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women,’ Mr Skilbeck said definitively, ‘are stupid bitches.’ He sniffed. ‘It has been my experience, having been married to one for three thousand years, that American women are stupid bitches.’ There was another drink in front of him and he drank it.
    ‘You American from—’
    ‘New Jersey,’ Mr Skilbeck said, ‘I’m from New Jersey. Have you ever been to New Jersey?’
    Apricot Tang Lee shook her head.
    ‘The men from New Jersey,’ Mr Skilbeck said, ‘are very good lovers, but they have the problem of marrying stupid bitches from New Jersey. All the women from New Jersey are stupid bitches who get married to you and are stupid bitches who get married—’ He forgot what he was trying to say. ‘I forgot what I was trying to say.’
    ‘New Jersey man good lover?’
    ‘Right.’
    ‘O.K.’ Apricot said.
    ‘Right,’ Mr Skilbeck said.
    Apricot nodded and flexed her pectoral muscles.
    ‘Right,’ Mr Skilbeck said, ‘this is a very interesting conversation.’ He poured himself a drink, ‘Don’t you drink?’
    ‘Very bad for lady,’ Apricot Tang Lee said. ‘Too strong. For strong New Jersey man.’
    ‘Sensible,’ Mr Skilbeck said. He nodded and nodded again, kept on nodding, managed to stop nodding and said, ‘Right.’
    Apricot Tang Lee raised her eyes heavenward at the barman. The barman raised his eyes heavenward at Apricot Tang Lee.
    ‘Do you take Traveller’s Cheques?’ Mr Skilbeck asked. He said quickly, reassuringly, ‘American money.’
    Apricot Tang Lee opened her mouth to say yes.
    ‘American women drink too much,’ Mr Skilbeck said, ‘they’re always drinking too much. Drink, drink, drink, drink, drink, yell, yell, yell, yell, shout, shout, shout, shout, bitch,bitch, bitch, nag, nag, nag, nag, bitch, bitch, bitch, bitch, and they get lost. Stupid bitches. I like Chinese girls.’
    Apricot Tang Lee sighed to herself and smiled sympathetically at Mr Skilbeck.
    ‘What’s your name, honey?’ Mr Skilbeck asked.
    ‘Apricot.’
    Half a dozen sailors from the American destroyer in the harbour came in making a lot of noise to show they were at home in bars and dancehalls. They took a table in the centre of the floor.
    ‘None of your watered down shit,’ the leader, a tall African, shouted to the barman. ‘Good stuff. Scotch. From Scotland, England.’
    Apricot Tang Lee glanced at the sailors.
    ‘I was in the Navy,’ Mr Skilbeck said. ‘In the Korean war. Things I could tell you.’ He said, ‘I was in the Navy,’ and yelled across the floor to the African, ‘What do you say, Captain?’
    The African looked over. He said, ‘Hi,’ and went back to his conversation with the others. A couple of hostesses came over and sat with them.
    ‘What do you say, brother?’ Mr Skilbeck, who watched a lot of television at home, yelled over, ‘Right on!’
    The African raised his hand in a Vee sign.
    ‘Brother!’ Mr Skilbeck said.
    ‘Yeah,’ the African said and turned away to the girls. Mr Skilbeck heard him say, ‘I got a lotta money coming whenever I want to pick it up,’ and Mr Skilbeck said to Apricot Tang Lee, ‘I gotta lotta money too.’
    ‘I’m a kinda movie star,’ the African said and guffawed with laughter.
    ‘I gotta lotta—’ Mr Skilbeck began. Apricot watched the sailors. ‘I’ve got money,’ Mr Skilbeck said.
    ‘Fifty bucks,’ Apricot said. Someone came through the door and glanced at her as he went past towards the back rooms. She said, ‘Good evening, Inspector Spencer.’
    ‘Cop!’ someone in the African’s party said and they fell silent and looked at their drinks, their girls, their hands, their tabletop, the walls.
    ‘Hullo,’ Spencer said. Feiffer had taken him on a tour of the bars and dancehalls on his first day, but he couldn’t remember all the names, ‘Is Miss Ping in?’
    ‘Miss Alice is in her office,’ Apricot said in Cantonese.
    ‘No one in the rooms upstairs I trust?’ Spencer said.
    Apricot shook her little head so hard