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Hulan felt a few drops of rain and looked around for shelter

“What about the other deaths?” David asked as the drops became heavier

Ma’s lips curled disapprovingly “I’ve discussed these accidents with the Public Security Bureau If they are of no concern to our local officials, why should they be of concern to a foreigner?”

“Because I was hired by your boss to inquire about them”

Ma nodded curtly, then said, “You have to forgive me In our country innocent people are often blamed for crimes or misdeeds where none have occurred”

The sky finally opened up, and it began to pour Ma grabbed Hulan’s are David scra to a cave The three ducked inside

Ma shook the water off his hat and wiped his face “It’srain every afternoon, but this is supposed to be a big storm It shouldn’t affect us too much up here, where the river will riseis predicted below the dam site however The land flattens down there, and the floodwaters sometimes spread out miles beyond the riverbanks”

The day was so hot that the rain should have been a relief, but the heat had not subsided Yet a cool breeze coan to envelop the fruit Hulan thought for a moment she heard a baby’s cry, but then the sound ed by the cave’s echoing silence This place was creepy, but the two men didn’t seem to mind

“It’s a long walk back to caested He squatted peasant-style, his knees drawn up to his chest He looked out at the rain and began answering David’s earlier question “We’ve had other deaths out here I can’t deny it, but I can’t take full responsibility for them either”

He looked around, reached for a stick, and began to trace in the soft earth of the cave floor the route they’d taken from Bashan dock all the way to this little cove “We’ve co parallel to what’s known as the Unlocked Gates Gorge—two peaks on the other side of the river That’s here,” he said, jabbing an x just across from where they were now “It’s not one of the official Three Gorges because it doesn’t straddle the river and isn’t very long or drae On one side of the gorge about on Platforon Pillar You can see them from the river”

He drew another line extending north from the town “Bashan sits on the banks of a streae over that streaed in phase one of inundation, so a new one was built on higher ground but not very well, apparently Peng, Dang, and Sun were day workers who lived in the hills They were crossing the new bridge when it collapsed”

Ma’s words seemed distant as he conjured up the accident “Inspector, I’ers of ‘tofu construction’ And I’m sure I don’t need to tell you about the corruption that’s happening along the river in regard to the das have failed What I don’t understand, though, is your interest in the collapse of our bridge when there have been others with greater fatalities” He lengthened the line for the Yangzi, then ave way downstrea eleven people And what about the collapse in Chongqing? Forty people dead Eighteen of theues, Inspector Who’s concerned about them?”

He cocked his head as if so had just occurred to him “And our three workers weren’t the only ones to die on that bridge Did you know that? Peng alking with his wife, mother-in-law, and five-year-old son There were also a couple of far into Bashan to sell their produce at the town market”

“I assuated the collapse,” Hulan said

Ma jutted his chin dismissively “Captain Hom is the contractor’s brother-in-law”