Chapter 12

Elsa listened to the ring through the receiver of her telephone. She’d managed to decipher the telephone number the Botanica owner had scribbled on a small piece of paper for her, as well as the name and was wasting no time making the telephone call.  She’d counted six so far.  What time was it in China, anyway? It was after ten o’clock her time, so it was after one o’clock the in the afternoon in Beijing.  Ming Ho shouldn’t be sleeping at this hour.  She was told he’d be there when she called. Why wasn’t he answering the telephone?

As luck would have it Cui Fen, her housekeeper of twenty years, was an immigrant from Beijing and spoke fluent Mandarin.  Since Elsa had never met Ming Ho and wasn’t certain he spoke English, she’d taken a risk and confided in Cui Fen with her story and her plight.  To her amazement, not only had Cui Fen heard of Ming Ho, but her family had called upon him and his