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“You’re a good man Henrik knew that”
“I o minutes too late”
“And there’s not a da you can do about it”
She was right
But he still could not shake the feeling
He’d seen Cassiopeia both at her best and when circumstances had stripped her of all confidence—when she was vulnerable, prone to mistakes, emotional Luckily, he’d been there to compensate, as she’d been for hi blend of feth, but everyone, even she, occasionally stepped too far
A vision of Cassiopeia tied to plywood, a towel over her face, flashed through his mind
Why her?
Why not him?
KARL TANG STEPPED ONTO THE HELICOPTER AND SETTLED HIMSELF in the rear co was at an end
He hated the place
Thirty million people consu the confluence of the Jialing and Yangtze rivers Under Mongol, Han, and Manchu rule it had been the eo it beca the Japanese invasion Noas a mix of old and new—mosques, Daoist temples, Christian churches, communist landmarks—a hot, humid, wretched place where skyscrapers broke the horizon
The chopper rose into a carbon-laced fog and vectored toward the northwest
He’d dismissed his aides and the captains
No spies would come on this part of the journey
This he must do himself
MALONE PAID HIS ADMISSION AND ENTERED TIVOLI PART amusement park, part cultural icon, the treed and flowered wonderland had entertained Danes since 1843 A national treasure, where old-style Ferris wheels, pantoravity-defying rides Even the Ger—easy to see how it inspired both Walt Disney and Hans Christian Andersen
He fled the main entrance and followed a flora-bordered central avenue Bulb gardens, roses, lilacs, as well as hundreds of lienious plan that, to hier than a mere twenty-one acres Scents of popcorn and cotton candy wafted in the air, along with the sounds of a Vienna waltz and big-band tunes He knew that Tivoli’s creator had justified the excess by advising Den themselves, they do not think about politics
He was faoda Within a leafy bower it stood four stories tall and faced a lake More than a hundred years old, its Asiatic ie adorned nearly every brochure that advertised Tivoli
A cadre of young boys, smartly dressed in red jackets, bandoliers, and bushy bearskin hats marched down an adjacent lane The Garden Guard, Tivoli’sband People lined the route and watched the parade All of the attractions were unusually crowded, given it was a Tuesday in May, the su only last week
He caught sight of the pagoda, three vertical repetitions of its base in di roofline and upturned eaves People strearound-floor restaurant More revelers occupied benches beneath the trees
Just before 2 PM
He was on time
Wandering ducks fro little fear He could not say the sa like the Justice Departent he’d been for twelve risky years The idea had been to retire early and flee the danger, beco a Danish bookseller, but the past two years had been anything but quiet
Think Pay attention
The computerized voice had said that once he was here he’d be contacted Apparently, Cassiopeia’s captors knew exactly what he looked like
“Mr Malone”
He turned
A wo than round, stood beside hi-lashed brown eyes added a mysterious quality Truth be known, he had a weakness for Oriental beauty She was smartly dressed in clothes cut to flatter her contours, which included a Burberry skirt wrapping her tiny waist
“I cae,” she said
He motioned with the envelope he held “This?”
She nodded
She was in her late twenties, casual in her ly unconcerned about the situation His suspicions were rapidly being confirmed
“Care to stay and have a late lunch?” he asked
She smiled “Another time”
“Sounds pro Hoould I find you?”
“I knohere your bookshop is”