Private Beijing

Chapter 74

When we arrived at Zizhuyuan Subdistrict we saw that the place oozed wealth and power. Even the night couldn’t obscure it. From the expensive European SUVs and sports vehicles glimpsed in private parking garages to the perfectly manicured public areas, plush canopies over the grand apartment-block entrances, LED street lighting... a sense of opulence pervaded everything.

It was late and the streets were quiet. There were lights in the windows of many of the high-rise buildings around us, and at the top of each penthouses that glowed like dwarf suns.

Hua stopped outside Fang Wenyan’s building, an impressive black skyscraper that resembled a giant aftershave bottle with gold trim here and there.

Hua peered toward the entrance, and I followed his gaze to see a man in a black suit seated at the desk in the lobby.

“How do you want to do this?” Hua asked.

“Too risky that way. I don’t want Fang to know we’re coming. Drive around,” I said. Hua put his van in gear and moved on.

The building occupied its own block and was surrounded to all sides by landscaped grounds extending to the street. There were no sidewalks, just a path from the road to the main entrance, and at the rear of the building a driveway leading to a service entrance and underground parking garage.

“What do you think?” I asked.

“It’s an infrared remote,” Hua said, gesturing toward the grille that covered the entrance to the garage. He pulled over near the start of the driveway and went into the back of the van. “Hold on one minute.”

I heard him rummaging through things and looked at Zhang Daiyu who shrugged.

Hua emerged with a device covered in buttons.

“It’s a universal remote,” he revealed, and pointed it at the grille while pressing a button.

The metal barrier started to rise almost immediately. He steered us onto the drive and down into the garage.

The vast space was full of expensive imported sedans, sports models, and motorbikes. We parked in a delivery spot near the elevators and climbed out of the van.

“We’d better hurry,” Zhang Daiyu said. “They will have good security.”

“Better than average,” Hua noted, pointing at the alphanumeric keypad above the elevator call button.

“Can’t you use the universal remote?” I said light-heartedly, and he replied with a frown of disapproval.

I knew full well there was no way to access the elevators without physically inputting the correct access code, likely personalized to lead direct to your own floor.

“We’ll take the stairs,” Hua said, gesturing to a door a few feet away leading to a metal stairwell. Access was controlled by a key-card reader. He pulled a credit-card-sized device from his pocket as he approached the door and ran it over the reader. I saw some red and green lights flash on the device. After a few moments the door buzzed open.

“Come on,” Hua said with a smile.

Zhang Daiyu and I followed him into the stairwell and we started up the first flight. According to the information we had from Fen, Fang Wenyan lived in the penthouse on the twenty-fifth floor. It was a long and tiring climb, made worse by the humid, close conditions in the stairwell. By the time we reached the top, we were breathless and sweaty.

I took point and listened at the stairwell door. Nothing but silence, so I lowered the handle and pushed gently. The door swung slowly open and I stepped into a bright marble lobby. Zhang Daiyu and Hua followed me toward the solitary door that stood opposite the bank of three elevators. The door was black and double-width, set in a matching black wall. It looked ominous.

Zhang Daiyu produced a set of lock-picking tools from her pocket and went to work on the door.

A minute later, I heard the lock snap open and she pushed the door ajar. The sound of a television came from inside. Zhang Daiyu crept forward, widening the gap between door and frame.

My stomach lurched when I saw a hand grab her outstretched arm and pull her into the apartment.