by Bobby Akart
Kwon looked back to Harper and nodded his head toward the door. Her job was to join Fangyu in the car and have her weapon ready in case they had to shoot their way out of the city. As she began to leave, she noticed Kwon approach Dr. Zeng. The weary doctor had managed a smile. They’d made contact and everything appeared safe.
Five minutes later, Kwon joined Harper and Fangyu in the car while Dr. Zeng and his companion walked down the sidewalk toward another vehicle. Kwon took the front seat and explained.
“Okay, we’ve found the right guy,” began Kwon as he reached under Fangyu’s seat to retrieve his weapon. He carefully slid the suppressed Sig Sauer 9 millimeter onto the seat next to him before covering it with a blanket. “His name is Dr. Basnet Dema. He supervises the infirmary at the military base located at the airport complex.”
“That complicates things if we have to go there,” said Fangyu. “There is usually heavy security around the installations.”
“We’re going to have the opportunity to ask him about that,” added Kwon. He pointed ahead to get Fangyu to focus on following Dr. Basnet. “He’s taking us to his home, which he assures us is safe. Let’s hear what he has to say before we take the next step.”
Fangyu pulled out onto the street and crept up on the back of Dr. Basnet’s vehicle. They drove south out of town on a winding road that led through a valley cut into the mountains by the Lhasa River. Kwon studied the GPS and the accompanying map. He was feeling uneasy.
“I don’t see many residential areas between here and the airport. My understanding was we were going to his home.”
The doctor turned on his blinker and slowed as a gravel road appeared on their right. He turned up the slight incline and sped up the hill between several rocky outcroppings. As they crested the rise, the road leveled off and a modest, rectangular home came into view. Its exterior was a sand-colored stucco and it was surrounded by rocks and dirt. A two-car carport was supported by two heavy wood beams.
The doctor parked first and exited his car. He motioned for Fangyu, who’d rolled down his window, to pull under the carport as well. He spoke to them for the first time. Harper immediately noticed the speech impediment. After recalling his mannerisms in the store, she determined he might be afflicted with Parkinson’s disease.
After everyone had exited their cars, they gathered by the entry door and made their introductions. Dr. Basnet’s misgivings about their weapons gave way to his intrigue with Harper. Most of the Americans he’d dealt with in his medical career were men, and the women he’d met were never as remarkable as Harper.
“Please come in,” he said in English. “I hope you don’t mind if I practice my English on you, Dr. Randolph. At times, I may have to switch to my native tongue, but you seem to have a very capable translator.” He nodded toward Kwon.
“Yes, Dr. Basnet, that would be appreciated,” said Harper. She glanced around the open living space once they were all inside. The interior was paneled with wood and contained exquisitely ornate cabinetwork. She was immediately drawn to it. “Dr. Basnet, these cabinets are incredible.”
“Thank you. They were a hobby for me before …” His voice trailed off.
“Parkinson’s?” she asked.
“Yes, you are very observant. I have early stages. The disease has prevented me from doing many of the things I love.”
Kwon sat quietly while Harper exchanged pleasant conversation with Dr. Basnet. It was the proper thing to do and expected by a Tibetan who’d invited you into their home for the first time. However, he was understandably concerned with their exposure to the surveillance cameras located within the Miniso store. In his mind, they needed to gather their information as quickly as possible and move on to the next lead.
He spoke in Chinese. “Dr. Basnet, please forgive my sense of urgency, but we must move quickly for two reasons. One, the disease is spreading rapidly, from what we can see in Lhasa. Secondly, we believe there has been a bulletin disseminated by the MSS and the Security Police to locate Dr. Zeng, his nephew, and possibly Dr. Randolph.”
The old Tibetan doctor nodded his agreement and replied in English, “I am aware of the postings in the governmental buildings concerning Dr. Zeng. I was sent one to post as well at the base, and inadvertently deleted the email.” A smile came over his face as he made eye contact with Harper. The older gentleman was clearly smitten with her.
She asked, “Doctor, have you been in contact with a patient who has contracted this mysterious disease? Perhaps at the local hospital?”
“No, not recently. My experience occurred early on. At my medical facility located at the Lhasa Gonggar Airport, I am the administrator of the infirmary and pathology lab for the 85th Air Defense Brigade. I am not a soldier, nor am I loyal to the PLA. I am my own man.” He sat a little taller in his chair, his pride swelled in his chest.
Harper continued. “I was told you had treated a helicopter pilot. Did you perform an autopsy?”
“No. The young man had no family, and his commanding officers forgot about him. His body is still kept in a refrigerated cadaver locker.”
“For how long?” she asked.
“Eight days.”
Harper winced. After twenty-four hours, a body would need some level of embalming. After a week, it begins to decompose despite the embalming fluid and the refrigeration. However, it was something.
“Dr. Basnet, I have to ask. Are you capable of performing an autopsy?”
He winked and smiled. “Fortunately, my hands have received only limited effects of the Parkinson’s.” He held them up, palms down for a moment. They didn’t shake, much. “I can no longer operate on live patients. The autopsy would not be a concern.”
“I can assist, of course,” said Harper.
Dr. Basnet sighed. “Naturally, I would have no objection. However, base security would not approve. We must smuggle you into the infirmary.”
“Do you have a suggestion?” asked Kwon.
“I do. It will require the assistance of a friend, but he can be trusted.” He turned to Fangyu. “He is the young man who put me in touch with you. He comes from a family of sherpas and is a true Himalayan—not Chinese and certainly not a Communist.”
“How will we do this?” asked Kwon.
“It will require the use of an ambulance and two body bags. If they are available.”
Harper scooted forward on her chair to get Dr. Basnet’s attention. “The ambulance?”
“No,” he replied. “The body bags. Most are occupied at the moment.”
Chapter Forty-Four
Near Lhasa Gonggar Airport
Lhasa, Tibet, China
A light snow was falling when their ride arrived. The all-white Toyota van with a raised roofline pulled to a stop outside Dr. Basnet’s home. A young man in his late twenties emerged, wearing the navy-blue uniform of the Tibet Ambulance Service, and greeted the group. He’d procured two body bags from the hospital where he borrowed the ambulance with the help of his girlfriend, an assistant in the hospital’s transportation department. They would have use of the ambulance for a few hours, but because Dr. Basnet only lived three miles from the airport, their task was easily achieved in that time span.
The talkative young man, who identified himself as Yeshi, was proud of the fact he was able to locate two body bags. He, like so many others, seemed to enjoy the opportunity to speak English with an American. He and Harper hit it off immediately, so she took a moment to joke with him before they left.
“About these body bags, um, they’re not used, are they?”
“Used?” he asked.
“You know. Recycled. Previously occupied. Rinsed out for our benefit.”
The young man began to laugh. “No, lady. They are brand new. I do have to return them, however.”
“Well, I will try not to die in it,” said Harper. She turned to wave to Dr. Zeng and Fangyu, not considering she might not see them again. They wished her luck and she climbed into the rear of the ambulance to join Kwon.
Dr. Basnet had already left for the infirmary to confirm there wasn’t any extraordinary security. He would call the driver, Yeshi, and warn him to return to the house if it wasn’t safe. Before they pulled away, Harper and Kwon slid into the body bags and sat upright on the gurneys. During the five-minute ride, Yeshi explained who he was.
“I have been employed by the hospital in the past as a driver. This is why my credentials are still active. In the spring months, I assist my family as a sherpa. We Himalayans know Everest and the surrounding mountains better than any other. During the months when the climbing is forbidden, I make extra money for the hospital. Really, my favorite job pays nothing, but it is very rewarding.”
“Are you also a citizen journalist?” asked Kwon.
“I am, proudly.”
“You have a lot of friends,” Kwon added as he contemplated the vast network of citizen journalists. “Aren’t you concerned about getting caught by the Security Police?”
“Yes, of course. That’s the excitement of it. I grew up a mountain climber. I can scale the jagged cliffs of Everest as well as anybody. To some, the threat of death provides a thrill. Not for me. The possibility of capture by the Party sets my heart racing more than the sight of a beautiful woman.” He glanced at Harper through his rearview mirror, causing her to blush.
“We saw incinerators in the city,” said Harper. “Are there more?”
“Oh, yes. Convenience police posts, too.”
“What are those?” asked Kwon.
“The Communist Party believes Tibetans are inferior, yet they are obsessed with our sense of independence. Last year, they announced a stability maintenance campaign to be initiated in Lhasa.”
“Let me guess,” began Kwon. “They’re still obsessed with followers of the Dalai Lama.”
“Very good, sir! You are correct. The first stability maintenance campaign took place fifteen years ago in the time of the 14th Dalai Lama. After his death during the pandemic, the 15th Dalai Lama, his reincarnated self, was revealed. The Party claimed the right to choose him. Foolish atheists. Their time will come in the afterlife.”
“Is the increased Security Police presence a result of this campaign to, I assume, reprogram Tibetans?” asked Harper.
“Yes, that is exactly what it is. They are arresting many for political offenses and forcing them through a trial for treason or giving them the option to be reprogrammed, as you call it. The convenience police posts are operated by the MSS and the Security Police dispatched from Beijing. They don’t even trust their own minions in Lhasa. The only thing convenient about these new locations is the numerous built-in holding cells and the ability to make people disappear.”
“Wow,” said Harper.
Yeshi laughed at Harper’s response. “Yes, wow. Do you see why this is far more exhilarating than climbing a tired old mountain?”
“I suppose,” she replied, although Harper had dreamed of climbing Mount Everest as a child. The closest she got to her dream was climbing Mount LeConte in the Great Smoky Mountains during a family trip to Gatlinburg, Tennessee, as a young girl.
Yeshi continued to enlighten his passengers. “There is a growing outrage in Tibet over the stability maintenance campaign and the deaths from this new mysterious disease. They are angered because the People’s Government, led by a puppet of the Party, refuses to disclose the nature of the disease and how widespread it is. Instead, they deliver incinerators and burn up the evidence.”
Harper was amazed at the local knowledge this young man possessed. “Are the other citizen journalists assisting in spreading information?”
“Yes. There are images circulating on WeChat and other social media sites of medical personnel carrying out bloodied clothing in rubbish bags at all hours of the night. Dead bodies have been left on gurneys outside the entrances to hospitals because everyone is afraid to handle them. My girlfriend cries at night out of frustration and exhaustion.”
“Why don’t they speak out?”
“Because of Wuhan,” he replied bluntly. “The Security Police have taken control of the hospital administrator duties. Each facility has a full-time arbitrator who removes staff who speak of the mysterious disease. They rule through fear.”
Kwon and Harper exchanged glances. They were surrounded by vipers and had been fortunate to avoid being caught up in the massive Orwellian surveillance network imposed on China’s citizens in every major city. Harper recalled the conversation she’d had with Kwon about luck. One statement left unsaid was that luck can run out.
Yeshi glanced back at them and let them know he was approaching the military base.
“Okay, I must insist you bag-up. I don’t expect the guards to look in the back. Everyone is afraid of this new disease, and when I tell them the bodies are going to the quarantine cooler, they will wave us through.”
Harper and Kwon quickly got into position. They pulled the body bag zippers closed from the inside and then gently rested their hands on their guns. They were headed into the den of the lions and might need an assist to get out.
Part V
Follow Your Nose
You do not have to know where you are going to be headed in the right direction.
~ Pei Wei Fortune Cookie
Chapter Forty-Five
Military Quarantine Facility
85th Air Defense Brigade
Lhasa Gonggar Airport
Lhasa, Tibet, China
After Yeshi cleared security and backed the ambulance to the intake doors at the infirmary, Dr. Basnet welcomed Kwon and Harper before leading them into his office. At this late hour, the infirmary was empty. He took a seat at his desk and quickly reviewed his WeChat account regarding news reports of unexplained outbreaks in Europe. The spread of the virus was slow but certain, if the cases developing worldwide were connected.
Harper and Kwon were quiet and respectful as the elderly doctor concentrated on the messages. Under the circumstances, it wasn’t easy to read a post. The text was filled with emojis, symbols, unnecessary words and inconsequential references. It hearkened back to the days of World War II in which the Nazis and Allied intelligence played a high-stakes game of Spy vs Spy.
Yeshi had taken a moment to stow away their body bags just in case a base patrol insisted upon inspecting the ambulance. He appeared in the doorway and leaned against the jamb with his arms crossed, awaiting instructions.
“Tell me what you know about this patient,” said Harper after Dr. Basnet finished relaying the news reports to the group.
Dr. Basnet opened a file folder and leaned back in his chair with it cradled in his lap. He pulled his glasses out of a drawer and rested them on the tip of his nose. He alternated between reading and making eye contact with the Americans.
“He is a local man. Enlisted in the military eight years ago and quickly became one of their top search and rescue pilots.”
“Did he live on the base?” asked Kwon.
“No, many of the soldiers do not. There is very little room at the Gonggar Airport due to the air cargo requirements. The overnight personnel are primarily base security and fighter pilots who patrol the Nepal and Indian borders to our south.”
“I know a few of his relatives,” interjected Yeshi. “He is, um, was, Himalayan. No wife or kids. He was alone except for cousins.”
“Is there any record of his deployments over the past several weeks?”
While Dr. Basnet thumbed through the files, Yeshi answered, “I know a few things. He rarely worked except in the spring and summer of the year. He ferried soldiers into the mountains for training and occasionally had to assist in the rescue of a new recruit who was unable to complete the course.”
Dr. Basnet tapped on the file with his fingers. “I have not reviewed the details of this man’s file, but I see something familiar, a possible connection.”
“What is it?” asked Harper.
“There was a mission undertaken two weeks ago. A climbing accident resulted in the Chinese military ma
king a rare rescue trip to Mount Everest. One of the injured was being transported back to Lhasa.”
“Did he survive?” asked Harper.
“I know about this,” replied Yeshi. “The man’s body was brought to my girlfriend’s hospital. He was already dead.”
“Would she know if the body was still there?” asked Harper.
“I know it is not,” Dr. Basnet quickly responded. “The man had no identification. Because of the odd circumstances surrounding his death, the hospital contacted me and asked that I secure him in our quarantine lockers.”
“Odd circumstances?” asked Harper before adding, “What was the cause of death?”
“Not the fall,” replied Dr. Basnet. “It was deemed to be some kind of internal injuries other than trauma.”
Harper’s face contorted as she considered the possibilities. She sat up on the edge of her seat. “Is it still here? Can we examine the remains?”
“No. Upon the corpse’s arrival, I was instructed to prepare it for travel. I assumed it was being sent to the family. He was a white male of unknown nationality.”
“Where was it sent?” asked Kwon.
“Military transport took it to Urumqi,” the doctor replied.
Harper and Kwon exchanged glances. “Whadya think?” she asked.
Kwon shrugged. “It might be the same one. Tell me again about this rescue mission. Helicopters have a very difficult time at high altitude, much less Mount Everest. Do you know the circumstances behind his death?”
Yeshi stepped into the room so he could stand next to Dr. Basnet. “I heard through a friend that after he returned from the mountain with the body and the special forces soldiers, he later got sick.”