“That’s right.”
“Will you e-mail me the list of those legit investments right away?”
“I could do that.” He added curiously, “Why?”
“I’m not sure. It may be nothing, or it may be an answer. How quick can you get it to me?”
“Thirty minutes.”
“Good. Do it.” That sounded too curt and she didn’t want him to drag his feet because he was annoyed with her. Besides, he was doing this against his will. “Thanks, Venable.”
“You’re welcome,” he said dryly. He hung up.
She leaned back in her seat.
Thirty minutes.
It was going to be a long thirty minutes.
“Your eyes are brilliant, your cheeks are flushed.” Hu Chang was coming down the aisle toward her. “I believe I’m perceiving signs of success.” He stopped and looked down at her. “I thought it might be so. It was interesting watching you work these last hours. Would you like to share it with me?”
“No. You weren’t overly cooperative about sharing everything with me. You made me dive in and work all the details out for myself. I may feel generous after I finish putting everything together.” She made a face at him. “Or I may not.”
“I hope you will,” he said. “And you might consider why I was not eager for you to learn too much. I knew I probably could not keep you from tearing away all the veils, but there was the slightest chance…”
“You were protecting Cameron.”
“No, I was protecting you,” he said soberly. The next instant, he had turned and was walking back up the aisle to his seat.
She stared after him. The excitement of the previous moment was gone, quenched by Hu Chang’s uncharacteristic gravity. There was no question of his sincerity and she felt a sudden chill.
She moved her shoulders to shake it off. Was he protecting her from Cameron? The path she was following might very well lead to a confrontation with him.
She couldn’t worry about it now. She wasn’t going to stop until she’d solved all the puzzles and answered all the questions. Then she’d deal with Cameron and Kadmus and anyone else who would prove a threat to Erin.
She just wished Venable would hurry with that information so that she could begin.
Her e-mail alert tinged softly forty minutes later. She hurriedly accessed Venable’s message. Not really a message. Just a fairly long list of companies in which Kadmus had an interest. She went over the list of names quickly. She didn’t recognize most of them. They were Chinese and Indian, no English or American. She wasn’t even sure that she’d find the connection for which she was looking. Kadmus was boldly arrogant but he still might have decided to go undercover with this particular investment. She started checking addresses for each company.
She stopped at the fourth company from the bottom.
Yunnan Province. She had run across that location in the last Google lotus research she’d gone through.
She quickly typed in the name of the Chinese company in Yunnan Province.
She inhaled sharply. Her heart leaped to her throat.
Bingo.
* * *
“His name is Cameron,” Brasden said as he got off the helicopter and strode over to Kadmus. “I couldn’t get a first name. Hell, maybe that is his first name. But I don’t think so. Those villagers said that name Cameron as if it stood alone, as if he stood alone. They were friendly at first and then closed up the more I questioned them. No one seemed to know anything much about him. Some people thought he was a journalist, others thought he might be a spy from Beijing. Most of them only knew he was just a Westerner who moved in and out of the villages throughout Tibet.”
“Did he hire guides?”
Brasden shook his head. “No guides. He visited several monasteries, but I thought you wouldn’t want the monks disturbed until you were ready to move on them. It tends to cause a lot of outrage among the people when the monks are targeted. I left a few men to watch the monasteries and see if anyone of his description showed up at any of them.”
“No, I’m not ready yet to go after them.” He’d had his own experience with those damn religious fanatics when he’d kicked them out of Daksha. They’d clung to the villagers and caused him nothing but trouble. He’d rather go after Cameron at a place easier for him to control. “Keep on searching. You have a name. That should help.”
“I also have the name of the pilot who delivered them to Hong Kong. George Tashdon. They transferred to another flight at a private airport outside the city.”
“Going where?”
“I’m still working on it.” He held up his hand. “I know the name of that pilot, too. Jack Sen. Be patient. I’ll have it all for you within a few days.” He paused. “Don’t you think I deserve a reward?”
Kadmus’s gaze narrowed on Brasden. “What do you have in mind?”
“Just a small cut of the pie that you’re trying to devour all by yourself. Who is Cameron to you? Tell me, and I’ll serve him up to you with all the fixings.”
Who was Cameron to him? He was the answer. The guide to everything he’d always wanted to be. If he had Cameron, he could force him to make all the dreams of power come true.
“I’ll consider it.” Kadmus moved toward his jeep. “Find out where Jack Sen is taking them. Cameron won’t risk leaving them on their own. Follow Erin and Ling, and we have a chance of finding Cameron.”
I have your name, Cameron. I know what you look like. I know you have a weakness for Erin Sullivan.
I’ve got you in my sights, Cameron.
CHAPTER
11
“How are you doing?” Catherine sat down in the seat next to Erin. “Whenever I looked up from working, you were always snoozing.” She set her computer on the table between the seats. “Best thing for you, of course.”
“I’m doing fine,” Erin said quietly. “These long flights can be exhausting, but I’ve always been able to sleep on them. From the time I became a journalist, I’ve always considered that a blessing.” She paused. “But evidently you didn’t choose to sleep on this one.” She glanced down at Catherine’s computer. “The one or two times I looked back at you, I saw you pounding those computer keys.” Her gaze rose to Catherine’s face. “And now you’re here and smiling at me and about to pounce. Just what were you doing back there?”
“I was doing searches on the little information that I’ve been given and trying to make educated guesses.” She added, “And ‘pounce’ is a word you use about an enemy. I’m not your enemy. I’ll never be your enemy. You must have a good reason for keeping me in the dark, but I can’t stay there. It’s not my nature. I had to find a way to let light into the darkness.”
Erin stiffened. “And how did you do that?”
Catherine took a deep breath, then threw it at her. “Shambhala.”
Erin’s eyes flickered. Her lips tightened. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
But there had been a definite response, Catherine thought. Erin knew the word, and it had been a shock to her coming from Catherine.
“I’m talking about a place that’s said to be a hidden paradise that was supposed to be the center of wisdom in the highlands of central Asia. Its inhabitants’ prime goal in life was to store power and knowledge and prepare the way to start life over after the outer world had destroyed itself. Its existence has been rumored for thousands of years in the myths of India, China, and even Europe.”
“Really?”
“You haven’t heard about it? That’s strange when you’ve been living intimately with the people of Tibet. Shambhala is an essential part of their culture.”
“I’m a journalist, not a historian.”
“I think you do know about it. But I’m not going to try to make you betray yourself or your word or whatever.” She smiled. “That would be pouncing. Instead, I’ll tell you how I came around to finding Shambhala.” She gestured to Erin’s necklace. “I thought that could be the key, so I googled eight-sided lotus and spent hours trying to find a clue.”