by Alex Archer
“Ollie said we need to access that site. He says he got lucky and got video footage of the break-in at the Rollison home.”
Annja quickly typed the address into her computer and waited as the site came up. A video dawned on her screen and black-and-white footage rolled.
On the screen, Asian men got out of a nondescript sedan in front of what Annja assumed was the apartment building where Mrs. Rollison lived. The scene cut, then opened up again on a hallway view of the three men as they broke into a flat. This time the camera revealed that they were Asian. They returned seventeen minutes later carrying a box. The time lapse sped up to get through the waiting.
Fiona looked grim. “We have to believe that the diary is in Puyi-Jin’s hands now. He could well be caught up with us at this point.”
Annja pushed herself back from the table and took her computer. “Then he’ll probably be looking for Tsai Chien-Fu, as well. We’ll just have to find him faster.”
34
Searching back two hundred years of history while looking for one man was an arduous task. It was easier to track an event or political climate, or even an environmental one. Finding people lost in history could be hard. Fortunately, it was only two hundred years. Though, the task would have been much easier if Tsai Chien-Fu had been more than a drone at a Chinese bank filled with drones. Killers and kings were much easier to locate.
Consumed by her mission, Annja worked through the night. The Tsai family name was one of the less common in China, and the country had a lot of genealogical documentation despite the wars and unrest that had torn it apart at different times. Annja had hoped the name would be enough to help her find Tsai Chien-Fu.
It wasn’t. She failed and failed and failed again to the point she was ready to put her computer through the wall. In the end, it was the alt.history site that pointed the way.
At 5:53 a.m., a new posting came through from New Shanghai Girl. At Annja’s request, the young woman had investigated her friend’s family.
Ni hao again, Lantern Girl!
I’m glad my posting helped you find what you were looking for. Wouldn’t it be cool if your lantern was the same one my friend’s family had lost? Or if the two lanterns were somehow related? I mean, I know there are probably a million dragon lanterns, but this one’s gotta be special, right?
Anyway, my friend’s family still lives in the same place. They own a flower shop in Nanqiao Town, the largest city in the Fengxian district. The shop’s name translates to Beautiful Moon Petals, which has got to be one of the corniest names I’ve ever heard of. Her father’s name is Li Shusen, or Shusen Li if you want to write it in English.
But my friend’s mother’s maiden name was Tsai. Which, I think, is the name of the man in the picture. The Chinese one, not the European one.
My friend’s name is Guifang, but we call her Amy. Can I tell her that you may have found her family’s long-lost lantern?
Gotta go. iCarly is coming on and I have a paper due in Anthropology tomorrow!
New Shanghai Girl
Ni hao, New Shanghai Girl,
Don’t mention this to your friend yet. I’m planning on coming to Shanghai soon and can arrange a meeting. Maybe it will be a great surprise.
I appreciate all your help. Give me a post address and I’ll send you a few seasons of iCarly as a thank-you.
Lantern Girl
Annja woke Fiona and Edmund, then went to the kitchen and started the coffeemaker and put on a kettle of water for tea. Evidently her two companions had been up late because they were slow to rise. Working on nervous energy, Annja pulled sausage links and orange juice from the refrigerator. She found pancake mix in the pantry and set a frying pan on the stove to heat.
Taking a few apples from the bowl on the countertop, she washed them and chopped them into small pieces, then dropped them into a pan with a little water and set it to boil for applesauce. Turning her attention to the sausage links, she plopped the links into the frying pan to cook. She turned the sausages to brown them while she made pancakes.
By the time Edmund was sitting up and Fiona arrived fresh from the shower, Annja was placing the food on the dining table. She added fresh melon and grapes.
Fiona sat and arched an eyebrow. “You’re still in your clothing from yesterday. Did you sleep at all?”
“No.” Annja sat and dug into the meal. “But I think I found the Tsai family.”
Edmund paused in the middle of forking pancakes onto his plate. “Truly?”
“Yes.” As they ate, Annja told them the story of her discovery.
* * *
AFTER ANNJA HAD FINISHED relating her tale, they were well into the meal.
“Are you planning on contacting the Li family and finding out if they are indeed the family we’re looking for?” Fiona carved a sausage link with a knife and fork, then popped a piece into her mouth and chewed.
“By phone?” Annja shook her head. “I don’t think we could get the answers we need by doing this over the phone. I think we need to go there.”
“Actually, I agree. This is something that will be best handled in person.”
“Wait.” Edmund held up his hands. “You’re seriously talking about just jetting over to Shanghai?”
Fiona nodded.
“You do realize there are people looking for us?”
“Not a thing we’re likely to forget, given the nature of our arrival and all the trouble we got into yesterday.”
Edmund sighed in exasperation. “How do you plan on getting out of Paris? Laframboise, and possibly Puyi-Jin, will know about your private jet by now. You can’t just hop on that and take off.”
“I wasn’t planning to. In fact, after the debacle that occurred at the airport, I had the pilot take my jet back to London. I didn’t want to risk Laframboise or Puyi-Jin targeting the jet just for spite. People could have gotten hurt because it might become a target.” Fiona sipped her tea. “I’m certain Georges can find us a way to Shanghai. He does business with that side of the world, as well.”
Annja was ready to go. She didn’t like the idea that Puyi-Jin might already be closing in on the family they hoped to see. “How soon can we leave?”
“Let me give Georges a ring, but I’m willing to bet we can leave fairly quickly.” Fiona reached for her phone.
* * *
GEORGES REACTED A LOT MORE quickly than Annja could have imagined. Within an hour of getting Fiona’s call, he had a flight available for them aboard a cargo jet that would be flying nonstop. They had to hurry to pack and get to the airport on time.
Georges drove them himself and talked with the flight crew to make sure everything was in order. He stood at the loading gate and talked with Fiona as the plane was prepped for departure.
“Everything will be in order for the customs people when you arrive in Shanghai.” Georges handed Fiona a thick manila envelope. “I’ve provided paperwork that will show all of you as consultants for an investments business that I’m associated with in Shanghai.”
Fiona regarded him with interest. “Doing a bit of piracy, are you?”
Georges smiled. “You’ve got a suspicious nature, Ms. Pioche.”
“Only when I’m around suspicious people.”
“Rest assured, the business I’m doing with these people will not reflect onto you. Your trip should be uneventful, and I’ll keep hoping that you find whatever it is you’re looking for.”
“Thank you, Georges. You’ve been very kind.”
He bowed slightly and kissed the back of Fiona’s hand. “Your presence always reinvigorates whatever poor kindness resides within me.” He straightened. “I do wish you’d have been able to stay longer. I would love to take you to dinner.”
“I would have enjoyed that, as well, but that would be better at a time when someone isn’t gunning for me.”
“True.”
“I’ll see you again soon, Georges.”
Standing in the shade of the small warehouse, Georges waved them off.<
br />
Mechanically, dreading the eleven-hour flight ahead of them, Annja carried her baggage to the waiting cargo jet. Once aboard it, she discovered the passenger section was larger than she’d expected. She chose a seat against one of the windows, stowed her gear and settled into the chair.
Within minutes before takeoff, Annja was asleep.
* * *
ELEVEN AND A HALF HOURS later, Annja woke to find Fiona shaking her gently by the shoulder. Annja looked up at the woman, realizing that the vibrations of the plane were caused by it taxiing. She got up from the seat in the back of the plane and started grabbing her gear. She slung her backpack over her shoulder.
“I can’t believe I slept so long.” Annja unplugged her sat-phone from the charger and tucked it into her pocket. Her computer was at capacity, as well.
“I think we all did.” Fiona picked up her bag, but one of the flight crew came over and took it from her.
“No. Please. I was given very specific orders.” The man smiled politely at her. Then he called over to another man.
Annja surrendered her carry-on, but she kept hold of her backpack. That never left her sight.
Edmund still looked tired. “I envy the two of you sleeping the way you do. I watched you do it, and I still can’t believe it.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I’ve never been one to sleep on a plane, and this thing jumped and bounced nearly the whole way.”
Fiona patted him on the shoulder. “If all goes well, we’ll be in a hotel tonight. Unless you wanted to stay there this morning.”
“And leave you two to go off and figure out the secret that everyone is looking for?” Edmund shook his head. “That’s not going to happen as long as I have a breath of air left in me.” He fisted his bag and followed them out of the plane.
* * *
AS GEORGES HAD PROMISED, their passage through the China Inspection and Quarantine was relatively uneventful. There were a lot of passengers deplaning, though, and that took almost an hour. They had left Paris shortly before noon. With the eleven-hour flight and the time change between countries, they had landed at Shanghai Pudong International Airport at 5:40 a.m. It was now almost seven, but still too early to go calling on the Li family. There was still over an hour of travel time to reach Nanqiao Town.
Once they had cleared customs, Fiona led the way to the Avis car rental area and surprised Annja by speaking fluent Chinese.
“You can speak Mandarin?”
Fiona nodded. “I can speak it, but I can’t read it. I came here a number of times with Roux. There were all kinds of interesting things we found while we were in this country.”
Annja recalled the jade ogre Roux and Garin had destroyed when they had been at the Loulan City dig. China was thousands of years old, and the country jealously held on to its secrets because there had been so much turmoil, and because the emperors hadn’t shared their knowledge. So much of it had been lost.
“I didn’t think you could rent a car here. The last time I tried, I was told I had to have a Chinese driver’s license and that it took about three weeks to get one.”
“I have a Chinese driver’s license.” Fiona took the document from the small handbag she carried. “And it’s up-to-date. As I said, I’ve been here a number of times, and I still have business that brings me here on occasion. Having a license is just smart.”
Silently, Annja agreed. Otherwise, they would have been stuck with public transport or have to hire a driver. They would have been more or less stranded on foot or forced to give up part of their privacy.
“You’re amazing.”
“I’ve had an amazing life. As I’m sure you’re going to have. The trick is to always manage to survive such a life.”
* * *
AFTER THE CAR WAS PROMISED within the hour, which Fiona said would be more like two hours, she took them to the Canglang Ting restaurant, which was already open and business was booming. The scent of the spices and herbs made Annja’s stomach growl. They sat and ate in relative silence, putting away an enormous amount of noodles and rice cakes.
When they finally pushed away from the table, Edmund sighed in discomfort. “I’ll never be hungry again.”
At the car rental agency, they picked up a gray Volkswagen Passat. Fiona drove them to the nearby Ramada Pudong Airport Hotel. Inside, Fiona walked directly to the Executive Lounge desk and the well-dressed man there greeted her by name.
“Not the best hotel we could stay at, but certainly the most convenient. And I don’t expect our stay will be long.” Fiona booked them into rooms.
A few moments later, they all had keys and agreed to meet back in the abbreviated lobby in twenty minutes.
Annja arrived first, five minutes early, freshly showered and in a change of clothes. She’d thrown her bag onto the bed but she’d kept her backpack. Seated on one of the chairs in the lobby, she pulled up a map site and plotted their route from the airport to the Li family flower shop.
“You know, the car does come equipped with GPS navigation.”
Annja glanced up. Fiona stood just behind her. The woman wore business casual, dressy enough to ensure respect, but not so much that it would intimidate a small business owner.
“I know, but I’d rather know my way around when I can.”
Fiona nodded. “I’m the same. I had Ollie upload street maps to my phone so I’ll be able to navigate with that if I need to. You’ll also find them in your phone now, as well.”
“I didn’t think about that. Everybody needs an Ollie.”
“Maybe one day you’ll have one.”
Edmund arrived only a few minutes later and apologized for his tardiness. Then they headed for the car.
35
Li Shusen’s Beautiful Moon Petals flower shop wasn’t far from Guhua Park. From the passenger seat of the rental car, Annja looked out over the trees and waterways. Though she could barely see them as they passed, several red and white temples with peaked roofs sat at the ends of paved walkways or stood on stilts. The whole area looked quiet and serene, and part of her wished they were headed there instead.
Fiona guided the car through the morning traffic into one of the business districts. Fiona swore on several occasions as bicyclists shot out in front of her and she had to swerve to avoid them.
Several of the bicyclists carried farm produce for the morning markets, and some of them even had crates of chickens on the backs of their bikes. Annja heard the strident din of traffic chaos even through the closed windows and limited soundproofing.
A few minutes later, Fiona pulled onto Renmin Road and took it to their destination. Trees and single-story shops lined the street. Shoppers and tourists were already out in full force. Unlike in the United States, where strip malls and shopping areas tended to be uniform, Nanqiao Town was a mix of old and new.
Miraculously, a block from the flower shop, a delivery van pulled out and left a vacant spot. Amid the shrill squeal of brakes and the blare of car horns, Fiona claimed the space at once.
In the backseat, Edmund sighed. “My God, I thought we were about to die.”
“We had closer calls in Paris.” Fiona checked her hair in the mirror. “I had everything under control.” She opened the glove compartment and took out a sleek Walther PPK. “I could only arrange the one, I’m afraid.” She tucked it into her small handbag. “I notice you don’t carry a purse, Annja.”
“Not if I can help it.”
“Of course, having a sword you can pull out of thin air trumps a handbag.”
Annja smiled. “It does.” She got out of the car, backpack over her shoulder, and retrieved the case holding the dragon lantern from the trunk.
Edmund watched, clearly torn.
Annja held up the case. “Having second thoughts?”
He shook his head. “No second thoughts. Regrets, yes. That lantern belonged to Anton Dutilleaux, and it would have been a coup in my collection.”
“I’m told the worst thing that can ever happen to a collector is to have ever
ything he wants.”
“I don’t subscribe to that particular line of logic.”
Annja laughed. “Totally understandable.”
“All right. If I’m to give up that lantern, which I’ve owned for too short a time, I can only hope we’ll get some answers about Anton Dutilleaux.”
* * *
A SMALL ASIAN MAN SWEPT the walkway in front of Beautiful Moon Petals. He worked in swift, economical movements. He was thin and bald, perhaps in his forties, and neatly dressed in black pants and a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up. He noticed Annja and the others, but he only nodded until he saw that they were headed straight for him.
Then he rolled down his sleeves and reached for the black jacket hanging on the handle of the open door. He pulled it on and smiled.
“Good morning.” The man waved to the baskets of flowers lining the table behind him. “Would you like some flowers? Very pretty. Smell very nice.”
Annja had to agree that they did smell good. “Mr. Li?” she asked.
A troubled look stole over the man’s face. “I am Mr. Li.”
“My name is Annja Creed.”
Li looked uncertainly at the three of them.
“This is Fiona Pioche and Edmund Beswick. Friends of mine.”
“I see. You are not here to buy flowers.” Li sagged a little. “You need directions?”
“Is your wife here?”
Li hesitated for a moment. “In shop, yes. Working very hard. We have many orders to fill. Very busy time right now.”
“We’d like to see her if we could.”
Li shook his head. “My wife not know you. If she know you, I know you. I not know you.”
“Mr. Li, we came here today hoping to return something to her. And to get some answers.” Annja opened the case and revealed the lantern to the shopkeeper.
Li’s face darkened and Annja knew she had his full attention. “Is this Tsai Chien-Fu’s lantern?” he asked.