“No, someone intentionally poisoned her with a toxin.”

Carlton stared at Nick in horror. “You must be joking.”

“I wish I was. She doesn’t want to make a big deal out of it, but you know she could have died. Her organs were shutting down one by one, and the doctors were hopelessly trying to figure out what was wrong until we found out she was poisoned.”

“Un-fucking-believable! How did you find out?”

“We got an anonymous letter.”

Carlton gasped. “What? Who would want to poison Rachel?”

“That’s what we’re trying to find out. Thanks to my aunt Alix, who knows the chief executive of Hong Kong very well, it’s become an official investigation involving both the Hong Kong and Chinese police.” The elevator reached the lobby, and Nick pulled Carlton to a quiet corner. “Let me ask you…honestly, do you think Richie Yang is capable of something like this?”

Carlton paused for a moment. “Richie? Why would he have anything to do with this?”

“You humiliated him in front of all his friends in Paris. Colette made it clear to everyone that she prefers you—” Nick began.

“You think he poisoned Rachel to get back at me? Bloody hell, that would make him even sicker than I thought! I’d never forgive myself if that were true.”

“It’s just one theory. We’ve been trying to come up with anyone who might have the slightest motive. I think the police are going to want to talk to both you and Colette at some point.”

“Of course, of course,” Carlton said, his brow furrowed in shock. “Do they know what kind of toxin was used?”

“It’s called Tarquinomid. It’s a very hard-to-get pharmaceutical that’s normally used to treat people with multiple sclerosis, manufactured only in Israel. They say it’s sometimes used by Mossad agents for assassinations.”

Carlton’s face suddenly went pale.

BAO RESIDENCE, SHANGHAI

THAT SAME EVENING

Bao Gaoliang and his wife were standing under the portico of their elegant garden mansion in the French Concession, waving goodbye to departing guests, when Carlton’s car came racing up the circular driveway.

“My goodness, the emperor has decided to grace us with his presence! To what do we owe this honor?” Shaoyen said sarcastically as Carlton walked up the stone steps toward them.

“I need to see you both in the library. Now!” he said through gritted teeth.

“Don’t speak to your mother in that tone!” Gaoliang chastised.

“What, you guys kissed and made up?” Carlton said, as he stormed into the house.

“We had a dinner for the Mongolian ambassador. Unlike you, your father and I still know how to be civil around each other when the occasion warrants it,” Shaoyen said, sinking into the tufted leather sofa and taking off her Zanotti heels with a sigh of relief.

Carlton shook his head in disgust. “I don’t know how you can sit there in that ball gown of yours, pretending that nothing’s wrong when you know very well what you’ve done!”

“What are you talking about?” Gaoliang asked wearily.

Carlton gave his mother a withering look. “Do you want to tell him, or should I?”

“I have no idea what you’re referring to,” Shaoyen said icily.

Carlton turned to his father, his eyes black with anger. “While you’ve been sitting in this house hosting a dinner party with your wife, your daughter—your flesh and blood—has been lying in a hospital in Hong Kong—”

“Rachel’s in the hospital?” Gaoliang interrupted.

“You haven’t heard? They had to airlift her from Hangzhou to Hong Kong.”

“What happened?” Gaoliang stared at Carlton in alarm.

“She was poisoned by someone. She was in the ICU for three days and almost died.”

Gaoliang’s jaw dropped. “Who would poison her?”

“I dunno…why don’t you ask Mother?”

Shaoyen bolted upright on the sofa. “Ni zai jiang shen me pi hua?* Did you stop taking your medication, Carlton? Is this some hallucination of yours?”

“I know you were just trying to send her a warning, but you almost killed her! I don’t understand you, Mother. How could you do something like that?” Carlton said, his eyes brimming with tears.

Shaoyen turned to her husband in astonishment. “Can you believe this? Our son is accusing me of being a murderer. How on earth do you think I had any part in this, Carlton?”

“I know precisely how you did it. Not you, of course, but one of your lackeys. Rachel was poisoned with Tarquinomid—which we so conveniently just started manufacturing for Opal Pharmaceuticals of Tel Aviv!”

“Oh my God,” Shaoyen said in a whisper, while Gaoliang looked stunned.

“You don’t think I keep up with what’s happening at the company? Well surprise, surprise, I do. I know all about that secret deal you made with Opal.”

“We have so many secret deals with companies all over the world. Yes, Opal outsourced Tarquinomid to us, but do you actually think I would poison Rachel? Why would I do that?”

Carlton looked at his mother accusingly. “Oh come on! You have been so hell-bent against Rachel since day one! Do I need to spell it out for you?”

Gaoliang spoke up, finally fed up with his son’s accusations. “Don’t be ridiculous, Carlton. SHE DID NOT POISON RACHEL! How dare you say such a thing about your own mother?”

“Dad, you don’t know half the things Mother has been telling me. If you could only hear what she’s said about Rachel!”

“Your mother may have issues with Rachel, but she would never do anything to harm her.”

Carlton started to laugh bitterly. “Oh, that’s what you think? You don’t have a clue what Mother is capable of, do you? Of course you don’t—you have no idea what she did in—”

“CARLTON,” Shaoyen said as a warning.

“What Mother did in London!”

“What are you talking about?” Gaoliang asked.

“The big cover-up in London…all to protect you.”

Shaoyen rushed up to her son and grabbed his shoulders in a panic. “SHUT UP, CARLTON!”

“NO! I WON’T SHUT UP! I’m sick of shutting up and not talking about it!” Carlton exploded.

“Then talk! What happened in London?” Gaoliang demanded.

“Please, Carlton, if you know what’s best for you, please don’t say any more,” Shaoyen pleaded frantically.

“A girl died in my car wreck!” Carlton spat out.

“DON’T LISTEN TO HIM! He’s drunk! He’s sick in the head!” Shaoyen screamed as she struggled to put her hands over Carlton’s mouth.

“What on earth are you talking about? I thought the girl was paralyzed,” Gaoliang said.

Carlton shook his mother off and ran to the other side of the room. “There were two girls in the Ferrari with me, Dad! One girl survived, but the other girl died. And Mother had it all covered up. She got Mr. Tin and your banker in Hong Kong to pay everyone off. She wanted you to remain blissfully ignorant about what happened—all to protect your precious position! She’s never allowed me to talk about it. She’s never wanted you to know what a fuckup I am. But I’m admitting it now, Dad—I killed a girl!”

Gaoliang stared at both of them in horror, as Shaoyen sank to the floor sobbing.

Carlton continued, “I will never forgive myself, and it will haunt me for the rest of my life. But I’m trying to take responsibility for what I’ve done, Dad. I can’t change the past, but I’m trying to change myself. Rachel helped me realize all this when we were in Paris. But Mother found out that Rachel knows this secret about my accident, and that’s the real reason she wanted her killed!”

“No, no! That’s not true!” Shaoyen cried.

“How do you feel now, Mother? The big secret is out, and your worst nightmare is coming true. Our family name will be ruined just like you thought it would—not by Rachel or by me, but when the police come and haul you off to jail!”

Carlton stormed out of the house, leaving his mother on the floor of the library and his father seated next to her with his head buried in his hands.

* * *

* Mandarin for “What the fuck are you saying?”

11

BUKIT BROWN CEMETERY

SINGAPORE