Darkness Under Heaven Read Online Free PDF

and see what happened.
    But he did get on the phone to Commissioner Zhou, imagining how his second call of this kind would go over.
    â€œColonel Avakian, how are you this morning?”
    â€œCommissioner, I’m at the Olympic Green. And I’m following someone who was scouting the Indoor Stadium.”
    Another pause at the other end of the phone. “Are you certain of this?”
    â€œHe took so many photos of the building that if he wasn’t doing reconnaissance he’s planning on building a replica in his backyard. And now he’s fleeing the scene just like he stole something.”
    Another pause to digest that, then Commissioner Zhou was back to business. “Where are you?”
    â€œHeading south past the eastern side of the Aquatic Center. I’m following a male, Asian, midtwenties, about—” Avakian strained to do the math “—175 centimeters tall, about 63 kilograms. Brown hair. Red short-sleeve shirt, blue jeans, running shoes.” Then he thought better of it. “You might want to give your people my description, I’m a little more distinctive.”
    â€œWait, please.”
    Avakian could hear him issuing orders into another phone. He did some calculations. A call to a radio dispatcher. Ordering some cops to the right place. The cops getting to the right place. It would take time.
    Commissioner Zhou came back on the phone. “I have people on the way to you. Where are you now?”
    â€œJust took the turn heading west along the southern side of the Aquatic Center. I think he’s heading for the Beisihuan Zhonglu ring road.” Then something else occurred to him. “If anything should happen, Commissioner, I’ve got his photo on my cell phone.”
    â€œAssistance is on the way to you, Colonel.”
    Avakian was looking through his binoculars again. The photographer was on his own cell phone. Maybe summoning his own help. A fine reminder to not get fixated on the target and keep an eye out for an ambush.
    A siren started wailing in the distance, then another. Wonderful, Avakian thought. They just had to announce their arrival. That was the trouble with police states—they never had to walk softly.
    The sirens goaded the photographer into a flat-out run. Which confirmed to Avakian that he was definitely following the right guy. He jammed the binoculars into his jacket pocket and matched the stride. “We’re running now,” he informed Commissioner Zhou. “Heading west, almost past the Aquatic Center.” And almost at the edge of the Olympic Green. Running in dress shoes wasn’t the easiest thing in the world. The situation was going to become problematic once they got out into Beijing traffic.
    In the distance Avakian could see a group of about six Chinese on the walkway. The photographer ran right through them. As he did they blocked him from sight, and Avakian kept leaping up as he ran to try and see over them.
    But the Chinese were spread across the walkway, and Avakian couldn’t see a damn thing.
    As he ran up on them they all had their hands outstretched. Two women and four men all carrying their lunch bags. He thought they were trying to warn him about something, so he slowed down. But one look at their faces as they closed in around him told him just how wrong he’d been.
    One of the women started yelling at him. That kicked things off and the rest joined in. This wasn’t good. Avakian glanced around them, but the photographer had disappeared from sight. As his own anger flared up, he almost automatically took the kind of action he would have in Latin America. But in China, and with his quarry gone, it wouldn’t be worth all the trouble it would cause. Though the sight of those snarling faces had him clenching his fist. Trying to talk to them or showing any subservient posture at all would only encourage them. Instead he spoke quickly into his cell phone. “Commissioner, right now I