What Doesn't Kill You

by Iris Johansen

  “Chen Lu carries a lot of influence in the city. Nardik didn’t want to stir up the authorities, so he decided to misdirect. Those jackets have the triad symbol of the Mao Sen syndicate. That’s the only one that would be powerful enough to risk a raid on the Golden Palace.”

  Triads. It was logical to choose the crime family on which to hang the blame. Very smart. Her life seemed to be eternally plagued by those bastards.

  They were in the palace now, and Gallo was laying Chen Lu carefully down on the yellow brocade couch. Catherine hurried forward to put a throw beneath her to keep the blood from staining it.

  “That is … good.” Chen Lu opened her eyes. “My beautiful couch … Men don’t … understand.” Her eyes filled with tears. “Rory understood. He helped me pick out … this fabric. He said it was fitting that it be the color of the sun.”

  “It doesn’t matter. It was a stupid thing to do. I just acted instinctively. Furniture can be replaced.” Catherine turned to Hu Chang. “What do you need? How can I help?”

  Hu Chang was bending over Chen Lu and tearing away the bloodstained material away from the wound. “The small packet in my bag over there. Then leave me alone with her.”

  “The police should be here any minute,” Gallo said. “Shall I tell them to get a doctor?”

  “He’s a doctor of Chinese medicine,” Catherine said impatiently. “I know some people equate that with some kind of primitive voodoo but it works. No one can help her more.” She crossed the room, retrieved the packet from Hu Chang’s bag, and brought it to him. She watched Hu Chang for a moment as he examined the wound. “Go away, Gallo. He doesn’t want interference.”

  “You, too, Catherine,” Hu Chang said.

  She looked at him in surprise.

  He smiled slightly. “The wound is not serious. I do not need help. Chen Lu and I are better off alone in this. She would prefer it.”

  “You’re sure?”

  He nodded. “You and Gallo go meet the police and file the report for her. Then round up the servants and security and make sure no one is hurt other than the three men who were killed during the first attack. I will take care of Chen Lu.” He glanced at Gallo. “And if I decide my primitive skills are not enough, I will send her to your civilized hospital in the city. Agreed?”

  He shrugged. “Catherine seems to think you can do the job. I’ve seen some fairly impressive medical skills among tribes in Africa. I suppose you can’t do any worse.”

  He flinched. “I’m a cut above those tribes I believe. Get him out of here before I decide to operate on him, Catherine.”

  Catherine gave a last glance at Chen Lu before she turned to the door. “Call me if you need me. Come on, Gallo. You must have been introduced to those security men who worked under Rory. You’d have more authority with them in trying to reorganize a cohesive force.”

  “Not much. Rory had a lieutenant. I didn’t pay much attention to him because I thought I’d be working with Rory.” He frowned, trying to remember. “I think his name was Jock Munroe. We may be able to work through him. You go find the police captain and deal with him while I go look for Munroe.”

  She nodded. “I’ll try to bring Nardik into this, but I don’t think it will do any good. Even Chen Lu’s people will testify that the people who attacked the palace were triad.”

  They were on the veranda again and being assaulted by the sharp odor of smoke. The beds were still blazing, but high arcs of water were being driven from the fireboats on the bay, and the flames were gradually being put out. The north corner of the curled roof of the palace had caught fire and was now wet and charred. “I guess Chen Lu was lucky that no more of the palace was burned. But those beautiful gardens…” She straightened her shoulders and she started toward the group of vinyl-coated policemen streaming toward the palace from the boats at the dock. “But you can replace plants just as you can furniture. I’ll see you later, Gallo.”

  CHAPTER

  14

  “WE ALMOST MADE IT. WE CAME CLOSE.” Jack Tan took a step closer to Nardik, where he was standing at the front of the speedboat that was tearing across the water away from the Golden Palace. “We’d have done it if we’d had a little more time.”

  “‘If,’” Nardik said through his teeth. “‘Almost.’ ‘Close.’ I don’t use those words. Those are the words of a failure.”

  “It was your plan. It’s not my fault.” Tan’s tone was surly. “Not this time.” Then he added quickly, as he saw Nardik’s expression, “It was no one’s fault. Gallo was too good. I sent my best man upstairs to get the woman for you. And I went after Hu Chang myself just as you ordered. The police came too damn soon.”

  Nardik couldn’t give him an argument. He hadn’t expected a response that quick, either. He looked back at the burning gardens and felt a rush of pleasure. He might not have accomplished his purpose, but the damage he had done was very satisfactory. He had made his mark on the place where Hu Chang had thought he was safe. Nardik had shown him that nowhere was safe as long as he was the enemy.

  And he had shown the bitch how a real man avenged a slight like the one she’d given him. He looked down at his right hand and saw a bit of dried blood on the knuckles. If he’d had the time, he would have sliced the throat of the white-haired woman, too. It wasn’t often that he permitted himself the personal satisfaction of indulging in bloodlust.

  “Are we going back another night?” Tan’s gaze was following Nardik’s to the burning gardens. “It will be harder now that there’s no surprise, but we—”

  “Of course we’re not going back. That would be lunacy. This raid was worth a shot, but you don’t keep hammering. You attack from a different angle. Or you wait until they attack and scoop them up.”

  Tan frowned. “Wait?”

  “You let Hu Chang steal your notebook with the information I gave you to use as reference for your questioning. Do you think they’re not going to try to figure out the target?”

  “I had no name in those notes.”

  “Because I knew I’d be a fool to trust you.”

  Tan was silent. “So what happens now?”

  “They try to stop me.” His lips tightened. “And I step in and get what I want, then crush them. As you should have done for me.” They were approaching the Dragon King, and he could see Fowler waiting on the deck, his expression eager. He was going to be disappointed. Fowler had been looking forward to Nardik’s bringing back Catherine Ling for him to toy with.

  But why disappoint him, he thought suddenly. Why not furnish him with a substitute? The scenario was going to change and move out of Hong Kong since he had to deal with that damn Fourth of July deadline. This was June 29, and his time was running out. He had to position himself to strike at the target. That meant Nardik no longer needed Jack Tan and all his bumbling, which had so infuriated him.

  He turned to Tan as the speedboat came alongside the Dragon King. “Come on board, and we’ll discuss how we’re going to proceed with the next step. You and Fowler get along, don’t you? He’s transmitted enough of my orders to you.” He smiled. “I’m certain the three of us will come up with something very interesting tonight.”

  * * *

  “YOU LOOK LIKE A CHIMNEY SWEEP,” Hu Chang said, as Catherine came back into the study three hours later.

  And she felt as charred and dirty as she looked, she thought tiredly. Even her hair was spiked with soot. “You evidently had time to wash your face and hands. I did not.”

  “I’m a physician. Cleanliness is necessary.”

  “Where’s Chen Lu?”

  “I had her servants carry her up to her suite after I finished treating her. She’s doing well.” He paused. “She kept asking me to let her go to Rory. They were very close.”

  “The police forensic team took his body back to their medical department with the rest of the dead. I made a halfhearted attempt at trying to lead them in Nardik’s direction. I even told them we’d witnessed Nardik killing Rory. They were very polite, said
they’d certainly look into a possible connection, but that with all that fire and smoke, mistakes could be made. They were obviously focused on the triad and brushed me off. They have big-time trouble with the triads and wanted to have their chance at them.” She added, “Gallo was impressed at how quickly the police and fire department responded. He said they couldn’t have been more cooperative.”

  “Chen Lu makes sure that she’s on the right side of all local enforcement. She and Rory had a list of birthdays and anniversaries of all the police officers and sent out very nice gifts throughout the year. Appropriate but not extravagant. No hint of bribery.”

  “I’ll tell Gallo,” she said ruefully. “Actually, he did virtually the same thing with the sheriff’s department at his place in Wisconsin, so he should be able to relate.” She was silent a moment. “If the police hadn’t gotten here so quickly, Nardik would have been able to do a hell of a lot more damage. He might have been able to take us down if he hadn’t had to cut and run. I’m sure he was royally pissed.”

  “He did damage enough.”

  “I’m not saying that he didn’t. Besides the deaths and injuries, the gardens look like a wasteland. I’m just saying it could have be worse.” She added, “Gallo did a terrific job organizing Chen Lu’s security in this short time. They were all pretty upset about Rory.”

  “Where is he now?”

  She shrugged. “He was trying to make sure that everything is safe and the place is on its way to recovery for Chen Lu. He said we can’t stay here any longer.” She made a face. “Even though chances they’d attack here again would be slim to none since we’d be on the alert. Still, it would be like the mouse having to hole up and wait for the cat outside to find a way to pounce.”

  “And we have a good deal to do that doesn’t include hiding in the mouse hole,” he said. “Had you finished going over those medical birth records at St. Luke’s before this uproar?”

  She nodded. “Four males were born on that date at St. Luke’s. Charles Keller, Montgomery Dexter, Douglas Warnold, and Juan Martinez. Keller and Warnold are Caucasian, Dexter is black, Martinez is Hispanic. So Keller and Warnold are our only candidates from St. Luke’s. You had Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, didn’t you?”

  “Yes, only three male, Caucasians. James Kilpatrick, Nathan Wolf, and Simon Cassidy.” He smiled. “So now we wait for Gallo’s input, then we start combing the hospitals for other procedures performed on one of these boys so that we can narrow down the list.”

  She nodded. “I’ll go upstairs and shower and go check on Chen Lu.” She turned toward the door. “And I’ll call Gallo and tell him that we’ll be ready to go when he’s ready to get us out of here. He mentioned a tunnel…”

  “Ah, yes, I remember Rory’s telling me about that tunnel.” Hu Chang got to his feet. “I believe I’ll go do a little exploring there so that we won’t get an unpleasant surprise.”

  Catherine watched him go down the hall as she started up the stairs. She could seldom read Hu Chang’s expressions when he didn’t want her to do it, but she thought that she caught a hint of sadness. And why not? He and Chen Lu were undoubtedly close, and he had brought this chaos down upon her. No, the guilt had not been his alone. She and Gallo had accepted the security the Golden Palace offered. She had a sudden memory of Chen Lu last night at the dinner table, aglow with life and joy. She had been a little envious of that ability to pull every drop of pleasure from each moment. Had they managed to destroy that wonderful joie de vivre?

  She was not looking forward to facing Chen Lu again.

  * * *

  CHEN LU WAS NOT IN HER SUITE when Catherine knocked on her door two hours later. There was only a very upset and tearful Chinese maid, who told her that Chen Lu had gone downstairs to see the Master Hu Chang and refused to let her accompany her.

  Fever? Disorientation?

  “You should have called someone,” she said curtly as she turned, ran down the hall, and took the stairs two at a time.

  “Slow. Do not break any bones,” Hu Chang called from the drawing room, as Catherine reached the bottom of the stairs. “Chen Lu was foolish, but did not pay for it. Nor should you.”

  Chen Lu was sitting on the chaise, and she was dressed in a sleek black dress instead of the caftan in which Catherine had become accustomed to seeing her. She appeared pale, smaller than usual, but very elegant.

  “Shouldn’t you be in bed?” Catherine asked.

  “Probably.” Chen Lu smiled with an effort. “But I have things to do, and I can’t be bothered with that kind of thing. I had to come down and see my friend, Hu Chang.”

  “Is there anything that we can do for you?” She added, “I can’t tell you how sorry I am about Rory, and your beautiful gardens and…” She made a helpless movement with her hand. “And everything, Chen Lu. If I’d known…”

  “But we never know for certain, do we?” she asked unevenly. “I loved my Rory. He was an old and good friend. But he knew that life has its risks and embraced it. We were alike in that.” She moistened her lips. “It was a beautiful night, and we were both so happy. It’s not so bad to have life end on a note that sweet.” She shook her head. “I won’t weep for him. God will be glad to take in a bold, funny lad like Rory.” She turned to Hu Chang. “But I have to go to the police and make arrangements to take Rory home to Dublin. He must be with his own folk, not among foreigners in a strange land. No matter how beautiful that land is.”

  “It can wait, Chen Lu,” he said gently.

  “No, it can’t. I cannot bear to think of him in that … cold place with people who don’t care about him. I will go and do it now.” She drew a deep breath. “But I’m not … strong. You must give me something to make sure that I can do this, Hu Chang.”

  “Chen Lu, you’ve been wounded,” Catherine said. “You’d probably collapse before you—”

  “I won’t collapse.” Her gaze never left Hu Chang’s. “I’ll be strong enough, won’t I? You’ll make sure I am.”

  He held her gaze for a long moment. “You’ll be strong enough,” he said quietly. He went to the bar across the room and poured her a glass of wine. Then he took a tiny vial from his jacket pocket and poured it into the wine. “I’m diluting it. It will last you for five days, no more. Then you must take to your bed and heal.”

  “Hu Chang,” Catherine said uncertainly.

  “Don’t interfere, Catherine. Chen Lu and I both know what we’re doing.” He gave the wineglass to Chen Lu. “And if you do not take to your bed at that time, our association is over. There must always be honor between us.”

  She nodded. “I’m not a fool. I know how valuable our ‘association’ is to me.” She lifted the glass and drained it. She made a face. “Foul, Hu Chang. Why must everything you create taste this terrible?”

  “Not everything. Some have no taste at all. But I have to make an effort to do that. I prefer to make sure that you have a solid impact to remind you what you’re taking. Or perhaps it’s just my sadistic personality.” He took her glass and returned it to the bar. “I’ll make your reservations and arrangements for transporting your Rory while you do the paperwork at the police station. You’ll take your maid with you into the city, and she’ll accompany you to Ireland. You’ll treat her with kindness and not overrule her when she tries to make you rest. Is that clear, Chen Lu?”

  “What good is it to be strong if I have to listen to other people?” She waved a hand. “Oh, very well. I’ll do what you wish.” She frowned. “But I don’t feel very different. Are you sure it worked?”

  “Diluted,” he repeated with a faint smile. “And would you feel up to arguing with me if you weren’t stronger?”

  She thought about it. “No, I suppose not. But I expected something … more.”

  “You always do. That’s why you’re the unique individual we all know and love.” He turned to Catherine. “Come with me. We’ll leave her alone to rest for a few moments. If you’ll run up to her suite and tell her maid to pack a ba
g for her mistress and herself, I’ll make those arrangements that I mentioned.”

  “I don’t want to be alone,” Chen Lu said. “I hate being alone.”

  “You’re feeling Rory’s loss,” Hu Chang said. “I warned you.”

  “Shut up. I don’t want to hear I-told-you-so.” She closed her eyes and rested her head on the back of her chair. “I’ll be fine. My heart will hurt, but I’ll be fine. Go do what you have to do.”

  “We will.” He whisked Catherine from the room. “In spite of what she said, she’s best alone now. You have to become accustomed to loss before you accept it.”

  “You seem to know a lot about her,” she said slowly.

  He took his phone from his pocket. “But you knew that before. You’ve been studying us since we set foot in her lovely palace. But now you want to ask questions.”

  “A few. What was in that vial that you put in her wine?”

  “What do you think?”

  “It wasn’t orange like the medicine you gave Carmody at your shop when he was wounded. It was almost clear. Does it do the same thing?”

  “Approximately. But you know I’m constantly changing formulas and making adjustments.”

  “It was to give her a temporary rush of strength, not heal her.”

  “Observant as usual. It would heal her if given the opportunity, but she wanted to take another option.”

  “It’s dangerous?”

  “Yes, it’s always dangerous to push the boundaries. But sometimes it’s worth the risk. Rory was her friend, and she wouldn’t be able to bear lying in bed and recovering at this time.” He added gravely, “She’ll be fine, Catherine. As long as she obeys me, there won’t be a problem.”

  She shook her head. “Hu Chang, sometimes those drugs and potions of yours give me a major headache.”

  His lips quirked. “A purely unexpected side effect on my part, I assure you.”

  “Nothing is totally unexpected where you’re concerned.” She started up the staircase. “I’ll get Chen Lu’s maid on the move. Though I think Chen Lu intimidates her. It’s a good thing you warned Chen Lu to let herself be taken care of.”