Agent Lennox took immediate credit as he lounged back against the counter, his feet crossed at the ankles. "Yes. Just happened to be in the right place at the right time. Snagged her away from the Tigers. She looks a lot better this morning. You should"ve seen her yesterday."
"I did," she bit out, turning to Claire. Talking with another woman was so much easier. "Are you taking her with you today?"
"I plan to if her doctor releases her." Claire"s worried eyes drilled through Mei"s crumbling faade. "Are you okay? You look a little flushed. You"re not coming down with-"
"I"m fine," she cut Claire off. Great. Can everyone see through me?
"Claire mentioned you"ve been involved with two other Chinese girls found recently?" Agent Lennox asked. "What can you tell us about them?"
Mei bit her lip. She took an extra long minute to brush an invisible smudge off the sleeve of her blazer, fighting her nerves. "We pulled one out of the Anacostia River. The other was found in a dumpster. Why do you want to know?"
He shrugged, his eyes soft and gentle. Inviting. "Where was the dumpster?"
"Behind an IGA store. A transient found her."
"I"m sorry." There was a smirky light in his eyes again. Agent Lennox had long thick lashes that accentuated his good looks, rattling Mei even more, making her feel likea woman. "I should"ve asked a better question. I meant, where in Anacostia was she found?"
"I knew what you meant," she snapped. She"d lost credibility fast with that stupid answer. Of course he"d meant which city, not which store. "Near the Eleventh Street Bridge."
A bemused smile shifted over his face. He was laughing at her. She could tell. "What can you tell me about the others?"
This arrogant man was grilling her? Mei stiffened. Time to pull out the snarky FBI agent routine before she really fell apart.
"I don"t see how it"s any of your business, but if you insist." She poured it on. "The one found in the dumpster is the same age and size, malnourished and dirty with two fractured ribs. She"s been placed in a foster home. The other was in the water too long. She was maybe two, maybe three years old. Hard to tell."
The memory of the tiny body at the morgue reached out and pierced Mei"s heart all over again. Tears sprang to her eyes. She looked to the door. Another mother was out there somewhere looking for her baby girl; only she"d never find her alive.
Agent Lennox"s brows furrowed. Either he was used to working with b.i.t.c.hy women, or she hadn"t fazed him at all. At any rate, he had the upper hand and she was making a fool of herself. She glanced at the door again. I have to get out of here.
"I"m sorry, but are you waiting for someone?" he asked. "You keep watching the door like-"
"No." She all but growled. "Get on with it. What information do you have?"
He ran his tongue deliberately over his bottom lip, like he didn"t know if he wanted to continue the conversation. G.o.d knew she didn"t.
"As I mentioned earlier, a couple of the 4th Street Tigers had this little gal in their possession." He nodded toward Chai. "Thanks to what you"ve just told us, it seems whoever"s behind it is working a pretty tight area in Anacostia. We"ll start canva.s.sing and asking questions. I"ll tag a few confidential informants. Maybe they"ve heard something."
"Child trafficking could be involved," she blurted out the only lead she had.
He nodded, a puzzled expression shadowing his face. "Could be. That would explain a lot. Do you have the clothes from the other girls? We might be able to pull evidence from them, and what was the transient"s name? I"d like to talk with him, see if he remembers anything."
Mei shivered. He"d reached the extent of her very limited knowledge. Even Claire was watching now. The floor had turned to shifting sand along with her composure. She was going down.
"The answer to both of your questions is no and no," she snapped, to disguise her rising panic. "I have no idea which transient found her. How would I know?"
"Did you ask?"
Her heart pitched at his probing question. G.o.d, yes! I"ve asked everybody, but no one knows where she is. No one will help. Will you? I doubt it. You"re like all the rest.
"Of course I asked." She tapped her toe against the polished linoleum floor hoping rudeness might set him back in his place. Those brown eyes of his weren"t honing in on her anymore. He looked annoyed. Certainly not cowed like she wanted.
"Sounds like we might be able to help each other, Agent Xing." Agent Lennox turned to his friend even though he"d spoken to her. "What do you think, David? I know the boss wanted us to locate Chai"s family, but it seems there"s a lot more going on. Want to work with Immigration and Customs Enforcement? Maybe we can help more than just your little friend."
What? Mei"s breath caught. She shot a sideways glance to Agent Tao. Was it even possible these guys would help?
His eyes rebuked her before he spoke a single word. "Just so you know, Agent Xing. This one has a name. Chai Yenn is a lost and frightened little girl. Right now, she doesn"t know who to trust. She isn"t just the girl."
Her hand flew to the back of her neck where muscles wound too tight for too long ached all the way to the soles of her feet. His reprimand was well deserved, but she couldn"t let him see her embarra.s.sment. She"d never meant to imply she didn"t care. Everything out of her mouth had come out wrong since she"d opened Chai"s door. Why did I think I could do this?
"Can you tell me the names of the others? Do you know?" Agent Tao continued with the same gentle chastis.e.m.e.nt.
"The five-year-old is Zhen Ting. The other is a Jane Doe." Mei stifled her tears. And LiLi is six and it"s cold outside. It"s going to snow, but I don"t know where she is. And she needs her coat!
"How sad." He stroked the blanket over the tiny child in his arms.
That tender movement stabbed Mei. The hole in her heart roared with all she had lost. Little Chai Yenn was safe and warm. Everything in the room reminded her that her daughter was not. Chai"s tiny hand slumped free of the blanket. She"d fallen asleep in the warmth of this kind man"s arms, and Mei could not bear to be in the same room one more second.
"The name Zhen means "precious treasure" in the language of my ancestors," Agent Tao said quietly.
Mei bit her lip. She was versed in the language of her ancestors, too. Li meant pretty. That"s why she had chosen it twice. LiLifor the most beautiful, most perfect daughter in the world. And I miss her.
"What"s her name mean?" Agent Lennox nodded at Chai.
Agent Tao hesitated, his eyes full of bleak emotion. He cupped the girl"s limp hand in his, his thumb softly ma.s.saging the center of her palm. "Tea."
The empty word met silence, a pebble dropped into a deep dark well with no bottom. Enlightenment darkened Agent Lennox"s already dark eyes, and Mei wanted to shake him. She"d been researching the problem of excess baby girls in far off China since she"d heard the possibility of the awful child trafficking ring. Yes, Agent Lennox. Yes! There were no loving parents to bless this child with a sweet, meaningful name. She"s one of those unexpected pregnancies, one of those statistics the Chinese government uses to enforce their success in a program so diabolical it forces parents to choose how to kill their daughters. Let them starve? Drop them at an orphanage and never look back? Drown them in the rice paddies? Smother them and never tell a soul your wife was ever pregnant?
This beautiful baby girl"s name was most likely a.s.signed in the depths of some Chinese orphanage where it didn"t matter what she was called. She could"ve just as easily been named after a chair. Or worse.
Mei wanted to scream, "Do you get it now, Agent Lennox? Life isn"t easy for the rest of us!" Instead, she stared at the floor, tired of fighting the world. She"d gained no leverage today. None. If anything, she"d lost ground along with her composure. There was only one choice. Searching alone these past four weeks for LiLi had taught her well. Attack. Always attack.
"I don"t have time for this," she snapped. "You"re right. They all have names. They"re all lost children, but it"s a cold hard world. There are a lot more than three kids on the streets. I"ve been working these cases for years, and let me tell you, there are hundreds. Do you hear me? Hundreds. I don"t have time to get cozy with every missing kid."
Claire stiffened. Mei had crossed a line and she knew it, but Agent Tao turned to Agent Lennox as if she hadn"t spoken at all. "You"ve given me another idea. I"ll check the morgue when we"re done here, and yes, I see no reason we couldn"t work with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. I"m sure Alex will agree. You know how he is. Maybe Mother can coordinate with the FBI on the evidence as well. The more people we have working on behalf of these children, the better."
"We"ll need to visit the other five-year-old," Agent Lennox said. "Who knows? Maybe she can tell us something. What"s her name? Zhen Ting?"
Agent Tao nodded approvingly. "I"ll visit her."
"I was hoping you would," Agent Lennox muttered. "Looks like you"ve got a knack with the ladies."
For the first time since the nightmare began, hope surfaced in Mei. These guys actually sounded like they cared, like they were going to do something to help. Maybe they could help LiLi, too? She turned to really look at Agent Lennox, but indifference had replaced the earlier gentleness in his eyes. Now his boot tapped the floor. He had some place else to be. Mei didn"t blame him. She didn"t want to be around herself, either.
"You are welcome to visit our office." Agent Tao offered one of his business cards. The kindness in his eyes still glimmered, but it was the last straw. Mei could endure no more of the mess she"d made. She headed for the door.
"Agent Xing," he called after her. "How do we contact you?"
He sounded hopeful, but the opportunity was gone. Without answering, she flung the door open and fled, tears stinging her eyes. She"d blown her cover and ruined everything. Intimidating Kathleen had been easy, but she"d only angered these guys.
Selecting the ground floor b.u.t.ton at the elevator pad, she clutched her upper arms, rubbing them for warmth she hadn"t known in weeks. When had she become so cold? So heartless? What"s happening to me? I do care about Chai and Zhen. I do.
She scrubbed her arms harder. It didn"t help. The cold went clean, clear through. At the sound of voices, she turned. Agent Lennox and Agent Tao had just entered the hall. They stood talking to Claire at the open door.
Mei gulped. In a second, they"d see her. Ducking into the nearest room, she waited for them to pa.s.s. They"d never know what a coward she was. The sound of their voices grew closer, Agent Lennox"s laced with sarcasm.
"Young lady? You"re being mighty generous with that t.i.tle, aren"t you? That chick"s got a heart of stone. I"ve never seen an Immigration Agent act like such a-"
"Do you know what Mei Xing means in Chinese, Zack?" Agent Tao interrupted quietly.
"Heck, I don"t know." Agent Lennox stabbed a b.u.t.ton on the elevator pad. "Cruella de Vil? Hagatha? Maybe the Wicked Witch from the West?"
Mei squeezed her eyes tight, but the tears came anyway. Yes. She"d become a witch all right. Four weeks of living h.e.l.l had changed her. She peeked out the door, hoping Agent Tao wouldn"t condemn her, too.
"It means "beautiful star"." He stood waiting at the elevator, shaking his head at Agent Lennox in gentle reproach. "Someone loved her enough to give her a very special name when she was born. I don"t believe she"s always been the person we saw today."
Mei stifled a sob at his kindness. My mother gave me my name. I miss my mom. My dad. My baby.
"Whatever," Agent Lennox grumbled. "It"s not like we"ll be seeing her again. She couldn"t get away fast enough."
How could I stay? I lied to you. She struggled, all of her common sense screaming at her to confess, to run into the hall and tell these guys what was really going on. That she needed their help. That she needed somebody. She didn"t make a move.
"I think you may yet be surprised," Agent Tao said as they entered the elevator.
The doors swooshed closed. Mei sank against the wall in the empty room and stifled her tears.
SEVEN.
"You know what that little gal needs?"
Mei stopped short when the elevator door opened at ground level. Agent Lennox"s question seemed directed at her. Or about her. She"d planned to run straight out the front doors, but now? Was he waiting for her? Her breath hitched at the very real possibility she"d have to face him again so soon. Girding her loins, she leaned forward through the elevator doors, just enough to catch sight of the two men at the coffee kiosk.
Her heart started beating again. He and Agent Tao had stopped for coffee. That"s all. They weren"t waiting to ambush her, but what was it about broad shoulders beneath black leather that grabbed her attention? Other than the preferred view allowed for a quick getaway? She had to admit, Agent Lennox was built, a veritable V-shape that made Agent Tao look ordinary in comparison.
She angled away from them, still having to pa.s.s behind them on her way out.
"A big old teddy bear," Agent Lennox answered himself as he tossed a handful of creamer cups into the trash bin beside the kiosk counter. He still hadn"t seen her, but she could hear him. "I"m coming back with some toys. That poor baby doesn"t even have her own blanket. She needs one."
"What she needs is a mother and a father." Agent Tao stirred his coffee, his back to Mei.
Her ears perked up at the unexpected conversation. These guys cared. Her feet faltered on her fast track to cowardice.
Tell them.
No, she argued with herself, picking up the pace. Talk is cheap. He won"t buy Chai Yenn a single thing. You"ll see. He"s like all the rest. They promise a girl everything right before they dump her and run away. Men don"t care.
He might.
She shook the notion out of her head and hurried out the door and across the street to her car. Kindness among men was rare. That much she knew from experience. Her one supreme rule was her safest course of action. I. Don"t. Need. Men.
Sliding into her seat, she fastened her seat belt and waited. Following them might be smarter than running away. She might salvage something from her disastrous encounter, at least find out where they worked.
They strolled out of the hospital with paper coffee cups in hand and crossed the street to their car. She sunk lower behind her dash when Agent Lennox pointed his remote ata black Porsche? That"s their company car? Unbelievable. No way was he going to follow through and get anything for Chai. The man was all talk.
They didn"t see her when they pulled away from the curb with her following a couple car lengths behind. Traffic was thick which helped her remain hidden, but she nearly lost them on the George Washington Highway. At last, the Porsche pulled curbside in front of a five story, modern-looking building in Alexandria.
Agent Tao climbed out. He stood talking through the open pa.s.senger window before a gust of cold wind blew up the sidewalk, scattering leaves and dust in its wake. With a pat on the door and another word to Agent Lennox, he turned and walked into the building.
The way he"d held poor little Chai Yenn told Mei something about him. He must be married and have kids of his own. He looked like the dependable type, and he was kind in the way he"d put Mei in her place, asking about those other little girls the way he had. He cared.
The poor baby in the morgue came back to haunt her. Even good news for Mei was awful for someone else. She chewed her bottom lip. I can"t afford to be soft. Not now.
The blinker on the Porsche flashed while Agent Lennox waited to pull into traffic.
She glanced inside the building where Agent Tao stood at waiting at an elevator door. These guys must have some pretty good resources if they a.s.sumed they could waltz into the ME"s office and ask to see the report on a dead child. Confidential informants also meant they had an established network on both sides of the law. Her stomach growled, reminding Mei of her limited budget, resources, and nerves.
Her heart pounded as she contemplated the questions of the day. Should she waltz into an unknown office and act like she knew where she was going when she didn"t have a clue? Or should she follow the sports car and see where Agent Lennox went? He might go shopping for a teddy bear. Yeah, right.
When Agent Lennox pulled into traffic, she shot one last glance at Agent Tao, steeled her resolve, and followed the Porsche. Keeping a low profile in busy traffic was easy. Shadowing a showy vehicle easier still. There was no way he could see she was four cars behind him, not with the tiny windows in his vehicle. A dose of humility slapped her full in the face when he pulled his fast little hotrod into a strip mall with a national toy distributor as the main anchor store. She pulled her car into a parking stall, slunk low in her seat, and watched. It took him fifteen minutes, but when he came out, he had a big white teddy bear and a bag in his arms.
He looked happy. She felt sick.
I was wrong. What"s happening to me? Why am I so hateful? He didn"t steal LiLi. He cares about Chai. Why can"t I cut him any slack?
The feeling got worse when he pulled into a seedy part of Anacostia. She hesitated to follow. These were hard streets, places where a person could get killed in broad daylight. A delivery van pulled in front of her, blocking her view.
"I"m not losing this guy," she muttered as she made her decision and swung. Big mistake. He"d parked alongside the curb barely ahead of the delivery van. There he was, right in front of her, flirting with some sleazy-looking woman from his open window.
Mei drove past and hoped he hadn"t seen. She pulled a U-turn down the block, intending to park on the opposite side of the street to catch the jerk in the act. No such luck. All parking stalls were taken. She headed in the opposite direction, scrunched low in her seat again. She should"ve known.
Buying a toy for a kid was easy, but this was the real Agent Lennox, too busy chatting up a hooker to notice anyone else. At least that"s what the woman hanging on his pa.s.senger window looked like. Her painted on, skintight mini-skirt, itty-bitty turquoise top, and six-inch heels cinched the deal. It didn"t take her long to climb inside and shut the door.
Fl.u.s.tered, Mei spotted a place to pull over and park. It was a driveway, so she couldn"t stay long, but it allowed a few minutes to watch from her side mirror. That woman was a confidential informant? Yeah, right. He might fool Agent Tao with that line, but Mei knew better. Agent Lennox was only after one thing. The jerk.
Something clenched inside her nervous stomach as she watched the rear of the fast car. She pushed it aside, but it nagged like a little green monster, sticking its long pointed green fingernail at her. What are those two doing in there?
She reached for her binoculars.
Is he kissing that tramp? It sure looks like it.
Mei adjusted the focus on her binoculars, and- "Hey, lady!" An angry man in gray coveralls smacked the hood of her car once with his open palm. "You"re blocking my business. Customers can"t get past ya. Move it!"