'To hurt me, yes, absolutely. But to murder two innocent young women ... I would be very shocked. Do you suspect her?'
'It's a shocking case,' April murmured, noncommittal.
Tang's buzzer sounded. 'Yes?'
'Ching is here.'
'Tell her to go to the second door. I'll get her gown myself.' Tang gave April a distracted smile. 'We need to talk more, of course. But right now, would you meet Ching on the second floor? I'll be with you in a moment.'
April hesitated. Ching first, or Kim first? She had the detectives outside, and the receptionist Melody downstairs at the front desk. Kim couldn't get away. She chose Ching. 'All right. But please alert your security staff not to let Kim out of the building. I want to talk to him in a few minutes.'
Tang nodded, and seconds later April was in the elevator.
Fifty-three
C
hing was sitting on a pink silk slipper chair when April got off the elevator. All excited, she gave April a big hug.
'You won't believe this. Tang asked me to have dinner with her tonight. Her husband is in Hong Kong, and she canceled her dinner plans because of the publicity. Did you talk to her?'
'Yes, sweetie, where's your cell phone?' April was not interested in Tang's dinner plans. She was interested only in getting Ching out of the building.
'I left it home, why?'
'I tried to reach you. Let's go downstairs.' April took Ching's arm and started moving her toward the stairs.
'What's the matter?' Ching was alarmed.
'Nothing. I just want to talk to you outside for a second.'
'But what about my fitting?'
'Let's just leave the building. We can do it another time.'
'What do you mean, another time? The wedding is this week!' Ching was moving her feet down the stairs, but hanging back. Almost a deadweight. 'What's the matter, April?'
'Nothing, honey. Let's go. Stay with me on this.'
'What the hell are you doing? You're treating me like a retard. Hi, Melody.' She waved at the girl at the desk.
Melody waved back. ''Bye, Ching.'
They moved through the doors out into the light.
'What was that about? April. . . April.. . talk to me.'
'Just come outside and cool it a minute, okay?'
Fifty-four
K
im was working at his place in the workroom, in front of his sewing machine. He was doing the hem of a slippery silk jersey gown that had to be finished and sent out today. He wasn't feeling good, but he had come in to get away from his wife and because of his loyalty to Tang. He wanted to be with her in her time of trouble and show his respect. To give her flowers. He was wearing a white shirt and black pants, the uniform she required of all the sewers. The bright blue Hawaiian shirt he'd worn on the subway was in his carryall, along with his shoes and some leftover food from last night.
He was working on the gown, trying not to think about anything but keeping that stretchy silk from slipping through his fingers. He knew Tang was in the building. He knew she was upstairs in her office talking to a Chinese woman, a cop, the same one who was harassing Wendy. He didn't like that, but he wasn't thinking about the cop. He was thinking about Tang.
He hoped to have a chance to see her later. Sometimes the businesspeople and the telephone kept Tang so busy that she didn't come into the workroom for days at a time, even for a moment.
He was thinking about talking to Tang, telhng her how sorry he was about Prudence, mouthing the same words over and over. He was sdtching by hand when suddenly she came in. He looked up and was surprised to see her there, shaking all over. Her face was red, the way it got when she was really angry. What happened?
'You! Go upstairs to my office,' she told the two other sewers, her voice crackling with anger. Their mouths dropped open at her tone, and they fumbled, trying to get out of their seats fast enough to please her.
'Right now. Hurry.' She waved her hands, shooing them out.
Kim got up to go with them, his heart beating fast. Tang had a temper. He didn't want her to explode in his face like a hand grenade that blew apart everything that was near it. But he didn't move fast enough. She stepped in front of his table, her hand raised in a fist.
'Not you.'
What? He cringed away from the hand darting out at him, but not far enough. She grabbed his ear as the other two scurried out, closing the door behind them. He'd wished that he and Tang could be alone, and now they were alone. He tried to find his voice to talk to her, but she pulled his ear hard, the way his mother used to when he was httle, dragging tears out of his eyes and the sound from his voice. Tang took his voice away. He swallowed it in fear.
A grunt of pain was all he could manage. He couldn't tell her how sad he was for her troubles. How he planned to give her a plant, one of her favorites. She didn't give him time.
'Scandal,' she hissed, shaking him the way Clio's dog shook his toy sock with the knot in it, to kill it and kill it again.
'You brought this scandal on me with that terrible wife of yours,' she cried. 'I could kill you with these two hands.' She pushed him, knocking him against the corner of the table. The hard edge bit into the backs of his thighs. Tang was little, but she was strong. Kim's brain felt thick. What was she talking about?
'You wicked toad!' she cried, pushing, pushing.
He wasn't a toad. Not wicked. Everything he did was for her. He loved her, wanted her to protect him and love him like his mother used to. 'What did I do?'
Her hot breath was in his face as she pushed him, hurting the bruises where the broom hit him yesterday. He could smell her perfume in her clothes, stale coffee and garlic in her mouth.
'Get out of here now. You have one minute. If you aren't out of this room in one minute, I'll throw you out that window. Don't think I can't. I'm so angry I could kill you. I hope you die a terrible death!'
He looked at her blankly. Throw him out the window? After all the things he'd done for her?
'And don't leave anything of yours behind. Do you hear me? Just get your things and get out now. There is a police detective here to talk to you.'
He couldn't figure out what she was saying. His feelings were too hurt by the tone of her voice. He was just a sewer, but he had feelings. Get out! How could he get out? He had gowns to finish. He had things to do. People counted on him. No one could fit a gown the way he could; Tang said so herself.
'I have to fit Ching Ma Dong's gown. She's waiting for me.'
'She is not waiting for you. The police are waiting for you. You don't belong here.' Suddenly a funny look came over Tang's face and she slapped him hard.
Kim had seen Tang do that once before to a young saleswoman who'd made a mistake and given someone a fifty-percent discount on a dress that hadn't been on sale. The customer walked out with it, and later when Tang heard about the incident, she slapped the girl's face, then fired her on the spot. That's how he knew Tang really wanted him to go. His cheek stung with the insult. But his heart was where he really took the blow. He'd been so kind to her. He'd worked so hard and been so loyal, he didn't expect it.
'Meet the police
Do you hear me! And don't ever come anywhere near me again.' She turned her back on him and walked out of the room.
He stood there alone in the workroom for a second, stunned and almost expecting Tang to come back and tell him she was sorry. Then he felt ashamed that Tang had treated him like a girl and trembled with the thought of telling Clio he'd lost his job.
