The Whole Truth

CHAPTER 56

THE ITEMS WERE NEATLY LAID OUT on the table. Next to them was a computer terminal. Royce had just been showing some things on the screen to Shaw and Feng. Feng sat in a chair with a stunned look on his face while Shaw slowly perused some of the written materials.

“So you’re saying you weren’t aware of any of this?” Royce said, the disbelief in his voice ricocheting around the room like a stray slug.

Feng wagged his head. “That is correct,” he said firmly. “I knew nothing.”

“Mr. Feng, let me make this clear to you. There are paper records all over this building which show quite clearly that The Phoenix Group was part of the propaganda campaign against Russia. And they have the fingerprints of your employees all over them. The computer hard drives here also have thousands of files on them chronicling everything from the creation of the so-called ‘Tablet of Tragedies’ to the details of this Konstantin fellow to composite ads that were circulated in connection with said propaganda campaign. There are over thirty thousand names of Russians on your hard drives, the same names and backgrounds that were slung across the Internet along with claims that they were all victims of the Russian Red Menace.”

“I have no idea how any of that got here,” stammered Feng. “None!”

“Do you not oversee the work that is done here, sir?”

Feng said indignantly, “We let our people explore what they wish to explore. Our involvement is minimal. I have never even been to this building before.”

“Well, it appears that your employees’ exploration got a bit out of hand. Do you understand the magnitude of the situation we have here?”

Feng looked at Royce questioningly. “I do not understand what you mean.”

“Do you have any ties to the Chinese government?”

“I fail to see what that has to do-”

Shaw interrupted. “Gorshkov has sworn that whoever was behind the smear campaign would be viewed as having committed an act of war against his country. If you have any ties to the Chinese government, then you might just have started a war between the People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation.”

Feng sprang to his feet. “That is preposterous!”

Royce exclaimed, “It will hardly seem preposterous to the rest of the world, sir.”

Shaw added in a quieter tone, “Do you have any ties to the Chinese government? Better it come out now rather than later.”

Feng suddenly looked uncertain and sat back down. “It could be construed, that is to say, some people might…”

Shaw leaned down into Feng’s troubled face. “I’m sure you understand that telling us the truth is really your only option.”

Feng licked his lips and fiddled with a ring on his finger. “Part of our funding comes from the government.” He started speaking rapid-fire. “My partners and I have done much work with the Communist Party with respect to economic development both in China and in other countries. We started The Phoenix Group with the sole purpose of trying to better understand global issues that will help China adapt more readily to an expanded role in world affairs. There is no question that our economy will at some point become the world’s largest. With that comes a responsibility, a responsibility that we take very seriously. And thus we sought to educate ourselves as to critical issues around the world. Creating a think tank and staffing it with some of the best minds seemed a reasonable pursuit.”

Shaw snapped, “And yet you deliberately hid your ties to the Chinese government behind this Arizona millionaire façade?”

“We are misunderstood in many parts of the world.” He shot a glance at the MI5 agent. “Including in your country, Mr. Royce. We did not want any lingering doubts or misconceptions to taint the important work The Phoenix Group was undertaking.”

“Did any of the people who worked here have any idea of these ties?” Royce asked.

Shaw already knew the answer to that question. Anna would’ve told him.

“No,” Feng said. “We did not think it important or relevant to their work. What did it matter who they were working for if the goals were good ones?”

“Are you a member of the Communist Party?” Royce asked.

“I fail to see-”

“Please answer the question.”

“You have to understand-”

“Are you!” Royce bellowed.

“Yes. I am, like many of my fellow citizens,” Feng said defensively.

The MI5 agent threw up his hands. “This is a complete and total cock-up.”

A pale Feng said, “No, gentlemen, this is ludicrous. The Phoenix Group was not involved in any of this Red Menace business. It is absurd to even suggest it.”

“Since you said you’ve never even been here before, you’re hardly in a position to know that, are you?” Royce shot back.

“But why would they do such a thing?” Feng said in a near wail.

“How many other partners do you have?”

“Four.”

“I think somebody should ask them,” Royce said. He looked at Shaw. “For now, this stays among us. If any of this comes out, I can hardly imagine greater consequences for your country, Mr. Feng.”

“You cannot believe that Russia would attack us.”

“Gorshkov has staked his reputation on the fact that he will do just that. Go ask Afghanistan if you don’t believe me.”

“Who else knows?” Shaw asked Royce.

“A very few of the crime scene team. We hardly expected anything like this when the investigation started. Once they knew what they were facing, they cut off access to everyone else and called me in.”

“I’m surprised you allowed me in here,” Shaw said bluntly.

“Wells told me that you are the absolute best he has. So I thought I could rely upon your discretion and I desperately need your help.”

“You’re welcome to both.”

Royce turned back to Feng. “I’d like your passport.”

Feng’s features darkened. “You cannot possibly mean that.”

“Give it to me.” Royce held out his hand.

“I have committed no crime.”

“That remains to be seen, doesn’t it?”

“You will create an international incident?”

“What’s one more?” Royce retorted.

“I want to go to the Chinese embassy. Immediately.”

“Passport first and then I’ll see if I can get you a lift over,” Royce said pleasantly enough, even tacking a smile onto the end of his offer.

Feng very slowly handed over his passport. “This is outrageous.”

“Absolutely,” Royce agreed. “Everything we’ve discovered here so far is outrageous.”

As Feng and Royce headed out, Shaw said, “I’m going up to Anna’s office.”

“Shaw, we only removed the body. The rest of the place is untouched. It’s not very…”

“I know it’s not.”