page2 (1/2)

How deep it flowed he did not know, but the boulders that protruded along its path did not offer him any solace

She disappeared into the churning water, which had to be nearly freezing, considering its source was mountain snow

He waited for her to surface Somewhere

But she never did

He stared down at the roaring gray gush, which carried silt and rock along with a swish of foam in a formidable current He wanted to leap after her, but realized that was impossible He wouldn’t survive the fall, either

He stood and watched, disbelieving

After all they’d been through the past three days

Cassiopeia Vitt was gone

ONE

COPENHAGEN, DENMARK

TUESDAY, MAY 15

12:40 PM

COTTON MALONE TYPED THE WEB ADDRESS WITH TREMBLING fingers Like a phone that rings in the e was ever good

The note had arrived two hours ago, while he’d been out of his bookshop on an errand, but the eive it to hio

“The woent,” she said in her defense

“What woman?”

“Chinese lady, dressed in a gorgeous Burberry skirt She said to give it only to you”

“She used my name?”

“Twice”

Inside had been a folded sheet of gray vellu suffix He’d ihts of stairs to his apartment above the bookshop and found his laptop

He finished typing and waited while the screen blackened, then a new ie appeared A video display console indicated that a live feed was about to engage

The communications link established

A body appeared, lying on its back, arht to what looked like a sheet of plywood The person was angled so that the head was slightly beneath the feet A torapped the face, but it was clear the bound form was a woman

“Mr Malone” The voice was electronically altered, disguising every attribute of pitch and tone “We’ve been waiting Not infor you to see”

A hooded figure appeared on the screen, holding a plastic bucket He watched as water was poured onto the towel that wrapped the bound woled with her restraints

He kneas happening

The liquid penetrated the towel and flowed unrestricted into her ulps of air could be stolen—the throat constricted, inhaling little of the water—but that could bereflex would kick in and all control would be lost The head was angled doard so gravity could prolong the agony It was like drowning without ever being subed

The

The wole with her restraints

The technique dated back to the Inquisition Highly favored since it left no marks, its main drawback was harshness—so intense that the victi Malone had actually experienced it once, years ago, while training to becoent All recruits had to take their turn as part of survival school His agony had been ae, combined with the soaked towel, had created an unbearable claustrophobia He recalled the public debate a few years ago as to whether waterboarding was torture

Daht it was

“Here’s the purpose of my contact,” the voice said

The ca the woman’s face A hand entered the fra Cassiopeia Vitt

“Oh, no,” Malone muttered

Darts of fear pierced his skin A light-headedness overtook him

This can’t be happening