by Anne R. Tan
Places that barred their door when they saw the Chinese Afro on her head or the worn T-shirts and threadbare jeans. Short of spending hours and dollars, the curly hair wasn’t something she could fix. If she replaced the T-shirts and jeans with something fancier, the family might have expectations she didn’t want to deal with. A graduate student who wanted to be Indiana Jones when she grew up was far simpler.
After greeting her, Benson held the door open for her. “Let’s grab a coffee.”
Raina followed him and mumbled a thank you. She trailed after his long strides like a child, got into the elevator making small talk about the foggy San Francisco weather, and silently brushed past the crowd to the busy café on the lobby floor.
Benson ordered for both of them, and within minutes they were sitting on patio chairs in the mezzanine with the other suited professionals. He probably thought sitting here, surrounded by outwardly successful people, reminded Raina of her “poor choice” as he once called her decision to give up her career. Sometimes she wondered if the deterioration of her relationship with Cassie started when her sister said yes to his proposal.
“Why are you limping?” Benson asked.
“Long story. I don't want to take up your billable hours with my antics.”
“What is it you don’t want Cassie to know? Are you in trouble with the law again?”
Raina gave her brother-in-law credit for being sharp, except he always made assumptions about her that would be disappointing if she’d cared. “Why did you tape Ah Gong’s journal behind the mirror in your bedroom?”
He averted his gaze and sipped his coffee, stretching out this simple maneuver as if Raina didn’t know this trick. “It’s rude to go into your host’s bedroom without permission.”
Ah, first the chastising. “Long bathroom line. You’re lucky I didn’t take a shower while I was in there.”
He rolled his eyes heavenward. So much for the polished lawyer. “Someday you’re going to end up on the wrong side of the law.”
“Then it’s a good thing you’re on the right side of it. About Ah Gong’s journal?”
Benson leaned back on his chair. “Lawyer-client privilege.”
“Is that what you want me to tell Po Po?”
He gave her a long stare. Like the rest of her cousins, Benson still held out for an inheritance from the matriarch of the family. “Your grandfather gave me the journal for safekeeping when he was at the hospital. And before you ask, I don’t know what’s in it.”
“You don’t have a gut feeling about this particular journal?”
“I was just humoring him, figuring it would help us when he divided up his assets.” He gave Raina a pointed look. “Apparently it didn’t help at all since Cassie got one dollar like the rest of the cousins.”
Raina returned his stare. Her brother-in-law had conveniently forgotten that Ah Gong had set aside money to pay for his daughter’s college education.
He glanced at his Cartier watch and stood. “I have to go.”
“Wait! You didn’t even peek inside? Read a few entries?” Even a saint would be curious.
Benson gave her a mortally offended look. “No, I didn’t ‘peek inside.’ Your grandfather tricked me into taking twenty-five cents as a retainer.”
After her pointless interview with her brother-in-law, Raina called her grandma to say she was heading to Chinatown. Po Po asked to be picked up, and Raina circled the Macy's block three times and made an illegal park to load her grandma and her gazillion shopping bags. At least the short drive to Chinatown had no traffic.
Joley Mok's office was in a nondescript brick building, where the main floor storefront was a grocery store that spilled onto the sidewalk. An ADA inspector would have a field day at the place, but then he would have the same fun at every other store in Chinatown.
They rode the elevator up to the eighth floor. The door opened to a mezzanine full of daylight from solar tubes and potted greenery. The wall on the left featured a small waterfall tumbling over rocks and into an indoor pool with splashing Koi fishes. There was wicker furniture underneath a trellis covered with ivy. Strategically scattered throughout the mezzanine were charms such as ancient coins, knots made of red silk, and other paraphernalia of the feng shui trade.
Joley Mok must have rice, as the Chinese saying went, to be able to afford the entire eighth floor. Eight was the most sought after number in the community because it was a homonym to wealth. Chinese businesses would go through extreme lengths to have the number on their address or phone number.
Raina paused at the lettering on the glass door.
JOLEY MOK, PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR AND FENG SHUI MASTER
A dick and a ghost whisper? Now that wasn't a combo a person saw every day.
10
Playing with Dragons
Raina suppressed a tingle of anticipation. Could this be the pay dirt she had been waiting for? If nothing else, Joley could strengthen her prayers to her ancestors to help her find her grandfather's journal.
Underneath the trellis and through another glass door was an office. A giant man of Mongol descent sat behind an old desk, using a traditional brush to paint red Chinese calligraphy on yellow tissue paper. The red ink formed characters for peace, health, and prosperity. A prayer or ritual would fuse these words into charms. She’d carried a peace charm in her wallet since her teens.
At their approaching footsteps, he glanced up. His face broke into a wide smile and he came around the table. He was tall, almost six and a half feet, probably in his early fifties. His nose was the most prominent feature on his face, a bulb that made his narrow eyes appear as slits when he smiled.
Po Po held out her hands for a hug, and the man wrapped his beefy arms around her. Her grandma disappeared into the hug like Cheerios sucked into a vacuum.
The giant broke the hug, laughing as he patted Po Po’s shoulders. “Here for a visit, Bonnie?”
“No, Ralf. We’re here to consult with Joley,” Po Po said. “This is my granddaughter, Raina Sun.”
As she shook his hand, she gave her grandma a sideways glance. Her grandma appeared to know Ralf and Joley. Did this have something to do with what she found so upsetting at Martin’s house prior to his death?
“Why don’t you wait outside? I’ll make us a pot of tea and get Joley.” He disappeared behind the beaded curtain next to the desk.
Raina wandered over to the pond. She grabbed a handful of fish food from the small tub on the ledge and tossed it in the water. It rippled into a blur of flashing tails and opened mouths. She sighed as the tension drained from her body.
“This is the beauty of feng shui. When everything is in balance, you feel better without knowing the source,” a melodic voice said.
Raina glanced up from the soothing water. A Chinese woman approached her in bell-bottom jeans and a wine-colored cardigan. Her face was smooth and luminous. They looked to be about the same age, but the other woman’s eyes spoke of hidden depths. Raina felt dowdy and unsophisticated even though she couldn’t explain why if anyone had asked.
The other woman held out her hand. “Joley Mok.”
Raina shook her hand, and a jolt of energy surged through her. She snatched her hand back, flushing at her reaction. What was that?
Joley’s lips curled, as if holding back a smile. Her bottomless eyes studied Raina as if she were an interesting puzzle. “Let me guess—I’m younger than you expected.”
“No, your soul is even older than my grandma’s.” Raina’s eyes widened as the words left her mouth. Now where did that come from?
Joley laughed, a tinkling like running water in a copper flume. “You are more astute than you think.” She led the way back to the wicker chairs underneath the trellis.
While they distributed the teacups and almond cookies, Po Po chatted with Ralf about Uncle Anthony of all things. After everyone had a taste, Po Po told the duo about Martin Eng’s death. “According to the nephew, the two of you argued publicly about your credentials, which
led to several canceled bookings.” She looked around, then returned her gaze to the pair. “I don’t remember you having the entire floor to yourself the last time I was here.”
Ralf chuckled into his teacup. When Joley shot him a look, he crammed a cookie into his mouth. He was old enough to be Joley’s father, but it was clear she was in charge.
“I’m sorry about Martin Eng’s death. I don’t understand why Hudson immediately thought there was foul play,” Joley asked. “And canceled bookings are just the nature of this business. People have faith until things get better.”
“Feng shui is serious business. No self-respecting Chinese family will trust their luck and prosperity on someone who is only half Chinese,” Ralf said.
And hence the motive to finish Martin off, thought Raina. “Aren’t you upset with being called a fraud in front of clients?”
Joley shook her head. “I’ve been called worse. Feng shui is a small component of what I do for a living. So even if I lose all my clients tomorrow, I would still be okay.”
“Why you are here? As much as I like to visit with friends, you’re not the type to sit and chat,” Ralf said to Po Po.
“I need your help. Someone has been watching the house, and I suspect it’s the Nine Dragons,” Po Po said.
Raina gasped. What the—
“Did you think the SFPD would have the manpower to put us under surveillance without cause?” Po Po asked, looking straight at her. She returned her attention to Joley and Ralf. “The Nine Dragons had left our family alone for decades. I want to know why they are following my granddaughter now, and what was Martin doing with Sonny Kwan’s phone number?”
Raina inhaled sharply, her nostrils flaring. Her heart rate raced as fear shot through her. Everyone knew the Nine Dragons was the Chinese version of the Sopranos. Why would they be interested in her?
Joley and Ralf glanced at each other, sharing an entire conversation with this one look. “Wrangling with gangsters isn’t our usual line of business—”
“Why do you think it’s me?” Raina’s voice squeaked, not that she wanted the triad to be interested in anyone else in her family.
“The Fiat followed your car yesterday. If someone was following your mom, she would have freaked out by now,” Po Po said. “I’m sorry, Rainy, but it had to be you.”
“It must be Ah Gong’s journal,” Raina whispered, giving herself a mental slap on the forehead. “Everything was fine until I flashed the book around at Lila’s party.” She was an idiot.
“Don’t be so hard on yourself,” Ralf said.
Raina flashed a smile at the giant. No wonder Po Po liked this guy.
“Sonny Kwan became Dai Lo when his grandfather went into hiding. He’s on shaky ground in the organization. It’s a matter of time before someone challenges him for the title,” Joley said. “Maybe he didn’t want his old family secrets to come out.”
“I don't see what this has to do with our family,” Raina said. Was Joley pointing fingers at the Nine Dragons to camouflage her own motives?
“Sonny's grandfather, Ah Gong, and Martin were in the same village in China in nineteen sixty-two,” Po Po said.
“Could Ah Gong have documented something the Chinese government wanted hidden?” Not that Raina believed the journal was central to a government conspiracy, but the question had to be asked.
Joley frowned, wrinkling her brow. “As I recall, the Great Leap Forward was an absolute disaster which led to the starvation of millions of people and widespread cannibalism in the countryside. China exported grain to Africa because the head didn't know what the tail was doing.”
“If there wasn’t enough food for its own people, why would the government feed another country?” Raina asked.
“The government implemented Western agricultural practices that weren't applicable to an undeveloped country. The local party boss would rather report a yield three to four times more than to admit failure. So to the paper pushers in Beijing, the country had plenty of food,” Joley said.
Raina nodded, recalling her conversation with Martin the night before his death. The elders came up with the idea to transplant seedlings from all the nearby fields into the one field the government officials came to inspect. No wonder the government thought there was plenty of food.
“So Ah Gong witnessed some of the atrocities during his short stint in the countryside. How is this relevant today?” Po Po asked.
Raina glanced at Joley, noting the professionally blank expression on her face. What if her grandfather did more than just witness? Look at what happened during Katrina. People did unspeakable things to each other when order broke down. And hunger in the middle of winter was the fastest route to chaos. There was a reason Ah Gong never spoke of that time in his life.
And what would the Nine Dragons do to bury the shameful secrets of its founding Dai Lo? History had a way of becoming relevant today in ways that were stranger than fiction.
“I need to sleep on your request for help with the Nine Dragons,” Joley said, standing to indicate their interview was over.
Raina glanced at her grandma, who was busy gathering her backpack and cane. “Are you interested in getting rid of Weeping May?” Raina asked. This would give her another opportunity to see if Joley was good at her craft. This prosperous business owner image could be nothing more than a mirage.
Po Po explained the situation with Weeping May haunting the old Victorian.
Joley looked amused as if she knew Raina’s reason for suggesting the booking. “Sure, I can come by and have a look.”
They left the building and went into a hot pot restaurant two blocks away for dinner. Raina missed having decent restaurants within sneezing distance from each other when she was in Gold Springs.
The restaurant was crowded. The steam from the boiling soup base filled the windows with condensation. Hot pot was a meal made for those who didn't mind having raccoon eyes from smeared mascara. It wasn’t a place for a first date.
Po Po slurped the soup base in the ladle. “Oh, this is good. Just the right kick of hot and spicy.” She dumped several raw slices of beef flank into the soup.
Raina’s mouth watered at the full-bodied soup, but she ignored it. “How come you didn’t mention our family’s connection to the Nine Dragons before today?”
“Honey, you will give me indigestion with your questions. Can’t we eat first?”
“I already have indigestion thinking about you wrangling with the triad.”
Po Po paused, soup ladle suspended in midair. Her smile grew wider as the thoughts flew across her face. “Hmmm…I haven’t mud wrestled in years.”
“What else do you know about the Nine Dragons? Not having this information could get me killed.”
“If you must insist on ruining this meal…” Po Po placed the ladle on the table and folded her hands in front of her like a student ready for a recital. “There’s no need to talk about killings. Our family’s shipping business was one of the few who never paid protection money to the Nine Dragons.”
“Does Ah Gong have something on the triad?”
“I’m not sure. In those days, a wife didn’t question her husband like she would now. It just wasn’t done.”
“There’s what’s not done and what you did behind the scenes. You’re not the type to stand in the corner studying your toe jam.”
“Your grandfather could have cashed in a chip with the previous Dai Lo during a hostile takeover which fell through in the seventies.”
“If Martin called Scar Face—”
“Who?”
“The guy who mugged me at the BART station. Someone at the party must have called him about the journal.”
“But why would Martin call him? If there were any truth to the cannibalism theory, wouldn’t he avoid the Nine Dragons altogether?”
“Ah Gong and Martin were BFFs. If Ah Gong had something on the previous Dai Lo, this could be why they left Martin alone until now.”
Po Po held out a wonton on he
r chopstick, and Raina shook her head. “Their relationship was antagonistic enough for family. Martin got into this country as Ah Gong’s paper brother. But towards the end, they weren’t friends anymore. At the time, I thought it was the medication Ah Gong was taking, but now I’m not so sure.”
Decades ago, some families brought over paper relatives to the United States in exchange for money. Officially, they were related to the sponsor, but in reality the paper relative might have been a friend or even a stranger.
Raina blotted the sweat on her upper lip. The spices and steam from the boiling soup could clear a person’s sinuses. “Why did Ah Gong bring him to the U.S. if they weren’t friends? And why did we still welcome the Eng family to parties and such?”
“Old habits, I guess. It wasn’t until years later after Martin divorced my cousin I found this out.”
Her head ached at the complications between the three men who were at the same remote village in China during the sixties. Martin had something on Ah Gong, and her grandfather had something on the previous Dai Lo, which resulted in a ceasefire between the previous Dai Lo and Martin. She told her grandma her theory. “With Ah Gong’s death, Martin lost his protection. So the killer could be an assassin from the triad.”
“The only thing Martin might have on Ah Gong is information about the other woman,” Po Po said, her voice clogged with suppressed tears. “Once our children got old enough, I went with Ah Gong to China for every business trip. I knew all about businessmen and their other wives. Look at my father and his four wives.” She shook her head. “I left my poor babies to fend for themselves with Tai Ma, and he still ended up with another wife and son.”
