Second Honeymoon Part 14

Okay, just your average night in Milan, perhaps-only the man happened to be Li Yichi, the deputy general manager of Cheng Mie Pharmaceutical, the largest drug company in the world. Li was in Milan finalizing the purchase of Allemezia Farmaceutici for thirteen billion euros. It was all but a done deal.

But twenty million hits on YouTube later, it was all undone. The board of Allemezia rejected the Cheng Mie offer, citing fallout from the video.

Of course, there were many unanswered questions, not the least of which was how Li could be so careless. And what the h.e.l.l was up with the bunny ears and diaper and those Italian prost.i.tutes? Molto kinky, no?

The biggest question of all, though, had to do with who was behind the camera-both literally and figuratively. Had the married Chinese executive been set up? And by whom? Who stood to gain?

Warner Breslow sure did.

With Cheng Mie Pharmaceutical out of the picture, Allemezia's stock took a major nosedive, leaving the company desperate for a new suitor. That's when Breslow swooped in and bought them for a billion euros less than what Cheng Mie had offered. Talk about a discount.

But that's not why I'd remembered all this, why I went online to reread all the articles.

It was the aftermath.

One day after the news broke that Breslow had bought Allemezia, Li, star of the video, hanged himself in his office. He was discovered by his father, Li Kunlun-the chairman of Cheng Mie Pharmaceutical.

"I want you to take a look at something," I said to Breslow, opening the envelope.

It was the report from Ethan and Abigail's autopsy.

Chapter 22

"AS YOU CAN see from the toxicology section, there were traces of the nerve agent cyclosarin found in both Ethan and Abigail," I said. "Once they were trapped in that sauna, the murderer wasn't taking any chances. He poisoned them."

Breslow looked up from the autopsy report, his eyes narrowing to a squint. "In other words, that's why you're here and not there. We're not looking for someone in Turks and Caicos, are we?"

I shook my head. "Cyclosarin isn't exactly found over the counter."

"Where is it found?" he asked.

"That depends on who you talk to in the intelligence world and whether they're on the record or not. The only country that for sure has produced cyclosarin in significant quant.i.ties is Iraq. After that, high on the suspect list would be-"

"China," said Breslow, beating me to the punch. He knew where I was heading with this.

Cheng Mie Pharmaceutical was rumored to have worked closely with the Chinese government on developing chemical weapons. Li Kunlun, the chairman, had even been an officer in the Chinese armed forces.

"So he blames me for his son's suicide and kills mine in return?" asked Breslow, suspicious. "That's not really the Chinese way."

"Neither is wearing bunny ears and a diaper," I said.

Breslow conceded the point with a slight nod. "What now?" he asked. "It's not like you can question him."

"Even if I could I wouldn't yet," I said. "Not without some link connecting means and motive."

"Like Chinese pa.s.sports coming into the island?"

"For starters," I said.

"Do you want me to make a call to the U.S. emba.s.sy in Beijing? Perhaps they could help."

"Who do you know there?" I asked.

"Everybody," he answered.

Gee, why was I not surprised?

Still, I'd just as soon not be the suspended FBI agent who upended relations between the U.S. and China. At least not yet.

"No. Let's not play that card until we know more," I said.

I wrapped things up, telling Breslow I'd keep him informed. Then he walked me out. As he shook my hand in the foyer, I could tell there was something on his mind, perhaps a question left unanswered.

Sure enough. "I'm curious why you didn't ask me," he said.

"Ask you what?"

"Whether or not I was the one who hired those Italian prost.i.tutes and gave them a video recorder."

"It's none of my business," I said.

"It is if it led to my son's murder."

I stared at Breslow, wondering what he was doing. Confessing? Still sizing me up? Or was it something else?

Not that it really mattered. The reason I didn't ask him was because I already knew the answer. It was straight out of those Encyclopedia Brown mystery books I used to love to read when I was a kid. Something he'd done had tipped his hand.

You're not quite as cagey as you think, Warner Breslow.

Chapter 23

I COULDN'T REMEMBER the last time I pulled up to my house knowing that no one else would be there. Between Marshall and Judy, John Jr. and Max, there was always somebody who'd answer when I'd walk through the door and shout out, "h.e.l.lo? Anyone home?"

I hadn't given much thought to being alone before they all left. Now I was by myself, and it was kind of weird. A little sad, even. A little eerie, too.

I got the mail before heading inside, flipping through it as I grabbed myself a Heineken Light from the fridge. The boys had barely had time to unpack their bags up at camp, so there was no chance of getting a letter from them. Instead, it was just a couple of bills, some junk mail, and-