onto his face and looked at himself in the mirror. It wasn't a pretty sight, he conceded, and reached for a comb to straighten his long unruly brown hair. Then he brushed his teeth, gagging now and then on the strong minty taste of the toothpaste. He decided against a shave. The thought of the slow and delicate process, hindered by his shaky detoxing hands, putting him off immediately.

He dressed, cleaned up his apartment as best as he could, which mostly meant getting rid of the empty whiskey bottles and take-away food wrappers, and made his way over to Rou's. He wrapped on the door and fixed a smile onto his face. Something that it hadn't experienced in a long time.

 

Forty minutes later, Dan and Rou had walked most of their journey in silence. This was mainly due to the biting northerly winds which keep their coats pulled tight around their faces, and the fact that Dan was still feeling nauseous from his previous evenings binge. They took shelter from a heavy downpour underneath an archway between two small shops on the Lisburn Road in the south of Belfast city and Dan took the opportunity to quiz her more thoroughly on their errand.

"So, Rou, to be honest I didn't get the main gist of what the problem was last night, I was a wee bit worse for wear. Sorry about that. Give it to me from the beginning again, before we get there."

Rou, her bruised face and badly scarred head hidden since she stepped out of her apartment, pulled down her hood before she spoke. Dan was startled at the extent of her injuries. The cut had been cleaned, but traces of blood still oozed from the scarring beneath a stained white bandage and stuck to her long black hair. Her eye had swollen shut and the bruising puffed her skin out in shades of black and red. He winced at the sight of her, instantly regretting it as she looked away from him and replaced the hood.

"My mother and father came to live with me these last few months. They are elderly and have no-one else to look after them. My father is sick. He lies in bed and my mother tends to him. He tells her that it is only the power of the tiger that keeps him alive. So she spends every penny they have to buy it. They have very little money, so she has begun to sell her belongings. Nothing I say to them will change their minds. They both believe, along with millions of others, that the bones of the tiger, ground down into a powder and added to drinks or food, is magical. They say it gives strength, cures disease and, most importantly for my father, prolongs life. They will not be dissuaded in this belief."

Rou handed him the small bag of white powder she had shown him the night before and continued.

"Laohu's Chinese Medicine Shop sells this powder, along with other items no doubt. In exchange for this bag of powder my mother gave her most prized possession – her wedding ring. My father's condition grows worse and I fear that if he finds out she has done this, it will be the end of him. I would like the ring back, before it's too late."

Dan, head still fuzzy and in dire need of coffee, was confused. Old people were superstitious, Chinese more than most, but why did she need him?

"What's the problem then? Just take this back to the shop and tell them. I'm sure they'll understand. I don't mean to sound callous, but why do you need me?"

"Dan, this is not a legal purchase. This is not like vitamins or tablets you lift from a shelf. This powder is farmed all over Asia, illegally . It is in such high demand that huge sums of money are exchanged for the tiniest amounts. My mother owes hundreds of pounds to these people."

Dan could see desperation and fear creep onto Rou's face as she spoke. He was becoming ever more lost in her story, unable to fathom why anyone would believe the ground down bones of a tiger could help their medical condition, and the concept of a tiger farm was almost impossible to comprehend. On top of it all, an intense headache had begun to build at the back of his head, preventing his full concentration. He let her continue as he rubbed his cold hands over his face.

"They are not pharmacists, Dan! It is the triads who sell this powder. The man in the shop is not triad, I know his family. But he works for them, selling the powder and other things under the counter on their behalf. I just thought if you asked him for my mother's ring he might listen, before it is gone forever."

Dan checked the time. It was almost midday.

"OK. Look, we'll nip into Clements Café for a coffee first, I have to meet a friend there and I don't want to miss him. He can come with us. He'll know what to do."

# # #

On the second day of his work, Aiguo left home with a heavy heart. It had been the incessant pleading of his wife that had eventually chased him out of the house, back down the long winding road to Hangzhou Wildlife Sanctuary.

As he sat now on the steps of his workplace, looking out over the decrepit and rusted iron cages that held the tigers, monkeys, bears and elephants, that so many in the city paid to see, he laughed at how ludicrous it all had become.

Waiting to greet him on his second morning, was a tiger - yet another unfortunate death. Another natural death of course. It was always very unfortunate when the back of a tiger's head collided with a bullet.

Could Aiguo really continue to live with this lie? Butchering these magnificent creatures day in, day out and never questioning the how or why? These weren't cows or sheep! These were one of the world's most beautiful animals, hunted and poached to the edge of extinction! And where did all the tigers come from? Surely not bred at this zoo? To find an answer to his questions and temporarily remove the stench of death from his nostrils, Aiguo took a short stroll around the park in search of the tiger enclosure.

He didn't get far, fighting his way through the increasing swell of spectators, before he heard the calls of his name. He looked around and found the security guard from the day before, waving his arms and happily greeting him like a long lost friend.

"Mr Chang, Mr Chang, I'm so glad to see you! It is the latest delivery. Are you on your way to inspect it? The driver is most rude! However, he is a special friend of Mr Liu and I don't want to offend him. Perhaps you could assist?"

Aiguo had no time to respond before the hapless guard bustled him along to the rear of the park where a large articulated lorry stood waiting behind closed gates. On seeing them, a huge black man climbed down from the driver's seat and approached. He must have been well over six feet tall, with broad shoulders and a bald head. His mouth was spread wide with an infectious smile which sat above a long grey forked beard hanging down from his chin. His deep voice boomed out with laughter as he shook the gates.

"Hurry up you stupid little man! I will have your head on a spike if you keep me one more minute at these gates!"

"I'm so sorry, Mr Selassie! I didn't mean to keep you waiting, but I must seek approval for all deliveries. Mr Liu cannot be found. I have however managed to find the new head of the Medicines Department, Mr Chang. He can ensure everything is correct."

The guard slinked forward and opened the gates, pulling them wide open and leaving Aiguo under the intense scrutiny of the giant. His smile had now disappeared and for an instant Aiguo thought he might turn to leave, but suddenly the man stepped forward and reached out a massive hand in greeting. Aiguo received his grasp and was pulled into a bear-like hug. Laughter rang out in his ear once more.

"I am, Kojo Selassie. Old Liu has told me about you. You're here to inspect my goods then? Very astute indeed, Aiguo Chang!"

Before he could respond, Kojo Selassie put a long muscular arm around his shoulders and steered Aiguo towards the rear of the lorry. He pulled his massive frame up and into the trailer and parted a thin canvas curtain which shielded the contents. Then he held out his hand again for Aiguo and with little effort lifted him into the trailer.

As he worked his way to the front, climbing over various boxes and crates, Kojo beckoned for Aiguo to follow.

"Don't be shy, Mr Chang! Everything of importance must be stored in the hardest to find corners of this container. And I must apologise at the condition of these animals. They are becoming more and more difficult to source. What's left are not exactly of the highest quality!"

He turned to Aiguo with another broad smile, like perhaps he was speaking of some gadget or tool. Some easily replaced item or food source that would soon fall out of favour with the people, who would then move on to something else. Aiguo knew this product would not be so lucky.

On reaching what appeared to be the front of the trailer, Kojo moved to where it met with the side wall, squeezing his long thick fingers into a gap which appeared between them and pulling. To Aiguo's amazement the wall slid sideways with a high pitched squeal, revealing a secret compartment. It was dark inside and he could not see what lay beyond the door, but Aiguo could smell it.

"I'm sorry, but I have had to travel far and wide to source these animals. Although I have tried to keep this area chilled to preserve them, it is very difficult as you can imagine. So I have taken it upon myself to deliver this cargo in person. Something which I am not inclined to do, given the risks involved. I hope you and Mr Liu appreciate the gesture."

He stepped aside and waved Aiguo forward. Behind the partition, which covered the full width of the trailer and a further five metres to the true front wall, lay the bodies of three more tigers. Neatly stacked around them, held in place by netting and wires, were dozens of tusks; some small, some large, some with blood and gore congealed and dried into the thick end where the elephant should have been.

"I have come today with this delivery to talk with Mr Liu. I think we need to renegotiate our arrangement. Tigers are hard to find and prices rise sharply as a result. We need to talk!"