One of the guards took a small step back, and his hand lifted to rest on the holstered pistol at his side. The other guard smiled tightly and picked up a clipboard off the counter. The guards moved with a precision that indicated training, probably military. Her opinion of them bumped up a notch.
The guard in front pushed the visitor registration sheet across the desk in her direction. “If you’ll sign in please, Ms. Jiang. And these gentlemen are . . . ?”
The guard left the question hanging as he eyed Lee and Jason.
She glanced back before answering. “They’re my security.”
Parents at Darryl Hopkins included diplomats, politicians, the rich, and the very rich. Many of them maintained their own security. Jason and Lee looked the part.
The guard nodded his head in acceptance of her claim. “No weapons are permitted beyond this point.” The guard spoke as he turned to open a gun safe at his back. “Any weapons you’re carrying will be returned when you leave.”
He held his hand out, palm up, and waited.
Lee pulled his Tomcat from his shoulder holster and handed it over. Jason lifted a 9mm from the small of his back, a snubnosed .38 off his ankle, and a throwing knife off of each wrist. The guard eyed the knives speculatively as he deposited them in the weapons case.
Bai removed the blade from her wrist sheath and reluctantly handed it to the guard, who, for the first time, showed surprise. He recovered quickly to issue directions. “If you’ll step through the metal detector, Mr. Ketchum and our head of security are waiting for you in the administration offices. The door is down the hallway on your right.”
They passed through the plastic stanchions of the metal detector without incident and continued down the empty corridor. The black and white marble on the floor showed wear. The paneling on the walls displayed a patina wood only acquires with age. The building dated from the thirties and had originally served as a fashionable apartment complex before being converted to a private school.
Black lettering on a glass-paneled door informed Bai she’d arrived at the administration offices. She opened the door to find a deserted lobby. The room was spartan. Four backless couches on a polished cement floor hugged the walls. An institutional odor, a combination of stale coffee, ink toner, and moldy building, permeated the air.
Loud voices issued from an inner office. She stopped to listen while Jason and Lee stood in the open doorway at her back. A disembodied voice yelled, “You can’t pretend the video doesn’t exist.”
The reply was conciliatory. “And what would you have me do? This school can’t afford a lawsuit.”
“I won’t allow it, Ketchum. I’m still the head of security at this school and I’m not destroying evidence just to make your job easier. This recording proves the girl is innocent.”
“You know that child’s background as well as I do. Innocence and guilt are a matter of perception. You just need to do what you’re told and let me run this school.”
Bai walked over to the door with “PROVOST” lettered in gold on frosted glass. She twisted the knob to fling the door open. Arms held rigidly at her sides, she surveyed the office as a strained hush fell over the room. Two men stood behind a large desk, their expressions frozen in surprise.
A muscle in Bai’s cheek twitched. Her nails dug into the palms of her fisted hands. “It’s important to remember, gentlemen,” she said with venom in her voice, “‘there are always ears on the other side of the wall.’ And, since you’re well aware of my daughter’s background, I’m sure you’re also mindful I’m not the kind of mother you want to fuck with.”
The threat wasn’t subtle. The two men facing her stood in stunned silence. Lee and Jason stepped into the room to stand at her side.
Recovering first, the younger of the two men stepped around the desk to greet her with his hand extended. “Miss Jiang, my name’s John Race, head of security here at Hopkins. It’s a pleasure to meet you. This is Walter Ketchum, our provost.”
He introduced the older gentleman, who nodded at her and muttered a brief, “Pleasure,” before seating himself behind his desk. He looked as if he’d bitten into something bitter. Bai hoped it was cyanide. She ignored Race’s outstretched hand and turned her full attention on the provost.
“Tell me about the recording.”
Her eyes bored holes into Walter Ketchum.
Ketchum remained silent as he turned his head to look at Race. Bai watched the interplay with interest. Race shook his head discreetly in denial, a gesture that in turn elicited an angry glare from Ketchum. Red crept slowly up the provost’s neck until it covered his face like a bad rash. He continued to stare malevolently at Race until finally, he tossed up his hands. “I was hasty in calling you, Miss Jiang,” he blurted out. “We hadn’t reviewed the digital recordings before I made the call. It’s now evident your daughter was not at fault. She was acting in self-defense. The video clearly shows a case of bullies getting exactly what they deserved.”
“I want my daughter brought to me immediately, and I want to see the recording.”
A shadow seemed to drop over Ketchum’s face. His features became unreadable. He then looked at her in cold evaluation before turning to Race. “If you’ll escort Dan to my office, I think that would be best.”
She turned to look at Lee and nodded. He understood and turned on his heel to follow Race.
“My security will accompany Mr. Race,” she said to Ketchum.
He started to object, but the sound died in his throat when he met Bai’s gaze. “Certainly.”
The rejoinder seeped out of him as his shoulders slumped. He seemed to deflate as he leaned back into his chair.
She looked around the room. “Where are the boys who were involved?”
Ketchum answered sullenly. “They’ve been sent home. One required stitches to the inside of his mouth. The other boy was simply shaken by the incident. In hindsight, I suspect he was more frightened of the truth coming to light.” He placed a hand over his brow and drew it down his face. “I’m truly sorry for any distress this incident has caused you and your daughter.”
Given the circumstances, Bai viewed the apology as a hollow gesture. “Sorry enough to destroy evidence and conceal the truth?”
Her response silenced the provost.
When Dan entered the office, Lee held her hand. Dan smiled when she saw her mother and ran over to hug her. She then stepped around Bai to give Jason a hug. Jason turned his daughter around and put his hands on her shoulders protectively.
Dan was twelve, tall for her age and already a beauty. Long black hair framed a heart-shaped face set off by almond-brown eyes. Every time she looked at her daughter, Bai was reminded of how precious the girl was.
Bai kept her voice light. “We were about to watch a video of your fight with the two boys. Perhaps you could help us understand what happened.”
“Sure.” Dan seemed outwardly unfazed by the altercation. “But it wasn’t much of a fight.”
Race swiveled the monitor on Ketchum’s desk so they could view the digital recording. The picture on the video was crystal clear. The school obviously employed high-resolution cameras that had captured the scene in full color and graphic detail.
Dan stood in the corridor. Two boys approached. Words were exchanged.
Race paused the recording and turned to Dan. “What are they saying to you, Dan?”
“They kept talking about how I didn’t belong here, something about mud people.”
Bai intervened. “We’ll talk about that later.”
She felt it would be better to discuss racial hatred in the privacy of their home where she’d have the time to deal with the delicate subject. Dan was a curious girl and full of questions. Bai wasn’t looking forward to the conversation.
Race started the recording again with a pained expression on his face. Words escalated to shoving as the two boys pushed at Dan, one on each side of her. For a moment, all Bai saw was red, her anger so intense she felt the heat of it on her face.
&nbs
p; She turned to Jason, who held Dan securely from behind. When she met his gaze, her own anger evaporated out of dread.
Bai turned quickly back to watch the monitor.
One of the boys drew back a fist to strike Dan, who surprised him by stepping inside his swing to use the flat of her palm to strike him under the chin while placing a leg behind his, a maneuver that slammed the boy to the checkered floor. The second boy took a wild swing at her back but met her foot as he stepped forward. The back kick caught him squarely in the mouth.
“Nice form,” Lee said, taking pride in her textbook-perfect moves. He was her teacher, her shifu.
“Thank you,” Dan replied, with a shy smile.
Race offered her more praise. “Nice form, indeed.”
“So, we have a hate crime.” Bai made the statement as the video played out, her tone matter-of-fact.
Ketchum took offense at the remark. “These are just children, Miss Jiang. I think ‘hate crime’ is a bit too harsh for what took place.”
She looked from Ketchum to Race. “Two boys assaulted my daughter at her school while verbally abusing her with racial slurs. I’m not sure what you’d call it if not a hate crime. If there aren’t any consequences for their actions, who’s to say they won’t do it again? Has a police report been filed?”
Ketchum blustered, “We didn’t think it was necessary.”
Bai stared at Race. “Who is ‘we’?”
He shook his head in denial, and Ketchum backtracked. “Let me amend that. I didn’t think it was necessary.”
She pulled her cell phone from the pocket of her jacket to call the police. She reported the incident, provided an address for the school, and asked for an officer to respond.
Ketchum stared at her, his expression resigned but oddly defiant. “I should warn you. The instigator of this fight is Anthony Romano, John Romano’s son. I hope you know with whom you’re dealing, Miss Jiang.”
John Romano was a prominent San Francisco attorney with ties to big money. He’d been courted as a conservative candidate for State Attorney General, who professed to be “tough on crime.”
Bai shrugged. “John Romano might be an important man with powerful friends,” she turned to look at Jason as she continued in a conversational tone, “but I’m fairly certain the same laws that protect Mr. Romano also protect my daughter. For now, let’s put our faith in the justice system and wait to see what happens.”
Jason met her gaze steadily for several long moments before slowly nodding once in reluctant agreement. His response elicited a sigh of relief that involuntarily escaped her, a breath she hadn’t even realized she’d been holding.
Bai pulled John Race aside to talk in confidence. “I’d like you to burn me a copy of the video.”
He looked perplexed by the request. “Is there any particular reason you feel that you’ll need a copy?”
He’d posed the question softly while keeping an eye on Ketchum, who viewed them with suspicion from across the room.
“It’s just in case the original should somehow get misplaced,” she replied.
Race drew a deep breath then looked over Bai’s shoulder at Ketchum, and frowned. “Sure, why not? My time here is probably short-lived. There’s a good chance I’ll be looking for a job before the day is over.”
She considered his comment while scrutinizing his face. She liked what she saw. Her hand reached for one of her cards in her jacket pocket. “This is my number. Call me if you need work. I might be in the market for some added security. If you’re interested, that is.”
He took the card and smiled at the Chinese characters. “What does it say?”
“It says I’m a souxun. It means people finder. I’m an investigator, of sorts.”
“I’m definitely interested,” he affirmed. He looked at Bai and smiled warmly. “If I’m not looking for work, can I still call you?”
He was flirting with her. His smile was nice, and he was good-looking in a blond, Ivy League kind of way—tall, muscular, and boyishly handsome. That he took an interest in her meant he was either reckless or poorly informed. She looked aside at Jason to see if he was aware of the attention she was receiving. He was.
“You’re impulsive,” she said with a wry smile “which isn’t bad in and of itself. I have a tendency to be a little impulsive as well. But you should know being around me can be dangerous, Mr. Race.”
Race turned his attention to Jason and Lee. “You do keep dangerous company.”
His observation caught her by surprise. “How so?”
“I used to be a soldier, Miss Jiang. I’ve spent a lot of time around dangerous individuals. Warriors develop an economy of movement and their eyes never stop moving. They place themselves, wherever they are, with the thought of cover and egress. Both of those men are certainly competent. The one in the black suit has trained assassin written all over him.”
She felt the need to defend Jason, perhaps out of habit. “He’s only dangerous to his enemies. Keep that in mind, Mr. Race.”
“I’ll definitely keep that in mind, Miss Jiang. But you still haven’t answered my question.”
She studied him. He didn’t show any sign of discomfort at her bold appraisal. His smile widened.
“Call me and see if I answer.”
They continued to stare at one another.
He broke eye contact first. “If you’ll excuse me, I have a CD to burn.”
After Race had left the room, Ketchum excused himself. Bai had a pretty good idea the provost would be making some urgent calls. She suspected that John Romano was about to have an unpleasant discussion in which her name would serve prominently.
Race returned almost immediately and managed to slip Bai the video while Ketchum was still out of the room. She thanked him and handed the disc to Lee for safekeeping. As she was making the hand-off, she heard an unfamiliar voice from behind.
“I’m looking for a Bai Jiang.”
“That would be me,” she affirmed as she turned around.
The man in the doorway was tall and stoop-shouldered. He wore an old tan raincoat with a torn pocket and too many stains to count. Heavy brogue shoes, scuffed and beaten, matched his face—a face that looked like it might have gone a few rounds before its owner found he preferred alcohol to fisticuffs. Dark, puffy rings under heavily lidded eyes brought to mind a cagey raccoon. A beefy paw swallowed Bai’s hand as he introduced himself. “I’m Inspector Robert Kelly. I’m here to investigate a hate crime.”
“I wouldn’t expect a crime of this nature to rate an inspector,” she stated.
“The mayor’s placed a priority on hate crimes. That and a misunderstanding between myself and my captain has resulted in my presence here today.”
“It must have been some misunderstanding,” she observed dryly.
“Ah . . . well, it seems that the captain’s mother wasn’t his mother after all—but his wife. And though I’ll admit to being under the influence of drink at the time, no amount of Jameson’s would have altered my perception to the extent I’d have come to any other rational conclusion. The last, in no way, excuses my having said as much, mind you. My remarks can definitely be attributed to the whiskey. It has a tendency to unleash my tongue and let it wander about aimlessly to leave embarrassing messes behind.”
She nodded her head in understanding. Kelly had been banished to the purgatory of hate crimes because he was a garrulous boozer.
She got down to business. “It was my daughter who was attacked. There’s a video documenting the assault if you’d care to see it.”
Kelly’s eyes tracked around the room until they came to rest on Jason. A barely audible grunt escaped his lips. “How do you play in this, Lum?”
Jason was known to the SFPD. They’d never found reason to charge him with anything, but they had plenty of reason to suspect him. He was on their watch list of suspected gang figures. But then, so was Bai. Her file just wasn’t as noteworthy.
“I’m a friend of the family,” Jason replied.
He wouldn’t place the onus on Dan of having him as a father. The relationship was far too dangerous. For her part, Dan was well schooled in the deception. She smiled up at him but said nothing.
Kelly didn’t look happy with the answer. A scowl managed to further distort his features. He turned his back on Jason to address Bai. “So we have a juvenile assault, I take it?”
Race answered before she could respond. “That’s correct. Dan was assaulted after being verbally abused.”
“And who might you be?” the inspector asked brusquely.
“My name’s John Race. I’m the head of school security.” He offered his hand to the inspector.
“You must be proud.” The inspector ignored the proffered hand. “What kind of qualifications do you need to be a kiddy cop around here?”
Race dropped his hand to his side slowly. “I can’t speak for my staff, but I was deployed for three tours with Special Forces before being assigned to Quantico to train federal agents.”
The inspector nodded his head once and sighed deeply. “I apologize for my wagging tongue. You can’t say I didn’t warn you.” He waited for Race to silently accept his apology with a nod before continuing. “If you have this thing on video, let’s see it. I feel another demotion coming on.”
Bai stepped over to stand next to Jason and Dan while Race led the inspector forward to view the video. The room was silent as the recording played out. Kelly laughed out loud at the part where Dan took both boys to the floor. When it was finished, he turned around with a sober expression.
Just then, Ketchum returned to interrupt whatever it was Kelly was about to say. The provost introduced himself.
Afterward, Kelly asked in a gruff voice, “So, what part of this is a hate crime?”
Bai spoke up. “Racial slurs and threats were delivered prior to the assault. My daughter can give you the particulars.”
Kelly turned to look at Dan. For the first time, his demeanor grew respectful. “Do you feel up to doing that now, young lady?”
Dan looked to Bai for reassurance.
“Just tell the inspector what you told us, Dan.”
White Ginger Page 6
