Chapter Twenty-Five
Leander could've groaned when the officer led him back to the same small, dirty interrogation room he had been sitting in for what must've been two days.
Without windows, it was hard to tell. However, he was playing at being a cooperative prisoner.
So far that had earned him a lack of handcuffs and regular meals of plain rice and overcooked vegetables. It was better than he had anticipated.
He stepped into the room and spoke before his bathroom escort could disappear, leaving him alone with a bottle of water and copious amounts of anxiety. “Do you have any word on Nie Heng? Is he going to live?”
Leander wasn’t terribly surprised when the guard left without answering. Once the door had closed with an ominous thunk, Leander returned to the metal folding chair that had been his world for the last day or two.
Leander kept running possibilities through his mind.
He could ask to speak to the American consulate and they would likely allow it, but that would bring too much attention not only to himself but also to Shanlin.
If the Chinese knew there was an American child in the country illegally, one hunted by assassins willing to shoot Chinese citizens, they would exile Shanlin from the country.
That was not going to happen. Not on Leander's watch.
So Leander chose to sit and wait and hope that some solution would present itself. If Heng woke, he would have a better chance of handling his own government. Until then, Leander was staying quiet.
It was ironic. In the United States, Leander had done everything to deserve prison, and yet those brain-rotted, inbred morons in the police had never caught him.
And now in China where he had scrupulously avoided breaking any law, he was going to go to prison unless Heng had some plan.
Hopefully he would be able to use his talents to make life in prison a little more bearable.
With nothing better to do, Leander slumped in the uncomfortable metal folding chair and waited. Another meal of overcooked vegetables and cold rice had come and gone before the door to the interrogation room opened and a very loud presence made herself known.
“Then what would you expect of him? He is from that abominable country where those with magic are enslaved. Are you truly shocked that he would distrust a government official?”
“His distrust is not the concern. His refusal to explain the circumstances leading to three dead bodies is.”
Auntie Daiyu pushed through, leaving an official in a fancy uniform to stumble out of her way. “Boon Lian, what shall I do with you?”
Leander blinked at her for a moment, his brain unable to process the sight of her in all her magical clothing and elaborate embroidery as she plopped down in the metal folding chair across from him.
She clucked at him. “Were it not for your excellent magic, I would think you were not worth the trouble you manage to create.”
“Auntie Daiyu?”
“Who else did you expect to sort this mess? Your father-in-law is coming, but as he has no ability to maintain flight, he is limited by how fast he can travel in one of those infernal automobiles.” She pronounced the last word as if it were something vile.
“Father-in-law?” Leander was confused.
“Yes, your father-in-law. Nie Xiaobo. The father of Nie Heng,” she snapped.
Leander realized what had happened. Like Xi, he had learned Chinese by using a language pill, back when he was on Druwolf’s payroll.
While the magic of pills was formidable, it was not infallible.
At some point when the pill had still been processing through his system, he must have confused adopted father for father-in-law, leaving his brain switching the two.
He knew that could be a danger when using language pills instead of learning naturally, and there was no way to correct the error once it had settled into the brain.
“I had not wished to disturb them,” Leander said. He wasn't sure what story Auntie Daiyu was weaving, but he did not want to contradict any lie she might tell.
She made a dismissive sound and glared at the police commander as if he were an inferior life form that had slimed its way into her presence.
“You were no doubt fearful given your experience with law enforcement.” She made it clear that this officer had not improved matters.
After a moment, she turned her attention back to Leander.
“Your mother-in-law remains behind with her grandchild. That boy will be insufferable if you do not insist on discipline. Doting grandparents are no replacement for a parent, so we must return home.”
“Yes, Auntie Daiyu,” Leander said. He was not going to argue, but Auntie Daiyu gave him a suspicious look, as if she didn't trust his agreement.
She sat in the chair across from Leander, leaving the officer the only one standing. “Now tell this officer of questionable competence how Nie Heng ended up bleeding on the floor of a warehouse.”
Leander hesitated, not sure he should give the police information without some legal counsel.
However, Auntie Daiyu narrowed her eyes, and he decided he was more afraid of her than the law.
“The Americans were seeking something my wife left with me,” he said slowly.
Referring to Tecca as his wife left him with a bitter taste in his mouth, but he didn’t want to give Chinese officials too much information. .
Auntie Daiyu’s eyebrows rose. “Were they so determined to get this object back? Why?”
“I don’t understand their motives for any of this,” Leander said, although that was half a lie.
He suspected Shanlin had seen something that could damage Druwolf badly, but a child should not carry the burden of doing an adult's job.
The American police could either get evidence against Druwolf themselves or they could accept that people like Druwolf would always exist as long as the American government turned magic users into virtual slaves.
“Where is your wife?” the police commander asked.
Leander shied away from the word commander.
He didn't know the official rank this officer held, and he did not want to create another permanent flaw in his Chinese. It was bad enough that for the rest of his life he’d have to mentally swap father-in-law for adopted father. He didn’t want to create more errors.
Before Leander could answer, Auntie Daiyu spoke.
“She is dead, which is why Boon Lian returned to us with his son. His grandmother was a great fool, falling in love with blue eyes and pale skin, and her son was a greater fool who knew nothing of responsibility. I am only grateful that when life became difficult and the American government intolerable, Boon Lian returned to his true family. However, this is family business, and you are not family.” She glared at the officer before offering Leander a smile.
He so wished that story were true and that this was his family–his true family.
The officer turned a startled look toward Leander.
Leander had a few features of some Asian ancestors.
His eyes were a little narrower than most. His hair was the silky black so common in this country.
But European features dominated his face, so he was not surprised that the officer seemed doubtful of his supposed genealogy.
“Very well. How did the Americans die?” the officer asked. He didn’t take out a notebook, which implied this interview was being recorded.
Leander turned to Auntie Daiyu to see if he could get some clear signal on whether or not he should answer.
She rolled her eyes. “This is not America where you can keep your silence, nor is this America where you will be condemned for using magic.”
“He's a magic user?” The officer sounded alarmed.
Auntie Daiyu chuckled. “Indeed he is. Too much western blood means the magic is somewhat restricted, but it is powerful nonetheless. Family magic breeds true.”
The officer's eyes were wide as he considered Leander with something that appeared frighteningly close to respect.
“The Chinese government will not target a Chinese citizen for defending himself against outsiders,” Auntie Daiyu said firmly. As far as Leander knew, he was not a Chinese citizen, but he was also beginning to suspect that Auntie Daiyu was far better at lying than he’d anticipated.
“We had a strange compulsion to turn down an alley even though in hindsight it made no sense. When we entered the warehouse, three people appeared.” Leander described the conflict, carefully editing out any of Xi’s contributions.
Perhaps Auntie Daiyu would lie about his mysterious Chinese grandmother because Leander was valuable and connected to the Nie family.
She wouldn’t extend that protection to Xi as well.
When he finished telling the story of using Cadell's peanut allergy to kill him, the officer had grown quite pale.
Auntie Daiyu cackled. “Great fools always believe they are more powerful than they are. Good for you.” She leaned forward and patted his arm as though congratulating him for excelling at killing.
“Now that you know what happened, will you tell me whether Nie Heng is okay?” Leander desperately wanted to know that his past hadn’t cost Heng his life, and no one was talking to him.
“Nie Heng is well into his second stage of core formation. His qi is like a boiled egg, and that makes him far more durable than someone who has not fully completed the body foundation stage,” Auntie Daiyu said. “He will be fine.”
The fear that had been gnawing at Leander's heart eased. “And Huang Min?”
Auntie Daiyu’s expression turned predatory.
“She will not be fine once we find her. The Nie family has announced their intent to hire assassins. She attempted to kill their second son, which might have severed their relationship to their only grandchild and heir. They are quite wroth, especially because Heng has never been shy about his intention to commit himself to the school rather than a family. Her actions were those of a fool.”