Darkness and Destiny: A Guardian Story

Chapter Twenty: The Night Patrol

Shen Wei took a sip of tea and tore his gaze away from the window, where the late afternoon sunlight was streaming in.  It would be a waste of the weekend if he spent all day staring into space.  Moving into the kitchen, he started putting away the dishes he had washed and dried from the previous night.

Guo Changcheng had dropped him at home just after three in the morning, as Zhao Yunlan was busy giving his own statement about what had happened in the park.  He had not waited to say goodbye, just accepted the offer of a ride as soon as it was given.  He had a lot to think about, and he did not want to see the police chief again before he had figured things out in his mind.  Unfortunately, it was taking a lot longer than expected.

He understood why someone like Yunlan would be drawn to Black Robe.  The element of mystery, and the excitement of taking on the mafia together.  But why, then, had he kissed Shen Wei?  Was he just a natural flirt who toyed with people's emotions without even realising it?  No.  The man he knew would never be so callous.  Perhaps the detective was transferring his feelings for Black Robe onto Shen Wei because somewhere, in the back of his mind, he subconsciously recognised the similarities between the two men?  Yes, that had to be it.

Shen Wei jumped when his new phone rang.  It was not Zhao Yunlan, but it was a police headquarters number.

"Professor Shen?  It's Superintendent Wu.  The Dragon City Chronicle have been in touch and they want to do an in-depth feature on the arrest and confession.  Can you give them some information tomorrow about the connection to the killer fifteen years ago?  You don't have to talk about what happened yesterday.  Just the copycat angle."

"I don't know.  I don't really like giving interviews to the press."

"I understand.  Neither do I.  But you're the best person to talk about this aspect of the case.  We'll handle the rest.  You don't need to come down to the station, either.  The reporter can come to you if you're happy for us to give them your address."

Shen Wei thought for a moment.  He did not usually like giving out his personal information, but it was the same newspaper that Chu Shuzhi worked for, and he knew they were very professional.  Also, it would be better if he did not have to go to police headquarters.  He was still not ready to see Zhao Yunlan again.

"That's fine," he said, "but I'm not free until five o'clock."

After speaking with Superintendent Wu, Shen Wei went into his bedroom and started rummaging through the closet.  It was time for Black Robe to make another appearance.  Word was that the Snakeheads were having an initiation night for new gang recruits, and these things always ended up messy.  Breaking and entering, muggings, street brawls, you name it.  The police were going to need all the help they could get.

***

Zhao Yunlan checked that his gun was firmly holstered, shrugged on a leather jacket, and brushed his hair out of his face with his fingers.  Patrolling the streets was not exactly in his job description, but it was all hands on deck on nights like this, and it wasn't like he had any other plans.

He had volunteered to join a team covering the district just south west of the city centre.  It wasn't that far from his place, and it was an area well known for hosting a number of gang against gang fights in the alleyways that separated some of the oldest warehouses in the city.  With any luck, though, it would be a relatively quiet evening.  As far as he knew, the Snakeheads were still smarting from the arrests made on the night he had first met Black Robe.  With that thought, he walked out of his apartment building and set off on foot down the dimly lit street.

Thirty minutes later, Zhao Yunlan made contact with the other officers assigned to that area.  He did not know any of them so, as they made up an odd number, he was happy to put himself forward to walk the streets on his own, rather than as part of a pair.  In truth, working alone had always been his preference unless he was with someone he completely trusted, even though he would never allow any single member of his team to do the same.