Page 57 of The Search

He sank to his knees beside it.

He wanted to shout. He wanted to pound his fists on the stone.

All he could do was stare at the exquisite jeweled box glittering in the beam of his flashlight.

Five hundred people.

Buried alive.

Rudzak called him six hours later. “Is it still raining in Kai Chi?”

“Yes.”

“I saw the news bulletin that you were on a mercy mission. The rain didn’t stop you from finding Chen Li’s box, did it?”

“No.”

“Because you knew it would be there. You’re a smart man, Logan. You finally realized what I was doing with Chen Li’s treasures, didn’t you?”

“Funeral gifts.”

“You sound a little numb. Did I wake you?”

“No.”

“I didn’t think so. You were probably lying awake, staring into the darkness. Isn’t that what guilty men do?”

“You should know. You were the one who did this.”

“I feel no blame. It’s not in my makeup. But now you’ve been thinking and I’ll wager you’ve figured out why I hit Santo Camaro and Kai Chi.”

“Her grave.”

“I was very angry when I saw her grave. Chen Li was a queen and you buried her like a pauper. The passing of a queen should be marked by the blare of trumpets and the clash of cymbals.”

“So you gave her Santo Camaro and Kai Chi.”

“I would have gone after you anyway, but as I stood by her grave, it came to me how it must be done. It was so beautifully clear to me. Santo Camaro was fine for a beginning, but Kai Chi is special. Chen Li was born there, and we spent every summer playing on those slopes.”

“After she died and I’d earned a little money, I endowed an orphanage here in her name. Did you know about the orphanage?”

“Of course. Did you think it would make a difference?”

“I suppose not.”

“And I remembered that you and Chen Li spent your honeymoon there,” Rudzak said. “All the more reason for it to die with Chen Li.”

“Is it over? I’d think five hundred people would be enough even for you.”

“Of course it’s not over. She was a queen and a queen must have her due.”

“She would hate you for this.”

“She could never hate me. You tried to make her hate me, but even when you met her, she was already mine.”

“I never tried to make her hate you. I actually liked you until I found out what a son of a bitch you were.”

“You kept her away from me.”