figure they must be done with tai chi by now. Maybe they’ve moved on to brush painting.
“Hello,” Alice says, standing with her hands clasped next to the empty chair. “Thank you for telling me about Russell. I call the art space. They send someone to go and help him.”
“Great.” I indicate the chair. “Do you have a few minutes?”
She hesitates. Glances back at the reception desk. No one is waiting there. The few guests in the dining area have their drinks and dumplings and pizzas.
Finally she sits.
“So Russell …” I say. “Is he, uh … I don’t know, a little nervous, maybe?”
“Nervous?”
“Well, he acted like he thought I was trying to hurt him or something.”
“Oh.” Her eyes get anime big. “He is maybe, how do you say … just a little strange.”
“
You yidianr duoxin?
” I ask. A little paranoid?
She giggles. “Oh, you speak Mandarin. Yes, he maybe
you yidian duoxin
. Very good with building things, though.”
“Okay.” So maybe Russell is just a nut and I haven’t stepped in some big pile of shit. And if Jason is off his meds, who knows what kind of joint delusion they could have cooked up between them?
“I don’t know Russell,” I say. “But I heard he’s a friend of David’s. I’m a friend of David’s family. He worked here for a while, right?”
She nods, a small, smooth movement, like her neck’s been oiled.
“Do you know where he is?”
She tilts her head to the side. A hitch. Shakes it no.
There’s something she’s not saying, I’m pretty sure.
“Look, like I’ve told everyone else, I’m a friend of his brother. I can show you pictures. We just want to make sure he’s okay.”
“I really don’t know,” she says, and that part I believe.
“What about Daisy?”
“Daisy?”
“Your friend,” I say, and I’m starting to get a little pissed off at this innocent-pixie routine. “She’s David’s girlfriend, right? They left together?”
She tilts her head the other way. Actually puts a finger on her chin. “I think so, maybe.”
“Come on,” I say. “You know if they left together or not.”
“Okay. They left together.”
“How long ago?”
“Maybe … almost two months?”
“Are they together now?”
“Maybe not.”
“Would she know where he is?”
She gives a fractional shrug. “Don’t know.”
“Do you know where
she
is?”
Alice takes a moment to toy with the Hello Kitty charm dangling from her cell phone.
“I don’t know why I should tell you,” she finally says.
Well, shit, how am I supposed to answer that? “Because … it won’t hurt anything? Because David’s brother isn’t healthy, and knowing that David’s okay would make him happy?”
At that point a couple of Westerners come in and take seats close by—a man and a woman, my age, except all healthy and glowing, wearing yoga pants and groovy eco-spiritual T-shirts.
I switch to Mandarin. “I won’t cause Daisy a problem.”
“It’s not so simple,” she mutters.
“Okay, so the complicated part, what is it?”
“Who told you about David and Daisy?” she asks abruptly.
Now it’s my turn to hesitate. “Some people in Yangshuo.”
“Was it Kobe?” she demands in a rush. “Did he talk to you?”
And that’s when I put it together.
“You really like Kobe,” I say.
She blushes. “We’re friends.”
“But he thinks Daisy is a better friend.”
“Daisy is foolish. She’s not the right girl for him.”
“And you think
you
are.”
She looks up at me, her dark eyes flashing. “We want the same things. To build something, here, in China. We couldhave our own guesthouse, our own bar, but he is so stupid about Daisy. He can’t please her. She wants a car, a house, he can’t give her those things. So she runs off with David. And Kobe still wants her back.”
I’m thinking, I hate to burst everyone’s bubble here, but there’s no way David … Jason … can give her those things either.
“And if she
“Hello,” Alice says, standing with her hands clasped next to the empty chair. “Thank you for telling me about Russell. I call the art space. They send someone to go and help him.”
“Great.” I indicate the chair. “Do you have a few minutes?”
She hesitates. Glances back at the reception desk. No one is waiting there. The few guests in the dining area have their drinks and dumplings and pizzas.
Finally she sits.
“So Russell …” I say. “Is he, uh … I don’t know, a little nervous, maybe?”
“Nervous?”
“Well, he acted like he thought I was trying to hurt him or something.”
“Oh.” Her eyes get anime big. “He is maybe, how do you say … just a little strange.”
“
You yidianr duoxin?
” I ask. A little paranoid?
She giggles. “Oh, you speak Mandarin. Yes, he maybe
you yidian duoxin
. Very good with building things, though.”
“Okay.” So maybe Russell is just a nut and I haven’t stepped in some big pile of shit. And if Jason is off his meds, who knows what kind of joint delusion they could have cooked up between them?
“I don’t know Russell,” I say. “But I heard he’s a friend of David’s. I’m a friend of David’s family. He worked here for a while, right?”
She nods, a small, smooth movement, like her neck’s been oiled.
“Do you know where he is?”
She tilts her head to the side. A hitch. Shakes it no.
There’s something she’s not saying, I’m pretty sure.
“Look, like I’ve told everyone else, I’m a friend of his brother. I can show you pictures. We just want to make sure he’s okay.”
“I really don’t know,” she says, and that part I believe.
“What about Daisy?”
“Daisy?”
“Your friend,” I say, and I’m starting to get a little pissed off at this innocent-pixie routine. “She’s David’s girlfriend, right? They left together?”
She tilts her head the other way. Actually puts a finger on her chin. “I think so, maybe.”
“Come on,” I say. “You know if they left together or not.”
“Okay. They left together.”
“How long ago?”
“Maybe … almost two months?”
“Are they together now?”
“Maybe not.”
“Would she know where he is?”
She gives a fractional shrug. “Don’t know.”
“Do you know where
she
is?”
Alice takes a moment to toy with the Hello Kitty charm dangling from her cell phone.
“I don’t know why I should tell you,” she finally says.
Well, shit, how am I supposed to answer that? “Because … it won’t hurt anything? Because David’s brother isn’t healthy, and knowing that David’s okay would make him happy?”
At that point a couple of Westerners come in and take seats close by—a man and a woman, my age, except all healthy and glowing, wearing yoga pants and groovy eco-spiritual T-shirts.
I switch to Mandarin. “I won’t cause Daisy a problem.”
“It’s not so simple,” she mutters.
“Okay, so the complicated part, what is it?”
“Who told you about David and Daisy?” she asks abruptly.
Now it’s my turn to hesitate. “Some people in Yangshuo.”
“Was it Kobe?” she demands in a rush. “Did he talk to you?”
And that’s when I put it together.
“You really like Kobe,” I say.
She blushes. “We’re friends.”
“But he thinks Daisy is a better friend.”
“Daisy is foolish. She’s not the right girl for him.”
“And you think
you
are.”
She looks up at me, her dark eyes flashing. “We want the same things. To build something, here, in China. We couldhave our own guesthouse, our own bar, but he is so stupid about Daisy. He can’t please her. She wants a car, a house, he can’t give her those things. So she runs off with David. And Kobe still wants her back.”
I’m thinking, I hate to burst everyone’s bubble here, but there’s no way David … Jason … can give her those things either.
“And if she
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