White Ginger

by Thatcher Robinson

  “May I see your passport?” he asked.

  She fumbled her identification out of her pocket. When she handed him her passport, her hand trembled, surprising her. She’d naturally assumed her body would follow her will despite being sleep-deprived, neglected, and generally abused. The tremor served as a warning. Her body plotted rebellion.

  She looked up to see if the customs agent had noticed her quivering fingers. He seemed preoccupied. His eyes dropped to glance at her passport. “Anything to declare, Ms. Jiang?”

  “No, nothing.”

  The cavernous hangar echoed with emptiness. Her voice sounded hollow in her ears.

  While she stared at the agent, it occurred to her she did have something to declare, though it was nothing he’d be interested in. She wanted to tell someone she was being hunted like an animal by an unknown adversary. She wanted to say she didn’t have the slightest clue as to why. Instead, she swallowed her anxiety and took a deep breath.

  The agent pressed an arrival stamp onto her passport and handed it to her with a deferential nod of his head and a brief “Thank you.”

  The sound of tires scrunching against cement drew her attention. A black limousine glided out of the shadows to park a few feet from where she stood. A man she knew, a member of Sun Yee On, got out of the driver’s seat to open the rear door for her. It appeared Tommy had thought to send a car after all.

  She greeted the driver. “Hello, Martin.”

  “Good morning, Bai. Did you have a good trip?”

  He made a chopping gesture with his open hand to mimic a hatchet. Apparently, her adventures in Vancouver were already a hot topic of discussion at Sun Yee On. She’d hoped to beat the rumors home. She feared Dan and Elizabeth might hear the stories before she had a chance to explain herself.

  She shook her head in exasperation at Martin’s grisly taunt and slipped silently into the back of the limo without offering a reply. To her surprise, Tommy waited for her inside.

  He smiled. “Did you have a pleasant trip?”

  “Is it safe to talk?”

  He nodded. “Yes, the car is shielded.”

  “Two attempts on my life were made in less than twelve hours. I have reservations about defining it as a pleasant trip. What do you think?”

  His lips quirked up in amusement. “I think you’re alive to tell of it, so it isn’t all bad. Those years of training finally paid off. And, I hear you got the girl back, which is reason to celebrate. I’m proud of you.” He beamed at her and shook his head, marveling, she supposed, at her good fortune at having survived. “I heard about how Shan died,” he added as an afterthought. “His seems a fitting end. I’m only sorry I wasn’t there to see it.”

  She wasn’t cheered by Tommy’s fatherly pride. The killings left her feeling raw and confused. She changed the subject. “There’s still trouble brewing in Vancouver.”

  “Yes. It’s kind of you to remind me.” His tone was sarcastic as his mouth screwed up in annoyance. “It’s obviously past time I paid a visit to Vancouver. There’s nothing like a little bloodletting to instill allegiance in the ranks. Loyalty seems to be a thing of the past. It was different in my day.”

  He folded his arms across his chest.

  “Are things that bad?” she asked.

  He looked at her and waved his hand to dismiss his own misgivings. “No, not really.” He produced a reluctant smile. “I think maybe I’m just getting old. I grow tired of the squabbling over territory and tribute. Self-interest has infested Sun Yee On. The brotherhood has changed, just like the rest of the world.” He continued in a confidential manner. “I have to confess. I don’t seem to have the people skills Ho Chan possessed. Your grandfather always seemed to find a way to avoid these messy confrontations.”

  “Grandfather always said, ‘Govern a family as you would cook a small fish—very gently.’”

  Tommy looked like he’d taken a bite of something unpleasant.

  “I’m not Ho Chan,” he reminded her. “And concessions now would only be seen as weakness. If Sun Yee On is to change, that change must come from a position of strength. Anything less would be suicide on my part. Brutality, I’m sorry to say, is the order of the day.”

  She felt sorry for those who opposed him. She suspected the lessons Tommy would be dishing out would be of a dire nature.

  “But enough about my problems,” he said, a smile sliding onto his face with practiced ease. He clasped her hands in his. “I have good news for you. We’ve traced the serial numbers on the bills Jason provided. They were issued to a bank in Stockton, First Bank of Commerce. The phone you recovered was sold in Sacramento by a major electronics retailer. There’s no way to trace it beyond the point of sale, but the two cities are both in the Central Valley—not more than about fifty miles apart.”

  She tried to conjure up a connection to the valley towns but came up blank. “I don’t know anyone in either of those places who would have a reason to put a contract out on me.”

  “It could be coincidence,” he suggested.

  “Did you manage to learn anything from the men who followed us to the airport?”

  “Sadly, they disappeared. We tracked the plates on the car to a rental agency at the airport. The car had been returned.”

  “Were you able to find out who’d rented the car?”

  “It was paid for with a company card. The company is registered in the Cayman Islands. It’s another dead end.”

  “What was the name of the company?”

  “It’s called Havemore Enterprises and exists only on paper. My people haven’t been able to find a company by that name doing business anywhere in the world. Whoever wants you dead is being careful to cover their tracks. I’m sorry I don’t have more information for you.”

  She put her hand on his arm. “You’ve done enough already. And thanks for offering to take Elizabeth and Dan with you to Vancouver. Knowing they’re safe allows me the freedom to find out who’s behind all of this.”

  He placed his hand over hers. “Just be careful, Bai. Don’t do anything foolish.”

  “I’ve already been lectured to by Jason. You don’t have anything to worry about. I don’t have much to go on. The phone and sequential numbers on the money were my best leads.”

  He looked at her and squared his shoulders. “Then I suggest you do what Ho Chan always advised me whenever I was stuck for answers.”

  She looked at him, perplexed. “What’s that?”

  “Follow the money,” he said as he sat back and nodded his head knowingly.

  “That seems a little simplistic.”

  “And so I once thought. But time and again, I found there aren’t a great many things that will compel a person to kill. One is love. But I think we can rule that out. Another is jealousy. Have you jilted any lovers lately?” A wicked smile accompanied his question.

  She smiled at the thought. “That would be wishful thinking. Recently, I’ve given thought to becoming a Buddhist nun. How do you think I’d look with a shaved head?”

  Tommy appraised her head seriously before rendering an opinion. “Not much different from the way you look now.” He made a habit of bemoaning the fact she didn’t work at being more feminine. “But that’s beside the point. Have you slighted anyone or done them irreparable harm?”

  “I’m a souxun, Tommy, not a killer—not until yesterday, anyway. None of my cases lately have involved anything even remotely dangerous, unless you consider tracking down a deadbeat dad perilous.”

  He shrugged off her comment. “Then we come back to money. Because money, though not evil in itself, can make people do evil things. Go back over the last year and look at your investments. See if there isn’t something there that might give you reason for concern.”

  “It’s timely advice,” she admitted. “I’m going to see Hung and Chin later today. They handle most of my business. Maybe they’ll know something I’m not aware of. I’ve been relying on their services for years.” She looked searchingly at him. “In
hindsight, perhaps I’ve placed too much faith in them.”

  “Perhaps,” he said, smiling crookedly, “but don’t jump to conclusions. So far your adversary has proven especially canny. The attempted hit smells of money, Bai. Big money. Professional killers aren’t hired off the street. The woman you killed at the airport was one of the best. Interpol has been trying to get their hands on her for years.”

  The revelation startled her. She reflected again on the fact that she was lucky to be alive. “That’s all the more reason to get Dan and Elizabeth someplace safe,” she said. “I don’t want them in danger because of me.”

  He patted her hand in assurance. “They’ll be safe enough with me. You just be careful and watch your back. If they come at you again, they will probably come in force. They’ve come to a crossroads, metaphorically speaking, which means they’ll either step up their game or walk away. I doubt they’ll walk away.”

  The look he cast her way was cautionary.

  She nodded to let him know she understood the danger. “Thanks, Tommy. I owe you.”

  “In the meantime,” he continued, “I’ve placed guards around your home.” He looked at her and smiled. “Consider it repayment for Shan. I’ve detested that man for years and couldn’t find a way to discredit him. You’ve done me a huge favor. Not only did you eliminate him, you also exposed him. He was a monster.”

  Bai looked down at her lap. She’d killed a man in a fit of rage. Despite the accolades, she couldn’t feel good about what she’d done.

  Tommy leaned forward to knock twice on the frosted glass separating the passenger compartment from the driver. The engine of the limousine immediately turned over, and the car pulled slowly forward to pass through the open hangar doors. As they exited, two black SUVs joined in escort, one in front and one behind. She rode in silence as the limo whisked her back to San Francisco, back to Chinatown. Where, only a day before, she’d managed to be bored.

  Tommy dropped Bai at the curb in front of her home. He promised to return in an hour to pick up Dan and Elizabeth.

  The morning was cold. The street quiet. A light fog crept in from the ocean. Damp air clung to Bai’s cheeks with a silky wetness. She tucked her hands into the pockets of her jacket to keep them warm.

  Two men, sitting in black sedans and parked on opposite sides of the street, nodded to her when she stopped to stare at them. They weren’t trying to hide. Their presence was a show of force, and a warning that her home was under the protection of Sun Yee On.

  She turned to take the front steps of her home two at a time, quickly entering the building and ducking into the elevator. While pressing her finger against the thumbprint sensor, she forced a smile onto her face. When the door opened on the third floor, Dan, Elizabeth, and Lee stood in the entry. Mute stares greeted her as she stepped out of the elevator.

  “What happened?” she asked.

  Elizabeth’s reply held reproach. “We were worried about you.”

  Dan ran toward Bai and threw her arms around her mother’s waist to cling to her.

  Bai turned her head to eye Lee suspiciously. “What have you told them?”

  He raised his hands in mock surrender and shook his head in denial. “I haven’t told them anything!”

  “Nobody needs to spell it out for us,” Elizabeth interjected heatedly. “It doesn’t take much imagination to put two and two together. Not when we get a call to pack our bags and run off to Vancouver with Tommy. You’re in trouble, and you’re trying to protect us. But we’re a family, Bai. Our place is here at your side.”

  Bai put her hands out to forestall an argument. “You’ve got it all wrong. There’s a girl in Vancouver who needs your help. I’d have stayed with her if I could, but I have business to attend to here. All I’m asking you to do is go to Vancouver to care for a badly injured child until I can clear up a few business transactions.”

  Dan stepped away from Bai but continued to stare at her mother with a fierce intensity. “Who is she, Mommy?”

  “Her name is Jia. She’s fifteen years old and a really bad man beat her up. She’s in the hospital. She’s alone and frightened. She really needs a friend.”

  Dan turned to look at her grandmother. Elizabeth looked somewhat mollified by the explanation, but her stiff manner suggested she wasn’t entirely sold on the story. Bai produced her best happy-but-tired smile to seal the deal.

  Elizabeth scowled in return. “Are you sure that’s all there is to it?”

  Bai nodded fervently. “That’s all there is to it. I promise.” She turned to look at Lee for support. “Lee and I have an appointment with Hung and Chin today. You can call to check if you don’t believe me.”

  Elizabeth turned to glare at Lee. “Is she telling the truth?” She raised her finger to shake it at him before he could answer. “And don’t you dare lie for her.”

  He appeared taken aback by her distrust. His face formed a mask of hurt and denial. “We have a two o’clock meeting with the lawyers. I swear.”

  His hand went up in the Girl Scout three-fingered pledge. He’d managed to deftly assure Elizabeth while deflecting the question. Bai was impressed.

  “And tomorrow,” Bai said, “or the next day, we’ll hopefully finalize our business. After that I’ll join you in Vancouver. Or, if Jia is well enough to travel, I’ll see you here at home. I just need a couple of days.”

  Elizabeth didn’t look happy with the explanation, but Bai could see she wavered. “Very well, I suppose. Dan and I can give you a hand. How badly is this girl hurt?”

  “I want to prepare you both.” Bai put her arm around Dan’s shoulders to walk toward the kitchen where she hoped to find breakfast. “Jia had to have her spleen removed, and she’s got some broken bones. Her face is so swollen and bruised it hurts to look at her. It’s going to take time for her to heal. When I bring her home she’s going to need therapy, both physical and mental.”

  Elizabeth seemed surprised. “You’re bringing her home?”

  Bai opened the door to the refrigerator and stuck her head inside. Her action was brainless. She’d managed to avoid Elizabeth’s question but found herself taking refuge in a cold box, like a kid with a guilty conscience, while her mind raced to come up with a rational reason for bringing Jia home. The problem was . . . her reasons weren’t rational. They were emotional. She’d bonded with the child. She was running on pure instinct.

  “You can’t hide in there forever,” Elizabeth stated at her back.

  She cringed; Elizabeth was right. Her nose was already turning red. Pulling out a carton of eggs and some Chinese sausages, she reluctantly turned around while bumping the refrigerator door closed. She laid the sausage and eggs down on the counter next to the stove.

  Not two feet away, Elizabeth and Dan stared at her with questioning looks. Lee found himself a corner stool at the breakfast bar and stared at nothing in a nonverbal declaration of neutrality.

  “Of course, that would be a family decision.” Bai backpedaled swiftly upon observing their unsmiling faces. “Which is something ‘we’ should decide after you’ve met and had a chance to get to know Jia.” Her voice trailed off to nearly a whisper. “I’m just saying that I think it might be a good idea.”

  Elizabeth walked up to stand before her. “We’ll talk about it later.”

  Some of the frost had melted from her stance as she took the sausage out of Bai’s hands. “Sit down before you hurt yourself. I’ll make breakfast.”

  “Don’t you and Dan have to pack?” Bai asked.

  Elizabeth shooed her out of her way as she grabbed the cutting board and a sharp knife. “We’re already packed.”

  Bai retreated to the breakfast bar to take a seat next to Lee. Dan joined them as they watched Elizabeth expertly slice the sausages, along with some green onion. She then shredded cheddar cheese before pouring oil into the wok and setting it on the stove over a blue flame.

  First, the julienned sausages were dumped into hot oil to sizzle and brown. Then, in went a dozen
eggs and the green onions as Elizabeth whipped at the concoction until the scramble was fluffy. Last to go in was the cheddar to let it melt without burning. She portioned the contents into three bowls and set them on the bar with chopsticks.

  “No rice?” Bai asked.

  “You’re pushing your luck,” Elizabeth said, trying hard to hide a grin.

  Bai turned to Dan, who seemed unusually quiet. “Are you all right?”

  “I’m just thinking. It’s OK to think, isn’t it?”

  The reply seemed a little testy. Her child wore a frown. It didn’t take a mother’s intuition to know something was wrong.

  “I’m just not used to your being quiet,” Bai observed.

  Dan turned to look at her mother. “‘Outside noisy, inside empty.’”

  Bai nodded in understanding. It was a familiar proverb that had been hammered into Bai’s head as a child. Her grandfather had shown little tolerance for noise. “So, there isn’t anything bothering you?”

  Dan continued to stare at her bowl and play with her chopsticks. When she spoke, her voice was hesitant. “Will I have to share my room?”

  “Would that be so terrible?”

  Dan thought about the question, her face drawn into a frown. “I guess not,” she offered. “I don’t really know. I’ve never shared a room.”

  “Well, let me put your mind at ease.” Bai kept her voice soft. “If we decide it’s a good idea for Jia to come stay with us, we’ll turn my office into a bedroom. I never use the office anyway. Everything I need is on my laptop.”

  Dan nodded and looked up at her mother. “I don’t think I’d really mind sharing a room.”

  “I know, sweetie, but you don’t have to worry about it. A girl needs her space. I’d guess Jia feels the same way.”

  Her words seemed to cheer Dan. A smile worked its way back onto the girl’s face as she picked distractedly at the scrambled eggs.

  Having averted a family crisis, Bai turned her attention back to her breakfast. The eggs were fluffy and light, the sausage sweet with just enough green onion to delude one’s self that the dish was healthy. She shoveled eggs, while Elizabeth poured mugs of hot green tea and put a cold glass of milk in front of Dan.