White Ginger (9 page)

Bai pulled John Race aside to talk in confidence. “I'd like you to burn me a copy of the video.”

He looked perplexed by the request. “Is there any particular reason you feel that you'll need a copy?”

He'd posed the question softly while keeping an eye on Ketchum, who viewed them with suspicion from across the room.

“It's just in case the original should somehow get misplaced,” she replied.

Race drew a deep breath then looked over Bai's shoulder at Ketchum, and frowned. “Sure, why not? My time here is probably short-lived. There's a good chance I'll be looking for a job before the day is over.”

She considered his comment while scrutinizing his face. She liked what she saw. Her hand reached for one of her cards in her jacket pocket. “This is my number. Call me if you need work. I might be in the market for some added security. If you're interested, that is.”

He took the card and smiled at the Chinese characters. “What does it say?”

“It says I'm a
souxun
. It means people finder. I'm an investigator, of sorts.”

“I'm definitely interested,” he affirmed. He looked at Bai and smiled warmly. “If I'm not looking for work, can I still call you?”

He was flirting with her. His smile was nice, and he was good-looking in a blond, Ivy League kind of way—tall, muscular, and boyishly handsome. That he took an interest in her meant he was either reckless or poorly informed. She looked aside at Jason to see if he was aware of the attention she was receiving. He was.

“You're impulsive,” she said with a wry smile “which isn't bad in and of itself. I have a tendency to be a little impulsive as well. But you should know being around me can be dangerous, Mr. Race.”

Race turned his attention to Jason and Lee. “You do keep dangerous company.”

His observation caught her by surprise. “How so?”

“I used to be a soldier, Miss Jiang. I've spent a lot of time around dangerous individuals. Warriors develop an economy of movement and their eyes never stop moving. They place themselves, wherever they are, with the thought of cover and egress. Both of those men are certainly competent. The one in the black suit has trained assassin written all over him.”

She felt the need to defend Jason, perhaps out of habit. “He's only dangerous to his enemies. Keep that in mind, Mr. Race.”

“I'll definitely keep that in mind, Miss Jiang. But you still haven't answered my question.”

She studied him. He didn't show any sign of discomfort at her bold appraisal. His smile widened.

“Call me and see if I answer.”

They continued to stare at one another.

He broke eye contact first. “If you'll excuse me, I have a CD to burn.”

After Race had left the room, Ketchum excused himself. Bai had a pretty good idea the provost would be making some urgent calls. She suspected that John Romano was about to have an unpleasant discussion in which her name would serve prominently.

Race returned almost immediately and managed to slip Bai the video while Ketchum was still out of the room. She thanked him and handed the disc to Lee for safekeeping. As she was making the hand-off, she heard an unfamiliar voice from behind.

“I'm looking for a Bai Jiang.”

“That would be me,” she affirmed as she turned around.

The man in the doorway was tall and stoop-shouldered. He wore an old tan raincoat with a torn pocket and too many stains to count. Heavy brogue shoes, scuffed and beaten, matched his face—a face that looked like it might have gone a few rounds before its owner found he preferred alcohol to fisticuffs. Dark, puffy rings under heavily lidded eyes brought to mind a cagey raccoon. A beefy paw swallowed Bai's hand as he introduced himself. “I'm Inspector Robert Kelly. I'm here to investigate a hate crime.”

“I wouldn't expect a crime of this nature to rate an inspector,” she stated.

“The mayor's placed a priority on hate crimes. That and a misunderstanding between myself and my captain has resulted in my presence here today.”

“It must have been some misunderstanding,” she observed dryly.

“Ah . . . well, it seems that the captain's mother wasn't his mother after all—but his wife. And though I'll admit to being under the influence of drink at the time, no amount of Jameson's would have altered my perception to the extent I'd have come to any other rational conclusion. The last, in no way, excuses my having said as much, mind you. My remarks can definitely be attributed to the whiskey. It has a tendency to unleash my tongue and let it wander about aimlessly to leave embarrassing messes behind.”

She nodded her head in understanding. Kelly had been banished to the purgatory of hate crimes because he was a garrulous boozer.

She got down to business. “It was my daughter who was attacked. There's a video documenting the assault if you'd care to see it.”

Kelly's eyes tracked around the room until they came to rest on Jason. A barely audible grunt escaped his lips. “How do you play in this, Lum?”

Jason was known to the SFPD. They'd never found reason to charge him with anything, but they had plenty of reason to suspect him. He was on their watch list of suspected gang figures. But then, so was Bai. Her file just wasn't as noteworthy.

“I'm a friend of the family,” Jason replied.

He wouldn't place the onus on Dan of having him as a father. The relationship was far too dangerous. For her part, Dan was well schooled in the deception. She smiled up at him but said nothing.

Kelly didn't look happy with the answer. A scowl managed to further distort his features. He turned his back on Jason to address Bai. “So we have a juvenile assault, I take it?”

Race answered before she could respond. “That's correct. Dan was assaulted after being verbally abused.”

“And who might you be?” the inspector asked brusquely.

“My name's John Race. I'm the head of school security.” He offered his hand to the inspector.

“You must be proud.” The inspector ignored the proffered hand. “What kind of qualifications do you need to be a kiddy cop around here?”

Race dropped his hand to his side slowly. “I can't speak for my staff, but I was deployed for three tours with Special Forces before being assigned to Quantico to train federal agents.”

The inspector nodded his head once and sighed deeply. “I apologize for my wagging tongue. You can't say I didn't warn you.” He waited for Race to silently accept his apology with a nod before continuing. “If you have this thing on video, let's see it. I feel another demotion coming on.”

Bai stepped over to stand next to Jason and Dan while Race led the inspector forward to view the video. The room was silent as the recording played out. Kelly laughed out loud at the part where Dan took both boys to the floor. When it was finished, he turned around with a sober expression.

Just then, Ketchum returned to interrupt whatever it was Kelly was about to say. The provost introduced himself.

Afterward, Kelly asked in a gruff voice, “So, what part of this is a hate crime?”

Bai spoke up. “Racial slurs and threats were delivered prior to the assault. My daughter can give you the particulars.”

Kelly turned to look at Dan. For the first time, his demeanor grew respectful. “Do you feel up to doing that now, young lady?”

Dan looked to Bai for reassurance.

“Just tell the inspector what you told us, Dan.”

Kelly took a small digital voice recorder from his pocket and pushed the “start” button. He began the interview by stating the date and time and asking each of those present to identify themselves. Dan then repeated what the boys had said to her to the best of her recollection. When she'd done so, the inspector concluded the recording and turned off the device.

“Well, it seems there's no doubt this constitutes a hate crime.” His attitude had become reflective. “There are a couple of ways we can handle this, seeing as how the perpetrators are juveniles. If they were adults, we would simply arrest them. Because of their age, we might, instead, have their parents bring them down to the juvenile authority for booking.”

The inspector pushed his tongue against the inside of his lower lip as he gazed at Bai. He seemed to want some assurance his restrained tactics wouldn't meet with her opposition. She was well aware the offenders were children. At the same time, she didn't want to make light of the crime and have it swept away to be forgotten.

“My daughter was assaulted. I want your assurance the boys will be booked into juvenile hall and charged.”

“Of that I can assure you,” Kelly stated emphatically. “With this video on record there isn't a district attorney in this town who would let these boys slide.”

She subtly nodded in acceptance. “I hope you're right about that, Inspector.”

Kelly turned to Ketchum without commenting. “I'll need the contact information for the two boys as well as the video of the assault.”

Ketchum stalled and puffed out his chest in indignation. “I'm sorry. I can't provide that information. Our school policy is to ensure anonymity to our students as a matter of security. You'll need a search warrant.”

Kelly eyed the pompous administrator tiredly.

“I've got a better idea. Since you're interfering with a criminal investigation, I'll just arrest you. A couple of hours in the drunk tank keeping company with perverts who like to puke on expensive-looking shoes like yours should bring you around.”

Ketchum looked offended. “You wouldn't dare.”

“Just try me.”

Kelly delivered his ultimatum wearily, as if he'd said it a thousand times before. The standoff turned into a staring contest. Ketchum looked insulted while the inspector just looked bored.

Finally, Ketchum capitulated. “Very well,” he conceded. “I guess there's no point in unnecessarily delaying the matter. I have the names, addresses, and numbers for the two boys in the database. I'll have them for you in a second.”

He walked around his desk to print the information. When the printer spooled out the paper, he handed the document to the inspector along with the DVD of the assault.

Kelly stopped to read the names on the paper. “This isn't by any chance John Romano's son, is it?”

“Would it make a difference?” Bai asked.

The inspector looked down at the paper again and shook his head dismally. “I'll pass this on to the DA's office directly, Miss Jiang. And then I'm going to go out, get drunk, and try to forget I was ever here.”

“I know you'll do the right thing, Inspector.”

“I don't turn the wheels of justice. I am but a lowly servant of the law,” the cop answered stoically.

“‘Judge not the horse by his saddle,'” Bai observed as he stepped past her.

The big cop stopped just short of the door and turned back to look at her.

“Come again?” he asked.

“I suspect there's more to you than meets the eye, Inspector. I'm putting my faith in you.”

“You wouldn't be the first woman I've disappointed,” he said with an air of regret before slipping out the door.

 

Dan spoke softly. “I don't get it, Lee. I don't know those boys except to maybe see them in the hall during passing period. I've never even talked to them before today.”

Bai sat in the front of the car with Jason while Dan and Lee occupied the back. Bai leaned back into the soft leather of her seat to eavesdrop. She knew Dan would open up to Lee. He was her sounding board, her closest friend.

When he replied, his voice held sympathy. “Sometimes, there's no rational explanation for the way people act. Fear, prejudice, and hate are all part of the same package. It isn't pleasant, and it doesn't necessarily make sense. Sometimes, it is what it is—a stupid, senseless act.”

Dan wasn't so easily mollified. “But those boys aren't stupid. What makes them want to hurt other people? Why me?”

“Maybe it's because you're beautiful and smart and fearless,” he offered. After a short while, he asked, “Have you heard of anyone else being bullied at school?”

“No,” Dan replied. Her voice sounded angry. “But that doesn't mean anything. If someone gets bullied, they're not going to talk about it. It's embarrassing.” Her confession was delivered in a barely audible voice. “I just don't understand why they acted like such jerks.”

“You shouldn't be embarrassed,” he counseled. “The behavior of those two boys probably has nothing to do with you. You were likely just a target of opportunity. Their victim might just as easily have been one of your classmates.”

Bai was about to turn around and offer her opinion when Dan spoke up, her voice filled with resentment. “While I was waiting for Mom to pick me up, Mr. Ketchum acted like it was my fault. I tried to explain, but he wouldn't listen. He's such a turd.”

Jason pulled up in front of Bai's building and hit the brakes. The conversation, along with the car, jarred to a halt.