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“Okay, so the results are in,” he announced, sitting down across from Derek’s desk

“And?”

“And we’ve got an interesting potpourri of reactions They’re all nervous wrecks, especially since Rosalyn Burbank’s bodyguard was pulled out of the river with a fatal stab wound in his back That’s to be expected But there’s definitely so on beneath the surface I’m still convinced it doesn’t relate to a dirty deal or a switcheroo on the Rothberg But the integrity of the players involved—that’s another story”

With that, Rich pulled out his notes “Burbank is the one I have the least proble’s crireed that it would explain Xiao’s deter Cai Wen quiet—to protect whoever he’s working for Burbank himself offered up the theory that in the final hour, Cai Wen probably tried to squeeze Xiao for ot him killed”

“What about Fong? Had Burbank heard of his with him?”

Rich shook his head “He drew a blank And he wasn’t lying The na or Zhang Ming”

“So he has no idea where Dead or Alive went after Xiao Long stole it” Derek shot Rich a quizzical look “You didn’t get into Lucy’s story, did you? Because I promised Sloane we’d keep her out of this As it is, I put security on both her and Zhang If Xiao is tied to the Fong Triad, and if he sees either Lucy or Zhang as a threat, he won’t hesitate to eliminate them”

“Lucy’s na was stolen froot it for, after which it was sold to Zhang That’s all that Burbank, or any of his partners, needs to know”

“Good What about the others?”

“Ah, the others Leo Fox was flying on soHe kept waiting forat Sloane’s Of course I didn’t It’s better to keep hi He didn’t react to any of the na I’ or to his partners He’s definitely the Dear Abby of the group So if anyone has secrets, he knows them”

Rich turned the page and continued “Phil Leary’s an interesting fellow His professional books are iht up how erratic his personal financial statements are, he fell all over himself After that, he was a basket case He looked dazed and clueless when I brought up the Fong Triad and Zhang, and when I brought the interview to a close, he spilled his coffee in a race to get out the door Whatever he does or doesn’t know, his actions are certainly consistent with your findings that he’s a coambler”

“Not just compulsive An addict,” Derek corrected “I verified the extent of his probleh a half-dozen sources And, yeah, he’s loyal to his partners, but you and I both know that addicts sacrifice a lot e of finding out his bookie’s na to talk, even if I have to throw his ass in jail”

“Sounds like a plan With regard to Leary, I’m tapped out at my end”

“Fair enough What about Johnson and Martino?”

“That’s where things getBoth Johnson and Martino reacted when I , considering they’re the only two partners eren’t in Hong Kong when Cai Wen wastheation, we never mentioned his name before now So any interactions either Martino or Johnson had with hiht here in the US”