Lisa See - The Interior

"What about rape?" Henry asked. He didn't know who this Miaoshan was, but he was intrigued.

"Could be," Hulan answered. "Rape is probably the most taboo subject in all of China. It's the worst shame. If she'd been raped, she would never have said a word." Hulan paused. "But I think not. Siang, Tang's daughter, said she saw them together. She was disgusted, but I don't think she would have mentioned it if there'd been a struggle. No, it wasn't rape."

"Guy Lin loved her," David said. "There's no question in my mind about that."

"Who's that?" Henry asked.

"He's the one you've seen on television with Pearl Jenner," David responded simply.

"Yes, he loved her," Hulan concluded. "But he lost his usefulness when she no longer needed him. Which brings us to Keith."

Hulan's mind felt clouded by the heat and humidity. She looked at the others. They all seemed to be waiting for her to continue. With great effort she gathered her thoughts and asked, "Did Ling Miaoshan-beautiful, manipulative, cruel in matters of the heart-actually love Keith Baxter-a man twice her age from a culture that was immensely foreign yet at the same time attractive to her?" Hulan let the question hang in the air, then resumed after a moment. "I've slept in her bed. I've smelled the White Shoulders on her sheets and in her pillow. I've seen the things he gave her folded in their tissue and wrapped in their ribbons. I've thought a lot about what she had to have done to be with him-repeatedly sneaking out of the dormitory, changing her clothes and her entire appearance to be more comely to him, and keeping the secrets of those papers when she was killed. Yes, I think she must have loved him. Was it a true-heart love or a simple infatuation that would have changed over time? I don't know. But I think she was in love. What about your friend? Could he have really loved her, or was it just sex?"

"He was ready to bring her home to meet his family," David said. "He was trying to get her out of the country. He may have been crazy, but I think he must have been in love too."

David turned and looked out the window. Hulan could see the impatience in his features. The traffic wasn't moving at all. She leaned forward and spoke a few words into Lo's ear, urging him to find another route. When she sat back, David said, "But to what lengths was he willing to go? When I was talking to Anne, I thought Keith had given his papers to the government. This would have violated his duty as an attorney, but I think they would have been enough to get Miaoshan out. If they are some kind of key, they would have opened a massive federal investigation into… Well, into your company, Henry, and Tartan. Seven hundred million is a lot of money. The Tartan and Knight stockholders would need to be answered to. There would have been the various corruption charges."

"I'm telling you, Sun is innocent," Henry repeated for what seemed the millionth time this morning.

"Sun wouldn't have been the target of a federal investigation, Henry, but you and to a different extent Tartan would have," David said. "But Keith didn't give the key to Rob. Keith loved Miaoshan, but he wasn't willing to sacrifice everything he'd worked for to have her."

"Then why was he so upset the night you had dinner with him?" Hulan asked. "If he'd made his decision, why worry?"

"Because Pearl already knew about Miaoshan's papers and probably told him so," he answered. "Because Keith knew that he'd lost the love of his life, that everything was going to come to light, and that there wasn't much he could do about it."

Henry cleared his throat. "I'm not used to this sort of thing, but if you don't mind my saying so, I think how Miaoshan got those papers is important."

David and Hulan looked over at the older man questioningly.

"If what you say is true-that none of this would be happening if that Pearl woman hadn't gotten these papers-then whoever gave them to Miaoshan in the first place had a strong motive to destroy…" He faltered, then finished up with, "To destroy me, I guess." David instantly thought of how Sun had used those exact same words last night. Henry went on uncertainly. "I mean, wouldn't you have to say that was the case? That this was some kind of plant by Tartan to get my company on the cheap?"

David and Hulan looked at each other, absorbing this new angle. Then Hulan leaned forward again and spoke in rapid Mandarin to Lo. He made a U-turn, swerved up a side street, and began beeping the horn.

"What's happening?" Henry asked.

"We've got to get over to the Holiday Inn," Hulan said. "What you say has truth. Part of that truth is that Pearl and Guy have accomplished what the killer wanted them to do. Since that's so, their lives are in danger. We must try to warn them."

"That snake of a woman?" Henry asked.

"Um," Hulan agreed, "but we must."

A few minutes later, they arrived at the downtown Holiday Inn or, rather, they got within a few yards of it. Police cars and ambulances blocked the parking area and porte-cochere. Bellboys in bright uniforms decorated with gold braid and passersby gawked as the managers of the hotel argued with the policemen to please move their vehicles. Amidst all this was a large contingent of plainclothes agents from the Ministry of Public Security.

"We're not going in there!" Henry half yelped when he saw David open the door. "You have to figure they're dead, right? We're too late."

Hulan grabbed his arm and gave the older man a not-so-gentle push. "We're absolutely going in there, Mr. Knight, and you're going to lead the way. You're the VIP-er. Do what you're supposed to do-bluster, bluster, bluster. We'll be right behind you."

And so, with Henry Knight out in front, they walked straight into the air-conditioned lobby of the hotel. When a young Beijing policeman tried to stop them, Henry said imperiously, "I don't understand." When the policeman, seeing that Hulan was Chinese, said they weren't permitted to pass, she looked at him uncomprehendingly, and David said, "We're in a hurry! Business meeting! Foreigners! Foreigners!" Henry boldly pushed past the policeman and walked to the bank of elevators with David and Hulan following close behind. As the elevator doors closed, they saw the policeman face front as though he'd never let anyone past.

"Which floor?" Henry whispered, then colored as he realized no one else was on this car.

"We'll go to the top and work our way down the stairs," Hulan said.

Of course, the stairs weren't air-conditioned, and by the time they'd gone down five flights they were all sweating. Hulan worried about Henry-a heart attack was the last thing they needed-but he seemed spry enough. On the other hand, the same lethargy that had gripped her in David's office now came back full force, and she wished she could step into one of the air-conditioned hallways, find a room, and lie down.

They continued down, opening the fire doors and checking for activity. On the ninth floor they found what they were looking for. Hulan wiped the sweat from her forehead with a tissue and said to her companions, "Follow me, but don't say anything."

She pulled out her MPS credential, stepped into the hallway, and walked purposefully down the hall. A policeman sat with his back against the wall, looking green, beside him a splash of vomit. A few of his buddies stood around in support, offering by turns cigarettes and bottled water. But the truth was, they looked none too well themselves. It must be bad, Hulan thought, very bad.

At the door to the room Hulan held up her credential, although the person guarding it was well known to her. Yang Yao had worked at the Ministry of Public Security for almost thirty years, but he'd never risen above the rank of investigator third grade. An announcement of his impending retirement had recently circulated around the office. It was about time. Still, Hulan had hoped he'd be here. Yang was slow and infinitely dumb, which was why he was always assigned to watch the door instead of investigate. He nodded to Hulan and made not one movement and said not one word to prevent the foreigners from going in after her.