The Interior (33 page)

“It’s much worse than that,” Hulan said. “They’re talking to a reporter from the
People’s Daily
.”

“How do you know?”

“Bi Peng has written the worst articles about me and my family. Whatever he writes, the others follow.”

David groaned, then asked, “Do you know what they’re talking about?”

“I didn’t go in there, if that’s what you mean.”

“Have they seen you?”

Hulan gave him a look which conveyed something along the lines of:
Have you forgotten what my job is, you idiot?

Inside the bar the three rose. Bi Peng threw some money on the table. When he turned, David and Hulan could see his big smiling teeth. The trio came forward; David and Hulan edged around the pillar, staying out of sight. As Pearl passed, she said, “We’re staying at the Holiday Inn on Beilishi Lu. If you need more information, just call. I’ll be happy to answer any other questions.”

David and Hulan spoke little on the way back to the
hutong
. Hulan was pale with fatigue, and David felt wrung out, exhausted from travel, mind-numbing puzzles, and the stress of not knowing what would happen to his life. Once they reached Hulan’s home, they stopped for a moment to look at the three-by-five cards that she’d written earlier today. There was nothing to add or change. They went to the bedroom, peeled off their clothes, and slipped under the sheet.

Hulan curled into David’s shoulder as he filled in what had happened after she and the others left the room. He understood that parts of this story, because of the way she’d exposed her father’s criminal actions, would be especially painful to Hulan, but there was no point in trying to protect her. She was in this with him, and maybe her own experience would provide insight into what had happened. When he came to the part about Doug selling his father down the proverbial river, David felt Hulan press herself even closer into his chest. He tightened his arms around her in response.

“What would make Doug do that?” she asked. “What does he get out of it?”

“Money, I suppose.”

“But to do that to your own father? It’s too cruel. There must be more about them that we don’t know, something in their past that would make Doug want to disgrace his father.”

“I don’t think so. They’re just Americans from New Jersey. There’s nothing life-threatening in that, and I don’t take Henry for one of those secretly abusive fathers.”

“What do you think he’ll do?”

“About the sale?”

“That, and about his son. If his son wants the sale that much, will Henry let it go through?”

“I don’t know.”

“You’re going to be a father,” she said. He could feel her body tense against his. “What would you do if our child tried to ruin you?”

“That won’t happen,” he said, trying reassurance.

“But if it did,” Hulan insisted, “what would you do?”

He nudged her away so he could look at her face. Even in the darkness of the bedroom, he could see it was taut and anxious. He put his hands on her cheeks and kissed her. “Our child will never do anything to harm us. I’m not saying he won’t torture us with worry or drive us crazy when he’s a teenager. But he’ll have two parents who’ll love him, and nothing will ever change that.”

“What if it’s in the blood—”

“And even if for some strange reason,” David spoke right over her, “he grows up to be some mad rapist hatchet murderer, I will always love him and his mother no matter what.”

Hulan buried her head back into his chest.

After a moment she said, her voice brave, “Who says it’s a boy anyway?”

They were awakened several hours later by the front gate buzzer. Hulan got up and put on her robe. David pulled on jeans and tennis shoes. Together they made their way through the various courtyards, lit only by the beam of Hulan’s flashlight. She pulled back the bolt to the front gate, opened the door a crack, and found Governor Sun Gan standing on the step. Hulan opened the door just enough to put her head out into the alley. She looked both ways. The alley was deserted, but in another hour her neighbors would begin to rise with the pre-dawn light. She held the door open and said, “Come in.”

Sun stepped over the old imperial threshold, saw David bare-chested in his jeans, extended his hand, and said smoothly, “I’m sorry to call so late. I hope you will forgive me.”

David shook the governor’s hand, and together they followed Hulan back through the courtyards to the main living quarters. Hulan motioned for Sun to sit, then put water on for tea. Sun watched Hulan, then leaned forward and whispered to David, “I think we should speak alone. I’m not here as a guest but as your client.”

Hulan nodded, and David and the governor ducked outside to sit on two porcelain stools close enough to the house so that they might have light from the window.

“Have you had a chance to look at what I sent you?” Sun asked.

“Yes,” David said cautiously, ready for the confession he didn’t want to hear.

“They show deposits in the bank accounts of several businesses.”

“I know.”

“Those papers were sent to my office here in Beijing along with a note suggesting I check my personal accounts. The accounts on those papers are the same as my personal accounts. I think someone is trying to make it look like I’ve accepted payments from Knight.”

“And you’re saying you haven’t?”

Sun let his breath out heavily. “Those are not my accounts. They aren’t my papers. And that certainly isn’t my money.”

“It’s a little late for an outright denial—”

“You have to believe me!”

David regarded Sun. Any pretext at his being a polished politician was completely gone now, but it could have been an incredible act.

“If they aren’t your accounts, whose are they?”

“What I mean is, the numbers match my accounts, but the balances are not mine.
That’s
the problem. I want you to know that I went to my bank here and wired my banks in America. My accounts show the proper numbers.” He unfolded several pieces of papers. “See? These are my accounts and my actual balances. You can use these to prove my innocence.”

But instead of looking at the papers, David glanced at his watch. It was 3:10 in the morning. “I thought we had a meeting tomorrow at ten. Couldn’t this charade have waited until then?”

“Charade? What is that word?”

“Didn’t you send me those reports so that when I discovered that you’d accepted bribes—and not just a little bit of money, but hundreds of thousands of dollars—that I wouldn’t be able to turn you in because you were my client?”

“Is that what you think?”

“Isn’t it the truth?”

“No.” Sun thrust his papers at David. “Just look at these.”

David took them reluctantly. From the light of the window he could see that Sun’s balances were quite modest. “This means nothing to me,” David said. “You could have moved the money—”

“But I’m an honest man.”

“Then you’ve never accepted money from Knight International?”

“That’s right.”

“Then how do you explain papers with Knight’s letterhead and a list of businesses with your account numbers? How do you explain how there’s another set of papers showing other deposits and your name spelled out in code?”

“If I were guilty, would I come to you?”

David didn’t answer the question. Instead he said, “When I first got here and opened my office, I was surprised at all the extra fees I had to pay as a foreigner. Are you telling me that you have never received money from Henry since he decided to open the factory?”

Sun looked at him in bewilderment. “I never took money from Henry, except…” A tortured look crossed his face, and he moaned in anguish. “But it wasn’t a bribe. I took money, yes, but it was a fee paid straight to the contractor through me. I wanted Henry to have someone good. No delays. No bad materials. How was Henry going to find a reputable construction company? So I interviewed people, I got recommendations, I went out and looked at various work sites—some under construction, some completed. When I found the right company, I negotiated the contract and Henry’s money was the first payment. I did all this as a friend. I received nothing, not one of your American pennies.”

“Can you prove it?”

“Brilliant Construction is in Taiyuan. You can call them when they open. They’ll have the records.” Seeing David’s skepticism, Sun said, “I’m telling you the truth. Why would I lie?”

“To cover up the other payments.”

“That is not my money!”

There was a gentle tapping at the window. David looked up. Hulan had a tray with teacups and tea. David nodded and she brought it out, set it on the table, and left.

“Someone is trying to frame me,” Sun said.

“Who?”

“Henry, but why would he do that to me?”

The conversation had become circular.

“Let’s assume for a minute that what you say is true,” David said, changing tactics. “What would someone get out of it?”

“I don’t know why Henry—”

“Forget Henry. Look bigger, smaller, wider. Who out there would do this to you and for what gain?”

“To destroy me.”

David shook his head impatiently. “That doesn’t mean anything. That’s vague. Why?
Why?
”

“I don’t know.”

The more Sun denied the charges, the more David was convinced of his guilt. David said, “I want you to understand that you can find another attorney—”

“I want you.”

“Look, I don’t know enough about Chinese law. This is a Chinese problem and you’re in serious trouble.”

“I’m aware of that.” For the first time a small smile came to Sun’s lips. “Attorney Stark, you haven’t asked me why I came here in the middle of the night. I’m here because I am trying to avoid being arrested.”

David looked at him in shock.

Sun seemed glumly pleased at David’s reaction. “Someone has spoken to the press. Tomorrow there will be an article. I’m in it. You and Liu Hulan are in it. I’m not sure of all the details, but my friends say it’s very bad.”

David opened his mouth to speak, but Sun cut him off. “I don’t want to be arrested in Beijing. I don’t want to be arrested anywhere in China. As you perhaps know, justice moves very quickly here.”

David did know. A trial with few if any defense witnesses, sentence, and punishment within a week. If Sun was found guilty of corruption, he would be executed and his family would be billed for the bullet.

“But if I’m to be arrested,” Sun continued, “I’d prefer to go—”

“No, don’t tell me! If you tell me, I might be obligated to tell the authorities, because I don’t know if my American privilege will be respected here.”

“What about Liu Hulan?” Sun asked. “She works for the MPS.”

“You are my client,” David said. “What we’ve spoken about is between us.”

Sun looked out into the darkness. “I’ve worked my whole life to better myself, to better the lives of the people of China. I sit here now and I’m lost. I have friends in the government who are protecting me, but even they are sometimes powerless against outside forces. Still, I’m grateful to them. But there is another kind of friend, someone who is close to your heart, who understands you, who you would give your life for. I thought Henry was that kind of friend.” Sun shifted his gaze back to David. “I know you’re an honest man. I know your reputation and what you’ve done for China in the past. These things that are on those papers are a lie. I don’t know how to prove it to you, but I hope you can accept my word.” Sun took a last sip of tea, then stood. “I should go before it gets light.”

David saw Sun to the front gate, where he mounted a bicycle and began pedaling. When the governor disappeared around the alley’s corner, David locked the gate and made his way back to the last courtyard. Hulan sat at the little round table. Her bandaged hand rested palm up before her. She looked tired, more tired perhaps than he had ever seen her. Weren’t pregnant women supposed to need, want, and get a lot of sleep? He thought he could remember reading something like that or seeing it in a movie.

“He’s innocent, isn’t he?” she said.

“My logical mind says he can’t be, but when he speaks, I want to believe him.”

“He’s a politician,” Hulan reminded him. “You’re supposed to believe him.”

“He also gave me these.” David handed Hulan Sun’s bank records. In his mind they proved nothing, but he had a duty to turn evidence over to the authorities if it might help his client.

Hulan saw that the names of these banks matched those in the
dangan
and that these were official documents dated yesterday, but she said none of this. Instead she picked up the index card that had Sun’s name on it and corresponded to the columns which read
ACCEPTING BRIBES
and
CHINESE
jurisdiction. Without saying a word, she tore the card into pieces and put them in the trash. Then she said, “I need some sleep.” With that she left the room, leaving David to stare at her chart and wonder if she really believed Sun was innocent.

20

M
ONDAY MORNING DAWNED HEAVY AND HOT. HULAN
dressed in a loose-fitting suit of pale green pongee. Since she was going to the MPS, she carried her weapon under her jacket. She still felt tired, and she went about her morning activities quietly. At 7:30 she left the compound, got into the backseat of Lo’s black Mercedes, and drifted back to sleep for the short drive to headquarters. As she walked through the lobby and upstairs to her office, the temperature seemed worse than ever before. The dinginess of the walls and the lack of light made the heat all the more oppressive.

She went straight to Zai’s office. Vice Minister Zai was already at his desk, and it occurred to her that perhaps he’d spent the entire weekend there. The tea girls hadn’t come in yet, so Zai poured the tea from his thermos himself. Hulan took a sip and felt its heat radiate through her body and produce a fine sheen of sweat on her face. This was exactly what tea was supposed to do. Sweat was nature’s way of cooling the body. But today, instead of giving any relief, the tea only added to her discomfort.

“You recall the file of which we spoke yesterday?” Hulan said. When Zai nodded, she went on, “I would like to see it again.”

They were inside, where anyone could be listening, and yet Hulan—though her words were ambiguous as to whose file she wanted—had broken the protocol with which she and her mentor usually communicated. But Zai didn’t question her motives or even ask her to step outside for a walk. For her to show such a lapse must mean that she needed Sun’s
dangan
urgently. He left the room and came back a few minutes later. As he’d done the day before, he placed the file in front of her, but instead of turning away he watched as she opened it and read. Sometimes she would pick up a piece of paper and hold it up to the hazy light coming through the window or she would set out two pieces of paper side by side to compare them. She worked silently and Zai didn’t ask any questions. After a while he went back to his own work, and the two of them worked in companionable silence.

At nine sharp, Zai’s support staff arrived. A pretty girl came in and refreshed their tea, bowed, and left again. A few minutes later another girl entered carrying his morning newspaper, and Zai instantly felt the change in her demeanor when she saw Hulan. It was true that Hulan had never been considered as just one of the workers. She was different from them by education, money, and political position. As a result she had always been seen as an outsider, and when Zai considered this he thought that this separateness above anything was what made Hulan so good at what she did. Still, this morning Zai’s assistant stared at Hulan with more than the usual curiosity. After the girl left the room and he picked up the
People’s Daily
, he understood why.

He cleared his throat. “Inspector Liu,” he said formally, knowing without doubt that someone would be listening given the circumstances, “have you seen this morning’s paper?”

“No, uncle, I haven’t,” she said without looking up. “You know I try not to read our papers. I have learned from personal experience that what they say is not necessarily true.”

Zai stared at his protégée. She was speaking to him with her mouth, but her words were clearly for the others—if they were listening. He realized then that she’d come here for two reasons. The first was that she had a legitimate reason to look at Sun’s file. The second was that she suspected something was about to happen and wanted to get her position on record with the people who’d be monitoring their conversation.

He pushed the paper across the desk and watched as she looked at the four photographs that blotted the front page. The first had been taken last night and showed Governor Sun, Henry Knight, and Randall Craig. The second showed the Knight factory. The third was of a Chinese woman—a foreigner from her dress, haircut, and know-it-all expression. In the article Zai had read that this Pearl Jenner worked for an American newspaper and was spoken of in glowing terms as a true friend to China, who’d come back to the motherland to help her countrymen rid themselves of corruption. The last was that same grainy photo of Hulan and David dancing at Rumours Disco that newspapers across China had used when the propaganda tide had shifted against her. Rumours was in the Palace Hotel and reputed to be owned by generals from the People’s Liberation Army. Only a handful of people on the globe knew that Hulan’s last big case had at its heart the smuggling of nuclear components. Those smugglers happened to be some of the same generals who owned Rumours. These were men who, with the exception of a couple of scapegoats, had avoided prosecution. Still, they had lost a lot of money, and they did not forgive easily.

Hulan picked up the paper. Unlike the others who were listening, Zai had the benefit of watching Hulan’s reaction as she scanned the article. Immediately he saw her brow furrow as she read the allegations: Knight International was harming Chinese citizens. Another American company, Tartan, was prepared to buy Knight to further this activity. The deal was being shepherded by Governor Sun Gan, who was reputed to have accepted bribes. The proof? The newspaper printed a copy of one of the pages of numbers that Guy Lin had tried to show them in the bar of the Shanxi Grand Hotel. It was a page from Miaoshan’s papers and the reporter, Bi Peng, had deciphered the SUN GAN code. Sun’s arrest was pending, but it was a forgone conclusion that he would be caught soon. Representing Sun was American attorney David Stark, which suggested just how corrupt the governor was.

Hulan winced, and Zai knew she’d come to the section where Pearl Jenner was quoted as saying, “Inspector Liu Hulan and a certain Miss Quo Xuesheng are responsible for introducing Mr. Stark to Governor Sun. These two women—both Red Princesses—obviously stand to profit from their affiliation with Sun and Stark. It is no wonder, then, that Inspector Liu has tried to bury the facts of Sun’s misdeeds and Stark’s cover-up.”

Hulan set the paper down in disgust. The government controlled the newspaper and this story wouldn’t have appeared if Hulan didn’t have powerful enemies, but it was also true that Bi Peng had it out for her. This time the reporter had surpassed himself. By tonight this news would be on television. By tomorrow it would go out across the country. It might take two or three days to reach deep into the countryside, but these lies would get there eventually.

On the other hand, Hulan also had some powerful friends. It was to these unseen people that she spoke now. “Attorney Stark is innocent of these unfounded charges. I am also innocent. Miss Quo comes from one of the Hundred Families. To suggest that she would do something like this for money is ludicrous when she could practically buy Knight International herself.”

Zai didn’t say a word.

“In many ways I’m most concerned with these lies about Governor Sun. As you know, Vice Minister, I’ve been curious about him. I’m an investigator of facts. My job is to look for criminal activity. I think that I’ve done a good job over the years. But as I look at his personal file and as I’ve talked to him, I see nothing to suggest that he would be guilty of any acts of bribery. Still, I believe we’re being manipulated into thinking he’s to blame.”

“Nevertheless, if he has run away, then we must find him.”

“Of course, Vice Minister. Have you already authorized this as it says in the paper?”

“I will authorize it now.”

“Good,” Hulan said. “When we find him, I’m sure that he’ll be able to clear away all ambiguity.” For the first time since she’d entered his office, Zai heard the deceit in her voice. But would the others, who didn’t know her as well as he, hear it as well?

Hulan stood. “Thank you for your time, Vice Minister. I will keep you informed of my activities.”

Zai followed her out the door, past the cluster of chattering assistants, down the stairs, and into the parking lot. They stood in the middle of the courtyard and hoped they wouldn’t be heard.

“Are you so sure of what you said, Hulan?”

“I’m sure that David, Miss Quo, and I are innocent. I believe that Governor Sun is being set up. But why and by whom I don’t know.”

“Maybe it’s politics. He may be too popular and they want to bring him down as they have done to you.”

“Um, perhaps.”

“What is it?”

“Someone has doctored his
dangan
.”

Zai recoiled. “This can’t be!”

“In some sections the paper doesn’t match. In others it appears to be the same person making the report, and yet the calligraphy is subtly different. I only have my bare eyes, but I think a lab would be able to verify my conclusions.”

“They’ve put damaging information in it?”

“Just the opposite. His file reads as thought it were for Mao or Zhou. It’s perfect. Every place that you’d expect to find criticism is only praise. He was not targeted during the Cultural Revolution, yet I
know
that the people in and around Taiyuan were very harsh and cruel.”

“Why change his file to make him look good if they’re going to accuse him of corruption so publicly?”

“This is exactly the question I’m wondering.”

Zai contemplated Hulan. He admired her fortitude, but always worried that it would get her into trouble.

“Tell me this,” he said. “Do you still believe this has something to do with the death of your friend’s daughter?”

“Yes, and what Bi Peng wrote about the Knight factory is true. It’s all linked.”

Zai grunted. This was not what he wanted to hear.

“I think you should leave the city,” he said at last.

“I’m going back to Da Shui Village. I think the answers are there.”

“No!” he rapped out. “I was thinking you should go to Beidaihe and stay with your mother. It might remind people who you are.” He thought for a moment, then said, “Better yet, go to Los Angeles. If you remain here, I don’t know what will happen. Our anti-corruption policies are very strong now. If they demand your arrest, there’s nothing I can do. The best thing for you to do is leave. Do you have your visa ready?”

“Of course, always.” As a Red Princess she was always prepared to leave on a moment’s notice. It also went without saying that she had plenty of cash—Chinese and American—hidden at her house.

“Go with your David to the United States,” Zai said. “Take Lo with you. He’ll always be able to reach me. I’ll take care of your mother. I’ll bring her to you as soon as I can.” He put his hands on her shoulders. “You should never have come back here. Not in 1985 and not three months ago. It’s time you realized your life lies elsewhere.” He released her, looked around, and signaled for Lo and the car.

He stood on the hot asphalt and watched as the Mercedes left the compound. Then he headed back to his office, where, as soon as he had made the proper calls to ask that Sun be arrested and Miss Quo picked up, he would have to decide just how long he could wait before he ordered Hulan’s and David’s detainment.

When Hulan, hot and feeling exhausted, entered the small reception area of David’s office, she saw Miss Quo crying into her hands. Hulan put an arm around the young woman, said a few soothing words, and escorted her into David’s office. He was perched on the edge of his desk, staring at the television. Pearl Jenner, wearing a sky blue suit, was on the screen, her face twisted into a look that somehow managed to convey outrage and pleasure. She was clearly enjoying her newfound celebrity. She spoke in English while a Chinese woman’s voice translated over the broadcast.

“Pearl’s been busy this morning,” David said. “How long before we’re taken in for questioning?”

David had used tame Western words for what could be hell in Beijing, but his worried look told Hulan that he wasn’t taking this lightly. But before she could answer, she needed to know how far the story had gone. With Miss Quo still weeping, David ran through events to this point. He’d come to the office and found Miss Quo sobbing over a copy of the
People’s Daily
. They turned on the television and learned more. Reporters and the local police had gone to Governor Sun’s Taiyuan home and to his Beijing apartment, but he was in neither place. Between the time that Hulan had left the ministry and now, Vice Minister Zai had sent out a spokesperson to announce that the country should be on full alert for Governor Sun. He might try to leave the country, or he might try to disappear into the interior. People should report any strangers to their Neighborhood Committee or local police.

This had been followed by clips showing Sun at banquets, cutting ribbons at commercial fairs, and striding across cultivated land as peasants trailed along behind him, while the anchor discussed the acts of bribery and corruption. “This all seemed innocuous enough,” David said, “but then the stories and with them the images shifted. Suddenly there was Sun clinking glasses with a Caucasian, posing with Henry and others before the Knight compound, and moving through a crowd, shaking hands and pressing the flesh as if he were a presidential candidate working his way through New Hampshire.”

Unlike the U.S., where journalists were supposed to use the word “alleged” in connection with supposed crimes, the Chinese reporters had made no such attempt. Sun was portrayed as an enemy of the people, a man who was willing to sell China to the lowest and most corrupt bidder in the world—the United States of America. Randall Craig of Tartan Enterprises and his entourage had left the country. (That they’d gone to Singapore on a previously arranged trip was not mentioned.) The government promised a prompt inspection of the manufacturing giant’s factories in Shenzhen.

David paused in his recitation when a visa photo of Henry Knight flashed on the screen. As the television anchor spoke, Hulan translated: “We opened our doors to this man. He has paid bribes to Governor Sun Gan and who knows whom else since he has come to our country. The government suggests that he be expelled at once. The American embassy has made no official statement regarding either Knight or Tartan. America is a strong country, but we are strong too. China will not allow any bad fellows on her soil.”

But the story didn’t end here. Quo Xuesheng, David’s assistant, translator, and secretary, was shown in a tight evening dress getting out of a limousine. “Is Miss Quo, daughter of Quo Jingsheng, the victim of these Western influences, or is she one of the co-conspirators? Her father, who is a well-respected member of our government, has been unavailable for comment, as he is in the United States on tour.” In other words, the press, for now, was withholding judgment on Miss Quo. They might have to wait a day, a month, even a year or more before the government made its final decision on her and her father. But that didn’t offer any solace to Miss Quo, who continued to weep.