Page 43 of Nash Falls
“China has the largest chemical industry in the world,” said Morris. “And the regional base for that is the Hebei province. Companies there sell everything from air fresheners to lethal drugs. When fentanyl started hitting our shores you could buy it online and the postal service would deliver it right to your door, a fact Chinese firms advertised. Overdose deaths soared.”
Braxton added, “If you sell fentanyl in China, they’ll execute you, but no problem shipping it here. And they openly advertise that they’ll get the product safely through customs.”
Duvall said, “We’ve tried to cooperate with Beijing, sending teams over there with proof of the problem. They either stonewall, deny, or do superficial crackdowns that amount to nothing.”
Morris interjected, “Hell, some of the fentanyl producers are state-owned, so it’s not like they don’t know what’s going on.”
Braxton said, “When President Xi moved to cut fentanyl exports, Chinese sellers simply moved the precursors to Mexico. And China is a hub for groups like Steers’s to launder billions for traffickers. Beijing’s fingerprints are all over the process, from raw materials to laundering the profits.”
Duvall said, “And at the macro level it also means children here grow up without their parents, and grandparents can’t enjoy their retirement because they are raising their grandkids. Unemployment soars along with health care costs for everyone, tax bases dry up, businesses go bankrupt, home prices plummet, whole towns are wiped out, and public services are cut when folks need them the most. People become more and more desperate and isolated, ready to believe any rabbit hole conspiracy theory presented to them. And the Chinese are all over social media conspiracy platforms promoting crap that would truly boggle your mind. Hell, people in our own Congress are parroting Chinese political messaging probably because they’re being blackmailed.”
“And they’ve been promoting Russian talking points, too,” interjected Morris. “Because we believe the dragon and the bear have teamed up on this. They can’t beat us economically, or militarily, but they can surreptitiously provide us the tools to defeat ourselves.”
Duvall said, “Their overall messaging is clear: The government is failing their people. So why should you be loyal to it?”
Nash asked, “But how does that really help China? Or Russia?”
Duvall said, “Geopolitically, we will become absorbed with our internal problems and withdraw our presence and with it our influence from the rest of the globe, creating a power vacuum. And then Beijing and Moscow will fill that vacuum and run rampant. I can tell you that they are champing at the bit to do exactly that. Putin’s bloody foray into Ukraine, China’s bullhorn broadsides over Taiwan, and manufacturing prowess are only the beginnings of a strategic plan for a completely new world order.”
“And they really see a ‘drug dealer’ as a viable partner in all this?” asked Nash.
Duvall said, “China has had a rocky relationship with wealthy Chinese families. They routinely set them up as partners, but then invariably something happens and the families fall out of favor, as occurred to the Wei, Bai, and Liu families in the Kokang region. But Steers has made herself invaluable to Beijing in a hundred meaningful ways. She is a superb dealmaker and has the skill set to play and win at geopolitics with the best of them. And in return, Beijing gives her resources and protection.”
“I assume you know what she looks like?”
Duvall motioned to Braxton, who produced a photo on her phone screen.
“We don’t circulate it for obvious reasons,” she said.
Nash gazed at the woman on the screen. He was surprised because she was young and attractive, andnormallooking. But he then focused on the eyes: sharp, resolute, intimidating.
“She looks… tough,” he noted.
The agent nodded and put her phone away.
“So what’s going on with my firm and Rhett Temple, money laundering?” asked Nash.
“Not only that.” Duvall hesitated. “You see that we are taking you into our confidence now, Mr. Nash. At a very high level. If you choose not to participate at this point—we can’t force you, of course. But…”
“If you think I would ever disclose what you have told me to anyone at Sybaritic or anyone else? Well, I amnota criminal. I have never had any ambition to go outside the law. I’ve never even had a traffic ticket. I have my faults as we all do, but I am scrupulously honest, Mr. Duvall. And I would never do anything to harm my country. I am a proud and patriotic citizen. I pay my taxes. My late father was a veteran.” He abruptly stopped because Nash could sense he was losing his advantage by rambling.
Duvall sat back, appeased, for now. “We think they are grafting on to each of the companies that Sybaritic invests in or purchases a… separate unit of varying degrees and elements, like a parasite. It has a legit cover being connected to a well-known company like yours. But the business they conduct is only for her and the Chinese government’s benefit. Different books, different agendas, with an endgame that is totally in line with Steers’s overall mission. More than that we can’t say, unless you agree to help us.”
“What’s the deadline for my answer?”
Duvall replied, “I hesitate to give you an expiration date on our offer, but you can surely understand that time is of the essence.”
“And the others, Singer, Cho and Lombard? If they were killed, how will you ensure that a similar fate doesn’t happen to me or my family?”
Duvall chose his words with the due care of a lawyer finding himself in the uncomfortable position of being a witness of sorts. “Without casting blame on the departed, Mr. Nash, it seems that indiscretions on their part led to their unfortunate outcomes, not anything that we did on our end. We provide every conceivable resource, but we can’t control other people and what they may sayor do. I will note that what is needed here is absolute discipline, rigorous attention to detail. The playing of a role, if you will. No mistakes, no—”
“—indiscretions?” broke in a stone-faced Nash.
Morris interjected, “But by recruiting you, a high-level source within the company, we are doing two things: We will get better information because of your position, and we will completely throw the other side off, because up till now we have only focused on lower-level bean counters, if you will. Thus, they will never suspect your involvement, Mr. Nash, because it does not fit the pattern.”
This only made Nash feel slightly better about things.
Duvall added, “And come hell or high water, we are going to bring these people down, Mr. Nash. But keep in mind that in doing so, the destruction of the organization you work for may well occur, and that will have a deleterious effect on your financial well-being. That cannot be helped. But better to be part of the solution than a piece of the problem.”
