***
Ran-Del braced himself when the skimmer set down in the Wah compound. Being a guest at a party in Shangri-La was almost as bad as being the host. It was true that Caroline Wah’s relations had the chore of waiting in line to receive all the guests, but the guests themselves had to spend an equal amount of time wandering about through a crowd of all the same people who had come to every other party. He saw Priscilla Cho off in one corner. She wore a few strips of cloth wound around her torso and very little else.
Ran-Del looked around for Francesca. His wife wore one of her skin-tight body suits, but this time she had draped a loose outer robe of iridescent purple over it. Ran-Del was amused to note that while several women approached and spoke to her, no men came anywhere near her.
Ran-Del walked up to where she stood sipping a glass a wine and frowning.
“I hope you’re happy,” she muttered to Ran-Del as he slid an arm around her waist. “Everyone’s heard about what you did, and now they all act like I have the plague.”
Ran-Del smiled. “I’m quite happy, thank you. I consider it an improvement.”
As if to give the lie to Francesca’s complaint, Freddie Leong approached and gave Francesca a fond kiss on her cheek. “Hello, Francesca darling,” he said, his speech just slightly slurred, his eyelids drooping over his blue eyes. “Will you protect me from your wild man if I ask nicely?”
Francesca gave a little laugh. “Of course, Freddie. Ran-Del wouldn’t hurt you, would you Ran-Del?”
Ran-Del looked Freddie up and down. “Not if he keeps his hands off of you.”
Freddie smiled his sleepy smile and took a sip of his drink. “I’m shaking in my boots,” he said in a mocking tone.
Ran-Del focused on his wife’s former lover, allowing himself to scan the surface of Freddie Leong’s thoughts. Freddie truly wasn’t afraid of him, which surprised him. It shocked Ran-Del to realize that Freddie wasn't afraid because he didn’t care whether he lived or died.
Francesca looked at Freddie anxiously. “What are you on, Freddie? You’ll kill yourself one of these days.”
“With any luck,” Freddie said. “And it’s none of your business, my sweet. You washed your hands of me long ago.”
“I still care what happens to you,” Francesca said. Ran-Del could sense that it was the truth.
“I know you do, Francesca,” Freddie said, and Ran-Del heard genuine affection in his tone. “It comforts me to know there’ll be one real mourner at my funeral besides Dad.”
“Don’t talk like that, Freddie!” Francesca said, concern drowning out her earlier warmth.
“If you’re going to give me orders,” Freddie said cheerfully, “I’ll be off. I get enough of that at home.”
Francesca studied his back as Freddie strolled off and joined a group of people standing around a fountain that spewed wine from several levels.
“I worry about him,” she said.
“What is he to you?” Ran-Del said. “Do you still love him?”
“No,” Francesca said, “but I’m fond of him, and I think it’s a shame when someone throws his life away.”
Ran-Del took consolation in her truthfulness. He followed her gaze across the room to where Hans Leong stood with his mother and Peter Norwalk. Hans looked rather as if he would prefer to be elsewhere, but Elena had a firm grip on his arm.
“It’s incredible to me,” Francesca said, “that Freddie and Hans are brothers. I don’t know any two people who are more different.”
Just at that moment, the elder Leong sibling turned and saw Ran-Del. He sneered and then looked away.
“I agree they’re different,” Ran-Del said. “What’s the father like? Does Freddie take after him?”
“I haven’t spoken to him in several seasons. Elena never lets him leave their complex.”
Ran-Del raised his eyebrows and gave her a meaningful stare.
“Don’t give me that look!” Francesca said. “I’m nothing like Elena Leong.”
Ran-Del let his silence speak for him.
“All right,” Francesca said in exasperation. “I’ll tell Quinn that you need to leave the escort behind sometimes. In fact,” Francesca said, “just to be sure that you have all the freedom you could want, I’ll show you how you can leave our compound anytime you like, with no one the wiser.”
“How?” Ran-Del asked.
She glanced around reflexively. “I’ll tell you later. You never know when someone might be running a bug.”
The idiom perplexed Ran-Del, but he caught her meaning. He considered trying to read the information from her mind, but he preferred not to intrude unless it was necessary. If he could chide her into loosening control by comparing her to Elena Leong, life in Shangri-La would be less stressful.
“Francesca!” someone called.
Ran-Del looked around and saw that Caroline Wah had come into the room and set up court in a chair in one corner. Her eldest daughter was calling Francesca to come over to pay her respects.
“Excuse me, Ran-Del,” she said.
Ran-Del watched his wife bow over the old woman’s hand, and kiss her cheek dutifully and reflected that there wasn’t much difference between city and forest when it came to family rituals. When he glanced up and saw Priscilla Cho headed his way, he ducked swiftly behind a pillar before she could spot him.
His new position gave Ran-Del a good vantage point to study the Leong-Norwalk group. He saw Elena bend her head to whisper something to Peter Norwalk. Ran-Del was close enough to see that she was clenching her elder son’s arm as if she feared he might try to pull away from her.
Hans didn’t try to get away, but he was glaring at someone intently. When Ran-Del followed Hans’ line of sight, he was startled to see that the man’s venomous stare was directed at Freddie Leong. His very stance projected such animosity that it troubled Ran-Del. A moment later, Hans shifted his gaze, and Ran-Del found himself staring into a look of pure hatred.
Instinctively, Ran-Del put his hand to his belt. There was no dirk there; he had left it at home rather than surrender it at the security check. Hans smiled as if he understood Ran-Del’s gesture and then his eyes flicked back to his brother.
Ran-Del wondered for a moment if Hans intended any harm to Freddie. He used the Sixth Discipline to focus his talent on Hans for a second and what he saw in the man’s mind made Ran-Del stand frozen in surprise. After a moment, he got his breath back and looked around for Francesca.
She was trying to free herself from the circle of elderly offspring around Caroline Wah. Ran-Del walked up and took her by the arm. She looked considerably surprised but not in the least annoyed when he pulled her into a shadowy niche and caught her up in a passionate embrace.
“I know who killed your father,” Ran-Del whispered in her ear.
Her look of pleased anticipation vanished. After half a second, she nuzzled his neck and whispered back at him. “Who?”
“Hans Leong.”
The Sixth Discipline Page 90