The Money Is Green

by Mr Owen Sullivan

  Janine put her hand to her mouth, her mind in a whirl. “Oh no, what does she look like? What color is her hair? What was she wearing?”

  “Hold on, ma’am, one question at a time. She’s got long brown hair, she’s white, and about five foot eight in height. She was wearing a pair of jeans and a light-colored blouse. We found an algebra textbook from Millennium High School in the back seat of the car. She was traveling with two other young males”

  “Oh no, not Crystal!” Janine screamed. “Oh my god, that’s my boyfriend’s daughter.” She tossed the covers off her and headed for her closet to get dressed. “How bad is she, officer? Is she going to survive? Oh my god, how am I going to get ahold of Jason?”

  “Like I said, ma’am, she’s in bad shape. When she was put in the ambulance, she wasn’t conscious. I don’t know how she’s currently doing, but she’s in good hands. Do you know how to contact her family and let them know what has happened?”

  Janine cradled the phone between her neck and shoulder, pulled clothes off their hangers, and hastily dressed. “Yes, I can contact her family. What hospital did they take her to? I’m going to jump in my car and head there as soon as I can.”

  The officer answered in an even tone. “She’s been taken to Kaiser Permanente Hospital in Roseville. It’s not too far off the freeway. How long do you think it will take you to get there?”

  “It’ll take me a little over two and a half hours,” she answered as she pulled her purse off a chair in her dining room. “I’m heading out my door right now.”

  “Okay, ma’am. Again, my name is Officer Brannon. I’ll be at the hospital when you get there and I’ll be able to fill you in on the details better by the time you arrive.”

  Janine was out of breath by the time she reached her car and opened it. “Thank you, officer, for all your help. I’ll see you soon.” She hung up and flung her phone on the passenger seat. What is Crystal doing in Auburn? She’s supposed to be staying at her friend’s house. I shouldn’t have told Jason I wouldn’t watch her. She pounded the steering wheel in frustration. Why didn’t I let her stay with me? Tears stung her eyes as she steered her car through the quiet city streets until she made the onramp of the freeway. Oh, Crystal, what were you thinking? Where were you going? Why didn’t you call me?

  Her mind was spinning and she could barely concentrate on driving. How do I get ahold of Jason? It’s difficult to communicate with him when he’s in China. He told me if there was ever an emergency, if I couldn’t get him directly, to call his office staff and get them to track him down, but they’re not going to arrive at work for another few hours. I hope she can hold on and pull out of this. I couldn’t bear having to tell Jason his only daughter has died.

  She pounded the steering wheel as she blinked back tears. Please, please hang in there, Crystal. You’re a fighter; hang in there!

  ♦

  Two and a half hours later, she pulled up to the emergency entrance of the massive Kaiser Hospital facility in Roseville. She drove into the immense parking lot, found an open spot near the entrance, and then hurried inside. She sprinted to the elevator to get to the third floor, slowing down to walk once she spotted an officer standing outside a room about halfway down the corridor. He was tall, in his late thirties, and had a short military haircut. His cap was under his arm and he was in conversation with an orderly when Janine came up to him. “Officer Brannon?” she asked timidly. “I’m Janine Tully. We spoke over the phone about the girl in the accident, Crystal Ballard. Her father is my boyfriend and he’s currently in China on business. I’m trying to track him down as we speak.”

  He shook her hand. “I’m sorry to meet you under these circumstances.” He turned to the orderly. “Would you excuse me for a moment?”

  “Of course,” he answered. “We can go over this at a later time.”

  “Would you like to check in on Crystal?” the officer asked. “Not much has changed with her condition since we spoke.”

  “Yes,” Janine said somberly. “I’d like to see her.”

  The officer pointed at the room one door down from where they stood. “She’s in room 326. Go ahead. I’ll wait here for you.”

  “Thanks.” She softly opened the door and slid inside. As her eyes adjusted to the dimly lit room, she could see the outline of Crystal lying quietly on the bed. Her head was covered in a large white bandage and one of her eyes was blackened. Two different sets of tubes were coming out of her arms, with IVs hanging above her bed, methodically dripping medicine into her body. Janine moved over to the side of the bed and took Crystal’s hand.

  Crystal’s breathing was shallow but steady. Janine ran her hand softly across her face, being careful not to touch the bruised cheekbone and her blackened left eye.

  “You poor thing,” she said to her softly. “I’m so sorry. Please get stronger. We need your smiling face.” Janine looked down the bed at Crystal’s legs. It doesn’t look like there’s anything broken or she would be in some kind of splint or something. I guess that’s something. She sat down in the chair, put her head in her hands, and said a silent prayer. After a minute, she got up and left the room.

  Officer Brannon was standing down the corridor talking to one of the nurses at the night watch station. When he saw her come out of the room, he came down to her.

  “Why don’t you take a seat and I’ll tell you what I know. The doctor should be here in a few minutes and he can update you on Crystal’s condition.”

  Janine nodded numbly and sat down where he indicated. “Okay, officer, I’m ready. Tell me what you know.”

  “Well, there were three kids in the car at the time of the accident. A male driver and another male who was in the back seat.” He paused for a minute and took a deep breath. “Witnesses to the crash said the car veered into oncoming traffic then swerved hard to the right and smashed into the side of the hill alongside the highway. The kid in the backseat was thrown clear of the car.” Officer Brannon cast his eyes downward and stared at the floor. “He didn’t survive and was declared dead at the scene.”

  Janine took a deep breath, putting her hand to her mouth. “Oh no. That’s awful. What about the driver? Is he okay?”

  “He had a seatbelt on, as did Crystal, so he survived, but he hit the steering wheel hard and the front end of the car caved in, almost crushing him. He’s got a punctured lung, two busted teeth, and some broken ribs. He also broke his left leg. The bottom line is he’s going to survive.” He lowered his voice and spoke softly. “We think alcohol was involved.”

  She looked up at him, shocked. “Was Crystal drinking? That’s so unlike her.”

  “We don’t know who was drinking, but there was a discernable smell of alcohol in the car and there was an almost-empty bottle of Jim Beam in the back seat.” He stopped when he saw a short balding man come around the corner wearing a white smock and holding a clipboard. “Here’s the doctor, Janine. You can ask him yourself about Crystal’s condition.”

  Seeing the doctor, Janine rushed up to him and blurted out, “The girl in room 326, the one from the car accident, what’s her condition?” She caught herself and said, “I’m so sorry, doctor. I’m Janine Tully. The girl in the room is my boyfriend’s daughter. I just wanted to know her condition.”

  “I’m Doctor Winters, Janine,” he said, his face anxious. “The young girl is in serious condition. She’s got a severe concussion and some bruises on her face. We’re keeping an eye on her to see if she sustained any internal injuries. Our initial diagnosis is she didn’t, but we’re being cautious.”

  “She should survive then, doctor?” Janine asked, pleading.

  “I don’t know yet since she’s still in a coma. But the good thing is she’s young and healthy. It’s going to be a rough next few days and we’ll know more when she wakes up. All we can do now is monitor her and wait.” He looked up at the clock on the wall and then back. “I’ve got to make my rounds, Janine. There’s nothing that can be done for her right now, so why don’t you go do
wn to the cafeteria and get yourself some coffee.”

  Janine nodded. “Thank you, doctor, I appreciate your help and kindness. I’m so tired I could fall asleep in this chair.”

  “Come with me, Janine,” Officer Brannon said. “I’ll walk you down to the cafeteria and have a cup of coffee with you. After that, I’ve got to get back to the office and turn in my report.”

  She followed along, her whole body feeling numb. He tried to make small talk, but she didn’t hear much of what he said. When they got to the cafeteria, she slumped down in a chair.

  “What would you like?” he asked. “I’m buying.”

  “Just a coffee would be great,” she said as she looked up at him. “Thank you so much. You’ve been way too kind.”

  He smiled and bowed at her. “It’s my pleasure.” Then turned and headed toward the food area.

  The cafeteria was white, stark, and almost deserted. A young couple, seated four tables away, sat in silence, both slowly nibbling on blueberry muffins. Food preparers shuffled behind the counters in slow motion, their hair covered in netting and plastic gloves on their hands. Every so often they would switch out a tray with freshly prepared food.

  Janine sat in silence, watching as Officer Brannon fixed up two cups of coffee. He came back to the table and set hers in front of her, along with two packets of sugar and two small containers of cream.

  “I didn’t know what you put in your coffee, so I brought everything,” he said as he slid into a chair. “Are you sure you’re not hungry? The chicken they make here is pretty good.”

  She smiled weakly. “Thanks for the offer, but I’m not really hungry just yet.” She looked down at her watch. “I’ve got to wait another hour before my boyfriend’s colleagues show up for work.”

  “Why is that?” he asked. “Can’t you just call him on the phone?”

  Holding the coffee cup with both hands, she shook her head. “No, he’s currently in China. I don’t know how to contact him there. I have to wait until someone at his office shows up so I can get them to get him a message to call me.” She looked at him as she sipped her coffee. “I don’t relish that conversation at all. His daughter usually stays with me when he goes on trips, but this time she stayed with a friend’s family.”

  “What was she doing over here in Auburn?” he asked. “This is a long way from Santa Clara. They were headed east on the freeway before the crash. Where were they going?”

  “I have absolutely no idea,” Janine answered. “I know her father wouldn’t have let her take a trip like this. He’s very protective of her.” She stared up at the ceiling. “No, I think this was a trip Crystal planned on her own and she wasn’t going to tell anyone about it.” She looked at Officer Brannon. “I guess we won’t know where she was going until we ask her after she wakes up.”

  THIRTY-SIX

  Mei paced the floor of her kitchen, stopping every minute or two to stare at her cellphone, willing it to ring. The sound of piano music floated across the house as her daughter practiced a Beethoven piece for an upcoming concert. The fact that she had not nailed every note with one week remaining was a source of irritation for Mei, although that was not what was on her mind.

  I knew I shouldn’t have trusted Lin Ping for this job, she thought, her irritation growing the more she paced. All he had to do was make sure the cocktail I had made up was administered to Brian daily so when he died it would have looked like natural causes and no one would be suspicious. One more day and Brian would have been dead and forgotten. Now he’s disappeared and who knows if he’s gotten the medical attention to save him.

  The phone rang and she rushed over to answer it. “Hello?” she said almost breathlessly.

  She heard the familiar voice of Tan Wen, her chief of security. “Madam Chen, we have not located Mr. Thompson yet, but we have reason to believe he hasn’t left Hong Kong. We have agents stationed at the airports to watch over who’s leaving. If he tries to escape, we will find him.”

  “What about by boat?” she asked, irritated. “He could easily slip away on someone’s yacht. There are too many ways for him to get away. You need to find him and find him quickly. What about Jason Ballard? Where is he?”

  “He left Hong Kong yesterday and flew to Shanghai. He was headed to your factory there and is probably still there as we speak.”

  Mei opened the refrigerator and pulled out a bottled water. “I want him picked up and detained for questioning. This all happened once he showed up in Hong Kong. I don’t think it was a coincidence. See if he will talk about Brian’s disappearance. If he won’t talk, let me know.”

  “I’ll do that, Madam Chen.” He paused then asked, “What are your plans for Mr. Wilson? We still have him locked up in jail, but he has not signed the papers you gave to me transferring ownership of the hotels to your company. He has many friends in high places who are making noise about his situation. I fear there will be problems if we keep him in jail too much longer.”

  Covering the phone with her hand, she yelled at her daughter, “Play that piece over from the beginning. A cat could walk across the keyboard and sound better than that!” She put the phone back to her ear. “Let him stay there a little longer, but start to use some coercion on him. It’s time he saw the wisdom of divesting some of his hotel holdings. If he doesn’t sign by next Wednesday, I’ll forge his signature, and then I’ll have to figure out what to do with him. But by all means keep him alive. That will be all, Tan.”

  Hanging up, she took a swig of water and sat down at the kitchen table. I should lock all of them up, everyone who has failed me. She smiled to herself. But all is not lost. Copper Mountain is moving along and the first payment for the panel shipment is due in one week. I’m going to be flush with money; money for green energy. Thank you, US government!

  Her cellphone rang and she recognized the number. “Congressman Waters, how are you today?”

  His deep male voice came over the phone. “I am well, Madam Chen. I thought I would report to you about a few of our business dealings. We’re scheduled for a flight from the warehouse in Nevada to Mexico a week from tonight. It should go as smoothly as the last time and we should clear about thirteen million each. After that, I suggest we lay low for a few months.”

  “Are you as concerned as I am that someone is on to our little project?” she asked. “We are now moving the panels to the actual project, so everything should look legitimate.”

  He paused for a second, then answered, “I don’t think we’re being watched, if that’s what you’re referring to, but I think it might be prudent to take a break. We’ve cleaned up from the last two runs, so there’s no sense getting greedy.”

  “Well, Congressman, if you think that’s the way we should go, then I’ll alert my people in Nevada to discontinue the trips to Mexico. I’m sure going to miss all the money we were making.”

  The Congressman laughed. “Don’t worry. We can pick up where we left off at the drop of a hat.” He coughed and cleared his throat. “Excuse me, I’ve got some bad allergies. You had asked me to get my friend Wo Sung to pick up your friend, Jason Ballard’s, daughter and girlfriend, but there have been some developments there you might be interested in.”

  Mei raised her eyebrows. “Oh. What happened?”

  “The daughter got into a bad accident last night. She’s in a hospital in a town about two hours out of the bay area. The girlfriend is hanging out at the hospital keeping vigil. Wo couldn’t get much information as to how long she might be kept there, but it would be a difficult place to extract them without making a big scene.”

  A shuffling sound behind her made Mei set the phone down and turn. Her daughter stood at the entrance to the kitchen, her hands folded in front of her and her head hanging down. “Mother, may I take a break? My hands are tired and my back is sore. I’ve been practicing for two hours straight.”

  Mei yelled at her, “Do you think that Korean girl, Wie, is taking a break? Chi, if you want to be the best, you have to sacrifice! T
hat piece you’re playing sounds awful and you’ll get laughed off the stage and I’ll be eternally humiliated.” She pointed over her daughter’s shoulder. “Get back on that piano and practice until I tell you it’s okay to quit, and that won’t be for a while!”

  She watched as the girl spun around and left the room. Weakling, she thought, my daughter is a weakling. I refuse to let her grow up and be nothing.

  Putting the phone back to her ear she said, “I’m sorry, Congressman, my daughter needed something from me. So, back to the daughter and girlfriend. You don’t know how long she’ll be in the hospital?”

  “No, I don’t,” he answered. “It sounds like she was roughed up pretty good, so it might be awhile. What should I tell Wo to do?”

  Mei sat at the table in silence. “Tell Wo to sit tight. He doesn’t need to have his people hang around the hospital, just have them ready to move if the opportunity presents itself. Right now Jason is unaware we are after him, so I don’t want to spook him yet. Let’s wait until we have him in our clutches and see what he’s willing to tell us. That will probably give us a few days to see how the daughter fares.”

  “Okay, Madam Chen, I’ll have Wo stand down. I’ll call you after the shipment arrives safely next week in Mexico.”

  “That will be good, Congressman Waters. I’ll wait to hear from you then.” She set the phone down and smiled. In the next three weeks, I will be one of the richest women in China. Even my weak-kneed husband will have to give me respect. She lifted her chin in a defiant manner. Madam Chen will be a name that will be feared and respected all over China.

  THIRTY-SEVEN

  Large cranes lifted a big wooden pallet of solar panels and placed them in the beds of a row of flatbed trucks lined up in a straight line, their engines spewing dirty diesel exhaust into the atmosphere. The drivers sat patiently in their cabs, smoking cigarettes and fiddling with radios and cell phones as their trucks were loaded.