the glass. "Don't ask me to apologize for my actions. I do what I have to."
Lotus touched his shoulder. "I understand"
Chapter 9
Nick had what he wanted. The laboratory was located near the village of Tsin Then. He learned from Lotus that the village was less than a hundred miles from Peking. Nick told Lotus everything the German had told him, leaving nothing out. There was a new Nazi movement in Germany, and Bormann was more than just a small part of it Bormann had promised to help the movement with the most powerful weapon ever invented and that, to Nick, meant giving Agent Z to the movement. The German in Lotus's bedroom hadn't mentioned Agent Z, which hadn't surprised Nick. Bormann had gathered around him men who followed blindly, never asking questions. So Bormann had kept Agent Z a secret except to a small handful of his closest confederates. The German knew that Captain Stryker had information about this mysterious weapon. There were a couple of others but he, himself, had been told nothing.
"I thought the man with the frozen face was working for the Chinese?" Lotus wondered out loud.
"The old doublecross," Nick said. "He's using the ChiComs to get what he wants. Equipment, technical help, and time. He has no intention of handing Agent Z over to the Chinese. He needs it to push his way to the top. That kraut in there…" Nick jerked his thumb toward the bedroom door"…knew about the laboratory but not what was going on. He'd been there to help supervise the delivery of laboratory animals and equipment. Lotus, I'm going to Tsin Then."
"You're going now?"
"Yes."
"I'm going with you,"
He started to shake his head but saw the determination in her eyes. "It's too damn dangerous," he said weakly.
"I know a family in Tsin Then. They will give me food.
You
can't enter the village. The villagers would be suspicious. No whites ever go there."
"I'll dump our friend in the closet Hell keep for a week. I'll take along that black costume you made. It may come in handy."
While Nick lugged the German to the closet, Lotus wrapped the costume and some food in packages and then changed into a black pajamalike outfit They went out the back way.
On Chow Din Avenue they came across an old Packard. Nick worked quickly. He lifted the hood, crossed some wires, and soon they were driving away. In the dashboard compartment Lotus found identification papers that belonged to the owner. He was a factory foreman.
"An ordinary worker usually can't afford a car," Lotus explained to Nick.
They left the city without being stopped, and Nick breathed a sigh of relief. They stopped to eat and then continued.
It was two in the morning when they came within sight of the village. Nick left the dirt road, drove through some foliage, and stopped near a tree. He didn't want to leave the car in open country. He cut the motor and got out.
"This family you mentioned — you re sure you can trust them?" he asked her.
She made a wry smile. "You can't trust anyone these days, not even your own family. I'll give them a story about taking a drive out here with some man. I'll ask them for some food and then I'll start talking about the laboratory. Maybe they'll tell me what we want to know."
"You're taking a chance," Nick told her. "You'll be playing it by ear, and that's no good."
"They may get suspicious," Lotus conceded. "Give me all your money."
Nick handed over all the yuan notes in his pockets.
"I'll pay them for the food. Even if they get suspicious they won't say anything. Not with all this money to keep them happy."
Nick watched her run off toward the village, then he stripped and put on the black costume. It was an hour before she returned.
She had chicken pies and rice wine, which they finished off first. Then she told Nick what she had learned. The laboratory was patrolled by Chinese guards. It was a three-house compound. The white-painted house was the laboratory and the other houses, drab in appearance, housed the guards and the
Lotus touched his shoulder. "I understand"
Chapter 9
Nick had what he wanted. The laboratory was located near the village of Tsin Then. He learned from Lotus that the village was less than a hundred miles from Peking. Nick told Lotus everything the German had told him, leaving nothing out. There was a new Nazi movement in Germany, and Bormann was more than just a small part of it Bormann had promised to help the movement with the most powerful weapon ever invented and that, to Nick, meant giving Agent Z to the movement. The German in Lotus's bedroom hadn't mentioned Agent Z, which hadn't surprised Nick. Bormann had gathered around him men who followed blindly, never asking questions. So Bormann had kept Agent Z a secret except to a small handful of his closest confederates. The German knew that Captain Stryker had information about this mysterious weapon. There were a couple of others but he, himself, had been told nothing.
"I thought the man with the frozen face was working for the Chinese?" Lotus wondered out loud.
"The old doublecross," Nick said. "He's using the ChiComs to get what he wants. Equipment, technical help, and time. He has no intention of handing Agent Z over to the Chinese. He needs it to push his way to the top. That kraut in there…" Nick jerked his thumb toward the bedroom door"…knew about the laboratory but not what was going on. He'd been there to help supervise the delivery of laboratory animals and equipment. Lotus, I'm going to Tsin Then."
"You're going now?"
"Yes."
"I'm going with you,"
He started to shake his head but saw the determination in her eyes. "It's too damn dangerous," he said weakly.
"I know a family in Tsin Then. They will give me food.
You
can't enter the village. The villagers would be suspicious. No whites ever go there."
"I'll dump our friend in the closet Hell keep for a week. I'll take along that black costume you made. It may come in handy."
While Nick lugged the German to the closet, Lotus wrapped the costume and some food in packages and then changed into a black pajamalike outfit They went out the back way.
On Chow Din Avenue they came across an old Packard. Nick worked quickly. He lifted the hood, crossed some wires, and soon they were driving away. In the dashboard compartment Lotus found identification papers that belonged to the owner. He was a factory foreman.
"An ordinary worker usually can't afford a car," Lotus explained to Nick.
They left the city without being stopped, and Nick breathed a sigh of relief. They stopped to eat and then continued.
It was two in the morning when they came within sight of the village. Nick left the dirt road, drove through some foliage, and stopped near a tree. He didn't want to leave the car in open country. He cut the motor and got out.
"This family you mentioned — you re sure you can trust them?" he asked her.
She made a wry smile. "You can't trust anyone these days, not even your own family. I'll give them a story about taking a drive out here with some man. I'll ask them for some food and then I'll start talking about the laboratory. Maybe they'll tell me what we want to know."
"You're taking a chance," Nick told her. "You'll be playing it by ear, and that's no good."
"They may get suspicious," Lotus conceded. "Give me all your money."
Nick handed over all the yuan notes in his pockets.
"I'll pay them for the food. Even if they get suspicious they won't say anything. Not with all this money to keep them happy."
Nick watched her run off toward the village, then he stripped and put on the black costume. It was an hour before she returned.
She had chicken pies and rice wine, which they finished off first. Then she told Nick what she had learned. The laboratory was patrolled by Chinese guards. It was a three-house compound. The white-painted house was the laboratory and the other houses, drab in appearance, housed the guards and the
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