Pau smoothed his sleeveless gown and dismissed the other two men with a wave of his hand.
“You knew we’d come,” Malone said.
He’d seen that certainty in the man’s eyes.
“Not you. But her. I realized she would be here before the sun rose.”
NI WAS WAITING TO BOARD HIS FLIGHT FROM BRUSSELS TO BEIJING. He’d used his diplomatic passport to have the lamp stored on board, to be waiting for him in the terminal when he deplaned in China. He’d already telephoned his office, and a car would be at the airport to drive him straight to his office. Hopefully, by then, he would know more about the
An announcement came that the first-class cabin could now board.
He’d booked that luxury for two reasons—because he needed to rest and because the airline offered in-flight Internet connection to its first-class passengers. He had to stay in touch.
He stood.
His phone vibrated in his pocket, and he answered.
“We don’t have Sokolov,” his assistant informed him. “Our men have disappeared. No contact for two hours.”
“Is Tang in Lanzhou?”
“He’s with Sokolov now.”
He thought quickly. They’d lost the element of surprise.
“Do you want more men sent?” came the question.
The course seemed clear. Retreat, reassess, then decide.
“No. Lay low. Stand down.”
“And Sokolov? That could prove fatal for him.”
“We’re just going to have to hope that it doesn’t.”
CASSIOPEIA FOLLOWED MALONE AND PAU WEN INTO ONE OF the gathering rooms. She noticed again the woodwork, the paneling and lattice, as well as the olden silk hangings, couplets, and lanterns. She watched as Malone absorbed the surroundings, too, surely concluding as she had during her first visit that this place expressed wealth and taste. Soft incandescent lighting cast a warm glow of candles, which calmed her nerves.
A map had caught Malone’s attention, and she noticed it, too. Maybe two meters long by a meter high, painted on silk—fine, stiff, and textured. A series of Chinese symbols wrapped its four sides, forming a border. She admired the colors—crimson, sapphire blue, yellow, and green, each hue appearing faded from a brownish yellow glaze.
“That’s impressive,” Malone said.
“It’s a reproduction of something I once saw. An ancient representation of China.” Pau pointed. “The Gansu and Qinghai desert plateaus to the west. South to Guangdong and Guangxi. The sea on the east and, to the north, the Ten Thousand Mile Long Wall.”
Malone smiled at the phrase.
“Chinese do not call it the Great Wall,” Pau said.
The map was quite detailed, showing lakes and rivers and what appeared to be roads that connected towns, all delineated by pictographs.
Pau pointed to some of the locations. “That’s Ling-ling at the bottom, the southernmost city. Chiu-yuan, beside the long wall, protected the north. Ch’i-fu and Wu guarded the Yellow Sea. The rivers shown are the Wei, Yellow, and Yangtze.”
“Is it accurate?” Malone asked.
“The Chinese were excellent cartographers. They actually developed the technique. So yes, quite accurate.”
Malone pointed to the extreme southwestern portion and what appeared to be a representation of mountains. Three symbols denoted a location.
“That’s a lonely outpost.”
Pau nodded. “The Hall for the Preservation of Harmony. An ancient site that actually still exists. One of thousands of temples in China.”
Their host motioned to two rattan couches, and they sat. Pau faced them from a Cantonese easy chair. Malone, apparently remembering Stephanie’s briefing on the phone, kept the facts to a minimum and made no mention of the Russians. But he did say, “We understand the lamp is not important. It was the oil inside that Karl Tang wanted. You don’t happen to know why?”
Pau’s eyes stayed flat and hard.
She’d been oblivious to the man’s manipulations on her first visit, thinking herself in charge. Now she knew better.
“Only that Tang required a sample of ancient oil for some purpose.”
“You’re a liar,” she declared.
Pau frowned. “And what if I am? What do you have to offer for the information you seek?”
“What do you want?” Malone asked. Then he motioned at the room. “Obviously, you don’t need money.”
“True, I am a man of means. But I do have a need. Let me inquire of Ms. Vitt. Do you intend to return to China?”
“You know about Sokolov, the boy, Tang. You know about everything, don’t you?”
“And the answer to my question?”
“I wasn’t. But I am now.”
“I assume your reentry will be without the Chinese government’s knowledge?”
“That would probably be best,” Malone said.
“I want to accompany you.”
“Why would we even consider doing such a thing?” she asked.
“I know where there is another sample of oil from 2,200 years ago.”
TANG HELD A METAL PAIL THAT HAD BEEN BROUGHT FROM THE car. He’d obtained it at the drill site, along with a few other items, before leaving. His man had returned with two rats, one of fairly good size, found in the alley behind the building. He knew it would not be hard. Buildings like this were infested.
He heard the pests scurrying inside a cardboard box that had been hastily utilized as a cage. He realized it would not take them long to discover that they could burrow through. His background investigation on Sokolov had revealed a terrible phobia of rats, which made the Russian’s choice of refuge even more strange. But under the circumstances, he’d probably not had many options. Hiding among the million and a half inhabitants of Lanzhou probably had seemed a safe bet.
He walked back to where Sokolov had been secured to a chair with heavy tape, his hands and feet still bound. He’d ordered the man’s shirt removed, his bare chest exposed. Some rope, which he’d brought, a couple of lengths about two meters long, lay on the floor behind the chair.
Sokolov had yet to see the rats, though he surely heard their chatter.
Tang motioned and the chair was tipped back. Sokolov was now facing the ceiling, his spine to the floor, feet in the air. The cardboard box was opened and Tang scooped the rats into the pail. Its slick metal prevented their claws any traction, though they tried in vain to climb.
He approached Sokolov.
“It’s time for you to understand just how serious I am.”
THIRTY-EIGHT
BELGIUM
