THE GIRL IN THE WINDOW (The Inspector Samuel Tay Novels Book 4) by Jake Needham Page B
Authors: Jake Needham
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she’s there for a smoke like that old woman we saw before.”
Old woman? Tay lowered the glasses and looked at the back of Kang’s head. He thought about telling Kang the old woman was only about ten years older than he was, but he knew he would sound ridiculous saying that so he didn’t.
“What do you think, sir? It’s her, isn’t it?”
Tay swallowed his annoyance and went back to studying the woman.
Was it the same woman ISD identified as Suparman’s sister? He wasn’t sure.
Sergeant Lee came over to have a look and Tay handed her the glasses. “What do you think?” he asked.
Lee studied the woman. “She looks better than she does in the photographs,” Lee said. “But I think Sergeant Kang is right. It’s her.”
“At least we know now that she’s really here, sir,” Kang said. “Do you want me to put it on the radio?”
“Not yet,” Tay said. “Let’s see what she does.”
The woman hadn’t taken out a cigarette so she hadn’t come outside for a smoke. Besides, she was a guest at the hotel, not an employee, and in four hours of watching they hadn’t seen a single guest use the emergency exit for any reason. What was this woman doing? She was just standing there looking up and down the alleyway.
Like she was waiting for someone.
Tay took the glasses back from Lee and trained them on the woman. She was wearing a light gray golf shirt, long black shorts which came to the center of her knee, and white athletic shoes. In her left hand she held a straw purse large enough to park a Volkswagen. She looked a little heavier than in photographs ISD gave them. Her skin was more sun-browned, and she even appeared a little younger. The longer Tay studied the woman, the more it seemed to him something here was not right.
Goh told them Suparman was slipping into Singapore to visit his sister because she was dying from cancer. Tay knew he ought to be cautious about offering a medical diagnosis from fifty yards away after watching the woman through field glasses for a few minutes, but there simply was no doubt in his mind.
This woman leaning against the wall outside the emergency exit wasn’t dying from cancer or from anything else. At least not anytime soon. From what Tay could see, he was willing to bet she would outlive him.
Tay handed the glasses to Lee.
“Does she look sick to you?” he asked.
Lee studied the woman again and Tay waited, curious as to what she thought.
“I don’t know, sir. She looks okay to me, but what do I know?”
Kang glanced back over his shoulder at Tay. “Why would they lie to us about that, sir?”
“Because it’s what they do.”
Kang looked puzzled. He didn’t understand exactly what Tay meant by that. Tay didn’t blame him. He wasn’t absolutely sure what he meant either.
“What do you want to do, sir?” Kang asked.
“We are supposed to be watching for Suparman, not for her, so I suppose we do nothing.”
“Maybe she came outside to wait for Suparman.”
Tay nodded. That was exactly what he was thinking.
For a long while after that nothing at all happened. Tay, Kang, and Lee passed the glasses back and forth and watched the woman, but she only leaned against the wall next to the door, glancing up and down the alleyway.
The sun had reappeared and the alley was again filled with swirling hordes of people, which meant they occasionally lost sight of the woman. Singapore was usually a quiet, uncrowded city, except in tourist areas like Chinatown. Tay had observed that western tourists in particular had a way of walking that commandeered a lot of space in a crowd. He didn’t know why that was, but it was clearly true.
“She’s talking to someone, sir.”
Tay took the glasses from Kang. The woman was still leaning against the wall next to the door, but now a man was standing directly in front of her. They looked as if they were carrying on a conversation.
“Where did he come from?”
“I’m not sure, sir. Just out of the
Old woman? Tay lowered the glasses and looked at the back of Kang’s head. He thought about telling Kang the old woman was only about ten years older than he was, but he knew he would sound ridiculous saying that so he didn’t.
“What do you think, sir? It’s her, isn’t it?”
Tay swallowed his annoyance and went back to studying the woman.
Was it the same woman ISD identified as Suparman’s sister? He wasn’t sure.
Sergeant Lee came over to have a look and Tay handed her the glasses. “What do you think?” he asked.
Lee studied the woman. “She looks better than she does in the photographs,” Lee said. “But I think Sergeant Kang is right. It’s her.”
“At least we know now that she’s really here, sir,” Kang said. “Do you want me to put it on the radio?”
“Not yet,” Tay said. “Let’s see what she does.”
The woman hadn’t taken out a cigarette so she hadn’t come outside for a smoke. Besides, she was a guest at the hotel, not an employee, and in four hours of watching they hadn’t seen a single guest use the emergency exit for any reason. What was this woman doing? She was just standing there looking up and down the alleyway.
Like she was waiting for someone.
Tay took the glasses back from Lee and trained them on the woman. She was wearing a light gray golf shirt, long black shorts which came to the center of her knee, and white athletic shoes. In her left hand she held a straw purse large enough to park a Volkswagen. She looked a little heavier than in photographs ISD gave them. Her skin was more sun-browned, and she even appeared a little younger. The longer Tay studied the woman, the more it seemed to him something here was not right.
Goh told them Suparman was slipping into Singapore to visit his sister because she was dying from cancer. Tay knew he ought to be cautious about offering a medical diagnosis from fifty yards away after watching the woman through field glasses for a few minutes, but there simply was no doubt in his mind.
This woman leaning against the wall outside the emergency exit wasn’t dying from cancer or from anything else. At least not anytime soon. From what Tay could see, he was willing to bet she would outlive him.
Tay handed the glasses to Lee.
“Does she look sick to you?” he asked.
Lee studied the woman again and Tay waited, curious as to what she thought.
“I don’t know, sir. She looks okay to me, but what do I know?”
Kang glanced back over his shoulder at Tay. “Why would they lie to us about that, sir?”
“Because it’s what they do.”
Kang looked puzzled. He didn’t understand exactly what Tay meant by that. Tay didn’t blame him. He wasn’t absolutely sure what he meant either.
“What do you want to do, sir?” Kang asked.
“We are supposed to be watching for Suparman, not for her, so I suppose we do nothing.”
“Maybe she came outside to wait for Suparman.”
Tay nodded. That was exactly what he was thinking.
For a long while after that nothing at all happened. Tay, Kang, and Lee passed the glasses back and forth and watched the woman, but she only leaned against the wall next to the door, glancing up and down the alleyway.
The sun had reappeared and the alley was again filled with swirling hordes of people, which meant they occasionally lost sight of the woman. Singapore was usually a quiet, uncrowded city, except in tourist areas like Chinatown. Tay had observed that western tourists in particular had a way of walking that commandeered a lot of space in a crowd. He didn’t know why that was, but it was clearly true.
“She’s talking to someone, sir.”
Tay took the glasses from Kang. The woman was still leaning against the wall next to the door, but now a man was standing directly in front of her. They looked as if they were carrying on a conversation.
“Where did he come from?”
“I’m not sure, sir. Just out of the
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