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“I couldn’t help the inspector before. I doubt I can be of assistance today.”
“If you could just answer a few questions…”
The ambassador sighed. “Go ahead.”
“Were you acquainted with Guang Henglai?”
“I never met the boy.”
Hulan interrupted. “I see from the photographs, however, that you have met his father.”
“How could I do my job in Beijing and not meet the esteemed Mr. Guang?”
“But you’re sure you never met his son?”
“Inspector, I don’t think I need to remind you that you and I had trouble before. When I answer a question, you must expect nothing but the truth from me as a man and as my country’s ambassador. I told you I never met this Guang Henglai and that remains my answer.”
“Perhaps you can tell us a little about your son,” David suggested into the awkward silence.
The older man shrugged. “How does a father describe his only son? Billy was a good boy. Of course, he got into the usual scrapes in high school. But, Mr. Stark, I’m sure you and I got into the same sorts of trouble.”
“I understand he was going to college.”
“I got my appointment just as Billy graduated from high school. He decided—and Elizabeth and I agreed—that he should take a year off and come here. What better education could there be for a young man than a year abroad? But after that first year I thought it would be best if Billy started his college education. I didn’t want him falling too far behind his peers. He was accepted at the University of Southern California.”
“What was he studying?” Hulan queried.
“You must not have much contact with young Americans. They study whatever they want.”
“You don’t know what he was studying?” Hulan insisted.
“I just answered that! If you plan on asking me everything twice, we’ll be here a very long time!”
This time the embarrassing lull in the conversation was broken by the entrance of Phil Firestone. He registered the situation with diplomatic deftness. “Here you are,” he said brightly, setting down a silver tray. “Coffee, sugar, and cream. Mr. Stark, you probably don’t know how hard it is for us to get real cream here in Beijing. It’s a veritable treat.”
“That’ll be all, Phil. Thanks.”
Phil’s manner shifted immediately. “Yes, sir. Just call if you need anything else.” And he was gone.
“Ambassador, I’ll be blunt,” David said. “I’m confused by your hostility. Surely you now accept that your son was murdered. We are simply trying to discover why and how and, most important, by whom.”
“Yes, I know.”
“Please try to answer the inspector’s question.”
“I don’t know what my son was studying. He was an undergraduate at USC. He lived in a dorm. He only came home for vacations. I guess Elizabeth and I thought it was more important that Billy seemed happy than what classes he was taking.”
“Fair enough. So how often did you see your son?”
“He came for winter break a
nd part of the summer.” The ambassador nodded toward Hulan. “As you know, it can be pretty damned miserable in Beijing in the summer.”
“Did he bring friends home?”
“You mean from California during vacation? No, never.”
“Were there people he liked to hang out with when he was here?” David asked.
