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ON A LOWER DECK, the captain of the ferry stood nervously by thetoward the patrol boat and locked in place Twenty armed soldiers came across, followed by several officers and a man in civilian clothes

The reasons for the stop had not been given and the captain knew better than to ask He held tight to the knowledge that he’d done everything they had ordered him to do and that, as far as he knew, there was no contraband on his ship

Behind the soldiers and their officers was the older man in civilian clothes—a rumpled suit that looked way slowly, clutching the rail for balance As he stepped onto the ferry, the officers and men stood at attention

“My name is Wen Li,” the older man said to the captain “Do you knoho I am?”

The captain grew more nervous now than before Party officials did not visit old ferries in the harbor—not without good reason He remained at attention as if he were a cadet on his first patrol Sweat trickled through his hair “It’s an honor to have you aboard, Minister I’m at your service What can I do for the Party today?”

Wen offered a kindly smile “You may relax, Captain I require only that you keep the ship secure until ers”

From inside his jacket pocket, Wen produced a folded sheet of paper and handed it to the captain On it were two na names to the captain—either European or American

The captain called for the purser In a moment, they had the cabin number “I’ll take you there myself,” the captain insisted

They went up three decks and then walked aft along the awked and then moved out of the captain’s way as he came toward them with the armed soldiers close behind

A glance back told the captain only a third of the troop was following He suspected others had been dispersed around the ship to block possible avenues of escape

Moving quickly, the captain checked the nu one door fro for “It’s that one,” he said, pointing and stepping aside

Wen nodded and motioned to one of the officers The soldiers moved past them Weapons were drawn, batons readied One ed forward His swift kick hit the door right beside the handle The door flew open, the fli apart in the effort Two soldiers rushed in with their batons

No combat ensued, no shouts of desperation or demands for submission Just chatter between the soldiers The tiny bathroom and small closet took only seconds to check

One of the soldiers eed “Cabin secure,” he said “They’re not here”