Finding Gobi

by Dion Leonard

  Maybe she wasn’t surprised to see the dog there, and maybe she thought the tip was to clean the bathroom extra well. I had no way of knowing. She stayed a long time, cleaning everything in sight. I didn’t want to be out in the room since the door to the hallway was standing open, so I stayed in the bathroom, trying to keep out of the cleaner’s way with Gobi on my lap. Every time she moved on to clean another part of the room, Gobi and I would have to find a new place to perch.

  “Thank you,” I said each time we shifted, hoping that she would get the message. “Goodbye. You can go now.”

  She never got the hint. Instead, she’d just nod, shooing me and Gobi to move from the edge of the tub to the toilet, or from the toilet to the corner behind the door, as she cleaned.

  Gobi thought it was all great fun. She sat happily, her tail swatting the air, her eyes darting back and forth between me and the housekeeper.

  This has to be the strangest scene ever, I thought.

  18

  I wedged the duvet and pillows from the bed against the door, hoping that if Gobi did make a noise it wouldn’t be audible out in the corridor. There was no way I was leaving the room again until I absolutely had to.

  I spent the rest of the morning on my phone. I was sending messages to Richard, telling him about the incident with the housekeeper, and to Lu Xin, asking her to look into alternative accommodation options. I spoke to Paul de Souza, a literary agent and film producer in California. He had first heard about the story from his daughter, and he was helping me negotiate a possible book deal. I was amazed at how many publishers had contacted me, but Paul’s wisdom and knowledge about the industry were second to none. In between all of that, I was doing Skype interviews with American and British media outlets.

  The interviews were fun. Right from the start of the crowdfunding appeal, I knew people wanted to hear about the story because it seemed as though it was heading for a happy ending. Whenever I was interviewed while Gobi was missing, I struggled to know how to adjust to the new questions: How did she go missing? Where did I think she was? Did I fear the worst? I couldn’t be upbeat because I didn’t have a feel-good story to share. And more importantly, I knew that Gobi’s disappearance was shrouded in suspicion. I’d been convinced that something odd had taken place, though I wasn’t sure exactly who had taken her. But I chose not to reveal any of this in the interviews. I didn’t have all the facts, and it was still too early to be blaming people.

  So up in the hotel room, with Gobi asleep on my lap, as I talked to journalists from the Washington Post and CBS, things felt right again. I could relax and smile and tell them that I was finally going to be able to repay Gobi’s love and determination by giving her a forever home back in Scotland.

  Midway through the morning, Gobi woke up, desperate to get outside to do her business. Even though I knew it would happen eventually, I still dreaded the moment when I would have to open the door and peer up and down the hallway to check that the coast was clear.

  Thankfully, we had the lift to ourselves as we sank down to the basement level. Gobi trotted off to the same patch of bushes that stood at the car park exit, and I gave her some privacy and looked around.

  There was nothing much to see, apart from two men in dark suits stepping out of the lift and walking over to a grey saloon parked nearby.

  I was pleased to see that Gobi took a bit of care to kick the dirt back over after relieving herself, but by the time she was finished, the lift doors had opened and out stepped another man into the basement. This time it was a security guard.

  It cost me another ten pounds to persuade him to let us through. I wondered whether it was going to be enough to keep either him or the housekeeper quiet.

  Two hours later I found out the answer.

  The moment she heard the knock at the door, Gobi started barking. Through the spy hole I could see two men. I recognized one of them instantly—Nurali’s husband.

  I stalled. What to do? I couldn’t pretend I wasn’t there—Gobi had seen to that—but how did they find me? One of the hotel workers must have told them which room I was in, but how did they get up to my floor? The only way to operate the lift was by swiping a valid room key. But that seemed to me to be a lot effort on their part, and it did nothing to ease my paranoia.

  I sent a message to Richard: Come to my room immediately.

  “Hello,” I said, as I opened the door, trying to crack a smile and appear relaxed and unthreatened. Nurali’s husband stared impassively while his friend was trying to look past me into the room.

  “Can we come in?” asked Nurali’s husband.

  I was surprised but curious, so I mumbled “okay” and stepped back from the open door to let them in.

  I shut the door behind me and turned around to see them standing over Gobi, looking down. She didn’t seem too worried about them, but I doubted they had come just to visit her. Were they here to take her back? Why had they come?

  I was about to walk over and pick up Gobi when there was another knock at the door. I saw Richard standing in the corridor, so I opened the door and exhaled a little in relief.

  “Hey, man, what do you need?”

  “Um, yes, mate,” I was terrible at bluffing like this. But I didn’t mind. Richard was ex-Marines and having him in the room made me feel a lot safer. More important, he spoke Chinese and could help me get to the bottom of all this. “Didn’t you want to come and get some of those posters to take home as souvenirs?”

  Richard stayed by the door as I picked up Gobi and waited for Nurali’s husband to speak. He fired off a whole load of Chinese and waited for Richard to translate.

  Nurali and her husband had seen all the press coverage about Gobi and were worried I would blame them for her escape.

  “All I want to do is get Gobi out of here and back home. I’m not interested in trying to find out how she escaped, and I’m not interested in trying to find someone to blame. As far as I’m concerned, it was just an accident, and it’s all fine now. It’s in all our interests to keep it that way, isn’t it?”

  Nurali’s husband nodded. There wasn’t much more to say.

  Later that night, after I’d taken Gobi back down to the basement for another ten-pound bathroom break, I watched her fall asleep, then tiptoed out of the room, closing the door silently behind me. I hung the “Do Not Disturb” sign up again and hoped that when I returned a couple of hours later, she would still be there.

  It was time to visit the hotel restaurant for the thank-you dinner. I knew I had a lot to be thankful for, and for the next two hours, I was almost able to forget about the events of the day.

  The search team had worked harder than I could have hoped for. They had put in long hours in scorching heat and walked mile after mile sticking up thousands of posters. They had been shouted at, ignored, and ridiculed, and they had done it all for a dog they had never even met. Their sacrifice, endurance, and love left me a little teary, and I was honoured to be able to stand up, offer them a toast, and tell them all how deeply grateful I was.

  Mr Ma was there, too, with his wife and son. I handed over the reward money, and though he protested a bit at first and seemed slightly confused, after I insisted a few times, he eventually accepted the £1,000.

  Midway through the evening I realized that even though I’d been in Urumqi for almost a week and had spent ten days in China for the race, this was my first time socializing with Chinese people. Many Westerners assume the Chinese are serious people, not given to acts of spontaneity. Looking around the restaurant and seeing it full of my new Chinese friends, all laughing, singing, taking selfies, and relaxing, I didn’t see anyone who fitted that stereotype.

  The doctor was laughing the loudest, Malan was right in the middle of the action, and Mae-Lin, the hairdresser, had turned full-on cougar and was trying her absolute best—but failing—to seduce Richard. I caught Lil and Lu Xin staring at them, and we all laughed even harder.

  “I remember when I first heard about Gobi,” said Lu
Xin.

  “When Chris called you?” I asked.

  “No. When you were racing. There aren’t many news stories about dogs, so whenever there is a story, I always follow it. I knew Gobi was special even then, but I never thought I’d get to meet her.”

  “You did a lot more than just get to meet her, Lu Xin,” I said. “Without you we wouldn’t have found her. You’re the reason we’re all celebrating tonight.”

  She blushed at the compliment, but I meant every word of it.

  She looked up and pointed at the doctor, Mae-Lin, and the others. “Before Gobi, we were trying to care for stray dogs, but nobody listened to us. We were fighting but had no power and no influence. Finding Gobi has changed all that. It’s given us a voice. You’ve helped show that it’s right that people should care for animals.”

  I didn’t want to leave, but the longer the night went on, the more I thought about Gobi. I hoped she was still okay in the hotel room on her own. Eventually worry got the better of me, and I headed back upstairs. Gobi was fine, and I did a brief interview with The Times before heading back out briefly to find Richard, who was leaving early the next morning.

  I knew that having him join the search was going to be helpful, but I didn’t know quite how much I was going to depend on him. He didn’t just help me keep going when I was at my lowest point; he masterminded the plan to get Gobi into the hotel and gave me some convincing back-up when I thought she might be taken.

  I’m a bit of a loner by nature—it’s non-negotiable for someone who needs to log a hundred miles or more in training runs each week. But the irony is that some of the strongest friendships I’ve formed in my life have been formed with people I’ve competed alongside in ultras. We go through hell on our own out there on the course each day, but the bond that forms is powerfully strong.

  When I flew out to Urumqi, I assumed the search was going to be just like another ultra. I thought I’d have to push myself hard, and I expected others to do the same. But in finding Gobi, I found out some valuable lessons for myself as well.

  I discovered that working as a team—rather than as a bunch of individuals—wasn’t nearly as bad as I used to think it would be. I found out that my areas of weakness were covered by other people’s strengths. I didn’t have to shoulder the work all on my own. I could lean on the others, and they could take it. They didn’t let me down. And I didn’t fail them either.

  19

  Every radio station and TV network that I had spoken with while the search was in progress wanted a follow-up interview after Gobi was found. In the days immediately following Gobi’s return, I gave a total of fifty interviews in person, over the phone, or on Skype. Being that busy suited me. It took my mind off the fear that was growing stronger within me with every hour that passed.

  It wasn’t just the visit from Nurali’s husband or the encounter with the housekeeper that had me worried. In the hotel bar after my Times interview, Richard had been sharing his conspiracy theories with me, and all that night my mind had been filled with shady characters lurking in the shadows.

  Richard’s logic was admittedly compelling. He didn’t think Gobi had ever escaped, at least not the way Nurali thought. He said that when the story first went global, someone could have figured out that there was some money to be made from the dog, and when the opportunity arose, they took her. They probably hung on to her so long because the interest kept increasing along with the chance of getting an even bigger payout. But my coming to Urumqi changed things. Suddenly the local press was looking into it, and then the government started taking an interest, with local officials joining the WeChat group. After that, the whole thing became riskier.

  “That’s why Lu Xin got so many calls saying that Gobi was dead already or that she was going to be killed unless the reward money increased.”

  “Wait,” I said. “What do you mean ‘so many calls’? I thought there was just the one phone call. And nobody told me they were asking for more money.”

  “Yes,” said Richard. “They had hundreds of them. They just didn’t want to worry you.”

  I didn’t know what to think. Part of me was grateful for their care. Had I known the full story, I couldn’t have done anything to help, and I’d have been even more worried. But I didn’t like the thought that I’d been scammed.

  I was trying to wrap my mind around it all, but Richard hadn’t quite finished.

  “And don’t you think it’s weird that Gobi ended up with someone who knew Nurali?”

  “So you think the Ma family took her?”

  “No. They didn’t need the money and wouldn’t be interested in taking a dog. But it’s quite a coincidence that Gobi was left where people who knew her story could find her. And in a city with mountains and open space nearby, how come Gobi decides to hide on a road near the most expensive gated community for miles? She’s not accustomed to high-class living just yet, is she?” It’s more likely that the dognappers planted her.

  In between interviews the next morning, I messaged Lu Xin to say that I thought it would be best if Gobi and I found somewhere else to stay. Apart from feeling vulnerable in the hotel room on my own, the fact that I couldn’t take Gobi freely in and out of the hotel meant that I still hadn’t taken her to a vet to get her checked out. If the hip was a problem, it didn’t seem fair that she should have to wait. Kiki was still working to get Gobi to Beijing, and I was getting increasingly worried that someone else would try and kidnap Gobi in the hope of a decent reward payout. And besides, every day spent waiting was another day to wait until she could finally come home.

  I’d just finished texting Lu Xin when there was a knock at the door. Gobi was in a deep sleep and didn’t stir at all, but I still tiptoed across the carpet, my heart jumping and my head spinning.

  As I looked through the peephole, I was half-expecting to see the hotel manager standing outside, or maybe a housekeeper who had ignored the “Do Not Disturb” sign. I hoped it wouldn’t be Nurali’s husband.

  It was none of these people.

  It was two men in dark suits. I recognized them instantly. They were the same two men I had seen in the basement the day before.

  I stepped back from the door, pushing myself flat against the wall. A random movie scene, where a sharply dressed assassin shot the unsuspecting occupant through the peephole, flashed across my mind. I told myself that I was being ridiculous and stole another glance.

  They were still there, staring impassively at me.

  The door was locked and bolted, and the security chain thrown over, which is how I always have it whenever I’m in a hotel room. I wondered whether I should open it up and see what they wanted. Perhaps they had been sent from the government to make sure Gobi was safe. If that was the case, there was no risk in having a talk with them. But what if they were there to take Gobi, kick us out of the hotel, or exact revenge on behalf of whoever took her in the first place? If any of those were correct, then opening the door was the last thing I should do.

  I made up my mind and backed away, keeping close to the wall just in case my thoughts about gunmen and Hollywood movies were some kind of premonition. I hid around the wall by the bed and hoped that Gobi would stay asleep.

  Another knock.

  It wasn’t loud or angry, but it made me hold my breath and freeze. What would I do if they forced the door? Would I pretend I’d been asleep and try and talk my way out of it? Or would I try to use the element of surprise and charge past them with Gobi under my arm and head for the fire exit?

  The seconds crept by. There were no more knocks, and they didn’t try the handle to see if the door was open. After five minutes I edged back to the door and looked out of the peephole, seeing nothing but an empty corridor. I strained from side to side to see if they might be hiding down low, out of normal sight, but after ten minutes I was convinced they had definitely gone. I carefully pulled away the bedding that covered the bottom of the door and eased the door open. Nothing left, nothing right. I quickly closed, locked
, and bolted it again.

  I found my phone and sent a message to Lu Xin: Please, get us out of here! I’m really worried that someone’s going to grab Gobi. I didn’t sleep all night, and I am really scared for our safety.

  I wanted to get in a car and drive back to Beijing that afternoon, but between Kiki, Chris, and Lu Xin, they came up with a different plan. Kiki’s contact said she could help get Gobi permission to fly, and that all we’d need were the basic medical checks carried out by a vet. Once we’d done that, we could be in Beijing in four or five days.

  Lu Xin found a flat that I could rent and assured me no one else knew where it was. I didn’t want to take any chances. So the next morning I took Gobi down to the basement and handed her over to Lu Xin—the only person in the whole of Urumqi I trusted completely. I was on edge, scanning the parked cars for a grey saloon with two dark-suited males in it. I didn’t see it, but that was little comfort to me.

  I rushed back up to the lobby, settled my bill, and checked out.

  The location of the flat was just as Lu Xin described. I’d not been in that part of the city before, and I was pleased to see that the streets and shops were busy enough to give me and Gobi some cover, without being so crowded that we’d get swamped.

  The flat itself was clean and basic, and I felt myself exhale with relief as I said thank you and goodbye to Lu Xin and locked the door behind her.

  After Gobi had a good sniff around the entire place, she sat in front of me and looked up into my eyes, just the way she had done on the second morning of the race. It was like she was telling me that she knew something was different but she was okay with it.

  “It’s quite an adventure we’ve got ourselves into, isn’t it, Gobi?”

  She stared back, gave my feet a quick sniff, then trotted over to the couch, jumped up, spun around four times, and curled up in a little ball of sandy-brown fluff.

  Gobi wasn’t so happy the next day when I took her to the vet. Kiki had arranged for her to be seen by one of the top guys in the city, and I was excited. For the first time in this whole affair, Gobi and I were about to make some real progress towards getting her home.