Chapter 40

Malik was sitting in a chair at the small table, staring out the Inn suite’s window. Andy, whose recovery had been delayed by a bout of mild infection, had been arranged comfortably on the couch by his wife, with cold water and coffee at hand. Christina had taken Luke out to visit Molly Rademacher.

It was Friday, November sixteenth, a week after Lee Jin’s funeral.

Malik’s face looked puffy, and his eyes were red and rheumy. He looked at Andy as a tear slid down his cheek. He was gently shaking his head as he said, “If anything had happened to you ... I mean, if you’d have ... died ... I just don’t know. I just don’t know.” He looked out the window, again.

The morning after Andy had been shot, Christina had come to town in the family coach, arriving at sunup. Kagan let her take Andy that afternoon, and they’d set up residence in the Inn’s suite.

Malik was shaking his head, again. “I mean, Lee Jin was bad enough. I just can’t believe...” Malik began quietly sobbing.

Andy looked on. He’d already said everything that could be said, most of it more than once.

From the various shoe, boot, and Lee Jin’s own moccasin prints, Malik had determined that Lee Jin had been led into a trap in the rail yard. Malik located the prints of three men, one of whom Lee had followed from Jackson Street. The other two had been waiting. Malik had concluded that the ambush had been deliberately set to kill the young Chinese bodyguard. He told his brother he suspected his own attempted assassination might also have been intended to make Lee Jin less cautious in pursuing the assailants.

But, other than a tasseled gold cord, the same as had been found with the bodies of Cable Aldecott and Marvin Vandeventer, they had been unable to learn more. The only likely source of information was eliminated when Ezra Hilfer hung himself with his boot laces in his cell, which is how Sean Edwards found him when he went to arrest him in the cellar at the Inn.

That same morning, Malik had ridden out to Summer Lake to notify Doctor Lee of his son’s death. Not surprisingly, Lee already knew. Malik knelt in front of the Doctor and, through his tears, begged Lee’s forgiveness.

Lee had bent down and had drawn Malik back onto his feet.

Looking into Malik’s eyes, Lee had said, “For what am I to forgive you, Mister Malik? For allowing my son the life he wanted to lead? For providing the fulfillment of his chosen profession? For affording him a considerable measure of success? For offering your friendship and respect?

Lee was shaking his head. “You did not kill my son, Mister Malik, nor did you cause him to be killed. He was doing exactly what he wanted to be doing when three bad men killed him. They should be here, begging my forgiveness, not you. He considered you his friend, and he felt honored by that friendship. My son is dead, but, while he lived, he lived a fuller life than most others. You helped make that possible. For that, I am most grateful. Now, come, have some tea, and we will talk of Jin’s exploits.”

Finally, in apparent exasperation, Andy said, “What arrogance is this, Emil, which allows you to assume the responsibility for all the evil of the world? Are you likewise responsible for all the good? Do you control everything that happens in southeast Arenoso, or just in Jackson County? Let’s face it, brother, this is just a sophisticated way of feeling sorry for yourself while you abdicate your real responsibilities. You haven’t been to the office for a week, nor visited your daughter, nor given attention to your woman, nor cared for yourself. You may fool others, and maybe even yourself, with this tragic hero act, but I’m not buying it anymore. Go cry on someone else’s shoulder. I’m tired of your sniveling.” With that, Andy turned his back to Malik and pulled the blanket over his shoulder, settling in for a nap.

Malik rose and left the room. In the basement apartment, he wrote a note to Peng, who was at the law office, telling her to spend some time over the next few days with her sister, that he was going to the ranch, and that he would see her on Monday. He placed the note on the table, then went to the inn’s stable, saddled Tsela, and rode out to the ranch.

It was very early and still dark, on Monday morning, when Malik slipped into the apartment. He called out toward the bedroom, “Peng Yan, this is your Master. You had best be obeying my command to always be naked in bed. If I find you wearing nightclothes, I will take the riding crop to you.”

Peng, who had been sleeping in the nude, quickly and quietly slipped from the bed and reached for Malik’s nightshirt, which she hurriedly pulled on over her head. Returning to the bed, she closed her eyes and shivered in anticipation.

Beatrice Nowak had been touring the other stations on the Fort Birney Division over the prior ten days. She had spent Saturday and Sunday at the Hacienda Resort, relaxing in the warm waters. On Monday, she returned to Waypoint, to find an envelope waiting for her at the Old Courthouse Inn. She waited until she was in her room to open it. Inside was a brief note.

Beatrice

Join me for lunch today. 1:30 at the Inn. I have a private dining room reserved. Don’t be late.

Malik

Standing just inside the door to her room, Nowak shivered in anticipation.

After looking daggers at Malik, Christina left the suite, taking Luke down to visit Peng, in the apartment.

“I guess she heard about my lunch with Beatrice, today,” Malik said, as he turned from watching the door close and focused on his brother. Andy was seated at the small table, drinking coffee. Malik pulled out the other chair and sat down. Andy poured a cup of coffee for him.

“She referred to it as a tryst,” Andy said.

“I think it fell some short of that definition.”

“Nonetheless, she’s gone to console Yan.”

Malik chuckled. “That should prove interesting. It was Yan who suggested the tryst.”

Malik’s tone became more serious. “I want to thank you for kicking my butt on Friday. It’s hard to see the reality of things when I get like that. But you pegged it exactly right. I appreciate it, Andy.”

“You certainly seem more like yourself, today,” Andy observed.

“I feel more normal, too.” Malik sighed, heavily. “Be that as it may, it still leaves the problem of these continued attacks. Whatever the purpose, it looks like I stand between the Tiger Poppy Society and the attainment of that purpose. So I think I’ll set aside the question of why, for the moment, and try to determine how to respond.”

“Respond? Respond how? And to whom?”

“To the Tiger Poppy Society. In the way Pa would have done it.”

“Seriously? Do you have a plan? I won’t be much good until spring.”

“I don’t think it can wait until spring. I don’t think you get to go along on this one.”

“You can’t go alone. Are you-- Wait. Do you even have a plan? Where is the Tiger Poppy Society? Have you asked Yan?”

“Yan? No. I’d as soon she not even know I’m thinking about this. She’s pregnant and I don’t want her going along, either. If something happens to me, that baby will be all she’ll have left of me. We can’t risk it.”

“She’ll never sit still for that.”

“I think she will. She’s given her control over to me, vowed to do as I say. It’s not a worthwhile vow if it’s only good for the easy times.”

“Logic and lawyers,” Andy said, shaking his head in disgust. “Remind me not to marry one.”

Then he asked, “So, where will you get any intelligence?”

“I thought I might start with Fu-Chun Li.” But Malik looked uncertain. “Come to think of it, I haven’t seen him around, lately. Do you know what’s happened to him?”

“Yeah. He’s gone back to Dos Picos, to supervise the last of that demolition, before the winter snow. I guess they want to push to wrap it up so they can pull up the rails to finish the Penitente Mesa spur.”

“So, he’s in New Mexico?”

“Unless they’ve moved Dos Picos.”

“Do you know when he’s coming back?”

“According to Wen Meng, not until the snow drives them out of the Sangre de Cristos.” Wen was the foreman at the Sonora Mine.

“Then I may have to go up there.”

“Yan will expect to go along. Especially since you don’t have a bodyguard. And you won’t be able to justify leaving her because it’s too dangerous, as it won’t be any more or less dangerous than just being in your general vicinity here at home.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” He shook his head. “Damn!”

Andy attempted to console his brother. “I’d expect them to get snowed out by the end of the month, if not sooner. You could use the time practicing some of those fighting moves Jin was teaching you.”

“Yan and I plan to resume the forms and exercises in the morning. But for real practice, I’d need a sparring partner, and I won’t use Yan.”

Andy chuckled. “Why? Do you think you have even the slightest chance of laying a finger on her?”

“Probably not. But if I did, and it went badly for the baby ... No, that’s something I don’t even want to think about, let alone risk.”

“Does Fang Bai know that fighting style?”

“I don’t know. I’ll ask him, tomorrow.”

“No, Mister Malik,” Fang said. “I have no skills in that arena.”

Peng Delan said, “I can spar with you, Mister Malik, if you’d like. I’m not as good as Yan, but she has been teaching me, the past few years.”

Malik had turned to face Delan at her desk. “You would be comfortable doing that, Miss Peng?” He turned back to Fang, to whom Delan was affianced. “It would not offend you, Mister Fang?”

Fang said, “No, not at all. It might be interesting to watch.”

Delan asked, “When would you like to start, Mister Malik?”

Malik had a big smile on his face. “Let me think about that, Miss Peng. I’ll talk to your sister about it. Hopefully, though, we might even start today, after we close the office. Would that be too soon?”