by Linda Ladd
“Please sit down,” said Li He’s father in English, but his speech was heavily accented. They both gazed at us, their faces garish with the heavy makeup. I felt like I was interviewing two Japanese Geishas or twin Bozo the Clowns, take your pick.
We sat down on a couple of black wicker chairs that seemed a bit on the miniature side. Black’s creaked under his size and muscular physique. I showed the couple my badge, just a courtesy, but one that usually opened doors and mouths. After which, they looked scared of me. I smiled to show I didn’t bite, and said, “I’m Detective Claire Morgan from Canton County at Lake of the Ozarks. That’s about an hour northeast of here. This is Nicholas Black.”
Black didn’t appear to like my abbreviated designation of him, but too bad. What was I gonna say? This is my expert and superendurance lover boy, or maybe, superrich boyfriend?
The dad clown said in that thick Chinese-accented English, “How do you do. Do you have news of daughter, Li?”
“Do you know where Li is?” Mom Clown leaned forward and watched me closely. I was a little unsettled by their white pancake makeup and black-lined eyes. It gave them the look of intense-eyed aliens. No, the kind from outer space. It was hard for me to ascertain just how old they were, but they weren’t that old, forties, I’d say.
I sure hoped I hadn’t found their daughter, but I didn’t make that little tidbit known. Not yet. “I’m afraid I don’t have any new information on the disappearance of your daughter, Mrs. He. But I do have some questions to ask you about a friend of hers. When we examined Li’s dorm room at Missouri State, we found a man’s name in her address book. His name has come up in a recent investigation at the lake, and we’re hoping you can tell us something about his relationship with your daughter. His name is Michael Murphy. Do you happen to know him?”
Mom spoke again and her accent was even thicker than Dad’s. “Oh, yes. He is good friend to Li, very good. He takes her on…” She struggled, certainly not as proficient in English as her husband, “Date, is that seeming word?”
I nodded. “So Li and Michael Murphy were dating each other. For how long? Can you tell me?”
Mr. He said, “She like him much.” He spread his hands about a yard apart, as if to make us understand just how much she liked him. “Li go to him regularly at his pizza eat at your lake. She knew him from around first of your celebrate New Year.”
Okay, so his English wasn’t much better than hers. Li was shaping up very fast to be our female victim, all right. I swallowed hard and forced down my wave of regret. Black said nothing. The Hes waited and watched my face. I tried to keep it straight and noncommittal.
“Did you ever meet Michael Murphy, Mr. He?”
He nodded. “He came to see act three times. He came to our home for meal one time. He is nice boy.”
“So he and Li got along well.”
“Yes, she say he good but had many bad lucks.”
Okay. Time to zero in and get to the gist of this thing. “Did she go into detail about these bad lucks?”
“She say he not have good family like Li. She say he did not good with mother and father.”
Mrs. Li cut in. “It is terrible thing not to be good with mother and father. Li said his father talk to him on phone but mother hate him. She say he was hurt in here,” she gestured at her heart, “and Li try to help him.”
“Did she tell you why he didn’t get along with his parents?”
“Li say they make him do thing that not pizza eats and he did not like. She say parents want him be in law work, but he wanted cook and own eat place.”
“Did Li ever meet Michael’s parents?”
“She say she went one time to house and it was like palace. She say very uncomfortable house.”
“Did she notice anything strange or unusual about the Murphy family? Or about Michael’s habits?”
This time Mr. Li shook his head. “She say he wished know about China and want to go there and maybe start pizza eats. She say he want go far away and not come back.”
Mrs. He said, “That bad. Bad omen for son to hate family. We far from home but we together.”
Around that point, Mrs. He remembered they weren’t exactly together, that Li was missing. She bowed her head, and I had this awful premonition slither and slide down my throat into the pit of my stomach.
“You know nothing about what happen Li?” asked Mr. Li.
I told him the truth, had to, I just left a few pertinent things out. “Not yet. But I know the Springfield police are doing everything they can to find her. And I promise you that I will do everything I can to help them.”
They both nodded and looked satisfied, and I felt like a dirty, lying dog. My gut was all twisted up and telling me big-time that Li was the girl in that oven, but I did not want to believe it. And I sure as hell didn’t want to tell them the grotesque manner in which their beloved daughter had met her death. Or her strange behavior that made it happen. I was ready to end the interview and get out of there, but then I remembered the blue beaded bracelet and mysterious key. I pulled them out of my new red crocodile, Grace-Kelly-who-looks-like-me-NOT bag, that reputedly had a long waiting list and was probably a big-ticket item on eBay. Not that I’m obsessed with this bag, or anything.
I said, “By the way, would you happen to know anything about this kind of bracelet?”
They nodded in tandem and looked like two painted-up Chinese puppets manipulated on marionette strings. “That call evil-eye bracelets. Li has many. Her friend, also.”
I said, “Do you have any idea where they got them?”
Mrs. Li’s head bobbed in the affirmative. “Li say hers at Khur-Vay’s Studio and Gift Shop up on main road. Madame Khur-Vay teach yoga and belly dancing.”
Now that was a interesting combination, but I guess you have to be limber to belly dance. And the name Khur-Vay had come up before when I was interviewing at the clinic. Mr. He handed the key in the plastic bag back to me. No dice there.
I said, “Do you know why they’re called evil-eye bracelets?”
Together, they shook their heads, a real duet act, these two, almost as good as Bud and I were. The dad got out of character then by shrugging his shoulders. “We not have in China. Madame Khur-Vay tell you. She Li’s friend.”
Now there was some good news in a case that wasn’t running over full of it at the moment. Maybe it was time I had a belly dancing lesson or two. I already knew how to do yoga.
“Well, thank you very much, Mr. He, Mrs. He. You’ve been very helpful. I’ll let you know if I find out any new information about Li.”
They stood and bowed together, a very polite couple. I gave a little bow back but didn’t do it as well.
Black spoke up then and said, “We enjoyed your performances very much. I had the pleasure of visiting your country on several occasions. It is really quite amazing. I plan to return there soon.” He gave me a significant glance to alert me that I was going, too, gun or no gun.
The Hes discussed briefly with Black which provinces he had visited and what he had seen, but throughout their short chat, Mrs. He kept looking at me, as if she knew I knew more than I was telling her. I tried to smile reassuringly but don’t think it came off like gangbusters. They bowed again as we left, and I waited until we were outside in the fresh air and blazing sunshine before I spoke.
“It’s gonna be her, Black. I know it in my gut. Li He’s gonna be our vic.”
“Let’s hope not. You want to go find this Khur-Vay woman and see what she knows?”
“Yeah, let’s do it while we’re down here. My hunch tells me the bracelets are going to lead us to something pertinent. Maybe this Khur-Vay woman can tell us how they fit into Mikey’s murder.”
Here Comes Trouble
Enthralled by the power Tee could exert on everybody around him, and so easily, too, he began obsessive Internet searches for mind control and brainwashing techniques. As he expected, he found a wealth of good sites expounding on his favorite new subjects. Bowled ov
er by all the interesting stuff listed, he first searched hypnosis and was very pleased that there were so many how-to pages, actual word-by-word demonstrations, even. He was especially interested in controlling the mind, because truth was, that’s what he really wanted to do. This was gonna be a cinch, it really was. And did he ever have a group of needy geeks to experiment on.
So the days passed, and then months and months, and he pretended to still have problems over his mom’s death so he could stay and not go back home. He didn’t care if he ever went home. Then again, he studied hard, memorized, and absorbed every single, solitary thing he could get his hands on regarding psychohypnosis and psychiatry and brainwashing. It was fascinating; a huge challenge. Bigger than any he’d had in a long time, in his life, actually. And he was winning over the doctors. They thought he was just great. He was their special little protégé, and he loved it.
Everything was proceeding like clockwork. The doctors were so gullible and gladly lent him their textbooks and notes, even sat down and discussed theories and treatments and dangers. He especially liked the latter. They told him he was a brilliant student, but that wasn’t exactly news. Memorization remained extremely easy for him. He read it once; he knew it forever. And he was charismatic, too. Nobody had to tell him that. People were drawn to him like flies. Which was a good analogy, because he was going to catch them in his web, bet on it. His master plan was working out just hunky-dory in the extreme.
After a while, he decided to hook some other kids into his scheme. He already had two girlfriends, both at the same time, too. One went by her clinic name Blossom, and he’d just found out recently that she was a half sister to Lotus and Yang Wei, and then there was Orchid, a real looker with great titties. Neither seemed to mind that he had both as girlfriends; they just seemed happy the most popular guy in the school liked them. And there was always Buddy, of course. All three of Tee’s flunkies already tagged along after him like a trio of beagle puppies.
Tee needed more test subjects, however; he knew he’d have to perfect his techniques over time. The way to do that, he decided, was to invent a new, exclusive, by-invitation-only secret club. He’d make the members think he’d found new and better ways to treat them, better than the doctors, and most of all, that it was an honor to have him choose them to join aka use them in his experiments. He’d learned some techniques to help them think what he wanted them to think, so it wasn’t hard to entice them. They were like lambs to the slaughter.
On one well-planned night, he instructed the chosen ones to sneak to his room after Maggie and the other night nurses and orderlies settled into the night shift, and the place became as quiet as a tomb. So they did; they crept into his room, one at a time, mostly wearing pajamas and robes and slippers. He looked around the circle at the eager young faces and the feeling of power that washed over him was intoxicating. How stupid you are, he thought, weak and dumb losers.
“Enter, my friends, into our own secret world. You are the elite of this hospital. The cream of the crop, the smartest, the best. That’s why you’ve been chosen. But first off, you’ve got to prove your loyalty to me and to this group. We’re gonna take an oath, right here, right now, that we’ll never reveal the secrets that transpire inside this room. Do you understand that? If I ever catch word that anybody here confided our meetings to a nonmember, then you’re out, plain and simple. I’ll deny everything you say. And if I do, who do you think the staff here will believe? Buddy, tell me. Will they believe you guys or me?”
“You,” said Buddy as if already in a trance.
“Of course they will. More important, I can help you. I can help you get over whatever it is that is bothering you, whatever it is that sent you to this clinic. I really can. Do you believe me?” The kids in the group nodded, all of them, and Tee laughed inside as he continued. “I’ve found new techniques and ingenious ways that really work, and I promise I’ll work with each of you, one by one, one-on-one. That way, I can concentrate completely on the person I’m treating and give that patient my full attention. Does everybody agree to this? Are you ready to trust me and work with me?”
Tee looked around at all his little handpicked crazies. Everyone raised their hands, just like they were in school answering a teacher’s questions. Sometimes he even amazed himself at how he could make people do stuff. But now he was going to venture onto a new frontier; he was going to try to control the human mind, and he was going to start by playing around with some plain old Hypnotism 101.
“Okay, now we will swear our oaths. Please raise your right hand and put your left hand over your heart. Repeat after me. I will never reveal information about this meeting or the names of the members therein.”
They all repeated it in low, awed voices. Man, this was gonna be a blast.
“On pain of death, I will never reveal anything that Tee has said or told me about our secret society.”
Again, they intoned the words, as if he hadn’t even mentioned killing them if they told. Hey, this was going to be even easier than he thought. They were like big lumps of wet clay that he could mold any way he wanted. They were like Adam and Eve. And he was like God.
“Okay, then this is the way it’s gonna go down. I will tell each of you when I’m ready to work on your case. It will be done like we did this tonight, late and by candlelight. None of you will know, or ask, what happens in my sessions with the other members. It will all remain completely private and confidential. I will never tell any of you what any of the others say to me or what goes on here in this room. I will not take notes or film our sessions. Do you understand?” The part about the filming was a lie; of course, he would film it to study later.
They all nodded and looked mightily impressed by the sheer gravitas.
“Okay, who would like to go first?”
Everybody raised their hands. Now, that was a good sign.
“I am so pleased that you all understand the importance of secrecy. It will be a hard decision, but I will now choose my very first subject from our group.” Tee looked around as if weighing the matter, but truth be told, he’d already decided who the first victim would be. He was going to choose Girlfriend #1, Blossom, because he was in the mood to have sex, and she was always willing. They could do it afterward, after he’d gotten into her head and created a bit of havoc.
The kids sat around, awaiting his decision with bated breaths. He let the suspense linger a moment, then smiled and said, “Blossom, I’d like you to stay tonight. The rest of you may go back to your rooms. Make sure you’re not seen and that you never mention this meeting to anyone. If we should have to meet again, I will send Buddy around with the notification.”
Idiotically, Buddy grinned with pleasure at being chosen the messenger.
“Buddy, you’ll have to sleep somewhere else tonight. You aren’t allowed to observe my session with Blossom.”
“Okay, Tee. I’ll sleep in Denny’s room.” Denny was another studious little nerd that Buddy liked to hang around with. Denny collected butterflies for a hobby and glued them to his windows so he could see sunlight come through their wings. A real psycho goner.
The group gradually melted out the door, and after they were gone, Tee walked to the door and turned the lock. Blossom smiled when he approached her, but it was a nervous smile.
“You scared, Blossom?”
“No. I trust you.”
“Good. Okay, here’s what I want you to do first. Take off all your clothes and lie down on my bed.”
Blossom obeyed, and he was a tad shocked that she did. She was a pretty shy girl most of the time. Every time he’d screwed her, it had been in the dark and under the covers. In the candlelight tonight, though, her smooth tan skin glowed and her long dark hair was spread out on the white pillow around her head. Asian girls were so little and gorgeous. He had to fight for control. He wanted to jump her and do the deed now, but that would come later. This was his first go at real hypnotism. He was eager to get started and see what happened.
; “Close your eyes, Blossom. Relax every muscle in your body.” He paused, then went through the memorized script slowly, allowing her to take time to follow each command. “Start at your toes, relax them completely, then move up to your feet, then your ankles. Now move up farther to your legs. They’re so relaxed they just flop open. You are feeling so good now, so very relaxed and comfortable. Now you’re relaxing your stomach and your arms and fingers. This feels so good to you. You’re calm and quiet and you feel so happy. You are going to enjoy everything we do together. Now we’re at your neck, Blossom, all relaxed, next your chin and nose and forehead. It’s gonna make you feel so free and happy and relaxed. It’s going to make you forget all your troubles.” Except me, he thought, and I’m big trouble, the biggest you’ve ever seen.
Blossom obeyed, just like that. He could see her muscles loosening all through her body, and her eyes remained closed. She was breathing deeply, just like she was supposed to. Hell, he might not even need to apply hypnotism with this girl. She was like a trained monkey, panting to please.
Before the kids had arrived at the meeting, he had placed a hidden video camera and a bunch of short vanilla-scented candles on his bedside table, and while Blossom lay relaxed in front of him, he lit each one with his cigarette lighter. According to his research, lighting was important. The room where the session was held couldn’t be too dark, but not too light, either, but he had a feeling the candles would do the trick just fine. It also gave the whole thing a sense of romance and mystery, and he wasn’t above playing the romance card. His CD player was on a oak shelf right above the bed, and he turned it on.