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Lincoln turned toward Kasier “That’s okay, Kaz, the fireworks also h Grant types”

“There’s still the question of weight,” Cabrillo said, ignoring the exchange “The Golden Buddha weighs six hundred pounds”

“Four ht without too much strain on their backs,” Julia Huxley said

“I think I’ll have Hanley and Nixon fabricate soestions?”

The crew continued planning the operation—Macau was just about a day’s sail away

THE chair Raidi Zhuren, was reading a report on the fighting just across the border in Nepal Last night, governents The ferocity of the attacks on the co 2002 After several years of growing rebel activity, the Nepalese governun to feel threatened and finally started to take firm action The United States had sent army Green Beret advisors to the area to coordinate strikes, and alrow

To prevent the fighting fro over across the border into Tibet, Zhuren had needed to call Beijing for additional troops to station theh mountain passes that led from Nepal to Tibet President Jintao had not been happy about the development In the first place, the cost to secure Tibet was increasing at a time the president wanted to cut costs In the second place, the Special Forces advisors added a dile American soldier ounded or killed by Chinese forces protecting the Tibet border, Jintao orried the situation ht spiral out of control and China would be embroiled in another Korea

What Legchog Zhuren did not knoas that Jintao was starting to consider Tibetwas critical—if the Tibetan people launched a popular uprising right now, China ht have another Tiananmen Square on its hands, and the world mood was not the same as in 1989 With the fall of coly close relations with the United States, any heavy-handed action against the Tibetan population ht be met with force from two fronts

American forces could be launched frohanistan, while Russian ground forces could sweep in froyzstan and Kazakhstan, as well as the area of far eastern Russia where it bordered northern Tibet Then there would be a free-for-all

And for what? A sally occupied?

The reward didn’t equal the risk Jintao needed to find face—and he needed it fast

8

WINSTON Spenser took his pen to paper to tally his ill-gotten gains The 3 percent coinal 200 million sale of the Golden Buddha was 6 million This was hardly a small sum In fact, it was just over five times Spenser’s income last year—but it was a drop in the bucket coain

In the first place, against the 6 million commission check, he had the cost of the decoy The fabricators in Thailand had charged nearly a million for that In the second place, the company he’d had hired in Geneva to transport the Golden Buddha to Macau and provide ared too much, a flat fee of 1 million for their services, while Spenser had quoted the billionaire a cost of one-tenth of that so as not to arouse suspicion Bribes now, and in the next few days, when Spenser was planning to transport the original out of Macau and into the United States, would run hiht at this instant, for all practical purposes, Spenser was broke

The art dealer had tapped all his available savings and business lines of credit to fund his nefarious operation—if he didn’t have the co before him on the table, he’d be in trouble If Spenser had not been coht be worried Tearing the slip of paper from the pad, he tore the note into tiny pieces, tossed the pieces in the toilet and flushed Then he poured hi hands It had taken Spenser a lifetime to build his reputation—and if his crione in seconds