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The wo which she gestured at Sam, at the telephone, and at the concourse and which included shrugs, head shaking, and apologies Both cops spoke with the monotone formality of cops all over the world

The woo?”

Saht one up on his cell phone and held it up for the others to study The cop who didused the radio on his belt, then put it back Through the airline woman he said, “We’d like you to come with us We’ll try to help”

Sam thanked the women and hurried off with the police officers They went into another of the nondescript, unmarked doors off the concourse They took Sam into an office with several police officers at desks and others watching televisionman with blond hair and a scholarly demeanor, said, “Sir? Please sit here and I’ll take your report”

Salish “I’ My wife has disappeared and thathas happened to her”

“We have to start with the report and then the help” The next tenwhat had happened, describing Re the cop and others the picture on his phone

“I took that picture only a few hours ago, before we got on the plane in Budapest”

The young man asked Sam to e-mail him the picture, then downloaded it He explained what he was doing as he sent it to various police substations in the airport, then to the cell phones of patrolmen and plainclothes officers around it

Sa They kne to find so her He felt a little foolish for feeling so pessimistic about them at first

The cop asked ate he and Reone off to the restroo this information to soators looking at the surveillance tapes of those areas to pick out your wife and see where she went”

For the next half hour Sa The cops came in and out, answered phones, and conferred with one another Nobody spoke to hi at him surreptitiously He was painfully, fearfully aware that in this kind of eency, seconds counted He didn’t want conversation, he wanted them to find Remi, so he remained silent and watched Then the half hour was an hour, then two hours He called the house in La Jolla and left a

When two and a half hours had passed, several cops came in who had different uniforms—outdoor uniforms The fabric, boots, belts, and hats were black These men were also more heavily armed than the airport police

When Sam had first come in, officers had smiled at him “Don’t worry This is the most important Russian airport It’s like a bank vault Nobody can steal a woman from here” Later on, another had said, “This place isin your country Even if a wo” Still later, it becaates”

When it was tios’ plane for Kazakhstan to board, Saate and scanned the waiting area, showed the airline personnel pictures of Re and pursed lips They stayed until the door to the jetas locked, the jetas retracted from the plane, and the plane was pushed out onto the tarmac

Saraceful for to catch the plane He just saw thousands of busy, preoccupied passengers, trying to keep track of their belongings and their children, as they ates