They parked in the same place as last time. As they left the Buick, an officer rushed down the stairs to meet them, shouting in Japanese. He saw Strachan and Danilov in the car and switched to Chinese.
‘He’s asking what we are doing here.’
‘Tell him we have an appointment with Colonel Ihanaga; that he’s expecting us.’
‘Do we, sir?’
‘We do.’
Strachan spoke to the officer. ‘We are to wait here, sir.’
Danilov began to roll a cigarette. It was time for the consoling comfort of a good smoke. ‘You don’t have to come in with me, Strachan.’
The detective sergeant looked up at the rounded dome soaring above his head. Soldiers, sailors, marines and Japanese civilians were rushing in and out of the oak doors, intent on some task of extreme urgency.
‘I want to come in with you this time, sir.’
‘It’s not necessary, Strachan.’
‘I’ll rephrase that, sir. I need to come in with you.’
Danilov lit his cigarette and took one long, deep lungful. It was a bright, clear Shanghai day. For some reason, the cloud of coal smoke normally hanging over the city had avoided this area. ‘You wanted to ask me something, David?’
‘That’s the first time you’ve used my Christian name, sir.’
‘Is it? I won’t make a habit of it. Ask away.’
Strachan coughed into his hand. ‘I—’
The Japanese officer rushed down the stairs, bowed slightly from the hips and said in English, ‘Colonel Ihanaga will see you now.’
Danilov threw away the half-smoked cigarette. ‘Too late, Strachan. We’re always too late.’
They followed the officer up the stairs, through the oak doors into the domed lobby. The hustle and bustle inside was intense, magnified by the echo of boots on the marble floor. As before, they took the long corridor off the lobby. The officer waited at the door before tapping twice on the wood.
A single muffled word, ‘Enter,’ spoken in English, came from inside.
Danilov seized Strachan’s arm. ‘Whatever you do, don’t say a word. Just follow my lead. This is a matter of life and death, Strachan, do you understand?’
‘Yes, sir, of course.’
The door opened and they stepped inside.