When they reached the bottom of the staircase, Jade was surprised to find Xavier seated in the foyer, leaning over a length of rawhide he was tightly weaving into a lariat. She paused for a while and silently watched as his callused brown fingers expertly braided the tough hide strips. He was lost in his work, absently worrying his mustache with his teeth. He wore his work clothes and chaps. Although she found his presence curious, she had no objection to him sitting alone in the foyer.
“Xavier?”
“Ah, señora. “ He stood up so quickly the chair toppled over behind him. He spoke as he righted it. “The señor asked me to sit and watch.”
“Watch what?”
“Watch out for you,” he explained with a smile.
“How kind,” Jade felt even more confused as she wondered why Jason had sent the man to watch over her. “Why did my husband suddenly feel the need to send you in here?” She knew a moment of dread when she realized Jason must have had good cause to send the man in to protect her.
“He is not here, señora. So he sent me in to watch.” The man smiled as if that were all the explanation she needed.
Jade felt as if she were at the beginning of the conversation again. She sighed. “Xavier, where is Jason?”
Xavier looked down at the pencil-thin braid of leather in his hands. He looked at the curled, dusty toes of his boots. He glanced at the front door. Finally, after considerable concentration, he looked at Jade and said, “He went to meet a man.”
One of Jade’s finely etched brows arched. “Oh? What man?”
Still reluctant, Xavier dipped his head and shrugged. “The Chinaman detective.”
Immediately, Jade became concerned. “When did he leave?”
“Not very long ago, señora.”
“Did he say where he was going and why?”
Xavier shook his head. “No, señora. He said he had to go quickly. He told me to watch and wait.”
If Jon Chang had sent for Jason, he must have found some clue to the mystery surrounding her father and Li Po. Perhaps he had learned who the men were who had followed her. She was torn between sending Quan Yen to the captain alone and following Jason, or going out to the adobe. Since J.T. had left no word where he was meeting Chang, it would be impossible, not to mention dangerous, to go off looking for him.
Jade looked down at the invitation in her hand. She handed it to Xavier. “I am going to Captain Lennox’s home. He has sent a carriage for me. Please give my husband that note when he comes in.”
Xavier frowned.
Jade thought for a moment that he was not going to let her leave.
“Señora, I do not think—”
“My husband knows the captain is an old friend of the family. Besides, he’s sent a carriage for me and has promised to drive me home before the evening gets late. Jason will understand. Tell him I’ve taken Quan to meet her new guardians. Tao Ling should be back very soon to see to dinner.”
“But senora—”
She reached out and gently touched his arm. “Xavier, really. I’m fine. I’ll be back soon. This way you can get back outside and do whatever it is you have to do. Just don’t forget to give Jason the note. I’d hate to have a repetition of what happened yesterday.”
He nodded, but his expression was still one of doubt.
“Come, Quan.” Jade found she was actually looking forward to the ride out to the adobe. The short trip would help her take her mind off of her failing health for a while. She hoped they reached the place before dark so that she could see all the repairs Emery Lennox had undertaken.
THE HEAVY SCENT of sandalwood blended with the lilting sound of wind chimes on the breeze as Jason paced Washington Street. The sidewalks in Little China were as crowded as always. He found himself constantly stepping aside to make way for peddlers stooped beneath their poles from which swung baskets laden with goods. There was not an inch of space in the tightly packed community that did not attest to the crowded conditions in Little China. When he gazed upward, he could see balconies strewn with drying wash. Cooks squatted on the street stirring blackened pots over open braziers. Glancing around for Chang, he noticed one vendor seated on a windowsill selling cigars from a small table. Jason bought a cigar and bit off the end, but did not light it. Instead, he held it tight between his teeth as he waited outside the apothecary.
After a quarter of an hour, Jason stepped inside the shop to look around. The place reeked of the incense burning in a bronze, cauldron-shaped brazier on an altar set in a niche in the wall. It was a moment before Jason realized that all the people crowded into the small interior of the shop had stopped speaking to stare at him. Six men stood before a long counter that reminded him of saloon bar. A wizened old man who was barely visible behind the bar had stopped in the midst of measuring fine white powder out of a blue and white porcelain jar.
Jason nodded. The man finally turned his gaze away from Jason and continued his work. One by one the others stopped staring in his direction and Jason was free to browse. He noted the rows and rows of many-sized jars with pewter lids on the shelves that lined the walls. Black enameled boards lettered with golden characters hung behind the clerk. These were frequently consulted by both the pharmacist and the customers.
Chomping on his cigar, Jason stood in the doorway, his back to the men in the shop, his hands jammed into his pockets, and stared out into the street. The sun had lowered; it would soon be dusk. He pulled his watch out of his Levi’s and checked the time again. He had waited nearly thirty minutes.
Finally, realizing that Chang’s small room was not far away, Jason stepped out onto the street and began to weave his way through Little China until he came to the fragile-looking building that marked the entrance to the alleyways that led to the jewelry shop where Jon Chang lived.
In some places, the network of passageways was no wider than his arm span. The tall buildings all but blocked out most of the sunlight. As he moved through the twisted labyrinth Jason thought to himself, You are crazy, J.T. Harrington. Crazy as a loon.
Even as he went deeper into the maze he repeated the words. He felt in his pocket for the copper coin Jade had given him before their wedding. He had tried to leave it in his bureau drawer, but somehow always found himself putting it in his pocket when he dressed in the mornings. Now he held onto the coin for luck.
Anything worked in a tight spot, he reckoned.
Finally he thought he recognized the building where Jon Chang had taken them. He climbed the narrow stairs, stepping over a kitten and some astonished children who did not attempt to hide their curiosity. The heavy scent of old grease, rotting garbage, and sesame oil weighed heavy on the close air in the narrow alley.
He found Jon Chang’s door and knocked. There was a scurry of feet inside, and finally a toothless old woman came to the door. Jason could not tell if she was stooped or afraid to raise up out of a bow. He took the old woman to be a relative of Chang’s, but the thought crossed his mind that he might be in the wrong place. She smiled up at him, but her eyes betrayed her suspicion.
“Is Jon Chang here?” Jason spoke slowly and distinctly.
The old woman shrugged and shook her head.
“I’m supposed to meet him here,” Jason said, more loudly this time.
Again, a shrug and a head shake was his only answer.
He tried once more. “Jon Chang. Here?” Jason tried to peer around the old woman, but she held the door half-closed. All he could see of the inside of the place was the corner of a table covered with bowls.
“Thanks anyway,” Jason mumbled as he shoved his hands in his pockets and dipped his head so as not to hit it on the low balcony ceiling on his way downstairs.
A door down the way opened and three young men walked out. They offered no help. In fact, the look on their faces made his skin crawl. Dressed all in black, the me
n’s hard stares belied their young ages. He guessed they were all in their early twenties. Two stood with arms folded across their chests and stared at him openly. The third slid down the wall into a squat and folded his arms on his knees. They seemed to issue him a silent warning to leave.
Happy to comply, J.T. tipped his head in their direction, turned, and went down the stairs.
Miraculously, he made his way back through the alleys to Washington Street, where he checked at the apothecary once more. There was still no sign of Chang.
Growing irritated, he stepped inside. “Anybody in here speak English?”
The sound of his voice brought all activity in the room to a halt again. All eyes turned in his direction, but no one said a word. Jason felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up, suddenly all too aware that he was the foreigner here. And it was a hell of a time to remember that Jade had told him that Francis Douglas had died with a meat axe in his skull not far from this very shop. Jason pushed his hat down lower on his head and turned to go.
“I speakee English. Mebbe you likee speekee me?” A man dressed much like the others in dark, nondescript pants and a wide-sleeved jacket stepped forward. He wore a black skullcap and bowed low when Jason turned to him.
“You know Jon Chang? Policeman Chang?”
The man’s face shuttered. “No sabe.”
From the Chinaman’s quickly guarded expression, Jason knew he was lying. “I was supposed to meet him here. Have you seen him? You see Chang here?”
“No Chang. No see no place. You go now.”
The tension in the air was so thick Jason thought it might choke a horse. He studied each of the men one by one. Some were far younger than he, others far older. None of them were armed. He thought of Tao and his supposed talent for killing a man with his bare hands. They all seemed to be waiting for him to make the next move. Jason thanked the man who spoke Pidgin English and left.
He walked to the hitching rail where he had left El Sol and flipped a coin to the boy he had hired to watch his horse. The thought of Jade at home alone had begun to nag at him, and by the time he had mounted and turned the stallion toward the hill, he was certain something was definitely wrong. Why would Jon Chang send him an urgent message and then not even send a messenger to let him know he had been detained? He felt sick to his stomach when suspicion came to him. Had the summons really come from Chang, or had someone just wanted him out of the house?
He kicked El Sol into a gallop when he remembered that not even Tao Ling was at home with Jade—only Xavier, who was too old to be of much protection. By the time he had gone two blocks, J.T. had convinced himself he should never have left the house. He could not even trust Tao Ling now that Lupe suspected the man of poisoning Jade. Tao knew the Youngers were going out. He might very well have sent the note to be sure Jason was out of the way. Perhaps Tao sensed they suspected him of poisoning Jade.
El Sol’s hooves pounded out a tattoo that echoed the word running through Jason’s mind. Why? Why would Tao want to harm his wife, unless he had been hired by one of the tongs to kill Jade, just as they had her father? But Jon Chang had recommended the man to Jade. Was Chang behind the scheme?
By the time Jason reached the brick that marked the entrance to the drive, he had succeeded in whipping his worry into a fever pitch. He was furious at himself for falling for such an obvious ploy and feeling more anxiety than he ever had in his life. If anything had happened to Jade it would be his fault.
He knew he would never forgive himself.
THE CAPTAIN’S CARRIAGE reached the adobe just as the clouds that streaked the deep turquoise sky were highlighted with pink underbellies. Jade strapped her reticule over her wrist and stepped out of the carriage. She stood in silence, taking in the sunset sky in the distance and breathing in the tranquil peace of what had once been her grandfather’s garden. Here, at the end of day, the tall oak in the middle of the garden was gilded by the sun’s dying rays. Jade took a deep breath and then looked away from the glorious sunset sky. She was glad to note that the captain had already begun work on the long-neglected garden. The earth had been turned over in many places and various leggy shrubs had been uprooted.
The sound of hushed voices caused her to look up. Two workmen were on the roof replacing some of the missing tiles. She could barely see them in the waning light. Her attention was then drawn to the doorway as Emery Lennox stepped out onto the veranda and moved to take her hand.
“Jade! I’m so glad that you could come. Is Jason with you?” He looked around behind her at the closed carriage.
Jade shook her head. “No, he had to go into town and I wasn’t certain when he was coming home, so I brought Quan Yen with me and left him a message. Maybe he’ll join us later.”
“Yes, indeed. Maybe he will. In the meantime, welcome. Come in and see what I’ve done with the place.”
They went inside, Quan Yen following close behind them. Jade paused just inside the threshold and looked around in wonder. The captain had furnished the adobe in carved teakwood pieces from the Orient. Dragons with ivory eyes adorned a pair of matching chairs near the door, while deep-carved figures of villagers ornamented tall chests, low trunks, and table legs.
Bronze locks and other ornamentation on the furniture glinted brightly in the candle-and firelight. A huge gong hung from a teak frame near a window. Statues of the various gods and goddesses reigned over the room from where they stood on tables and chests. Shimmering red and gold silk cushions rested on chairs and benches.
The ragged remains of serapes that had hung in the doorways had been taken down, giving the house a flowing, open effect. Jade moved through the large, central room that served as parlor and dining room and ran her hand over the shining surface of a massive ebony dining table. She had always imagined the captain on his sailing ship, so she had never thought of him in such luxurious surroundings before. Although the adobe itself was still in need of repair and a fresh coat of whitewash, she could see that, combined with his exquisite pieces, the place would be quite a showplace.
She paused to study an eight-paneled screen framed in black lacquer. The scenes depicted on the panels were of Chinese ladies in low-cut gowns wandering in a garden where they watched fish swim among the lotus blossoms. What attracted Jade to the piece was the fact that the scenes had been created out of gems and stones. Inlaid amethyst, carnelian, and pink tourmaline all combined with moss green jadeite, mother-of-pearl, and soapstone.
“These panels are wonderful!” She couldn’t hide her enthusiasm for the intricate work. “Have you been collecting these things long?”
“For years. I’ve had them stored here in San Francisco until the day I decided to run my shipping business from land and give up the sea.”
“I would never have thought these pieces would look so at home here.” She turned to face Lennox and caught him staring intently at Quan Yen.
“Is everything all right?” Jade asked, aware of a subtle tension between the two, yet unwilling to admit to herself that the look on Captain Lennox’s face had been blatantly sensual. Suddenly uneasy, Jade asked, “When is Quan’s guardian going to arrive?” She smiled at the girl, hoping to put her at ease, but Quan Yen had become as distant as she had been the day Lennox had first brought her to Harrington House.
“I just received word that the people from the mission won’t be driving out tonight, Jade. I’m afraid there is no guardian for Quan yet.”
“Did they change their minds? I’m certain that if anyone were to meet her they would see how very pleasant she is. Why, she’s been a great help to me lately, always trying to cheer me when I feel low.” Jade walked to the girl’s side. She spoke softly in halting Cantonese. “Are you all right, Quan? Do you want to leave?”
The girl looked at Jade, then at Emery Lennox and slowly smiled. “I all right. I want stay.”
Lennox cleared
his throat. “Quan isn’t the only reason I wanted to see you, Jade. Why don’t you sit down?”
She was not certain when she began to feel uneasy, nor did she know why, but by the time Jade was seated on one of the carved dragon chairs, she sensed that something beyond her knowledge had definitely passed between Emery Lennox and Quan Yen.
Chapter Twenty-two
An avaricious man, who can never have enough . . .
is as a serpent wishing to swallow an elephant.
JASON REINED EL SOL to a thunderous stop, swung his leg over the saddle, and dismounted. When he noticed that the house was well lit, he told himself to calm down—Jade was safe inside. She had to be. He would open the door and find her tucked safely in bed, bent over her books and papers, or sleeping peacefully with her radiant red-gold hair spread out about her on the pillow, just as she had been last night. Jade was fine.
His calm was shattered when he saw Xavier running from the stables to greet him.
“Why aren’t you inside? Where’s my wife?” Jason was already pounding up the walk toward the service porch door.
Xavier trailed behind, puffing as he tried to keep pace with Jason’s long stride. “She’s gone, patrón.”
Jason halted abruptly and turned on Xavier. “What do you mean ‘gone’? Not again!”
“Only to her friend’s house. I have the letter.” Xavier began digging the note out of his pocket.
Babs immediately came to mind. J.T. willed himself not to grab the little Mexican and shake him as Xavier tried to fish the letter out of his pocket. Finally, when the man pulled it crumpled from the depths, J.T. grabbed the note.
Without waiting for Xavier, Jason continued toward the house. The sky was growing dim and he was forced to wait to read the note until he reached the well-lit kitchen. The back door banged behind him as he strode across the porch and into the kitchen. Earlier, Xavier had lit the lamps and started the fire in the stove and fireplaces throughout the house. Jason leaned toward a lamp in the center of the worktable and read the note.
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