Vendetta (24 page)

Charles stepped down from his perch above them. “Now that we know who our next candidate is, I have something to share with all of you. I have here in my hands articles from the
Asia Times
, the
Hong Kong Commercial Daily
, the
Ming Pao Daily News
, the
Oriental Daily News
, and the
International Herald Tribune —
the English version. I’ll pass the articles around to you but they all pretty much say the same thing, with the exception of the
Tribune
.

“It seems Mr. Chai, our former house guest, was picked up by the Hong Kong police. He spun a tale so bizarre sounding, the authorities called in the equivalent of our
FBI
. Mr. Chai spoke of a group of American women who kidnapped and tortured him. The only person who appears to believe Mr. Chai is his father, who promised deadly retribution in swift order. Mr. Chai named names and offered up descriptions, but the paper didn’t publish them. The
Tribune
carried it a step further and interviewed Chai’s two friends, Wing Wu and Quon Zheyuan, as well as the La Ling sisters. They scoffed at the story of Chai being abducted. The La Ling sisters said they left the private party with the American women and the three men were passed out cold from too much liquor. The
Tribune
went on to say something
did
happen to John Chai, as he had been caned and skinned and was left scarred from head to toe. It should be noted that Wu and Zheyuan have not been seen or heard of since they gave their initial interview. The La Ling sisters have not offered up any further interviews either, and remain behind a walled garden with their parents.”

“Do the articles mention where Mr. Chai is now and what he’s doing?” Myra asked.

“Just that he’s in seclusion,” Charles said cheerily. “The
Tribune
investigated a little further and found out that Mr. Chai had no exit or entry stamps on his passport, which should lead readers to believe that he concocted the story and was caned by a jealous husband in his own country. The
Tribune
speculated that Chai concocted his story because of a guilty conscience in regard to the tragic accident he had while living in the United States. The
Tribune
did not mention names. Do any of you have any questions?” When no one posed a question, Charles continued, “In that case, ladies, I think we can close our files on Mr. John Chai.”

Myra raised her head slightly and then titled it to the side as though she were resting her cheek on something. A gentle smile spread across her face.

“The case of John Chai has been completed. We will never speak of it again. I suggest we adjourn to the terrace so we can make a toast to another successful mission,” Charles said.

The seven women nodded their heads solemnly as they filed out of the room.

John Chai, Barbara Rutledge’s killer, now belonged to the past.