Page 160 of King’s Ransom

‘I’m looking for—’

I froze as I saw two men emerge together from a back room, talking quietly.

A portly Chinese man with grey hair (Ernest Chang, maybe?).

And Zhang Xiao, private detective.

‘—him,’ I said.

At the exact same moment, Xiao saw me and his eyes sprang wide.

I imagined that I was the last person he expected to see here.

I also immediately saw the white bandage tied around his left hand.

A bandage for a wound.

Like a gunshot wound suffered during a recent car chase on the Henry Hudson Parkway.

From a shot fired by me.

‘Dr Speedman?’ Xiao said, either confused or alarmed or both. ‘What brings you here?’

The way he emphasised the word here told me everything.

Why was I at a front business for the Chinese government?

‘Modern Alchemical Solutions, Xiao,’ I said. ‘Ever heard of a company by that name? Ever used it?’

His eyes sprang even wider.

‘How could you—?’

‘How’d you hurt your hand, Xiao?’ I said. ‘Trying to snatch Audrey Mills and get the QuantumSpeed-7 chip? After you failed to get it from her on the bridge at the cemetery?’

‘Now, wait just a minute . . .’ Xiao said.

He came round the reception counter.

The young receptionist glanced at the older grey-haired Chinese man, concerned.

Operatives of the Chinese government clearly weren’t used to American private detectives bowling into their office and hurling accusations.

Xiao said, ‘Let’s talk—’

A loud bang cut him off.

The door to the street behind me was kicked open.

‘Freeze! FBI!’

Two agents in (cheap) grey suits stormed in, pistols levelled.

‘Hands where we can see ’em!’ the bigger one shouted.

‘Don’t move, Speedman!’ The smaller agent had his gun trained on me.

And then a third FBI man strolled into the office behind them.