slumped free of the blanket. She’d fallen asleep in the warmth of this kind man’s arms, and Mei could not bear to be in the same room one more second.
“The name Zhen means ‘precious treasure’ in the language of my ancestors,” Agent Tao said quietly.
Mei bit her lip. She was versed in the language of her ancestors, too. Li meant pretty. That’s why she had chosen it twice. LiLi–for the most beautiful, most perfect daughter in the world. And I miss her.
“What’s her name mean?” Agent Lennox nodded at Chai.
Agent Tao hesitated, his eyes full of bleak emotion. He cupped the girl’s limp hand in his, his thumb softly massaging the center of her palm. “Tea.”
The empty word met silence, a pebble dropped into a deep dark well with no bottom. Enlightenment darkened Agent Lennox’s already dark eyes, and Mei wanted to shake him. She’d been researching the problem of excess baby girls in far off China since she’d heard the possibility of the awful child trafficking ring. Yes, Agent Lennox. Yes! There were no loving parents to bless this child with a sweet, meaningful name. She’s one of those unexpected pregnancies, one of those statistics the Chinese government uses to enforce their success in a program so diabolical it forces parents to choose how to kill their daughters. Let them starve? Drop them at an orphanage and never look back? Drown them in the rice paddies? Smother them and never tell a soul your wife was ever pregnant?
This beautiful baby girl’s name was most likely assigned in the depths of some Chinese orphanage where it didn’t matter what she was called. She could’ve just as easily been named after a chair. Or worse.
Mei wanted to scream, ‘Do you get it now, Agent Lennox? Life isn’t easy for the rest of us!’ Instead, she stared at the floor, tired of fighting the world. She’d gained no leverage today. None. If anything, she’d lost ground along with her composure. There was only one choice. Searching alone these past four weeks for LiLi had taught her well. Attack. Always attack.
“I don’t have time for this,” she snapped. “You’re right. They all have names. They’re all lost children, but it’s a cold hard world. There are a lot more than three kids on the streets. I’ve been working these cases for years, and let me tell you, there are hundreds. Do you hear me? Hundreds. I don’t have time to get cozy with every missing kid.”
Claire stiffened. Mei had crossed a line and she knew it, but Agent Tao turned to Agent Lennox as if she hadn’t spoken at all. “You’ve given me another idea. I’ll check the morgue when we’re done here, and yes, I see no reason we couldn’t work with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. I’m sure Alex will agree. You know how he is. Maybe Mother can coordinate with the FBI on the evidence as well. The more people we have working on behalf of these children, the better.”
“We’ll need to visit the other five-year-old,” Agent Lennox said. “Who knows? Maybe she can tell us something. What’s her name? Zhen Ting?”
Agent Tao nodded approvingly. “I’ll visit her.”
“I was hoping you would,” Agent Lennox muttered. “Looks like you’ve got a knack with the ladies.”
For the first time since the nightmare began, hope surfaced in Mei. These guys actually sounded like they cared, like they were going to do something to help. Maybe they could help LiLi, too? She turned to really look at Agent Lennox, but indifference had replaced the earlier gentleness in his eyes. Now his boot tapped the floor. He had some place else to be. Mei didn’t blame him. She didn’t want to be around herself, either.
“You are welcome to visit our office.” Agent Tao offered one of his business cards. The kindness in his eyes still glimmered, but it was the last straw. Mei could endure no more of the mess she’d made. She headed for the door.
“Agent Xing,” he called after her. “How do we contact you?”
He sounded
“The name Zhen means ‘precious treasure’ in the language of my ancestors,” Agent Tao said quietly.
Mei bit her lip. She was versed in the language of her ancestors, too. Li meant pretty. That’s why she had chosen it twice. LiLi–for the most beautiful, most perfect daughter in the world. And I miss her.
“What’s her name mean?” Agent Lennox nodded at Chai.
Agent Tao hesitated, his eyes full of bleak emotion. He cupped the girl’s limp hand in his, his thumb softly massaging the center of her palm. “Tea.”
The empty word met silence, a pebble dropped into a deep dark well with no bottom. Enlightenment darkened Agent Lennox’s already dark eyes, and Mei wanted to shake him. She’d been researching the problem of excess baby girls in far off China since she’d heard the possibility of the awful child trafficking ring. Yes, Agent Lennox. Yes! There were no loving parents to bless this child with a sweet, meaningful name. She’s one of those unexpected pregnancies, one of those statistics the Chinese government uses to enforce their success in a program so diabolical it forces parents to choose how to kill their daughters. Let them starve? Drop them at an orphanage and never look back? Drown them in the rice paddies? Smother them and never tell a soul your wife was ever pregnant?
This beautiful baby girl’s name was most likely assigned in the depths of some Chinese orphanage where it didn’t matter what she was called. She could’ve just as easily been named after a chair. Or worse.
Mei wanted to scream, ‘Do you get it now, Agent Lennox? Life isn’t easy for the rest of us!’ Instead, she stared at the floor, tired of fighting the world. She’d gained no leverage today. None. If anything, she’d lost ground along with her composure. There was only one choice. Searching alone these past four weeks for LiLi had taught her well. Attack. Always attack.
“I don’t have time for this,” she snapped. “You’re right. They all have names. They’re all lost children, but it’s a cold hard world. There are a lot more than three kids on the streets. I’ve been working these cases for years, and let me tell you, there are hundreds. Do you hear me? Hundreds. I don’t have time to get cozy with every missing kid.”
Claire stiffened. Mei had crossed a line and she knew it, but Agent Tao turned to Agent Lennox as if she hadn’t spoken at all. “You’ve given me another idea. I’ll check the morgue when we’re done here, and yes, I see no reason we couldn’t work with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. I’m sure Alex will agree. You know how he is. Maybe Mother can coordinate with the FBI on the evidence as well. The more people we have working on behalf of these children, the better.”
“We’ll need to visit the other five-year-old,” Agent Lennox said. “Who knows? Maybe she can tell us something. What’s her name? Zhen Ting?”
Agent Tao nodded approvingly. “I’ll visit her.”
“I was hoping you would,” Agent Lennox muttered. “Looks like you’ve got a knack with the ladies.”
For the first time since the nightmare began, hope surfaced in Mei. These guys actually sounded like they cared, like they were going to do something to help. Maybe they could help LiLi, too? She turned to really look at Agent Lennox, but indifference had replaced the earlier gentleness in his eyes. Now his boot tapped the floor. He had some place else to be. Mei didn’t blame him. She didn’t want to be around herself, either.
“You are welcome to visit our office.” Agent Tao offered one of his business cards. The kindness in his eyes still glimmered, but it was the last straw. Mei could endure no more of the mess she’d made. She headed for the door.
“Agent Xing,” he called after her. “How do we contact you?”
He sounded
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