“I was telling Persey earlier that I’ve been having so much fun, I’ve lost track of time.”
A pretty flush stained her cheeks. “Me, too. Now I’ll have to pay the price. I still have a ton of work to do before classes start.”
He raised his eyebrows. “I’d be happy to help you, but I don’t read, write or understand Xiang or Mandarin.”
She laughed. “I’m impressed you remember that much.”
“I’m trying. Do you teach any language classes for beginners?”
“No.”
“That’s what I was afraid of.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because I’d sign up if you were the teacher.”
“Luckey...”
“You think I’m kidding?”
“But you don’t need to study Chinese.”
“I think I do. It’s a part of who you are. How about I spend evenings with you? While you do your work, I’ll study and you can coach me on the side. I’m a quick learner. Then we’ll have conversations while we go riding.”
Her eyes deepened in color. “Be serious.”
“Are you afraid you’ll never get anything done if I’m with you all the time?”
“No!”
“How about I sign a contract? I won’t touch you unless you ask me to.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
“If that’s not the problem, then what is?”
“You’re a Ranger! You don’t have that kind of time.”
“I’m going to make time. If I can learn the basics of the language, it’ll help me on this trafficking case. You learned the language, your father learned the language—so can I. Let’s start tomorrow. You tell me what book to buy and I’ll be over for a first lesson. I promise I won’t bother you while you do your other work.”
Ally shook her head. “You’re impossible.”
“That’s what my mother says.”
“I’ll bet she does.”
He sat back in his chair. “If you’re not interested in seeing me again, all you have to do is say so and I’ll leave you alone. The choice is yours. Think about it and let me know your decision when I drive you home later. Do you want anything else to eat?”
“No, I’m stuffed.”
“Then let’s go.” Luckey paid for their meal with his credit card and escorted Ally from the restaurant. They walked across the street to the shopping center. He could tell her mind was working things out. She hadn’t said no yet.
He was cautiously optimistic.
* * *
THINK ABOUT IT and let me know your decision when I drive you home later.
Luckey couldn’t be serious, could he?
Ally was very aware of his rock-hard body next to hers as they made their way to the shop, and her mind filled with visions of the two of them doing homework together. It was ridiculous! They’d never get anything done, not when all she wanted was to be in his arms.
How about I sign a contract? I won’t touch you unless you ask me to.
That would work for about two seconds, then—
“Here we are. Hui’s Silks.”
At the sound of Luckey’s deep voice, Ally was jarred back to reality. They moved inside, where a lean, short, middle-aged Chinese man stood at the counter. He nodded to them.
“It’s one o’clock. I appreciate punctuality. You’re Mr. Davis, I presume. I’m Hui Guan.”
“Mr. Guan? This is my friend, Dr. Duncan. We understand that we caught you before your return to Beijing. Thank you for taking the time to meet with us.”
“Of course. What exactly can I do for you?”
Luckey pulled the pink dress sample from his pocket and put it on the counter. “Have you ever seen this material before? If you have, do you know where in China it was manufactured and where it could be purchased?”
“Is it Xiang embroidery?” Ally asked in Mandarin.
The man eyed her with interest before he picked up the fabric and studied it. After a moment he lifted his head and replied in Mandarin, “No. This is not made in the shu zhi method of the Hunan Province. Their weavers scour and bleach the longitude and latitude silks from cocoons first before weaving them. That way they no longer need more processing and can be used directly. No, this fabric is shu embroidery.”
“Shu?” Ally repeated. Disappointment swamped her. She’d been so certain she was on the right track.
“See here. This is made with soft satins and colored threads because the raw materials are embroidered by hand. Regard the varied stitching method. This lotus design is typical of the shu technique. It’s unique and expensive.”
“Do you know where it was made?”
“In Chengdu, the capital city of Sichuan Province.”
“Do you have a shop in Chengdu?”
“No.”
“Would you have a contact from the silk industry there that Mr. Davis and I could talk to?”
“I would have to check with one of my people in Beijing and get back to you.”
“If you could do that, we’d be very grateful.”
She turned to Luckey. “I’m sorry you couldn’t follow the conversation.” In a few words she told him what she’d found out.
Luckey pulled a business card from his breast pocket and handed it to the man. Mr. Guan did a double take. “You are a Texas Ranger?”
“That’s right. I’m working on an important case. If it’s possible, I’d like your contact to supply me with the name of every shop selling this embroidered silk.”
“I don’t know, but I will try.”
“That’s all I can ask. Before we leave your shop, is there anything you can tell me about this?” He reached into his pocket once more and drew out the other fabric sample.
Mr. Guan looked at it. “This lace brocade comes from Indonesia. Very expensive.” Ally exchanged a glance with Luckey. This man was very good at what he did. “So many villages do their own kind of embroidery. You would need an expert.”
“Could you put me in touch with one? I could send that person a colored photograph of the swatch for identification.”
“Again, I make no promises, but I’ll see what I can do.”
Luckey put the samples back in his pocket. “I appreciate your expertise more than you know. If you find out anything, call me day or night and reverse the charges.”
Ally thanked him in Mandarin and they left the shop. Her mind was reeling with what she’d learned as they made their way to the car. When they stopped at a light on their way out of Houston, Luckey turned to her and searched her face. “What’s going on in your mind that’s made you so serious?”
“I thought I was on the right track when I assumed the pink fabric had been made in the Hunan Province, but I was wrong. It means...”
“It means you’re thinking that the girl in the morgue isn’t Yu Tan?” he said.
“Yes. I was a fool to imagine that a case like this could be solved so quickly.”
The light changed and they turned to enter the freeway leading back to Austin. “I’m as disappointed as you are, Ally,” he admitted, “but we’ve only gotten started. You’ve been to Chengdu to see the pandas, right?” She nodded. “Is it a long way from Changsha?”
“An hour and a half flight.”
“You mentioned that your family went there with your friend’s family every year. You did mean Soo-Lin’s immediate family...”
“Yes.”
“Did the women go shopping?”
“I’m sure they did. Soo-Lin and I went off on our own and met up with our families at the hotel at the end of the day.” Ally stared out the window without seeing the landscape. “Don’t you think it would be too big a stretch to suppose Soo-Lin’s mother might have bought fabric there for Yu Ta
n’s mother?”
“The day I became a Ranger, the captain told us that when you’re hunting down a killer, nothing should be out of bounds in your imagination.”
She smiled to herself. “When I told Dad you wanted to see the orphanage books, he said it appeared you were leaving no stone unturned in this investigation.”
“My unorthodox methods continue to catch up with me.”
“Unorthodox or not, he thought it was commendable.”
“You made that up, but I’ll take it.”
Oh, Luckey... “I hope Mr. Guan will be able to get you the information you need.”
“He seemed like a good man you can depend on.”
You’re the good man, Luckey. So good I can’t believe I’m here with you right now.
“How come you and your wife didn’t make it?” The question flew out of Ally’s mouth before she could stop it. “I know what you told me, but there has to be more to it than the fact that you wanted to be a Ranger and she didn’t like it.”
Luckey took his time answering. “You’re right. I’ve had a lot of time to think about it. Truthfully, Linda needed me to plan my life around her even when we weren’t together. Though she was the most important thing in my life—or I wouldn’t have married her—I enjoyed my career. She resented those times when I had to be away, knowing she wasn’t on my mind. I’m sure that sounds very harsh and selfish of me.”
“Not at all. My father loved his career, too. Mom knew it and would have gone crazy if she didn’t have her own life. Did Linda have a career when she married you?”
“No. She wanted to be a stay-at-home wife and mother like her own mom.”
“Some women want that.”
“I know, and that’s fine. When we married, I worked hard to make enough money so she could stay home. I thought she was happy and we tried to have a baby right away, but it didn’t happen. We talked to her OB and were checked out. He saw nothing medically wrong with either of us and told us to relax and give things time. But Linda just got more worked up as the months went by without her getting pregnant.”
“Soo-Lin has been going through the same experience. I’m so sorry for you and your ex-wife.”
“Twice in our marriage I had to be away when it was her fertile time. One night when I got home from a case, she made a demand. Either I give up law enforcement and find another career that didn’t keep me away from her, or she was going to leave me.”
“How painful for both of you.”
“It was. I loved Linda, but she’d asked me to do something that I knew would turn me into a person I wouldn’t like. In time she wouldn’t have liked me, either. So we separated. I hoped she’d have a change of heart. We both wanted a miracle, but it wasn’t meant to be and so we divorced.”
Ally moaned inwardly. “Thank you for telling me.”
He found her hand and threaded his fingers through hers. “I’m glad you asked. Now I want to know if you’ve made your decision about teaching me Chinese. I’m free tomorrow for my first lesson.”
A laugh broke from her. “You said you’d give me until we got home.”
“I’m an impatient man. Today you’re discovering my many faults.”
As far as Ally was concerned, he didn’t have any. The explanation about his failed marriage had answered a lot of questions for her.
“All right. One lesson. Have you ever taken a foreign language class?”
“Three years of high school Spanish.”
“How did you do?”
“You don’t want to know.” She smiled. “I wouldn’t blame you if you think I can’t do this,” he added.
“I’m convinced you could do anything, Luckey. It’s a question of how much time you have before your work prevents you from being able to keep it up.”
“I won’t know until I try.”
Or until you’ve solved this case and grow bored with me. She didn’t know if she had what it took to keep a man like Luckey Davis. All she knew was that she’d met an exceptional human being who blew every other guy she knew out of the water.
They reached Austin as the sun was setting. When he pulled up in front of Ally’s parents’ ranch, he said, “What would be the best time for me to come over tomorrow?”
Ally wished they didn’t have to say good-night, but he hadn’t suggested they do anything else. “Why don’t we say four o’ clock. That will give me time to finish my paperwork.”
“That sounds perfect.”
“I’ll leave the briefcase with you and get it back later. Thank you for the wonderful lunch and the company. See you at four.”
She opened the door and got out, knowing he probably had Ranger business to work on. After the revelation about his former wife, the last thing Ally wanted was to come off as being needy. She’d be seeing him tomorrow and that had to be enough for now.
* * *
AN EARLY SUNDAY morning phone call from Jakarta woke Luckey up. The man on the other end spoke passable English.
“Mr. Davis? My name is Rahmat Teguh, and I’m manager of Gema. I understand you called yesterday about a police matter. I’ve been instructed by the authorities to assist you.”
“Thank you. I’m with the Texas Rangers in Austin, Texas. How long has your company been manufacturing DMSO cream?”
“Three years.”
“I need the names and addresses of any people who’ve been ordering that cream over those three years from any location in Texas. This is a very urgent matter. When you can, please fax me that information and let me know which international express carriers were used. I’ll give you the fax number.” Luckey relayed the number slowly.
“I’ll take care of it as soon as I can.”
“Thank you very much.”
Following that call, his mother phoned and told him the family was planning a barbecue for the next Saturday to celebrate his dad’s birthday. Luckey promised he’d be there unless his latest case prevented him from making it. Once they hung up, he fixed breakfast before going out to the barn to exercise Persey. Riding his horse gave him time to think.
He couldn’t expect TJ to get a warrant before Monday morning. As for Mr. Guan, he would need time to find a silk merchant from Chengdu who might be able to help Luckey. For the moment it was a waiting game.
Until he went to Ally’s house, Luckey intended to research the personnel working for the International Junior Olympic Committee. He was intent on finding out what had happened to Yu Tan. Her disappearance had become personal to him. Someone on the committee could help him get in touch with gymnastic organizations within China that prepared young girls like Yu Tan to enter Olympic competition. If there was a tie-in to the murdered girl—who was also suspected to have been a gymnast—he wanted to find it.
Sundays were hard on Luckey because he couldn’t conduct business as usual. For one thing, he wanted to get a surveillance team over to the orphanage to watch the comings and goings of Shan, the young Chinese woman he’d met who worked with the children. That would have to wait until tomorrow. If she was a trafficking victim, any testimony she could give would be helpful in hunting down predators like the ones dumping girls’ bodies in the streets.
For another, he needed help from the passport office finding a person or persons who traveled between Texas and China and Indonesia on a regular basis over the last few years. But the official he needed to talk to, Mr. Jesse, wouldn’t be available until tomorrow.
Luckey was glad when four o’clock finally approached. After a shower and shave, he dressed in jeans and a pullover before leaving the house to drive to the Duncan ranch. Ally came to the door wearing jeans and a pale yellow sweater that provided a stunning contrast to her black hair, which she’d left long today. Her eyes lit up. “Ni hao, Luckey.”
That’s right. She’d taught him that word at the or
phanage. “Ni hao.”
“Good.”
“How do I say ‘Doctor’?”
“I’m not a medical doctor. You can say Laoshi hao, which means ‘Hello, teacher.’ Let’s do it again. Ni hao, Luckey.”
“Laoshi hao.”
Her smile widened. “Perfect. You’ve just had your first lesson in Mandarin Chinese. Come on into the dining room. We can work at the table.” He supposed it was too much to ask that they get comfortable somewhere in the house on a couch.
When he’d come before, he’d noticed a Western motif dominated Ally’s family home. She led him through a hallway lined with dozens of family pictures to the dining room, where twelve or more people could fit around the table easily. The large antique armoire had two Texas stars carved into the woodwork.
Ally saw where he was looking before she sat down at the head of the table. “When I was little, I used to pretend that those stars were Texas Ranger badges.”
From a distance, that was exactly what they looked like. He grinned. “A precursor of things to come?” Luckey took the chair on her right. “It’s a good thing for me you came back from China to fulfill your destiny. I’m eager to get started, but first I need to know how much you charge for lessons.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” she said. ”Before we get started, would you like coffee or a soda? Maybe some tea?”
“Nothing right now, thank you. Don’t I need a book or paper?”
“Not yet.” The seductive curl of her lips intrigued him to no end. He couldn’t go much longer without tasting them, but he’d promised not to touch her. “Mandarin is a tonal language. You need to master the tones. When you do that, we’ll add new words. I’ve labeled these cards for you in order.
“Look at these first two cards. Both are labeled 1-1. The left one shows an arrow indicating the direction of the sound of this Chinese word. The card on the right holds what’s called a tone pair. Notice how the pair of words follows the graph on the left, with the arrow in the same direction and the same tone mark over the vowels.”
Luckey studied both cards to get the drift. She made him pronounce the sounds several times.
“All right. Now I’ll take the next two cards, labeled 1-2. This time notice that the arrow on this one goes in a different direction. Now look at the two words on the other card. They follow the arrow, and the tone marks are different. One is level, the other goes up.”
Her Texas Ranger Hero Page 8