Chapter 52 - The goose chase.

At about eleven in the morning, Liqin joined Mr. Brown for the conference and said, "Good morning, I hope the journey was pleasant."

Mr. Brown extended his hand for a shake and replied, "It was very pleasant."

Liqin shook his hand and replied, "Hope you find the stay relaxing too."

He turned around and greeted, Mrs. Brown and Ms. Brown as they made themselves comfortable and said, "Ms. Brown, hope you are enjoying your trip too. You look as beautiful as your voice."

Ms. Brown replied, "Thank you for the compliment, Mr. Chang. It's a joy to be in your esteemed hotel."

Mrs. Brown smiled and replied, "The ambiance of your hotel is perfect and soothing. My daughter is visiting China for the first time."

"Thank you for the compliment. We strive to make it the best."

Mr. Brown looked out through the glass windows and asked, "There seems to be a high level of security in the hotel today."

Liqin looked out in the direction of his gaze and replied, "There is an engagement scheduled of an overseas expatriate, who once was one of the royal families in Zhuhai. In my earlier discussion with Ms. Brown, she had informed me, that you were originally from Zhuhai so you must be knowing this family, 'The Liu household'."

The expression of Mr., and Mrs. Brown suddenly changed at the mention of the Liu household and Mrs. Brown asked, "We have worked for them earlier before when this hotel was theirs. Who is getting engaged?"

"Liu Taio, their grandson."

The mention of Taio, changed the expression of Mr. Brown but he composed himself and gestured to Mrs. Brown who asked, "Is he the son of Mrs. Gao Lee who had died in a car accident? Wasn't he missing after the car accident?"

"His mother had pushed him out of the car, as the car went down the hill before it sunk into the sea with her. In the process, he had lost his memory; he was then found by a childless family and raised as their own. It was only earlier this year, that he regained his memory back and was united with his family. We are close family friends. He now heads the Liu business empire back in the US. You seem to have a deep knowledge of their history and background."

In the security room, the officials with Li Enlai and Liu Taio were watching the discussion unfold.

Li Enlai shook his head and said, "Mr. Brown does not look like Gao Shing."

Liu Taio nodded and said, "Yes, you are right. He does not look like dad. Let me get in now."

Li Enlai turned around as he opened the door to walk out and replied, "Be careful of not giving the plan away."

Liu Taio walked into the conference room where the discussion was underway and asked, "I am sorry to disturb you, Mr. Chang. I just need some help on a matter. Could we talk for a moment?"

Liqin looked at Mr. Brown and said, "Let me introduce you to Mr. and Mrs. Brown. It seems they have a history with your family and have worked in your hotel."

Liu Taio looked at Mr. Brown, extended his hand for a handshake, and said, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Brown."

Mr. Brown held out his gloved hands, and said, "Same here, Mr. Liu Taio."

Liu Taio looked at Mrs. Brown and said, "I was too young at that time and grew up in the US, till that year when mom came down to sign the documents and our car met with an accident. I wish we had never come down to Zhuhai. I guess some things are destined and cannot be reversed. We just need to let go of the past and move ahead in life."

Mrs. Brown asked, "How did the car meet with an accident?"

"It was my dad's fault altogether. I still remember my mom pleading with him to speak later as she was driving; however, he kept on arguing. At one point, my mom lost concentration at the turning, lost control of the car while preventing a collision with a truck coming from the opposite direction and the car went down into the sea."

Mrs. Brown asked, "You seem to still hold grudges against him."

"Do you know my father? Are you in touch with him? It is better not to be in touch with him. I wouldn't even want to be associated with him, now, that he is wanted for murder."

Mrs. Brown looked shocked, exchanged glances with Mr. Brown, and asked, "Are you sure? Whose murder is he wanted for?"

Liqin turned around and replied, "The list is endless. He is wanted for the murder of the firstborn of the Li family for which he used a driver named Han Ru, who had saved him from an accident in the year nineteen hundred and eighty, my parents', whose accident he planned with the help of Cao Shan, the murder of the spouse of Li Bao, the attempt to murder of Li Bao, the probable murder of Han Ru and Cao Shan, and an attempt to murder of the driver who was driving Han Ru and Cao Shan along with a senior citizen whom he planned to replace him as the murderer in Cervinia."

Mrs. Brown became dumbfounded and said, "This can't be true. Tell me, this isn't true."

Liqin shook his head and replied, "I am afraid, that it is true. You need not worry about it. We have all the evidence to prove his wrongdoing. We ran a paternity test on the DNA sample collected from one of the injured victims, and found, that it matched with that of the father of Liu Taio. We are in the process of tracking him down."

In the meanwhile, Liu Ru and Zhao Fai along with an ex-staff of the erstwhile hotel joined Li Enlai and the security officers. Liu Ru introduced the ex-staff and said, "This is Mr. Hu Lei one of my trusted employees from the erstwhile hotel, and he knows most of the ex-employees. He will provide you with any assistance if required."

Mr. Hu Lei looked at the screen and said, "Isn't that Zhu Hee?"

Li Enlai turned around and asked, "Who is Zhu Hee?"

He pointed to Mrs. Brown and said, "She is Zhu Hee. She was the one who was foolishly in love with Gao Shing for a long time. As a desperate measure, she finally migrated to Australia; I heard, that an elderly couple in Australia even adopted her as their own."

Li Enlai pointed to Mr. Brown on the screen and asked, "Then is the one sitting with her Gao Shing?"

Hu Lei nodded his head and replied, "He doesn't look like him though. It is good for her if she got married to some other guy other than Gao Shing."

Li Enlai turned around replied, "Thank you for the assistance Mr. Lei, Mr. Yang will guide you to our diner. We have arranged for a complimentary lunch for you. You may invite your family as well."

Li Enlai then gestured to Mr. Yang who replied, "Let me guide you to the diner. Kindly call up your family to join."

As they walked out Mr. Chen added, "Could he be wearing a mask to cover up his scar?"

Li Enlai ran his hand around his neck and replied, "Let's run a DNA to check that out."

"Send an officer to his room disguised as a housekeeper to collect the samples from the bathroom or the clothes being sent for a wash. Also set up a hidden camera inside to capture every discussion, that happens in the room."

Li Enlai called up Sam and instructed him on the details of the collection to be done. A police official along with a security officer of the Li household went ahead to do the needful.

In the meanwhile, in the conference room, Liu Taio interrupted the conversation, and said, "Let us not discuss him and all his misdeed at a time as this. He will surely not go unpunished. Why get our lives muddled with his dirty deeds? You guys continue with the business deal."

Liqin turned the pages of the documents and asked, "We wanted to ask you something. Why are you guys regularly buying spices from Chinese corner, at a rate higher than that of the market price?"

Mr. Brown bent forward peeked at the documents in his hand and replied, "We have already discussed it with the said company, and we are in the process of reducing the rates."

Mrs. Brown turned to Mr. Brown and asked, "Are we truly paying a higher price?"

Liqin nodded, handed over the documents, and replied, "Yes, you are, and you have additionally paid exactly one lakh, Yuan, every year since the last twenty-two years; this year you have paid an additional two lakh rupees to the said company and purchased the stock in volumes more than your average requirement."

Mrs. Brown looked at the report, and said, "The purchasing is usually managed by Mr. Brown."

Ms. Brown looked at Liqin, and said, "You guys have done an in-depth analysis of our records. But we do not remember discussing the report beyond three years. How did you guys get the details?"

Liqin took back the documents, arranged them, and replied, "As an investor, we cannot overlook minute details. Isn't it?"

Liu Taio, who had been a silent spectator, picked up the report, went through the details, and said, "Mr. Brown, our companies back in the U.S. also have interest in the hotel industry; we would surely extend our help to you if this deal falls apart."

Liqin pointed to the document and added, "There is something, that was found during the investigation by the police."

Mrs. Brown replied, "How does a police investigation involve Mandarin Delight?"

Liqin picked up his pen and replied, "The company, that exported the spices to Chinese corners at a higher price belonged to late Mr. Han Ru, an accomplice in the assault on the son of Mr. Li Enlai."

Mrs. Brown bent forward with a creased forehead and asked, "How does that involve us? We have been purchasing from Chinese corner. We do not have an idea about their importers."

Liqin pointed his pend to the document in the hands of Taio and replied, "They only purchased spices at a higher price from him, and the complete purchase was sold to you. The difference in rate was exactly one lakh yuan each year. The police also discovered, that out of this one lakh Yuan, he paid fifty thousand Yuan to Cao Shan by recording the transaction as maintenance charges of his vehicle. The surprising part is that the amounts, over the years have remained stagnant at one lakh yuan, and fifty thousand yuan. Mrs. Brown, someone in your company has been using you guys and your trust to make a payout to him. Are you sure that Gao Shing is not working with you guys?"

Mrs. Brown lost her composure by now, her hands were shivering, and said, "Mandarin Delight has nothing to do with it. I am neither aware of these purchases nor of Gao Shing's dealings."

Ms. Brown took the hands of Mrs. Brown and looked at her, and said, "Mom, we cannot be supporting the criminal activities of any person, even if we know them personally. Be strong, and let this guy pay for his deeds."

Mrs. Brown cried and said, "I honestly do not know about either his whereabouts or his deeds. I had left Zhuhai because of him. Once in Australia, I was adopted by the Browns. Then one day I met my husband, Xu Huan, an immigrant, who came to work with them and was earlier working with me in the hotel of the Liu household. He accepted me with all my past and we got married and built Mandarin Delight into what it is today. We took on the surname of Brown, as it helped us to associate with the crowd better. I do not know how Gao Shing infiltrated our business."

Liqin picked up a tissue, handed it over to her, and said, "Mrs. Brown, we do not intend to offend you or remind you of your painful past."

Mr. Brown held the hands of Mrs. Brown and replied, "Mr. Chang, even with full knowledge of her past, I have always ensured that she would never recollect the same. I understand your concerns completely, but I assure you, that my wife, has no association with that guy. With regards, to our dealing with Chinese Corner, we were in the dark as well. I will check into our staff back in Australia, and clarify if we have someone by the name of Gao Shing in any of our branches. We came all the way to Zhuhai for a business deal, and not to be held guilty for someone else's deeds."

Liu Taio placed the documents on the table and added, "Mr. Brown, we do not have any ill feelings towards you. You would have never known about your company being used unless we had divulged the said information to you. This information, that you have provided seems investment-worthy. Even if this deal does not go through, I would be interested in your company; we have an international presence in the hotel industry and would be better positioned to help you."

"I am sorry to have grieved you, but we needed to clarify this from you."

"We are both in the same boat aunty. My mom and you, both were victims of his greedy ambitions. I have lost my mom, but I still have you. Why don't you join my engagement ceremony tomorrow?"

Mrs. Brown looked at him and said, "We will do that."

Mr. Brown stood up and said, "I think we have been a part of an investigation rather than a business deal. Am I right Mr. Chang? Let us get back to the room and take some rest. We will consider this as a leisure trip."

Liu Taio handed over the invitation for the engagement, and said, "Do join the engagement party. I am interested in your company. Give me some time to decide."

Ms. Brown received the invitation and said, "We will surely do that."

Li Enlai, who had been watching this scene unfold asked, "What do you think? I thought, that she had married Gao Shing, and we had our culprit in front of us. From her reaction, it seems, that she is not in touch with him all these years."

As they were discussing Mr. Chen received a call, and said, "I'll come right away."

As he disconnected the call, he looked at the others and said, "We have some information on him. I'll go and come back."

Li Enlai shook his head and said, "Something seems amiss here. Mandarin Delight was used, from the start to the end by him without their knowledge. They do not even know, that the culprit penetrated their staff."

Mr. Yang, who had joined them back after handing over the samples that they had collected from Mr. Brown's suite, asked, "Are they off the hook?"

Liu Ru shrugged and replied, "Too early to say that."

Li Enlai pointed to the CCTV display and replied, "Let's watch their reaction, as they reach the suite."

The security team turned on the camera of their suite and waited for their arrival.

After a few minutes, Mrs. Brown walked in with Mr. Brown and as soon as they shut the door she asked, "Huan, is Gaon Shing really among us in Australia?"

"How can he be among us?"

"Then how do we explain these purchases? We could be in grave danger, if he is really amongst us, and has been planning all these murders all these years."

Mr. Brown held her by the shoulders and said, "You need to calm down. Let me handle it. I promise you; we will not be harmed in any manner. Let us go shopping. I don't want my wife and daughter to look shabby at the engagement tomorrow."

Mrs. Brown shook her head, shook off his hand, and asked, "How can you go shopping at a time like this?"

"That's the only way I can get your mind diverted from this."

Liu Rui who was watching the whole conversation, pointed to the screen and said, "She is right; how can he think of shopping at a time like this? You better send someone to trail this guy. He could be under some pressure by the culprit."

Li Enlai then asked Mr. Yang to do the needful, and a female security officer and a police officer were sent on their trail, as they left the hotel for shopping.

Liu Ru pinched his chin and said, "The name Huan seems familiar. Mr. Yang could you check as to whether Hu Lei has left the hotel."

After a while, Hu Lei walked in and said, "Mr. Li, your hotel is as great as it was always known."

Li Enlai smiled and replied, "Thanks for the compliment. Hope, we did not disturb your family time."

Hu Lei shook his head and replied, "No, it's all right."

Liu Ru turned to him and asked, "Do you remember someone by the name Huan?"

"Are you talking about Xu Huan?"

"He was working with Zhu Hee and had a deep affection for her. She, however, loved Gao Shing. Several people had then advised her, that Gao Shing was not the right person for her, but she blindly loved him. Later, when Liu Lee visited that year and fell for his charms, Zhu Hee was disappointed. She left the job and the country as well with a relative of hers. Three years later, Xu Huan left the job. His elder sister is still in Zhuhai. My elder son studied, with her daughter, and they are close family friends."

Li Enlai interrupted and asked, "Can we meet her?"

"Let me try."

Hu Lie then called up the sister of Xu Huan and fixed up an appointment. Li Enlai then called up Mr. Chen and passed on the information for him to visit on the way.

The Brown family returned after their shopping spree, without noticing that they were being trailed. Their movements were not at all suspicious.

Later during the day, Mr. Chen returned and informed, "The sister of Xu Huan had cut off ties with him because he married Zhu Hee, as he had a history with Gao Shing. The last, that they met, was when he came back in the year nineteen hundred and eighty-one. They had an argument that year, he left the house in anger and met with an accident. After that, she met him at the hospital, and they parted ways when he was discharged. They have not been in touch since then."

The rest of the day went in further investigations for the Li household and preparations for the engagement for Liu household.

Li Enlai, sure that the enemy was on home turf now, increased the security at the residences, offices as well as the hospital.