by Alexa Kang
“Huang Shifu,” Clark said from behind him.
“Yes?” Huang Shifu looked up into the rearview mirror.
“Where does Xiaochun live? Can you take me there?”
“Yes, Young Master,” Huang Shifu answered and changed directions.
Clark began to think of what he should say when they arrived. Xiaochun and her family must be devastated. He owed it to them to try and make up for their loss, even if nothing could bring her husband back.
Through an alleyway leading to the shikumen residences, Huang Shifu led Clark down a narrow lane to a small subdivided unit where Xiaochun lived. A little boy opened the door when they knocked. His wet eyes looked too huge for his closely shaved head.
“Huang Shifu.” The boy broke into tears as soon as he tried to speak.
“It’s all right, it’s all right.” Huang Shifu stroked his back. “Where’s your mother?”
The boy pointed to the second floor. Clark and Huang Shifu exchanged a look and went up the cramped staircase. In a bedroom, Xiaochun sat beside an old man lying on the bed, her eyes and nose all swollen from crying.
“Xiaochun.” Clark came over to her.
The little boy ran to her side and clung to her arm. “Ma.”
She looked up at Clark. Her mouth fell agape. “Young Master,” she whimpered and broke down. Huang Shifu turned his face away.
“Xiaochun, I’m sorry I couldn’t help you.” Clark pulled over an empty chair and sat down beside her. “I’m really sorry.”
“Why? Why did he have to go to that place? The poisonous drug killed him!”
Clark lowered his head.
“What will I do from now on?” She stroked her son’s head. “What happens now when the child is without his father?” Xiaochun and her son both cried.
“You have to stay strong,” Clark said. Easy for him to say, of course. Knowing the part he’d played in this disaster, his words wracked him with guilt. “For your son, you have to stay strong. He depends on you.” The old man on the bed stirred and turned his head. Clark grimaced. “Your whole family depends on you.”
Xiaochun’s sobs grew louder.
Clark leaned in closer. “We’ll arrange for Ah-Jin to have a proper funeral. You needn’t worry about the future. I’ll make sure your son’s school tuition is paid for.” He glanced at the sickly old man. “Is that your father?”
Xiaochun nodded.
“What’s wrong with him?”
“Cancer.”
The old man’s days were likely numbered. Nonetheless, he had to do everything he could now. “I’ll tell Uncle Six to find him the best doctor. You rest up all you need. Don’t worry about anything else.”
“Thank you.” Xiaochun wiped her sleeve across her face. “You’re too good to us, Young Master. I don’t know how to ever repay you.”
“Don’t say that,” Clark whispered and looked away from her. If she only knew the truth.
Knowing the truth would not bring Ah-Jin back, and she wouldn’t be able to handle it. The only thing left to do now was to help her in every way he could. The truth would be something he’d have to bear. Alone.
Back home, news of Xiaochun’s husband’s death had already reached his family. Clark could see the grim mood on his parents’ and sisters’ faces when he entered the living room. When he sat down, Peng Amah brought him a cup of tea. Mei Mei looked up from her magazine with a sad glance.
“Such a tragedy,” his father said. “I told Uncle Six to send her some money.”
Clark nodded. “She’ll need help to pay for the funeral too.”
“No problem.” Mr. Yuan picked up his pipe and turned his attention back to the financial pages of the newspaper. Clark raised the teacup to his face to let it conceal his thoughts. If his father knew what really happened and how his son had been used for an elaborate scheme that resulted in the execution of dozens of people, he’d have a fit. He’d never stop worrying. He’d demand his son resign from the KMT immediately.
Resignation was premature, Clark thought. He wouldn’t give up so quickly. He’d only just begun. There were bigger issues at stake than the games of local gangs and officials. He had his sight set on work that could affect the whole country. Besides, if he walked away now without restoring himself as someone who people could not play on, he would be seen as a lightweight. His ability to exert power and influence in the future as a person of high caliber would be hampered.
“Peng Amah, would you make sure to tell the kitchen to bring meals to Xiaochun too,” Madam Yuan asked.
“I will.” Peng Amah let out a deep sigh. “That kind of man though, it’s probably good riddance. Having a drug addict in the family will lead to nothing but disaster—”
“Peng Amah,” Wen-Ying said, “speak no more of this. The person’s already dead. Why say more?”
Peng Amah twitched her lips, but said no more as she left for the kitchen. Clark got up from the couch.
“Where are you going?” his mother asked. “Dinner’s about to start.”
“I need to make a phone call.” He loosened his tie and headed toward the study.
In the hallway, two maidservants huddled by the stair rail, unaware he was approaching.
“That kind of husband. Didn’t take care of the family. Useless. There are people who said he gambled too. Let him die and be done with it,” one of them said.
“She isn’t much better. Dares to steal. Can’t be trusted,” said the other.
Clark scowled. “What are you two doing here?”
The two maidservants hushed. “Young Master,” the taller one greeted him.
“Nothing, Young Master.” The other one quickly left and her friend followed.
Clark glared at them. When they were gone, he went into the study and dialed the number to the residence of Mr. Mok, an old friend of the family and a director at the Bank of China.
Zhou had told him, follow the money.
“Hello,” said the voice on the other end of the receiver.
“Director Mok?” Clark answered. “How are you? This is Yuan Guo-Hui.”
“Yuan Guo-Hui! Ay! How are you? How’s your father?”
“He’s fairly good. You’re thoughtful to ask.” Clark pulled the piece of paper Officer Zhou had given him at the police station out of his pocket. “Director Mok, I want to ask your help to look into something. There’s a company called Green Fortune Enterprises . . .” He glanced at the business name on the paper in his hand. Time to get to the bottom of this.
Time to stage his own field and run his own plays.
14
An Afternoon at Cafe Louis
When settling into a new life, one would always frequent certain places often enough that sooner or later, they'd turn into a regular part of life. For Eden, the Cafe Louis on Ward Road was fast becoming her favorite haunt. On days when the summer heat swelled, nothing could beat an ice-cold glass of Coca-Cola and a piece of cake in the company of all the new friends she’d made through dear Miriam Stein.
Not just any friends either. Many of them had grown up in Shanghai’s close community of Jews. Around them, she felt right at home.
The one who was most fun to be around was Lillian Berman. Like Eden, Lillian and her parents had come to Shanghai from Germany. From Berlin. They’d arrived in January, a few months before Eden herself.
“I found the most beautiful lingerie yesterday,” Lillian whispered as Miriam and Eden sipped their sodas. “It’s the shop I told you all about on Yates Road, Yur Tai. You should go and take a look. They have these gorgeous satin laced ones, so soft! Hand embroidered too.”
Eden could believe it. Before she came to Shanghai, she’d never worn couture lingerie. She wouldn’t have dreamt of it. Even if she had, the prices would’ve made it all but a rare treat. Thanks to Lillian and Shanghai fashion’s insanely low cost, she could now dress like a sexy Hollywood actress underneath every day.
The waiter laid down a round of desserts. They cut short their conversation a
s they tried to refrain from giggling and drawing attention to what they were talking about.
Yuri Rabinovitch, a classmate of Miriam’s at Aurora University, came in, his face beaming with excitement. “Look at this.” He tossed a copy of the newspaper China Press onto the table. Right there on the front page was the headline in bold, “Jesse Owens Captures 3 Crowns at Berlin.”
“Bravo!” Lillian cheered. “The Führer must be furious now.”
“Good,” Yuri snorted.
“I heard he refused to put the gold around Owens’ neck during the medal ceremony after he won the one hundred meter race,” Miriam said.
“Petty little turd.”
Eden picked up the paper. Such fantastic news. If she could, she’d love to be there to watch the athlete triumph in Hitler’s face. She read through the article, devouring every word. So much for all those lies about Aryan supremacy. She closed the paper.
A tiny announcement at the bottom of the page caught her eye. “Hiring now: The China Press has immediate openings for investigative news reporters, full and part-time. Interested parties please call . . . ”
The geckings of an animal interrupted her thoughts.
“Ava!” Miriam stood up.
A blonde woman in white satin blouse and a stylish pair of wide pants sashayed to their table. For a moment, Eden thought Katherine Hepburn had walked into the room. She wasn’t the only one gawking either. More than half the restaurant had turned their heads as this woman walked toward their table.
“Hi, love.” Ava gave Miriam a hug and a kiss on the cheek, all the while trying to hold onto the hand of a monkey wearing a red drummer uniform. When the monkey tipped his hat at everyone at the table, Eden burst out laughing. Excited by her response, the monkey cackled and jumped.
“Mr. Bernard!” Ava tugged his arm. “Where are your manners?” The monkey blinked his innocent eyes and pursed his lips.
“Ava, you remember my friends, Lillian and Yuri?” Miriam said, then turn to Eden. “This is Eden Levine. She came from Munich four months ago.”
“Eden, how do you do? I’m Ava Simms.” The alluring lady smiled and pulled her monkey closer. “This one here is Mr. Bernard. He’s named after my ex-husband. I traded him in for a better version.”
Eden laughed again. “Pleasure to meet you.”
Ava took a seat, as did Mr. Bernard. Eden watched him put a napkin on his lap. Now she had seen everything. She was having afternoon tea with a monkey.
“How was Africa?” Yuri asked.
“Grueling! But fascinating,” Ava said. The waiter served her a glass of ice water and she gave him a casual wave. “Thank you.” She took a big gulp and pulled a long cigarette holder from her purse. Yuri offered his lighter and lit it for her. “The Sahara Desert and the jungles were tough. I wouldn’t recommend it for everybody. But my God! The lions and elephants were majestic. After that, I spent two months in Cape Town. Breathtaking coastlines and beaches. You’ll never see oceans this blue anywhere else.” She took a puff of her cigarette. “But you know me, it’s impossible for me to stay in any one place for too long. I get restless. I can’t go back to Boston. The folks back home are dying for me to show up to catch me in another manufactured scandal just to give them some drama in their lives. I considered going to Europe, but then I met—” She stopped as if she had caught herself. “Never mind. It doesn’t matter. I’m glad I’m back. I missed you all, and I missed this place.” She blew another cloud of smoke.
While they talked, Mr. Bernard reached for the cookies at the center of the table. Ava slapped his hand slightly and put a piece of orange garnish on his plate. She held up her head and looked around the room. “Can we get some fruit? Where’s the waiter?”
Lillian leaned in closer to Eden and whispered, “Ava’s father is Huntington Simms. He owns one of the biggest shipping companies in Boston. She can travel anywhere in the world whenever she wants.”
The waiter came to the table. Eden watched Ava order a cup of Earl Grey and fruit for her pet. This woman was like no one she’d ever met before. Her every move and gesture exuded ease and confidence.
“Well, Ava,” Miriam said, “all of Shanghai’s happy you’re back in town. This city isn’t the same without you.”
“Aw. Thank you for saying that.” Ava beamed. “Eden,” she turned to her new friend. “Munich, huh? Good for you. I can’t stomach that madman either. He’s bad news. If only more people would open their eyes. You’re smart to get the hell out of there.”
“It was my father’s decision,” Eden said. “We were lucky we got out before the government started enforcing the law making Jewish people forfeit ninety percent of everything they own as a condition for leaving the country.”
“Ninety percent?” Ava widened her eyes, then shook her head. “At least all that’s behind you now.”
“Not entirely.” Eden twirled the ice in her glass of soda with her spoon. “I’m trying to help our friends back in Germany. Yuri introduced me to the Jewish Defense League.”
“The Jewish Defense League? What’s that?”
“It’s a group my friends and I formed,” Yuri said. “We don’t like what we’ve been hearing about what’s happening in Europe. Like you said, Hitler is bad news. We have to do something. Right now, we’re working on raising money to help the German Jews who are giving up their property to come here.”
“Huh.” Ava inhaled her cigarette.
“I’ve been organizing fundraising activities with Yuri and his friends at the Jewish Club,” Eden said. “We had a bowling night last week, and a violin concert the week before.”
“I commend you both for doing this.” Ava held her cigarette holder toward them. “Yuri, I’ll have my assistant call you tomorrow. I’m going to make a donation.”
“You will?” Yuri asked, excited. “That’s excellent! Thank you.”
“It’s the least I can do.” She put her cigarette holder on the ashtray and looked at Eden. “I hope Shanghai hasn’t been all fun and no play.”
“Oh, no,” Eden said. “There’s so much to see and do. There’re the cinemas and theaters. The ballet, the symphony. And the food. You could almost find all the world’s best restaurants within five blocks anywhere you go.” She glanced over to Miriam, Yuri, and Lillian. “Everyone’s been so nice too.” The thought of Clark crossed her mind. “The Chinese people are interesting. I never met anyone Chinese before I came here.”
“Sounds like this city is where you belong.”
Was it? Eden hoped so. Although, talking to Ava just now, she wondered if her new life sounded too frivolous. She spent all her days indulging in leisure and food. Was that all she wanted to do now that she had broken free of Hitler’s clutches? Even the efforts she’d contributed to the Jewish Defense League felt trivial. Their last big project she did was organizing a bowling night.
Suddenly, she felt so ashamed. She lowered her head. The job posting for a news reporter in the China Press caught her attention again. A news reporter. What qualifications did it require?
“Have you been to Blood Alley yet?” Ava asked. The waiter brought her a plate of sliced banana.
“Blood Alley?” Eden put down her fork. “You mean the street with bars where all the American sailors go?”
“Ava!” Miriam feigned disapproval. “Don’t take her there. You’ll ruin her.”
“It’s the best place to be in Shanghai,” Ava protested and winked at Eden. Now Eden was curious. Ava wanted to go to Blood Alley? That little strip near the Bund with its shady, incorrigible reputation?
“Now tell me,” Ava said as she put the plate of sliced banana in front of Mr. Bernard, who proceeded to eat with a fork. “What exciting things have I been missing while I was away?”
Lillian gazed across the room. A naughty smile rose to her face. “One of them’s sitting right over there.”
They looked in the direction of her gaze to a man at the table by the window. Eden had noticed him when she first came in. Smartly dress
ed in his light beige Glen plaid suit, burgundy red and white tie, he stood out over all the other men here.
“That’s Roland Vaughn,” Lillian said, her smile growing wider. “He was at a little party at the racetrack I went to last week. He’s a dentist. He came here from Manchester six months ago. Now one of most eligible bachelors in Shanghai.”
Yuri rolled his eyes and excused himself to stop by another table where he’d spotted a friend.
“Do you know him?” Miriam asked.
“I wish.” Lillian dropped her chin on her fists. “I wanted to ask my friends to introduce us but he was surrounded by people the whole time. Mostly girls too.”
Ava gave him a once over, clearly unimpressed, but didn’t say anything.
Vaughn must have sensed someone was looking at him. He glanced in their direction. Reflexively, they all looked away, except Ava, who boldly stared back like she was taking stock of him. Vaughn smiled and raised his cup at her. Ava half closed her eyes and turned her face away. Eden had to hold back laughing from seeing her wry lips.
As if reading Ava’s mind, Mr. Bernard raised his chin and stuck his tongue out at the man. Eden held her knuckle to her lips and chuckled. Taken aback, Roland Vaughn wrinkled his brows and turned away.
Lillian somehow missed the whole exchange. Still infatuated, she said, “I will meet him. I’ll find a way.”
Eden and Miriam looked at each other and giggled. Ava took a fan out of her purse and fanned herself.
A pretty woman had come to join Vaughn at his table. The waiter pulled out the chair and she sat down, all smiles and tossing her mass of golden ringlets like a flighty peacock.
“Her? June Phillips?” Lillian wrinkled her nose. “He can do better than her. The only reason she’s here is because her father lost all his money in the stock market. Now she’s here hunting for a husband. She was at the racetrack too. The girl has no shame. She was practically throwing herself at Roland.”
Ava lit another cigarette and took a deep drag. “Sweetheart, you can do better than him.”
