“Liu seems to have selective memory,” Sloane responded drily. “He’s the one who turned his daughter away and virtually disowned her when she came to him, pregnant and alone. I’d say that played a major role in her suicide.”
“No argument. It’s much easier for a proud, stubborn man like Liu to put all the blame on Wallace than to assume any of it himself. But Wallace’s affair with Meili isn’t the only issue here. It’s what Liu sees as instigating it.”
“My father’s art partnership’s lowballing her on the second Rothberg, and forcing her to sell it way below value. Pushing her closer to destitution.” Sloane sighed. “And then the icing on the cake—that stupid bet they made about when Wallace would get her into bed.”
“You got it.” Derek spoke gently but candidly with Sloane. “All five partners were involved in the two events that, in Johnny Liu’s mind, pushed Meili over the edge. We’ve already discussed what he considers to be Wallace’s sins. Ben and your father were the most vocal when it came to intentionally under-valuing the worth of the Rothberg Meili tried to sell them. To top that off, Ben initiated a bet that centered on Meili’s virtue. The sum total of results? Your father’s office has been ransacked, your mother has been beaten up, then kidnapped and nearly killed. As for Ben, he’s been pushed to the point of self-destruction. Phil was killed. That leaves Leo and your father.”
Anxiety tightened Sloane’s features. “You don’t think that what Xiao’s thugs did to my mother, and the knife assault on me, were enough retribution when it comes to my father?”
“Not compared to Ben’s bankruptcy, total alcohol dependence, and possible jail time. Not compared to Phil’s cold-blooded murder. And not compared to whatever vile plan Liu has in store for Wallace. Your mother’s assault at the apartment wasn’t planned; she interrupted the break-in at their apartment. As for her kidnapping, it was aborted before Liu could have her killed. The fact that she’s still alive is a thorn in his side. And the SOB Xiao sent to slash your palm? That was Liu’s idea of a warning for you to back off. Otherwise, he would have sent Xiao himself, or Jin Huang, not some scrawny kid. No, none of those incidents targeted your father’s core, or destroyed him in the fundamental way Liu seems to be aiming for.”
“You’re right,” Sloane replied grimly. “Liu is going for each man’s Achilles’ heel and using it to destroy his life. Especially Wallace. I shudder to think what Liu considers brutal enough for Wallace…” Sloane broke off, all the color draining from her face. “Oh God.”
“What is it?”
For a long moment Sloane didn’t speak. And when she did, it was in a strained, sickened tone. “My father said Meili ended the affair with Wallace around Christmastime 2005. What’s the date on Meili’s death certificate?”
“January 2006.” Derek’s eyes narrowed as he tried to figure out Sloane’s anguished reaction. “The dates make sense.”
“Maybe too much sense.” Sloa
ne squeezed her eyes shut, and when she opened them, there was pain reflected in them. “Derek, the unknown hit-and-run driver who killed Wallace’s daughter, Sophie…” Sloane swallowed hard. “The crime was committed on April 11, 2006. Three months after Meili killed herself.”
“Shit.” Derek felt bile rise in his throat. “That sounds like a hell of a coincidence to me.”
“It sounds like an eye for an eye. Or, in this case, a daughter for a daughter. And if it’s true…Derek, I’m not sure Wallace can survive this.”
“And Liu’s not finished. His plan seems to be coming to a head.”
“Why now?”
“I’m not sure. But I intend to find out. Meanwhile, Phil was just murdered. Cindy Liu is about to tear out whatever’s left of Wallace’s heart, with God knows what to follow.” Derek seized Sloane’s hands. “Listen to me. I’ve already arranged for extra security on Ben, Wallace, Leo, and your father. But they’ve got to be warned that their worlds are about to be blown apart.”
“I agree.” Sloane met Derek’s gaze. “I’ll talk to my dad. I’ll also try to get through to Ben. For Wallace, this news also has to come from me. I’ll see how he handles the part about Meili before I decide if I should mention my theory about Sophie’s death. Right now, it’s pure speculation. But he has to be prepared just in case it turns out to be fact. How and when I tell him…I’ll have to play that one by ear. In the meantime, I don’t want any of the other men to know.”
“I agree.” Derek nodded. “In the meantime, leave Leo to me. He’s met Cindy, and I’m sure he’s seen the resemblance to Meili. So don’t be surprised if, once I fill him in on the kind of danger he’s up against, he figures out that she’s part of this plot. In the meantime, I want to confront him head-on about what he was searching for the night I caught him rifling through your file. I’m hoping that my warning about Liu and Xiao Long, together with what he figures out about Cindy, will rattle him enough to tell me. And if we’re lucky, his answer will give us a clue about Liu’s agenda.”
“Are you heading over to Leo’s studio now?”
“Right after you promise me you’ll be careful. You should know that I also put extra security on you.”
“Over and above what you’ve already provided—why?”
“Because it’s probable that you and your mother are Liu’s ultimate targets when it comes to punishing your father. You’re both what means the most to him. I’m not taking any chances—especially since I’m sure Xiao’s still keeping an eye on you and will be alerted by his punk kids the minute you walk into Wallace’s gallery. Wallace is back in the city, by the way. He and Cindy drove in from the Hamptons a few hours ago. They’re each at work. So you can catch Wallace alone.”
Sloane was quiet for a moment. “Even if I don’t tell him about Sophie, the rest of this is going to tear him up. Not just Cindy’s betrayal, but that Meili was pregnant with his child, that her father disowned her when he found out, and that she committed suicide. Wallace was deeply in love with her. And he knows nothing about her life since the day she ended their affair.”
“If it’s too much for you, I can talk to him,” Derek offered.
“Thanks, but no. This is something I have to do.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Ben was slumped over his desk, head lolled to one side.
One eye cracked open. The whiskey bottle was almost empty. It didn’t matter. He couldn’t reach it anyway. His arms wouldn’t work. None of him would work. Except his goddamned mind. Dulled to the point of unconsciousness, it still refused to shut up.
Murderer. He was a murderer. Directly. Indirectly. He was killing the people he loved.