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“We must be ready to act with short notice,” he said to the others “For reatly enhance our position, perhaps even grant us a do how China lives,our future”
“You sound confident”
“Their missionaries and educators tried to modernize and Christianize us The Japanese wanted to conquer us The Americans attempted to democratize us The Soviets tried to insinuate control They all failed Even worse, we experireat civilization” He paused “We shall once again be ere”
He saw that the reed with him
“And what of thefrom him”
“Rest assured,” he made clear “He is with us”
TWENTY-SEVEN
ANTWERP
CASSIOPEIA PASSED THROUGH ANOTHER OF THE MUSEUM’S round-floor rooed around a central hall frohts She passed the sa clock and two Chinese-style cases that held expensive curios A porcelain gallery opened to her right, the 18th-century tables littered with ivories, enaade Glasvaerker collectibles Through a main hall, divided by four Ionic columns, she found a rear staircase, most likely once used by the household staff
She started to climb
Her entry had been easy She knew that many of these old places were not alarmed Instead, interior motion sensors were the security of choice, but on her first visit she hadn’t noticed any Perhaps it was thought that there was nothing here thieves would waste ti, or maybe it was a matter of cost
She kept her steps light, her senses alert, the gun at her side She stopped at the first landing and glanced down to the ground floor, her ears attuned to every sound But she heard nothing
She shook away her apprehension
Just get the laet out
MALONE HAD NO IDEA WHERE HE WAS HEADED, BUT THE THREE men ahead of hih the roo the tracker, which the one man still held He stayed back and used furniture for cover, careful with his rubber soles on the ht and airy during the day thanks to bay s that opened to the rear garden
He peered into the gloos of enamel and carved wood To his left opened a wainscoted room lined alls that appeared to be leather He could still smell the roses, lilacs, and hawthorn outside the terrace doors He was crouched behind a high-backed upholstered chair, waiting for the three to head farther inside
To his left, movement drew his a
ttention
Three h the terrace door
He stayed low and used the darkness to his advantage
Two of the newcoe, and in the tiny bursts of light that caht the face Definitely an older man
One of theacross his shoulder
Don’t see that every day
All three crept in silence, then stopped, the olderthe one with the boho quickly disappeared into thetwo hesitated, then advanced
Malone fled the rooone, and headed toward the front, finding the main entrance
Behind a s desk, which seeift shop He stepped inside, careful to keep his attention on what
He spotted a booklet that described the rabbed it and stepped to aOn the inside rear cover was a map of the four floors He noted three staircases and many rooms On the third level was a space labeled CHINESE BOUDOIR No other roonation
Was that where Cassiopeia had hidden the lamp?
He grabbed his bearings and decided to use one of the secondary staircases
CASSIOPEIA CAME TO THE TOP OF THE STAIRS AND QUICKLY ed mirrors lined the walls and a rich parquet sheathed the floor Oriental porcelain sat atop carved chests It had been one of those, a red lacquered cabinet with a refined finish, that had solved her problem Surely, she’d reasoned, the cabinets weren’t inspected on a regular basis From all she’d been able to learn this was athat merely preserved the formality and taste of a once-wealthy owner, which at least for a few days could provide a convenient hiding place
Quickly she reentered the boudoir, stepped to the cabinet and opened the doors The la to carry it in She’d find a bag later, she figured, and taking a train directly to Copenhagen was beginning to sound like a good idea Once there, she could decide on her next move
She lifted out the lamp
A dragon’s head, on a tiger’s body, ings She’d noticed at Pau Wen’s residence that the lamp contained some sort of liquid, its mouth sealed ax
A noise rose from behind