Dragon Bones

by Lisa See

  “Keeping things to ourselves is what American lawyers are trained to do,” David said.

  “Which may be particularly important in this situation.” Zai shifted his attention to Ho. “Director, have you told Attorney Stark about McCarthy’s death?”

  When the director nodded, Zai said, “Good. Now I hope you will explain to Inspector Liu a little bit about your other problems.”

  After Ho repeated much of what he’d told David earlier about the missing artifacts, Hulan asked, “But why are you so interested in what happened at Site 518? Haven’t several sites along the river been looted?”

  “Looted and vandalized,” Ho admitted ruefully. “Most of the people who do this are not sophisticated. We call them ‘mound-digging rats.’ They don’t know what they’re finding, and in many cases they’ve broken more than they’ve stolen. Some of these hooligans have been arrested. They’ve been sent to prison or labor camp for terms of one to fifteen years.”

  “What about the artifacts that aren’t broken?” Hulan asked.

  The director cleared his throat of Beijing grime, then said, “Sadly, many of them leave the country and are put up for auction. Sometimes they disappear into private collections or even into unwitting—or unethical—museums.” Ho leaned forward and spoke directly to Vice Minister Zai. “At least a million of our relics are being held captive in private and public collections in other countries!”

  “Until very recently almost anyone could walk into a country and take whatever they wanted,” David explained, “but then some of the most famous museums in the world would not be so famous if not for this practice. I think of the Elgin Marbles in the British Museum or the Egyptian artifacts in the Louvre. Often relics of this sort can be repatriated. Countries that wish to keep their friendship with China are most willing to negotiate returns.”

  “Attorney Stark is right,” Ho agreed. “But we must know where they are in order to retrieve them.”

  “What about the Poly Group bronzes?” Hulan asked. “You knew where they were.”

  David had always admired the way Hulan refused to succumb to the strictures of female decorum in her investigations, although Director Ho was not so appreciative of her impertinence.

  “Those bronzes were ransacked from the Summer Palace by British and French troops one hundred and forty years ago,” Ho said plaintively. “When Christie’s and Sotheby’s put them up for sale two years ago, we asked that they be returned to Beijing.”

  David remembered this case clearly. At the time, Hulan had said that the government should have hired him to deal with the auction houses. Instead the PRC issued a proclamation to the effect that there would no longer be a policy of looking the other way while the nation’s treasures were sold off in a city that once again belonged to China. The Hong Kong courts thought otherwise. One country, two systems. Mainland China’s laws protecting national treasures did not apply in Hong Kong, where stolen antiquities were openly displayed for sale in shops along Hollywood Road. So the bronzes had gone on the block, with the Poly Group, a commercial arm of the People’s Liberation Army, making the winning bids to the tune of $6 million U.S. The Poly Group said they’d made the purchase as a matter of patriotic pride. But instead of donating the bronzes to a museum, the group had used them as a marketing tool, sending them on a tour around the country to attract new customers.

  “We would all like to prevent a repeat of that embarrassment,” Zai confided to David, “which is why you are here. From the ministry’s perspective, prosecution is less important than retrieval and repatriation, if indeed the artifacts have left the country.”

  David thought about what Director Ho had said in their earlier meeting. All kinds of diplomatic problems could arise if the thieves turned out to be foreigners. It would be easier in the long run to settle things quietly….

  “Of course, if Chinese nationals are involved,” Zai went on, staying a step ahead of David, “Inspector Liu should make arrests.”

  “Explain something to me, Vice Minister,” Hulan cut in. “What is the real concern here? Brian McCarthy’s death or these missing relics?”

  “The young man’s death is a tragedy, no? We can all agree on that. And of course I’m concerned about the others….”

  “Others?” Hulan asked, and David could tell by her voice that she couldn’t help being intrigued by the facts.

  Over the next few minutes Zai recounted what David had learned about the deaths of the peasants.

  Hulan inquired, “Why was I not informed of this before?”

  “It was better that we all hear this together,” Zai responded evenly.

  “Is there any proof that the thefts and the deaths are connected?” she asked.

  “None,” Zai answered, “but you should assume they are. Again let me clarify, you are to investigate Brian McCarthy’s murder. If these other deaths also turn out to be murders, then you know your duty. Attorney Stark is to look into the thefts and—”

  Perhaps finally understanding how closely she and David would need to work together, Hulan said to Zai, “It is not my place to make suggestions to the vice minister, but I still believe this case would be better served by someone else. Perhaps someone who is not so visible.”

  Vice Minister Zai laughed good-naturedly. “One reason to send you to the Three Gorges is that there is no television reception there. They may be the only place in the country where today no one has seen your face.”

  “Well, then,” Hulan backpedaled, “perhaps I should go alone. As you pointed out earlier, a threat has been made against me. Assign Investigator Lo to accompany me. There is no reason to put David in danger—”

  “Investigator Lo will remain here to handle any requests for information you may need from the capital.” Zai turned to David. “Yes, there could be danger, but that is true in everything we do, isn’t that correct, Attorney Stark?” To Hulan, he said, “If you need additional help, you will find it in Bashan’s Public Security Bureau.”

  He regarded David closely. “We await your decision and hope that you, too, will see the importance for your country in taking on this matter. Our two nations have had too many aggravations in recent years. Fortunately everything has returned to business as usual. But we don’t know what could happen the next time. It’s very important that you two prevent anything that could be humiliating to either of our countries.” Zai paused, then asked, “Attorney Stark?”

  “I’d be honored to represent the bureau’s interests in this matter,” David said, though from the look on Hulan’s face he knew this was not the response she wanted to hear.

  “Very well,” the vice minister said as he stood up. “Inspector Liu, I suggest you escort Director Ho to his car.”

  Zai was once again asserting his position over Hulan, and she obeyed without question, leaving David and the vice minister alone. Zai took a sip of tea, then sat back in his chair and openly scrutinized David. At last he said, “When Director Ho asked for help, I thought of you for all of the reasons we have just discussed, but I have other considerations as well. You know I would not knowingly send you into jeopardy. Although I cannot anticipate what you will encounter, I trust that you will employ abilities that I did not mention to Director Ho. Our Hulan thinks and acts intuitively. She has a compulsion to put her physical body between herself and evil.”

  This was true, David thought. It was as though she dared the guilty to punish her instead of the intended victim.

  “We both know this method has not always worked well for her in the past,” Zai went on. “You, David, are so different. Physically you are much better equipped to handle danger than Hulan, yet you use your mind to deal with trouble. I don’t mean this as a criticism. You simply use logic and linear thinking to solve problems.”

  This was true as well. David believed that civilization and culture rest on the conviction that logic will always win. Besides, lawyers are supposed to use their brains, not their fists, to deal with difficult and painful situations.
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br />   “She puts herself into danger. You think yourself through it. Together you have found a way to solve the most convoluted cases. But this is not why I am sending you.” The vice minister’s formality was replaced by the friendly tone of the person Hulan and David had dined with once a week until just a few months ago. “This is a good way for you and Hulan to be together—alone! This could be the last chance for the two of you.”

  “Vice Minister, I don’t know—”

  “Don’t speak, David. Just listen. The Three Gorges are one of the most beautiful places on earth. Enjoy the sights. Talk to each other. Have dinner by candlelight.” He clasped his hands together with something that approached conspiratorial glee. “To help things along, I had the two of you booked together in one cabin on a slow ferry.” He laughed then, truly pleased with himself. “You’ll know how to handle things from there.”

  If Zai had been anyone else, David would have been infuriated by the intrusion into his private life. Still….

  “Hulan may not appreciate what you have done—”

  Zai’s laughter faded. “This is not just for Hulan. You have suffered too. She needs to understand that.”

  David didn’t know how to respond.

  After a moment, Zai said, “She loves you. She’s just forgotten how to show it.”

  THE ENFEOFFED DOMAIN

  (Hou Fu)

  The domain of nobles extends 500 li from the Imperial Domain. This is home to high ministers, great officers, barons, and princes.

  ALTHOUGH HULAN KNEW SHE WAS BEING MANIPULATED FOR reasons she didn’t fully understand, she could rationalize Zai’s motives for sending her and David to Bashan. David was perfect for the job. No one in China knew how to handle a situation like this more discreetly than he did. He’d be able to find the missing artifacts and protect the national and international reputation of the Cultural Relics Bureau if charges of corruption, theft, or bad labor practices came up. And Hulan had experience in dealing with both murder and foreigners. But why had Zai sent her deliberately out of the room to speak with David alone? When David got back to Hulan’s office, she asked what that conversation had been about, suspecting there was another political thread running through this situation that Zai hadn’t wanted to discuss with her.

  A bemused look came over David’s face. He rubbed his forehead as he searched for an answer. She assumed it had to be bad. He tried to smile reassuringly, but it came across as an embarrassed grimace. “I’m not going to lie to you. Zai sees this as a romantic interlude for us,” he admitted at last. “A kind of second honeymoon.”

  Hulan felt herself blush, and she suddenly didn’t know where to look. “I—”

  “Don’t worry, Hulan.” David laughed, and she knew he was trying to defuse the awkwardness of the situation. She joined in his laughter, shaking her head. But when he added, “Nothing will happen unless you want it to,” she colored again.

  The next several hours were crazy. She gathered some things from her office and made a few calls to wrap up her other cases, then Investigator Lo drove her and David back to the compound. While David threw some clothes in a bag, Hulan visited her mother and wrote out instructions for the nurse. When it came time for Hulan to pack, she found herself thinking again of Zai’s plan. There was such unease between her and David now, but the possibilities of this trip kindled the first sexual thoughts she’d had in a long time. She was embarrassed that Zai had even discussed her marriage with David and unsure whether David would be at all interested in her anymore, but there was something about the whole situation that made her feel…. She struggled to find the right definition for her state of mind. Finally, she told herself that she didn’t want anything to happen—how could it after everything that had passed between her and David?—but she owed it to Zai to try. When it didn’t work out, she would be able to tell him she’d done her best out of respect for him.

  At 9:00 P.M., Investigator Lo picked up David and Hulan to take them to the airport. On the way, Hulan asked Lo to tell Pathologist Fong to go ahead and do further tests on the notebook paper found in Brian McCarthy’s pocket. Lo should also begin gathering data on all the foreigners and Chinese officials at the site. It wouldn’t hurt if he took a look at Director Ho’s dangan too, for he seemed overly concerned about his own position. Once Hulan got to Bashan, she would obtain a copy of the police report on Brian’s death from the local Public Security Bureau.

  When she concluded, Lo glanced at her in the rearview mirror and said, “I still don’t understand why Vice Minister Zai has ordered me to stay behind. I should go with you.”

  She sensed rather than saw David’s amused smile.

  “It’s not our place to question the vice minister’s orders,” Hulan answered steadily.

  Zai’s plans didn’t quite work out the way he’d envisioned. After landing in Chongqing at 1:30 in the morning, Hulan and David shared a double bed at the Holiday Inn. They both kept to their sides of the bed and managed not to speak of anything of consequence either then or a couple of hours later, when they got up to go to the Chaotianmen Docks to board the ancient-looking ferry that would take them downriver to Bashan. Their room was private and mercifully equipped with bunk beds. But as they slowly floated down the Yangzi, Hulan found herself thinking about her husband, and about Zai’s plan.

  Around noon, Hulan and David went to the dining room and were lucky enough to get a window table. They’d left the city behind and were once again deep in the vastness of China’s interior. After lunch they stayed where they were, nibbling peanuts, sipping tea, and watching the world unfurl before them. They hadn’t spent this much time together in months. Hulan was nervous, but as David chatted idly about the river she found herself noticing how relaxed he seemed. He had always been a handsome man and easy to talk to. His brown hair showed just a trace of gray at the temples, and his blue eyes still looked at her lovingly. Here, away from Beijing and their sad memories, she caught glimpses of the person she’d fallen in love with.

  Later, after dinner, they spent a little time on deck. The air was still warm, and the humidity settled on their skin in a soft sheen. When David took her hand, she didn’t pull away. But when they’d gone back to their cabin, he had undressed, gotten into the top bunk, and gone to sleep. She lay awake for a long while, feeling the gentle movement of the ferry on the water, listening to David’s breathing above her, and wondering if there truly was a way to cross the gulf that had formed between them.

  But there was another thing to think about. She was afraid of this murder case. Seeing Brian McCarthy’s body had brought back memories of burning flesh, of screaming women, of lost lives. Did the events at the Knight factory have to end the way they had? Could she have done anything differently? These thoughts inevitably led her to Chaowen. Could Hulan have done something differently when Chaowen first fell ill? Wasn’t there something that could have been done? Hulan had failed as a daughter and failed as an investigator, but wasn’t it too cruel that she had failed as a mother too? These questions had tormented her for so long, and the feelings they stirred in her pushed her out of bed. As she took out her Luger, cleaned it, then repacked it, the recriminations and self-doubt seemed overwhelming. She didn’t know if she’d learned from her mistakes—any of them.

  Just before dawn they were roused by a shipwide announcement that they were about to enter the Qutang Gorge, the first of the Three Gorges. David and Hulan hurried out onto the deck and stood at the prow looking downriver. The air felt as thick as a swamp. David’s shirt stuck to his skin, and dark, wet spots began to blotch the cotton. Hulan dabbed at her forehead and the back of her neck with a handkerchief. But this was a new day, and she took David’s hand. He was cautious enough not to risk looking at her, but he squeezed her hand to acknowledge her gesture. Each of them was making tentative steps. If they were at Zai’s suggestion, so be it.

  The deck hummed with excitement. Even those for whom this trip was a daily or weekly occurrence pressed against the railings to watc
h as the ferry entered the gorge. Two large mountains flanked the river, forming the Kuimen Gate, its giant peaks hidden in mist. The water churned turbulent clouds of yellow silt as the ferry fought its way through the dramatic entrance. Precipices hung out high overhead. Rain and time had caused crevasses to form, and the limestone walls had been pitted into great spongy forms.

  The voice on the loudspeaker recited, “The Qutang Gorge is eight kilometers long. It is the shortest but most majestic of the Three Gorges. The widest point is just one hundred and fifty meters and can be just as deep, making this part of the river one of the deepest in the world. The river has been known to rise from fifty to seventy-five meters during monsoon season.”

  Two elderly women with thick Sichuan accents elbowed their way to the railing next to Hulan.

  “Please note the old towpath,” the voice on the loudspeaker continued. “In olden days our countrymen pulled boats up the river by using ropes.” Static rendered the next part of the message unintelligible, but one of the women next to Hulan pointed up the cliff on the southern bank and jabbered animatedly. Toward the top were coffins that the Ba people had attached to the sheer rock face thousands of years ago. The static cleared, and the announcer directed passengers to observe other highlights. The ferry came around a bend in the river, and Hulan saw a painted line marking the future water level. The uppermost reaches of this gorge would still be here, but its grandeur would disappear.