Oh God, the sheila, Dunross thought as the memory rushed back of what his son had said about his "girl." Sheila Scragger, the nurse from England, on holiday with Duncan at the Australian station called Paldoon. "Well, he's not going to buy much for 1,000. Tell him he has to ask me. No, wait!" He thought a moment. "Give him 1,000 out of petty cash—offer it to him at 3 percent interest per month against his written guarantee that you can stop it from his pocket money at the rate of 100 a month. If he falls for that it'll teach him a fine lesson. If he doesn't I'll give him the 1,000, but not till next Easter."She nodded, then added sadly, "Poor Miss Casey. She's dying inside.""Yes.""Here are your calls, tai-pan. Master Linbar called from Sydney, please call him back when you have a moment. He thinks he's got Woolara back in line."Dunross stared at her. "I'll be damned!""Mr. Alastair called with congratulations, and your father, and most members of the family. Please call Master Trussler in Jo'burg, it's about thoriums." She sniffed. "Mrs. Gresserhoff called to say good-bye.""When's she off?" Dunross asked noncommittally, knowing the flight."Tomorrow, JAL's early flight. Isn't it awful about Travkin? Oh I'm so sad about him.""Yes." Travkin had died in the night. Dunross had visited him at the Matilda Hospital several times but his trainer had never recovered consciousness since the Saturday accident. "Have we tracked down any next of kin?""No. He had no special girl friend or, or anyone. Master Jacques has made the burial arrangements.""Good. Yes. That's the least we can do for him.""Are you going to ride Saturday?""I don't know." Dunross hesitated. "Remind me to talk to the stewards about making the fifth the Travkin Stakes—a way of thanking him.""Yes. Oh, that would be wonderful. I did so like him, yes that would be wonderful."Dunross glanced at his watch. "Is my next appointment downstairs yet?""Yes.""Good," the tai-pan said, his face closing.He went down to the next floor, to his office. "Afternoon, Mr. Choy, what can I do for you?" He had already sent condolences about Four Finger Wu.When the door was shut, Paul Choy wiped his hands without noticing it. "I've come about step one, sir. Sorry we had to put it off from yesterday, but, er, the wax impressions—they fitted one of your two remaining half-coins?""First I would ask who has the other half, now that Four Fingers is an ancestor.""The family Wu, sir.""Who in the family Wu?" Dunross asked harshly, deliberately rough. "The coin was given to an individual who would pass it on to an individual. Who?""Me. Sir." Paul Choy stared back at the tai-pan, unafraid, even though his heart was beating faster than it had ever beaten—even more than when he was on the junk a lifetime ago—the young Werewolf s blood on his hands, the half-dead, mutilated body leaning against him, and his father shouting at him to throw the man overboard."You'll have to prove Four Fingers gave it to you.""Sorry, tai-pan, I don't have to prove anything," Paul Choy replied confidently. "I just have to present the coin and ask the favor. In secret. Everything secret, that's the deal. If it's the real coin your honor and the face of the Noble House is at stake and the fa—""I know what I have at stake." Dunross made his voice grate. "Do you?" "Sir?""This is China. Lots of curious things happen in China. You think I'm a fool to be bamboozled by an ancient legend?"The young man shook his head, his throat tight. "No. You're absolutely no fool, tai-pan. But if I present the coin, you will grant the favor.""What's your favor?""First I guess I'd like to know if you're … if you're satisfied it's one of the four. I'm satisfied." "Are you now?" "Yes sir.""You know this coin was stolen from Phillip Chen?" Paul Choy stared at him, then recovered quickly. "This coin's from Four Finger Wu. I know of no theft. It came from my father, that's all I know. It was my father's." "You should give it back to Phillip Chen." "Did you ever see it, this particular one, in his possession, sir?" Dunross had already talked to Phillip Chen about the coin. "Is there no way to prove it's yours, Phillip?" he had asked him. "None, tai-pan. None," the old man had said, wringing his hands. Dunross kept his eyes boring into the youth. "It's Phillip Chen's." Paul Choy shifted uneasily. "There were four coins, tai-pan. Mr. Chen's coin must be one of the others. This one belongs, belonged to my father. You remember what he said at Aberdeen?"Dunross stared at him silently, trying to shake him, dealing with him Western style. Paul Choy wavered but held his gaze steady. Interesting, Dunross thought. You're a tough little bastard and good. Now, are you an emissary of Goldtooth Wu, the eldest son, or a thief and here on your own account? He left the silence hanging, using it to undermine his opponent while he rethought his position. The moment Paul Choy had called yesterday to ask for an appointment he had known the reason. But how to handle it? Four Fingers barely dead and now I've a new enemy, he thought, strong, well trained with lots of balls. Even so, he's got weak links like anyone. Like you have. Gornt's one of them. Riko could be another. Ah, Riko! What is it about her that moves you so much? Forget that! How do you recover the half-coin before the favor?"I presume you have your half with you. Let's go to the assayist right now." He got up, testing Paul Choy."No sir, sorry but no." Paul Choy felt his heart about to burst, the thong around his neck suddenly a noose, the half-coin burning into his flesh. "Sorry, but I don't think that's a good idea.""I think it's a very good idea," Dunross continued brusquely, pressuring him. "We'll go and fetch it. Come along!""No. No thanks, tai-pan." Paul Choy said it with a polite firmness Dunross recognized. "Could we please do it next week? Say a week Friday? There's no hurry now." "I won't be in Hong Kong on Friday." "Yes sir. You'll be in Japan. Could you put aside an hour during your stay there? Anytime to suit you. To go visit an assayist?" Dunross's eyes narrowed. "You seem to know a lot, Mr. Choy." "It's easy to find out anything here, sir. Japan would be better for both of us. Less chance of a, a foul-up and in Japan we're both equal.""You're suggesting you won't be here?" "No, no, tai-pan. But as you said, this is China, strange things happen in China. Four Fingers and his group're well connected too. The coin's a one shot—person to person—and should be handled that way. That's the way I figure it."Paul Choy was sweating now, thanking God that part of the "favor" was that everything was to be secret. Ever since he had brought back the body of Four Fingers he had been maneuvering for power in the family. At length he had achieved exactly what he wanted, the very special position—in Mafia terms—of consigliere, chief advisor to Goldtooth Wu, the eldest son, now titular head of the Seaborne Wu. That's what we are, he thought, his fear rising again. We're Chinese mafioso. Isn't there blood on me too? I was aboard with the opium. What does Goldtooth know that I don't? "You can trust me implicitly, Goldtooth," he had said to his brother, fighting for his future."I'm afraid I have little choice. I'm in uncharted waters. I need all the help I can get. Your expertise will be very valuable," Gold-tooth had said in his clipped English English when they were in the final stages of negotiation. "I figure we can work together." "Let's be blunt, Brother. We're both university trained, the rest aren't. We need each other and the Seaborne Wu must be modernized. I can't do it. I need serious help—my years running his Pleasure Boats hardly fit me for command. I kept asking but, well, you know our father. Good God, I couldn't even change a girl's hourly rate without getting his approval. His four fingers were on every ship, in every transaction in the fleet."