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“I anorant,” Pau said in nearly a whisper “You ca wanted that lamp”
Outside of his office, that fact was unknown Concern now rifled through him This old man was far better infor else occurred to hi?”
Pau shook his head “She wanted it for herself”
“So you allowed her to take it?”
“I thought it better than Minister Tang acquiring it I have anticipated that he ht come and, actually, was at a loss as to what to do This woman solved the problem”
His ed situation Pau Wen stared at his Ni had co a surprise visit to an elderly, ex-Chinese national would provide an easy opportunity Obviously, the surprise was not Pau’s
“You and Minister Tang are the two leading contenders for the presidency and premiership,” Pau said “The current holder of that office is old, his ti or Ni Everyone will have to choose their side”
He wanted to know, “Which side are you on?”
“The only one that matters, Minister China’s”
FIVE
COPENHAGEN
MALONE FOLLOWED THE CHINESE COURIER, HIS SUSPICIONS confir about what she was sent to retrieve, only to take what he offered Hell, she’d even flirted with hierous errand, and was also concerned about how much Cassiopeia’s captor knew The voice on the laptop had overnment experience—yet they’d sent an uninformed amateur
He kept the courier in sight as she eased her way through the crowd The route she was taking would lead theate in Tivoli’s northern boundary He watched as she passed through the exit, crossed the boulevard beyond, and reentered the Strøget
He stayed a block behind her as she continued her stroll
They passed several secondhand-book stores, the owners all competitors and friends, and countless outdoor tables for the ht at the Café Norden, which anchored the square’s east edge, and headed toward the steeple of Nikolaj, an old church that now served as a public exhibition hall She turned along a side street that led away froasin du Nord, Scandinavia’s most exclusive department store
People paraded in the streets, enjoying a collective joviality
Fifty yards away, cars and buses whizzed back and forth where the Strøget ended
She turned again
Away from the department store and the traffic, back toward the canal and the charred ruins of the Museum of Greco-Roman Culture, which still had not been rebuilt from a fire that had destroyed it last year Cassiopeia Vitt had appeared that night and saved his hide
Noas his turn to return the favor
Fewer people loitered here
Many of the 18th- and 19th-century structures, their façades long restored, had once been brothels frequented by Copenhagen’s sailors Apart professionals, dominated today
The woman disappeared around another corner
He trotted to where she’d turned, but a trash receptacle blocked the way He peered around the plastic container and spied a narrow alley closed in by walls of cru bricks
The woman approached a man He was short, thin, and anxious She stopped and handed over the envelope Thein Chinese Malone did not have to hear as said to understand Clearly, he kneas expected, and it damn asn’t a book
He slapped her face
She was thrown back and struggled to regain both her balance and composure A hand went to her wounded cheek
The man reached beneath his jacket
A gun appeared
Malone ay ahead of hi out, “Hey”
The rabbed the wo the barrel of his weapon into her neck
“Toss the gun in that trash bucket,” the lish
He was deciding whether to risk it, but the terrified look on the woman’s face told him to comply
He dropped the gun over the container’s edge, which thu that little else lay inside