A Heartbeat Away - Michael Palmer [67]
“Do you think those people in the Capitol are sleeping?”
“Point made. I’ll pick you up some maximum-strength NoDoz at the commissary as soon as they build one.”
“You were saying there’s more to this room than one might think.”
“Like the way that table over there is turned at a forty-five-degree angle to the wall, and the reason Chen chose a circular rug and not one with corners.”
“I still don’t get it,” Forbush said.
“Melvin, how much do you know about feng shui?”
CHAPTER 29
DAY 3
4:10 P.M. (CST)
Griff made his own cursory exam of Sylvia Chen’s office, but saw nothing more unusual than a supremely organized, uncluttered workspace.
“You need to look with your mind, not your eyes,” Angie urged.
Griff stood with his faceplate nearly touching hers to hear above the constant rush of air flowing into his pressurized suit.
“Okay, educate me.”
“I would say that my life has been an endless series of phases. Some of them don’t stick, like racquetball and SCUBA and contra dancing, some of them do, like vegetarian cooking and pilates. My feng shui period only lasted until I realized I was far too scattered and disorganized to ever pull it off. But knowledge is never wasted, and by the time I stopped my adult extension classes and daily studies, I had learned a great deal.”
Griff and Melvin followed her over to the framed picture of Angel Falls—the tallest waterfall in the world.
“Feng is wind, shui is water. It’s a Taoist explanation of nature that stresses the importance of energy flow. The simple idea of the science—and like most things Chinese, it can be examined on any number of levels—is that a clear energy flow improves fortune, health, and happiness.”
“Energy,” Griff said. “Got it.”
“For instance, this room is divided into zones. I can tell without a compass that this is the north wall of the office because of the water elements Chen has placed here.” She gripped the back of a narrow chair positioned directly beneath the framed picture and pulled it a few inches away from the wall. “This chair and the blue throw pillow on it feature the colors that best energize this zone.”
Griff pointed to the adjacent wall, which was also the entrance into the office.
“What zone is that?” he asked.
“That’s the east zone. The inside of the office door is painted green.”
“You know, I actually remember her saying that the color of her door helped her to think better,” Forbush said.
“No surprise. This area is characterized by the wood element. Green colors dominate and improve optimism, contentment, and spiritual growth.”
“I’ll bet you got an A in your course,” Griff said.
“Actually, I almost got kicked out. Dr. Huang, the instructor, said I needed to sit still during class or I couldn’t stay.”
Griff set his gloved hands on Angie’s shoulders and turned her to him.
“All interesting,” he said, “but I don’t see the relevance, and I’ve got a lab to get up and running.”
“We want to know where Sylvia might be, right?”
“If she’s still alive,” Forbush added.
“Well, the office layout and décor tell me that she adheres to at least some traditional Chinese beliefs.”
Angie turned to Chen’s desk and held up a framed five-by-seven photo.
“That’s Sylvia,” Griff said, believing he had answered the question Angie was about to ask. “Although I am sure it was taken some years ago.”
Instead, Angie pointed to the other woman in the photograph, an elderly Chinese woman dressed in a white floral-patterned blouse and black skirt.
“How about her?”
Griff shrugged.
“No idea.”
“It’s her mother,” Angie said. “Facial structure, eyes. I’m virtually sure of it.”
“So?”
Angie pulled the photograph out from the black frame and held it up so that Griff could see the date and time stamp the digital camera automatically applied to the print.
“This was taken four years ago.”
Griff shifted impatiently.
“Listen, Angie, I’m fascinated by all you’re saying, and I don’t want to sound rude, but we’ve got to focus on getting some experiments started. Where are you going with this?”
“If Chen is alive, I would bet dollars