“That’s a good guess,” Yao said. “But Urumqi is a city of three and a half million people. They have cameras like New York City has pigeons. I can guarantee you that right now, the place is crawling with People’s Liberation Army Navy intelligence.”
“Hang on.” Caruso opened one eye again at the back of the plane. “It’s PLA-Navy intelligence and not Ministry of State Security?”
“Oddly, yes,” Yao said. “From what I’m hearing, Navy spooks reporting directly to Admiral Zheng are handling this one by themselves. The admiral wants the search kept low-key, but he also wants this woman bad, so they’re leaving no stone unturned.”
“And no idea why they want her?” Adara asked.
“Something to do with the missing professor,” Yao said. “That’s it so far.”
“But too hot for us to go in without a better lock on Medina Tohti’s location,” Chavez said, nodding while he doodled in his notebook.
“It is for now,” Yao said. “With any luck, my guy will give us a concrete place to focus on.”
“Any chance Tohti will go to her daughter’s?” Ryan asked.
“There’s a chance,” Yao said. “The girl’s evidently some kind of gymnastics prodigy. The government had taken her to Beijing for training when Medina’s husband was rounded up and killed. Sounds like Medina just lost it and ran off.”
Adara gave a low whistle. “Makes sense when you think about it, wanting to join a group that’s killing the people who have taken away her husband and her daughter. The poor woman’s gotten the shitty end of the stick from her own government.”
“We do know the daughter is in Kashgar,” Yao said. “Staying with her aunt.”
“The authorities are sure to be up on that address as well,” Ryan said.
“Oh, yeah,” Yao said. “Urumqi is bad, but surveillance in Kashgar is probably worse. Citizens in western China are surveilled more heavily than virtually any other city in the world. Cameras everywhere, facial-recognition software running full-tilt, checkpoints with magnetometers and X-ray screening all over the place. The place is crawling with Bingtuan.”
“Bingtuan?” Chavez asked.
“The Corps. Short for Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps,” Yao said. “Sounds a hell of a lot more benign than it is. The XPCC is a paramilitary government organization charged with protecting the frontier from invasion, but their primary focus is on tamping down any rebellion from the Uyghur population. They have their hands in everything — the farm quotas, education, healthcare, law enforcement — making sure everyone is being Chinese enough.”
“I’ve read about them,” Clark said. “
“Or one boot on the neck of anyone who doesn’t bend to Han Chinese will,” Yao added. “They have a lock on Kashgar, that’s for sure. Still, a mother’s love and all. There’s a good chance Medina Tohti will surface there at some point.”
“You feel like we can get in?” Chavez asked.
“As tourists,” Yao said. “Some professional eyes in case Medina Tohti does show up — or at least poke around and see what you can find out. I have a couple of assets there, but they lack training.”
“Maybe Lisanne and I,” Clark said. “While the rest of you get ready to head for parts yet unknown.”
Robertson perked up.
Ding nodded in agreement. “If you think she’s ready, Boss.”
“I do,” Clark said. “It’ll be the perfect cover — an old man and his—”
“Nurse,” Midas joked.
Clark gave one of his low and slow chuckles, the kind Chavez thought sounded particularly deadly. “I was going to say an old man and his lady friend.”
Midas raised both hands as if in surrender. “You know I’m only kidding, Mr. C.”
Clark’s eyes narrowed. “Is that right…”
Yao’s voice came across the speaker. “I suppose you and Ms. Robertson could be the ones to go. But I’m thinking Kashgar will be the easier place to provide workable cover legends. Yeah, the XPCC goons are everywhere, but Beijing likes to show off how culturally sensitive China can be. Forget that they’ve rounded up over a million Uyghurs for ‘reeducation.’ They’ve got this whole Potemkin village vibe going in Kashgar, demonstrating to the world how China pulls its ethnic minorities out of the squalor they’ve been living in for centuries and provides them with modern housing and better living. They still welcome tourists there. I’ll blend in wherever this mission takes us, but if the rest of you have to go into Urumqi hunting Tohti and the Wuming, two couples would draw less attention than a bunch of dudes.”
“So,” Clark said. “You’re saying I should take one of the guys with me to Kashgar.”
“I believe that dynamic would draw less attention there than in other parts of China,” Yao said. “I could get you set up with Canadian passports and the necessary travel visas.”
“Okay, then,” Clark said. “Midas, you’re with me. You get to be my nurse.”
“Now, Mr. C.,” Midas said. “No hard feelings, right?”
Clark gave him a narrow grin. “Time provides the sweetest revenge. You’ll get old yourself one day, youngster — barring any unforeseen circumstances…”
