found the button. He came up the elevator, and by the time his tall steps whispered down the hall she had the door open. “Sorry,” she said when he walked in. “I didn’t know how to do it.”
He waved this away. “How are you, Maggie?”
“Energized,” she admitted. “We leave in a few hours.”
“I know. That’s what I came to talk to you about.”
She felt the black bolt of an all-too-familiar fear, that things would come apart. “Tell me,” she said.
He walked over and looked out the window, as if it was easier without facing her. “I feel bad about this. It happened suddenly. We have a big presentation tomorrow. The client I went to see in Bangkok? He’s coming. Bad timing — I’ll be working all weekend. We have to do the whole show.”
“Is it that you need our tickets?” she said, not understanding.
“Tickets?” He stared. “No. I need Zinnia.”
“Oh.”
“I know I promised her to you. And she’s great, isn’t she? Whatever it is, she does it. But that’s why the firm needs her tomorrow. I’m sorry. It’s not easy for her either. Most people have the whole week off for National Day.”
“I understand,” Maggie said, but still, now what? Carey was right about Zinnia — she had the steady power of a rolling train.
“Now look, you’ll still leave, same schedule. I’ll get you another translator. I’ll have someone within the hour — not Zinnia, no one can be her, I can’t promise that. But someone good.”
“Someone from your office?”
“No. From a service. But they’re excellent. We use them all the time.”
“Carey?” She waited until he turned from the window. She wanted his clear attention. “I can’t say I’m happy about this — I was counting on Zinnia — but I understand. I really do. And I do appreciate your coming over here to tell me in person.”
“I had to come in person,” he said. “I feel awful about it.”
“I know. But this is out of your hands.”
“Yes,” he said, looking grateful.
“Look, you have a lot to do. I don’t want to keep you. But there’s one thing I’m going to ask.”
“Anything,” said Carey.
“Hold off on getting this person. Twenty minutes. Maybe half an hour, tops. Just until I call you.”
“Why?” he said.
“Because I might have my own person.”
His eyes bored into her. “Your own person?”
“Just give me a few minutes to check something.”
And he raised his hands, acquiescing, gracious. It was the least he could do.
She waited until she’d heard the elevator doors close behind him before she picked up the phone. Calling Sam Liang was not something she wanted to do in front of Carey.
And once she picked up the phone she found herself dialing Zinnia first, quickly, just to make sure she knew everything she’d need to know.
“Duibuqi,” Zinnia said as soon as she picked up the phone, “I’m sorry. Carey called me. Now I have to be in the office tomorrow.”
“I know. But do you have anything else about the situation that might help me?”
“Let me think,” said Zinnia.
“What were they like when you called to make the appointment?”
“For one thing, they did not sound like country people or uneducated, no, the opposite. Right away they agreed to your visit. They said you can see the little girl. They seemed sure she is your husband’s daughter.”
“Hm,” said Maggie.
“So I suggest, when you go, see yourself as their relation. That is not something you say but the feeling you will carry underneath. Do you understand?”
“I think so,” Maggie said, though she wasn’t sure she did at all.
“Also hope.” Zinnia gave her short, no-frills laugh. “Pray. I think that is the best thing, yes. Pray.”
“Okay,” said Maggie, “I can do that.” Even though she had no idea which way she would even direct a prayer, were she to try to make one, having been raised in a world of people who prayed only if they were something exotic, like Buddhist or Muslim. “I’ll pray.”
From the other end Maggie heard the persistent high pitch of a child. “Is that your little boy?”
“It is. Naughty boy! His ayi says he knows I am going. Now I am not, but he doesn’t understand that yet.” She hushed him with a quiet stream of Chinese and then returned to the phone. “As for while you are gone, I will return to looking for Gao Lan as soon as the presentation is done. She is in Beijing. We will find her.”
“I believe you’re right,” said Maggie.
“Now, this person . . .”
“How could you