Detained

She tried again. “What’s his name? How old is he?”

Buzz’s mum sat. “He’s called Michael, his Chinese name is An and he’s nearly two.”

Coming down from her shock—Michael’s mum’s English was perfect—Darcy sat beside her. Bo said they’d come. Maybe chatting about a toddler would be as good as it got.

“Is he your first?”

Michael’s mum nodded.

“He’s a handful.”

“He’s a little monkey who just gave me the fright of my life. I told my husband to close the door. I was in the other room for five minutes, that’s all, and he’s gone. I can’t wait to get back to the city.”

“You’re not from here?”

“My husband is. I was born in Shanghai. I hate it out here. They’re all inbred.”

Darcy laughed. Mum wasn’t much younger than she was.

“Why are you here then?”

“Visiting family. They’re like the big shots here. Big shots of nothing if you ask me.” She joggled Michael on her knee. “Are you a tourist?”

“Yeah. We drove in from Shanghai.”

“Reporter?”

Darcy hesitated. What did it matter if she told the women the truth? “Yes. But I’m late to the party. I’m Darcy Campbell.”

“Hah, place has been overrun by reporters since the story about Feng Kee came out.”

“I feel like I should apologise for that.” If only Michael’s mum knew how true that feeling was.

She smiled. “You look harmless enough.” She spat on her fingers and wiped at the corner of Michael’s mouth. He did the head twist thing again and both women laughed. “What do you want to know?”

Darcy was shocked. “What can you tell me?”

“My name is Jennifer Feng. Apart from my husband, the Feng men are liars and gangsters.” Jennifer had gone from worried witless mother, to r

elieved young cosmopolitan woman marooned in the rural backblocks, to deadly serious willing informant. Darcy’s heart was lodged in her oesophagus.

“But around here you’d think they shat gold bricks. I don’t want anything to do with them, and I don’t want them to have any hold over me or my family.” She hugged Michael until he squirmed and thumped his head against her chest.

“You sound angry.”

“I am angry. I’d never have married Shen if I’d known about them, how far they’d go.”

“How far have they gone?”

Jennifer looked away. Darcy had pushed too hard. “I’m sorry. You don’t have to tell me. I didn’t mean to pry.”

“It’s your job isn’t it, prying?”

“Kind of. It’s my job to report what happens, to find out the truth.” Darcy closed her eyes behind her sunnies. She sounded like a Lois Lane cliché, all truth, justice and the American way. Like a woman who hadn’t just made news up and gotten a good man attention he didn’t deserve. Gotten a good man kidnapped and jailed.

Jennifer looked at her and appeared to make a decision. “The man in jail.” She turned Michael in her arms so he could snuggle back against her body. “He didn’t kill Kee.”

“How do you know?” Darcy held her breath.