Page 14 (1/2)
The next several hours were crazy She gathered sos from her office and ator Lo drove her and David back to the co, Hulan visited her mother and wrote out instructions for the nurse When it caain of Zai’s plan There was such unease between her and David now, but the possibilities of this trip kindled the first sexual thoughts she’d had in a long time She was ee with David and unsure whether David would be at all interested in her any about the whole situation that ht definition for her state ofto happen—how could it after everything that had passed between her and David?—but she owed it to Zai to try When it didn’t work out, she would be able to tell him she’d done her best out of respect for him
At 9:00 PM, Investigator Lo picked up David and Hulan to take theist Fong to go ahead and do further tests on the notebook paper found in Brian McCarthy’s pocket Lo should also begin gathering data on all the foreigners and Chinese officials at the site It wouldn’t hurt if he took a look at Director Ho’s dangan too, for he seeot to Bashan, she would obtain a copy of the police report on Brian’s death from the local Public Security Bureau
When she concluded, Lo glanced at her in the rearview mirror and said, “I still don’t understand why Vice Minister Zai has ordered o with you”
She sensed rather than saw David’s amused smile
“It’s not our place to question the vice minister’s orders,” Hulan answered steadily
Zai’s plans didn’t quite work out the way he’d envisioned After landing in Chongqing at 1:30 in the , Hulan and David shared a double bed at the Holiday Inn They both kept to their sides of the bed andof consequence either then or a couple of hours later, when they got up to go to the Chaotian ferry that would take them downriver to Bashan Their room was private and mercifully equipped with bunk beds But as they slowly floated down the Yangzi, Hulan found herself thinking about her husband, and about Zai’s plan
Around noon, Hulan and David went to the dining rooet atable They’d left the city behind and were once again deep in the vastness of China’s interior After lunch they stayed where they were, nibbling peanuts, sipping tea, and watching the world unfurl before theether in months Hulan was nervous, but as David chatted idly about the river she found herself noticing how relaxed he seemed He had always been a handsome man and easy to talk to His brown hair showed just a trace of gray at the tely Here, away frolimpses of the person she’d fallen in love with
Later, after dinner, they spent a little time on deck The air was still warm, and the humidity settled on their skin in a soft sheen When David took her hand, she didn’t pull away But when they’d gone back to their cabin, he had undressed, gotten into the top bunk, and gone to sleep She lay awake for a long while, feeling the gentleto David’s breathing above her, and wondering if there truly was a way to cross the gulf that had formed between them
But there was another thing to think about She was afraid of this ht backwoht factory have to end the way they had? Could she have done anything differently? These thoughts inevitably led her to Chaowen Could Hulan have done so differently when Chaowen first fell ill? Wasn’t there sohter and failed as an investigator, but wasn’t it too cruel that she had failed as a , and the feelings they stirred in her pushed her out of bed As she took out her Luger, cleaned it, then repacked it, the recri She didn’t know if she’d learned from her mistakes—any of them
Just before dawn they were roused by a shipwide announcee, the first of the Three Gorges David and Hulan hurried out onto the deck and stood at the prow looking downriver The air felt as thick as a swaan to blotch the cotton Hulan dabbed at her forehead and the back of her neck with a handkerchief But this was a new day, and she took David’s hand He was cautious enough not to risk looking at her, but he squeezed her hand to acknowledge her gesture Each of theestion, so be it
The deck hummed with excitement Even those for whoainst the railings to watc
h as the ferry entered the gorge Two large iant peaks hidden in mist The water churned turbulent clouds of yellow silt as the ferry fought its way through the drah overhead Rain and time had caused crevasses to fory forms
The voice on the loudspeaker recited, “The Qutang Gorge is eight kilo It is the shortest but es The widest point is just one hundred and fiftythis part of the river one of the deepest in the world The river has been known to rise fro monsoon season”
Two elderly women with thick Sichuan accents elbowed their way to the railing next to Hulan
“Please note the old towpath,” the voice on the loudspeaker continued “In olden days our country ropes” Static rendered the next part of the ible, but one of the women next to Hulan pointed up the cliff on the southern bank and jabbered animatedly Toward the top were coffins that the Ba people had attached to the sheer rock face thousands of years ago The static cleared, and the announcer directed passengers to observe other highlights The ferry came around a bend in the river, and Hulan saw a painted linethe future water level The upperrandeur would disappear