Darkness Under Heaven Read Online Free PDF Page A

masterpiece. But there were a couple of visible ones, mainly for deterrence, tucked away in the corners. Theyweren’t panning. Avakian really wanted to see how long he could stand out there in plain sight, looking through his binos, before he was challenged. No risk involved. When it happened he’d just flash his credentials.
    But it didn’t seem like it was going to be happening anytime soon. The dirty little Chinese secret was that their number one security priority wasn’t terrorism but embarrassing political demonstrations. Human rights groups in general, but particularly the banned Falun Gong religious movement. Avakian knew that all he’d have to do was unfurl a banner and they’d be dropping onto him from the skies.
    He glanced at his watch to keep track of the response time, then went back to the binoculars. The stadium was getting boring, so he glassed around the area. No good-looking women in the general vicinity.
    He twisted at the hips to sweep through the green belt of grass and trees surrounding the stadium.
    And he would have missed it but for a little flash of sunlight on either glass or metal. Avakian halted his sweep and went back. A man sitting under a tree with a camera up to his face. A single lens reflex with a big telephoto lens attached.
    Interested now, Avakian kept watching him. And the guy kept working that camera, snapping photo after photo. It didn’t take long for Avakian to start feeling that drumbeat thump of adrenaline. A tourist would have taken a couple of snaps and moved on. Even someone doing an architectural study wouldn’t have taken that many. Or at least would have changed lenses or moved to another vantage point. But this guy stayed there and doggedly kept at it.
    You couldn’t do an attack without a reconnaissance ofthe target. So any good security officer wondering whether an attack was being planned always kept an eye out for the reconnaissance.
    Avakian took out his cell phone and flipped it open. He held the phone right up to his face so the camera lens was positioned directly over his right eye. Then he brought up the binoculars again so the left eyepiece was over his left eye, and the right was over the camera lens.
    Focusing the binoculars on the photographer, Avakian snapped a picture and immediately checked the screen. It worked. The binoculars acted just like a telephoto lens. But the guy’s camera was blocking his face.
    Now Avakian stopped and thought through his moves, because he might not get a second chance. It was worth a try. And if he flushed the quarry that might not necessarily be a bad thing. He set his cell phone camera to video, and began walking parallel to the shutterbug.
    He thought he’d be noticed, but the photographer was engrossed in his work. When he was almost directly opposite, he got the cell phone and binoculars ready. No, still snapping away. Avakian took a step. Nothing. He took another. He had to be in the line of sight. One more step. Then a little start from the photographer, and the telephoto swept up toward Avakian’s face. Avakian focused in and tripped the shutter.
    At the count of two the camera came down, revealing a startled Oriental face. Probably Chinese, but that wasn’t definite. Avakian kept shooting.
    Then the camera came back up again, and Avakian was looking down the barrel of the telephoto. But his own face was still obscured by the binoculars and cell phone. He offered the other party a big toothy grin. Just to see what that would do.
    The photographer sprang to his feet and headed in the opposite direction. Fast. Someone had a guilty conscience.
    Avakian followed. Trying to attract the attention of the Chinese police wouldn’t be any use, not with his language skills. And the pair who usually followed him around weren’t likely to come running over if he waved for them. He decided to trail the photographer from about thirty yards away, outside effective pistol range,