“Both, I guess,” Jack said. He really didn’t care.
“I am fond of New York for business,” Wei said. “But I needed space. New Jersey gives me access to both, as you can tell from this view from my dining room.”
“Why the United States?” Jack asked. “My understanding is that you have done very well in China.”
“I have done well in China, and it continues businesswise,” Wei said. “I have been able to take good advantage of the Chinese economic miracle. But there are limits. Although pharma is expanding in China by replacing local remedies, prices are being controlled. Here in the United States that’s not the case, because your politicians are dependent on pharma campaign donations. There is much more money to be made here in all aspects of healthcare, even if there are more problems with labor.”
“The unreasonable price of healthcare is a rather sad state of affairs for us Americans,” Jack said, although he didn’t need to be reminded by Wei.
“And for me there is an even greater motivation,” Wei said. “I’m fearful when I am in China today.”
With a bit of surprise, Jack sat back and looked at his host, half expecting to see him smile to suggest he was being humorous. But Wei didn’t smile. Instead he stared out the window at the pond, obviously in deep thought.
“What are you fearful about?” Jack asked. As a known billionaire, Jack would have imagined a life of extraordinary ease for him in China, with as much security and servants as he could possibly need.
“The government,” Wei said nostalgically. “Things have changed over the last number of years, particularly with Xi Jinping’s love for centralized power, both his own and the Communist Party’s. Everything has become arbitrary for us successful businessmen. One day we are considered the darlings of the Politburo, the next an enemy. Xi has made it possible for businessmen to be snatched out of their offices or homes and declared corrupt at whim with no due process. It’s a terrible way to live.Several of my acquaintances have been arbitrarily jailed without access to lawyers, and no court dates.”
“That’s no way to live,” Jack agreed.
Wei went on to tell several of the stories of his friends and the frustration he’d felt about not being able to help them.
“That is awful,” Jack said, and meant it.
“I go back to my home in Shanghai as little as possible,” Wei admitted. “Several years ago, I decided to completely pull out of the People’s Republic of China, but the government has made moving capital progressively more difficult, particularly of late, with new restrictions by the PBOC, or People’s Bank of China, and the State Administration of Foreign Exchange.”
“You seem to be doing all right here in New Jersey,” Jack said. “I was very impressed with my tour of GeneRx, the Farm Institute, and what I saw of the hospital. Also, I’d have to add the Zhao Heart Center at MGH in Manhattan. Very impressive and very generous of you.”
“Thank you,” Wei said. “We are proud of what we have been able to do. But it is not without effort and anxiety. Unfortunately, GeneRx has only two drugs on the market at present, although there are a slew in phase three trials. We need a breakout product or medical activity, of which we have a number in the wings. Presently I am dependent on the PBOC to allow adequate funds to keep everything afloat. But enough about me. What about Dr. Jack Stapleton? How is life for him?”
Jack straightened up by reflex. Wei’s question took him aback. Although Wei had been talking in surprisingly personal terms, Jack had no inkling he’d ask for a response in kind.
“I know what your government salary is,” Wei said, before Jack could respond. “You deserve more, a lot more. I’d suggest at least double, and we would be prepared to offer that. We need another pathologist of your stature.”
“I like my job,” Jack said, amazed that Wei was back to offering him a job, especially after just talking about financial insecurity.
“You have not had an easy life,” Wei said. “Being forced out of clinical medicine must have been disappointing. And then to have your family killed after coming to visit you while you were retraining in pathology had to have been a life-shattering event. And now with your second child in your second family possibly having autism, I would think significantly raising your income might be a source of comfort. Autism treatment can be very expensive. Private industry pays significantly more than government jobs. It is something for you to consider.”
For a few beats Jack didn’t even breathe. He stared at Wei in total disbelief. As a habitually private person, he was shocked hearing his life story so casually thrown at him. He swallowed with some effort, as his mouth had gone suddenly dry while his emotions flipped back and forth between rage and incredulity. The only person Jack had confided in about Emma was Detective Lou Soldano, and Jack would have bet his life that Lou would never violate his confidence.
Controlling himself with some difficulty, Jack managed to say, “How exactly did you learn these things?”
“I asked my staff to construct a rapid dossier on you,” Wei said. “With adequate resources it is not difficult. I was quite impressed with what you had been able to do in regard to Carol Stewart. What took me totally by surprise was that you would unexpectedly appear on our doorstep. To me that suggests that destiny is playing a role here, meaning that you will become part of the GeneRx team. Prior to the call from our Dr. Friedlander, I had expected we would need to approach you in the city, perhaps at your impressive home on 106th Street.”
Jack forced a pinched half-smile as he continued to struggle with his volcanic emotions. Wei’s in-depth knowledge of his life made him feel distinctly uncomfortable, off balance, and in marginal control. All at once, despite the additional questions he wanted to ask about the Carol Stewart case, Jack had to get out of Wei’s house before he said or did something he’d regret.
21
WEDNESDAY, 12:15 P.M.
Pulling off the rural road and onto the shoulder ten minutes later, Jack put the Escalade into park. He needed a moment to pull himself together. Although he’d managed to extricate himself from Wei Zhao’s house without causing a scene, he knew that it had been precipitous, and that Wei had certainly noticed he was agitated. Still, the departure had been pleasant enough, with Wei presenting him with a business card and the encouragement to give him a call if Jack had any more questions about the Stewart case or if he had a change of heart about exploring employment opportunities.
The stretch of the two-lane road he was on was completely deserted and lined with dense oaks and maples past their prime in terms of color. There was no traffic in either direction, and the sun was peeking out through the clouds. Jack lowered the driver’s-side window to allow some fresh air to waft into the cab. Along with it came the sound of birds. It was a perfect environment to catch his breath.
Jack knew that he had been a bit out of control over the past week or two and was fully aware he’d been using the Carol Stewart case as a diversion from everything going on at home. What he hadn’t been awareof was his own fragility and instability. His excessive response to Wei’s inappropriate lack of boundaries and violation of personal space scared him. For a brief moment his reptilian brain had almost taken over, and he had had to fight to keep himself from lashing out physically, which would have been a disaster on so many levels. Jack knew that he had a raging physicality that was the real reason he needed the almost nightly, exhaustive run on the b-ball court.
“You’re pathetic,” Jack yelled out the open window. Yet by even saying it, he felt it wasn’t really true except for a fleeting moment in Wei’s dining room. He was confident he was back in control and could now benefit from the incident by being prepared and not letting it happen again. After all, there was nothing that Wei had said that was any kind of secret that couldn’t be found out by anyone who was truly interested. The question was: Why was Wei Zhao interested? The only explanation Jack could imagine was that it had to do with the wish to control him and stop his inquiries, which was why Jack thought he’d been offered a job, all of which made Jack more certain that something out of the ordinary was going on with GeneRx and Dover Valley Hospital.
With a sudden renewed sense of purpose, Jack struggled to get his mobile phone out of his pocket. He turned it on. He saw he had a few voice messages, but he ignored them. Instead, he quickly found Aretha’s number and placed the call. With the phone against his ear, he thought of one of the key questions he’d not had a chance to ask Wei and lamented that he hadn’t—namely, how and why Wei ended up as the executor of Carol Stewart’s estate.
