While they waited, Driver fixed himself a scotch and soda, lit a cigar, and periodically scanned Spitz's bogus arms inventory. Bogner, meanwhile, already comfortable with the arms dealer identity, was content to stare down from the room's exterior balcony at Haikou's rushhour traffic. If he hadn't known better, he could have believed the commerce of the southern island city hinged solely on the lowly bicycle. They outnumbered the cars twenty, perhaps thirty, to one.
From where he stood, the colors around Haikou were more yellow than green now that the city had moved into the dry season. And, as their young taxi driver had informed them, the days were now supposedly cooler. That part Bogner found hard to believe. The temperature hovered in the mid-eighties and the air was close and damp.
He loosened his tie, unbuttoned his shirt collar, and stared out at the crowded freighter traffic in the harbor. He counted eleven ships, all but one flying the PRC or North Korean flag. The exception was a Dutch freighter, sitting low in the water. Outbound, it could have been headed for Macao or Hong Kongor, for that matter, up into the East China Sea.
In the sky over the lowland hills to the west of the city, there was an ominous cloud deck, occasional displays of distant lightning, and the even more remote rumble of infrequent thunder. It was, Bogner decided, a long way away.
As he watched the traffic, he seemed to be the only one paying any attention to it. It was as if the people of Haikou, scurrying through their late-evening routines, were oblivious to the world around them.
Bogner walked back into the room and glanced at his watch. Even though they had been expecting her, the concierge's knock on the door surprised him.
Bogner thought it was curious that the woman was calling to them through the door. ''Mister Boggs, Monsieur Cormea?" She was even speaking louder than necessary. "My name is Shu Li Wan. I am the concierge for the Haikou. I have instructions to deliver a message to you."
Bogner opened the door and stepped back. Spitz's contact was not at all what he had expected. She was tall, with soft, straight, ebony hair that hung down to her shoulders. She had a wide sensuous mouth, high, finely sculptured cheekbones, amused hazel eyes, and a demeanor that was decidedly more American than Asian. She wore a white linen business suit, tailored to accentuate a slim waist and her decidedly feminine proportions. The way she smiled, there was little doubt that Shu Li Wan was pleased she had caught the American, Bogner, off balance.
When Bogner closed the door after her, she lowered her voice. "You'll have to excuse the theatrics, gentlemen. I'm afraid your arrival in Haikou has caused quite a stir."
Driver frowned and motioned for the young woman to have a seat. He arched his eyebrows. "A stir?" he repeated. "What kind of stir?"
Shu Li laughed. "That louder-than-necessary greeting was for the benefit of the little man who is tailing you. Poor thing; he looks rather uncomfortable standing down there at the elevator, pretending to read the newspaper."
Driver looked at Bogner. "So much for Spitz's cover."
Shu Li assessed the two men. "Let's see, you would be Colonel Driver," she guessed, "and you would be Captain Bogner." It had been easy to single Bogner out because of his height and athletic build.
"Excellent," Bogner complimented her. "You've done your homework."
"Not at all. Your Mr. Packer was quite thorough. He faxed dossiersincluding photographs."
Then, while Driver and Bogner watched, Shu Li Wan opened her briefcase and produced two files. As an afterthought, she handed each of them a newspaper. "The China Daily," she said.
"It's sold at the newsstand in the lobby. It's the only English-language newspaper in China. Westerners make a habit of carrying it with them everywhere they go. You'll be even more conspicuous than you already are if you aren't carrying it."
Bogner ignored the file folder. "You said we had picked up a tail?"
Shu Li nodded. "Welcome to China. My country may be making noises like solid citizens in the world community, but I'm afraid Westerners are still curiosities in Haikou. Colonel Quan likes to know what's going on."
"Then we haven't blown our cover?" Bogner said.
"Quite the contrary. The moment you cleared customs, the word spread. I'd say the odds are good that even the customs officer who worked you through is on Quan's payroll. The mere fact that a couple of representatives of Toronto Jade got off the plane in Haikou is enough to raise more than a few eyebrows. It's a small town, and the comings and goings at Danjia generate most of the street talk around here."
"I'm curious, Miss Shu, just how much do you know?" Bogner asked.
The young woman gave Bogner her most engaging smile. "No more than I have to… That's the way my contacts in America like it. But I can tell you this much: Haikou's been a busy place since the Russians showed up."
"Russians?" Driver repeated.
Shu Li leaned back in the chair and crossed her legs. "It's my guess that they're interested in the same thing you are, Mr. Boggs."
"You mean the Su-39," Driver said. "Out of curiosity, do you think Colonel Quan is having them trailed as well?"
"Most assuredly."
"Okay, we're being tailed. We can live with that. When do we get started?" Bogner asked.
"There's no time like the present. But first I think we'd be smart to throw an element of confusion into the equation," she said. "And we do that by splitting up. A friend of mine has agreed to be Mr. Boggs's escort for the evening. You will like her, Colonel, she's an instructor at the university… and she speaks English."
"So what do we talk about?"
"I told Ti Minn that the two of you are here to do business with the Han Ki Po people at Danjia. Consequently, she will not be surprised if you ask questions about the Danjia installation. If you ask your questions in the right fashion, Colonel, you will learn a great deal. Traditional Chinese seldom volunteer information. Ti Minn used to be an instructor at Danjia before she received her appointment to the university."
"Just exactly how do we pull this off?" Driver asked.
"You and I will walk down to the elevator together. We will discuss quite vocally how your colleague is exhausted following your flight from Montreal. And since we are the ones who are leaving, the man who is supposed to be tailing you will do the obvious: He will follow us."
Driver waited.
"In the lobby, I will introduce you to Ti Minn and I will excuse myself to go to my office. It will be a simple matter for me to exit through the hotel offices and meet Captain Bogner in the service area at the rear of the building." She turned to Bogner. "Wait until the Colonel and I have taken the elevator, then proceed down the hallway to the right until you come to the service elevators. It will be marked with a qi. The symbol is a lowercase T with a tail on it. If anyone stops you, say Wo bu shufu.' That means you don't feel well. Then say 'Nali you yao,' which, loosely translated, is asking where you can buy medicine. Whatever happens, I'll be waiting for you near the service door. Got it?"
Bogner nodded.
When Shu Li and Driver left the room, Shu Li's conversation was overly animated. Bogner could hear her talking all the way down the hall and until the elevator door closed. Moments later, he heard another elevator door open and close, and when Bogner peered into the hall, the little man that had been standing near the bank of elevators was gone.
Bogner, heeding Shu Li's advice, slipped the copy of the China Daily under his arm, opened the door, and headed for the freight elevator.
Shu Li Wan was a rarity in Haikou. She owned her own car. And even though it was a Renault Dauphine of early-fifties vintage, only perhaps one of every two hundred and fifty citizens of the seaside city had a car at their disposal.