'Shoda's people?'

'Yes.'

'You mean you want a safe-house?'

'Call it that. For a few days.'

He angled his narrow head, thinking, watching me. 'I'm due out on a flight in an hour, but you can stay if you want. Guess you could use a shower. Hang your things over there - they'll be dry by morning; this place is watertight.'

When I came back he gave me a worn silk robe; it smelt of opium. 'Some things you'll have to do for me while you're here, okay?'

'Whatever you say.'

He was still watching me, considering. 'When that flight went down, you must have thought I was in on it, right?'

'It occurred to me.'

'I'll bet. Now you know different, or you wouldn't be here.'

'Katie told me about your friend.' Pepperidge had also cleared him: I've done the necessary homework.

Chen looked at the aircraft chronometer on the desk. 'Sure.' Head on ope side. 'You're putting a whole lot of trust in me, right?'

'I don't think it's misplaced.'

'But if it is, you're dead.'

'Correct.'

'There's no particular reason,' he said casually, 'why I should drop you in the shit, but if I find a reason that's what I'm going to do. You don't have anything to worry over so long as what you've told me about you is true. You're also okay by Katie.' He got one of his black cigarettes and lit up. 'Just spelling it out for you, because I have to trust you too, if you're staying here in my absence.' Blew out smoke, watching it. 'I'm not talking about little Chu-Chu, so long as you're gentle with her - she's only a kid. But feel free. I'm talking -'

'She'd have stayed here alone, if I hadn't come?'

'She's learned life the hard way. She can take care of herself 'Is anyone likely to come here?'

'Nope. If anyone rings the bell - that's just figurative -she'll deal with the situation. You won't be disturbed. What I was saying was, I'm going to trust you with one or two things you can do for me that wouldn't get done if you weren't here, because she doesn't speak English, maybe a couple of words.' We were sitting on two of the leather-covered tabourets, and a coin fell out of his pocket as he reached for a notebook; he picked it up and wrote in the book and tore out the page and gave it to me. 'That's where you can call me, in Laos. There's an answering-machine over there, and I want you to monitor calls, okay?'

'Okay.'

'There won't be too many, nothing social - this place is a kind of safe-house for me too, as I guess you know. But if there's anything that sounds urgent, call me.'

'Will do.'

He nodded. 'When did you eat?'

'God knows.'

Let's have a snort!

'They been giving you a hard time?"

'Not as hard as it could've been.' Another wave of guilt, hot and overpowering. The hard time had been for Veneker.

Chen left another telephone number with me; it was punched out on an embossed strip and stuck to the side of the Autocall machine.

'I should be back in a couple of days, Tuesday some time. If I don't show up by Wednesday, or haven't contacted you here, call this number and tell them I'm overdue, okay?' He was stuffing a Walther P38 into his airline bag. 'This trip I'm not sure what's going to happen.' He zipped the bag shut. 'If you want to leave here before then, that's okay. And she'll be fine on her own. Take care.'

That had been hours ago and now she rested like the child she was, curved against me with one thin arm around me, her breathing as soft as a young animal's. I slept again, and the next time I woke it was because of the silence. The rain had stopped and it was almost first light.

She stirred.

'Johnny?'

'No. He'll be back soon.'

She drew herself up against the pillows, and when it was light enough to see her face I said, 'Can you smell smoke, Chu-Chu?'

She watched me quietly, that was all.

'I can smell smoke,' I told her. 'I think this place is on fire.'

She didn't turn her head to look anywhere.

'Are there any extinguishers here, Chu-Chu? We don't want to be burned alive.'

She gazed at me with soft and uncomprehending eyes, and I knew it was all right to call Pepperidge.

'Veneker's dead.'

Short silence, and I heard something being knocked over, alarm clock or something. Over there it was eleven o'clock last night and maybe he was trying to conserve sleep in case I needed him.

'What happened?'

'They rigged a bomb. I should have thought of that.'

'Can't think of everything. You -'

lThen I bloody well should have.'

In a moment he said quietly, 'You've got a war on. We have to expect casualties.'

I got control again. 'He didn't know a thing, of course.' Desperate for consolation.

'Best way to go. But I don't understand. That doesn't sound like Kishnar.'

'No. It must have been one of the surveillance people. I'd left a car standing outside, and they assumed I'd use it again.'

'And he got in.'