“If I were you,” he said, “I’d talk to a guy named Mitch Yeung.”
“Who’s he?”
“A cop,” replied Beau. “A good one. He and I came up together at the Academy.”
“I thought you started your career in L.A.”
“So did Mitch,” said Beau. “Transferred just a few months ago-wife’s mom lives in San Francisco. He’s been working Narcotics, my old division. But they’ve reassigned him for this investigation. In case you missed his last name, Mitch is Chinese, first generation. He’s helping the feds interview the refugees.”
“And since he’s new to the department…” began Cape.
“Right.” Beau finished the thought. “Even if there is ‘widespread corruption,’ as the paper claimed today, it probably don’t apply to a new guy like Mitch. So he’s free of suspicion, as far as Management Control is concerned, which makes the feds a little less paranoid about having him around.”
“What’s Management Control?”
“Sorry,” said Beau. “That’s the new name for Internal Affairs-they’re workin’ on their image.”
“You’re kidding.”
“They got new stationery and everything.”
“My tax dollars at work.”
“You bet,” said Beau. “But no matter who you ask, Mitch is rock solid.”
“Good enough,” said Cape. “You’ll call him?”
“Yeah,” replied Beau. “But don’t waste the man’s time.”
“I work fast.”
“I hope so,” replied Beau.
Me, too, thought Cape.
Hong Kong, 21 years ago
Sally was on her own.
Li Mei left her with the fierce-looking man, telling Sally she would visit her often. The old woman’s voice caught as she said it, and Sally thought Li Mei’s eyes looked wet, but Li Mei had already turned and walked through the front gate before Sally could think of anything to say.
As soon as Li Mei was gone, a young girl appeared at Sally’s side. She was tall and lean, her black hair cropped short, almond eyes set wide in a pretty face. Sally guessed she was at least eight or nine, but it was hard to tell. Sparing only a cursory glance at Sally, the girl stood before the scarred man and bowed.
“This is Sally,” he said, at which point the young woman turned toward Sally and repeated the bow. A smile flashed across the girl’s face, disappearing so quickly Sally thought she might have imagined it.
“I am Jun.”
Sally nodded in return but didn’t say anything.
“Show Sally around,” said the man. “Then bring her to me.”
“Yes, Master Xan,” said Jun, bowing again. Xan turned and walked across the packed earth of the open courtyard. When he was out of sight, the smile reappeared on Jun’s face, but only for an instant, as if she feared someone would catch her having fun.
“How old are you?” asked Jun, looking down at Sally.
“Five,” said Sally, adding quickly, “and eight months.”
Jun nodded, then reached out and took Sally’s hand. “Come and see your new home.”
Your new home.
The phrase struck Sally with a sudden finality, as if the last few weeks had been a game, just a field trip with Li Mei. Now she was alone, standing with this girl she’d just met, who was reminding Sally that her parents were gone and never coming back.
***
“Sally…Sally?” Jun was leaning over her. Jun’s face appeared upside down, her inverted frown looking like a crooked smile.
“You fainted.”
Sally blinked, wondering how long she’d been out. They were in the infirmary, Sally laying on a padded bench with a cold towel on her forehead. A stern-looking older woman dressed as a nurse gave Jun a warning look before leaving the room. Jun reached over and gave Sally’s hand a gentle squeeze.
“Rest,” she said, “and then we’ll go for a walk. I’ll show you the classrooms, the gardens, the pool-”
“A pool?” asked Sally, rising up on one elbow.
“Oh, yes,” replied Jun, her eyes bright with mischief. “We have three pools.”
The school grounds were enormous. Beyond the main courtyard, the rest of the block was revealed, a vast compound of wooden buildings, open courtyards, and gardens. Jun started the tour by leading Sally through a long one-story building that served as the school cafeteria. As they passed through the kitchen, Jun greeted three older women, who were obviously the cooks. Sally noticed all the young girls working with them, cutting vegetables, straining rice, and cleaning pots and pans. Some of the girls looked almost twelve, but many were barely older than Sally. They nodded as she and Jun passed, some flashing a quick smile before turning back to their chores.
Jun then led Sally across another small courtyard into a two-story square building.
“This is our theater,” she said proudly, pointing across the room toward a low wooden stage. “We wear costumes and put on shows. We even wear makeup…look!”
Behind the stage was a massive dressing room, the walls lined with dresses, capes, hats, even wigs and beards. Sally had gone into her mother’s closet to try on her shoes, and she played dress-up with her dolls, but she’d never seen anything like this.
“We pretend,” said Jun, taking a ragged shawl from one of the hangers. Wrapping it around her shoulders, she bent over and clasped her hands behind her back. “See? I’m an old woman!” She walked around in a tight circle, her lower lip extended in a mock frown, her tiny shoulders hunched forward in a pantomime of age.
Sally laughed, a sound more like an excited cough than a real belly laugh, but it managed to bring a smile to her anxious face. She walked to the wall and took a broad brimmed hat off one of the hooks. Jun came over and draped a coat over her small shoulders, laughing as the arms brushed the floor.
Sally turned to the older girl and smiled again, tentatively.
“Do you live here, too?” she asked.
Jun nodded. “Of course,” she said. “We all live here….all the girls.”
Sally looked at her but remained silent.
“My father died when I was four,” said Jun, her voice suddenly quiet, making her sound as young as Sally. “Momma died the next year. I think she missed him.”
“You came here, then?” asked Sally.
Jun shook her head. “Not right away, no. Me and my younger sister went to live with my aunt and uncle, here in Hong Kong. My uncle…” Jun hesitated, her eyes suddenly unfocused and very far away. “He did things to me…that weren’t very nice.”
Sally didn’t understand but felt bad just the same. “I’m sorry.”
“That’s OK,” said Jun, “I’m fine now.” Her smile reappeared for an instant, but her eyes still held that faraway look. “One night, when I was playing with my colored pencils, my uncle came to my room and tried to hurt me.”
